Location: A beautiful and peaceful place in the woods
Posts: 8,905
S/C/G: Stuck/Working on it/Good 2 Go
Height: Fun Size
Good morning fine ladies of the world,
Some days get away from me. Yesterday was one of them. My SIL called on Monday - she and the grandkids had a great time here last year and would like to come visit again mid June. I am delighted they gave me 3 weeks notice as they are the kind to get it in their head the night before and take off. Which would have been a big no no had they done that. They are bringing Mom up who I hope can stay for an extended visit. Her side is hurting her - which of course Sis and I did not hear about until this trip came up. So she is going to the doctor on Thursday to get it checked out. We worry when she says stuff (casually of course) that it hurts for 10 to 12 hours when it acts up and she "probably" should have gotten it checked earlier in the year as it has been bothering her for almost a year now and growing in intensity She is definitely getting more weak and frail. She received her belated Mother's Day box of goodies yesterday - stuffed with books by her favorite authors and some candy treats. She was all excited - said it was like Christmas.
I went into the shop to work yesterday. I am disappointed that it is starting to look like a junk store. There is just too much clutter as they are attempting to set out everything that comes in without and regard to rhyme or reason. I almost tripped 3 times on some displays and items set on the floor. Not much I can do about it because we have no consistency or leadership - everyone does their own thing. So I went back in the pricing room to try and learn how they do the pricing so I can help out there. Good thing as people are now starting to travel for summer and there will be no one to do pricing next week. That's kind of like not doing kitchen dishes for a week and just letting everything pile up in the sink. I wish it would stop raining already. We have so much water on the grounds. Hopefully it's supposed to be sunny and the 70s the rest of this week.
Annie - it was good to hear from you - fingers, toes and boobs crossed that this job comes through for you. Will send good thoughts your way. I think you'd make a PERFECT office manager. Until then, enjoy your time off because once you start working again you won't have as much one on one with C and the babies. I think oftentimes we spend our time fretting and forget to sometimes count the blessings that are masked by the worrying. I also think you are the kind that has to constantly keep busy - sitting at home does not do you any good. It's good to hear that you have been out and about.
Ceejay - I agree that you have some unusually pretty sunsets down there - glad you got to see one. I never gave much thought either about the fire department using a lot of water when they are battling a blaze. And that WOULD be a lot of water at that! I don't envy you those long workdays - towards the end I don't know how you manage to stay awake!
Shad - I can't even start to imagine how difficult it can be trying to do the things that you do knowing how they cut your deadlines AND dealing with so many different languages at the same time. We have a lot of nationalities in the workplace but at least (broken) English is the common factor. Yay for knowing and American holiday - short of Anzac Day - I'm not sure I can name many of yours, particularly those that follow her majesty. Utility bills seem to plague you like a bad rash, don't they? Poor thing - you are always on the phone haggling with one or another. That is terrible about the cell phone though - pity you had to eat some of that cost.
Terra - I like your new avatar also!
Michelle - I hope you were able to hold it together at work. I know when you are busy, busy and running on adrenaline to keep up with the pace, when you finally get to stop for a second - it's like a balloon deflating and sometimes it's hard to get going for round 2. Glad you were able to catch all the snags - the others will work themselves out.
Laura - perhaps tracking on the WW website will help you stay closer to the program. I'm not sure MFP is all that accurate but at least it helps with thinking about the food we are eating. I can relate to your feeling of not being able to get focused. That happens when I have too many simultaneous things going on - and secretly avoiding dealing with some things I don't want to address so I find other things to distract me. Hopefully you were able to get some stuff done when the others were at their meetings. I hear the heat is moving into town already - seems like you will have a humid, warm summer ahead. Oh joys!
