Sometimes I think about moving away from the ‘Ham.  I really don’t know the source of my discontent, but when I travel somewhere else I sometimes fantasize about moving there.  It happened again when I went to Vermont a couple of weeks ago.

I think what I really want is to SIMPLIFY my life.  I need to do less and relax more.  I need to finish the decluttering I started 2 years ago and find a place for everything we own instead of just moving the piles.  I need to say “NO!” and really mean it.  That’s my downfall, though.  I can’t do it.

So now that I’ve gone all philosophical on you, what this post was going to be about was what great neighbors we have.  How can I even think about moving and leaving our awesome neighbors behind?  What if our new neighbors let their dogs poop on our lawn?  Or build a shantytown in their back yard for their extended family?  Or play their New Kids on the Block CD repeatedly at full volume?

Today Ben spent several hours raking wet leaves because the town is doing a pick-up tomorrow.  Our neighbor Nancy was raking too, and at some point Bob, the son-in-law of our other neighbor, offered to take a load to the leaf dump so they wouldn’t have to bag all of the leaves.  He estimated that the gigantic pile they loaded into his truck was about 100 bags worth.

To thank Bob & Ben, Nancy got dinner from the Chicken Bone and brought it over to our house.  It was GREAT!  We had wings, fries, rice, and I made tomato salad and dessert.  Sherry and I used to hang out at the Chicken Bone in Burlington, Vermont, and it became the scene of many (somewhat blurry) memories…we’ll definitely be visiting our new Chicken Bone again.  YUM!
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I found a blog this week that has some pretty funny posts – emailsfromcrazypeople.com.
These cracked me up:
http://emailsfromcrazypeople.com/2009/07/28/no-pets-clause/#more-65
http://emailsfromcrazypeople.com/2009/07/31/everyone-loves-a-party/#more-149
http://emailsfromcrazypeople.com/2009/08/25/let-me-explain/
http://emailsfromcrazypeople.com/2009/09/02/parent-teacher-conference-should-be-hilarious/

Coincidentally, I received an email today regarding a problem someone had while installing a lockset.  I don’t know why the new homeowner sent it to me along with about 20 of our top brass, but the email is 690 WORDS LONG.  I’m not saying he’s a crazy person, but wow.  My favorite part was when he said that because he had to hire a locksmith he didn’t have any money left for the celebratory dinner out that he had planned, and was eating a cold turkey sandwich instead. 

I actually thought about calling the guy to walk him through the installation, since he included his name, address, and phone number, but I figured our CEO probably already had it covered.
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If you don’t have a hot date for this Friday night (11/13) and you live within driving distance of the ‘Ham, come on over to the Barnes & Noble in Shoppers World. Blocks Preschool is having a fundraiser with tons of special events. You can shop from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. and tell the cashier that you’re shopping to benefit Blocks, and a percentage of your purchase (not including gift cards) will be donated to the school. You shouldn’t need the official number, but just in case, it’s 10041853.

The special events begin at 4 p.m. and will include face painting, a sing-a-long, storytime with Rosie Alvarez-O’Neil (Blocks principal), and a visit from the Cat in the Hat.  (I guess it probably won’t be THIS cat in THIS hat, but it IS a cute photo, isn’t it?)

If you don’t live nearby, you can still shop for Blocks!  Just go to www.bn.com/mybookfair between 11/13 and 11/18, and enter bookfair ID #10041853 on the payment page during checkout.  

I hope to see you there!!

Boston Subway Driver Braked to Avoid Hitting
Woman Who Fell on Tracks
Tuesday, November 10, 2009

BOSTON — The driver of Boston subway train that came to a screeching halt just before hitting a woman who had fallen onto the tracks has been hailed as a hero.

Charice Lewis got a radio call from fellow Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority employee Jacqueline Osorio, who was standing on the platform at North Station on Friday night when she saw the woman tumble.

Lewis, who saw passengers on the platform frantically waving their arms, immediately tugged the emergency brake.

The woman, whose name was not made public, suffered some scrapes and was taken to a hospital for evaluation. She told authorities she had been drinking.

Lewis and Osorio were recognized by state Transportation Secretary Jeffrey Mullan on Monday and received a call of congratulations from Gov. Deval Patrick.

Most schools are currently facing a budget shortfall and the PTOs are trying to fill in the gaps wherever possible. Unfortunately, many PTOs are having budget problems of their own. If you have school-aged kids, please use the links below to help your school. If you don’t have school-aged kids, please use the links below to help OUR schools!! It won’t cost you a penny, but the schools will receive a percentage of each purchase and every bit helps!