FALLOUT!

Norristown, Pa- Early this morning the results of Orange Conehead-Alien's affair with the Loving Lamb Sheep arrived in a quiet corner of a local farm in Norristown. The farmer and his wife were, to say the least, extremely shocked at the hue of the lamb. Officials say that no paternity test is necessary as it's blatantly obvious who the father of this lamb is.


According to the farmer, 5 months ago he heard a loud ruckus outside in the sheep pen. When he went out to check on the commotion, he found evidence that "some critter" had been digging to get under the fence as well as pieces of orange plastic embedded in the gate. He moved all the sheep into his barn for the remainder of the night. The next morning, when he checked on them, each ewe had orange smudges on her rump. Officials originally chalked it up to teens playing a prank and "tagging" the sheep with spray paint.

SCANDAL!!

Right on the heels of the grass-roots program to elect our beloved Orange Conehead-Alien, the following news story was leaked to the internet :

Report: Orange Conehead-Alien has sex with sheep!

The big question is whether or not the public will be willing to over look this fettish of Mr Conehead-Alien. When asked why he chose sheep, he responded "Because there is this guy that has been lurking around with a camera lately and making the squirrels all skittish. They are impossible to catch nowadays."

Vote 2008

While surfing around on the 'net, I found this grassroots movement for someone we all know and love. Unbelieveable! My biggest question is......By law can our beloved OCHA run? Someone better flip him over and make sure he's MADE IN AMERICA.

Mystery fish solved!

Thanks to some diligent work from iggy and an email from Jenny, the Visitor Services Coordinator at The Nation Aquarium in Baltimore, I have finally come up with a name for the mystery fish from my last entry. Thanks to Google I now have a picture (albiet not one I took) of said fish to show all of you. Here is her email with the info:

I’m pleased to hear you enjoyed your visit to
the National Aquarium in Baltimore. The fish you are describing is one of my favorite fish called the
lookdown, part of the Jack family. Their name comes from the blunt forehead, high-set eyes and low-set mouth giving the impression it is “looking down.” They can be found up here in the mid-Atlantic waters when they are younger, then they
move south to tropical waters. All of our specimens are adults in the Atlantic Coral Reef exhibit.

I hope this information has answered your questions. If you are interested in learning more about our animals and get an insider’s view of the Aquarium, you may be interested in participating in one of our behind-the-scenes tours. The Gallery Tour(http://www.aqua.org/immersiontours_gallery.html) would let you get up-close to the lookdowns when you participate in their morning feeding! We hope to see you soon.

The National Aquarium in Baltimore

The wait was well worth it though. Infact, if I had to wait a bit longer to assure there wouldnt be quite so many inside and I could see things at my own leasure...I woulda done it happily. Yeah....this Aquarium was definitely worth the trip. The only ones that come even close to being worth the trip are the
They had these floor to ceiling pictures in the main concourse area. The pictures were made accordion style so that if you looked at it one way you saw one type of critter. If you saw it from a different angle, a different critter entirely was seen. It took me a moment to figure it out because I was snappin my camera and I'd look back and think I missed a picture LOL....so I went back to get the shot and when I looked back up, a different pic was there (one that I had snapped already). *laffz* They had the requisite sharks jaws set up in this area too. As opposed to the aquarium in NOLA (New Orleans, Louisiana), this one had a staff member set up to take your picture for a fee. Dont ya just love when they realize they're missing out on an opportunity and start charging for it. Thanks but no, I got my own camera and can do it myself if I ~really~ want a touristy trinket (besides, isnt that what the gift shops and cafes are on nearly every level are for?).

Isnt this a freaky shot? We were going past this one area with tubes of water just bubbling through. It was very dimly lit with the light mostly coming from the top of the tubes so the place simply glowed a bit. I originally took a shot with the flash and of course the light just bounced everywhere so in this shot I covered my flash and let the lights up top do all the work. It almost looks like something out of Star Trek....or those beaming lights they like to add to some of the alien abduction type movies. I think next time Im going to grab a clip of these on video.


One of the first places we headed to was the shark and rays area. This particular exhibit was for the reef life. The picture to the right is one of the better shots. We all know how hard it is to get a good shot in an aquarium. It's always a tad dark and if you use your flash, you generally wreck your shot. The only way to get a decent pic most times is to put the lens right up to the glass and pray you get the critter you're aiming for. LOL! There was one type of fish I was hoping to catch on "film" but they were just way too fast. Three or four would go speeding by and be gone before the shutter could click on your camera. They were this really unbelieveably shiny silver. The only way I could catch them was on video and then it didnt even do their beauty any justice. Whatsucks is that the website to this place doesnt even have a picture to share in here of them. *pouts* Actually, they do...but they dont have it labelled. It's the one they have posted on the animals page....next to where it says fish. They just dont have a link for that specific type. Ah well.


We went into the aviary at one point and saw all sorts of pretty birds. The lovely little specemin to the left here is a blue-gray tanager. Boy, I really need to get a better camera with a more powerful zoom. This picture is actually a crop of the original photo and as such isnt nearly as sharp as I'd like it. They had some small tamarins caged in the upper levels of the aviary. I love spending time in an aviary, looking at all the pretty birds and listening to their beautiful songs. There's just one problem with it... Thankfully, this was the first trip to one where I didnt have THAT problem! Coming out of the aviary there was this absolutely gorgeous mural on the wall of a tropical rainforest. I've gotten several shots of it and they're in my Photobucket account right now. There was a brilliant orange tropical bird, a dragonfly, a butterfly and this frog (poison dart?) pictured to the right. I wish the wall didnt curve like it did because the one shot would have made a great wallpaper. I think one of the best murals I saw is the one pictured to the left here. This was located in the topmost tier of the aquarium. I ~think~ this is where the divers had access to the reef exhibit, but Im not completely sure. While we were there, there were some divers entering the tank to do some cleaning and checking on the animals. About 2 or 3 were going in while we were up top.