Susie overwhelmed with all that's coming at you. I have found with DH's that I have to be VERY SPECIFIC in telling them what I want to have done. Just hoping they will pick it up by osmosis doesn't work. If I say I could use some help with the housework, he is likely to clean out the junk drawer because he thinks it is too full and ignore the carpet that obviously needs a vacumn or the dirty dishes in the sink. I tried to make a chore list when I was over the top busy at work but that didn't work out too well either Most women have this problem so you are in good company. The guys probably hate Annie's C who just seems to know the right thing to do As for work, I have found that there is a vast difference between what I feel is the right thing to do and what is necessary to be done. My gut feeling results in a lot more work, satisfaction of a job well done and how do I say this - a tremendous amount of things that tire me out and no one really cares about. It was extremely difficult and almost impossible for me to get my head around that a lot of what I fussed about to be "done right" didn't need to be done in the eyes of the people I worked with/for. I was more successful doing it their way but I felt I was doing a half "ash" job. Such is the way of the world today. I suspect you are in the same dither. Working like a mad woman, trying to get it all done and burning yourself out. It takes a lot of thinking to step back, filter through everything and pull out just the pieces that need doing. You have to be objective and ask - does this NEED to be done or am I doing it because I think it needs to be done? I had the same moment this week when I was trying to handle everything at the thrift shop, was ignoring things at home and then Shad commented that I didn't have to do it all. It reminded me that I was expending a lot of energy on things that the ladies who came to work the next day and the day after that would just undo. And that's my 2 cents on the subject. They will always push you as hard as they can to accomplish far more than you reasonably can. Sometimes you have to push back too and surprisingly you won't get fired for it. It's all in the wisdom to know the difference
With that my soapbox is creaking so I'd better get off of it and finish up some things. I need to drop a few posts in the mail before I head off to yoga this afternoon - my last class for 3 weeks until I head to the next session with this instructor. Have a good hump day everyone.
Last edited by happy2bme; 05-21-2014 at 12:22 PM.
Reason: fix typos
Laura ~ Thanks, I will be sure to enjoy my walk today
Annie ~ Thanks, I'll take your advice on how to make my walks more pleasureable
I slept in today but I'll get back to walking in the mornings on Friday, I think Im gonna start sleeping in Wed's and Thurs. and then going on my morning walks Mon.Tues,Fri.,Sat and Sun. Im still gonna get my evening walks in though
Annie – You sound upbeat, so glad to see that. That position sounds great and promising for you – best of luck sistah!! I’m glad you’re counting your blessing. We have so many, and the one I think of first off is that all of us here are fortunate to have been born in a place and time where human rights are recognized and protected. Second is that we all have adequate food and shelter. Everything is just gravy, lol. Just kidding, but really once you start thinking about it, we have so much for which to be grateful. Keep it up girlfriend.
Ceejay – Two more days – hang in there!!
Shad – Sorry work is so frustrating for you these days. Good job on the trivia!!
Susie – Hope your workweek is somewhat sane!!
Michelle - Glad you got to relax and recharge for more hunting of old links.
to Terra & Happy
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We had strong storms in the area last night with a lot of thunder and lightning. Doggie was a bit anxious when we were all in the living room, but got much more frightened at bedtime when we were in the bedroom – shaking, panting, etc. Finally bf decided to give him a calming pill, and shortly after that I went out to the living room with doggie to see if that would help. It helped a LOT. As soon as we went in there, he plopped down on the area rug and was quiet. It seems to be quieter in there, and I guess the tv and ac coming through vents muffled the sound. I watched a bit of tv until the storm moved on, but it was after midnight by then. Dang, I was kind of getting into that 1997 episode of “Diagnosis Murder” (a detective show starring Dick Van Dyke), LOL. I should have dvr’d it, haha.
Anyway, I’ll probably be dragging later this afternoon due to the lost sleep, but I’ll get over it.
I thought bf and I would go to a local Lou Malnati’s tonight that’s participating in a fundraiser for the lab rescue organization from which we adopted our dog, however, the location is only delivery/carryout. That won’t work out that well for us, so I guess we’ll pass on that.
That’s about it. In addition to our annual goals exercise, we also have to do a career development plan. I have a meeting w/ the boss this morning. Bleh. I think he’s treating this more like a “check the box” sort of thing (doesn’t impact our bonus, lol), so that’s good. I’m sure he prefers I focus right now on my current project.
Okay, TTFN.
Can I say 2.5 hours and counting down for my shift to end. I really shouldn't be complaining. My co-worker will be working 3 days for me and that will put her at least 72 hours. I wish that there was another way.
I thought I was getting out of a meeting this morning but the boss called to tell me be there. I did have to fill out a new beneficiary form.
Laura
You have to have exercise goals for work? You know what I may try my hand at a career development plan for myself.
Happy
Hope your mom's doctor's appointment goes well. The pain in my side is why I'm having the colonoscopy done.
