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Tonight I went to the gym and did my normal routine workout. There is always music playing in the background and I usually never pay attention. Today, at the end of the night SURRENDER by Cheap Trick was playing and I had a Cheap Trick moment.
I had this huge shit-eating grin on my face. I was asked from my friend if I was laughing at her who was holding back from laughing because this guy, who is definitely the BIG AND STUPID looking type of guy, was bench pressing and making all sorts of noises as he lifted his weights. He moans and groans and lets out shrieks. Not sure if he’s doing it to draw attention to himself or what but I’ve learned to ignore him (even though he has red hair as I love red heads) he’s just too jock like for me. He’s also like 25 years old â€" too young too!
The reason I was smiling because I was thinking back. Back to many years ago when my best friend and I were teenyboppers in love with the group Cheap Trick. Like all young teenagers we would read all the rock magazines and buy all the ones that featured Cheap Trick. She loved the lead singer Robin Zander and I loved the bass guitarist Tom Peterson.
Of all the luck in the world, they were coming to Boston to play and we just had to go. Turns out they were going to play at this small bar type of hall. This meant we weren’t going because we were younger then the drinking age â€" then 18 was the legal age (I told you this was a many years ago). We were in 9th grade, which made us about 15.
I had this brilliant idea â€" fake ID’s. I got my sisters birth certificate and she got her brothers (hey, we were young and willing to try anything) and went to the seedy part of Boston. Well, actually, it was on the edge of the seedy part. Downtown was just that â€" down town. I knew this place that was old and advertised “ID Photo Made” in their window. I figured why not try.
I don’t even remember how much this costs but it was a mom and pop type store, with immigrants from Germany running the place. The guy had on his Mr. Rogers sweater and the wife just sat there. We told him we needed ID and he said follow me. He took us in the cellar and there was a camera set up. He took out photo and within minutes he was developing and we were back upstairs for the wife to type in our information. No questions asked - she filled in the information that was on the birth certificate. About 30 minutes later, my best friend and I were in the subway, on our way home, admiring our new photo ID’s.
The following day we found out when the tickets were on sale and I think we took a day off school so we could be the first ones in line to get the best seats.
We figured out how to get the Paradise Club (near Boston University) and were in line and got our tickets. Again, no one ever asked us for ID’s. After taking the day off, we found out the tickets were general admissions!
The night of the show came. I have no clue what I told my parents but I was going to the concert. A bus, a train, then another train to get there and we were in line because we wanted the closest seats available. Fake ID’s in hand â€" the time to open the doors came and NO ONE ASKED US FOR THE ID’s. We were in! We rushed in (to a place I’ve never been in before) and somehow got the table right next to the stage. These were the BEST seats I ever had.
Her uncle gave us roses from his garden and we brought one each for our men! Since we were right on stage we threw the flowers on stage and they wore the flowers! These seats were great!
I brought my camera in and was able to take pictures and I do have some of the band wearing our flowers! I got a guitar pick as Rick Nelson threw them out into the audience all night long. I wore that pick on my neck for weeks!
So, when I say I had a Cheap Trick Moment â€" this is why I had a smile on my face! Growing up was fun!

Yesterday I went to my favorite pharmacy CVS. I like this store because it’s clean and they have just about everything I could need at the same price as everywhere else except a Wal-Mart. I don’t live close to a Wal-Mart unless I want to risk my life in Lynn (not really but Lynn isn’t the nicest of communities) or drive up to North Reading where the Wal-Mart there is a sad excuse for a Wal-Mart as far as I am concerned.
Anyway, CVS is my choice when I need toothpaste or those types of things. So I have my list and my coupons and head into the store. No sooner I am in the door and there is a 90% off bin full of the NECCO hearts with the little sayings on them. I like them and leave them on my desk at work and they seem to disappear so someone likes them. For 90% off I was able to buy 9 bags for under the price of one that I bought during Valentines Day and these little confectionary hearts don’t go bad.
Off, in no particular direction because when I am in CVS I’m like a kid in a candy store and just like to look at everything. This approach usually makes me spend a lot more money but it also triggers my mind for the things I need that aren’t on the list.
Next I got the razors that were on sale and the toothpaste. I actually bought too many toothpastes but I need the Sensedine brand since my teeth/gums have been very sensitive since I had that tooth filled in Jan. I added in the cart a bottle of Listerine mouth rise. I’m thinking this product could also help with the sensitivity issue of my gums.
I came across some Bert’s Bees Soap. If you never tried this soap, try it. It’s expensive and the bar is small but it has got to be the best soap I ever used. I only bought it because it was on sale or maybe CVS is doing away with this brand but it was $.62 (usually $2.49 and it’s a very small bar). I bought every one of them.
Onward to the Easter Candy. It was on sale so I had to buy it plus I had coupons so I just bought it. Face cream and suntan lotion next followed by who knows what else.
I did come across the nuts. I love nuts and I wish I didn’t see them. I bought a can of cashews and these are my favorite nut to eat. It’s hard to walk by the nuts so I bought a can.
I left the store with 5 bags of loot of which I only really needed 1 bag but I’m stocked up for eating candy and clean my teeth and shaving my legs! The bill came too $75 but with my coupons, CVS savings dollars and gift card it was reduced to $45 then I think I got about $20 CVS Savings dollars which in reality is a total cost of about $25 I spent. I guess it’s all how you look at it â€" spend it now or later. Can you follow this math?

