Disco

Don't ask me how it surfaced in my head, but I have decided that disco needs to make a comeback (I know how, of course - but hear me out.) I heard Lou Rawls sing "You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine" on the radio or on TV, and it just got me going. After work this afternoon I decided to make me a music cd of DISCO. Now before you start to roll your eyes, there are some very tasteful disco songs. Barry White used to whisper in my ear before I went to bed in the 70s. My older sister, Becke, and I lived together in a most posh place in 1976, in Houston, Texas. We lived in a townhouse right off Westheimer and Hillcroft. I'm pretty sure it has a different clientele now.


I grew up in Houston, TX. I graduated high school in 1973, and had sorted out college (University of St. Thomas and University of Houston by the end of 1976.) Sister Becke and I moved in together and we loved to go to the disco clubs in all the different business complexes in Greenway Plaza, San Felipe Green, The Galleria, Post Oak, etc. That was when happy hour was...jeeeeez-they gave women drinks all night long, but listen to this: the guys that we danced with were all into dancing, seriously dancing disco, as opposed to romance. It was like a workout. Silk dresses were in-style and it was nothing to re-do your hair and head out for the night. And since women almost drank for free and they provided appetizers at just about every club, one had one's night set.

So back to downloading songs. I got an IPOD Christmas of 2006 and it's still sitting in my dressing room dresser waiting for attention. As an aside, Clif also got a super IPOD that Christmas and ended up downloading a million songs on my home computer even though he had a laptop AND a desktop computer at school. My computer crashed shortly thereafter. I love my child, I love my child. Listen to Lou: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2Sqts6YrPs

Ok, I also downloaded "Lady Love" by Lou Rawls http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fs97K9Fs3RE, and Barry White's "I'm Gonna Love You Just A Little More Baby" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xN38uI2oKkA , "Never Gonna Give Up" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-XKt483vzY

And a little Abba - Dancing Queen, Bohemin Rhapsody - Queen, Papa was a Rolling Stone - Temptations, and so on. I literally rocked out completely on my three minute drive home, all the way. I can't wait to get in my truck tomorrow morning.

I have a cousin who lives two doors down the street that is addicted to American Idol and she says they're playing a lot of disco this week. Hmmmmm....I wonder what that could be about.

Ruffinism for the day: "Disco is to music what Etch-A-Sketch is to art." - Annonymous

21 Years Ago Today

I know, I know, I'm going on about Clif's 21st birthday but indulge me one more day. After all, it is important to at least three of us. First, I have to tell you that Jim is in Baton Rouge for a seminar and don't dare think that is by accident. I knew nothing of it, but Jim is just like that. Like when I told you he scoped places out when we dated 25+ years ago. He had every intention of spending Clif's 21st birthday with him or at least making sure it turned out well. As it turns out, his intentions were really nice but not necessary.

One of Clif's frat brother's girlfriend baked him a cake, and he has totally bloomed in the fraternity house. He never comes home anymore and I am partially happy about that. He just told me a few days ago that it was the best thing we've done for him since he got to go to LSU. The first two years he lived right off campus in a great apartment that was closer than the fraternity is (totally due to the kindness of his grandfather and grandmother, Big Albo and Alice Ruffin). He fought moving to the fraternity but Jim and I could not afford to keep him in the apartment after the first 2 years.

Back to 21 years ago. Clif was premature, he was five weeks early. It was a very scarey night for both Jim and me. Clif weighed only 5 pounds when he was born. I had an emergency C-section in the middle of the night. No details necessary. We stayed in the hospital seven days before we were allowed to come home, and then naturally, Jim and I did not breathe for the next six (6) months. Funny how that time is still so clear in my mind.

And now pictures from 21 years ago:




A picture of him today is below in my last blog.

