Just Links

With not a whole lot of interesting stuff going on in my life the past few days, I thought I would just post some links to websites I find very interesting, for one reason or another. I hope you find one or two sites that you want to go back to over again.

Surprise.com
This site is very good for helping you find that unique gift. You can search for gifts by recipient, occasion, type, hobbies, and much, much more. I always seem to find a very good idea whenever I look here.

KissThisGuy.com
We all have been embarrassed by singing the wrong lyrics to songs, and getting caught! Here is a site that lists the lyrics people THOUGHT were being sung. (The title refers to the lyric in the Jimi Hendrix song Purple Haze. The words are "'Scuse me while I kiss the sky." and someone heard it as "'Scuse me while I kiss this guy.") A fun site.

Abebooks.com
Do you ever remember a book you read years ago and wish you had a copy to read again? Well, you can find just about any book--new and used-- on this site. If you aren't looking for a first edition, signed-by-the-famous-author sort of thing, the prices are phenomenally great. The few times I have ordered from here, I have been well pleased.

AnnualCreditReport.com
A law was passed that everyone can get, free of charge, once a year, their credit report from each of the three big credit reporting companies. This is the site where you can get these reports--FOR FREE. There are other sites that want you to pay for your report, but this is the legitimate site.

Classic-novels.com
I enjoy this site because it lets me read those "should have" books that I never got around to. You know what I'm talking about: those classic books that all your high school English teachers said you needed to read to become a well-read individual! Of course, if we aren't teaching English ourselves, the chances are we never got around to reading the classics. Well, this site makes it easy to do! Once you sign up and choose your book, you receive an installment of the novel in your emailbox every day (which takes about 5 minutes to read) until you are done. Easy! (I wish there was a bigger selection, but what is offered is quite good)

Lyrics World
So you don't have to worry about singing "'Scuse me while I kiss this guy.," here is a site that has lyrics from most every song you can think of--at least almost every song I can think of! Fun to look through.

AbbreviationZ.com
What does RSVP stand for? What about HTTP? Or VoIP? This site has the answers to your questions about acronyms and abbreviations. This is one site that should be in everybody's favorites.

Urbandictionary.com
If the last "hip" thing you said was "groovy" or even "the bee's knees," this is another site you need to have in your favorites. This site defines all of the words you don't know the meanings of because you aren't 17 anymore! Just LET your niece, nephew, son, daughter, or grandchild TRY to get away with saying those things to you!

Truthorfiction.com
Are you tired of all of those emails telling you about the "curse" you need to avoid, or the one about having to pay to send emails, or about the money you can get from Microsoft, The Gap, etc., just by sending a bunch of emails to others? This is where you can go whenever you get an email that "just doesn't sound right." Can you imagine how much junk email we could avoid getting if everyone quit sending the bogus mail?

Deathclock.com
Finally, for those who would like to be a little bit morbid, I offer you The Death Clock. All you have to do is type in a few numbers and you can find out the day you will die! Of course, this is just based on your birthdate, BMI, and the average lifespan, but when you see the "date you will die," it does make an impact. (Most of the rest of the site hasn't been updated in forever, but the death clock still works.)

Have fun surfing!

I Don't Know About This...

Okay, it has been 16 years since my hysterectomy, so this doesn't apply. I'm wondering: is this really icky or is it just me?

(I have turned on word verification in order to stop comment spam--it was getting a bit out of hand. I hope this isn't too much of an inconvenience for those leaving legitimate comments.)

My Rant

I spent quite a bit of time this evening reading comments people have about the hurricane. Everyone is just as horrified as I am over the destruction and loss of human life, but one thing that has me angry is the finger-pointing that is going on. Accusations are being made about every aspect of this tragedy--from why and how it happened to how it is being handled. While reading some of the comments I can actually "read" the looks of absolute happiness on the faces of the writers because they are able to blame someone or something they hate. Why are people so petty that they have to use a tragedy such as this to further their hatred and political agendas? I read horrid comments from people on the far-left, on the far-right, and everyone in between, and I want to say, "SHAME ON YOU!" Whatever has happened up to this moment, whether criticism is justified or not, this is not the way to get this situation fixed. If you don't like the way the government is handling the relief efforts, find a private organization and offer your help. If you don't like the way a large organization is taking care of things, find a small, grass-roots group you can support. Sitting around bitching and moaning is NOT going to help those people that need help. Finger pointing and name calling just makes those that are suffering feel worse and it certainly doesn't do a damn thing towards getting food to a hungry child! If you aren't going to be part of the solution in a substantial way, then you are a big part of the problem! Find some way to help and leave the hatred for others by the wayside until this is over.

Here is a forum started by an individual wanting to help. Everyone can do something constructive. Let's all quit bitching and start doing.

More of My Trivial Life

Today C. sounded more like herself than she has in many days--we're hoping she has completely turned the corner with this virus. She was out and about today, so she hopes she won't pay for it tomorrow.

A good friend and I went to a local Italian restaurant to celebrate her birthday. Good food and good company, what more can you ask for? We try to get together for dinner once every four weeks or so--you have to MAKE time to be with friends, or they fall by the wayside.

What I am listening to: Back Home by Eric Clapton. I'm enjoying it very much, but if EC sang the alphabet, I would be thrilled!

What I am reading: The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. I have had the book sitting around here for several months and I decided it was time to read it. I'm about halfway through and am enjoying the read. However, I don't feel it is as great as the reviews made me think it was going to be--maybe I'll feel differently after I'm done. I'm finding that everything is happening too quickly and too neatly--there could have been much more tension built into the plot. But, as I said, maybe it will change as I get further along.

What I am watching (movies): Just watched The Forgotten last night and it should be put in the FORGOTTEN pile. NOW I realize why it didn't stay in the theaters for very long: it was just bad. There is so much that could have been done with this story to make it much better--I am left with more questions than answers after seeing it, but I really don't care. I'm sorry I wasted my time.

What I am watching (television): The premier episode of Prison Break was on the other night and I think we have a winner. In a lot of ways it is like 24, you have to just go along with the plot and not think too much. There are quite a few very improbable happenings, but what goes on is also very fascinating. I liked the way you could see how the plan was coming together--kind of a window into the main character's mind. If the rest of the episodes are as good as this one, then I will gladly watch for the rest of the season. (There is some gore in the show and I wound up peaking at the screen through my fingers for the last 5 minutes of the episode--I SO did not want to see what was going to happen!)

Just Keeping In Touch

I talked to C. today and she is feeling a bit better. Yesterday--despite what she thought was going to happen--she was feeling like she was relapsing. The two older girls have been such a big help to her. I don't know how she would have managed otherwise. I know she is worried about different things: her life is so busy and she can't just stop and let things be. She has four kids--two school aged--and there are other things going on that can't be put on the back burner. Unfortunately, the world and time don't stop just because someone doesn't feel well. I do have to say, though, she DID sound better than she has--thank goodness!

I want to thank those of you who read these meanderings of mine. I am always happy to read your comments--they are most welcome. I wanted to tell y-vonne that C. has had 5 high-risk pregnancies and is on her 6th one now. Of course, it wasn't until pregnancy number 3 ended in a stillborn boy that they actually decided something might be wrong. After number 4 they finally sent her to see a specialist in high-risk pregnancies and number 5 was her first one to go full-term. She still has almost three months to go before she gives birth (hopefully), so we are always concerned about her.

Well, cantellya, the construction goes on and on. Part of the reason I don't want to drive myself anywhere IS the construction, but it is much, much worse now that the students are back in town. I don't know what the problem is--maybe students are perpetually late--but DROVES of kids are using our "under-construction" road as a short-cut. Now, why they think it is shorter to go through a construction zone, is beyond me. There are workers, piles of sand and gravel, very large equipment, and even larger holes in the ground to be avoided, so they can't be saving much time. And it STILL is posted as CLOSED TO THRU TRAFFIC! I thought you had to be able to read before you could attend college. Oh, well, this too shall pass--just not fast enough for me. :)

Now on to something on everyone's mind: the hurricane. There is no way I can imagine what the people in the disaster areas are going through. My heart just breaks every time I see a news story and wish with all my might that I could do something to help. We have never had such a devastating natural catastrophe to get through. We DID have a flood a few years back, but that was almost a joke compared to what Katrina did. The flood here did millions of dollars worth of damage--and no lives were lost--whereas this is going to cost BILLIONS and BILLIONS of dollars to fix. I am ashamed when I think about how pissy I got when we were without electricity for about 36 hours, three years ago. At least I was able to use my bathroom and go to a restaurant to eat! Our disasters here are usually snow or ice related. Granted, things can get pretty hairy when we get 2 feet or more of snow dumped on us or when we have an ice storm, but these things are usually pretty short lived. We usually just have to wait for Mother Nature and a little bit of time to take care of things and we get back to normal. The way I am feeling about things right now is this: if I EVER hear ANYONE who lives here complain about how much they hate the snow, I will bitch-slap them into the next year! Snow is NOTHING compared to what the people down south are going through. My thoughts and prayers are with each and every one of them.

Bring Back MST3K

I really miss Mystery Science Theater 3000. Won't someone, please, bring it back?!

A Little Bit of Excitement

Well, it has definitely been awhile since I posted. The last couple of weeks have been busy and/or exciting at times, but mostly just the same old, same old.