Hi Ceejay - No, I don't have exercise goals for work, I was just using that word to describe the process of doing my career development plant - something that has to be done, but might not have any real usefulness, i.e., exercise in futility. Enjoy your day off!!
Morning all. Lovely day outside, wish I was there instead of here.
I'm having issues with our payable group - all kinds of errors are coming out of the woodwork. If they were someone else's issues, it would be entertaining. Instead, it's a headache. And to think this is just our little department and our relatively low number of invoices to be paid. Can't imagine how other departments deal with this.
The good news is we made an offer to an internal applicant for our open admin asst position and she accepted. I don't know how soon she can start, but I'm just happy to know we have someone and we all feel she'll be a good fit.
Nothing much else to report. Today I can't make it to a WW meeting because I have a "lunch and learn" session to attend. Been tracking, but my calories are way too high. I'll keep tracking and trying.
Hi Everyone. I have almost made it to the end of this week and I will say that work wise I have accomplished a lot. Both my managers are out today (so I get a short break from lunch) and it is wonderful. I'm tying up loose ends.
I'm looking forward to the upcoming Memorial Day weekend! We have a family high school graduation and after party to attend on Saturday (in Columbus--about an hour away), Sunday is church (and another grad party we will be stopping by...good way to to have lunch after church as they are doing a cookout) and then our own cookout Sunday evening with about 30 of our friends and family. Monday, we have NOTHING on the schedule. DH said that we should work on getting our closets cleaned out and switched over to summer things as it is here and then take a nap in the afternoon. That sounds like an excellent day to me! We have been trying to clean the house and do laundry as we go, so that on Monday we can just give it a quick once over.
Annie: Prayers and everything crossed this Office Manager job works out for you. You have not been a downer at all! Losing a job is hard...and you have to work through it. You have done it very well.
Happy: I love the advice you give to me. It is helpful.
It sounds like you are going to be busy with the thrift shop and your company coming.
Ceejay: Enjoy your long weekend...you work a lot!
Laura: Have you ever used one of those thunder jackets that they have for dogs? I have heard some people say they work well, but I know its not for every dog.
Your workplace sounds a lot like mine. In addition to our daily work, we have lunch and learns to attend, goal setting, achievements to write up. Sometimes I am ok with them and sometimes I feel like "are you kidding me..just let me work!"
Terra: I like your new plan to sleep in and still do walks.
Shad: How cool you were able to channel us for the trivia contest.
Michelle: 12 hour days are long...hopefully you can get some downtime now..we all need it!
Ok..back to work for me.
I think I will have a good loss at TOPS this week. My dinner most nights have been the protein shakes as I didn't eat unitl 8:30 or 9 p.m. and I thought that would be a good, lighter choice. The home scales this morning showed a good loss; we will see if a few hours.
Morning all,
Came here yesterday all set to right when the world went haywire. Things coming out of the woodwork from all directions, so yesterday my day was busy and my brain got fried. Have a couple more things on the desk for today that should keep me going until home time and the weekend. Yeehaa. I've been looking forward to this day since Monday. For some reason or other I am feeling very tired and somewhat short of breath. It's probably all to do with the sinus's since they don't give up at all. Just enforces the thought that I will probably never come back to Wellington to live permanently. It is beautiful, but damp.
Happy - I hope that your Mum is okay. Does your sister go with her on visits to the doctor to ensure that she is saying the right things?? My mother used to whinge and moan about aches and pains but when she got to the doctor she would say she was fine, but her finger hurt or something else equally stupid.
Terra - I see you have lost some more weight. Well done. Nice going. Might seem slow, but it is good progress. When is your next visit to the weighing machine?
Annie - good to hear from you. Hope you enjoy your day/ weekend with the little ones. Nice to be able to help C out from time to time. Biggest problem with office workers (over here anyway) is that employers seem to think they don't do much and work short hours and produce little so they lay off admin staff and expect the others to pick up the work. Seems to me that it will bite them in the foot sometime or other because without them no money comes in, no bills get paid, sometimes people don't get paid for their labour. There used to be a slogan with the Clerical Workers Union (now defunct) that you can't make and sell a car without a clerical worker. Probably true since who else will do the paperwork involved.
Anyway, hope something comes your way soon. Your garden sounds nice.
