dianed

Larry…I will gladly send you the button. I don’t want anything for it. I do remember giving all the band members two buttons at the concert. I had 300 made up for the show and remember walking through the streets of NYC, with Marvin, carrying all 300 of them and a cheesecake. I made a deal with Jim that if he gave me a concert, I would give him a homemade cheesecake. He did and I delivered. PM me your address and I’ll get it out in the mail for you.

Larry, Yes I do. I have 3 left. Interested?

Lew, Refresh my memory, didn't we meet him at one of the shows?

Bernie…. Saying “Thank you” is not enough. Finding this message board was a blessing. I came across it soon after my mom had passed. It was a long five years of caring for her and I was lost when she passed. I was still in “responsibility mode” and didn’t know how to fill my time. She always told me “All the good you are doing for me will come back to you, not always in the way you want, but it will come back to you”. She was so right. Well, all that good did come back to me. This message board was just what I needed. Who knew it would open up an entire different world for me. I have met the most wonderful people here and formed lasting friendships. I have cried along with these people when they shared their disappointments, I have laughed with these people…at times, so hard that my tummy hurt, I have fought with some of these people and came very close to getting married at WAB, but I chose to “walking the plank” and I have seen men wearing grass skirts (which still haunts me). My dream was to finally see the Raspberries in concert (Mom never allowed me to go to concerts way back in the day....”Sex, Drugs and Rock and Roll”) and I finally did……5 times !! Not only did I see my favorite band, I met them. I had a blast. From the time I joined this board to the last concert in Cleveland were the best years of my life. I know I wasn’t around the board for a while because of work responsibilities, but it was nice to know it was always there. I’m so sad to see it come to an end. For all this, for opening up your home, for allowing all this to happen, for the memories and for everything else, from the bottom of my heart, I thank you. You and everyone here have touched my heart in ways I never thought possible. Hugs!! Diane

Oh Lew….I can see your wittiness has gotten better with age. I know I haven’t been around in a very, very long time. Days turn into weeks, weeks turn into months…well, you know the rest. I have been extremely busy working. I started working for myself some years ago and it has blossomed into something I could never imagine. I worked my butt off to get to where I am now and it has paid off but the hours are long…16 hours a day, 7 days a week. It’s sad to see this board coming to an end. Even though I haven’t been around, it was nice to know it was always there. I have formed wonderful friendships through here and I still keep in touch with many people. We may not speak every week or so, but always pick up where we left off. Craig: Vodka and PediaLyte is delish !! Try it sometime! Oh….and James…FYI….This “little engine” could, would, and still does !!

HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BLONDE VELVET !! Birthdays are ordinary days sprinkled with stardust. Here’s hoping your special day is magical !! *Your birthday color is Maroon* You are the brilliant type. You are studious, knowledgeable, and just plain old smart. You tend to be persuasive in all aspects of life. You enjoy a good intellectual debate. You don't fight dirty, but you also don't back down. You can be incredibly patient and calm. You are an excellent listener and sounding board.

HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BERNIE !! Happy birthday to the man who makes all of this possible !! Here’s hoping your special day is exactly like YOU …..AWESOME…. FANTASTIC…..TERRIFIC and full of FUN !! *Your birthday color is Maroon* You are the brilliant type. You are studious, knowledgeable, and just plain old smart. You tend to be persuasive in all aspects of life. You enjoy a good intellectual debate. You don't fight dirty, but you also don't back down. You can be incredibly patient and calm. You are an excellent listener and sounding board.

Well, it finally happened !! After almost 5 months of being unemployed, I finally got a job. It’s only part time but there is a very good potential for many more hours down the road. Since it is part time I can still collect partial unemployment benefits, which really helps out. The funny part is that I didn’t even find the job…..they found me!! I had worked for a group of radiologists many, many years ago. One of the doctors left the group and started his own practice which grew and grew. He now owns many offices throughout Queens, NY. I received a call the week before Thanksgiving from his office asking if I was interested in part time work at night. I jumped at the offer ! I still don’t know how he tracked me down, nor do I care, but he did and I am ecstatic. The great part is that all the work is done from home. I had the software downloaded on my computer and I trained for weeks during the day and started working after 5pm. The software was a breeze to learn but I had to be trained with all the different doctors at the facilities and I’m still doing that, one at a time. I start the training with each different doctor (one doctor per week), from 9 to about 3 and then I start work at 5pm and work up until about 11:00. I was even asked to fill in for the people who wanted time off during the holidays so I’m putting in plenty of hours this week and next week. Working at night gives me the opportunity to look for an additional job during the day. I'm still sending out resumes, but no bites so far. This night job is working out just fine and dandy !! Finally…things are looking up !!

HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BARB !! The happiest of birthday wishes to a real classy lady !! Enjoy your special day ! *Your Birthdate Predicts You're Fearless* Ever since you were born, you've always been able to assert yourself. You are confident in carving your own path. Soon enough, other people will be persuaded and follow along. You are driven and competitive to the point of being impulsive. You'll do just about anything to win. It drives you crazy when you have to stay still in life. You are too dynamic to stay stagnant.

Happy Happy Birthday, Catnip !! You only have one birthday a year - so party hearty! *Your Birthdate Predicts You're Fearless* Ever since you were born, you've always been able to assert yourself. You are confident in carving your own path. Soon enough, other people will be persuaded and follow along. You are driven and competitive to the point of being impulsive. You'll do just about anything to win. It drives you crazy when you have to stay still in life. You are too dynamic to stay stagnant.