Two weeks ago tomorrow, we went for one of our out-of-town shopping trips. Now, it might sound (to some people) as if these trips are really grand--nothing could be further from the truth. First off, most of the shopping we do is in discount stores. I go out of town to shop at DSW shoe store, Gordman's, Burlington Coat Factory, and Sam's Club. Not to say that I don't go to some full-priced retail stores, just that they are not my main destination. Of course, I can't pass a Barnes & Nobles without going in--I think there is a law prohibiting me from passing one by. :) Victoria's Secret, Build-A-Bear, World Market, and Old Navy are all places I go to almost every time we go shopping--although I don't always buy from them. As a matter of fact, we seem to be spending more and more money buying for others than we do for ourselves. We really like shopping for the grandkids and usually get some clothes for each of them and a bunch of stuff from Sam's. Our main reason for leaving town is just that: leaving town. Being away from home--even for only one night--helps K. and me connect with each other a little better. We talk more and are "forced" to be with each other in the same space and not in separate rooms. Also, we get to visit with our oldest friends on our trips, since they live about 30 miles from where we stay. My friend since fourth grade married K.'s best friend from the Navy and we have stayed friends for all these years. Now that we all are "empty-nesters," we are able to spend time together and renew our friendship.

So, we came home on Tuesday and were back on the road on Friday bringing C. to see the high-risk pregnancy specialist that has her office about 3 hours away from us. C. got a good report and doesn't have to go back as long as everything stays as is. After the appointment we hit a few stores, ate at Olive Garden, and came home. It was a long day--not my favorite way to do a trip.

It was so great to have the doctor tell C. that all is well. That is why yesterday's events were so frightening. C. wound up in the emergency room yesterday morning with an excruciating headache and a fever of 104. I guess the emergency room was really jumping trying to figure out what was going on with her. After doing all kinds of tests, etc., they came up with the conclusion that she has viral meningitis. And because it is a virus, they couldn't really do any more for her, so she was sent home. By the time she got home and I talked with her, she said she was feeling a bit better (the fever had come down) and was looking forward to getting some sleep. However, when I spoke with her last night she had been experiencing some contractions, but they weren't regular. The doctor said that was something for her to expect and to keep track of them and if they started coming regularly, she was to return to the hospital. Considering she still has two more weeks to go before she is at the point where she had her first baby, I was really worried. Today when I talked to her she said she was feeling the best she has felt for days--and she would be feeling perfectly well tomorrow. (Knowing her, she will absolutely make herself be well tomorrow--that's the way she is.) She has got to stop getting pregnant--I don't know how much more of this I can handle! (As if it is harder for me than it is for her!)

Other than our trips, I really haven't been out and about that much--at least not by myself. And the reason is the same one I have every year at this time: the students are back in town! It is going to take at least a month till things settle down to almost normal here and then I'll feel a bit more comfortable driving around. Until then, K. can do all the driving. And then once everything has settled, the snow will come and we will start all over again! Such is life. :)

If you have read this far, I thank you and commend you for your perseverance. I really wish I had a more exciting life to write about, but I guess you have to take what is handed to you! I will close now and wish you a good week. Come back again. :)

The Donald Not Humble? Say It Ain't So!

I love this quote from PC Magazine, the August 23, 2005 issue:

"The notion of bug-free software seems a lot like...a humble Donald Trump: something we'd all like to see, but won't."

Phone Service

ARRGGHH!!!! I just spent 2 hours on the phone trying to figure out my phone service. Up till now I've been okay with what we have, but there are more long distance calls being made, so I had to change our plan. What a bunch of stuff and nonsense! Now, I will be telling my age by this statement, but, I WISH WE WERE BACK IN THE DAYS OF MA BELL! We had NO choices, we took what there was and used the services (long distance) and bitched about the costs, or didn't use them. It was that simple. I was trying to decide between my present provider (AT&T) and another one, which I previously had (SBC). Well, they sure don't make it easy to compare plans. It's like comparing apples and oranges--okay, that is a cliche, but it is the best I can come up with. :) I decided to switch back to SBC because I think the plan I'm getting will be cheaper than a similar one from AT&T, but I'm not 100% sure. You would think I was making a life-or-death decision when I made the switch--I got this sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach and I'm second-guessing myself all over the place. I don't do well with too many choices--I always think I'm going to screw up, big time. Oh, well, time will tell. At least I won't have to watch how long I'm on a long-distance call anymore--at least I don't THINK I will.

Unrealistic Perfection

There seem to be more and more people with eating disorders and going to plastic surgeons so they can look like the people in magazines or in movies. I remember thinking, as a young girl, "Why can't I look like that?" when I saw a model or actress I admired. We are so "beauty" and "youth" crazy in this country that some people go to extremes to obtain "perfection." Unfortunately, we are idolizing false images. Go here to see how photos are fixed to make a model appear perfect. Scary.

Couldn't Help But Laugh

Just found this site and had to share--these are some of the most hysterical cat pictures I've seen. Enjoy! StuffOnMyCat.com

Another Year Down

Six years ago, today, I had my last cigarette. It still amazes me that I can write a sentence like that--I was a very prolific smoker. I still miss it. Actually, I miss the act of smoking--I no longer am addicted to the nicotine. If I could smoke without the health risks or smell, I would go back to it in a heartbeat. A good friend of mine--an ex-smoker, too--told me that we will begin smoking again when we turn 80. Good plan--my doctor wants in on that plan, too! :)

When I was approaching my one-year anniversary, I figured I needed to do something to mark the occasion--something just for me. I bought a 35mm camera. I figured the price of the camera came NO WHERE close to the amount of money I had saved by not smoking. I enjoyed rewarding myself so much that I have continued to give myself a gift every year. This year I believe I will be buying myself a flat-panel TV for the kitchen. Yeah!

I hope you all have a great weekend. Take care.

100 Things About Me...

1. I am barely 5'1".
2. I am married and have two children--both girls.
3. I have been in love three times.
4. My husband is the only man I have ever slept with.
5. I still wonder what my first love is doing and what he looks like.
6. I stayed with my second boyfriend as long as I did because I needed to not feel lonely in high school.
7. I still love my husband.
8. I don't suffer from empty nest syndrome...AT ALL.
9. I have always been a stay-at-home mom.
10. And I love not having to leave the house if I don't want to.
11. My IQ is around 140.
12. Sometimes I feel intellectually superior to some people.
13. I love my children, but there have been times I wished I never had kids.
14. Many times I wished my husband and I were both sibling-less orphans.
15. I can't think of a single family member of mine that I would want as a friend.
16. I have a mental list of people I can never forgive...and it is much too long.
17. I don't tell my doctor everything because I don't want him to find anything seriously wrong with me.
18. Every time I have worried about a symptom I have had, it has turned out to be nothing serious.
19. I have had a hysterectomy.
20. My ovaries have been removed.
21. My gall bladder is gone.
22. I still have my tonsils.
23. I still have my appendix.
24. I have worn glasses since fourth grade.
25. I should have gotten them in third grade, but my mother thought I was faking.
26. I have one brother.
27. At this point in time, I think he is a real jackass.
28. He once told me that I should give my younger daughter up for adoption so that I wouldn't screw her up as much as I did my older daughter.
29. My father once told me that if I would have ever done ANYTHING for my older daughter, she would never have become incorrigible.
30. I haven't had a real conversation or visit with my parents or brother (and his family) in more than a year.
31. I don't miss them at all.
32. I have suffered from depression.
33. I have taken antidepressants.
34. I have seen three different counselors...and only one has ever helped me.
35. I was molested as a child...by my favorite great-uncle.
36. He also molested females in the generation before me and maybe the generation before that.
37. He was an alcoholic.
38. My parents never drank because of the rampant alcoholism on both sides of my family.
39. I probably can go many years without speaking to my family because I had a good teacher...my father didn't speak to his older brother for over twenty years.
40. I allowed my mother to manipulate me until a few years ago.
41. I used to be a perfectionist.
42. I would never leave my house until I had done the daily cleaning and vacuuming.
43. Because of trying to be perfect in all that I did, I intimidated a lot of people.
44. I wanted to do everything perfectly to make my parents proud of me.
45. I don't think they ever were REALLY proud of me.
46. I have smoked marijuana.
47. I never used any other recreational drugs.
48. My drug of choice is food.
49. I always wished I could have been at Woodstock...but I know I could never have survived that long without a shower and indoor bathroom.
50. I am quite an accomplished seamstress.
51. I don't sew in the summer because I have had wasps in my sewing room in years past.
52. I have tried too many crafts to mention.
53. All of the decorations on my Christmas tree were made by me.
54. I think I have arthritis starting in my right thumb.
55. That makes it difficult for me to crochet.
56. It saddens me to not be able to crochet.
57. I have taken a floral arranging class at least 5 times.
58. I planned and put on my oldest daughter's first wedding...basically all by myself.
59. I made all the bouquets and other arrangements.
60. I made around 50% of the food for the reception...good friends helped with the rest.
61. I made the invitations.
62. I made the wedding programs.
63. I did a great deal of the decorating.
64. And I did this for around $2500. And everything turned out very nice. This took place in 1996.
65. The first time I sat in front of a computer was in 1992.
66. I sat so long without touching the keyboard, the screensaver came on.
67. I thought I broke it.
68. Today I KNOW I could build a computer on my own.
69. I won't do it, though, because I would drop-kick the thing out the front window if it didn't work perfectly the first time I turned it on.
70. I can be terribly impatient.
71. I worry about the way my husband drives...he gets more impatient every year and it scares me.
72. I love to read...EVERYTHING.
73. I love to read in the bathroom.
74. One time I read the back of the Comet can when there wasn't any other reading material in the bathroom.
75. I love staying up at night...I could work a night-shift job easily.
76. I have no trouble sleeping during the day.
77. I like staying home, but still feel as if I want to travel around the world.
78. Before I die I want to see Australia and New Zealand.
79. I don't think it will ever happen.
80. Bungee-jumping would be such a rush...I am just too scared to try it.
81. Within the next couple of years I hope we will have this house torn down and a new one built in its place.
82. And I will not invite my family to come and visit.
83. I feel badly that I let my mother guilt me out of being closer to my in-laws than I was.
84. Even though my father- and mother-in-law are dead, I'm trying to make up lost time with the rest of my in-laws.
85. I never walk around my house in bare feet because I'm afraid of stepping on one of my cat's hacked-up hairballs.
86. I once had a spider in my bed while I was in it. Freaked me out for a long time.
87. Thinking about being in a roomful of bees, hornets, or wasps makes me have a panic attack.
88. Thinking of being on a cruiseship on the ocean causes a panic attack, too.
89. I got seasick on my husband's Navy ship while it was in dry dock.
90. The quartermaster got scared because I turned every shade of green and ended up white as a ghost.
91. I started school at the age of 4.
92. I graduated high school at 17 and didn't turn 18 till 6 months later.
93. The school wanted me to go straight from kindergarten to second grade.
94. My mother said no.
95. The only class I ever struggled with was physics and I still got an "A" because the teacher graded on a curve.
96. I am a very insecure person and I don't have a great amount of self-esteem.
97. I don't think I have ever really been vain about anything.
98. It embarrasses me to think about the times I have been loud and obnoxious.
99. I hope I have helped someone at some point in my life. I don't want my life to have been a waste.
AND FINALLY...100. I sincerely believe there is a God.

