Dan, Mike and I went to an auction at a local temple Saturday night. Funny, we Jews won't worship at a temple, but we WILL buy things at flea markets during Chanukah/Christmas or hit an auction when we see one advertised. they were selling $10 raffles to win tickets to JERSEY BOYS, a play about Frankie Valley and the Four Seasons, but we didn't win them.

The three auctioneers weren't pros, just male temple members who very much enjoyed playing the role. They were terrific, too, all with a great sense of humor, especially the third guy. We won a day of beauty for $65, 125+ comics for $50, a simple will for $60, and games of bowling for $50, all from local merchants. I wanted to win a nice meal or two from local restaurants, but all of them were bid up too high for our wallets. We sensed this was a fairly rich Jewish congregation, and we were one of the few groups of Jews who DIDN'T belong to the temple. They also had a free spread of soda, cookies, veggies and wine (which Mike partook of liberally). Nice!

It lasted until a little past 10:30. The dogs and I fell into bed shortly after we arrived home.

Jose picked up my car a little after 10 AM, about an hour later than I expected him. He apologized for being late, and I told him it was OK, but in truth, I wished he had called me and told me he was running late. I WAS concerned about his lateness, wondering why he'd told me 9 AM when he didn't show up as promised. I didn't get the car back until 6:30 last night (Sunday), and it wasn't as completely fixed as I had hoped. It certainly looks much better than it did, with two replacement doors spray-painted black, but the driver's door doesn't lock/unlock with my key and must be locked/unlocked from the inside. It's a hassle, but it's all my own fault, and that's all I'm going to say about that.

I'm back at work today, Monday, and the day has gone by pretty quickly. I have to make a couple of stops on the way home, but nothing major. I just can't wait to sweep my doggies into my arms. That's what I live for every day! They are just soooo happy to see Mommy!

Hope someone is equally as happy to see YOU!

Love, Robin

Hello out there! I know some of you are reading my blog, but there have been no comments, and I'm wondering if I'm entertaining or boring you. Feedback is always appreciated, even just a word or two.

I took Friday off from work. Between the presidents' holiday in February and Memorial Day in May, there is a vast group of days where there are no holidays, and we're expected at work five days for three months straight! Way too much, so I grabbed me a three-day weekend. We were besieged by thunderstorms all day. Between brief bouts of sun, the sky would darken and fill with thunder and lightning.

I had a 3 PM appointment to see my gyno, never one of my favorite appointments. I'm built peculiarly--large on the outside, small on the inside. So while I look like I require an elephantine speculum (that's the instrument the gyno inserts so she can spread you open down there and look around inside), I actually require the smallest adult size. While she was performing her exam, I was babbling, as I tend to do when nervous, and having things stuck up inside me tend to make me do that. She shut me up by sticking one finger straight up my ass to conclude the exam--and shut me up in mid-sentence. Everything's OK. I just have to await the Pap smear results.

When I arrived at HIP for my appointment, the sun was shining; when I left, the thunder and lightning overhead were awesomely scary, as was the downpour of rain. The weather brought unexpected surprises all day long!

During the cloudy morning, I went to Pathmark for a few groceries. They had a deal on packages of ravioli--buy one, get two free. When I brought them up to the cashier, however, only one was subtracted, not two. The cashier and I realized the error, but her superior (and I use the word lightly) tried to tell me the register had performed the correct operation on the transaction. Annoyed, upset because I was on the 12 items or less line and holding up a lot of people behind me, I just told the cashier to void the ravioli and let me be on my way. Truth was, I WANTED the blasted ravioli, but not at the expense of holding up all the people on line. The cashier voided out the sale, charged me for one package of ravioli and tossed the other two packages off to the side without ringing them up. "You are employee of the year!" I crowed, and walked out of the store laughing until I nearly choked.

I love people who take initiative, don't you? I predict that gal is going places!

I went out with Sharon Friday evening. I drove to her house in bumper to bumper traffic and weak sunshine which quickly dissipated into yet another thunderstorm while we were eating matzo brie at her house. I usually love that stuff, but she added some sugar free syrup that made it way too sweet, and I didn't want seconds. I skipped my glipizide, good thing. Before seeing the light-hearted, romantic, fluffy JUST MY LUCK, with Lindsay Lohan, we went out for Italian ices, and I had a no sugar added chocolate mousse. Yum! The movie wasn't worth $9.00, but seeing Sharon was, as always, priceless.

Saturday, Dan's co-worker, Jose, came to pick up my car. He's going to a junkyard to get two non-matching doors to replace my smashed-in driver's side doors. As of now, Sunday, nearly 5 PM, we still don't have my car back, and Jose's SUV is still parked in front of our house. I sure wish Dan would make a second phone call to find out what's going on, because Brad just came in to ask me what's going on for dinner.

More tomorrow!

Love, Robin

Dan and I went to Bob's wake last night. "Wake?" Why do they call it that? Makes more sense to call it "sleep". Permanentsleep. Foreversleep. "We went to a wake. The corpse wasn't awake." Odd.

I signed us in, carefully printing our address. You want the living to know you showed up, and where they can send the thank you note.