Laura - poor old doggie. Hope he has gotten over it now. Our two used to be so different in their ways during a thunderstorm. The GSD would wimper and put his head in my lap and try to climb up there (42kilos of dog (about 90lbs) didn't really fit and Shad the dog would race around the house waiting for the next bolt of lightning to attack and barking at the thunder. Got plenty noisy in that house at times.
Susie - Busy Susie. Hope you can get some relief shortly. It's good that the DH made the suggestion for the Monday holiday otherwise you will be rushing around with family and friends and not getting any rest at all.
Ceejay - good to hear you are having a break.
Most of the languages around here are broken Engrish (spot the deliberate mistake). However the Indian dialects are really hitting the spot at the moment. If they would just slow down their speech it would make life easier all round. We would not have to ask twice for an explanation and make them repeat themselves (which only makes them talk louder and faster and get irritated). Then we have Germans (whose accent I find quite pleasant most of the time) Russian, a couple of South African and Zimbabweans, a Frenchman who does training and has most of the women swooning over the accent and the stylish man (who I have thought frequently bats for the other team) some English (who speak English worse than me) and a Czech or two, plus the different accents between Maori, Samoan and the Fijians (not many of those tho' (Fijians)). Sometimes when you are partly deaf, then it all just becomes a cacophony of sound. Give me a break willya
Okay - better get on with it. So looking forward to the weekend coming up and the one after where I get to go to Brisbane for my GNieces 5th birthday. J has warned me that there will be about 12 screaming little girls from school there so maybe come a little later (carrying a bottle of something bubbly). Better not take DS2 with me, they will all swoon over him and start weaving dreams. They always do. For that day at least
Oh yeah - forgot. I put the photos on dropbox. They are in a folder called Otaki.
Shad
I don't know how you deal with all the different people with the different languages, dialects. Have fun this week end.
Susie
Glad you got to come up for air. Sounds like you have an interesting week end coming up. Good for dh to suggest a nap on Monday. Hope your weigh in at the Tops meeting is a good one. I have been eating lighter for dinner and it does show up on the scales.
Terra
Good job on those losing those pounds. You are doing a great job.
Annie
Keep us informed.
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I've had a relaxing day. Actually slept till 8.30 a.m. then washed and dried on load of laundry and cleaned up my bedroom. And took a nap. I've put a frozen lasagna in the oven for dinner.
I figured out that my binge last week was over guilt from not letting my friend stay with me. But I"ve told myself that if she doesn't contact me then it's for the best and that there was really no friendship there in the first place.
Location: A beautiful and peaceful place in the woods
Posts: 8,905
S/C/G: Stuck/Working on it/Good 2 Go
Height: Fun Size
Hi all,
Memorial Day weekend just sort of crept up on me. Besides honoring those who have served our country (a big thank you!) it is also the unofficial kick off to the summer season. The tourists and cabin dwellers are starting to pull into town - you can see an upsurge in the amount of people (and out of state license plates) already. Ran around yesterday, got some errands done. We were going to take a ride up north to a state park to catch the waterfalls while they are still full but the sunny day turned overcast and it was chilly and not the best conditions for a day trip.
Talked to Mom yesterday - she was concerned about coming to visit as she has been having pains in her side for a long time. Turns out the doctor said she has adhesions (scar tissue) from multiple abdominal surgeries over the years. That scar tissue tends to congregate around the intestines and when the intestines are full - the scar tissue can press and restrict the intenstines, causing discomfort. Once they clear, the pain goes away. As long as there is no fever, vomiting, growing intensity of the pain - she is doing fine and was given the all clear and doctor's blessing to travel. She did however chip a tooth on the cinnamon crisps I sent her. Was just a fluky thing - I told Sis I have the same problem having chipped teeth on things like pizza and toast myself. She probably has pressure points on her bite like I do which eventually cause a fracture in the teeth. Sis took her to the dentist and she is all good with that too. She sounds as if she is looking forward to visiting.
I'll be working this afternoon at the shop - going to go in a bit earlier and see if I can do some pricing of merchandise. We will be short of pricers due to travelling and some medical issues within the base group. Now that we are doing summer hours (staying open until 5pm) which means I rarely finish before 5:30 and we have the crowds coming into town, that will put a crimp on our usual go out to dinner Friday Fish fry as they places will start to fill just about the time I am getting ready to leave.