Advice

People are often unreasonable and self-centered.
Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of ulterior motives.
Be kind anyway.
If you are honest, people may cheat you.
Be honest anyway.
If you find happiness, people may be jealous.
Be happy anyway.
The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow.
Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough.
Give your best anyway.
For you see, in the end, it is between you and God.
It never was between you and them anyway.
~Mother Teresa~

A Wandering Mind

Just letting my mind do a little bit of wandering:

--Our cat is showing her first signs of getting old: she's starting to drool when she's content.

--At the last minute, K. decided to plant a garden this year. It doesn't seem as if it really matters one way or the other 'cause the chipmunks have taken and chewed on all of the green tomatoes. No BLTs with home grown tomatoes this year.

--There are two movies I REALLY want to see: Serenity (scifi) and March of the Penguins (documentary). Unfortunately, I probably won't get to see either one for almost a year, or whenever they make it to HBO, Showtime, etc.

--I am always battling different kinds of bugs in this house, but this year is really something. We have an infestation of tiny moths, beetles of all sizes, and spiders on steroids. Yep, those spiders have been doing SOMETHING, 'cause they are bigger than they ever have been before.

--The construction continues. What I don't understand is this: Why can't people obey signs? Big signs declare "ROAD CLOSED" and there are barricades across 2/3 of the street, yet people drive right through as if everything was normal. The road is down to (barely) one lane and is open to residents only, but some people seem to think signs don't pertain to them.

--C. and her family were in town and stopped in today. While I love seeing them--the kids are adorable :)--having six extra people in this house is something I am not used to. K. and I lead a very quiet life, just the two of us and the cat, so it is a little unnerving to have that many extra people around. Our place is not child-proofed, so I have to make sure the babies don't get into anything to hurt themselves. K. does his part by carrying whichever little one wants to be carried, just as he did with our kids. By the time they leave, we are exhausted! (And, no, I don't follow the kids around so they don't destroy any of my "precious" stuff, I just worry about them getting hurt.) It would be nice if we could just put things away from their reach, but that is an impossibility--at least we can close doors to SOME of the rooms they don't need to be in!

--We finally had a good thunderstorm today. We really haven't had many storms this year--we are in drought conditions--so it was nice to have rain for a change. Unfortunately the weather is supposed to get hot again this coming week, so we'll have to see if the drought continues.

Reason #3645 For Staying Away From My Family

While talking to C. the other night, I mentioned I was getting the guest list together for the up-coming wedding, so that I could send it to A. (Sidenote: I cannot for the life of me understand why I don't have the guest lists from C.'s first wedding or either of the graduation open houses. I don't EVER throw that kind of stuff away! I have MY wedding guest list and 3/4 of THOSE people are dead--no chance they will show up if invited, I hope.) Anyway, I said how my list will be rather small: just close friends and closest relatives from both sides. I figured it didn't matter if I left some relatives off the list because A. will have to go over the list with The Mother for her approval, and she can let it be known who else needs to be invited. I DON'T want to be the one with final approval and be blamed if someone isn't invited! Then C. told me her latest story from up there: She had a Pampered Chef party. She invited my first cousin's wife to come to the party. This took place while they were waiting to pick up their kids from the same swimming lessons. The party came and went and C. got reprimanded by my aunt (the cousin's mother), through The Mother, for not inviting the sister of the cousin (her daughter). Did you all understand that? Never mind if you didn't--this just goes to show how utterly screwed up my family is and only one of the reasons I am happy to have almost nothing to do with them.

(For full disclosure and total truth purposes: I don't actually have a list of the reasons to stay away from my family--3645 just seemed like a fairly reasonable number. Without a doubt, I am sure there are very many more reasons than 3645!) :)

Games...You Say You Want Games?

Unfortunately, I waste time way too often. And I must admit one of my favorite ways to waste time is by playing games--electronic games. I love the Zelda series and own every one of the Nintendo machines so that I can play each of the games. I always thought I would become a computer gamer if I got a powerful enough system, but that just never happened, even though I had a "cutting-edge technology" machine--I guess I have too many other things I like to do more on the computer. However, I do have two games (other than solitaire) I love to waste my time with on the computer.

I got addicted to Snood the first time I played it. It is a great game to play if you don't want to think too hard for awhile--although, you can also plan strategy if you want to have a bit of a mental workout, too. This is something you can play for hours or just play a game or two if you have a few free minutes. As I said, I find Snood to be highly addictive. You can download a 30 day trial version here, and it only costs $15 to buy the game. I have received every upgrade for free since I bought it several years ago.

The other "game" I play is the Living Scenes jigsaw puzzles. Jigsaw puzzles on the computer are fine--I have done them for many years on Shockwave. However, these puzzles are very different: they are puzzles of moving scenes--for example: a picture of fish swimming underwater. It is quite unusual and I might not be explaining it very well, but the "moving" puzzles are quite challenging and very fun. A 30 day free trial of Living Scenes puzzles can be downloaded here. The cost for this program is $29 for volume 1 or $44 for both volumes 1 & 2. Seems a bit pricey, but you can download a free (motionless) puzzle every week, so that kind of offsets some of the cost.

Groucho Marx Was a Genius

So many times I have wished to be intellectually clever. It would be so nice to be able to cut someone down to size without yelling, threatening, or using vulgar language, right? I know, I know, that is not a good attitude, but there ARE times when you just have to "zing" someone--it's much better than punching them out! Groucho Marx was capable of using words to show how utterly ridiculous something was--and he used humor with a sarcastic twist. Some people might have been able to appreciate his cleverness and seen the error of their ways, and others could not. Here is a great example of "zinging" someone with words when, I'm sure, he would have wanted to do some slapping upside the head, and the response of someone not finding Groucho the least bit funny. Enjoy!

Quote

Since light travels faster than sound, people appear bright until you hear them speak.
--Anonymous

Start the Week With a Laugh

Q: What do you call a woman who knows where her husband is 24 hours a day, seven days a week?
A: A widow.


Q: How do you make a blonde laugh on Wednesday?
A: Tell her a joke on Monday!
(I was born blonde, so I can tell blonde jokes.)


Have a fun week!

Construction Woes

In this part of the country we have two seasons: winter and construction! Right now we are smack dab in the middle of construction season. Usually I don't mind the construction very much--it doesn't affect me unless we are doing a road trip. This all has changed this year. And the story goes like this:

We live on a dead-end street. The city decided that the sewer, water, and storm sewer pipes had to be upgraded on the main street we turn onto when we need to get ANYWHERE. Now, I agree this is something that needs to be done--in other parts of town they discovered WOOD "pipes" when they upgraded! (Not the case in this section, but the pipes are still OLD.) For someone not living on a dead-end, this would prove to be an inconvenience--for me, it is being trapped with no way out. It has to be understood, the intersection at the top of the street has not been completely closed off except for short periods of time, but that does me no good. Example: The other day I had an appointment and (thankfully) K. was on night shift, so he was home and offered to drive me. As we were told, the road WAS passable, just not by me! As we were turning the corner, we had, barely, the width of the Jimmy to drive on. On the right there was a huge mound of sand, a huge mound of gravel, and a HUGE mound of the dug-up road--so, that had to be maneuvered around. FINE, but on the left side, there was a hole dug--a 20 foot deep hole that had to be avoided! I am not the world's best, or most confident, driver--not that I'm a BAD driver, just not as confident as some--so there was no way I would ever be able to drive around that corner. The only way I would have attempted that turn was if I had been driving a Hummer, and I don't have one--yet! (I KNOW Hummers are gas hogs, but there ARE some advantages to owning one.) Of course, turning the corner wasn't the last of it. We had to wait for trucks and people to move out of the way and drive on a barely drivable road, JUST to get to the detour, which takes you blocks out of your way. All-in-all, a normally 5 minute drive took 15 minutes. Such fun.