Thanks to all for the wonderful birthday wishes !! I had made plans to spend the day roaming around NYC and I did get there but the weather had different plans. It started raining about an hour after I arrived which really put a big kink in my day. I hate walking around the city in the rain, so I just went back to the train station and came home. Boring !! I'm hoping to go back next weekend and have my day the way I planned it.

HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BILLY !! The happiest of birthday wishes to a great musician !! Best wishes for an absolutely perfect party, cake, and crew to share it with! Enjoy your special day ! *Your Birthday Predicts You're Nurturing* Ever since you were born, you've loved being a caretaker. Whether you're caring for people or animals, you love making others feel good. You don't stress or worry much in your life. You think it's important not to sweat the small stuff. You have a soft spot in your heart for children and pets. You are drawn to anyone in need.

Still haven't found a job but honestly for the past month and a half I really haven't been looking. I've had far more serious problems. I was busy killing bees !! My apartment became infested with yellow jackets ! I started noticing a few here and there during the summer and thought they were getting into the house from the window air conditioners. I told the landlord about the problem and his fix was duct tape. Really !! I was still getting a few here and there but didn't make too much of it. When the ACs came out of the window, that's when the problems really started. I was waking up with bites all over my arms. At first I thought I had bed bugs (YIKES!!) but upon careful inspection, I found absolutely nothing. Then I noticed tons of dead bees on the floor under the bedroom window. Within a few days, they were all over the house but I noticed they were coming from the bedroom and the office, which is a second bedroom right next to the main one. The tree outside my window was infested with bees !! I told the landlord and instead of getting an exterminator, he chopped down the tree and just left it in the yard. Einstein !! So, now the bees take up residence and build a hive in the gutter right outside the window and start making their way into the siding on the house and into the walls. It's now getting to the point that I can't even sleep in the bedroom or use the computer in the office. So, I call the landlord....again....the day he is to leave for vacation. I was on my way out when he came over and he got up on a ladder poured a gallon of bleach into the gutter thinking this would do the trick. Isn't he smart ???? Well, when I got home an hour later, the bedroom and office was swarming with bees !! I guess the bleach really pissed them off !! They were all over the curtains, the bed, the walls...it looked like a horror movie !! I shut the doors to both rooms, called him hysterical and told him I was calling an exterminator. He told me that I had to pay for it ! Yeah..right !! I'll pay for it...but the money was coming out of the rent money. So, the bug man comes within a half an hour and he takes out a stethescope and gives the walls a listen and finds that these bees are not only living in a hive in the gutter, they are living inside the bedroom wall !! Now, I'm really freaking out and I'm ready to torch the house. So, he sprays the entire room and the office and makes a hole in the wall and shoots some stuff inside and tells me I can't go in the room for about 2 days. This insecticide he used must have really made the lil' darlins' really angry and they were trying to escape and I now have them flying around the rest of the apartment. I have found that hair spray works much better than good old bug spray. It glues their wings together and they plummet to the floor so you can beat the life out of them !! I was walking around with a can of hair spray in both hands. Then comes the night time. I was sleeping on the floor in the living room with all the lights on and with one eye open. That did not work. The bees were all over. So, for three nights, I slept in the driveway in my car. On the fourth day, the exterminator came back and did another swoop of spraying and he now uses sone sort of powder on the floors and the windowsills. I now go out and get an air mattress to avoid sleeping one more night in the car. Again...I'm sleeping with one eye open. Needless to say...I haven't gotten much sleep. I then notice that my poor little cat is acting funny. She's not eating that much and she is very lethargic. I find a huge lump on her back and its full of dried blood. I clean it up and notice a bleeding lesion. I take her to the vet the next day, and he pulls out two huge bee stingers !! She then needed surgery to remove the bleeding lesion and clean out the infection. More money to shell out !! All this because of bees !! So, the landlord comes back from vacation as if nothing happened and actually wants the rent. I sit him down with a piece of paper and a pen. I deducted the price of the exterminator, the price of the air mattress and pump, the amount of two rooms that are uninhabitable plus the cost of the surgery for the cat. My calculations showed that he owed ME money !! He just got up and walked away. He was probably contemplating my demise or my eviction but little did he know that I am much smarter than he thinks. Every day I walked into the two rooms that were sprayed and found tons of dead bees. I have a jar full of dead bees in a solution of alcohol for my evidence just in case he decides to take me to court and I have pictures. The exterminator made another visit on Monday. He does not hear any more buzzing from inside the walls. He fells that they are in the big hive in the sky. I now have to clean up that room, wash everything and get a new mattress all because this issue was not addressed by the landlord months ago when I told him about the problem. He does this all the time. He always waits until the 11th hour to act upon anything and it winds up costing him plenty. His house, his walls, his tree, his bees....his money but I was the one who suffered. I still have sting marks all over me. I took this one step further. I gave him the DVD of "The Super" and told him he really needs to watch it each and every month when the rent is due. 'Nuff said !! Honestly, I can't wait for this damn year to be over !! I'll be doing my happy dance !!

HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MARVIN !! Your birthday is a day all about YOU ! Hope your day is full of love, giggles and plenty of cake !! Enjoy your special day ! *Your Birthday Predicts You're Fiery* Ever since you were born, you've loved taking risks. You crave excitement and thrills. You are driven by your passion. You may have a wild streak, but you also love learning and experiencing life. You're multi-faceted and can't be labeled. You're sexy, smart, flexible, and stubborn.

Well, I had the phone interview which led to a sit down interview this past Friday. The HR department told me the job was 3 days a week, Monday, Wednesday and Friday. I went to the interview and everything was going fine until the physician told me the job was only for Saturday's. The company already has someone full time during the day and someone else working evening hours. Damn !! One day is not going to help me. I think he noticed my disappointment. So far, I haven't gotten any calls to see if they came to a decision.