WOW - just getting ready to go to bed here and the wind sounds like a hurrican out there! Is anyone else getting wind gusts like this??????

I’ve always thought I had a pretty good stomach that can handle anything. I mean I don’t usually get stomachaches or anything else I hear people complaining about. I don’t eat out a lot and I try to eat healthy thought that doesn’t always happen.
The other night when I had the reunion with the college buddies I made several trips to the restrooms. It was quit embarrassing since at the end it was just me and one guy left and no sooner I came from the rest room I ran back in. I blamed it on the restaurant thinking it was something they gave you as a nicety (automatically put on the table to eat).
I soon realized the next day that it wasn’t what I ate at the restaurant but some sort of 24 bug I had since I was still running to the bathroom the next day at work.
I’m feeling better now but I’ll never assume I am immune to the stomach bug!

Raining

Raining here in Boston tonight. The news keeps informing us that we are going to get a lot of rain, as much a 3 inches. I’m very happy it’s warm and it raining because if it were cold it would be snowing and we do not need any more snow especially north in NH, VT or Maine. Currently there is so much snow on roofs they actually closed schools because of the danger of the roofs collapsing.
All this rain makes me think of the water. I am very close to the Boston Harbor. Many years ago our family had a boat. It was a very small boat but it was seaworthy (hahaha).
I often went out on the Boston Harbor and fished with my father/family. He loved to be out on the water however the man could not swim. We all had to wear life jackets but we all swam! Thinking back, he didn't want his family drowning because he could save us if we fell over board. Funny how you see things differently as you grow older.
The end of this month I am going on a Boston Harbor cruise. It’s on boat you can rent for the day, with various decks that take groups out for a few hours. I think the boat can hold as many as 500 or 600 hundred people.
I went on this type of boat a few years back in October. Not the warmest time to be on the water but it with my college alumni association and a very nice evening.
You are able and encourage to roam around the various decks and they have a few outside open decks to enjoy the views.
This time of year, again not the warmest time to be on the water but it is during the day so it should make a different type of water experience for me then the last time. The Boston Harbor is going to be beautiful to actually see the city from the water. I think I’ll take my camera and snap some photos.
What impressed me the most about being on a boat like this were the bathrooms (of all things). They were big and nice. I was expecting this small cubbyhole type of head but I was quit surprising.
I’ve been on day trip fishing boats (holds about 30 people) and we were lucky to even have a bathroom so my surprise was based on this experience and the fact the family boat didn’t have a bathroom so we had to jump in the harbor (man id the water freezing in the summer) to relief yourself.

The route the boat will take will be visiting some of Boston’s’ Famous landmarks:

1. Boston Tea Party
Here in 1773, rebels disguised as Indians dumped tea into the harbor to protest British taxes.

2. Boston Massacre
A simple circle of cobblestones marks the site where five American colonists were killed by British soldiers in 1770. The brutality of this incident helped spark the anti-British rage that ultimately led to the American Revolution.

3. Old North Church
Built in 1723, this is the oldest church building in Boston. The first bells on the American continent sounded from the church in 1744. Its steeple is best known for the lantern signal that sent Paul Revere on his famous ride.

4. Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Memorial Bridge
Completed in 2002, this beautiful lighted structure is the widest cable-stayed bridge in the world. It serves as the northern entrance and exit from Boston and commemorates civil rights activist Lenny Zakim and the American colonists who fought the British in the Battle of Bunker Hill.

5. Bunker Hill Monument
This 221-foot granite obelisk marks the site of the Battle of Bunker Hill, which took place June 17,1775. The monument contains exhibits about the battle.

6. Old Ironsides
The USS Constitution, also known as "Old Ironsides," earned her nickname because of her invincibility in battle. Old Ironsides was launched in 1797 and is the oldest fully commissioned naval vessel in the world.

7. USS Cassin Young
A World War II Naval Destroyer that is now a floating museum at the Charlestown Navy Yard.

8. Mystic Tobin Bridge
The Tobin Memorial Bridge was erected in 1948-49 and opened to traffic in 1950. It connects the Charlestown section of Boston with Chelsea. (It’s also the bridge Charles Stuart jumped from).