So, beyond the holes to be avoided, we have to NOT: run over any workers (DUH!), get stuck in soft sand, hit any vehicles, or get crushed by heavy equipment. And this will not be completed until some time in October. (I can't WAIT till the university begins fall classes--it will be SO much fun, as the street is a main throughway.) I have figure out one good thing about all of this--NO UNEXPECTED COMPANY DROPPING IN! Hope your summer is not inconvenienced. (Thanks for "listening" to my rant.)

Register To Use...

Some of the sites on the Web have been requiring registration before you can access all areas of the site. Newspapers online are big on requiring registration; i. e., The New York Times, New York Post, etc. A lot of people, myself included, don't feel it is necessary to register and give personal info to every site asking for it, but that means not being able to surf some sites. Well, there is a little program called BugMeNot that can help. If you are using IE, just copy the address of the site you want to enter and go to the BugMeNot website and have a login name and password generated for you to use. It is a whole lot easier to use than it is to explain. The site has a tutorial, etc., to explain how to use it. There is no download required.

There is also an extension for those who use Firefox and the whole process is even easier! All that is needed is to right click on the login box and choose "Use BugMeNot" and you are automatically logged in to the site. Just another good reason to use Firefox: ease of use!

Hopefully this will stop anyone from grumbling under their breath at me when I post a link that can't be opened without a login name! (I have the tendency to do that every so often. SORRY!) :)

New News

C. went to see the high-risk pregnancy specialist last week and it has been determined that she is having another girl. She was CERTAIN that it was boy--I don't think there is any disappointment on her part, just total surprise. They still gave her a due date of November 25, but they will never let her go that long. The doctors will be happy to have her go till the week before Thanksgiving before they induce her--they are just absolutely thrilled if she goes 35 weeks or longer! (The doctor said everything is going well with both C. and the baby.)

Our other daughter, A., let us know that she will be getting married. The only plans so far are that the wedding will be in May and will take place where she is living: eight hours from us! I don't know how much help she expects from me--or how much I can give from this distance--but I already said I would do the flowers. Now all she has to decide is colors, types of flowers, and style of wedding. Thankfully she wants silk arrangements, so I have plenty of time to do things as slowly as I want. I'm so happy Michaels just opened here!

Must See

If you haven't done so yet, you have to go to the blog PostSecret. This is a site that posts pictures of postcards people send in. The postcard is to be homemade and it is to contain a person's "secret." This could have been very trivial, but reading through the cards I am amazed at some of the things revealed. Some secrets are inspiring, some funny, some lovely, and some are plain horrifying. One minute you can be smiling and the next you are crying over another person's pain. We never know what is going on in someone else's mind or life and reading this site reminds us not to judge too severely.

I HAD To Laugh

Was reading the letters on the site TomCruiseIsNuts.com and came across this. I just found it to be hysterical!

"Someone told me there was a website dedicated to Tom Cruise's Nuts. I haven't been this disappointed since I saw the closing credits to the movie, The Neverending Story."

I guess you can see what types of things I find funny! (And no, I am not obsessed with this Tom Cruise thing--it's just that you can't get away from it! AND I do too much surfing.)

Being Right-handed With A Left-handed Brain

I began my life as a left-hander. I was encouraged (I won't say "forced" because I have enough to be pissed off at The Mother about) to use my right hand so as not to be "different." The trouble is, I still think left-handed in many ways. When we played baseball as children, I found it just as easy to bat left-handed as right. Whenever I pick up a guitar (I don't play), it seems more comfortable to hold it as a lefty than as a right-hander. Whenever I do any hand sewing, I seem to sew in the direction of a lefty. I am slightly ambidextrous and know I could be much better if I practiced, but I really have not had the need till now. Just another slightly interesting fact about me. :)

You Go, Girl!

Brooke Shields answered Tom Cruise today in the New York Times. (May need to login.)
You can find a shortened version of her article here.

Advice to Tom (as if he needs ME to tell him what to do!): DO NOT speak about things you know nothing about. ONLY women can know what post-partum depression is. Enough said.

Identity Theft

I received a letter from a store I frequent when we make our out-of-state trips. They regretted to inform me that my debit card number COULD HAVE been stolen. This, of course, meant I had to get in touch with my bank to ask their opinion on what I should do. Well, even though this info was stolen about 6 months ago, my bank suggested, very vigorously, that I cancel the card I have and get a new one issued. Fine--works for me. EXCEPT: I am left without a debit card for 3-10 days until I get my new one! It has been YEARS since I carried a checkbook around with me--my mind just isn't there anymore. Such problems I have in my life! :)

Getting Old Fast?

Some people are REALLY playing this thing for all it's worth! Check this out: www.petitiononline.com/Tomkat

Funny Kids

Christina (9) and Catie (6) were playing with the rubber bands that had been cut out of Catie's hair. The following conversation took place:

Christina: "Let's play 'shoot the rubber bands at Catie'."
Catie: "Okay, YOU be Catie."

Right On!

"Life is what happens to you
While you're busy making other plans."
---John Lennon

Gossip

In the New York Daily News, Ben Widdicombe's column has this to say:

"Some engaging tidbits



So here's what I'm hearing about that relationship.


A source VERY close to the deal is saying there's a contract.


It's worth $5 million.


It's for five years.


There will be no sex.


The deal was sealed June 7.


That's what I'm hearing."

Draw your own conclusions! :) (And decide on your own WHO he is talking about.) ;)

Should've Known

I guess it's true: If you are a celebrity in California, you can get away with ANYTHING. What a sad day. Here's the story.

And I Cry

He wasn't quite 5 years old and I was still a newlywed when we first met. I fell in love immediately--his white-blonde hair, big blue eyes, and impossibly low voice were too much to resist. He just stared at me for the longest time, trying to figure out if I was worthy of his attention. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he held out his hand to me and said, "You want some candy?" When I accepted a jaw breaker, we became fast friends.

He was the sweetest boy God ever put on this earth. He always called me "Auntie," even though there wasn't any blood between us. Every time he saw me, he held his arms out and gave me a hug. I felt joy when I was around him--his smile was genuine and his sense of humor was wonderful.

I was there through his school days. I saw him graduate and I was there the day of his wedding. After getting to know his wife, I realized she was worthy of his love. I gave them my blessings. I was with them for the births of their children and the start of their business. They were there for K. and myself when we had our problems with C.--they offered help with no sense of judging us, just with pure love. Through the years we have gone lengths of time without seeing each other, but it was always as if we never parted whenever we were together again. He was "my boy."

And, now, "my boy" is a cocaine addict. He started out snorting, moved on to smoking, and is now injecting. He is slowly killing himself and there is nothing that can be done. He has lost his wife and children. He has lost his business. He is about to lose his life. And I can't do a thing for him. He has been through rehab several times and each time he goes back to the cocaine. He has to want to be clean for himself, or it won't work. I pray for him constantly and hope God intervenes before it is too late.

And I cry.

A Poem

Poetry has never been "my thing." I did, however, do the "worship of Rod McKuen" thing when I was young--I think it was required at the time. :) I completely blame my high school English teacher for my lack of enthusiasm for poetry. He never allowed us to read poetry just for pure pleasure--everything had to be analyzed to death. While I CAN appreciate good poetry, I never seek it out. So, with that in mind, I offer my only serious attempt at writing a poem. (This is several years old.)



TO YOU


you

HURT me

with your words

BUT

you

KILL me

with your silence

And Chicken Little Said, "Legs Are Falling From the Sky!"

"A man's severed leg--with a white Adidas sneaker still attached--plummeted from the sky onto a garage roof and bounced into the backyard of a Long Island home yesterday morning..." For more of this story go here.

Hi all, I'm back! I will write more later today or tomorrow, but I wanted to give you something interesting to read, hence the link to the story. Unbelievable!

THE MOTHER Attends a Graduation Party

I was sitting and enjoying the visit with K.'s family when I looked up and The Mother was coming into the living room. I honestly think the only reason they showed up was to see if I would be there. We said hi to each other--just as if we were acquaintances who happen to be invited to the same parties every few months. She, of course, made a big deal of fawning over my grandchildren--let everyone know how Marcus is shy with people he doesn't know. This said right after I brought him to her because he stared to cry with me. She made it clear that the kids know her much better than they know me. I don't quite remember what she said, but the message came through loud and clear. The trouble is, she doesn't ever think she does anything wrong--she REALLY doesn't see how destructive and hurtful her actions are. This is the kind of person you can't reason with--so it IS better for me to stay away from her. I only got a small glance of The Father as he walked through the kitchen.

The only real enjoyment I got was the realization that I would be raked over the coals for many days after seeing her. This was the first time she saw my tattoo since I got it--totally blew her mind, I'm sure. Of course, she is just too polite to say anything to me--at least in front of other people--but I KNOW it was a hot topic of conversation that night and will be for a long time to come. :)

Of Moose and Wolves

I know I have mentioned, in at least one post, the amount of wildlife we get to see in and around our house. Now that isn't such an incredible thing except for the fact that we live in the middle of a small city. Well, the wildlife is (are?) on the loose again! A couple of weeks ago we had a wolf about two miles from our house and the other day a moose was wandering a block from us. The police officer who saw the wolf watched it leave the area, but no one actually saw the moose leave town. I am assuming it has gone, but one never knows. I feel so sorry for the moose as it was just a baby and it probably misses its mother very much.