Ceejay - I hope you don't lose your friendship with that woman. Sometimes you can be friends but not in close quarters. Just like with a man - some are good for dating but not living with and marrying Glad you had a relaxing day - after your long shift, I'm sure you could use it.
Shad - not good that you are short of breath - are you saying that the weather conditions in Wellington are giving you problems and you are better in the drier climate of Brissy? I find the humid, damp, high pollen conditions also cause the chest to ache a bit. You should be fine here - we are dry as a bone up this way. To your question, yes my sister does go with my Mom to the doctor - has for years now and my sister laughs because my Mum has become dependent on Sis listening to the doctor to the effect that Mum no longer listens and just looks at Sis to assess and question. But that is good because in the event something happens to Mum - she knows exactly what is going on and can speak to the doctors for her. Funny you should mention what you Mum did - mine is the same way - carrying on about something at home and then making light of it in the doctor's office. Her doctor is a fine old wise Indian chap - he really is a wonderful man and sometimes Mom tries to make a big deal of something and he is firm, but gentle with her. Just what she needs. Your comment about the girls chasing DS2 - doesn't he have a girlfriend or is the person he rehabs houses with just a good friend instead? I know what you mean about the fast talking Indians. I had to pay very close attention to be able to understand them. We were always asking them to slow down too. Hope you have a nice weekend ahead of you.
Susie - did I read correctly that you are hosting a picnic for 30 people???? Oh my - you sure do know how to live! I hope the weather holds up for you. Good thinking on DH's suggestion of a little bit of work and a lot of relaxing for you on Monday. Hope that comes to pass as I'm sure you can use a good rest. I think the idea of a meal substitution of the protein shake instead of a late night dinner is a good one. that you have a nice weigh in and a big loss!
Annie - and for the Office Manager position.
Laura - that's great that they found someone for the admin position. Now what will you do with your free time - oh wait, work on YOUR OWN projects, eh? I hate it when you feel like you are eating cleaner and the calories are still high. Ugh. What's going on with the A/P group? Someone dropping the ball or did they lose an important cog that held things together? Had to laugh at your comment about the TV show Diagnosis Murder - boy talk about an oldie Didn't that sort of spin off the one with Angela Lansbury? It's not my genre interest so I never watched the show but I know it was very popular.
How's the walking weather been Terra - cool off any?
Time for me to get going. Have a good weekend everyone.
Shad ~ My next official weigh in is June 10th when I go to the doctor's again but I still sometimes jump on the home scale just to see where I am at. Thanks for commenting on my weight loss.
Susie – Sounds like a fun weekend for you, but a lot of work for that big cookout you’re having. Your Monday nap plan sounds nice – and necessary! I think we might be getting rain in our area on Monday, so a nap might be in our plans too. We do have a thunder shirt for our dog, and it’s helped to a certain degree to calm him. It’s a bit of a PITA to get it on Coal, but he doesn’t seem to mind it once it’s on. I think the actual act of putting it on him might be more helpful with the anxiety than the shirt itself, if that makes sense… We actually thought he was doing better with the storms, but the big ones still cause problems. How did your TOPS meeting go??
Shad – I don’t do well with accents myself – takes me a while to figure them out, and then I do better. Not a big fan of the German or French languages, so the accents don’t do much for me either. I hope you have a wonderful weekend! Next weekend sounds like a fun time, but I agree, getting there for the tail end of the bday party when the little (loud) ones are about to head home. Are you saying these little 5 year olds will immediately go boy crazy over your DS? Too cute.
Ceejay – Glad you had a somewhat relaxing day yesterday and hope today is more of the same. Don’t fret over your friend, I’m sure she’ll come around and see your side of the houseguest thing. If not, then so be it.
Happy – Glad your mom’s been cleared to travel. Just don’t let your mom eat too much at one time?? Hope the influx of summer folks helps the shop’s business. I think I’m going to get over to my local thrift shop this weekend. I don’t need much of anything, but I love to poke around in there. I’m not sure what the heck is going on with AP, but the past 6-8 months have been just awful. I think they’ve got at least a couple idiots working there now, if not three. As for Diagnosis Murder, I never watched it when it was in production/new, but the other night, it did follow an episode of Murder She Wrote, hehe. I actually have an affection for those old detective/cop shows. So unrealistic and fluffy, but I love them. Magnum PI, the James Garner one (what’s it called?), Remington Steele, Hart to Hart, etc. I guess that’s why I also liked Monk and Psych.