Ruffinism for the day: Every child begins the world again. -Henry David Thoreau

TGIF

Working today without my vehicle and I hate that. The radiator is acting up and will probably have to replace it. So why do the worst things happen on days like this? Jim picked me up and we went to Subway at lunch. Lo and behold, Norman had other plans for lunch today. He decided to take a trip. Went to Southside Video on 171 South (about 2 miles away from our house). Thank goodness, some sweet couple picked him up and not only went to our house (of course we weren't there), but also came by my office to drop him off (I wasn't back from lunch). So bless their hearts, they went to Sonic and waited until I got back from lunch to call me. They had to bring him up to the office because I'm without a vehicle and Jim is probably on his way to Shreveport. So guess who's chilling with me and Mr. G this afternoon?

Got hold of Jim, he came by but had lunch for the water crew, who were fixing a water leak on 175 North, so he had to go take them their lunch and come back for the little feller. Boy, was he mad, he couldn't believe Norman had it in him to travel that far. What must go through that tiny brain of Norman's is beyond human comprehension.

Looking forward to a couple of days of relaxing. Jim is headed to Baton Rouge on Sunday for a seminar. He'll celebrate Clif's 21st birthday with him. My baby is so old. Clif is responsible though. Hopefully he will not go too crazy...I am comforted by the fact that he knows his mother's limitations and has learned.

Happy 21st birthday my sweet boy.

Ruffinism for the day: There must be a day or two in a man's life when he is the precise age for something important. Franklin P. Adams

Proud

Shrubbery, shrubbery, shrubbery, shrubbery, shrubbery, shrubbery, shrubbery, shrubbery.....what a spelling dufus I am.

Two updates: Clif got a B on the big calculus test, yea! AND my afghan is looking more like a baby blanket now than a scarf - I only have 5 feet to go and I'm already planning my next project, which will definitely include DIFFERENT crochet stitches.


I earned a feather of an angel wing today (poor me, I'll probably be flapping around in heaven with sparse feathers). I was coming back to work from home at lunch and I picked up a little old lady on the Oxford Road. She was 85 years old and walking to the post office from the projects but had sat down on the railroad barrier to rest (she said she had bad knees). She had on this hounds tooth checked coat and nylon multicolored scarf, just like she stepped out of the 1960s. I asked her if she needed a lift, she said yes. Took her to the post office, then took her back to her apartment. 1 "atta girl" earned. pat, pat


Please watch the following videos in order:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGjR81pFJI4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJKUCg_Bra8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvY7GBg8RXI

I've ALWAYS been proud of my country, no matter who occupied the White House. And the last two videos my friends, are the sound of freedom.

Ruffinism for the day: "His mother should have thrown him away and kept the stork." Mae West

Not Enough Days in the Weekend

Norman is home from college.

He had a good time, he helped Clif "chill" and "study" for the big calculus test on Friday. He even fought the dachshund for his food at one point. And he drove Clif's friends crazy. And Clif as a matter of fact. This innocent Lab, back in his favorite chair in Mansfield above, with oppropriate cover, is reflecting on his week with many human beings that, although they don't have his energy, out-witted him. I must point out here that we bought Norman from a guy who raises labs in Coushatta, LA, for Jim's birthday in 2006.

The good news is that Norman's dad was regal, a true duck hunting lab that was disciplined in every way. Won awards, held ducks gingerly in his mouth while retrieving them. The bad new is that his mom was named "Odie", as in Odie the idiot dog on Garfield, the cat, cartoon. She, Norman's mom Odie, bounced off walls. Norman, on the other hand, has peculiar behaviour on his side. He's aloof like a cat. Jim met Clif in LeCompte, LA, halfway between BR and Mansfield on Friday, and Norman was not excited to see Jim, he just got in the truck like it was any other day, as if to say, "take me home," and when they got here around 6:30 Friday, Norman went straight to the Cobb's house to see his kitty cat friend, rather than say hello to me. We endure him....

Speaking of Valentine's Day, Jim sent me roses, but because of all the shruberry, and believe me it was shrubbery the florist put in the vase, Peggy Barringer, they started to die the next day. I rescued all twelve roses from the shrubbery vase and added them to a big vase, combined with the small mixed arrangement that Mr. G sent me for Valentine's Day, and they are all happy cohaibitating. When will florists learn that it is not necessary to add bushes and everything but the kitchen sink to a dozen roses? And on top of that, she charged Jim over $80.00 which tends to hurt one's feelings when the flowers only last for one day.

