Madcat – my condolences to you re your sister's passing. I'm glad the service was a comfort for you. I had my own McD's indiscretion this week as well.
I'm glad the tornadoes didn't affect you except for that missed seminar.
Shad – sorry the job didn't come through, but, at the risk of sounding like a cliché, maybe it's for the best. A little more about those EF Hutton commercials – when the EF Hutton guy would be talking, everyone in the whole restaurant, the whole street, the whole stadium, etc. would turn their heads to listen.
Big congrats on the retirement of the mortgage. Yes, a party is definitely in order!!
After the Aug. payment, there are still 108 more payments on mine. I sort of got excited when it got to be under 10 years, but that faded very quickly. Part of my job involves me in the work comp arena. Thankfully, I don't get into the thick of it very often! Sorry your ds is going through so much w/ his injury. I'm sure it's illegal to terminate in retaliation for a comp claim. If he violated safety policy…that's another matter. But if they want to terminate, I'm sure they'll find a way, right or wrong. Sigh.
Mel – Sorry your eyes are giving you problems. Rest up! "Ocular retirement". Lady, you certainly have a way with words!
Diyana – You certainly keep busy. Good job trying to get physical activity. I've been such a "lump" this week. No exercise, not even a dog walk.
Yeh, waiting nearly 8 weeks for an appointment is ridiculous. I'm on some sort of list where I could possibly get in earlier in the event of someone else's cancellation, but that's just a distant maybe. My primary doc ordered an xray at a nearby hospital. I think I'm waiting to hear that the order went through, but I left him a message to make sure I understand what the process is – I assume he'll tell me who to phone, where to go, etc.
Happy – I know those online shoe stores like Zappos have free shipping for returns, but I still prefer trying on shoes before I buy them. Now that I'm having issues, it'll be even more important to go in person to get a good fit. Hopefully I'll find a couple brands I like and would feel comfortable buying them online. Let us know how you and hubby like those MBT shoes.
LOL re the layer of grease to keep warm in the pool. Mel, I suggest a wet suit.
Annie – enjoy seeing your brother's band tonight. Gosh I hope you've found a backup for the regular doc while he's gone! Not to have that arranged when something is going on w/ your mom is not right at all. Ridiculous.
That chimi recipe sounds tasty! I have a quesadilla recipe that I think might do well on the GF grill, now that you've brought it up. Hmmm. Although I suppose that fold and tuck part would be important so stuff doesn't ooze all over…We used the wet paper towel method on our previous GF grill and it worked great. We now have the one with the removable grill plates, and that's very convenient, but for some reason, our current GF doesn't work as well with grilled cheese sandwiches as the old one. Not that I should be eating those…
Wish we had an electric mower, and all the neighbors. Sure would be nice if they'd do all their noisy yard work while I'm away at work, lol.
Ceejay - enjoy the rest of your long weekend. You know, I think I might have heard about the gangsters and hot springs once before. Of course we hear so much about gangsters in Chicago, I might be getting confused.
This weekend is finally almost here, and so much appreciated.
This week just dragged by. No big plans. I need to go get the chest x-ray. Sat. morning I'm going to try a cardio class – spinning or step. Wish me luck! We're supposed to get rain on Saturday, so I might work on a sewing project. I hope Sunday will be nice. I want to do something outdoors. I was cycling a few weeks ago and saw a place from which to rent canoes. I'd like to try that.
Have a great weekend everyone!
for your DS. Sending him lots of 
: Have way too much fun dancing tonight! Wish I could join ya'.
Canoe-ing sounds like a lot of fun. I'd like to find a nice peaceful lake or river somewhere and go canoe-ing.
) There's a place in off of Rt 53 that has a small lake where you can rent paddleboats that looked like fun. We always wanted to try that but never got the chance. Have fun with your aerobics class. 
and 
What a sight! 
WILD AND WOOLEY WEATHER. 
SO SORRY TO HEAR ABOUT THE DH'S BACK/RIB STILL GOING ON. SENDING GOOD THOUGHTS TO HIM 
IS THAT PET BUSINESS GOING WELL THEN? KEEPING MY FINGERS CROSSED! 
I CAN'T BE THE CABOOOSE BUT I'LL BE THE LITTLE ENGINE THAT COULD! 
GREAT NEWS!! OVER HERE WE USED TO HAVE MORTGAGE BURNINGS...WHERE PEOPLE YEARS AGO BURNT THE PAYMENT PAPERS UP AND CELEBRATED WITH A PARTY!! AS FOR THE DS...HOPEFULLY ONE DAY IT WILL ALL BE OVER. SENDING A GOOD THOUGHT ABOUT A JOB! WHENEVER YOU WANT A CHAT JUST PICK A DAY....EXCEPT THURSDAY I THINK. TRADER JOE DAY AND IT'S TIRING. LOL