I think the hardest to capture were the sharks, rays and skates. In fact, most of the pictures were so dark I had to do some adjusting on them so you could see more than a faint outline and the flash of their eyes. there were several different kinds of sharks on display. I saw the bonnethead, the sand tiger, a couple of nurses and this beautiful specemin to the right. They dont have him labelled on their site so Im not sure which shark it is. I know it's not a black or white tip reef shark because it's not marked up for that. Im thinking it might have been a sandbar shark, but I could be wrong.




We missed a whole section though because it was very crowded. They had a penguin and puffin feeding that we missed because I couldnt get close enough to get pix and there was just no getting near the animals with the adaptations (puffer fish, octupi, etc) because they were a huge draw for the little ones. Especially since it was feeding time for many of the critters. I cant wait to go back again so I can take my time checking things out. Additional photos are in my Photobucket account.

Baltimore

Although the National Aquarium is in Baltimore, Im going to break this entry up into two parts simply because each has several photos I want to post with it. So this entry is going to be before we got into the Aquarium and afterwards.

When we got into Baltimore, there was no denying where we were. Toto, we aint in Kansas anymore! It was rather obvious when we started seeing these orange banners hanging off the street lights. Each light had 2 banners. The banner on the left said Orioles and the one on the right said "This is Birdland". In the area of the city we were in, they had a section of the road set aside for the bikers. They did it up right though. In many cities where there is a bike lane on the roads, they simply mark it off with white paint on the pavement. In this particular part of Baltimore, they had it actually blocked off with these orange railings. I know I'd feel safer riding a bike with that sort of protection between me and the cars, that's for sure!

As we were approaching the Aquarium, we started seeing some boats. The first one that caught my eye was this older one with the three masts and rigging. It was so cool. I'd like to go back if only to check this baby out! The triangular glass building behind it is part of the Aquarium. We saw the boat for those Duck Tours that I ~think~ iggy had mentioned in one of his entries (or was it someone else??) and I told hubby the next time we visit, we WILL be going on that so to plan for a long weekend. There was also a Coast Guard boat, The SS John W Brown (one of the two Liberty ships still floating today), The USS Torsk SS-423 (one of two surviving Tench class Fleet Submarines in the United States), and what I'd guess to be a tug boat of some kind. Feel free to check out the pix in my Photobucket (LadyStyx account Baltimore folder). I'll leave any history lesson regarding these boats (or ships, whatever your preference) to iggy if he'd like to take on the task sometime.

We ended up parking about a block or so from the Aquarium. My original intention had been to go and get set up in a hotel first and then come back out but hubby had other plans. He pulled us into a garage about a block or so from the Aquarium. The only spots left were in the topmost tier. Thank goodness for elevators! The picture to the right is looking out over East Pratt Street in the direction we'd be heading once we got to the ground floor. The buildings were magnificent. I cant believe I've missed buildings this size in just the time we've been in Manassas.

This picture was actually taken when we were leaving but I'm going to stick it here so you can see it. It's a rather odd building to say the least. The one triangular section housed a good share of the exibits while the other side housed the dolphin exibit, show and the IMAX. There was a covered, elevated walkway between the two buildings. The day was hot and were they ever BUSY!! If I'd had ANY indication the line was going to be as long as it was, I would have gotten tickets in advance. They were on timed openings which meant they only allowed a certain number in at a time and they only opened the doors at 15 minute intervals. *UGH*! As we worked through the line the opening time went from 2:15pm to 2:30, then it jumped to nearly 3pm, then to 315pm and then 335pm!! I looked at the clock...it was only about 1pm *sigh*. Well, our turn came for the window and we decided that maybe because of the crowds we'd just get the admission and skip the dolphin show and the IMAX this trip and come back at another time to do the whole kittnkaboodle....preferably during the fall when the kids are all in school (maybe I'll have a better camera then too!!??). Since we opted for just the admission and not a package deal, the ticket person was able to get us in earlier than we planned. HURRAY! We only had to wait until 2:15pm. This gave us time to go get some lunch first. We went to PotBelly's. The food's ok but not really worth the price to be honest but it got us out of the heat for a bit. In this picture to the right, PotBelly's is just off the picture to the right of the Hard Rock Cafe. Hubby said if we'd had to wait longer that we'd have gone to the Hard Rock Cafe instead (to the right of the Barnes and Noble in the center). I'll have to make sure that's in our plans for next time. I'd also like to make sure we have time to go to the railroad museum as well because hubby is really good about going to zoos and aquariums for me.

