Some lunch time thoughts

 I am not worried about getting my heart broken because 1 we are only friends 2 he made it clear he is looking for someone younger and 3 if it goes anywhere I will have to share some secrets that will likely make him flee.  

I guess I am worried about making an ass out of myself although I'm pretty sure I have, already.  

But it was nice to turn on the phone and see 3 messages.  I don't know a thing about dating.  I think that's both a positive thing and a negative one.  

He did mention he isn't great at text messages which makes me wonder about phone calls?  Is it that far?  I don't know.  

I did text him back this morning.  

That's it for now.  

It's probably unfair

 But I am viewing everything that has been mailed to me in the last 10 years as probably coming from the stalker and getting rid of it. 

I am delighted things are going so well with Buddy.  I have learned a lot about him by the way he drives the bus and manages the people on it.  

At the end of it he is not only very skilled (which I've told him) he is also very kind (I have not told him), the kind of guy I could see getting up every couple hours to bottle feed a litter of orphaned kittens.  

That is very appealing.  If he is not "it" I hope I meet someone like him.  

I am mostly happy with the election results.  I would have rather had a conservative DA but other than that I think "my" guys won.  

At the end of it I had more money - more money than I ever had - under Trump than I did any other president.  I do feel he is going to look out for people like me, working hard in spite of my issues.  I have not had that feeling with any other president since I was old enough to vote.  I will be praying for him and his team.  

Having said that I am glad the comments are off.  

They are showing Cruz on TV.  I am not a fan but he was better than the other guy.  

That's it for now.  

3 messages!

 I woke up at 2:45 and figured screw it I'll just get up.  

I turned on my phone.  Text message alerts.  3 messages from Buddy.  I know his first name now.  Interesting.  

As of now the election is too close to call.  I'm sure both sides were wishing they got more people out to vote.  

I got a nice beef shank last weekend it was about $4.  A good amount of meat, I want to make a beef and veggie soup.  It smells great.  I decided to make the stock last night, refrigerate it today, and then warm up the stock tonight and add the veggies, finish it.  I don't like overcooked veggies.  

Biscuit slept with me last night and is sleeping on the couch next to me now.  

I got some treats last night to take to work today.   

That's it for now.  

The coup de grace

 So, to top off my awful day something happened on the bus I was taking to the grocery store.  I will not say what, when, who, why, or where due to pest issues.  

But something happened.  It could have been bad; it was not, really.  I am unharmed I was just delayed.  

I did get my frozen vegetables and will be cooking that beef and veggie stew/soup.  

Family is all doing well so I'll hold on to that.  Cats are good, too.  

So.that was very strange

 2 days ago I asked Buddy for his real name, assuring him I would not use it on the bus.  I would have been happy with a first name but I didn't say that.  I just said I was calling him Buddy in my head and would like a real one.

He didn't respond.  He's driving the bus today.  No smile seems upset so I don't talk.  Usually I wait for him to initiate conversation anyway.  He didn't say a word but seemed agitated and grumpy.  

I was texting with my aunt, smiling and laughing at what she said.  I don't know if he cared or not. 

I figure the ball is in his court and he has my number if he wants to talk.  I said "Good afternoon" when I got on and "See you next week" when I got off.  

That's it for now.

I can't say much

 But I had a difficult customer trying to make trouble for me.  I find people like that particularly loathsome trying to get an honest wage slave fired. 

I was following the rules; she wants special treatment.  

I can't say much more but I can use some prayer - grace as I am still pretty hot about it.  

I am battling such a lousy mood I almost hope I don't see Buddy today.  

I got soaked on my way to work

 Happily the "cold front" only dropped the temperature from the 80's to the 60's.  

I reached 2 conclusions:  1 I would buy a dry outfit at work (I got drenched even with the poncho and umbrella), and I will keep a dry outfit in my locker.  

I did have dry socks in a ziplock which worked very well.  

I may also look into rain suits.  Ron used to wear one to work in San Francisco winters, called himself "Rubber Man" when he did, and said he stayed pretty dry.  Storing it might be problematic at work though.  

That's it for now.  

Straight up

 Ron was dating a woman his age when he met me, but did not tell me for several years.  Somehow he got her to tell me they had only been friends.  

