I have had a roadside assistance plan in one form or another since I started driving at 16. My dad put me on the family AAA plan and continued to give me a policy every year for Christmas until I got married. When I was married, my ex-husband and I went back and forth between AAA and the roadside assistance plans that came with the warranties on our vehicles. Either way, I have never been without some way to call someone if my car breaks down, gets a flat, run out of gas, or need a tow.

Admittedly, I used my roadside assistance a lot more when I lived up north and got stuck in the show from time to time. I have slid into my fear share of ditches. I also used to lock my keys in the car fairly often. Thank goodness I grew out of that bad habit.

I still carry AAA, because now it is what my mother gives me for my birthday every year. Is it just my family that finds a roadside assistance policy to be a phenomenal gift? I cannot help now, but think of things like AAA as something I should give as a gift.

I guess this is on my mind right now, because I have a car out in the driveway that needs towed – again. I cannot seem to keep the battery charged. The car is small, inexpensive, and paid off. I do not have it insured right now, because I have not been driving it. A lot of people ask why I bother to keep the thing tagged and registered. I guess I just hate the idea that if something happens to my van I would have to go out and buy a new car when I could have this backup car available in an emergency.

The last day of school for Gigi was Tuesday. My last day was yesterday. Some of the teachers went in today, but I was told I could stay home, which suits me fine while I sit and lick my wounds after the layoffs.

Anyway, Saturday Gigi and I are flying into Dulles. We are spending a week or so with my dad. He built a lovely home on the banks of the Shenandoah River and I can relax while Gigi runs wild and plays in the fields and in the water. We will probably take some time to go into DC, most likely so Gigi can see the National Zoo. I told her I would take her to where mommy went on field trips as a child and she is quite excited. We will also take time to drive out to see my grandmother. My daughter is fortunate to have a great grandparent alive and I feel bad that we did not get over to see her last summer. I had a set of great grandparents alive until I was about 13, and then another great grandmother who lived until I was 23. I was super fortunate and I want to make sure Gigi appreciates the time she has with Grandma Dot.

I know when we come back into town I have to wholesale resign a lot of my time for a job search, so I am determined to make the most of relaxing at the beginning of the summer break. I will be SO happy when I am finally at a place where I have a continuing contract with the school district so I can let down my guard just a bit.

No matter what sort of professional you need, you should always find someone who is a specialist in the field in question. If you have heart problems, you call a cardiologist. If you roof is leaker, you call someone who focuses on roof repair and roofing. If you want guitar lessons, you find someone who is aces at the guitar, rather than say the piano.

So, when my friend out in California was involved in an automobile accident that happened when he was riding his motorcycle and said he was just going to call his buddy down in Los Angeles who just started a practice in personal injury, I suggested he actually go the extra mile and look for an Oakland motorcycle accident lawyer. I felt that not only should he be working with someone right in his own town that is familiar with the judges and courts local to my friend, he should also work someone who is familiar with clients who have been in accidents while on their bikes.

Does my logic seem sound? I just think that with all the bad feeling other motorists seem to have toward motorcyclists, he should go with someone who can really navigate his situation.

Today was a very surreal day at school. The students put on a series of assemblies to celebrate Black History Month. I have been looking forward to seeing the performances for a while now and considered it my good fortune that I had an opportunity to attend the performance during second period.

About halfway through the assembly, one of the assistant principals came to the front of the auditorium to ask the teacher sponsoring the event to stop the assembly and allow him to announce that they needed to evacuate the auditorium. I heard the words death and dying a couple of times, as I was sitting right behind them.

The students were evacuated due to a “medical emergency”. To make a long and emotional story short, one of our teachers collapsed at the back of the auditorium. Although EMS was called in immediately, they were unable to revive him and he subsequently passed away. It appears to have been a heart attack.

I did not know him well, but I did know his reputation. The kids were fond of him. He had a lot of close friends at the school. In any event, to look over and see one of my peers, someone not much older than me, receiving CPR – it was sobering. As I rush through my days, allowing fatigue to steal time away from my time with my daughter, or my hobbies, or my friends, I have been allowing days to blend into weeks until months have passed in the blink of an eye.

Each day counts. We all know this on an intellectual level, but we are hurried along by the rigors of life. I decided to take the situation and learn from it, reaffirm that I need to slow down and look at the world around me, enjoy my daughter’s childhood, savor the things I learn from others every day.

