HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Welcome to 2005!

I hope that everyone had a safe night of partying to welcome in the New Year.

I ended up spending a quiet night at home for the new year, since I've always been out for new year's for the past few New Year's Eves I know that my Mom appreciated it.

I was also still recovering from being taken to Holiday Valley in Ellicottville, NY for a day of skiing on Thursday. I had to wake up around 5AM for the 3.5 hour trip out to Holiday Valley (and this was after spending the previous evening out with my brother John, his wife Margret and Father Terry out at Dave and Busters and not getting home until 1AM). The trip was fun and the skiing was excellent...and other than losing my balance and falling on my butt while standing around by the ski lift...I didn't fall once while actually "skiing". It was great spending time with my brother Joe and my nephews Nick and Alex (I'll miss you guys greatly)...I just wish that my boots weren't crippling me so that I could have joined them on the last few runs (I have some black and blue marks on my calves!). The drive back was through some nasty wind gusts that would play with Joe's Explorer and what's a wind gust without some annoying rain to accompany it? I took over in Erie, PA and drove the rest of the way home. We pulled in at 3:30AM and I was glad to finally be ableto close my eyes and go to sleep. Thank you very much Nicholas for the wonderful and unforgettable Christmas/Going Away Present...I'll have to leave more often!

Anyhow...spent yesterday recovering and trying to get my package from UPS before I have to leave on Monday...looks like I'll have to pick it up on my way to the airport! ARRRGH!!! I only worked at UPS for 7 years...not like I know how the system works. There is an arrival scan on the package...so it's in the Middleburgh Hts. hub...if it hadn't been unloaded...it wouldn't have been scanned...but it's not "Out for Delivery" so they can't contact the facility to let them know that I want to pick it up (The delivery Center is in the building with the Hub). So now I have to wake up early Monday verify that it's scanned and on the delivery truck so that I can call them to let them know to take it off the truck so that I can come and pick it up in person since my flight leaves at 12:30PM...and to be told this by the 800 number operator who has most likely never even set foot into one of the package sorting facilities! And there were trucks out and delivering yesterday...but the Customer Service Center was closed yesterday...so I couldn't come and pick up the package and plead my case there. grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

I'm sure it will all work...but it's frustrating nonetheless (is that really only one word?).

I'm heading out to do a bit more shopping and then visit a few people today.

Wow at this time in two more days I'll be on a plane headed for Omaha and my new life!