She had a niece about my age and it was apparent Ron had a crush on her.  Tiffany, though, had a boyfriend.  They got engaged and he left her, moved cross country, moved in with another woman, all about the time the song "Straight up" by Paula Abdul came out.  

He changed his mind, came back, apologized, she forgave him and they got married.  Ron was crushed but did take me to the wedding.  

In the meantime I had moved in with Ron.  The phone kept ringing; all these women were calling.  When I answered they would angrily demand to know who I was and would insist on talking to Ron, who would take the phone in the bathroom for a hushed conversation.  

I am pretty gullible but even I figured it out.  Ron had told me he was on the Telepersonals dating service when we met but had stopped; it was apparent he HAD NOT.  I confronted him after yet another irate phone call.  

He told me he thought I might change my mind about moving in with him (even though we had sex a month before that and I was talking about marriage); that he "didn't want to have to start over" so he had been talking - pretty seriously if I had to guess, and he "hadn't bothered" to tell them he was in a serious relationship now.  

"Straight up now tell me are you going to love me forever, or are you just having fun."

So I get very sad and angry when I hear a song I used to love.  

WTF?!

 And the literal hits keep coming. My friend was bitch slapped by a little lady with purple hair who is still roaming the store.  

They let her out

 The mentally ill homeless woman who attacked my bus driver and a police officer.  She ride my second bus today. 

Unfortunately she also got off at my store and went inside.  I attempted to warn security but she basically had a panic attack running around flapping her hands telling ME to "do something". 

So I found a team lead and told her.  Hopefully this woman leaves before I clock in today.

They should have kept her locked up, she is a menace.  I was thinking today about all the crazy shit I've dealt with lately.  Before she got on the bus.  

I can't handle peanut candy any more

I have been testing the limits of my allergies.  

I have a hard time with a strict avoidance policy unless I can see the need for it myself.  I had that issue with chocolate; it took a week long migraine (yes there is such a thing) to drum it into me I couldn't eat chocolate anymore.  

Crab, too.  I had weeping hives all over both legs before I "got it".  And that was just a package of fake crab that said it might contain 2% real crab.  I can't imagine what a full bite of the real thing would have done to me, and that eliminates all the wonderful Houston seafood restaurants now as they all serve crab, shrimp, other crustaceans.  

I have been having issues with nuts for a long time now but it escalated when they kept putting me on the grocery zone handling packaged nuts and peanut butter crackers every day.  I had to tell them I couldn't do it as I was feeling very itchy, puffy (I wasn't swelling up though but I just felt puffy if that makes sense), chest tightness and trouble breathing.  

The grocery manager took me off that aisle and has asked me to wear gloves if there is even the hint of a nut on my aisle.  Makes sense.  I have been OK.  

Both my parents have allergies; Dad's are strictly environmental and my birth mother had food allergies, specifically to shrimp, which developed in her 30's.  Her first date after her last husband died and she swelled up and had to go to the ER, after eating shrimp.  

According to my half sister "Mom just took a couple of Benadryl every time she ate shrimp after that".  

I got to work pretty late on November 1st, the clearance Halloween candy was really picked over.  I got some Dove, the only other candy they had were a couple kinds of Reese's (peanut butter) candy.  

I thought I would try taking an antihistamine and wearing gloves, bagging them up to hand out.  I just did that.  

I didn't have a pro forma "reaction" but my immune response was such I won't be doing it again.  Even with the drugs and gloves (and a very strict cross-contamination avoidance) I still had itchy eyes that feel puffy again.  My hands were tingling and itching as well.  And this was taking wrapped candy out of the package and putting it into ziplocks with some other candy and a tract!  

I'm going to wear gloves when I hand them out, too.  

But that's it for nuts!  

Literally midnight on Saturday

 I have never really had a guy I liked as an adult.  We have been texting a little every day the last couple days.  

I plan to ask him his name in tomorrow morning's message.  I have found I like to text people I care about, every morning, and let them know I'm praying for their day (Mom, Aunt) and they have specifically told me to keep it up.  I did that with Buddy yesterday and he liked it, too.  So I will ask in that message tomorrow morning.  

