The Week That Was.

Last week was the week of my birthday. For those that forgot you have the whole month to do something...
How did the week go and how much do I remember?
Monday I went to lunch at Biaggi's with my friend Mary. Mary is 80 years old and yeah she doesn't act it...End of this month her and her daughter are going to go hiking in the grand canyon. She hopes that her daughter is able to keep up...We had lunch and she said since I didn't have to work that we share a bottle of wine...Pinot Girgo...oh it went down so smooth. Then she said near the end of the meal that we drink to my birthday. So the waiter got us shots...Jim Beam for me. So kind of vodka for her...To my birthday...drink...then we drank to her vacation...then to the meal....the weather...the waiter's cute butt...the bitchy couple in the corner...the up coming elections...I think we had dessert..it was cheese cake...I think...Yes I drove home...yes I'm bad...Yes I had a hangover that night because when I got home at 1 in the after noon I fell into bed and then woke up about 7pm....Getting to old for this...
Tuesday and Wednesday worked both jobs...9am-10pm Wednesday at Target it just dragggggeeeddd...They even made fun of me....2hrs til you can leave....1hr.....is your night going slow...20 minutes....After some of the kids...yes kids... most are college age...we went out for drinks...yes i know I'm bad...I found out I can't limbo as low as I used to...
Thursday...B day. did a funeral in the morning. the I met the IPT people from Borders...It was raining like all get out.Then off to the sisters for my prime rib dinner. The girls didn't really like it...they will learn. Friday. Ran around and just shopped. Saw my old friend Dee from Waldens. My Southpark is a dead place. I went to find where the new Rock Island Casino is going to be...I got lost...Yes write that down...I was lost. I didn't know where I was in the wilds of Milan.
Friday night the Elderly sister and I did our yearly gamble and drinks. First went to the Davenport boat...lost....then the Rock Island boat...lost...Then I said for drinks lets go to my friends bar. The Knights Inn in Bettendorf. Its owned by my friend Pat's son Mike. We went in there and saw Mike right off. He was shocked to see me...Never thought he'd see me in there...Had a nice time...going to have to figure out some time I can get back up there and try the food.
Then Saturday and Sunday...I did something really stupid...I'll take the girls.
So another year has gone. I'm 43 and feel most days 60. One thing that keeps me going is that I've got Savannah,Constance,Garret,Alec and his new little sister and other small children that I hope I can impart some of my special way of thinking...HA....

Food for Thought.

Did my weekly food shopping this morning. That in its' self itsn't that odd. It was at what time I did it. Most times I get up at about noon and do it...the place is packed with people. Old ladies and men. Families coming out after church. I still believe that Doreen was right about most the people that shop on Sunday. They just sat in a church for 90minutes to a hour being told they were going to hell....Well now they were going to take you with them....

9am....its sooooo early....

Getting to know me....I asked for it.

This is one of the surveys that are floating around the net...Its different because the friends and family answer it about you...I'm going to collect and put up the best answers. You can cut and paste and send it to me.


Okay, this one is different - this is funny. YOU fill in the blanks about ME and send it back to ME. But FIRST send a blank one out to all your friends, including me, so we can return the favor to you. Be honest! They're really SCARY to get back. It only takes a few minutes, so just do it! First send (forward) this survey to everyone you know to see how well he or she knows you. Second, hit 'reply' and fill this survey out about the person who sent it to you and send it back to them.


Where did we meet:


Take a stab at my middle name:


Do I smoke:


Color of my eyes:


Do I have any siblings:


What's one of my favorite things to do:


What's my favorite type of music:


Am I shy or outgoing:


Am I a rebel or do I follow the rules:


Any special talents:


How many children do I have:


If you and I were stranded on a deserted island,
what is one thing that
I would bring:

But I Was Going To....