When we were done, we went back to the Aquarium to wait. We had about 20 minutes to spare so we just sat and watched the goings ons around us. There was this awesome map on the ground near the entrance. I really wish I could have gotten a picture of it from overhead. I've got several shots of it in my Photobucket showing the details a bit better but this shot to the left shows you how big it was. It was of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed and was scaled at a half inch being equal to one mile. Photos simply dont do this piece of work the proper justice to be honest. While I was looking around I noticed the clouds reflected in one of the buildings nearby and thought it was very pretty. If it wasnt for the fact that it was very humid and the fact that the sun likes to do nasty stuff to my skin, I do believe I could have sat there nearly all day just watching the clouds move over the windows in that building. When we were allowed in, we spent about an hour and a half or two hours in. It was too crowded to really enjoy ourselves , plus my knee started acting up, so we didnt stay as long as we could have. Because we were only 90 minutes or so from home, hubby decided that it would just be best to go on home instead of getting a hotel room. He said that we'd stayed longer and got out closer to 6pm, then we woulda stayed. Well dang, if I knew that I woulda dawdled! *sigh*

After the trip to the Aquarium (that'll be the next entry), we headed back to the car. On our way to the garage, I heard a distinct clop clopping and whipped my camera out to get this shot of one of their horse and carriage rides. As much as I'd love to make sure that this is on the agenda next time, I dont think I could handle being that close to the back end of a horse unless we were headed DOWNWIND the entire trip. *laffz* Whenever I see something like this I think of that one Seinfeld episode where Kramer drives a cab for a night...unfortunately, before heading out he'd fed the horse a huge can of Beef-a-roni. EW...Major EW.

One of the last things we saw as we were making our way out of town was this musical group playing on one of the corners. It reminded me of the time a few of us went into the French Quarter in New Orleans. I couldnt believe they were out in the hot sun in long sleeved shirts, dress pants and TIES playing like there would be no tomorrow. Im wondering, since it was a Sunday if they'd come out after church and just decided to jam. In any case, everyone seemed to be enjoying the music. This picture was snapped while we were waiting on the light to turn green. If there'd been a place to park (short of going back to a garage), I think I would have had hubby pull over for a few so I could get some more pix.

The rest of the drive home was about 90 minutes or so. When we got back into Manassas he took me to Red Lobster for supper...yummy!

Questionnaire:the answers

And here's one of the blog entries ya'll been waiting on. The good thing about this questionnaire is that many of the questions didnt have any right answer. Those that did have a right answer, were easy enough to answer if you were industrious enough (yes, even the middle name one). Some answers have been slightly modified to protect the not so innocent....

01) Where did we meet?

The answers I received:

My front porch

The Cabin
The Loft
A chat room - gosh, I can't remember which one though
In a chat room somewhere long long ago
the loft
At Marrero Christian Academy in August

I think I spoke to you a bit in the chat room at "The Wolven" but have gotten to know you more since I wandered over to your blog a while back.
The Loft

Answer: Depending on what time of my life you came along, this answer will vary. If you were one of the many that got this that met me in chat, you may have met me in the Loft. I never chatted at the Cabin. I started in WildAngel's Loft and then went to Chatter2Chatter. After C2C, I was in Park Ave Chat for a couple months then to The Wolven and finally AckcessDenied. I know it seems like I've been around longer than that but I really havent. I started chatting in 2002 and streaming in 2004.

02) Take a stab at my middle name?

The answers I received:

Marie

Lynn
Marie
I've no idea. "Shine" or maybe Ann
Freida :0
I don't think you ever told me!
I'm not sure Marie.
I have no clue... Marie is safe though

Answer: I mentioned this answer just once in my blog and most probably wouldnt have known it if they werent one of my readers at that time. If you knew my first name, it was probably easy enough to guess. My first name is common as is my middle name. Congratulations to those that said my middle name was probably Marie, for you're right. LOL@ at the guesses of Shine and Freida. I can understand the Shine guess and if my parents had been hippies then that would have been a possibility. ....but Freida? I'd love to know where that guess came from!

03) Do I smoke?

Answer: Well this one was easy. Everyone knew the answer to that one because all know how I fuss about hubby smoking!

04) Color of my eyes?

Answers received:

Hazel

Brown
Brown
Blue
You got those Mood Ring eyes...
emmm I think they are blue or is it ranger thats blue and your brown?
Green
Depends on your mood... I think normally a hazel/green colour though.
Hazel

Answer: If you'd seen a close pic of me you'd know this. LOL@ at the Mood Ring answer because that is actually closer to what they are. I have what I call kaleidescope eyes. They're technically a blue-green hazel (more green than blue). Depending on my mood, health, the clothes Im wearing, lighting , etc etc etc....they look to change colors. It can be very cool when it happens and it happens quickly. When Im in a good mood...they're more blue...kind of like turquoise. When I get mad...they go pure green.

05) Do I have any siblings?

Answer: Again, everyone got it right! I have one genious brother that Im absolute proud of and jealous of all at the same time.

06) What's one of my favorite things to do?

Answers received:

According to your husband...hehe
crafts/paint plaster thingys
crafts
Read edumacashunals
Get allergy shots! No, you enjoy reading edumacationals.
spend time with Ranger
crafts such as the little christmas villages
Listen to music.
Play music and crafts

Answers: Im as ecclectic in my hobbies as I am in my music. Every one of these was right its own way. LOL! I love to spend time with hubby, painting, counted cross-stitch, listen to my tunes, blog, read the edjumakashunalz (comics), work on my web pages, make banners, do wallpapers and generally hang out with my friends.

07) What's my favorite type of music?

Answers received:

Rock
Rock
top 40
Anything but rap... but, I'm going with older rock and rollrock
Good time rock and roll
Long-hair and strange to me
Rock 'n' roll
Rock and Roll

Answers: Like I said in #06, Im ecclectic. I was taught to appreciate most types of music. My music files range from 12 Stones all the way to ZZTop and a good deal of everything in between. I mostly stick to rock and top 40 but I really love me some 80's tunes anyday. Ohhh yes some old time rock and roll ...gotta love it!!! Contrary to popular belief, I appreciate *some* rap, but not alot. I go mostly for what some would call rap-lite. I can sit and listen to Will Smith anyday but once in a while I've been known to listen to Eminem as well. The hard-core stuff though, hell no. LOL@ the long hair comment. I know where she got that from though as I was listening to Yanni alot back then. These days it's rock, pop and jazz.....gotta love listenin to Lao Tizer.