That will tell me a lot, if he gives his name, if it's the full name.  I told him I have been calling him Buddy because I had to call him something.  I gave him my name with the number but he's probably calling me candy Lady or something, which is fine for now.  I have referred to myself as "Heather" in conversation, "So he said, 'Heather.'" that sort of thing, a few times.  

But I'm not going to stress about it.  I have known him over a year I can be patient.  

Tomorrow morning the plan is to tackle the kitchen, and the kitchen table.  The front room looks good.  The orange room is cluttered but OK.  I am not worried about the bear in there scaring the cats away from the primary litter box as I have 2 other ones in different parts of the house.  

I will be glad to get rid of the bear.  Not good memories there.  Since they're bringing a truck for it I can give them the stand, too.  I cleaned up the stand and will get some "pet wipes" which do a good job of freshening the bear.  And it's OK in the orange room until then.  

It will affect where I put the Christmas tree if it takes a while, but that's OK.  

We had a lot of rain earlier and a flood advisory but I am OK.  My house doesn't flood; the streets do which can trap me here but praise God the only water in the house came from the broken pipe in my attic, and I have new pipes now.  

That's it for now!  

Ron didn't want me to have friends

 He told me once he would have sex with any female friend I had; that he knew how to (manipulate).  I didn't believe him.  I brought a girl over from work to do her nails (I am very bad at it but she just wanted company).  Sure enough... 

And he sure didn't like me having male friends even though I am naturally comfortable with most men.  I was raised by a single father for years, so I tend to see men in a good light.  

Ron also had some bizarre ideas about me and other men I won't detail as it would get me a TOS violation and probably shut down.  I never cheated but he wanted me to.  I think part of the reason I didn't was he wanted me to.  And also I am not that woman!  I have been with one man in my life, I doubt many American women can say that.  

But my older lady friend from work wants to come over again, I don't want to freak her out with a dirty house.  She was very nice the first 2 times she came over.  

I set up a nice landing pad area in the foyer area.  I can put my backpack there when I come home, I have storage for my umbrella and reusable bags.  It took me a while to figure out.  I also have a cat house in the window.  They like to look out, this gives them a comfortable lounging post.  They will likely shred the curtain but that's OK.  

It's their house, too.  

Here's my view right now.  I always get a little bag of gourds every year.  I like them around the computer.  

I need to mop, getting ready for that right now.  I'm just figuring out which floor cleaner to use.  

That's it for now.  

Organizing!

 I reached a decision and put the bear in the orange room, which freed up a ton of space in the front room.  

A few highlights (I have to be very careful what I post due to the pest).  

I have enough painkillers for a while.  The red pills are the Sudafed PE, generic version.  That's the only decongestant I can take due to drug interactions with my antidepressant.  

I want to create a "landing pad" for my backpack and shoes when I get home, put yard shoes up there too.  A little storage for umbrella and such.  We'll see what I do.  

I had a shake on my dinner

 Oh that was a mistake, cold on the bad tooth.  It is yelling at me pretty loud.  

I am hoping it improves.  

Robert the cab driver

 Place holder for a later post about a butthead who indirectly got us robbed.  

So Ron found, when we lived near the Post Office sorting facility it was almost impossible to get a cab.  One guy (Robert) would come so we used him regularly.  He wasn't very bright but he got us there.  

He took Ron to the bank a few times to make deposits and began telling his other passengers the blind regular he had, went to the bank "every day with a big pile of cash".  He told everyone. Where we worked, etc.  

Before the accident he was complaining about some other regulars, she was pregnant and they were always asking for free trips.  When they had the twins he was taking them all the way downtown (about a $50 one way trip back then, even more now) and back for free.  They were not in the habit of paying regularly.  They would give him a $5 for a $20 trip, for instance.  

In the meantime Ron was always a good tipper, not crazy (that came along in the Ace days).  He was ready when he called, etc.  

So Ron got Ron over.  I called Robert to take me to the hospital.  I just wanted to GO.  We could talk all the way.  But he had the car in park and pumped me for all the details for 20 minutes, then spent another 15 minutes telling me "knew it would happen" and it was my fault because I didn't follow Ron every where he went.  It was hideous.  He charged me full fare, too, and when I paid him (I gave him a decent tip) warned me "Your free rides" (which I never got I think he had me confused with the other clients) "are over".  