I had all kinds of plans for today to get done. Well you know what they say when you make plans? God has other ideas for you...Well it was God but Nancy. Close I know..
I was going to do a little shopping and then head out of town to blow the cobwebs out of the Blazer. My mechanic said that would be the best thing for it, is to get it out on the open road and go. I haven't had a chance to go to Chicago or Peoria so I thought today would be a good day.
((RING))
Your bringing down the couch from Chicago today....OH...be here in about three hours....oh...yeah I'll be home...
Plan B...shopping....Go see Maria and Garret....Cute chubby little guy. He's not reacting well to the shots they gave him. He cried and cried and screamed and cried...so I patted and patted and got puked on and patted and then fed him....Then patted more then ZZZZZZ....Mother was very happy for that.
Then more shopping then home to clean and figure out what I'm going to do with the old very long couch.  So I moved it out and cleaned behind and under it...Savannah I found your sucker....
then I moved the old one into the dinning room...Each girl can look out a window while in a couch now. Then Nancy and Bob showed up with the couch
I thought I had a big one before now....oh will it fit in the space I made for it. grunt groan turn turn turn...yeahhhh....I may give up the bed for this...
One of the things I got today was the digital converter for the TV. Hooked it up and turned on the tv and nothing...flip flip flip...nothing...OH ALL RIGHT...I'll read the directions...press menu and then this and that and oh...picture..clear picture. I can now get way more channels then I did before. I have channels 2 and 9 out of Cedar rapids. two channel 4s channel 6 and its weather channel. Channel 8 and its weather channel. the UPN/my network station. three IPTVs Channel 18 and the WB station from Burlington and channel 20 for Iowa City. Its telling me that I'd get better and more it I got a better set of rabbit ears...They are only picking up 29% of the signals out there...
So plan C is to layout on the new couch and get the remotes and enjoy the rest of my weekend.

Special Day

A very special day is coming up....no Easter is past...no not tax day....not pay day....Come on Cinco De Mayo is in May...It's my birthday. Same time every year 100th day of the year..Unless its a leap year then 101.
My wish list for my birthday.
Money. simple easy,like the colour.
Brit shows on DVD....A list can be gotten upon request.
Money.
Tires for the Blazer.
Lilac scented candles. I used up most of the ones I have.
A decent pizza...its a pizza wasteland down here...
money..in case you forgot.
Checks will be accepted...paypal is ok too..

The Sitcom Of My Life

I was working at Borders today at the registers helping a guy when he asked me out of the blue...."Do you know where the nearest Target is at?" I suddenly notice that Mackenzie to the left of me is giggling like a 2 year old...and Jane to the right of me is chuckling in front of a confused customer. I must have had a expression like I just got hit by a dead fish because then he ask....."Target its a store have you ever heard of it...Is there one near?"....Now I have out and out laughing on both sides of me....
Target...MMMMM.yes I believe I have heard of it..I think that you can step out side and look west...you can't miss the giant red bullseye on the horizon. How he got to Borders from the interstate like he said he did and not seen the Target building is beyond me...I guess never ask him to be a witness at an accident.

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Who Is William Ackman And What Does He Mean To Me?

In the last couple days Borders Books Music and Cafe has been making the news. Not in a good way. The CEO George Jones (not the country singer) announced we aren't doing so good. Well this takes me back to my days at Montgomery Ward. But that's a whole other post.
The media is making it out to be worse then it really is...or from what I've read. And there is a lot out there to read. It goes from the bad....Borders to be sold to rival Barnes and Noble...to the worse...Borders closing...People don't see the coulds...the maybe...the possibles.... The answer is no....no... and no...The company is just facing a little cash shortage and need a little help.
Well the name that keeps coming up in this and has been a small presents in the back til now is one William Ackman. He's CEO of Pershing Square Capital Management LP. A hedge fund place. I don't know what all that means but Mr. A. could end up owning 40% of the company and that would mean he's my boss.
So who is William Ackman? I did my little research and didn't find that much. He's 41 which means he was born in 1966 or 1967. He went to Harvard Class of 1988 and then Harvard Business School Class of 1992. Pershing Square was started in 2003. And his home base is New York City. He looks like Anderson Cooper with his salt and pepper hair.Growing up wealthy in New York must turn guys hair gray at an early age.It does seem like the family must have had money for him to go to Harvard. But I don't know that for a fact.Still checking.
But really who is he. Does he like books,CDs.Dvds ? Is he a coffee drinker or is he just in it for a quick buck? He helped turn around McDonald,Wendys and Target. Three places I didn't know needed help.
Is there a Mrs that he goes home to at night. Kids the inherit dads billions. Does he like puppies and sunsets?
So will he become a four letter word around my co workers and I with his ideas or the saint who is spoken of in reverent tones.
Only time will tell....note to self update resume on Monster.