Of course, I never get to see any of this exciting stuff until it is shown on the local news or is in the newspaper. That is, until today. Now, it isn't QUITE as exciting as seeing it in my own backyard, but today I saw my first moose in the wild! It was grazing peacefully on the side of the road and I wouldn't have even noticed it (it was dusk and the moose blended in with the surroundings very well) but several cars had pulled over so the occupants could watch. This was an absolutely thrilling event for me! I guess that shows how exciting my life is. :) Moose are magnificent animals--very impressive.

About Shopping and a Bald Cat

We got back from our shopping expedition quite early yesterday--before 8:00 PM. I guess it shouldn't be such a surprise--after all, we left the house before 6:00 AM. The shopping went fast--we knew what we needed so there was no unnecessary meandering. I must say, though, doing that much in one day just wears me out--my feet and legs were just throbbing last night. I got to sleep earlier than usual, so it wasn't all that bad.

Now I don't know what I was thinking, but I decided to clean the upstairs room today. As if my legs weren't tired enough from yesterday, I have been up and down the stairs all evening. The cat has decided that the room is hers, so it is quite a job to keep it clean. If I don't get up there at least once a week, then it is a major bit of work to try and get it in shape. The allergist said I am only allergic to dust mites, but with all the fur I breathe in when I clean that room, I think I'm developing an allergy to cat dander! I swear, the amount of fur I vacuumed up would be enough to make three good sized cats. She should be completely bald by now!

It looks as if we will have a quiet Memorial Day weekend--which is quite all right with me. Other than the graduation party on Sunday, we have no other plans. Sunday will be busy, so I will be happy to just rest on Monday.

TP and Other Boring Stuff

There was a time when I actually could figure out just how much TP I would have to buy when I went shopping. Then when A. moved out, I had to reevaluate the situation and determined I would need much less than before. Everything was going quite well until the manufacturers decided they needed to Super-Size! Now it is a guessing game as to how much I need to purchase at a time. Charmin now comes in no fewer than 4 different size rolls. Do we really need rolls of TP so large that a holder extender has to come with each package? How much toilet paper do people use in one day? Unbelievable.

As you can tell, I really don't have much going on that is interesting. Tomorrow we will be going out of town to do some shopping. We will only be gone for the day, and that is fine with me.

On Sunday we will be going to K.'s great-nephew's graduation party. We only got one other graduation invitation this year and I don't think any more will be coming. An inexpensive year for us, thank goodness. Hopefully K. won't decide we have to stop and see The Parents while we are up there--I don't really need to see them any time soon. At least we WILL be able to see C. and the kids for a short time.

To Those Who Write Comments...

I will be handling the answering of comments differently from now on. If you leave a comment, I will post an answer right after, instead of answering on your blog. This will make it easier to follow a thread, I think. Does any of this make any sense? Thank you to Dragon Child and cantellya for commenting on my posts. It is nice that SOMEONE actually reads my drivel! :)

Crawlie Thingees

I can tell this is going to be a WONDERFUL summer. (Can you just feel the sarcasm?) This past week I have found more crawlie thingees: there was a tent caterpillar in the basement--never had one there before--and I found a red ant crawling on the bed. Yippee! I can't wait to see what I find next.

Anyway, I hope you all have a great weekend. I think we will be doing some gardening. :)

Staying Up Late and Scaring Small Children

Any of my friends and family know that I am a night owl--I would do very well working the night shift. This is why people don't hesitate to call me in the late evening/early morning hours. So with that in mind, I don't know why my heart skips a beat every time the phone rings late at night, as it did the other night shortly after midnight. My first thought was panic. Then I saw on the caller id that it was C., so I got even more concerned. And the fact that she was calling from her cellphone made me think she was on her way here because she was in premature labor. (How in the world can one think that many thoughts in the space of 5 seconds!?) As it turned out, she was driving through the next state on her way to pick up her husband. G. drives an 18-wheeler and had a 36 hour lay-over and she went to get him so he could spend some time with her and the kids. (He has been gone for over a week and won't be back until this coming weekend.) She called me because she was bored and knew I was the only person she could call who would actually be up at that time. I've always said, one way or another, my kids would shorten my life.

Some people wish they could go back and spend their high school years over again. Or they want to have their college years back. Or the early marriage years were the best times of their life. I don't yearn for the past--I am quite content to be in the here and now. There are only two things I would like from way back when. The first is: I want my old body back! I want the pre-pregnancy, pre-hysterectomy, pre-gravity wrecked, pre-OLD body back! And to think I felt I was too heavy when I was in high school. What a fool I was. The other thing I want is my former ability to wake up and leave the house in less than 15 minutes. These days it takes me at least an hour to get ready to leave the house--and this is just doing enough to myself so that I won't scare small children, not so that I will look great! Oh, the toll time has taken on me.

Not Truly Obsessive-Compulsive

At the risk of being accused of using generalities and stereotyping, I must ask: Why is it impossible for men to put things away? Granted, I only have my husband to point to when I ask this question, but I know the same thing goes on in other homes.

I don't understand why my hubby cannot put things (Doritos, chips, etc.) away in the pantry where they belong. What he does instead is leave whatever snack food he is finished with on the bench in the breakfast nook. Now this might not be cause for being annoyed except for the fact that he only has to take ONE more step to put the food where it belongs! And he cannot understand why this irritates me. After all, he's not finished with the snack--he'll be eating more tomorrow.

Another thing he physically is unable to do is put his bathrobe back in his closet. His robe has been on the floor next to our bed for so long that it is light blue--instead of navy--because of all the dust that has settled on it. This, I understand, might be harder for him to put away because he actually would have to open a door to get into the closet--very difficult.

Most of the time his inability to put things away only causes me to be annoyed. However, his inability to put his tools away DOES cost us money. At the moment his toolbox has one set of sockets in it. The man has more tools than you can shake a stick at and he cannot find a screwdriver when he needs one--because they are not where they belong. The first thing he does when he needs a tool is he heads for MY toolbox and uses what he can find. Of course, he doesn't put it back when he's done, so now MY tools are MIA, also. The biggest problem, though, is when even I don't have what he is looking for. This gives him an excuse to go out and buy whatever he can't find in the house. This in turn has brought us to the situation we are now in--we have a hammer for every room of the house, more screwdrivers in more sizes than anyone ever imagined they made, and enough socket sets that we could've left a set in every vehicle we have ever owned. All of this is moot, though, as I can only find one socket set, three screwdrivers and one hammer (brand new) at the moment.

Okay, okay, I can hear you screaming, "If it bothers you so much, put it away yourself!" Tried that. And for my effort I got blamed for putting things where they cannot be found. And I even get blamed for things I never touch--I'm just a good scapegoat when he can't remember where he left something!

So, to try and keep my house in some semblance of order, I clean and organize what I can get away with and leave the rest. And because I haven't had a breakdown, yet, I know I am not truly obsessive-compulsive.

Retainers, Bugs, and Rob Thomas

I don't really know why I haven't written for the last two weeks--maybe a bit of laziness, maybe the fact that I can't keep the days straight! Anyway, I mentioned in my short post of yesterday that K. has been working almost non-stop for the past several weeks, so it is hard to remember what day it is.

On 28 April I got my braces off. Yeah!!!! And then, I also was given my retainers. Boo!!!! After being without braces/with retainers, I now know why people won't wear the retainers. It isn't that there is any pain involved, it's just a royal pain in the kazoo! Of course, you can't eat with retainers, and I won't drink anything but water while wearing them. (Probably my being anal, but I worry about the acid from coffee/soda getting under the retainers and rotting my teeth.) Then, after eating, I won't put the damn things back in my mouth until I've brushed. I guess I will have worn the enamel right off the teeth by the time I'm told to only wear them at night. (Hint, hint: I eat WAAAAYYYY too much.)

Mother's Day came and went like any other day. K. worked the night shift, so we didn't even go out to eat. However, he did get me a card and a small box of fudge and 4 lottery tickets. Three of the four tickets were winners--I got $60! That will ALMOST pay for Photoshop Elements. C. called and wished me a good day--the first time in a LONG time that either of the girls have acknowledged me on a special day. I appreciated her calling. I never have expected a gift or any big fuss from the girls (not that I would turn anything down!), but I would like to be acknowledged as the woman who gave birth to them. A card would be nice--a phone call is fine--even an email would be acceptable (and it is free)--but too many times I get nothing. I don't understand it, they weren't raised that way. Even when The Mother and I have been estranged, I have always remembered her birthday and Mother's Day. ENOUGH WHINING!

We are experiencing our typical weather--one day so hot that I can't remove enough clothing to keep myself cool and the next day so cold that I'm bundled up in socks, long pants, and a sweater. We might even be getting some snow during the next few days. I guess we will be doing the planting a bit later than usual.

In one of my earlier posts I mentioned the spider problem we have in this house. There still are quite a few of them--and I kill every one I see--but I now have been having a much creepier problem--I have been seeing centipedes in the basement. Not only do those things have WAY too many legs, and are WAY too long to be considered bugs, but they are VERY fast. If I don't get to them fast enough, they crawl under something and hide from me. This is not something I can live with. I know beyond any reason that if I let any bug live after I have seen it, the next thing I know is it will be on my face as I sleep. And getting to the things isn't the last of the problems: they are next to impossible to kill! I have hit a centipede five times before the thing would die! That just is not right. I swear they are part cockroach--they also are hard to kill. I guess I would have to live in a very large operating-room environment to not have to deal with all the creepy-crawlies I can't stand. And I know that wouldn't even work: they would find a way to get to me.