9. McKay Shipyard
Donald McKay opened this shipyard in East Boston in the mid-1800s at the height of the great Clipper ship era. He built the fastest sailing vessels of the age, and some still hold speed records today.

10. Hodge Boiler Works
Former site of the 1834 Hodge Boiler Works that was updated by the city in 2002. The Hodge Boiler Works project will offer a seamless connection from Clipper ship Wharf to the existing LoPresti Park via the Harbor walk and its planned open space configuration.

11. Penny Ferry Berths
Site of East Boston's famous ferry that used to cruise to downtown Boston for a penny a person.

12. Logan Airport
Boston's largest international airport, it boasts one of the nation’s tallest control towers and is the Fourteenth busiest airport in the world.

13. Fort Independence/Castle Island
Fort Independence is located at the entrance to Boston Inner Harbor. First settled in 1634. The island features the nation's oldest fully maintained fort.

I am looking forward to the entertainment as well as the company I will be with (The nice guy and I are going!) as well as other friends.
Keep your fingers crossed for a sunny, warm, calm day on the ocean.

My head is killing me. It’s pounding and it’s from stress. I was at work today at 6:30am and finished my day at 8:15pm. The stress wasn’t so much due from work but from my friend at work.
I’ve said this before and I’ll make the comment again â€" How do you men live with us women? I would rather work with all men then one woman any day of the week. Men are so much easier to work with. Not having to deal with PMS all day long would be a blessing.

I have worked at my employer for 23+ years. The first day on the job I met a lot of nice people. I’ve befriended many and have kept in contact with many of them. This one particular friend is now 66 years old and she should retire. She is BORED at work and constantly will call me up asking me what I am doing. WORKING because I have work to do unlike her. Over the years from being around her I was developing a nasty, mean, negative attitude like her. She would meet a new person and the minute she found out they made more money then her, she hated them. It would be even worse if they had a better position then her. She was so mean and I just couldn’t take the nastiness any more.
I tried to keep my distance with her. I was still very friendly but kept my mouth shut about things. If I got a raise, invited to a dinner or even if I ate lunch with people I just neglected to mention it.
She just isn’t a happy person. She is jealous over certain friendships I have developed and my position in the company. It’s to the point where I just don’t want to be around her sometimes.

I volunteer for a lot of things. This makes me feel good and keeps me out of trouble. I had a GREAT idea to collect money and some people were NOT very receptive to my idea but we decided to give it a shot and we collected so much MONEY in 3 days it was ridiculous. This is in comparison to last year or previous years. The idea sounded crazy but it worked. Folks who were giving us the money said the draw was locations and food (a simple cookie). It turned into a good thing is the bottom line.
This ‘friend’ of mine calls me up demanding a cookie and why didn’t I tell her what I was doing. Furthermore, I am running a meeting for which I put a limit of 50 people and only have enough food for 50 people. People are emailing me and telling me they are going to this meeting I am running tomorrow regardless of the already “FULL” status. This ‘friend’ of mine found out about the meeting and that I am serving lunch and again was mad I didn’t tell her about it.
OK, so the reason I didn’t tell her about it.
1- It’s in another town from where she is located
2- She belongs to the group where she is and she can get off her lazy butt and run the same meeting I am.

I was feeling like I accomplished a wonderful goal, striving to do something good and positive and she just brought me down to the scum on the bottom of the garbage bucket. She has negative energy I want to do without.
Why is it that people can be so mean when they know you are doing something good? Why can’t they share in your joy and be a friend?

OK- I’m done â€" and maybe, just maybe my headache is a but better. Wish me luck, I have to say a short speech to this group of 50 â€" which I hate to do!

I attended a small private college in Boston about 23 years ago. It wasn’t a Harvard, MIT or Boston College by any stretch of the imagination. I wasn’t the type of person who knew the difference between a Ford and a BMW so going where I did didn’t matter to me.
I knew I wanted a college education as it was drilled in me to succeed and make something of yourself.
While most kids were playing sports and hanging around at the mall I was catching the first bus home so I can get to work. I was saving my pennies to pay for college. I might have been cheated out of the high school experience a little by working but I think the choice of saving money early was the key factor to NO COLLEGE LOAN after I graduated with my degree.
This was mostly my parent not spending every penny they had on a second car, a family dinner once a week out or even a dishwasher. Yes, because of them suffering I was able to got through college without loans. My older sister too.
As I said, my college wasn’t fancy but it was small and the instructors got to know you. It was in a terribly dangerous part of Boston and I commuted. I would leave at 6am, take a bus, a train (the subway), transfer to another train and if there was room on the only train that went that way I would make it to class by 8am. The term “PACKED IN LIKE SARDIANS” multiplied by 10 was how packed that train was. Most days I got there on time.
I met some wonderful people in my (4) years. Some stayed in the chosen field, some didn’t. One thing about my college is we are close knit and there are always reunions and events happening where you met up with friends.
I have attended a few events, not knowing who I would bump into and my photo was taken and placed in the Alumni News and let me tell you, people where I worked, whom I didn’t know attended my college come out of the woodwork and extended comments to me.
I was flabbergasted with so many graduates.
I keep in contact with many from my four years there. My best friend I see every day at work. Others we meet for coffee. Some through emails and even some we meet yearly at reunions. Tomorrow night I am having coffee with a few of the folks. Should be a great time blowing off steam about the families, jobs, kids, etc. Our coffee meetings are good 6-hour discussions!