Monkey Wards All Over

Facing Cash Crunch, Borders Mulls Sale
By DAVID RUNK,
AP
Posted: 2008-03-20 11:47:21
DETROIT (March 20) - Borders, the nation's second-largest bookseller, said Thursday it may put itself up for sale and has lined up $42.5 million in financing to help continue operating. Borders Group Inc. said the financing commitment comes from investment funds affiliated with Pershing Square Capital Management LP and includes an offer to buy Borders' international businesses.

"We believe that consummation of the transactions under the commitment will make us fully funded for 2008, where absent these measures, liquidity issues may otherwise have arisen in the next few months," Borders CEO George Jones said in a statement.

After postponing its scheduled fourth-quarter earnings results Wednesday, the company reported net income of $64.7 million, or $1.10 a share, compared with a loss of $73.6 million, or $1.22, during the same period last year.

Revenue fell 2 percent to $1.35 billion, from $1.37 billion.

Analysts polled by Thomson Financial expected profits of $1.42 per share on sales of $1.37 billion.

Quarterly results included a $7 million loss from the sale of Irish and British businesses for $13 million.

The sales agreement for international businesses announced Thursday gives Borders the option until Jan. 15 to require Pershing Square to pay $125 million for the international business, which includes Borders' Paperchase, Australia, New Zealand and Singapore subsidiaries. But Borders said it must pursue the sale of those operations first before any deal with Pershing.

"This will be a challenging year for retailers due to continued uncertainty in the economic environment," Jones said. "Looking forward to 2008 and beyond, the company determined that additional capital was required to execute our operating plan, and as a result we began to explore various financing options.

"The current credit environment has made many of these alternatives prohibitively expensive or entirely unavailable."

Borders group a year ago announced a restructuring that included a fresh face for its U.S. superstores and a jump back into online bookselling. Borders opened the first of its new concept stores last month near its headquarters, and has said its new Borders.com Web site was to make its debut shortly.

Ann Arbor-based Borders said J.P. Morgan Securities Inc. and Merrill Lynch & Co. have been retained as the company's financial advisers to assist the company as it explores strategic alternatives.

The company said it can give no assurances that a transaction of any kind will occur.

Or this happy article

Borders Explains Financing Moves
by Jim Milliot -- Publishers Weekly, 3/20/2008 9:38:00 AM

Slowing sales late in the fourth quarter, the collapse of talks to sell its Australian/New Zealand operation and the disarray in the capital markets were the main factors prompting Borders to seek a quick infusion of capital from Pershing Square, executives told analysts in this morning’s conference call. The refinancing appeared to catch many analysts by surprise and some expressed concern about the cost of the deal with Pershing which carries a 12.5% interest rate.|

CEO George Jones, who noted the company has carried a high debt level for some time, said Borders felt it needed financial stability in the current year, both to move ahead with its strategic plan as well as to ease any concerns vendors may have about Borders’s financial health, although he added that Borders is not aware of any vendors who are planning to stop shipping books.

Jones said the “top priority” for the company in 2008 is to improve the company’s bottomline and its ability to generate cash. The company will reduce costs has much as possible in in headquarters, stores and supply chain, said CFO Ed Wilhelm. The company will also work to cut inventory while improving inventory turns.

In the past year, Borders had a net loss of $157.5 million compared to a loss of $151.3 million in 2006. The loss included a $125.7 after tax loss related to the sale of its U.K. and Irish stores plus $27.7 million of after-tax non-operating charges. Total sales rose 2.6%, to $3.82 billion, over 2006, which had an extra week.