I moved backwards just a little this week – weight loss, stress levels, housework, etc. It’s been a difficult combination of sick family members, bizarre demands from my ex-husband, and a complete lack of energy on my part. I’m just happy it’s over – the week, that is.

I went along with 39 of the high school students and two other chaperones on a field trip today. I had been looking forward to it for a long time, but when faced with my low energy level all I could think about as I crawled out of bed this morning at 5:30 was that I could hardly wait to get home and go BACK to bed. The fieldtrip ended up being a lot of fun, though. I’m glad I pushed through.

And even though I fantasized almost all day about going to bed and sleeping as soon as I got home, I am actually up typing this even though it is going on midnight. I came home and realized I wanted to get so many things done. Earlier in the week I combined great manufacturers’ coupons with Buy One Get One sales at Publix to get 24 cent bottles of Glass Plus and 4 cent cartons of Progresso Broth. I made another grocery run tonight to use additional coupons I finally located here at the house and came home with free cans of dog food, 15 cent cans of Progresso Soup and bottled of extra virgin olive oil that only cost $2.50 a bottle after the sale and the coupons. Not a bad run, if I must say so myself.

In case you have a Publix close to your home, here are the details on the deals. Some have printable internet coupons and some require that you have coupons from past weeks that came in the Sunday paper. Remember that with the internet coupons, once your screen tells you the first coupon is printing, click Back on your browser once or twice to trigger a second copy of the coupon. Most coupon sites allow you two copies and you’ll want both for a B1G1 deal.

Glass Plus Glass & Multi-Surface Cleaner (32-oz bot.): $2.49, buy one get one free
$1/1: HERE
Price after (2) Coupons: $.24/each – save 90%

Progresso 100% Natural Broth (32-oz pkg.): $2.59 buy one get one free
$1.25/1: HERE
Price after (2) Coupons: $.04/each – save 99%

Progresso Soup (18 to 19-oz can or 15.25-oz bowl): $1.25
$1.10/1: HERE or HERE
Price after (1) Coupon: $.15 for 1, save 94%

Crisco 100% Extra Virgin Olive Oil (16.9-oz bot.): $6.49 buy one get one free
$1/1 in the 2/8 Redplum newspaper insert
Price after (1) Coupon: $2.74/each – save 58%
Price after (2) Coupons: $2.24/each – save 66%

I’ve got some sleeping in planned for tomorrow morning, and then I am going to complete as many additional assignments I can for my online Instructional Strategies class. Of course, I will reward all of my hard work by meeting two of my girlfriends for dinner.

I just got back from dinner with my former mother-in-law. Our relationship is a giant example of why you cannot burn bridges in your life.

Although I went though a lot of shock when I was essentially ripped away from my ex-husband’s family, eventually my mother-in-law and I found the right to me to reconnect and re-establish a friendship based on our own terms. We had always known that we were a lot alike, but my ex had put a lot of strain on the relationship I had with his mother during the marriage. Somehow, with him out of the picture, we were able to sit down with the stressor out of the picture and get to know one another in a whole new way. And, it was great. We get together often now, usually with my daughter also involved.

I do not think I have been able to successfully keep healthy bridges with any of my ex’s, though there is at least one that if we were to see one another again, I am sure it would be perfectly pleasant. I have a friend, though, who dated a well-known rock star and is still able to work with him professionally even though their relationship is over. That is the way we should all be able to break up, really.

I used to have a very trustworthy car mechanic. He’s still trustworthy, actually. And, he is very good. So good, in fact, that he is often booked up solid.

However, I lost my mechanic in my divorce. ? Well, not really, but he is my ex’s cousin and although I can use him without a hitch, I feel a little uncomfortable doing so. After all of that, I tried my dealer and then a good little garage near my daughter’s school. I like the world they have done, but they have failed to fully fix one of the problems my van is having and I wonder if I need to just look around for someone else.

Since nobody I know has a mechanic they feel they can recommend highly, I am considering using a referral service of sorts. MechanixLoop.com is a Beta service online where you can search any location in the United States and find reviews on local auto repair places. It’s free and it has reviews on over 115,000 repair centers, so it seems like a logical place for me to begin looking. All you have to do is input your city of zip and you’ll find specific Auto Repair Atlanta results – or wherever you happen to live.

I’ve seen both good and bad reviews on MechanixLoop.com, so I assume they invite honesty and don’t filter out anything that is not glowing. Many of the reviews are gathered from across the internet, so there is a huge database available. I found my current and past mechanics and agree with much of what the reviewers have to say.