Easter is early this year and none of us will ever see it earlier


Heres a little "tidbit" I didn't know!!!!


Easter is early this year. Easter is always the 1st Sunday after the 1st full moon after the Spring Equinox (which is March 20). This dating of Easter is based on the lunar calendar that Hebrew people use to identify Passover, which is why it moves around on our Roman calendar. Based on the above, Easter can actually be one day earlier (March 22) but that is pretty rare.

Here's the interesting info.** This year is the earliest ***Easter*** any of us will ever see the rest of our lives!** And only the most elderly of our population have ever seen it this early (95 years old or older!). And none of us have ever, or will ever, see it a day earlier! Here are the facts:

1) The next time Easter will be this early (March 23) will be the year 2228 (220 years from now). The last time it was this early was 1913 (so if you're 95 or older, you are the only ones that were around for that!).

2) The next time it will be a day earlier, March 22, will be in the year 2285 (277 years from now). The last time it was on March 22 was 1818. So, no one alive today has or will ever see it any earlier than this year!

I never really released this information about myself before but in another life, a long time ago I must have been a doctor of psychology. A Dr. Bob Newhart or Dr. Phil in today’s world. Maybe even Dr. Ruth! I’ve never studies the mind but living life and dealing with people in your everyday’s existence must account for my ability to be a good listener.
Now I’m not patting myself on the back about this because I really don’t think I am a good listener but people tell me things. Some things I don’t want to know. Some things I don’t want to hear but they have this need to tell me.
For instance, my friend I met at the gym. I only know her from going to the gym. We met talking on the treadmill. She’s a few years older then me and works as an Administrative Assistant. We have no social contact outside of the gym except we occasionally talk on the phone. That might have occurred 5 times total. Just from our one-hour a day at the gym we see each other, every other day or so. Over the last few months she has told me she has a drinking problem and she was seeing a married man. These just came up in general conversation. She also wanted me to do her taxes for her (I am NOT an accountant but do my our forms every year).
Another friend from work whom I’ve been out three times with socially over the last year tells me, after meeting her cousin once 3 months ago, her cousins “past”, growing up and being a child mother, kids taken away, taking advantage of the system, etc.
One guy told me how he made contact with a 7th grade sweetheart through the Internet and how this innocent reunion correspondence through the Internet developed into an almost sexual affair. Just for the record the guy’s wife found the “SENT” files.
The same guy went on a business trip to Asia also told me how some lady, who was a reporter for a local paper, was talking to him in the hotel bar and wanted to spend the night with him. He refused (because all this stuff just happened with the 7th grade sweetheart) and then called his wife to tell her. He was on the phone with her (Asia to America) for 4 hours getting lectured. His stupidity came when after he talked to his wife, the next day he went looking for the same reporter lady to apologize once more for rejecting her. He event went to the newspaper where she worked looking for her. WHY would you do this is my only question? Wait, I have one more, why would you tell a co-worker all this?
Just yesterday my friend, who makes well over $100K, tells me that NO ONE knows this, not even her parents. She has accumulated $50K on credit card debt. When I was told this, she started to hyperventilate and I guess I would too. I attribute this to the famous syndrome some many Americans have these days of Keeping Up With the Jones Syndrome. When I tried to help her with her finances I almost fell on my face when she has no savings account. I’m talking about the 3 month back up that most people to saving for the “just in case” of life.
I am a very private person. As I may share many things in my life I never tell anyone my real name or exact location. This mystery, in my mind, protects me from anyone knowing me. There are a few people who know I write a blog but in a million years would never link me, Goodietwoshoes with photo (I always considered that my trademark though folks here think it’s a bit risqué) to being [INSERT REAL NAME HERE].
These are just a few of the many secrets people share with me. Oh wait; there is one more thing someone recently told me. That would be my sister, she TOLD me to make her a birthday cake so I’m going to get that done very shortly.
There is some fresh snow on the ground. This means I’ll be outside soon to clean it all up but it’s March and that means (usually no guarantees) that there will less snow or accumulating snow and higher temperatures and this all makes me very happy because I am tired of the snow.

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