Asked why Borders decided to look for strategic options after it received the funding from Pershing, Wilhelm said the company is looking to maximize shareholder value. He said Borders believes the strategic plan it is working on is the right one, but that it could be more beneficial to stockholders to sell the company. The new funding gives Borders time to conduct a full review of its options, Jones noted.

Sounds Like Good News...For Me

Crow Says She'll Sing With Fleetwood Mac
Mar 14, 6:59 AM (ET)
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Sheryl Crow says she'll soon be singing with Fleetwood Mac, a move sure to give new life to the classic rock band, which hasn't toured in several years.
"I don't want to make any official announcements, but I will say that we definitely have plans for collaborating in the future, and we'll see what happens," Crow told the AOL music Web site Spinner.com in a story posted Thursday.
The 46-year-old singer didn't give a date, but said it could happen next year.
She's already thinking about what she'd like to perform. "I'd love to do 'The Chain,' I'd love to do 'Second Hand News,'" Crow said.
Crow said she looked forward to working with friend Stevie Nicks.
"I think the person I learned the most hands-on from is Stevie Nicks because she allowed me not only to co-write with her but also to produce her, and she's a true artist," she said.
Crow would give the band and Nicks a boost. According to Spinner.com, Nicks had said she wouldn't continue with Fleetwood Mac without keyboardist Christine McVie, who retired from touring in 1998. McVie joined Fleetwood Mac in 1970 shortly after marrying the band's bass guitarist, John McVie.
Fleetwood Mac last toured in 2004.
Crow is currently touring after the release of her latest album, "Detours."
Phone and e-mail messages left with representatives for Fleetwood Mac and Crow were not immediately returned.

A Good Slice

The other night I didn't feel like cooking and I had a craving for pizza. I didn't feel also like driving the 1-3hrs to get my favorite so I called one of the places here in the hood. Uncle Bills. I went and picked it up the smell of hot pizza filled the inside of the Blazer and I was ready right then to dig in. I opened the box and found it was a Harris pizza knockoff...Sadness.
Well it was too late now and I didn't have a really strong reason to return it and I was hungry. So with closed mind, I drove home and tucked in. What don't I like about it. It could be the square slices...the sweet sauce...the sausage paste....To me a pizza needs to be round...there are square ones out there,beware..the slices need to be triangle, rounded crust at one end and a point at the other. The sausage needs to be seen. Little meat balls would be nice. I don't know if that is what they call Chicago style or not. Harris and all it's clones have been around here for years and people rave about it. Not me...I also don't like Maid-Rites but that's a whole other food group.
So the next time I have a craving for pizza I guess a quick trip up to Rock Falls to Angelos or if I really have time to kill maybe Chicago for Gino's. Oh the lengths I go for my eats.

Just from one sheet of paper

I'd like to thank my Co-worker Miz Mayberry for sending these pictures my way.There are many more examples of this amazing art,but the computer said that was enough after four.
Entries for an art contest at the Hirshorn Modern Art Gallery in DC
The rule was that the artist could use only one sheet of paper.
the best I could get would be a lope sided snowflake.

The Newest Reader

Garret John Richard Myers was born February 3,2008. He's doing ok after a rough start, and the mother....Well, she's like she's always been.
Here's to new parents Maria and Bob...wait til I get my hands on him....

Bad Day

You know its a bad day when I find myself watching all of Dr Phil and agreeing with him...I really need to get some meds for that.

From the HyVee Community Board

Who's going to join me in this.

Only In Iowa

If you can't see it...on the top it has EAT MO. Don't know how they got away with it.

Part of History

It was sad to hear that the old RB&W had a major fire. It was a big part of my life growing up. Dad worked there from the time I was born til he retired 30 some years later. My mom used to say I was bought and pay for by the paychecks from there. My sister Mary worked there to help pay for her college in the 70s and I did too in the early 80s. But changing times and the downturn of the steel industry and republicans made it harder and harder for this little factory to survive. I knew that when it was sold that the end was in site. I didn't think that it would ever reopen as a steel factory but I did think they could redo the place as yuppie condos or something like that.
And to this Sandy Henrekin, executive director of the Rock Falls Community Development Corporation,shut up.