It’s about more than stolen credit cards, hacked online accounts, and bad checks. Identity thieves could be using YOUR identity when they commit crimes.

I was a victim of identity theft back in 2004 and the police officer who wrote up the report in the state where it took place told me I should keep a copy of the police report on me at all times in case I am ever pulled over for speeding or something and the police find warrants out for my arrest that may have been committed in my name by the person who stole my identity.

Think that sounds unlikely? Thin again. Here is a news item from the Tampa area this morning.

A Temple Terrace police officer pulled over a man yesterday afternoon for playing music too loudly in his car (the music could be heard more than 150 feet from the vehicle.) When the man was pulled over, he gave his name as Bryan Harmon and gave a birth date, saying he only had a Pennsylvania license.

The police officer ran the information and found a current Florida license issued to a Bryan Harmon with the same birth date, but the photo did not look like the man he had pulled over.

At that point, the officer contacted the police in Lakeland, Florida and they went to the address listed on the Florida license. It turns out the real Bryan Harmon was home and said he had not given anyone his information to use. After being taken to the scene of the traffic stop, Harmon said he did not recognize the driver.

The driver continued to insist he was Bryan Harmon, all the way to the jail on Orient Road. At the jail, he was identified by the fingerprint scanner as Joshua A. Smoot, 28, of Tampa. According to the affidavit, Smoot never volunteered the information about his real identity.

Smoot was charged with identity theft, resisting a law enforcement officer and driving with an invalid license. He also was arrested on warrants accusing him of tampering with a victim and failing to appear on charges of delivery of cocaine and possession of cocaine.

He was also He was also cited for playing music too loudly.

Dorito breath, callused fingers due to too much video game playing, skid-marks in their Fruit of the Looms, and decidedly slow wit – why in the world would an adult women want to have a relationship with a teenage boy?

Sure, teen boys were great when I was a teenager. My boyfriend back then was particularly fun, very artistic, adventurous, and beautiful. However, our relationship was based on being kids together, living at home with no responsibilities, and being able to just go to school, enjoy the world, and be in love.

Once I got to adulthood, I wanted to date men – men with jobs, men with an education, men with conversational skills, and men who could support themselves in all ways.

Today in one of the Tampa papers I am reading about yet another adult woman having a sexual relationship with a teen boy. This woman is not a teacher, like so many of the women we are hearing about in the news lately. She sounds like she just sits around in her car and gives pot to kids. Anyway, according to the mother of one of the boys in her neighborhood, the woman has been having sex with her 15-year-old son since July.

Aside from all of the ethical issues in this story, I have to add EW! Not only are 15-year-old chronically hygiene challenged, they are also in no way, shape, or form, adequate sexual partners. No matter how good they think they are, no matter how good their girlfriends tell them they are, they are just not physically or mentally equipped to carry out the deed substantially.

Ew. Ew. Ew.

Sometimes I look at my life and I wish I could just pack up and take off to greener pastures. I would love to take my daughter and re-start our lives somewhere new. However, I am tied down by custody agreements and family obligations, so I will make as much of a new life right here in Florida as I possible can.

I have an old friend who went to law school and then joined a practice of Chicago personal injury lawyers, only to very quickly realize she hated practicing law. She was childless and unmarried, so she quit her job and joined the Peace Corps. She is in South America and living with a host family. There is a degree of danger in her life now, but she loves everything about her new life. Of course, she is bringing in a lot less money, but she says her life feel richer now.

I entitled my post running away, but I am not sure running away is really what I am talking about. I am talking about striking out to make a change in your life, seeking a new start, and looking for a fresh venue. It is cleansing and good for the soul.

Don’t believe all the hype about Labradoodles.

They are definitely cute, but keep in mind that they are not yet considered a breed and therefore, the puppies that come from the breeders are still coming out every which way but loose. The coats are hard to guarantee when it comes to color, texture, and curliness.

My sister recently got a Labradoodle puppy and she’s an absolute cutie. Honestly, I think she looks mostly like a typical Lab, only with a coat that feels longer and wilder. She is a first generation pup, which means her parents were a Poodle and a Lab, which many breeders feel gives the dogs more genetic diversity. It also means less chance for some of the breed-specific genetic disorders.

Super, the Labradoodle my sister and her family just got from a breeder here in Florida, has a great disposition. Nothing bothers her and she is brave and strong. But, she sheds and the hard sell some of the breeders are giving folks about the non-shedding aspects of the “breed” is what led my sister to choose a Labradoodle.

