February 2007

FEBRUARY 2008

Kagali
the Cherokee "Bony Moon"

The moon of Kagali is traditionally a time of personal, family feasting honoring and memorializing those who have departed the world of the living. A family meal is prepared with place(s) set for the departed. This is also a time of fasting and other ritual observances. Before the Europeans decimated our people and destroyed our religions, a community dance officiated by a Didanawiskawi (Medicine-man) was performed to honor "The Bony Moon" ... called "Kagali".

Imbolc
the Celtic Observance of Brigid

Brigid is the Celtic goddess who in later times became revered as a Christian Saint. Her festival on February 1st was known as Imbolc (or Oimelc), heralding the return of the of Spring. Later, the Catholic Church replaced this festival with Candlemass Day on February 2, which is dedicated to the Virgin Mary and features candlelight processions. The powerful figure of "Brigid the Light-Bringer" highlights both pagan and Christian celebrations. Learn more.

FRIDAY – FEBRUARY 1, 2008
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Tsunagilosdi – Kagali Saquu
ᏧᎾᎩᎶᏍᏗ – ᎧᎦᎵ ᏌᏊ

1:57a – The snow is 4 or 5 inches deep. I went out and took some snow pictures a bit ago. Off to bed now though.

12:08p – I was going to get up at 11:00a, but I did not make it until about 11:40a. Time to get ready for work again. I better allow a little extra time since there is about 5 or 6 inches of snow out there.

A young neighborhood boy came a-knocking at my door. A young entrepreneur. He wanted to know if I would like him to clear the snow off my car. I thought about it.... but I am too broke to do that and declined the offer. I do respect his gumption though!

1:23p – I just scraped snow off the car. I think it is about 8 inches. It sure was a lot of snow. I am glad it is powdery and not iced up. It was relatively east to clean off, but there was a great quantity of it. My hand was about to cramp up. Now I am experiencing a bit of snow blindness. It's BRIGHT out there, even without the sun shining. I hope the roadways are clear and people aren't driving too timidly.

I got to work just a bit late. Scraping the snow off the car turned out to take much longer than expected. I should have taken that young man up on his offer! Then, once I started to back out of the driveway, I got stuck in the snow. That took up some more time. Once I got un-stuck, then I realized I still needed to fill the gas tank! So, I was about a half hour late by the time I got to work and logged in. I took my camera with me today, and took some shots in the parking lot. People were parked like idiots all over the place. I found a parking place and parked fairly normal, though the front of my car was smothered in a snow bank.

I did floor support until after 7:00p. Then I had to go on phones, and there was no Comcast queue. I finally had to take INSIGHT calls. I took about 4 or 5 calls. I simply did not worry about documentation. I just did a "best effort" and did not let it stress me out. At about 10:50p I was switched to the (newly opened) Comcast queue again. All this is somewhat ironic since I am off the next two days, and the Insight customers will be moving to Comcast starting Monday... my next work day. Hopefully I will not have to take any more Insight calls, but its ironic that I finally had to take some on the very last possible day for me. I almost made it through all this mess without having to take a single Insight call.

SATURDAY – FEBRUARY 2, 2008
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Unadodaquidena – Kagali Tali
ᎤᎾᏙᏓᏈᏕᎾ – ᎧᎦᎵ ᏔᎵ

The snow became more vicious for me when I left work. This picture of a fire hydrant impressed me because it was so deep in snow.

Once I got to the car I had to deal with an ice patch on my driver's side door. It was hard for me, with my bad hip, to get in the car, fearing I would slip and hurt myself. Then, the car would not start! The battery decided to do one of its little shenanigans again. However, this time, I had to go to the front of the car in (literally) knee-deep snow and get the hood open. Thankfully, it started up after only one little "jiggle" of the battery connector. Then, I could not see shit. I sprayed "deicer" from the reservoir, and it cleared up the front window very well... for a short spell. Then the deicer seemed to freeze up! The windows became VERY hard to see out of. This was, of course, after I had pulled out and was trying to drive. I was getting kind of pissed off, needless to say!

3:53a – I got home and watched last week's episode of Flash Gordon. Surprisingly, I am enjoying this series.

11:00a – I got up a little before 11:00a. Skip has already mentioned going to Ramon's to eat. I need to get more woke up first. The sun is blinding outside this morning, and we have the front door open. The sunshine is actually warm coming through the glass of the front storm door. Barnabas was enjoying laying in the sun. He even expressed himself with a couple of playful rolls.

We left the house around 1:00p and drove to Collinsville for lunch at Ramon's. This was the first time we've been there since the new "no smoking" law was passed in Illinois. Skip had a cigarette out and was looking for an ash tray when the waitress informed him that there was no smoking allow any longer.

Next we went to Wal-Mart and picked up a few groceries. This is the first Saturday after the first of the month, so the place was packed. Skip bought himself another small paint gun. He wanted to buy some kind of model to assemble, but they did not have any. We stopped by Q-Mart, and then back home. My back and left hip were in excruciating pain, but I managed to get my groceries put away, wincing with every step. Meanwhile, Skip had to go play with his new toy in the back yard. He also got out his BIG paintball gun and shot off a few rounds. I fired a few shots with the new smaller one myself.

A blue paint ball - The new gun - The BIG gun - ... and the BIG gun again...

11:09p – I have been working on several projects tonight, including my J.T. Alexander Dictionary. Then I actually nodded off at the computer! I got up and fixed my leftovers from Ramon's. Now I am going to take a hot shower, and I am fixing some fried chicken strips.

