Me in 1200 characters???? LOL

Yeah right!

I could never do that.
First off I am a Gemini and we all know Geminis are talkative and flighty and would rather use 100 words to say something that should only take 5 or even 1! LOL

So here we go... an entry on me...
What you should know, maybe didn't want to know, what comes off my head and on to this page.

To start with I was an Air Force Brat. My Dad was in the Air Force and we traveled some.

I was born in Germany and have been back for a few weeks when I was in High School and would love to do more travelling through Europe. Scotland, England, France, Italy, and Germany are all on my list there. I have a list miles long for other places thoughout the world and I am sure we will discuss that more at another time.

As I say, we traveled some with the Air Force. After coming back from Germany to The States, we lived in Spokane, Washington; Omaha, Nebraska; Colorado Springs, Colorado; Puyallup, Tacoma, and Olympia, Washington; Slidell, Hammond, Mandeville, Covington, Metairie, The French Quarter New Orleans, Lake Charles, and Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Las Vegas, Nevada; and currently Richardson, Texas.

I was married ... once. I always joke that when I divorced that I got the city of New Orleans in the divorce because I always wanted to go there and my ex-husband was from that area. But for all the "Just wait til we move there Honey! I am going to show you all about it"s that my ex gave me. The reality was he was over New Orleans and was more of a nature boy, which I enjoyed but in my heart I am a city girl and especially and OLD-City kinda girl! I love the history , the architecture, and the feeling only a city that has been around for centuries can give you. Knowing you are walking down a street that many others have gone before and maybe one of those others was a great Lady, a General, a Pirate, a Governor... well it just makes me look at it with such enjoyment and a feeling of wonder. Plus, honestly its one of the few cities I felt I "belonged" in. The sweep of relaxation that comes over me when I am in New Orleans is like no other. The days just aren't long enough but I can't wait for the next one either.

So I was married.. and yes we still talk.. and no its not ugly (any more LOL come on everyone goes through that stage) ... and no we had no kids. It just wasn't the right time for us to ever really discuss it much less have it happen so no kids and no I don't feel like I am missing out, my clock is not ticking, and frankly I don't care if I ever have any. They are great and I love being Aunt Michele. I am strict when I have to be but I love to take the kids out and have fun but I love to bring them back to their parents too. LOL

I have worked in the Automotive Repair Industry for 10 yrs.... 1996-2006. I fell into it a lot of people do. Looking for any job and found a career. I worked in Body Shops starting as a receptionist and then questioning how to write an estimate for car repairs. I got lucky. My boss was willing to teach me and so he did for 4 and a half yrs as I worked my way up to Assistant Body Shop Manager and had been in both independent shops as well as Dealerships shops. Then I swapped over to the insurance side and went to work for a major carrier as a field appraiser for 5 yrs. They moved me all over Southern Louisiana and I worked a huge field area that showed me all the other areas of Louisiana that I never lived in (really you name a town in Louisiana I probably have been there and most of them more than once!).

The Katrina hit. At the time, I had an apartment in the French Quarter that I went to pretty much every Friday right after work and I would stay there until EARLY Monday morning when I would drive back the hour to my townhouse in Baton Rouge to work all week. The funny thing is I had already planned to stay in Baton Rouge that weekend, I remember clearly being down in the Quarter watching the storm out in the Atlantic heading towards the Gulf and people making plans for the next weekend (because we had no idea what the future held and frankly, in NOLA (thats what we call it New Orleans LouisianA) we kinda leave all our plans open.."So if the storm doesn't head this way we will meet up and ...." thats typical and of course storm or no storm we may change those plans but there is ALWAYS something to do).

So like I said people are making plans and I was being asked about joining them and "I was coming down, right?" and I was telling people I wasn't because I had stuff to do at my townhouse in Baton Rouge but that if I got done by Friday night or mid-day Saturday I may come down for the rest of the weekend. I went back to Baton Rouge after that weekend and worked all week and watched the updates on the storm. By Saturday morning, I was calling people. Seeing who was going where, when they were leaving and see if any one needed to stay by my place as I had plenty of floor space and was cooking up a big pot of Gumbo and another big pot a Jambalaya. I ended up with a house full. When it passed I ended up with a ton of work both personally and professionally.

The next year was one of the hardest in my life. Harder than my divorce.