08) Am I shy or outgoing?

Answers received:

DUH!
Shy
outgoing
outgoing
You've never been shy
shy to a point, outspoken is more you LOL
You would say shy but I think you are outgoing
Generally outgoing, though you can sometimes be a bit reserved in some situations.
Outgoing

Answer: LOL@ the DUH answer. That one showed up because Im a Leo and that respondant grew up with me. Technically, in a face to face situation...Im extremely reserved until I know the person Im talking to....then watch out. I used to be more like I am in chat...very outgoing and gregarious but life has taught me some hard lessons so I tend to stand back and measure a person up before I even approach them nowadays. Sad really, but most of the time these days I like to keep to myself. Too many people look down their noses as I talk to them or ask questions that they really wish they hadnt by the time Im done answering them. *shrugz*

09) am I a rebel or do I follow the rules?

Answers received:

A rebel who follows the rules
Rebel
rebel
You follow 'em after making them
You rebel at senseless rules - especially at work!
rebel rebel rebel
you can be a rebel but generally follow the rules
It depends if you agree with the rules or not
You follow the rules if they make sense, otherwise, watch out!

Answer: Well I much dont know how to answer this one. It's funny that everyone seems to think Im a rebel though. Maybe I am. There are several that are very close. I try my best to follow the rules as best as I can but if the rules go against common sense then I find I have trouble following them. LOL and YES....if they really dont make sense then watch out!

10) Any special talents?

Answers received:

again...see your hubby
Making banners
Is this PG or Adult rated? LMAO
Ceramics
Your crafts and story-telling

yep you make some beautiful ceramics
artsy and craftsy
You do a really good job with those figures you paint and give as gifts.

Many - writing and painting are two of them

Answers: LOL evidentally there were a couple of you on the same wave-length here! *laffz* Since a person generally will enjoy hobbies that they do very well in (as in have some bit of talent in), I dont have much to add to this one.

11) How many children do I have?

Answers received:

None yet!
None yet
none yet
2 furbabies
Two furbabies - the "cha-wawa" being adopted?

none yet
None
No human children. Just 2 furkids... Katie Lou and Dharma.
Two gorgeous cha-hua-huas

Answer: I dont have any two legged ones at this point (but it's fun trying!!!). I do have 2 furbabies (furkids) named Katie Lou and Dharma....one is a chihuahua and the other is of the feline purrrrrsuasion. Here's a picture of them in our kitchen in Dallas. It doesnt look like it, but they get along quite well for being of different species. The canine just tends to get pushy and demanding of affection and the feline.....well she aint fond of that. She never raises a paw against her "sister" though.

12) If you and I were stranded on a desert island, what is one thing that I would bring?

Answers received:

a boat!

allergy medicine
laptop
A wireless laptop so you can read your comics and blog :)
A complete DJ porta-roadmaster cart with generator and enough music CDs to never repeat a song in a decade.
hubby

I hope for food but probably a book or TV
Your allergy meds. :)
Hubby and number 11

Answer: Can I take them all?

Speaking the same language

Calvin: I'm hungry. Can I have a snack?
Mom: Sure. Help yourself.
Third frame you see Calvin with a cookie jar in hands and a cookie in his mouth.
From the other room Calvin hears mom say: You can have an apple or an orange from the fridge.
Calvin: (speaking to the readers) Even though we're both talking English, we're not speaking the same language.

*************

I've had this particular comic in my files for a while now and had no clue what I wanted to use it for. All I knew is that I found it funny. Today, as I was cleaning files and such, I came across it and my mind wandered. I know, it's a rather dangerous thing as it likes to go off onto some weird tangents and tends to get very very very lost.

Anyhow, it reminded me of several stories....many that have happened in our blogs simply because of the fact we're on different continents. Some that also come to mind have occured right here in my own home country. One that's standing out in my mind right now took place in the late '90s.... infact I think it was in 1996 because that was my first year at the school I was working for at that time. I was substituting for a teacher this particular day. The rule was, no food or drink in the classroom, simple right? The second floor where this classroom was had a water fountain as well as 2 soda machines. Well this one girl, thought she'd pull one over on me. She asked me if she could get a cold drink. I told her it was fine. She smiled and took herself straight to the soda machine and I thought to myself...clever girl....but not clever enough. When she walked in, the kids were snickering thinking she pulled on over on me because she did ask for a cold drink, I told her to drop the soda off at the desk and she could pick it up after class. The look of surprise on her face when I told her to do that was priceless. At this point she reminds me that I DID say she could have a cold drink. My reply? "There's the water fountain. The water is cold and is a drink....therefore THAT is a cold drink. You said nothing about wanting a soda to which the answer is no". The laughing got louder when the kids realized that I knew how to play their game and I knew how to play it one better. The fact that the girl in question was a class bully who was known for walking all over the subs by finding loopholes; the fact I found the loophole as quickly as I did and closed it off....made it funnier still to the kids in the room.

Just some fun

Found this link in an old entry from my Yahoo360. Thought ya'll might enjoy it too.

http://www.bostonuk.com/name_meanings.php

Not only will first or last names come up but nicks you use in chat as well. It makes me suspect they have a bunch just on rotation through but it's fun to see how close they are. Then again, I just ran my nicks back through again more than a year later and the same thing comes up for each as I got before.