SUNDAY – FEBRUARY 3, 2008
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Unadodaquasgv – Kagali Tsoi
ᎤᎾᏙᏓᏆᏍᎬ – ᎧᎦᎵ ᏦᎢ

1:02p – I got up around 11:30a. It is bright and sunny again today. Very bright since snow still covers the ground and is blinding. Skip wants to go to Bob Evans to eat. I suggested Lotawata Creek. We may go there instead.

I had a dream last night about Jonathan Frakes. He wanted me to make him a batch of cookies for some event. I told him I did not have time and I did not have the money to buy the ingredients anyway. I was backing some strips of onion for him instead. Meanwhile, he picked up a container of chicken with onion & bell pepper and began eating it. Flabbergasted, I scolded him saying, "Are you going to eat my breakfast!?" That's about all of the dream I could remember.

9:35p – We did go to Lotawata Creek (and spent way too much, of course). I got the "Beef Peppercorn Tenderloin" (Beef tenderloin medallions on a bed of Garlic Parmesan Mushrooms and topped with our own Jack Daniels Peppercorn Sauce. Served with two sides. $13.29). I got the "loaded mashed potatoes and a corn on the cob for my sides. Skip got the "Bourbon Street Beef Tenderloin" (Grilled beef tenderloin medallions topped with Pepper-Jack cheese, grilled shrimp and Jack Daniels Peppercorn Sauce. Served with two sides. $13.29) with sides of baked beans and red beans & rice for sides. Why he got so many beans, I do not understand!

We left Lotawota and went looking for the new Target Store. Oddly, though we have both seen it many times, we could not find it! Ah well, so we went to the Value City store in Collinsville. It was having a sale on everything. They are going out of business, but they don't want to admit it. Skip got his socks, but I bought nothing.

We then went back to Cahokia to the Dollar General. I bought some conditioner and 3 scented candles. Skip got cat food, then he dropped off his DVD at Block Buster. (Long story behind that, but I don't want to get into it).

I've been working on creating this transparent 3-D revolving cube with photos. I have finally got it! Very cool, eh?

Here are the two "cubes" I have created tonight. Editing the code was very tedious, but ... so far so good! Click on any of the panel pictures, and it will display the picture for you.

MONDAY – FEBRUARY 4, 2008
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Unadodaquonvhi – Kagali Nvgi
ᎤᎾᏙᏓᏉᏅᎯ – ᎧᎦᎵ ᏅᎩ

This was an awesomely beautiful day. The temperature was up to 75° with sunshine. I did not wear my jacket and even opened up the sunroof while driving to work.

Work was chaotic with the Insight migration in progress. I spent the entire day on floor support.

The drive home was nerve wracking through a down pour of rain. I hydroplane several times, but fortunately did not lose control of the car. I got through the storm by the time I got home, but within a few minutes of getting to the house, the storm caught up and it started raining hard.

TUESDAY – FEBRUARY 5, 2008
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Taline Iga – Kagali Hisgi
ᏔᎵᏁ ᎢᎦ – ᎧᎦᎵ ᎯᏍᎩ

11:37a – I did not get enough sleep. Today is so different from yesterday. It's pouring down rain still. The intersection by the house looks like a small lake. Thunder has been cracking all morning. I guess I will not be driving in with the sunroof open today!

Skip was at work today when someone from the psychiatric ward escaped and jumped from the 10th floor of the Wohl Building in CWE. He was on the top of the Clinical Sciences Research Building took these distant shots of the shrouded body. They did not fall the full 10 stories, but landed on a third floor ledge. I know it's somewhat gruesome, but it was a significant event happening on this day.

WEDNESDAY – FEBRUARY 6, 2008
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Tsoine Iga – Kagali Sudali
ᏦᎢᏁ ᎢᎦ – ᎧᎦᎵ ᎯᏍᎩ

5:49p – I got up right at 11:00a this morning, though I could not tell at the time since the power had gone out. I piddled around with email, watched some TV, drank some tea and made grits & eggs for first meal. Skip called me around 3:00p, just after I had taken a shower. He wanted me to come into St. Louis and pick him up from work so we could go check out some special liquor store that his friend, Matt, and told him about. I really didn't want to, but I was just feeling lethargic and lazy. I figured it would do me good to get up and out of the house. Also, this store was not far away. It's located between CWE where Skip works, and Illinois where we live. This was the most massive liquor store I've ever seen. They had a car sitting in the entrance way. An "Austin." Only about half of the massive warehous was actual "store" area. I could see a vast unlit area not even in use, with a giant RV parked in one corner. The place was very impressive and the prices were very good.

THURSDAY – FEBRUARY 7, 2008
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Nvgine Iga – Kagali Galiquogi
ᏅᎩᏁ ᎢᎦ – ᎧᎦᎵ ᎦᎵᏉᎩ

11:09a – I am up and preparing another day at the sweat shop. Nothing much really happened worth mentioning today. My chats seemed to be exceptionally odd, but that is not so unusual.

FRIDAY – FEBRUARY 8, 2008
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Tsunagilosdi – Kagali Tsunela
ᏧᎾᎩᎶᏍᏗ – ᎧᎦᎵ ᏧᏁᎳ

5:30p – I was up at noon today and have spent almost the entire day catching up on various projects on the computer. I got the month "art challenge" out (though I have not even submitted my own challenge from last month yet). I updated the Cherokee Arts Community page. I jointed the "ᏣᎳᎩVocabularyBuilder" group on Yahoo, and sent my daily word graphics to them. I changed my email on the Cherokee Witches site and sent them the graphic files also, and I sent them to the Cherokee Arts site. This was a lot more work than it sounds like.

