"The last thing this guy is qualified to do is a reality tour!

While I am writing, I am also listening to a "Seinfeld" episode on the Internet, the one about selling muffin tops. Kramer starts a bus tour of sites and sounds featured in someone elses book. In reading on-line the other day about the history of Seinfeld, something like this really happened with the character Kramer is based upon. Cool! Someone threw Kramer out of book signing, treating him "as though he was raving maniac!!!" Oh, really?

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Justin was over on Wednesday afternoon and I asked him to take a look at my thrashing machine for me. I asked why the switch had a left and right on it, with center being Off. On the right side of the button is an R and the left side has what I thought was a lower case "l". Silly Mama!!! It turns out that the R, which is where I had it set, really means Reverse! Okay then! All I needed to do was move the switch to left of center (it galls me to say that!) for paper grinding. It won't begin to grind until a certain gizmo is touched inside the shredder. I got it all figured out and I'm a shredding fool!!!!

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Now I'm sad---my friend, Brenda N. just called to tell me she can't go to dinner tonight after all because she is "dead". Not as bad as she sounds, it's just that she was on the jobsite today cleaning a house and is totally wiped out. I understand because I vacuumed at church and my back is aching from that little bit of work. My friend is in town visiting and is coming by between appointments. The timing might be just right to go have dinner!!!

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This afternoon I was meeting two friends at the movies so arrived a bit early to get tickets. While I was waiting on the bench in front of the theater, talking to Martie, a group of young men came out, one carrying a pink box. I moved my purse over so they could sit and one of them did, opening the box to expose cup cakes. These were not cup-cake-looking guys, let me tell you. Some had piercings, were smoking, wearing the drooping drawers, the whole shootin' match.

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The cup cakes were frosted with pink icing piled up high. One guy asked if they were bothering me and I said no, that I made room in case someone else wished to sit. Well, you should have heard the exclamations of delight from these men, eating their pink cup cakes! One guy (remember I was still on the phone with Martie...) was going, "Oh, my God, oh, my God" over and over, so I told Martie the cup cakes must be delicious because he was calling on the Lord over it. We all chuckled, the guys and me, and then the one sitting next to me offered me a cup cake. To be polite, I refused, but when he insisted, I accepted. The other guy was just about rolling on the ground, it was so delicious, and I asked him if he needed some time by himself....It was so ironic to see these rather gruffly attired guys were so openly enjoying their pink cup cakes!

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Martie was laughing her head off, not even being there to see it for herself. One of the guys, as they finished their cup cakes, commented to me that he was the only one of the group who remembered they'd parked on the other side of the Mall. So funny! As they walked away, a different guy was having troubles with his bike and a couple of them assisted with getting it upright again. You can't judge a book by its cover, but you call judge a cup cake by it's pink box!! The shop is called "CamiCakes", located just inside the Mall near the movie theater doors. Yummy!

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We met such great folks in the movie theater, all were like-minded, several had served in various branches of the service. Oh, it was such a great movie, funny right from the start. All the seats were filled, at least as far as we could see. It was rich with satire and comedy all the way through, even prompting a bit of tears at one point where a man was saying good-bye as he leaves on deployment, because "he wants to go". Very, very good, and will see it again. Kelsey Grammer plays an important role, with Jon Voight playing George Washington perfectly. Even "J. Peterman" from 'Seinfeld' had a role as a maitre d' at a restaurant----it's even mentioned as part of the movie!

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We went to have a snack after the movie at TGIF and recap, able to dine el fresco because it was warmer outdoors than inside! As we sat and chatted, I heard someone call my name and sure enough, there was Christine and Shannon passing through. They were having a girls' day in celebration of Christine's birthday, which was yesterday. It was so wonderful to see them, since I haven't seen Shannon in months and months. She is as gorgeous as ever, now a full-time student at St. Johns Community College. Man, it was just great to see them out and about.

You can see where Shannon gets her looks!

Well, that's what I get

If I’d have stayed up later last night and written, or not read my e-mail this a.m., I may have gotten the posting sent off before losing my signal----again! I am holding off now on getting the other service, Mr. Slowski’s service, until I find out what’s going to happen with Justin’s moving situation.

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This is being typed on Word and then copied over, in case any are wondering how I can post without Internet connection. The river is glittering like jewels again this morning, the sun brightly shining directly into my face. Later I'll expect my eye to twitch as a result of the looking in the light, but then I'll be in a darkened theater so it might balance itself out!

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Yesterday morning was awesome, starting with a nice, slow ride over to southside to meet Justin for breakfast. Good thing I left home when I did because the traffic was quite backed up on I-295. Once free of the I-95 split-off, the rest of the ride was quick to the St. Johns Town Center Mall where we had breakfast at Panera Bread. Oh, how I wish it had been warmer so we could have sat outside to eat! The temps were low overnight, in the 60's, so, no, can't eat outdoors under those circumstances.