Ruffinism for the day: Some days you're the bud, some days you're the thorn, and other days you're the manure that fertilizes roses. - Jim Ruffin

Thunderstorms

We all knew these thunderstorms were coming today, it's not like we weren't warned. We were warned for a couple of days. However, the intensity still surprises me. It waited until I got in the office this morning for the bottom to drop out. The lightning and the thunder were pretty wild, and now I'm sure there is a cold front behind it. Two days ago it was in the 30s and this morning I had to open the door to see what to wear. It was 65 degrees. Short sleeves, and I will now probably need a coat to go walking this afternoon. No wonder everyone gets sick so easily. Let me go take a picture with my new camera....well it's new to me. Mr. G gave me his old camera, which is basically new. It's a Canon G5 Powershot. It's not as light as my Canon Cybershot that he gave me two Christmas' ago but it's a super camera.

The first picture is a view of the back of the old post office and the mini park to the left where I stare many of my days away, the second picture is the little log cabin courthouse where something monumental took place hundreds of years ago (can't see our three judges in there, much less bailiffs and clerks, and juries, and prisoners). The matching faux building behind it is the bathroom that poor Eleah Gamble pleaded for years from the police jury for. She finally got it and darned if she didn't die shortly thereafter. This town, this town, this town. And if you look closely in the background you may be able to see the latest scandal: the cyclone fence enclosure on Polk (main) Street that showcases Mansfield Cycle tractors, trailers, and other equipment. It has barbed wire on top of the cyclone fence. Finally, the third picture is of the old McLauren's grocery store which is now Fitness First. The courthouse and sheriff's office is down the block from there. Your welcome for your little tour of my world.

And I stepped out to take those pictures and it's cool. Cooler than my short sleeves really want this morning. Must make a wardrobe change at lunch. As you can see below it was quite a thunderstorm. I just took this shot of the radar at 10:07 cst. We're right below Shreveport in the upper Northwest portion of Louisiana.

Mr. G. is in Shreveport at a meeting this morning and I'm working on 2007 taxes (well obviously not right this minute) and getting AT&T to come out and fix my internet, it's going in and out and has been for a few days. Oh that second band of yellow on the radar is hitting us right now.

Norman update: He and the dachshund are getting along very well. Clif said Norm helped him with his drafting project last night. I don't doubt it. Clif says Norm has become a real couch potato also.

Ruffinism for the day: Weather is a great metaphor for life - sometimes it's good, sometimes it's bad, and there's nothing much you can do about it but carry an umbrella. ~Pepper Giardino

New College Student

Clif came in for the weekend, sort of. He came in late Friday afternoon and left early Sunday morning because he had Chapter Meeting later Sunday at the fraternity house. We went to S'port to look for an early present for him for his BIG BIRTHDAY. Clif turns 21 near the end of this month. He's the love of our lives and is so shy. He wants a million dollars but I think he will settle for less.

We have great plans for him for his 21st. However, one of the reasons he came home this weekend was to return to "Animal House" a/k/a, Phi Kappa Psi with Norman.




Clif and Jim took him to the vet Saturday to catch him up on all of his shots and Clif washed him and brushed him so he could go to college. The "litter feller" as Jim calls him, has gone to college. How many dogs do you know that go visiting? We talked to Clif this afternoon after they arrived and Norman now has 18 roommates plus a dachshund to co-habitate with for a week. I think we feel sorrier for Norman that for Clif. The little feller is used to hot dogs, and steak left-overs and snacks as treats. We think he may be living off Pop-Tarts and Nacho Doritos this week. All of the "Actives" bring their dogs at some point to lively up the house. Norm is the car chaser, the barker, and the hole digger. Unless the guys need a Fed/Ex guy stopped, or an alarm clock or a shrub planter....Norman may not be their dog. However, he IS beautiful AND totally innocent, and totally friendly. I think Clif's room is upstairs right.

Mind you, Mom's aren't allowed on the second floor and we are strictly barred unless helping out during Rush or Homecoming, etc. This is a picture of him his pledge year, three years ago in the orange Polo:

And with the whole fraternity in 2005. He has a good friend from his pledge class, plus some good friends from classes above.