Skip called around 3:50p. He was getting a ride home with Greg. I picked him up at Q-Mart at about 4:30p. Then he needed to buy a sheet (to use as a projector screen) so I ran him up to the Dollar Store. Then did not have what he needed, so we went to Wal-Mart. We're home again now, and he is setting up a borrowed projector from work with which to experiment.

SATURDAY – FEBRUARY 9, 2008
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Unadodaquidena – Kagali Sonela
ᎤᎾᏙᏓᏈᏕᎾ – ᎧᎦᎵ ᏐᏁᎳ

1:26p – Skip and Brian carried the aluminum off for recycling this morning. They did not make as much noise as I expected they would, but the neighbor's dog kept barking at them, so I did not sleep well. But, I am headed off to work now. Here we go again. Day 1 of 4.

I finished watching the movie, "Dragonfly," (Kevin Costner) before going to work. That was a good movie. Kind of slow starting, but it had a great ending.

It was another typical day at work. The drive in was nice, since the weather was not very cold. I spoke to Skip just as I got to work. He thinks he has found the house he wants to buy out in Granite City.

I heard today that Sean Ditter got fired from Network Solutions! That is the company I was trying to get a job with. Maybe that is why they have not got back to me? Jeez... I have the most rotten luck. It's really getting old.

SUNDAY – FEBRUARY 10, 2008
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Unadodaquasgv – Kagali Sgohi
ᎤᎾᏙᏓᏆᏍᎬ – ᎧᎦᎵ ᏍᎪᎯ

2:36a – I came home and tried to sit down and watch an animated movie, "Dragon Lance." It was not holding my attention, so I stopped it for now. The other movie I have is the new "3:10 to Yuma." Everyone says its a really great movie, even if you are not into westerns. We will see...

4:31a – I am so far behind schedule. I need to be going to bed, but I just got my food fixed. I was not feeling well and thought I would just go right to bed, but ... there will probably be no vendors at work tomorrow (being Sunday), so I need to cook something for lunch. I am feeling better. I fixed a stir-fry with pineapple, fried chicken, left over beef & onion, bean thread, green bell pepper and slices of red bell pepper. It smells good!

I also got my February work schedule fixed. It has been "backward" all month and very confusing. I also set up my schedules for March and April.

4:52a – Supper was very different, but very good. It could have been a bit better with some cashews, but... I am out. Anyway... of to bed for me. Much too late.

11:59a – I got up about a half hour ago. Got some soup simmering, some clothes in the dryer "de-wrinkling" and have showered already. Still not quite awake though. Skip was showing me pictures of the house he hopes to buy. He is committed to this one I think.

I took about 30 calls today. This was the most calls I have taken in ages. I was so glad to get off the phone and go home. Tomorrow may suck since I am not scheduled to be on floor support all day. Sometimes they have me on floor support on Mondays anyway, so... we will see.

MONDAY – FEBRUARY 11, 2008
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Unadodaquonvhi – Kagali Sadu
ᎤᎾᏙᏓᏉᏅᎯ – ᎧᎦᎵ ᏌᏚ

3:40a – I have been watching the movie "3:10 to Yuma." Everyone keeps telling me what a great movie it is. So far, I am not all that impressed. Maybe it will get better. For now I am finding it kind of boring. I was warned that it is "kind of slow" in the beginning, but I am pretty much into it now and I am still not finding it all that interesting.

4:19a – I watched some more of the movie. I am still not getting all that interested in it. It's okay (for a western), but so far it is not living up to all the hype.

Meanwhile, I have had 3rd meal and I fixed some very concentrated tea to take to work. I will put it in my ice water for a low cost drink. Off to bed now. I am so tired already, and I have two more days of work still

3:36p – I felt awful this morning. I nearly over slept, which I nearly never do. I called in late, but then as I was getting ready to go, life suddenly began to such from all angles. I opened the door and found we were being covered by which I thought at first was snow, but it is sleet, and it is covering everything with slickery.

It doesn't look like much, but it was hard ice and kept me from going to work!

Then I checked the mail and found I had a ticket from the "photo enforcement" department of Hazelwood. I got a damned ticket! For $100.00 no less! I am disgusted. I remember the day it happened. The light was green, I looked away, and just before getting to the intersection I looked back and it was yellow. I knew I could not stop in time and had to go through the intersection. I saw the "flash" of the camera when it happened, but I was sure the light was still yellow when I went through. I guess not. The photos don't lie. I am just so sick over this. Then I went to the car, and nearly slipped and fell on the sidewalk. I walked on the grass to get to the car. The windows are iced over, and the roads look dangerous. I decided not to risk my life driving to work in this condition. So now I am out ANOTHER $100 ... all within about a 5 minute time span. This is just awful. It makes a person just want to give up. I just can't seem to win any more.

Damn! I am guilty. How can I argue this?
I don't think it is "just" ... but I can't argue it.

7:33p – It actually got worse. I called Quest Laboratories about the bill I keep getting. The one I thought I had paid. I turns out that this is ANOTHER bill. The first one was for $46.xx. This one is for $49.93. So, within less than one hour, I found myself in the hold for about $250.00. That is very depressing!