Hi Michelle – Hope you’re getting enough rest and stopping to take a deep breath every once in a while between all the launch work.
Annie – Good luck with the office manager job opportunity!! :gl:
Hi Terra!!
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No big plans for this long holiday weekend. At least none that bf has told me about, lol. One of the friends we went out of town with last weekend purchased a bunch of food for grilling at the state park, but when we found out there was no grilling allowed near the cabins, it was left at home. They might have a cookout to use up that food…but I haven’t heard anything yet. I’m kind of hoping they don’t. I’d rather just hang out around the house and be antisocial.
Last weekend I asked bf if he wanted to go for a bike ride sometime this weekend and he was non-committal about it – his response was something like “we’ll see how these old knees feel.” So I think that’s his way of saying no. He has old (HS era) knee injuries that bug him occasionally, but I think his real reason is that he isn’t in shape right now and won’t be able to go very far on a ride. I told him that we could just go for a spin around the neighborhood…I dunno. We’ll see. Maybe we can do some canoeing instead. There are a couple places in the area to do that.
This weekend I will likely go to Jazzercise class on Saturday morning. There’s a special Monday morning Jazzercise class, but it’s at a location I don’t like (further drive), and it sounds like there will be a number of nearby streets in which parking will be restricted due to a parade starting later in the day. Sounds like a PITA to me, so I will skip it.
Of course we still have the garage project to tackle, and I wouldn’t mind picking up some annuals to plant in pots or a couple spots in the ground. And some veggie plants. We’ve got a LOT of the very common variety of hosta planted in a few spots and they are so big, they look like they’re on steroids!! On the one hand, I’m rather bored with them. On the other hand, they keep a lot of the weeds at bay and seem to survive anything. All the stuff that’s in our yard has to be able to survive anything and that’s why we have a lot of hosta, daylilies, and peonies. The daffodils, sedum and phlox do pretty well too.
She is definitely getting more weak and frail. She received her belated Mother's Day box of goodies yesterday - stuffed with books by her favorite authors and some candy treats. She was all excited - said it was like Christmas. 
I wish it would stop raining already. We have so much water on the grounds. Hopefully it's supposed to be sunny and the 70s the rest of this week. 
overwhelmed with all that's coming at you. I have found with DH's that I have to be VERY SPECIFIC in telling them what I want to have done. Just hoping they will pick it up by osmosis doesn't work. If I say I could use some help with the housework, he is likely to clean out the junk drawer because he thinks it is too full and ignore the carpet that obviously needs a vacumn or the dirty dishes in the sink. I tried to make a chore list when I was over the top busy at work but that didn't work out too well either 
Most women have this problem so you are in good company. The guys probably hate Annie's C who just seems to know the right thing to do 
It's all in the wisdom to know the difference 
to Terra & Happy
The tourists and cabin dwellers are starting to pull into town - you can see an upsurge in the amount of people (and out of state license plates) already. Ran around yesterday, got some errands done. We were going to take a ride up north to a state park to catch the waterfalls while they are still full but the sunny day turned overcast and it was chilly and not the best conditions for a day trip. 
But that is good because in the event something happens to Mum - she knows exactly what is going on and can speak to the doctors for her. Funny you should mention what you Mum did - mine is the same way - carrying on about something at home and then making light of it in the doctor's office. Her doctor is a fine old wise Indian chap - he really is a wonderful man and sometimes Mom tries to make a big deal of something and he is firm, but gentle with her. Just what she needs. Your comment about the girls chasing DS2 - doesn't he have a girlfriend or is the person he rehabs houses with just a good friend instead? I know what you mean about the fast talking Indians. I had to pay very close attention to be able to understand them. We were always asking them to slow down too. Hope you have a nice weekend ahead of you. 
for the Office Manager position. 
I hate it when you feel like you are eating cleaner and the calories are still high. Ugh. What's going on with the A/P group? Someone dropping the ball or did they lose an important cog that held things together? Had to laugh at your comment about the TV show Diagnosis Murder - boy talk about an oldie 