What I've been listening to: Something To Be by Rob Thomas. Great!

I'm Still Here!

Just wanted to post this and will write more (hopefully) tomorrow: I'M FINE! Thank you for worrying, cantellya! Anyway, it has been a bit crazy here--nothing in particular, just slightly off of normal. K. has been working almost all of his days off--nice money, but he does need some rest, too. I can't remember what day it is, most of the time! So, I will catch everyone up with my life in the next few days. Have a good one.

Cows With Guns

Saw this for the first time quite a while ago and it still makes me laugh every time I see it. Enjoy Cows With Guns.

What I'm Reading, Watching, and Listening To

For the last week or so, I've been reading State of Fear by Michael Crichton. I'm enjoying it quite a bit--but, then, I enjoy all of his books.

The last movie I watched was Miracle. It's the story of the 1980 US Olympic hockey team and their miracle win. A great story done very well.

The last couple of weeks I've been listening to King of the Electric Blues (Muddy Waters) and Howlin' Wolf/Moanin' in the Moonlight (Howlin' Wolf.) Great blues.

Hope you have a great weekend.

Ch-ch-ch-changes

Yes, this is still my blog. Thought I would try a different look for awhile. Can't get too comfortable with the same old, same old. Hope you enjoy.

Hopelessly Romantic?

I re-read yesterday's post and had to chuckle to myself. I really got a sense that I might be a hopeless romantic from what I wrote. WRONG!! I could be described as a cynical, sarcastic, cold, hard-hearted bitch, but NEVER as hopelessly romantic. :)

Quite cold today--I'm just happy I didn't have to go out. But never fear, warmer weather is coming.

Cantellya asked me if I was having a "braces removal" celebration--actually, I hadn't even thought about it. I am thrilled to think I will be able to brush and floss in less than 20 minutes that I don't know how much more celebrating I could take! Actually, we might go out of town on a shopping trip, so I will see if I can celebrate by buying myself something!

A Little Bit of Me

Cantellya asked for the answers to the following questions:

1. Where did you grow up?
I was born and raised in the north central part of the U.S.

2. What is your favorite daydream?
One of my favorite daydreams: A musician would fall passionately in love with me. When he realizes he can’t have me, he writes a song about his love and it becomes a rock classic; e.g., Layla.

3. What are you wearing right now?
I can usually be found in a pair of yoga pants and t-shirt.

4. What is your favorite food?
If one could see me, it would be obvious this question is a bit absurd. I DEFINITELY don’t have any ONE favorite food. However, my biggest indulgence is carbohydrates. I am a carb addict.

5. Cat or dog?
I have a cat who is 12-years-old. A cat is much easier for us to have when we go out of town on a regular basis.

6. If you could go back in time to elementary school, is there someone you'd have been nicer to?
Yes—a girl named Mary. I wish her health, happiness, and a much more wonderful life than she had growing up.

7. Name one of your favorite memories....
When K. asked me to marry him.

8. Do you have a favorite pair of pajamas?
No favorite pair of pj’s, but I have a flannel robe I absolutely love.

9. If you could have any job, what would it be?
I would love to help “computer illiterate” people learn to use a computer—and learn to love computers as much as I do.

10. If you could have lunch with one person, who would it be?
I couldn’t choose just one person.

First, I would like to have lunch with God so I could ask Him, “Why”?

Albert Einstein: I would ask him to explain the theory of relativity—and, as a bonus, maybe he could help me understand chaos theory.

Any gossip columnist: I would ask for ALL of the dirt on EVERYONE.

Eric Clapton: I would ask him if he would be so kind as to sing one song for me—ANY song.

What Are Noogies?

On Monday, we had a record high temperature of 79 degrees. Today it is so cold that I'm freezing my noogies off. (Don't know what noogies might be, but if I have them they are freezing!) :) The forecast is even calling for snow over the weekend--which I told everyone would happen. The beginning of April is WAY too early for us to have the last snowfall of the season.

I have been thinking about what television character I would like as a friend and I finally came up with my first one: Lorelei Gilmore from the Gilmore Girls. She is the type of person you could have as a best friend and do all the best friend stuff with: have pajama parties, watch chick flicks, eat ice cream to help with depression, and tell your deepest, darkest secrets to. The character is quirky, smart, funny, compassionate and has just as much emotional baggage to deal with as is appropriate for a friend of mine to have. (A friend can't have more baggage than me, otherwise, we would never get around to MY problems.) Definitely Lorelei Gilmore is a friend worth having.

Only Freud Knows?

While working a jigsaw puzzle on the computer the other night, my mind started wandering--as is the case whenever I'm doing something that is fairly mindless. Anyway, I started thinking about the television shows I watch regularly and came up with this question: What character (not actor or actress) in what show(s) would I like to have as a friend. The answer I came up with was, "No one?" Or, at least, I couldn't think of any. What does it say about me that I can watch something week after week and not want to know the "people" I get so involved with? Why can I love to watch "someone's" life and yet not want to have that person as a friend? Hmmm. Maybe that's a question only Sigmund could answer? So, my dear readers, how would you answer that question? Or, don't you watch TV? I will be eager to read your responses.

Happy Happy, Joy Joy

Just got home from the orthodontist and the braces come off in two weeks!!!!!!! I am singing the "Happy Happy, Joy Joy" song! ( You can find the song here.)

Payback's a Bitch

You reap what you sow--what goes around, comes around--revenge is sweet. The Mother's Curse is alive and working--and I just laughed myself silly! The story follows.

C. called today and I could barely hear her because of the screaming and crying in the background. Asked her what was going on and she said Noelle was having a temper tantrum. What about, I asked. Well, she had a royal fit because her mother took her in from being outside! C. said she was afraid Social Services (or whatever it is called these days) was going to be knocking at her door because Noelle was acting like she was being beaten to within an inch of her life. (And she was sure she saw the neighbors peeking out their windows to see who was getting killed.) All I could do was laugh and say, "You are getting paid back for all YOU did!" C. acted the exact same way at the same age, so it is nice to see the "I hope you have children that act just like you" curse is still working! At least C. has a sense of humor about the whole thing--she admits she was a brat and can see why she is getting it with her own kids. :)

Gmail Invites and Pregnancy

If there still is anyone wanting a Gmail account, I have 50 invites to give away. Let me know via the comment section and we can go from there.

C. was supposed to see the doctor and have an ultrasound today, but I didn't hear from her. I will have to call tomorrow and find out what he had to say. At least she doesn't have to travel out of town for this pregnancy--the neonatologist said there was nothing more that could be done for her. Hopefully the doctor is correct in what is being done and this pregnancy goes as well as the last one. And I hope she doesn't have to be here for a week because of premature labor, as she did last time. At least they were able to stop it--that is a great improvement. I guess a mother's concerns never end, no matter how old the kids get!

Sunshine, Roses, and Tattoos

Today the sun has been shining beautifully. I guess it really is spring. I would love spring and summer if it wasn't for the bugs--especially wasps, bees, hornets, etc. Anything that can hurt me, actually.

The miniature rose bush I have in the dining is working overtime. Right now one flower is in full bloom and there are three more buds starting. I'm impressed--this is the most flowers we've ever had on it.

I'm seriously thinking about getting another tattoo.

Spring

I guess spring is finally here. Today we had our first thunderstorm of the year and I saw the first robin. Now, I'm sure this was not the first robin in the area, just the first one I saw. I also watched the crows gathering dried grass for their nests--rather fun.

Today K. finished working three days of overtime--just in time to start night shift tomorrow! I couldn't handle him doing shift work if we had young kids here--it would just be too hard.

The cat is trying to get me to feed her--she is just being too noisy! It's still a bit early for her to eat, so she'll just have to wait. I can imagine she is hungry--right after eating this morning, she hacked up a hairball and, of course, everything she ate. Animals can be very hard to live with at times.

And for the big news of the day: C. let us know yesterday that she is pregnant. Again. Marcus isn't one till July and Noelle isn't two till September and the new baby is probably going to arrive around November. Words fail me.

I'm Baaaaack!

We got home a few hours ago from a most enjoyable weekend. It was so nice to see people we haven't seen in years. I very much enjoyed getting to know--at least a little--the grown-up children of friends of mine. It is so nice to see the next generation is off to a good start.

While K. and I enjoyed the whirlpool suite we stayed in, we have decided it isn't worth the extra money. When we go out of town, we are just too busy to enjoy the time needed to relax in the whirlpool. However, we love having the "suite" part--the extra room , sofa, frig, and microwave are very nice to have. Might have to continue getting suites.

Now, while I am tired and slightly headachy from too much wine, I will get on with my bitchiness--must get it out of my system. :)

About the wedding:

--The mother of the bride wore an off-white lace dress. I thought this was NOT proper as the bride should be the only one wearing a shade of white. I don't know, just an observation.

--I felt we were in the land where old prom hair goes to die. Everyone from the bride's mother to the flower girl had hair that was curled, teased, and shellaced to within an inch of its life--all in styles not seen on anyone in 15 years or longer. Hmmm.

--While the women in the bride's family are very healthy looking--some more than a few pounds OVER healthy--I have never seen so many young and old men that are so skinny. And skinny isn't even the best word. There wouldn't have to be enough of a breeze to move a feather to knock one of these men over. NEVER have I seen such skinny men.

--The reception was, unfortunately, reminiscent of those I remember from growing up. The bride spent most of the evening on the dance floor--usually with the bridesmaids--and the groom mainly hung around the bar with his groomsmen. Every 30-45 minutes the bride and groom would dance, but they mostly were not with each other. Another hmmmm.