There were flowers, lots of them, again, for the living. The man in the coffin can't see or sniff them. We looked at the collage put together by Beth, Bob's daughter. It showed Bob in happy times, with silly expressions on his face. He looked totally hip and silly in his 1975 wedding photo, impossibly young and hopeful. But Bob viewed the world through dark glasses, through paranoia, insanity, depression. He was mentally unbalanced and being in his presence unnerved me and made me wish to be elsewhere. He affected most people that way.

Nevertheless, when I kneeled coffinside, I began to cry. I always do when I look at the dead person in the casket. He looked fantastic. There was even a little grin curving up his lips, and he had all his hair. The chemo didn't cause him to go bald, or if it did, they glued it skillfully back on his scalp. He was wearing a dark blue, pinstriped suit, shirt, tie. Dapper, super-slim, he looked downright dapper.

I spoke to him, wished him a good trip to the afterlife. I reminded him he was now diabetes-free, cancer-free, pain-free. And damn, he was going to heaven looking mighty fine!

Before we went home, Dan and I stopped at Carvel for sundaes. I know, I blew my diet right out of the water. But I felt I had to, after seeing Bob dead. I just know he'd have wanted me to eat bad food to celebrate his life and mourn his death. He smoked, drank booze, ate anything he wanted, diabetes and lung cancer be fucked. I guess you might say he hastened his own death, the asshole. Perhaps I'm equally an asshole for eating a sundae, because, as a fellow diabetic and overweight woman, I surely don't need it. I just wanted to celebrate still being alive, you know? And that sundae tasted very, very good.

Love, Robin

I just read that INVASION, a sci-fi show I've watched faithfully since it premiered, is not getting renewed. Damn! It was a great show, very involving, with characters I cared about and a gripping plot.

I also heard that SEVENTH HEAVEN, a show I used to love and grew to despise, might be getting a reprieve. I watched what I thought was the series finale and muttered, "Good riddance!" at the ridiculous ending--three couples, all expecting twins, for God's sake!--but now have heard rumblings that it might be coming back! Please, no, let it stay dead. I can't take another second of the Camdens! No spin-offs, I beg you!

VERONICA MARS, on the other hand, a slick, totally cool series about a teen detective, has also been renewed, and THAT is awesome! When I saw the season/possibly series finale the other night, I was totally entranced by the amazing acting, resolution to all the complex plots and twisted character revelations. The fact that VERONICA MARS has been renewed tells me there is a god, or at least some good, intelligent souls working in TV land. Thank you!

I was disappointed in the season finale of GILMORE GIRLS, but that show hasn't been the same for a couple of years at least. I still adore Rory and Lorelei, and all the wacky characters in their loopy Stars Hollow world, but they have ruined Luke for me. I've yearned for him to get together with Lorelei since this show began, and what they've done to them seems against his marvelous character and is killing me. They have to fix that--and soon! I used to look forward to this show so much, now it's, eh! That's a shame.

I love love love GREY'S ANATOMY. It's what ER used to be--relatable characters with problems you want to envelop yourself in, exciting medical situations, comedy, dramedy, and everything inbetween. The blow it all out season finale left me breathless. Will Meredith choose McDreamy or McVet? And if she chooses McDreamy, will he leave his wife, who is a truly nice gal who made a stupid mistake in screwing another guy? Will Izzy return to the program, even though Denny died? Will they let her, now that she confessed to cutting his heart thingy? So many questions, but we'll have to wait until September to find out the answers.

*************

On a serious note, I want to wish Bob, a former neighbor who died Monday, a good trip to heaven. You weren't a happy man in life, Bob, but cancer claimed you down here. I hope you are out of pain and find the afterlife a more pleasant, peaceful place. I'll be saying goodbye to your body tonight at the funeral home, Bob. Until then, I wish your spirit a good journey heavenward.

Love, Robin

I love television, always have. I got a tickle in the pit of my stomach when the new TV Guide arrived in the mailbox, wondering what was going to happen on my beloved shows.

MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E. was a huge fave of mine when I was in fifth grade. When everyone was salivating over Illya, I was drooling over Napoleon. I always did prefer the dark-haired fellas.

BATMAN had me in love with Robin, and I used to listen to the TV theme on my transistor radio long after I was supposed to be asleep. The lyrics--"Batman, Batman, Batman, Batman, Batman," were just so easy to sing along to! When I learned dark-haired Burt Ward was 21 and married, my world collapsed. I later learned from reading a book he wrote about his Batman years that he was a total sleaze, and wondered how I ever had a crush on him.

From age 13-16, I fell for a vampire, DARK SHADOWS' dark-haired Barnabas Collins. Oh, how I lusted for that man! My hormonal juices were really starting to churn during those years, and watching him bite all those pretty gals on the show made my pussy go ZING!

Now I'm 52, a dirty old broad who still lusts after dark-haired guys. Give me Dr. House on HOUSE, Gil Grissom on CSI:, Dr. McDreamy on GREY'S ANATOMY, the two young stud brothers on SUPERNATURAL (oh, God, forgive me, for I have sinned in my imagination with those two so very shamelessly!). Seriously, give them to me so I can have my erotic way with them. I've written lots and lots of filthy stories, and I'm sure I can come up with imaginative ways to use all those hunks in ways they might not have imagined--but that I can guarantee they'll like!

Whew! I really must indulge in a cold shower.

I'll be back shortly to continue waxing rhapsodic about my love for television--and the men who keep bringing me back every week for more, more, more!

Love, Robin