So, I have decided to join Skip and splurge for some pizza tonight. No cooking. I don't do this often, but I need something to cheer me up a little.

Meanwhile, I have been working on getting my thumb drive repaired. A few days ago my portable Firefox tried to do an update and locked up. I had to kill it, and it became corrupt. I was successful in not only repairing it, but I saved all my links, bookmarks, etc.. I then proceeded to download and install various themes and add-ons, which all seem to be working. Now, I need to do the same for my home installation.

TUESDAY – FEBRUARY 12, 2008
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Taline Iga – Kagali Talidu
ᏔᎵᏁ ᎢᎦ – ᎧᎦᎵ ᏔᎵᏚ

I got up around 11:30, so I must have slept about 11 hours. I felt very refreshed. The sidewalk and driveway are still covered in a layer of ice. The car was encrusted with ice. Not a think layer, but very dense and hard to scrape away. That threw me off schedule and I was nearly late. The highways were fine once I got out on the road though. I spent the day taking calls until 7:00p, then floor support until 10:45p, and back on phones. I remembered to take my "condensed tea" in with me today, so I could fill my water bottle up and mix tea in with it. It should save on the cost of sodas, and is much healthier.

WEDNESDAY – FEBRUARY 13, 2008
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Tsoine Iga – Kagali Tsogadu
ᏦᎢᏁ ᎢᎦ – ᎧᎦᎵ ᏦᎦᏚ

The car gave me some problems tonight. I started it up and let it run, while I dug the wiper blades out of a sheath of ice. Once that was done I got back in the car and started to pull out. The motor choked & coughed, and the car died. Then it would not start again! I was getting worried. I let it sit a bit, and tried again. I did this several times, getting more and more worried, but it finally kicked in and started. I think I need to replace the battery. I know it is the wrong battery for this car, but I wanted to get my money's worth out of it. I think its time to get a new one though. A top-post battery this time, not the incorrect side-post it has now.

2:51a – Email is caught up, and so is the journal. I think I will watch the rest of my Sci-Fi channel's movie, "Bone Eater." It's only mostly corny.

I do find the Native American aspect of it of interest. I have never heard of a "Katona" tribe, but in the movie, the Chief's daughter's name is "Kaia," which is the name of my most recent great-niece, Kaia Shayce.

3:47a – I finished watching the movie. It was okay for a one of those "Sci-Fi Original" movies. The ending was somewhat abrupt. It was mildly entertaining I suppose. Nothing to "write home about."

I got up around 11:00a this morning. It was so wonderful getting up knowing I did not have to worry about going to work! I've spent all most of the day in email, creating graphics, etc. However, was very dismayed to get a very negative and vicious set of responses from the BASL Yahoo group, of which I have been a member for nearly 6 years. I was insulted and disgusted ... so I unsubscribed to the group. Or at least, I thought I did. I seem to still be getting emails from them. I am over it... I don't need the negative behaviour in my life. I have too much stress and strife as it is. So, I am discontinuing BASL after 6 years. Anyway, it stands for "Bi Association of St. Louis" ... and I am not "Bi" anyway. I was just being a supportive member all these years. I guess that was a waste.

THURSDAY – FEBRUARY 14, 2008
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Nvgine Iga – Kagali Nigadu
ᏅᎩᏁ ᎢᎦ – ᎧᎦᎵ ᏂᎦᏚ

12:23a – I just finished eating, but I am still hungry. I am working on fixing up some more vittles, despite the late hour.

12:50p – I thought I would be getting up earlier today, but I did not get up until 12:45p. I took a couple of Tylenol PM last night. They probably were the reason I slept so long.

FRIDAY – FEBRUARY 15, 2008
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Tsunagilosdi – Kagali Sgigadu
ᏧᎾᎩᎶᏍᏗ – ᎧᎦᎵ ᏍᎩᎦᏚ

12:13p – I slept badly last night with weird, frustrating dreams. I feel exhausted this morning. I have to work today though. Skip's tax refund came in today. The car would not start (again) and I had to 'fix' the battery. Then it died when I backed out of the driveway and had a hard time starting. Traffic was backed up on 70 all the way to Lucas-Hunt Road. I found out it was a funeral procession slowing things down. I was about 15 minutes late as a result of all this. I did floor support, going on phones about 7:30p. Then I went back on FS around 9:00p to cover Rodney, who was going home. I finished up my chats a little after 11:00p, took a break, and then got permission from Rup to leave early. My eyes are burning and watering worse than usual. I stopped and put gas in the car. Premium this time; maybe it will help with the starting problem. Also added a fuel additive. Cleaned the windows. The car is filthy, covered in salty road dirt.

Skip left rent money for me on my desk. Only $200 instead of the usual $260. So, that effectively negates the slight increase I had from my share of the recycled cans last weekend ($32). Besides which, after cashing in on the cans, Skip and Brian used the money to go out for breakfast and THEN split the remaining fund 3 ways. I thought that was not quite right. Then he did not cash in all my pull tabs which I have been collecting for years. They are a higher grade of aluminum and should be worth a bit more.

I have been collecting these pull-tabs off of aluminum cans for several years now. I don't remember when I started. I think I was living at Gentry's Landing still. So it has been at least 5 years.

