On Monday, we had a record high of 88° or something like that. Yesterday, it was a lovely 74° or so. Today, it's 50° and drizzling. Yuck! I know it will get a lot worse, but it's still a shocker to have it feel so cool. And when it's raining, too, it makes it feel that much cooler. Sheeba is getting cuddlier, though. He's been standoffish the past few days, and I thought he might not be feeling well. Now he's climbing up on our laps, curling up on the bed...I think he feels fine!
There are two deer in the back yard right now, which reminds me of something funny I saw on Monday. I don't know if I've mentioned the squirrels lately, but they're very busy burying their nuts for the winter. They're running all over the yard, grabbing a nut, burying it, running for another nut, running to another spot--it wears me out just watching them, but like I told Ken, I'm impressed with their work ethic! Well, on Monday, there were a couple of them doing this, and they started chasing each other. They ran in circles for a moment, and I noticed a deer standing a few feet away, by the pond, and he was watching the squirrels. His expression just struck me so funny...he looked kind of puzzled, like "What the heck are you guys doing? You squirrels are crazy!" In the animal world, I wonder if squirrels are considered the hyperactive little kid that drives everyone crazy at family get-togethers?
Did you hear about George Clooney getting into an accident on his motorcycle? I guess he broke a rib or two, and his girlfriend broke her foot. I just read that a couple of dozen hospital workers were suspended for looking at his records, allegedly without authorization. I understand about patient confidentiality (it's a very big deal where I work), but they gave them four week suspensions. That seems awfully harsh to me. Here's what George had to say:
"This is the first I've heard of it," Clooney said in a statement Tuesday. "And while I very much believe in a patient's right to privacy, I would hope that this could be settled without suspending medical workers."
Later
I just read a thing on AOL about online dating horror stories. Yikes! People moving overseas to find out their new mate was already married, people turning out to be stalkers, etc., etc. It makes me feel very fortunate, because Ken and I happened to meet via an online personal ad he'd placed. He works long hours and never had much of a chance to meet anyone, so he thought he'd try that. Me? I was a couple of months out of a stupid relationship and feeling ready to move on, so out of curiosity, I read some personal ads. At first, it was just for laughs, because some of the ads were so funny! I'll never forget the ad from a guy who wrote that he wanted to give a lady "a sensual shampoo." <snort> What the hell?!
I read Ken's ad, and something just made me think about it for a couple of days. I think it was because he sounded so normal! Finally, I thought what the heck, I'll send him an email. We started writing, and turned out we had quite a few things in common. (One of the things that I liked was that he could actually WRITE. Correct grammar and everything.) We agreed to talk on the phone, and our first conversation lasted a good couple of hours. It was during that conversation, by the way, that we found out that we both love Star Trek and Chris Isaak, among many other things. I think that was all she wrote. We met for lunch the next day, we were engaged 3 months later, and married 4 months after that...and we've lived happily ever after!
I know not everyone has such success. I'm not sure why I got so lucky to find such a great guy on my first try. Maybe the time was just right...I honestly don't know. The online dating horror stories? My advice would be to be very cautious. Listen to what your gut tells you--most people who do online dating have been at it for a while, so you should have enough experience to know what strikes you as a possible falsehood. Don't give out too much information at the beginning. I didn't give Ken my last name until we'd been writing for a little while, and I didn't give him my phone number. When we agreed to talk on the phone, I called the number he gave me. (By the way, when he answered the phone, he said, "Dominos Pizza." It gave me a couple of seconds' pause, but I realized he was being funny. Hardy har!) And when we agreed to meet, I made sure that Cousin Shane knew when and where we were meeting, and Ken's phone number, etc. If I sound like a paranoid freak, okay. Being cautious has served me well over the years.
But yeah...online dating can work. It's actually a pretty good way to meet someone, a little more civilized than meeting them in a bar. I know people have had success with subscriber dating services, but you can probably find something without paying for a subscription. (That's where I found Ken's ad.) Just trust your instincts as to whether or not to trust and believe someone. And be careful out there.
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