We had a nice chat while eating our bakery, he being concerned about his friend, Ron, who had a court appearance that morning. Ron was going to have to face the music regarding the jet ski incident which broke Grove's leg plus his other injuries. We hope and pray that he "only" gets a fine or is held to court costs alone, and that this doesn't hurt his reputation in the business world. He graduated in spring as a civil engineer and is job hunting right now. Ouch! (I asked Justin if Ron's fine and misdemeanor charge was an expensive enough price to pay for a broken leg and wounded friend, hot dogging.....He assured it was, and Ron said it will be a long time before he drives a jet ski again. They have all learned a lesson through this!)

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Sunday Justin and I went shopping and we bought, of all things, a Gator rugby-style shirt. Instead of going to try it on, we just took it, judging by the size only. Well, it's too big on him, which is fantastic, so he is going to return it for a smaller one. He said it feels more like a sweatshirt than a top shirt so perhaps he'll find another style to get instead. His roomie has turned him into a raving sports lunatic! Even so far as watching cage fighting on TV......my face would tell you what I think about that! He told me at breakfast about having to exchange it although it would have felt good in that cool morning air.

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I brought up one of my favorite subjects, "Seinfeld", and was telling Justin how I wish there was a trivia game for at home, like we had of M*A*S*H, played like Trivial Pursuit. There are various games to play on TV of different programs and movies, which are fun when you have a group. Tuesday, while watching FOX and the House vote, I played a "Seinfled" trivia game on the Internet but the darn thing had no end. I was never done, and the questions just kept coming. The categories, according to levels of difficulty, shuffled and it was fun, but didn't have an ending place. I did VERY well, by the way.

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Well, off we went to look at Barnes and Noble for "The Story of Us" and what is sitting directly in front of us as we approached that department??? A boxed set of "Seinfeld" Trivia for play on TV or computer!!!!! I was ecstatic and not a little bit amazed that I had not 30 minutes earlier wished for it and there it was!!!! But, no movie for me to buy, so I'll have to order it instead. (I had opted to leave the game down in my car until my Travis' project was completed or I'd have been in a mess! Can't wait to tell Paul what I've got!!!!! He's the one who said if he had the boxed set of "Seinfeld" he'd never leave the house, so this will be a hoot!)

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Amazingly we left the store with only the "Seinfeld" game under my arm (or in the bag, as it were) which is odd for a book store. Usually I buy a mess of books and even with Justin along, no extra books. He did show me a couple he'd like, but no begging. We headed over to the parking lot where he leaves his car, I call it Area 51, but it's officially Lot 53, and then together drove to Victory for Bible study. There were only four of us plus Pastor, which made for an intimate class. Next week they expect more to show which will be fun even though it's crowded. The VPK class uses the kitchen area, or goes through it, so we can't meet in there. They have 5 registered kids in the class, needing 4 to break even. Bravo!!

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After Bible class, in which Justin was an eager participant, I dropped him off at his classroom building, where I call "the parent pick-up line" and we said our good-byes. I always get a hug and kiss from my big boy, even in front of the school! On the way home I called Mom and chatted with her until I went into Winn-Dixie and she couldn't hear me anymore. I was picking up some ketchup and buns in case Judy came for supper, since I made a batch of sauerkraut and had natural-casing hot dogs cooked into it..........made her mouth water!

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As soon as I got home and took the groceries upstairs (more than just ketchup and buns, of course!), I got settled in to work on my project for Travis. I stayed there almost all day long, except to get up for more soda and to go potty, you know, normal stuff.

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When Judy called and said she'd wouldn't be coming for supper, I went ahead and enjoyed a nice bowlful of kraut and a hot dog right after six o'clock, which is early for me. I'd not had lunch, really, so it was time. I heard piano music playing so went outside to check it out. My downstairs neighbor, Tracy's daughter, was due home from college to play for Travis' wedding, so I thought she might be playing, but actually it was coming from The Club. My neighbors were outside so I grabbed a soda and headed out to join them. Yes, I was afraid Travis would catch me sitting idle but it was worth the risk. It was a bit chilly out there, so it won't be long before the upright heater will need to be brought out for our listening and dancing pleasure! We can enjoy our sun deck long into "winter" thanks to that heater.

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I glanced at many of the address labels as they passed through my hands to the envelopes and I was surprised at how many I recognized. Some even lived in my building, choosing to vote on the absentee ballot instead of going to the polls, or whatever. Names from my old neighborhood on the lake, names from St. Johns where the boys went to school, names from Cindy's neighborhood off of Gano........

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One name in particular jumped off the tag at me, though, as I stuck it to the envelope---Timothy P. Day! I guess I don't have to tell you what happened then.