SATURDAY – FEBRUARY 16, 2008
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Unadodaquidena – Kagali Daladu
ᎤᎾᏙᏓᏈᏕᎾ – ᎧᎦᎵ ᏓᎳᏚ

I have been working on my latest project, copying the works of "Tell Them They Lie". I got about 70 pages done. Scanned in and edited that is.

4:03a – I've been watching "Martian Child." The elderly dog, "Somewhere" (aka "Flomar") just died, and I am having flashbacks to Kira, and a sudden flood of tears. I still miss her so much.

4:35a – Movie is over... off to bed. It was not what I expected, but it was a good movie.

9:52a – I am up early, for Skip's benefit, but I would rather go back to bed.

6:02p – We went to Belleville to the bank. Skip had to deposit his tax refund and take care of some other banking business. Then we headed out to find food. We decided to go (once again) to Lotta Watta Creek. This time, instead of ordering one of their steaks, I decided to get one of their humungous sandwiches. I got the Philly Cheese (with fries). I could not even eat half of it! I will have supper for tonight!

We left there and went to Collinsville to get our hair cut. My Mohawk-tail is getting quite long for such a short time. I hope it will be braidable by next Powwow. Haircuts done, we went to Wal-Mart. I ended up spending nearly $90.00! Ouch! It was all mostly for food. The only non-frugal expenditure being for beer (which I got more cheaply there).

Our next destination was to look at the house that Skip is trying to buy. He really wants this house.

It's not a bad place, though probably not the place I would choose. However, Skip has come to like living out in the Mid-West, and I still feel misplaced. I can't believe it has been nearly 8 years now!

SUNDAY – FEBRUARY 17, 2008
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Unadodaquasgv – Kagali Galiquadu
ᎤᎾᏙᏓᏆᏍᎬ – ᎧᎦᎵ ᎦᎵᏆᏚ

11:45a – I got up around 10:00a. I need to get read soon and go to my Sunday Esperanto Kunveno.

6:57p – I made it to my meeting. It turned out that only David and I were in attendance, but we had a good time studying "beer terminology" anyway.

I sent out an email to the group (and "friends") with comments in Esperanto and English: "Hodiaŭ, Februaro 17, 2008, ni renkontis por la monate kunveno de EASL. Nur du membroj ĉeestis; Lee Lewis kaj David Fallert. Ni elspezis nian tempon ne nur praktikante Esperanto, sed ni ankaŭ faris liston de vortoj por biero interligiĝitajn temojn kaj hejm-bierofarado. Estis tre amuza kaj interesa kunveno, eĉ sen multaj membroj." I hope I got my grammar all correct, since I sent it many who are VERY proficient Esperantists!

10:40p – I am cooking up some pork and chicken strips. Fried. And some flour gravy with seasonings & onion. I will make some fried rice too I suppose. Should be good.

11:01p – I am off to bed a bit early (for me) tonight. Supper was really good. It will make a good lunch at work tomorrow.

MONDAY – FEBRUARY 18, 2008
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Unadodaquonvhi – Kagali Neladu
ᎤᎾᏙᏓᏉᏅᎯ – ᎧᎦᎵ ᏁᎳᏚ

10:35a – I am up and I guess I am getting ready for another day. Mornings seem to be keep getting progressively worse for me. I see a little sprinkling of snow on the ground, but I don't think it will last long.

I got to work near a half hour early today, but I spent about 20 minutes just trying to create a new password for the iComs program. It has so many damn rules. By the time you get a password created, it is so cryptic that you have to write it down or you will for get it (which defeats the purpose of having a password!). I was able to take one phone call before going on floor support at 3:00p. FS was awful today. The chats stayed 5 deep all the way up to the end of my floor support time at 7:00p. I made it to lunch about 7:30p, and then they needed me to stay on floor support since it was still over loaded with incoming chats. It did not start to slack off until about 10:00p.

TUESDAY – FEBRUARY 19, 2008
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Taline Iga – Kagali Soneladu
ᏔᎵᏁ ᎢᎦ – ᎧᎦᎵ ᏐᏁᎳᏚ

11:00a – I was aiming to get up at 11:00a, but took another half hour. It must be cold outside. It was 16° when I got in the car last night, and my room was very cold this morning (which is how I like it).

I got my income tax done this morning, but I forgot to put a stamp on it, so it did not go in the mail yet.

Meanwhile, Barack Obama made MAJOR victories over Hillary today. I was leaning toward Hillary at first, but my feelings swung slowly, but surely toward Obama over time. I am glad to see that my sentiments are being followed by much of the American public as well. If Obama were not in the running for President, I would be 100% behind Hillary, but the more I learn about Obama, the more I like him; and conversely, the more I learn about Senator Clinton, the less I like her. Obama may be the first "people's" president in many generations. He was born of a teenage mother, his father left them when he was a child, he was raised fairly poor (not like most presidential candidates), and he has had to raise himself up by his own means. Much like Abraham Lincoln. He is young, fresh and "new." Oh... and he is black. I tend to forget that, but hat is a major factor too! I like him. I think he could be good for our country, and thereby good for me. Not that I want to be self-centered, but that is the bottom line in reality. How will the new president change or improve MY life? That's the bottom-line question when you get down to it.

I went in late today, but worked my butt off. They put me in the Tech Queue for a while, but they were so swamped in floor support chats that I manned the Tech Queue and did chats, and I did get some tech calls while juggling chats. I went into plain floor support at 6:00p and it stayed 5 deep all night. I could not even take a break. I did not get to my first break until 11:00p! Lunch was at midnight, and then I squeezed in a final break about 12:20a. My adherence and phone time variance scores are going to be awful, yet I am working harder than most agents. It's very frustrating.