They absolutely shed. If you really want a non-shedding dog, stick to a full poodle or something like a Maltese.

I turned my Dad onto Freecycle a couple of years ago. Though I have slacked off on checking for new messages over the past year or so, it appears Dad is still in full swing., He and his wife keep the PC in their office up all day with a window open for the Yahoo e-mail address they use exclusively for Freecycle. They check for new messages often.

I’m proud of him, though. Instead of just looking for what kinds of things he can acquire, he reads each and every Wanted message to see if there is something he has that someone else wants. It looks like he gives away more than he asks for. THAT is your ideal Freecycle member.

I have taken to sitting down and checking the messages while I am here. I have seen posts offering used cisco, boxes of books, yard equipment, and clothing. I replied to a woman who lives right down the road and was offering a paper sack full of old Scrabble tiles, but I have not heard back. I assume someone else asked first. Those tiles would have been an invaluable tool for teaching reading in the classroom.

…man. Now I am thinking about the classroom and the hiring freezing going on in the counties around me and the fact that I need to find a job this summer. Way to put a damper on my own vacation. *sigh*

When things get difficult, people often turn even more to God and the security of religion. The local Tampa Bay area all-news TV station Bay News 9 reported that many Bay area churches are seeing an increase in contributions.

First Baptist Church in St. Petersburg says they have seen a 14 percent increase in offerings compared to last year. They attribute it to new members tithing, existing members tithing more and an overall up rise in people actually giving 10% or more of their income.

I think this pattern stands to reason. People do turn to God and church when they are going through rough spots. With the rising price of food, housing, and gas more and more people are seeing their monthly financial budgets having to stretch further than ever before. There is an age old adage that says that the more you give, the more you will receive. When your focus turns away from self and back to God, blessings tend to enter your life on a bigger scale. I’ve seen it in my own life. It takes a tremendous leap of faith to take a tight budget and actually give more in contributions. That faith leads to amazing blessings in the end.

Did you buy any Girl Scout cookies this year? I think I bought four boxes, which is less than I used to buy in the past. But then, it’s just me and my daughter now and we don’t need that many cookies. Still, it is an annual tradition for a lot of people and I know that Thin Mints come but once a year.

I sat with one of my best friends as she and her daughter stationed themselves outside a local Blockbuster Video and sold cookies. They did very well. It was a wonderful spot and on a Friday night the crowds were ripe for the picking. People were coming to Blockbuster to rent movies for the night and as they came out they realized that cookies were the perfect accompaniment to the night at home watching the newest releases.

I also sold Girl Scout cookies when I was young. I went door to door in my neighborhood and I was always able to meet my goal. I never sold as many as another girl in my troop, LanVi. She was the champ year after year. But, she never sold anything like the Michigan girl who sold 17,328 boxes of cookies this year. She apparently did it by setting up a cookie stand on a street corner. Her troop as a whole raised $21,000 selling cookies and that is amazing, since the troops don’t actually get a whole lot per box. The girls are going to use the money to travel to Europe for a 10-day trip.

When I was growing up, my best friend’s parents had a very old grandfather clock in their living room. For whatever reason, I was fascinated by this clock, often mesmerized. In adult visits back to their home, I was actually comforted to ser the clock still there, still working, still in the exact same place.

My high school boyfriend’s parents had a big grandfather clock, too. I often slept over there in their guestroom on weekends and since I am a light sleeper, I usually herd the chimes going off all night in the periphery of my sleep. I took great comfort in that.

I don’t own a grandfather clock, though I have a very cool antique mantel clock that was handed down to me by my great grandparents. It keeps fabulous time, by the way, despite its advanced age. I think that is a testament to the old time clockwork art. Because of all my old memories involving grandfather clocks and feelings of safety and comfort, I’ve actually always wanted to have a grandfather clock of my own. Oddly, I recently read a blog article that addressed this same sort of childhood memory thing.

I’m not into antiques, though, unless they have been given to me and have some significant and sentimental value. When I buy things on my own, I tend to go for new items. Therefore, I’ve been shopping around of the perfect grandfather clock for years. Although I like new styles, I shy away from the newer technology. While my sister and my mother are fascinated by atomic clocks, I still find myself drawn to traditional looking timepieces. I did, though, find some cool wristwatches recently that tap into the whole atomic clock technology while maintaining the classic hands and face look. I always come back to the classic styles, though. Maybe that is another reason grandfather clocks appeal to me.