Big Albo had a Rolex watch that Jim gave him.....I hope to get it cleaned for Clif's 21st birthday. He's a good kid...we love him...life is short...

Ruffinism for the day: Finally 21, and legally able to do everything I've been doing since I was 15...Steve Martin

Random Thoughts

It is so very warm and muggy. We have had five consecutive days in the 70s and it is getting old. Bring on spring. As a matter of fact I saw narcissus blooming this morningon the way to work...in February no less. And then I saw on a blog a woman who got out of her car next to a mountain of snow...guess muggy is not too bad.


We did our early voting on Saturday and the registrar said business was very slow for the primaries.


I haven't exactly blown off my New Year's resolution concerning The Secret but I don't think I'm practicing the principles very well. Positive thoughts are giving way to weak actions, "pass me the fettucine alfredo; let me just buy that lamp; you slow pokey old man get out of my way; duuuuuude!; me first; sorry lady I didn't mean to knock you over with my cart..." The church service in the shower every morning is getting longer and longer - more forgiveness of debts rather than we forgive our debtors.

While Jim and I were going to Shreveport Saturday to get FIRE ANT KILLER to kill the ants that seem to love our CajunAire (septic aeration system that we just spent $400.00 to repair the motor because fire ants ate through the wires, I can only hope that some of them were electrocuted) and perhaps a new fireplace screen, we heard a news story on the truck radio. It was about young girl students in school who were arrested and suspended for three days for throwing food in the cafeteria.....in elementary school no less. They had repeatedly warned the student body (after being warned of an impending food fight) that any infraction of throwing food would be dealt with harshly. And these two girls threw one french fry at each other. And they called the police on them.

I have a point here, when did peer humiliation become obsolete? When I was in elementary school, Kindergarten through 6th grade - 1959 through 1967- peer humiliation was enough to "scare us straight." We ate lunch in the cafeteria. It was a huge cafeteria with a series of rows of long tables and since there was no auditorium in those days, a stage with a dozen or so wooden steps going up to it doubled as an auditorium in the cafeteria. The teachers ate on the stage at a couple of rows of cafeteria tables which meant they could look out on us from above like God. My point: the most humiliating act in the world is ridiculing you before your peers. Therefore, when anyone got out of line, a teacher on the stage would stand up and summon any offending culprit (by microphone - YOUR name echoed through this one gigantic room) before the whole gathering to sit on the wooden steps before the rest of the crumb crunchers (mind you, all of the 1st, 2nd or 3rd grade were involved, there were hundreds to be humiliated in front of.)


Now mind you, Rodney Craig lived on the stage because he was the official school cut-up, so people just overlooked him. However, I talked too loud once in first grade and Mrs. Kelly summoned me to the steps. I was mortified. Everyone stared while eating their lunches like you were some kind of alien and giggled as you cried. I wanted to die, lunch that day took hours. And to top it off I believe I made an F in conduct that grading period.

So why is that not good enough for kids nowdays? When did things get soooo bad that it's not even embarrassing to be humiliated anymore? Tsk, tsk, tsk...stuck on stupid...

Ruffinism for the day: Rarely do schools acknowledge the power of peer culture in defining standards, and rarely do they take advantage of this power as an engine for quality. When students themselves are in charge of projects that they care about, peer pressure can become a powerful force for high standards.
R. BERGER, Harvard Education Letter

Like A Good Neighbor

Friday was freaky in that I was a total dingbat. I've been a "goofy girl" before but I should have been a blond on Friday. Mr. G is big on pictures (Joye takes a lot of pictures of his wells and tree plantations on his various acreage and when they go to the races.) He is very fond of 8x10s of his wells and trees. And in my defense, the color printer that I do the pictures on has been screwing up lately. Well we happened to come across a picture from the Arkansas Derby in 2006 that was very good of Joye and him and Mr. G asked me to print it out before he went home for the weekend. He wanted to surprise her with it. So I print out a picture right before he's ready to leave and handed it to him. He said, "hey, it's a little dark." I said, "This printer has really been screwing up lately, let me print out another one and see if it's better." So he hangs around for a few more minutes and this is what comes out for the second time (if you can see it real well, there are black circles):

Second time and black circles. He said, "no matter, we'll get it on Monday." That's when I noticed I had printed both pictures on the back of the photo paper. He rolled his eyes and walked out. Goofy, goofy girl.