Questionnaire

Many of you may remember a few weeks back, a questionnaire that got sent around to many. Several of you played along (and a couple didnt....you know who you are!), but I'm realizing that a few in here didnt get to (that would be because I dont have your email addies...). So, Im going to put it up in here. If you played in the email, no need to answer here too as I still have your responses.

Normally I dont bother with this type of game simply because they are 25-30 questions in length (sometimes longer..*ugh*) and many times I get the same damn ones over and over. This one caught my eye though because the instructions said for me to fill it out in regards to the person that sent it. It was fun to see how well I knew the sender. Then I was to send the game along and see how many really knew me (and some know me too damn well!). With the exception of maybe 3-4 questions, there were no real "right" answers as some of my friends saw me at different points of my life. The one that got all the answers "right" has known me for over 30 yrs. Those that I met in chat had different "right " answers to some of the questions and the one other that played, well she was a co-worker many years ago so had a different "right" answer for a couple of them.

Here's the game (remember you're answering about me...):

01) Where did we meet?

02) Take a stab at my middle name?

03) Do I smoke?

04) Color of my eyes?

05) Do I have any siblings?

06) What's one of my favorite things to do?

07) What's my favorite type of music?

08) Am I shy or out going?

09) Am I a rebel or do I follow the rules?

10) Any special talents?

11) How many children do I have?

12) If you and I were stranded on a desert island, what is one thing that I would bring?

Like I said, many dont have any one right answer. Depending on when you met me, will determine the answers. Any one who caught my streaming days should be able to answer #7 at least. Numbers 2,3, and 5 have definite right answers though not all will know them so no worries. I'll be putting the answers up later this week.

*HUGZ*

It bears retelling

This one is a repost from my Yahoo360. With iggy hunting the elusively photogenic Charley, I thought I'd copy the story over here for those who havent read it yet. There are a couple other stories I allude to in this entry. If you havent heard those either, and want me to post them (or have heard them and want them down so you can read them again), lemme know.

October 3, 2006

So I was in chat the other day and we were all cutting up as per usual when my AlaSis had to run to the potty. ~grinz~ So I pulled my usual "slide a litterbox under the chair with InCaseOfEmergency written on it" routine. At this point those that had heard the story bust out laughing and of course I was asked to tell that story in room again. This got my AlaSis to laughing so hard I thought she was gonna run for the potty again. Then my sweet OklaSis decided to point out I never told the squirrel story in this particular site. Now my AlaSis wants to hear it but it's too damn long to type in the room (I usually tell it on the air because it's faster...but then I get laughing and cant talk...maybe that's why they like for me to tell it). I had to promise to put it in here sometime so here it is. Best put a towel down in your chair, squeeze your kidneys and dont be drinkin as you read farther. I aint responsible if you wet yourselves.

About 12 yrs ago or so I used to work for WalMart. I was originally hired to be on the day-time receiving team with 2 other gals. After a few months there, the manager came back and asked us what we all liked best about the area and was fishing for our strong points. I loved the job but I was stronger in doing the paperwork and more patient at finding errors and correcting them than my partners. Janice was the one that was fastest at processing the incoming freight and the third girl...well she was slow on everything. It was decided since I liked paperwork so well that I should cross-train in the claims dept (damages). This was cool, lots of paperwork and I got to work with someone new (Judy). Shortly after I got trained they decided to cut the staff in receiving by a third and since I could do both jobs I got to stay and float between Janice's area in receiving and Judy's in claims and the third gal was relocated.

Well Janice, bless that sweet lady, was prone to pulling pranks when things were slow. She was forever trying to startle me but it never really worked because my mind was in 5 different places at once and I never really noticed any one particular thing. Once she tried sticking one of those big rubber rats in the compactor and had me empty the trash...so I open the door and never noticed the rat. LOL. She tried again by putting it outside the receiving doors in the open around the corner a bit then called me out to check out this car...again I didnt see it because I had my head up looking for the car. But...I remembered this...and told her that payback would come eventually at a time she didnt expect. She just laughed it off because I was one of the more laid back people in the store.

My chance finally came that autumn. Every Monday was magazines day. This meant we had a HUGE shipment of magazines to check in and a bunch that had to be scanned back out later. A rep would come in and help us check them in, take them to the sales floor and stock the new stuff as she pulled the old stock off the shelves for return. Once a month the shipment was huge because the monthly mags came in (Cosmo, RedBook). These were a pain because we had to make sure they were family store appropiate (Cosmo most times was NOT). Anyhow, this one autumn day Debbie (the rep) was in and we got the magazines checked in. Once they were done she was in the habit of going out with Janice for a smoke break. So they go out this one very nice autumn day and Im still working and enjoying the tunes on the radio we were allowed back there and really enjoying the weather. It was warm enough to keep the one empty bay door open and the side bay (where the reps would enter the store) door open too. A very nice breeze that day. Next thing I know I hear some SCREAMING comin from outside. I peeked out and Janice and Debbie were standing on the picnic table in total fits and Janice yelled "CLOSE THE DOORS!". Well she was boss back there so I did. I was really pissy because I was really likin the sunshine and breeze for sure. When she got back in she started telling me about this squirrel that came after her and Debbie...that she thought it had rabies or something. It had chased them up the table and has started running for the receiving doors and that's why she wanted them closed. Well you can imagine I was laughing really hard at this point. She called up Tommy in the Sporting Goods Department and next thing I know this "great hunter" shows up with a pellet gun and some rounds...slips out the door and commenses to shooting into the stacks of pallets out there. We never saw anything and no corpses showed up ...but this wasnt the end of it. You do remember what I told Janice earlier right? ~grinz evilly~

So anyhow, Tommy and his friend Gerritt (he's the one with the ummm cowboy costume story I was telling too...LOL) get this idea a couple days later to pull a prank on her. So...while we were out to lunch they get this squirrel statue from the lawn and garden area and set it outside the receiving doors with a sign that says "Where's my mommy!!??". After planting this, they swing into the break room and tell me to check in early and tell me what's up. So we go into receiving and weed ourselves into the piles of pallets and watch. Janice comes back from lunch and promptly pops the door open for the afternoon shift....I thought she was going to come clear outta her skin...arms flapping....jaws gaping and a screeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeech! Of course the 5 or 6 of us hiding and watching bust out laughing because we got her really good. She vowed to get each and every one of us back....so in my mind it wasnt over yet...not by a long shot! Judy wasnt at the store when it happened...she was helpin in one of the stores in the southern part of the state.