I busted my hump at work. I was working 12 hr days as a minimum. I never even got to see my apartment in The Quarter until October .. it had been about two and a half months since I had been where I consider home. My French Quarter Apartment suffered minor damages compared to a lot of people. I was on the top level so I had the roof. It got damaged. My 2 skylights blew out but luckily they were positioned over the sinks in the kitchen and bath so most the rain just drained away. Everything got fixed by the owners right away and so I figured everything would heal at some point and we would all just carry on.

The Baton Rouge Townhouse suffered virtually no damage from Katrina but when Rita made landfall a few months later and crossed east over the state I received roof damage and had to keep checking on the patches the owners put on anytime we had a bad storm after that. Meanwhile, the claims kept coming and at some point I got buried in Total Loss Vehicles due to some insurance company guidelines I had to follow as an employee. They also were on us about overtime but couldn't seem to see we could get ourselves out of the mountain of paperwork with out working past our set hours. I was burnt out. I contacted my old boss and went back to the body shop work I used to as an Estimator and Part Manager. But I still wasn't happy and still burnt out. Especially when I saw their was someone who was put in charge of the shop I was at who was upholding the standards that I knew were expected.

I was so unhappy and therefore angry a lot. Things just weren't working out smoothly. Then I got notice that my landlord in The Quarter was evicting everyone from the building to overhaul it. And though it said they didn't expect it would be closed long and we would all be given notice that it was available to move back in with first dibs. Of course it was longer at 3yrs and of course we weren't notified. I was heart broken. And the cost of a new place was at least twice the price of my old one. I just couldn't swing that then.

My last night living in New Orleans was July 4th 2007. I had the last of my stuff in my car and I cried like I had been wounded. My heart hurt. It felt like I was being pulled from my city forcibly. Like I child torn from its mother. Going back to visit from Baton Rouge and staying a friends house just wasn't the same. It felt like I was borrowing my home back.

So with my emotions tattered and work not fulfilling me as it had, I took a break. I decided to go to culinary school.

I know thats a big change. But I had always wanted to go ever since I was 16/17. So I cashed in everything and moved to Las Vegas, NV and went to Le Cordon Bleu. I enjoyed my classes and learned a lot. I graduated at the top of my class and working Vegas for a bit. First at a high end Italian restaurant at the MGM Grand on the Strip until they had to lay me off in June 2008 due to the economic down turn. Then I was able to catch a job at a local place that served Contemporary Southern Fare with an Upscale French Twist. I was there until they also had to lay me off in February 2009.

I job hunted in Vegas of course right up until mid April. But Vegas is very tourism built. More so than New Orleans. And there just weren't jobs to be had. City Center is their big project but that wasn't until the end of the year. What do I do for 6 months? I am getting unemployment but that would just cover the rent. What about the other bills? Then the lease was coming due at the end of April. I couldn't, wouldn't sign another lease with no job. So Mom & Dad step in and save their little girl.

I have decided to go back to the Automotive Repair Industry as I miss it. The shop, the work, the customers, even the issues. Plus while I love to cook I am not a fan of putting out 1,000 plates a night. I just feel that as much as you may try to put everything you have in to every plate at some point some one is going to get a plate you only put 95% of everything into because something else requires that other 5% and I don't like that. If you are going to do it ... do it right.

My parents have been living Richardson, TX for 5 yrs now. They told me to come here. I could have the guest room. Look for jobs and not worry about anything but that and being sure my unemployment pays my bills. So I did. I haven't lived with them since I was 19 or 20. So at least 15 years. We are having our bumps but we are getting over them. The newest bump is that my unemployment has run out and a job that was supposed to start at the beginning of September still hasn't picked up the momentum they thought they would to get me hired. So I am still looking.

What else would you like to know about me??

I still love to cook. Even if its not professionally. I do still have a dream of a little cafe. I would LOVE to move home to New Orleans and yes I am looking for jobs there too.

I want to travel more. I read a lot in my down time.

What can you expect on here??
Me. My thoughts, My writings (sometimes I write a bit of "poetry" if you can call it that LOL), My Food (I will be telling whats going on with that)

I won't be editing myself much. What I feel is what I feel in the moment and I may change my mind in 5 mins and feel something else. Heck, I may feel something completely opposite to the same thing in 5 mins. I am a woman and a Gemini its definitely my prerogative.

If you don't like what I have to say and can say it clearly and with out being mean and abusive. Feel free to say so. We can discuss it. Get mean or ugly and you will be removed. If I am mean or ugly? Well, its my page DEAL WITH IT!

My Favorite quote is my Marilyn Monroe and it fits me perfectly:

I think thats it for now. You will find out more later.Keep stopping by. You never know what I may put on here. LOL  ^_^