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!
Tuesday, September 06, 2005
Saturday, September 03, 2005
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.)
(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.
Here is a forum started by an individual wanting to help. Everyone can do something constructive. Let's all quit bitching and start doing.
Thursday, September 01, 2005
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!)
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.
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.
Monday, August 29, 2005
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. :)
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. :)
Saturday, August 13, 2005
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."
"The notion of bug-free software seems a lot like...a humble Donald Trump: something we'd all like to see, but won't."
Wednesday, August 10, 2005
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.
Tuesday, August 09, 2005
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
Friday, August 05, 2005
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.
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.
Wednesday, August 03, 2005
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.
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.
Sunday, July 31, 2005
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~
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.
--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.
Thursday, July 28, 2005
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!) :)
(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!) :)
Wednesday, July 27, 2005
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.
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.
Friday, July 22, 2005
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!
Tuesday, July 19, 2005
Quote
Since light travels faster than sound, people appear bright until you hear them speak.
--Anonymous
--Anonymous
Monday, July 18, 2005
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!
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!
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