  






The remains of the Reliant Fastener building smoldered Saturday in the aftermath of the Friday night fire that consumed the abandoned manufacturing plant at the corner of First Avenue and First Street in Rock Falls.

The curious drove by to see the smoking, crumbling exterior, while others stopped to take pictures of the building.

Minus a roof, and with some walls having crumbled in, the building emitted wisps of smoke from its mangled interior more than 18 hours after the fire began.

About 100 firefighters from 15 area fire departments pitched in to quell the blaze. Firefighters were on scene from 5:15 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. dumping thousands of gallons of water on the fire.

After leaving the scene, Rock Falls firefighters were called out again around midnight to again douse some flare-ups within the building, Nathan Hartman, a Rock Falls firefighter, said Saturday afternoon.

"There are still hot spots all over," Hartman said. "We were back there last night for about three more hours. They had some hot spots that were infringing on the structure that had not burned."

By 3:55 p.m. Saturday, firefighters had returned six times to the scene to check on calls from the public regarding smoke continuing to come from the building, said Rock Falls Fire Captain Cris Bouwens.

"It's just big, heavy timbers and they're continuing to smolder," Bouwens said.

Police were continuing to check on the building as well, Bouwens said.

Rock Falls Building Inspector Mark Searing speculated Friday that homeless people may have caused the fire while seeking shelter from Friday's snowstorm.

According to Hartman, the fire department previously has been called out to take care of small campfires on the 17-acre Reliant property.

"We have had people down there before with fires," Hartman said.

He added that it will be impossible to conduct any sort of investigation until the fire finishes smoldering and everything cools down.

Sandy Henrekin, executive director of the Rock Falls Community Development Corporation, pointed to a silver lining. The fire may expedite the removal of the eyesore.

"I am actually hoping it takes care of some problems, but until I actually get a look at what burned, it is hard to say," Henrekin said.

The city and the corporation had planned to work together early next year to begin asbestos removal at Reliant in preparation for the eastern portion of the property to be razed.

Fire departments from all over came to assist Rock Falls in putting down the fire, including Sterling, Dixon city and rural, Morrison, Tampico, Prohpetstown, Harmon, Fulton, Walnut, Amboy, Chadwick, Coleta, Erie and Lanark.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation. No one was hurt.

The factory was originally founded as part of the Russel Burdsall and Ward Bolt and Nut company in the early 1900s. It remained under the R. B. and W. name until about 1990 when it was sold and the name changed to Reliant Fastner. In 2002 the plant was shut down and has sat empty ever since.

Judged By Its Cover

There are good books and bad books...and then there are evil books. We came across one at the store and had to banish it back to evil Oprah land.
This from an eyewitness Kathleen Edith Gimm ,an older lady that works at the store.:It was possessed by the spirit of an evil writer. whoever picked up the book became possessed of the corporate mentality and started to repeat: "The head office is our Father. The head office knows all. The head office is always right. The head office is never wrong." The only people that it effected are people of low intelligence...

Pearls of Wisdom

Don't knock it til you tried it. I had very good reasons for doing this while in college.

Words Of Wisdom From The Cookie 2008

You are a leader. Others soon will need your inspiration...Just calling me Your Majesty will be enough.

You never hesitate to tackle the most difficult problems. ..Really? I'm seeing running the other way.
Learn Chinese: Deng yi Deng. (dayng-yee-dayng) Wait a moment.

Productive people have more leisure time....There are some supervisors I'd like you to meet.
Learn Chinese: Quing zai shuo yipian (cheeng zi shwoh yee-pee-ahn) Please repeat

Charity begins at home...everytime that I say yes to the disaster people
Learn Chinese: Jiuyue (jee-oo-yoo-eh) September

Use your charm and personality to your advantage...See number one. King has a nice ring to it.

Look At Me I'm Three

Not so tight Constance.

Miss Savannah
Miss Constance