WEDNESDAY – FEBRUARY 20, 2008
– –

Tsoine Iga – Kagali Ganetsi
ᏦᎢᏁ ᎢᎦ – ᎧᎦᎵ ᎦᎾᏥ

1:37a – Home again and no work tomorrow. The vibration in the car is getting worse and really worrying me.

And here is what my neatly tidied up living room is looking like now since Skip decided to do something with clothes. It has been like this for 3 days now.

12:43p – Considering the time I went to bed, I am up early! I feet awful this morning, but I have the day off and do not want to spent it all in bed. I am getting in the habit of drinking tea in the morning on my days off. I think Rubydancingmoon's British upbringing has rubbed off on me!

I went no where and did nothing today, for the most part. I picked Skip up from Q-Mart, piddled around on the computer, and for lunch I went to Rally's and got a burger and fries. (I did not feel like cooking anything).

8:12p – There is an eclipse of the moon tonight. I don't think I have ever really seen a true and full eclipse. I have my timer going and am taking my camera out every 15 minutes to take pictures of it. I hope the come out at least "okay." So far I've taken two sets of photos. The next set will be about 8:25p.

8:51p – The eclipse continues (like it was going be interrupted?). I took more pictures, but the battery went out. I got the backup and swapped them out, so I should be good for the next photos in a few minutes.

9:11p – Brrr! I just took more pictures. The moon is barely visible at this time. And it is COLD outside!

9:57p – Before my last set of pictures of the moon, Skip came to tell me about some experience he was having in his game. Apparently, I did not give the appearance of be amazed, amused or suitably intrigued by his adventures in the virtual reality of whatever game he was playing in which he traveled very far using teleporters and what-not to get to his friend in another virtual location. I appreciated the situation and made some inquiries into his exploits.

Then I made a big mistake. I had just accomplished a small victory in my own court, having constructed what I hope was a comprehensible sentence (of four words) in Cherokee. After years of study, this was the closest I have come to making my own sentence, and I was a bit elated. My mistake was mentioning my success to him. He got all pissy and started telling me how its not just him, but other people (who?) have notice how I always have to put my own accomplishments forward and try to trump anyone else. Well, that may be true to some degree. I think we may all be guilty of that. I do think about it and try to avoid appearing so shallow however. I was very hurt by his words and once again, I wish I was living on my own. I don't know if I can live on my own any more though. I worry my health is getting to bad to be alone.

11:54p – I am very pleased with the results, considering that I do not have any real astronomy type devices. Just an Olympus C-5060.

THURSDAY – FEBRUARY 21, 2008
– –

Nvgine Iga – Kagali Tsalisgo-Saquu
ᏅᎩᏁ ᎢᎦ – ᎧᎦᎵ ᏣᎵᏍᎪ-ᏌᏊ

12:35a – I am still up. I need to go to the kitchen and get my food started.

2:37a – Despite my lack of planning, supper was not too bad (and will provide for my next two meals).

1:49p – There is snow on the ground this morning, and it is cold. I am headed off to work now, about 20 minutes behind schedule. I suppose the traffic is going to be bad.

2:11p – I've been scraping for a half hour trying to get the ice off the windshield and have only managed one small spot. I emptied the remainder of a bottle of Windex on it, but it froze too. I don't want to miss another day of work. I can't afford it, but I can't see to drive.

I finally got the car "functional" by letting it set for about a half hour with the defroster and heat running. Of course, I locked the car since I was sitting in the house and I think it is illegal to have your car running unattended like that anyway. Well, I had tested the key to make sure it would open the lock while the car was running BEFORE I closed the locked door, but, it did not work. I could not get the car open! I finally went around to the passenger's side; and it opened right up. That had me freaked out there for a bit!

I headed in to work about 3:20p ... but the weather was going to be a problem. Everyone was slower than safe. Then I crossed the PSB (bridge) and the ramp onto I-70 was backed up. We putted along at about 1 mile per hour for about 20 minutes until I finally got to the scene of the problem. A semi-truck had run into the back of another semi. That was a mess!

We got through that, but then my windshield got so clogged up I could not see. I had run out of washer fluid and my "new" wipers totally SUCK. I drove down I-70 at about 35 mph. As I got to the exit onto I-170, there was another major accident. This one involved a very nice looking yellow Mustang which had become entangled with another semi-truck. the truck seemed mostly unaffected, but the car was sitting perpendicular to the truck with its nose under the trailer. Much of the bumper and fender of the Mustang was mangled up under the truck's front end.

I ended up spending another day in floor support. I expect they are going to get on my case about this at some point, but I have been needed and ... what can I do?

FRIDAY – FEBRUARY 22, 2008
– –

Tsunagilosdi Iga – Kagali Tsalisgo-Tali
ᏧᎾᎩᎶᏍᏗ – ᎧᎦᎵ ᏣᎵᏍᎪ-ᏔᎵ

10:39p – I got up around 11:30a. Skip called me around 2:00p ... he is going on a business trip out of state and now (FINALLY) he needs to get his ID situation resolved. I've been telling him over and over that he needs to get this problem resolved, but he has put it aside repeatedly, until now. Now it is affecting him directly and he is scrambling to get his birth certificate, social security card, etc. Meanwhile, I am having to "scramble" in response to his needs.