Judy called a couple days after the whole "Where's my mommy" incident to see how I was holding up dealing with the claims area myself and of course I told her about the squirrel incident. She began laughing and said patch me to receiving...dont tell Janice who it is. So I call down for Janice to pick up the phone and she asks who and I tell her I dunno they asked for you and no I have no idea why the idiot in the fitting room sent it to claims. It got quiet for a while in receiving...a long while. Next thing I know she's hollaring. Judy called back and told me she had said she was from the EPA and had harrassed Janice with the old "didnt you know it was illegal to hunt squirrels? They are an endangered species!" bit. LOLOLOL OMG Janice was so pissed. Again she promises revenge and again I smile knowing it aint over yet.

A while later, several weeks later infact, a letter turned up from a "lawyer" regarding a suit for the wrongful death of Mrs S Squirrel on behalf of Squirrel Jr. Yet again, promises of revenge ( and I do recall her *trying* to get us all back...without much success) and again the small smile knowing my job wasnt done yet. So I let it go a bit longer. Things quiet down and Im working in claims after the Christmas holidays with Judy. While we were talking we decided that things had gotten a bit boring in receiving and maybe we needed to stir something up again. Judy told me that Mike had been squirrel hunting a few years back and had one mounted on a small branch. I just gave Judy this really evil smile and she goes "I should shouldnt I" I said "yep".

Next day she came in at 7am (receivers started at 8am so this was ideal) with this stuffed and mounted squirrel. We hid it in the claims area for later. Janice came in and went right down to work and Judy and I just giggled all day long. Judy was supposed to leave around 4pm but worked later. Janice (who's quitting time is normally 5pm) finished up earlier and headed for the office to do the paperwork for the day. Once she went to the office, Judy and I packaged up the squirrel so it looked like it was going to pounce outta the box. We sealed it up real well so it looked like a transfer from another store. Then Judy wrote a note on a slip of computer paper saying it was a transfer and very important to be checked in right away for a customer the following morning. She then signed it with Scott the store manager's signature (oh boy she had that man's signature down pat too!). When Judy went to sign out she was able to tell me that Janice left. At that point I took the package down to receiving and carefully set it on her desk.

The next morning I came in at 7am to help Judy get some returns done. By 8am when Janice came in, Judy and I were hard at work and barely noticed her come in. When we heard the receiving bay doors open, we looked at each other and smiled but continued working. We heard the radio turn on and knew she was headed for her desk back there. A few moments later we hear something get dropped and her screaming her head off...to which we commensed to laughing. We were still laughing when a couple of the gals from the back office came running down the hallway (receiving is at one end of the hall and the offices at the other...and it's a long hall aint it Bill?). They slowed down and just looked at Judy and I and we just laughed harder. Now they knew we had something to do with that yell....and asked. So I told them at which point they felt it'd be safer to just go back to the office and stay there. The phone rang....was an instore call from receiving....I was called a bitch and more promises of revenge. I simply smiled, knowing I wasnt done yet. I let it go a few years and wrote Judy (she's the only one who's bothered to stay in contact, although they all send their well wishes when she writes back) and in her letter I sent a card...with a squirrel on it. To which I get a message in Judy's letters that Janice called me a bitch again and promises revenge. Then I smile, knowing I aint done even yet. This reminds me....I owe Judy a letter. I think I'll get a stuffed flamingo for her this year...and a squirrel for Janice. I anticipate I'll get a note calling me a bitch and promises of revenge to which I'll smile and know this will still go on for another couple years.

I warned ya. Now dont you wish you put that towel down and Scotchgarded the chair? Or are you saying to yourself...what a silly stupid story? I guess you had to be there. But it's a good story for a laugh among friends and a reminder that paybacks are a bitch and so am I...

dontcha just love the timing of things?

Oh how I love the timing of things. Iggy knows exactly what Im talking about as we've talked about it before via email. How a topic will come up in the Blogs or chat and next thing I know....they show up in a picture or the comics somewhere else on the web within a day or so. The latest one was brought up in Chicagolady's July 22nd entry regarding the bird variety as well as Kaylee’s fish variety . Well today while reading the edjumikashunalz I came across the following :
Girl: So you see Mr Bee, this is Ikebana. The art of Japanese flower arranging.
Bee: Hmmm
Girl: The flowers are arranged in an aesthetic tone, according to which way each flower will seem the most happy. They do seem happy, neh?
Bee: Woof!
Girl: ?
Bee: they may seem happy to you, but to a bee, that's porn.