Needless to say I didn't call him again.  Ron got Metrolift when he got out of the hospital and we never called Robert again.  

Later on we were going to work and Metrolift had a legally blind black lady in the car.  She was about 60.  She said "I hear you're going to the post office, you must be the guy Robert told me about, with all the money".  We told her we never had any money and she thought we were being coy.  We kept riding together for a while and every time she rode with us she would tell anyone else in the vehicle about "Those bags of money going to the bank every day" etc.  

Our house got robbed shortly after that.  I made a point of telling her, and she asked what they got.  I told her "A very old computer because that's all we had.  We kept telling you we're not rich.  But someone went around blabbing we were.  It would be a shame if someone went around blabbing about your big insurance settlement and where you lived." and she shut up.  She did have a big insurance settlement she had told us about several times and we had picked her up at her home.  

Ugh.  Glad those days are over!  

Early Friday morning

 I took an allergy pill (fake Zyrtec) last night.  It helped a lot but I have a headache today.  I'm not sure if that's it or the fact I'm working on another period.  I can tell because I'm getting the breast tenderness and swelling.  

I carry some supplies in my vest and gave the pads to a "pad only" coworker who has a kid.  She has had a man up there (laugh) but doesn't want a tampon.  So I brought more.  I can slap a pad in there and a tampon and that will do me until I can get the cup loaded.  I don't want to carry the cup in my vest.  I could put it in the cloth bag and then a plastic baggie but I have dropped tampons before and it was no big deal, but I think a cup would freak people out.  

I do find it funny I am still having cycles at my age; but the one truth I got out of my half sister she said our mother had very unpredictable, erratic, cycles the last several years of her life.  I expect the same.  Most of my female family members had hysterectomies so they can't relate to me "going natural".  I will say I saw a very cute "shrug sweater' at work but have decided to pass as I think the hot flashes wouldn't like it.  

I slept pretty well for me, I only woke up once.  

It's going to rain tomorrow so I will do my hair I think.  I'm getting some roots.  

This headache is no treat and I already took some Excedrin.  I don't think I will take these allergy pills again for a while.  

Biscuit slept with me last night.  Cleo has been super cuddly for her.  She likes to walk around in my lap and stick her butt in my face, that's her love language.  I tell her she's very pretty and clean (she is).  

I plugged in my phone to charge last night but forgot to plug in the charger, happily I have enough time to fix that.  

Mom and Dad are traveling today I believe for my grandmother's funeral.  We were not close.  She called me "(Dad's name)'s daughter" on more than one occasion.  My maternal grandmother, though, was so evil my mother didn't want her anywhere near me.  I did attempt to send my maternal grandmother a "reconciliation" letter after Ron's accident but she went into a rage on hearing he was black and tore it up.  So much for that.  I did try.  She would be furious to hear I am now interested in a self-proclaimed "Mexican", a black bus driver, and a black coworker.  I have 2 of their numbers, we text a little, very light stuff but I like to see them.  I see the coworker tonight.  I may send him some cat photos.  

We will be full on into Christmas mode at work now.  Every year I think how cute it would be to knit myself a ribbed Santa hat, it would look like a regular Santa hat with a white brim and a pom-pom, red body.  But it would have the "beanie" texture and fit my head better, it would have the long tail like a regular Santa hat.  But I never get around to it.  They also make my head really hot and I am going to be working my ass off the next couple months.  

Biscuit has proven naughty with needlework projects at home, anyway.  I do need to find my wool hat.  We haven't had that kind of cold lately and it's "supposed to be a mild winter" but we'll see.  Most years I can just wear a hoodie most of the winter.  

If I got myself a parka it would probably be a white one, so the bus drivers could see me better in the dark (a bus driver's idea).  I have the same regular driver in the morning 3 days a week those days I'm not worried, she knows to look for me.  But she has said she doesn't want the route anymore and when it comes up to bid in December she's not going for it again; i'll have a different driver.  So I'll have to wear the safety vest for a while until the new driver gets used to me at that stop.  

That's it for now; I woke up early and I still have 3 hours before I have to leave for work even after writing all this.