--The bride's mother and father left the reception almost an hour before it was over. A way to get out of helping clean up afterwards?

--And, finally, the star of the whole show was a Navy buddy of the bride's brother. A cuter, happier, friendlier person you have never seen. He was adorable and everyone fell in love with him just a little bit.

And now for my final rant before I close to feed the cat for the second time tonight:

--This morning we went for breakfast and got seated next to THE MOST IRRITATING WOMAN ON THE FACE OF THIS EARTH!!!!!!! First, she wore her sunglasses in the restaurant, as if she was a celebrity. Her voice was only SLIGHTLY less annoying than Fran Drescher's--not quite as nasally. Her pretentious attitude was bordering on condescension of her dining companions--in-laws, I think. She weighed about 95 pounds and had her clothes so tight they looked like they were painted on, so she had to walk through the restaurant just to make sure everyone would notice her. (She had no reason to walk through the restaurant other than to go and look at the muffins to see if she wanted one.) And to top it all off, she ordered her breakfast of strawberry waffles and a muffin TO GO. She wanted to take the food with her--presumably so she could be close enough to a bathroom when she stuck her finger down her throat after eating. If you haven't figured it out yet, she irritated the hell out of me! :)

So, on that note, I will close for now. Hopefully I will be in a much better frame of mind when I do my next post! It is good to be home.

Weekend Fun

Wanted to wish everyone a happy weekend. We are off to a wedding out of state AND the whirlpool suite at a local hotel. Hot damn, we will have fun this weekend! :) I'll be back posting early next week.

A Little of This, A Little of That

It has been rather quiet around here. Nothing terribly interesting, but here are some of the details of my unspectacular life:

We took a ride up north on Friday. Catie's birthday had been on Wednesday, so we had to bring her gift. I had never been to C.'s house, so it was interesting. She has really come a long way with her mom and wife skills--I was very impressed by what I saw. The house is quite small, but she had it very neat and done up about as nice as you can with a rental. She had just taken dinner out of the oven as we got there, so we only stayed for about a half hour. I guess that was fine for the first time--we still are being overly careful. I don't know if we will ever get back to being completely easy with each other. The kids sure are cuties--the babies are growing fast and furious.

Didn't do anything special at all for Easter. I don't know where my head was at this year, cause I didn't even make a special dinner like I usually do. No big deal--K. was on day shift so he didn't get home till after 6:00 pm. It was really neat to look out the back window that morning and see one of the neighborhood rabbits--the Easter bunny had arrived!

The weather has been rather nice. K. broke out the grill on Saturday and we had the first hamburgers of the season. Can't wait till we grill bratwurst--my personal favorite. Today the temp has been hovering around 60, so I have windows open in every room. The poor cat is trying to adjust (as she has to every spring) to the outside noises. For a relative of the "king of beasts," she sure is skittish--can't handle anything from a leaf blowing past the window to a UPS truck out on the street. Her "allergies" seem to be bothering her--she's been sneezing a bit more than usual. Oh, well, hers must be seasonal! :)

Interesting (?) Fact

Something only one or two people know about me: I have NEVER put gas in my vehicle by myself. Whenever it is needed--and I am forced to buy gas--I go to a full-service gas station.

Email Madness

I have somewhere in the neighborhood of 7 different email accounts--I should count how many, but I feel particularly lazy right now. :) Three of the accounts are my "main" ones--used for personal, business, etc. and the rest are there to, supposedly, keep my main accounts from getting too much junk mail. And this is where I am having a problem. My Hotmail account, one of my main ones, is again getting more junk mail than all of my other accounts combined! For awhile, there was next to no junk mail coming and all of a sudden the account was flooded--and most of it has reference to "Mark Gibson" (whoever that is supposed to be) in the subject line. I don't open junk mail, so I can't even block this junk, and there is no filtering that can be done just by words--it all has to be done by address or domain. I report all of this as junk, but it seems to increase what I get instead of stopping it. Microsoft sure has to get its act together or there will be a rebellion--more so than already! The main reason I got my Gmail account was to get away from Hotmail--unfortunately I can't get away from it completely. Too much of Microsoft depends on Hotmail as is the case with IE. I really am thinking about trying Linux--but that won't solve all of the problems, either! We just seem to be in a Microsoft world and there is little we can do about it--change is too slow in coming.

Peeps

I haven't quite figured out whether I consume more sugar around Halloween or Easter. The real difference is that there are some things that only are available at Easter, so it seems as if I eat more candy then.

Even after all these years, I wait for Cadbury creme eggs to show up on the store shelves. My favorites are the originals, but the fudge ones come in a close second. They can stop making the caramel ones any time--definitely not a fave.

Another thing I like at this time of year are Peeps. I know they make Peeps for different holidays, but the Easter ones are special--they remind me of Easter baskets from my childhood. I can't really eat too many of them--they are, after all, pure sugar. But they are fun once a year.

The candy that I wait for all year long is made by a local candy maker. Every year I must have one of their fudge eggs--they are to die for. I can gain 5 pounds just walking past the display, they are so gooey, fudgy, and rich. I think I have to go out and get one tonight--something to snack on while watching 24!

And finally, for anyone who has never been to the sites, here are the links to the Peep Research site and to the Bunny Survival Tests. Absolutely hilarious, even if they are slightly sadistic. Enjoy!

Uninteresting Post

I have a sinus headache today. I hope I can shake it off as I can't just baby myself today--way too much to do. Oh, well, this too shall pass. :)

Sorry

So I completely forgot to wish everyone a happy St. Patrick's Day, but more importantly, I forgot to say happy St. Urho's Day on the sixteenth! I can't believe it. I'm losing my mind. :)

Chipmunks, Hockey, and Not Guilty Verdicts

Just some random thoughts from my mind.

This month is well on its way to becoming one of the coldest, if not THE coldest, month of March on record. Needless to say, we still have snow several feet deep on the ground between us and the neighbors' house. With the snow and the cold, I cannot understand why I am seeing chipmunks running around already! In the past, the chipmunks have been out when there has been a lot of snow left, but it usually is during a nice spring thaw. I know they don't totally hibernate, but they usually stay in their dens until it's a little warmer. Just think it's strange, is all.

Was thinking about the non-hockey season this year. Imagine, there was NO NHL hockey, AT ALL, and NO ONE died as a result! Some people would have you believe they absolutely would die if they couldn't watch their favorite sport, but this proves you can get through it--even here in the land of hockey! Years ago I lived and breathed hockey--just couldn't get enough of it. For the past 20+ years I haven't followed it at all, so it wasn't as big a loss for me as it was for some. I really was hoping to get back into the game this year, but it just wasn't meant to be. The whole thing has been interesting, though. I would love to see the same thing happen to football--but that would NEVER happen. I'm sure they would get the Supreme Court to rule it unconstitutional to not have an NFL season and force them to play. :) But anyway, I think this has hurt hockey very badly--not here, of course, but in places (the south) that haven't had the game treated like a religion for decades as we have in the north. Hope the game can recover.

So Robert Blake was found not guilty. What to say?

It is amazing just how much my shopping habits have changed since I've started buying on the Web. For example: I searched high and low for a case for my Zen Micro--just don't want my baby to get scratched--and there are none here in the States. I know there are several companies planning on making the cases, but as of now, they aren't available. So, that brings me to the Web. Did a search, found the absolute best case I wanted--and there really weren't that many of them to choose from--and ordered it. Now, the beauty part of the whole thing is this: I had to order it from Hong Kong. Directly. Just blows me away to order things from other countries as easily as ordering from the next state. I find it a hoot.

Right now I'm writing this post using Internet Explorer as my browser. I really don't use IE very much at all--I use Firefox and love the living daylights out of it. However, I just don't seem to be able to do everything quite as easily on Blogger with Firefox as I can with IE. Can't figure out what the problem is--guess I should email Help and ask, but it isn't THAT much of an inconvenience.

More Geekiness

Something isn't right here--I tried to post an answer to the comment on the previous post and things went horribly awry, so I will answer the question in a new post!

iPods are small, portable MP3 music players--and the gold standard, according to some. You use your computer to transfer music to your player, so you can take it with you. Depending on the capacity of the player, you can transfer several hundred to 10,000 songs onto a player. Of course, this depends on the length of the song--the full version of "Stairway to Heaven" will take up much more space than "Pretty Woman" would. The physical size of these players are different, also. An iPod Shuffle is about the size of a pack of gum, my Zen Micro can fit in an Altoids tin with some room to spare, and a full size iPod is a bit bigger. These players appeal to several different groups of people (in my opinion): the "young ones," music addicts, and geeks. I bought my Zen Micro for two reasons: I love tech gadgets and this way I can listen to MY music while the hubby listens to HIS music on the CD player when we travel (I don't share his love of certain music, so he has to listen to something we both like all of the time). So, that is a VERY long answer to a simple question. :) I guess I just love to show my geekiness!

All Tech

Might as well get some of my tech geekiness out of the way, so here goes. I don't believe I ever posted about my new computer--probably scared to be too optimistic! Anyway, I got my new baby in December and I am absolutely thrilled with it! I went with a Dell, again, and so far everything seems to be fine. The small problems that have come up are more software problems than anything else--and I think it is a matter of two programs not wanting to play nice with each other more than any major concerns. I have put the baby through the paces except for burning DVD's--I have to get to video editing soon! I have been trying to organize ALL of my music and just seem to not have much time for anything else.