Now, I've heard of the birds and bees...but the fish? *shakes head*


The Seattle paper I look at daily (for the edjumikashunalz), has links off to the right with pictures attached. Many times it'll be the weeks amazing animals or modeling in Europe or even star sightings. Well the other day, while perusing the day's pictures, I saw one that brought a couple entries to mind. The first being Chicagolady's entry of July 19th and the other being from out of iggy’s blog . What was the picture? Why this of course:


According to Seattlepi.com , they are "Sculptures of people performing Tai Chi are displayed at Peking University in Beijing, China. A total of 600 sculptures have been placed on the campus to usher in the Olympic Games. Peking University Gymnasium is the table tennis venue for the 2008 Beijing Olympics." So long as Angelina Jolie isnt in town doing a Tomb Raider convention, they should be safe.


These are only two of the more recent occurances of this happening to me. There's another story of this happening with my SIL (I swear if that one lady in the comics gets preggers again I'll cry because it means another niece or nephew is coming along). Now I know I cant POSSIBLY be the ONLY one that this has happened to. Feel free to use my comment section to share your experiences with this odd phenomenon. While you're at it answer this, do these events happen due to some really wonky cosmic timing OR is it simply that they were there all along and we've noticed them simply because we've been discussing them (aka: the iggy OCHA effect)?

A wonderful song

Been travelling down memory lane today, salvaging old posts from another site and working a section here for them to make sure they're not lost. I'll put the link up in a day or so. I wont be doing much with it other than moving the entries over so the decor isnt likely to change from what I have it at now. Anyhow, I was in Alice's blog and thought of this song so I thought I'd stick the vid up in here in case anyone else needs the same boost that I've needed today.

Here are the lyrics:
Some Dreams Live On In Time Forever
Those Dreams You Want With All Your Heart
And I'll Do Whatever It Takes
Follow Through With The Promise I Made
Put It All On The Line
What I Hoped For At Last Would Be Mine

If I Could Reach Higher
Just For One Moment Touch The Sky
From That One Moment In My Life
I'm Gonna Be Stronger
Know That I've Tried My Very Best
I'd Put My Spirit To The Test
If I Could Reach

Some Days Are Meant To Be Remembered
Those Days We Rise Above The Stars
So I'll Go The Distance This Time
Seeing More The Higher I Climb
That The More I Believe
All The More That This Dream Will Be Mine

If I Could Reach Higher
Just For One Moment Touch The Sky
From That One Moment In My Life
I'm Gonna Be Stronger
Know That I've Tried My Very Best
I'd Put My Spirit To The Test
If I Could Reach

If I Could Reach Higher
Just For One Moment Touch The Sky
I'm Goona Be Stronger
From That One Moment In My Life
I'm Gonna Be So Much Stronger Yes I Am
Know That I've Tried My Very Best
I'd Put My Spirit To The Test
If I Could Reach Higher
If I Could If I Could
If I Could Reach
Reach I'd Reach I'd Reach
I'd Reach' I'd Reach So Much Higher
Be Stronger

ItshouldabeenaKodakmoment

Have you ever had those ItshouldabeenaKodakmoments and you could just kick yaself (or someone else)? Shouldabeen as in either you (or the loved one that you handed the camera to) hit the button that split second too soon (or too late) and then the camera takes forever to set itself for the next shot OR the battery dies OR worst yet, you forgot to grab the damn camera in the first place and if you go back home for it and return to the spot of the moment the moment is gone? I had several of those in the 5 days starting July 30th thru August 3rd.

01) Normally, I have my camera with me at all times. Wednesday, while I was headed to the salon to get my hair done, I was in the alleyway that splits the stripmall in two. It's a short cut that those in my subdivision use to get to the stores over there without having to go the long way around (it cuts travel time by 75% or more easily). Anyhow, while in the alleyway....I saw this HUGE butterfly sunning itself on the wall of one of the stores. It was a butterfly I'd never seen before too, a horace’s duskywing , and it was less than a foot away from me sunning itself on the wall.

02) On the trip through Maryland headed to New Jersey, just before the Fort McHenry tunnel, I looked to my right and there was this huge ship sitting out in the bay. It was big, grey and had a military look to it. I couldnt identify the ship with the angle I was seeing it at. If I was up higher (a bridge or something) I may have been able to tell at least what type it was (what with all the damn models I had to paint when I was married to that first friggin idjit). I was really hoping it was still there when we came back through and of course it wasnt.

03) To file in the too soon category, how about missing the bride and groom's first kiss because the husband (to whom I relinquished the camera to because he was in the perfect seat for the perfect shot) clicked the shutter too soon and the camera just couldnt get itself reset fast enough? Yeah. That's definitely a "Itshouldabeenakodakmoment".

04) Better yet, how about missing the garter toss because the camera's batteries crapped out on ya? Yeah...I clicked at just the right moment and then.... "low battery" flashes at me and here I am, at a wedding with kids around and cant swear or throw a fit.

05) I think that my very favorite is the one where I went in complete shock on the ride home upon seeing the sign on the back of this truck. It took me a full 3 minutes or longer of staring at it in a traffic jam and my husband's surprised comment of "You're not gonna get a picture of that?" to rouse me enough to turn on the camera and lift it up to get the shot. Needless to say the truck got well outta range before the camera was ready and I was REALLY pissed at myself for missing it. What the truck say? Oh who knows. I can tell you that it musta belonged to a handiman company (carpenter or otherwise) because the back said something about "If you need a screw fast" or something to call them. Yeah, now ya see why I went into friggin shock!

Ok. Now it's your turn. Name at least 3 "ItshouldabeenaKodakmoment"s that you've had.