I made a pot of rice and mixed in some sugar and seeds, then put the mixture out for the birds around 3:00p today. I had my Cardinal male (or one of his sons) on me before I could get the food laid out for them!

I drove to Belleville and picked him up from the train. I did not remember that I needed to gas up the tank, so after taking care of that requirement I was about 10 minutes late. I was supposed to pick him up at 3:56p and I arrived at 4:06p. So, (assuming I did not have to stop for gas), I was really very well on time!

I took him to the bank. While he was inside, I cleaned more snow/ice off the car, cleaned with windshield and pour some Windex in the window cleaner reservoir. He got his business taken care of, and we went in search of a Taco Bell for a quick meal. That took longer than it should have; we ended up in Fairview Heights, miles away, but we found a Taco Bell and had our meal.

11:05p – I have a pot of soup cooking. I am not going to eat my Taco Bell left-over Burrito Supreme yet. Maybe later. I think I will go try to find something to watch on the DVR. Another episode of Charmed, probably!

11:24p – Well, am off to eat something now. I dread the next few days. This is my four days straight of 10 hour shifts. I hate it.

SATURDAY – FEBRUARY 23, 2008
– –

Unadodaquidena – Kagali Tsalisgo-Tsoi
ᎤᎾᏙᏓᏈᏕᎾ – ᎧᎦᎵ ᏣᎵᏍᎪ-ᏦᎢ

12:44a – I must get my butt to bed. I have to get up early tomorrow (for me) and take Skip to the post office. He is going on a business trip to (Wisconsin?) and will need an ID to get on the plane. I have been pestering him for ages to get his ID situation resolved. I know from experience how bad THAT problem can be. Now he is caught in a last minute situation and scrambling to get a birth certificate, social security card, and the whole nine years... in a matter of a few days. He could have done this at his leisure, but (once again) he did not listen to my advice. But, who am I to speak. I have also ignored his advice and regretted it, so ... I am really not up on any "high horse." I just don't want him to have problems.

11:00a – I am up, precisely on time. I have to take Skip to the post office.

11:32a – We arrived at the post office. I am sitting in the car waiting for him.

11:56a – He's finally out of the post office. As usual, they only have one clerk working, so it took quite a while.

I ate my burrito from yesterday for lunch, watched another episode of "Charmed" and managed to make it to work on time. My membership card for ELNA (2008) arrived today.

SUNDAY – FEBRUARY 24, 2008
– –

Unadodaquasgv – Kagali Tsalisgo-Nvgi
ᎤᎾᏙᏓᏆᏍᎬ – ᎧᎦᎵ ᏣᎵᏍᎪ-ᏅᎩ

11:38a – Getting up was not desirable this morning, but I dragged myself out of bed (a bit late) and went straight to the kitchen to get some breakfast started. Then to the shower.

12:08a – I am making some Chinese style chicken soup, with bok choy. I had better go check on it.

I left early and went by Wal-Mart. Skip rode with me. I got some antifreeze, oil, deicer and window cleaner for the car. I filled the reservoir with the entire containers of the deicer and the window cleaner, and this was on top of the half bottle of Windex I poured into it a couple of days ago. I did not realize it had so much capacity! I I did not even fill it. I put in one of the quarts of oil, and just a little of the antifreeze. I am not sure how much it needs of that.

I got to work well on time. The parking was ridiculous. One entire lane was blocked by people who can't park. Several cars were parked so as to take up FOUR parking spots each! They should be towing them.

I did floor support as scheduled then phones from about 8:00p on. My call handle time was around 11 minutes, then I got a final call from a screamer who wanted a supervisor ... and ended up leaving 30 minutes late.

MONDAY – FEBRUARY 25, 2008
– –

Unadodaquonvhi – Kagali Tsalisgo-Hisgi
ᎤᎾᏙᏓᏉᏅᎯ – ᎧᎦᎵ ᏣᎵᏍᎪ-ᎯᏍᎩ

2:31a – I got home late (of course). I am tired. I sat down to watch my recent recording of Torchwood, but it only recorded 30 minutes of the show and ended in the middle! Damn.... that is so frustrating.

3:38a – I am cooking up some beef and veggies, and a pot of rice. I hope it comes out okay.

12:58p – I felt really bad this morning. I was shaking a lot and had a headache. I suspect that not taking the blood pressure medicine is catching up with me. I called in late (again), but what can I do?

I had no floor support scheduled for today, but after just one call, I was called to help out. Jennifer is on a trip to Florida, so they were short handed, and chats were very heavy. My schedule adherence is (as usual) way out of whack, and they probably won't fix it for today since I was not scheduled. This place is so ridiculous with its myriad of contradicting rules.

TUESDAY – FEBRUARY 26, 2008
– –

Taline Iga – Kagali Tsalisgo-Sudali
ᏔᎵᏁ ᎢᎦ – ᎧᎦᎵ ᏣᎵᏍᎪ-ᏑᏓᎵ

I really struggled to get up this morning, and simply forced my self to function. It was very unpleasant, but I just can't keep going in late. It's just not right. But I felt so awful.

Among my many crazy dreams last night was one in which I was with my Klingon friends. Either we were in full costume, or we were actually Klingons (I am not sure which). Most of the dream has escaped me, but I remember we were all singing in Klingon together. I don't know what the words were, or what they meant, but the tune was very familiar. I work up and realize it was the tune to the children's song, "Itsy-bitsy Spider." What a hilarious image that presents!