Talking about music brings me to my next item. I got my Zen Micro 5G MP3 player on Monday and so far it is one of the best purchases I have EVER made. I've wanted an MP3 player since before there was an iPod and haven't been able to decide on which one I wanted. I bought a Rio Chiba and had to bring it back because I just wasn't satisfied. It was so cheaply made I was afraid to hold it too tightly for fear of breaking it! Instead of looking like a $100+ piece of electronic equipment, it resembled something you might get in a McDonald's Happy Meal! Several years ago I bought a Rio CD player and that was built like a tank--I just don't know what is up with the Rio brand these days. Anyway, back to my Zen Micro. I got it in dark blue--I was too afraid of NOT being conservative--and it is absolutely beautiful. It will take me a little while to get used to the controls and the software was a bit confusing, but it is definitely worth what it cost. I know a lot of people really like iPods, but I just couldn't bring myself to buy one. (I guess I don't like Apple the way a lot of people don't like Microsoft!) While reading comments in a forum about Zen Micro, some people are calling it the "antipod." :) Funny!

I finally set up Trillian so that I could IM C. I don't care too much for instant messaging, but I find it gives a more immediate response than email does. Of course, if I want to have a regular back and forth conversation, I'll pick up the phone, but this will do every once in awhile. C. and I had a short IM session and she had to go and change a diaper. (She leads a REAL exciting life.) I was here reading my mail when a new IM came through and it was from her--only it was just a bunch of letters. I thought it was an acronym or something, like LOL, so I was about to ask her what it meant when a new message came through. This one made even less sense and then about five more gibberish messages came through. Finally C. came on and told me Noelle had been sending the messages! I laughed so hard. Noelle has been in the terrible twos since she turned one and she will continue until she's sixteen! I told C. that this one will be her problem child, and she sure is--and she isn't even two! That made my day. :)

Maximum PC magazine comes out with their Geek Quiz once a year and this month's issue had the one for 2005. About four(?) years ago I took the quiz and got almost 75% of the answers correct. After glancing though the quiz today, I don't think I will even get 10% of the answers right--even by guessing! I don't know if I just haven't kept up with stuff enough or if everything has changed that significantly, but it sure made me depressed. Oh, well, I still learn new things almost every day, so my brain isn't turning to mush, at least. :)

Some Bits and Pieces

The season premier of The Shield was on last night. It looks as if it will be another good bunch of episodes--I have high hopes for Glenn Close's character. A very good show if you like "gritty drama". (Translation of "gritty drama"--mature language, situations, nudity, violence, and sex.)

I am becoming truly convinced that I am addicted to gossip! I read WAY too many gossip columns online every day. Must just mean I'm missing much excitement in my own life! :)

K. has been suffering a very bad sinus headache today. He finally took a Claritin-D and said the congestion seems to be lessening. I don't understand why he waits so long to take meds. Maybe I would understand better if I didn't take a pharmacy's worth of meds every day. I told him to call in sick for day shift tomorrow, but he said he'll wait and see. I just want him to sleep through--if he can--and not have to get up with the alarm to make the phone call! Can't get him to see that, though.

I had to laugh, it just seemed so funny: I walked through the living room earlier and glanced at the TV and K. was watching the "Love Stories" channel! Now, I'm sure it wasn't a real "chick flick," but it just made me chuckle to see my big, brawny, middle-aged husband watching a movie on that channel.

I Have Arrived

After almost ten years online, I feel I have finally arrived. Today I received my first official "phishing" email! And the scary part of it is, if this wouldn't have come from a bank I don't do business with, I just might have clicked through and answered the email! ME! The person who goes on and on to anyone who will listen about being careful, and spyware, and viruses, etc. etc.! Hopefully this was my wake-up call and I now realize I am no more immune to this crap than anyone else!

On another note: I found out The Parents were in town recently and visited with someone other than us. A guy K. works with said they visited with him and his wife while in town last week. Now, I can say I don't care, but deep inside I do feel a bit hurt by it. I also feel a little grateful that they are leaving me alone. I am just one bundle of contradictions. I know I am doing better when I don't have contact with them, but I still feel as if something is missing by not having family to be with. I guess I got to get my sh** together and finally decide what it is I really want.

Where Are Our Priorities and A Creepy Feeling

First, the creepy feeling. Every time K. and I go to Milwaukee, we stay next door to the hotel where seven people were murdered. And to top it all off, K. has even stayed at that Sheraton when he's been there for work! Creepy.

I read Parade magazine's annual "What People Earn" article today and , once again, I wonder where our priorities are in this country. Lindsay Lohan earned $10 million this past year and a youth minister earned $30,000. LeBron James (basketball player) earned $21 million and a child-care provider earned $32,000. John Travolta: $25 million, teacher: $24,300. Jessica Simpson: $4 million, firefighter: $34,000. Lance Armstrong: $19 million, school-bus driver: $26,000. Peyton Manning (football player): $42 million, ER nurse: $47,000. If we really think these over-paid celebrities and athletes are worth so much more money than people who care for our health, safety, and children, then I have lost all faith in humanity. May God forgive and help us all.

Last We'll See Of Michael Moore? We Can Only Hope

Well, it sure looks like Michael Moore is finally getting his come-uppance. Seems pretty much EVERYONE is just plain done with him. Read Kathleen Antrim's commentary in the San Francisco Examiner here.

Are We A Little Paranoid?

I always thought Teresa Heinz (she has dropped the "Kerry" now that the election is over) was a bit of a whacko, but now she is just plain paranoid! Read the article here.

She's Out

"Someday, I hope to have the chance to talk more about all that has happened, the extraordinary people I have met here and all that I have learned." (a direct quote from Martha Stewart's website--bold emphasis, mine)

Does anyone ACTUALLY think she isn't going to milk her stay in "prison" for all it's worth? She must have deals made, or being made, to earn herself MILLIONS!

I know a lot of people think she should never have gone to prison, but I'm not one of them. Why should people with money and privelege not have to pay for their crimes? The trouble is, she still has not (I believe) accepted the fact that she did something wrong! Because she is Martha Stewart, and is rich and famous, she acts as if she can do whatever she pleases--and so far, there doesn't seem to be any indication of a change in her attitude.

Braindead?

I haven't quite decided whether Paris Hilton is a braindead twit or the smartest self-promoter there ever was. Whatever the case may be, she definitely has worn out her 15 minutes. I can't really believe any living being can be as brainless as she appears to be--you HAVE to have a brain so that you can walk and talk! And if she is as dumb as she acts, PLEASE, someone, stop her before she reproduces!

Political Chaos--But Lots of Fun

Once again I heard a politician give an opinion and hastily explain it is only a PERSONAL opinion--it has NOTHING to do with how s/he will govern. This is just another example of trying to please everyone, all the time. Am I supposed to be happy that elected officials believe as I do, but have them do just the opposite because it's the "law"? I want to be able to vote for someone and have them represent me as I would like. For example: Suppose I was against the 55 mph speed limit and I wanted to elect someone that would try to change it back to 65 mph. I DEFINITELY don't want to hear this person agree with me and then throw up his/her hands and say there is nothing that can be done because 55 is the law. Isn't this one reason we elect the people we do, so they will help run this country the way we would like and try to change things we would like changed?

I would love it if politicians told the truth--wouldn't everyone? But, they are not able to and it is the fault of the electorate. We won't elect someone who tells the truth if we don't like the truth. We need higher taxes--don't say it! We need the death penalty--don't say it! We need to outlaw abortion--don't say it! We need to legalize gay marriage--don't say it! I realize it would be absolute chaos, but it would be nice to have politicians who would truly vow to represent the people voting for them. We would have extreme liberals, fanatic conservatives, skinheads, black-power advocates, etc., etc., all trying for their own little niche--and a true democracy will emerge when the one with the most votes gets elected. I know this is totally naive and simplistic and could never work, but it would be fun to see it happen one time!

Nothing Important

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day and I don't think we are going to do anything special. K. is on his last night shift tonight so we COULD do something, but I don't think it will happen. Actually, I can't think of anything special to do, so we'll just stay home and get the garbage ready to be put out! :) We have to go and have the taxes done tomorrow PM, so that will be enough excitement for one day. I know I am getting some flowers delivered tomorrow--he ordered them online and had to tell me so I'll be here to accept them. I will be giving him some heart-shaped chocolate chip cookies, and that's the end of the celebration. After 30+ years, you don't need to do that much to say "I care."

Talk about feeling old--in binary numbers I am 110010 years old!

Amazing

I spent several hours yesterday browsing different blogs. I am truly amazed at the variety there is. I also am amazed at how many people haven't a clue as to how to spell even the simplest of words. Don't they know how to use spell check? Anyway, when you are done reading this very short paragraph, click on the link in the upper right hand corner that says "next blog." You just might stumble onto the most interesting and thought provoking site you could ever imagine! Enjoy.

Still Shockable

I guess it's nice to know that K. can surprise me after 30+ years, but he shocked me so much tonight that I'm still reeling! We were in the kitchen talking--about what, I don't remember--when he said as soon as the snow goes we'll go up north to visit with C. and the kids. And while we're up there, we'll stop in and see The Mother and The Father! As he said, we don't have to "be there all day" but we'll just drop in and visit with them for "a little while." I just cannot imagine why this has come about all of a sudden. Maybe something was said at Christmas time? Anyway, I'll never know what brought this on. Just another thing for me to tell myself not to obsess over! Good luck!!!