Ok, so then I go home early for the day, early enough that I forgot to pay a couple of my bills. That's ok, I can pay them at home. I usually pay them at work and all my passwords are up there, but it's only a couple of bills. So I go to State Farm's website to pay my insurance bill (the national debt - more than my car notes could ever hope to be, almost more than my house note).

Now all of my logins and passwords run on basically the same theme with 2 or 3 password combinations. By the way, Exxon is the only anal website that not only requires numbers AND letters but also requires the numbers to be all inside the letters, not at the beginning or the end. So I try to log in and the first time doesn't work. And the second time doesn't work. And I see that the third unsuccessful attempt will get me locked out. So I call State Farm to get my login name because, ok, I forgot. And of course I get the representative that has had as bad a day as I have. She wants my address, my phone number, my birth date, my shoe size (just kidding on that) just so she can tell me that the account is in my husband's name and she has to talk to him. First off folks, JIM RUFFIN IS COMPUTER ILLITERATE!!! I tell her that, I tell her I'm the one who set up the online account. She's still wants to talk to him. So I tell her to wait a minute.

I come back on the line in the gruffest voice I can muster and tell her I'm Jim. She's not buying it but I persist. She even laughs at me. And then I revert back to my voice and I'm busted. I ask for her supervisor and try the gruff voice again with Ms. Smartass. The supervisor puts me on hold and it's ten minutes before I realize that is their way of hanging up on someone. (Mind that Mr. Ruffin is not home.)

Not to be outdone, I just call back. I get a different rep. this time. I plead my case and explain my delimma. The girl says sure I'll help you, I just need you to answer security questions. God knows how many security layers I have chosen for all of the sights I pay online. I answered them correctly, I thought and she gave me my login id. I login and know my password but lo and behold they want me to answer the security questions again online (Note: this story is almost over.) Ok, so I answer them just like I answered the girl on the phone.

Guess what? That's right. It locks me out because this is now the 3rd unsuccessful try to log in. I could have driven to State Farm's office and paid with a check by this time. But I will not be defeated by this mere machine that I somewhat pride myself as a master of. So once again I call State Farm back and right as they tell me they need to speak to Mr. Ruffin again, the actual Mr. Ruffin sticks his head in the door to tell me the city has a water leak on Hwy. 84 and he won't be home until later (he's had a bad day also). "Wait! Wait! Jim, just tell these people, they have your permission to talk to me." He takes the phone and says that. Then I hear,

"WHAT? WHAT?! ALBERT SYDNEY RUFFIN, HE'S MY BROTHER, WHY IS THAT ANY OF YOUR BUSINESS?!"

"No, No Jim I'll answer the security questions, just hand me the phone!"

"WHAT?! YOU WANT WHAT?! IT'S NONE OF YOUR DAMN BUSINESS WHO MY FIRST GIRLFRIEND WAS!!! IS THIS SOME KIND OF JOKE?! GO TO HELL!!"

"Jim, hand me the phone! Don't hang up lady, please don't hang up!"

I grab the phone fully expecting a dial tone but instead I hear this woman laughing, laughing so hard she's coughing! She said she had a husband just as computer illiterate. So after much throat clearing and apologizing, we got my security questions mapped out, I got on the computer and paid my State Farm bill. I figured the other two bills could wait until I got back to work today.

On a lighter note, I wanted to show you how far I've gottin on my afghan...not very far but I have a rhythm now so I'm expecting to go like the wind. I even found out that I can accomplish this rhythm even after having an adult beverage or two.

Now that's just basic crochet. My grandmother could really crochet and I guess I was never patient enough to go learn the fancy stuff from her when she was alive. This is a tablecloth which I own that she crocheted. Beautiful, eh?

Ruffinism for the day: A word to the wise ain't necessary, it's the stupid ones who need the advice. Bill Cosby