I went on the phones according to schedule. I am really trying to adhere to the floor support schedule, but I was asked to go "thumbs up" before I even got a call. (It turns out that the MOD desk failed to put me in the 140 phone queue, so I was sitting there with my headset on, waiting for calls, and got none. This will be one more blow against my adherence factors, and their mistake will be suffered by me.

So... I took no calls today, but I was swamped with a constant barrage of chats. I really wanted to just go on the phones and deal with one paying customer at a time, rather than 5 ignorant agents and their custormers! I fear I am (once again) getting sucked into the do-gooder vortex of trying to help and be useful, despite the illogical system values. I even worked through my last break without realizing it tonight! Ah, well... I know I am being a good person and doing the good things...

WEDNESDAY – FEBRUARY 27, 2008
– –

Tsoine Iga – Kagali Tsalisgo-Galiquogi
ᏦᎢᏁ ᎢᎦ – ᎧᎦᎵ ᏣᎵᏍᎪ-ᎦᎵᏉᎩ

4:52p – I got up around 1:00p I think. Groggy, but better than the past couple of days. It's so great to be off work! My afternoon flew by. I check some email, then Skip called and wanted me to pick him up from the train around 3:30p. I was famished, so I threw together some soup with bacon, bok choy greens, onion and then I "dropped" egg into it. Surprisingly, it was really very good! I picked up Skip, getting there about 10 minutes before he arrived, then we went by the Dollar Store. I spent about $18+ on sundry items, including eggs and milk. Back home again, sitting in front of my computer.

4:56p – Oh ... and here is RD popping up on my screen. We have not had much time to chat lately.

9:30p – Skip wanted me to take a piece of pork loin he had, and add it to a Hamburger Helper mix (also provided by him) to make us supper tonight. I think I took Hamburger Helper to new heights tonight! I chopped the pork loin into chunks, battered it with flour & seasonings, and fried it with chunks of onion & bell pepper. I drained this and set it aside. I then proceeded to cook the pasta, adding a dash of orzo and some black-rice noodles (for color). I used the blood from the pork mixed in the pasta for more flavor and consistency, and cooked all this in the cheese sauce provided in the package. When it was done, I mixed in the batter-fried pork chunks and onion. It smells good, looks good, ... and Skip is serving up a helping for himself now. I expect it will bit a winner!

THURSDAY – FEBRUARY 28, 2008
– –

Nvgine Iga – Kagali Tsalisgo-Sonela
ᏅᎩᏁ ᎢᎦ – ᎧᎦᎵ ᏣᎵᏍᎪ-ᏐᏁᎳ

8:32a – I am up EARLY for me today! I got up about 7:30a. I've already had a shower and may go to Soulard and/or Jay International today.

11:30p – I fixed a pot of hot & sour soup for my lunch, then I headed off to Soulard from some shopping. I nearly got stomped by a big semi-truck as I was crossing the bridge, but I made it to Soulard okay. I bought a lot of vegetables. Green beans, garlic, onions, broccoli, cabbage and some spices. The spices only included granulated onion and dried red bell pepper.

I tried to get in contact with Jeff so I could go over and work on his computer, but I was starting to feel really bad. I headed home and ran by Schnuck's. I thought I was going to pass out and collapse in that store! I felt really bad. I got home and went right to bed around 12:00p. I remained there until around 2:00p, but I did not sleep much. I dozed a bit, but I was having odd "convulsions" and only slept a little.

I got up again around 2:00p and fixed a bite to eat mae up of a hamburger patty and leftover soup from today.

I cooked an elaborate meal with (de-boned) pork chops, stuffed with home-made stuffing made from old muffins, bell pepper, onions, garlic, and more. I made mashed potatoes, and gravy. I made a pot of fresh sting beans & onion rings smothered in celery soup. I have not eaten yet, so I don't know how it all came out, but Skip said it was so salty he could barely eat it. Damn. I tried so hard and all I get is "it's salty" ... :( ... what ever. Oh... and he did not even realized I had made the potatoes, or beans or ... some such. I worked so hard, spent money I can't afford, and all I get is "it was so salty my mouth puckered..."

FRIDAY – FEBRUARY 29, 2008
– –

Tsunagilosdi – Kagali Tsalisgo-G...
ᏧᎾᎩᎶᏍᏗ – ᎧᎦᎵ ᏣᎵᏍᎪ-///

1:02a – I just got off the phone with Jeff. I plan on meeting with him next Sunday to teach him some PSP tricks. He, in turn, may braid my hair for me.

I got up at 11:30a. My winning dream for the night was one in which Skip (around age 5) was being a brat. He climbed up on a dresser, opened a drawer, stood in it while grabbing the back of the dresser and toppled it over. He fell back on a bed and dresser fell on top of him. He was laughing gleefully all the while. I call Mom on him and she came into the room and scolded him, though he was still buried under the dresser... and still giggling with annoying impishness. Weird dream!

I head out to work just a few minutes later than I wanted to, and I still had to stop and fuel up the car. I got to the QT, which was very busy and pulled in to a pump. As I was getting out of the car, I realized I had forgotten my wallet! I had to drive back home, get the wallet and then get back to get the gas. This time it was harder to get a pump and I had to drive around the island about once. Oh ... and there was a train crossing the road, but it finished up just as I was leaving the QT. I was about 30 minutes late getting clocked in as a result of all that.

I did floor support until about 7:30p then went on phones for the rest of the night. I took about 15 calls.