Saturday

*WARNING: FM, LEGP&GD* (food mentioned, long entry go potty and get drink)

We got up Saturday and went to breakfast in the hotel. I saw a couple youngsters that I thought I recognized, but I wasn't so sure so I didn't say anything. After breakfast we went back to our room and I started getting ready. I very quickly remembered why I stopped bothering with make-up. *Bah* What a pain in the ass it is to apply and if it's the least bit warm it just melts off. I did manage to make myself somewhat presentable though. The necklace the clerk at Catherine's was just the right touch to the outfit too. Man that expression...LOL. The first picture, Im sure would have been much nicer but that dingy husband of mine...well let's just say he only aimed at a body part and didnt get the whole outfit. So of course he clicked when he was getting the mixed "you're funny" and "you're in trouble" looks. Geez looking at that pic I really need to go out and get some sun.

As we were leaving the hotel, we noticed that we were going to get some rain. The clouds were starting to come in and the wind shifted a bit. That's when we noticed a certain.. umm...odor. Seems the hotel was just down the road from a farm....ew. Cow country. All I could hope for at this point is that the lingering of its ummm unique scent wasn't going to mingle with the Donna Karan Cashmere Mist I was wearing! I could see it now...*sniff* "what are you wearing? It smells like a bovine in a sweater..".

We got within a few minutes of where the wedding and the reception were to be held and the skies opened up. Thank goodness I hadnt done anything special with my hair. We drove around trying to find this place and for the life of us couldnt find the sign for it. After about 10 minutes or so we just started checking for the street address and found it right away. Hmmm. It would help if the sign for the place was at STREET level and not over our heads. That way those driving in a pouring rain can find it easily. The good news is that in the time it took to find the place, the rain stopped and the temps dropped a good 10-15 degrees F. When we pulled into the parking lot, I saw a very familiar figure. It was the one child I'd seen earlier, getting out of a vehicle. As we approached the front doors of the building, I could see into the vehicle better and LO and behold who was there but a friend from highschool (not the bride)! I gave her a brief hug and we all went into the building. She got directions to where we had to be and we all went on up.

The chapel was absolutely gorgeous with this awesome stained glassed ceiling. It must have been superb on a beautiful sunny day in there. As it was, it was still somewhat cloudy out. The lighting wasnt exactly condusive to getting good shots with my camera. It's one where I had to decide on whether I wanted things all washed out or cover the flash and pray for a nice pic anyhow. The floral arrangements were all in white with a hint of purple here and there. To the right and out of the frame of the picture (man I wish I'd grabbed a shot of it now) was a beautiful stained glass picture of a peacock and flowers. The service was short and sweet. The hardest part of getting pictures was not only the lighting but the fact there were a couple of pros there doing the pictures and video and you cant exactly tell them to get the heck out of the way. Needless to say the pictures I managed to get weren't too good. Sad because I wanted one last pic of her before she became a Mrs (she looked ~GORGEOUS~!).

We had a cocktail hour before the reception started so I got a chance to grab a few pix of the reception area. There was a dance floor and the dining area was set up and away from the dance area. The cake was very pretty all in white and lavendar trim. Upon closer inspection, Im just noticing that the topper was much like the one I had for my first wedding. It had two hand spun glass hearts and lotsa white fluffy tulle on it. It tasted ok, there was something different about it when compared to a standard wedding cake (I think my second one tasted much nicer). This one was a tad grainy for my liking and had a bit of a whipped cream filling between the thin layers. Considering she is half Italian (Im not sure what he is...Im thinking with the last name and looks he's at least half Italian too), it would not surprise me if they had a Tiramisu wedding cake. As I have not had it before, I couldnt tell to be sure.

I had been looking around before and during the service in the chapel as well as in the reception hall for a face I hadn't seen up to that point. It was rather odd I hadn't seen her yet. Who was it I was looking for? Why the bride's sister of course. I hadn't seen her in over 20 years and besides the other school mate and the bride, was the one other person I was really looking forward to seeing (she'll be in a later picture). Hubby and I were just discussing it again (for like the 3rd time) as we sat down when I heard this voice behind me. It was the unmistakable nasally New Yorker sound (not Fran Drescher nasally but distinctly New Yorker) that I had been listening for this whole time. YAY!! Oh boy did I get a huge hug from her. It was so good to see her. She's got a beautiful family too. Her little girl is the spitting image of her when she was younger.

The food was quite good. As to be expected there were a few dishes I couldn't eat because of one ingredient or another, but there was still plenty. There were at least 2 veggie dishes and some pastas and 3 different types of meats. One was a whole roasted pig. Boy was that ever delicious! I chose some of that, some of the pasta salad and a couple other items. I skipped the pasta and sauce dish though as it wasn't a sauce I like (they had a wine sauce of some kind...I'd had it at a restaurant once and sent it back because it was disgusting). While I was up getting my plate of food, I chatted up the dj some. I asked him if he'd mind playing the "Chicken Dance" later as the bride had wrangled me into it during my first wedding and I was looking for a touch of pay-back. We had a good laugh over it and I told him that if it was on his dont play list to not worry about it. He said it was a go.

I thought it was really cool that the bride remembered to publicly thank the people other than those in the wedding party (there was only the maid of honor and the best man in the party) for their help in getting things done for her. Her sister made the favors, the center pieces and the wishing well and the other school mate made sure everything else ran smoothly. The speech by the best man was just right and had just the right amount of humor vs seriousness to it that kept it from being overly boring. And speaking of keeping it from being boring....then there was the dj. He played nearly anything you wanted....he even had (when it was requested) The Humpty Dance. Never in any wedding I've been to have I ever heard anyone play that song.

The DJ kept things rocking with a good mix of music making sure those that only slow danced had music if they so chose to get up and waddle to the faster songs that the youngsters seemed to prefer. Strangely enough, the couple to the left here got up and boogied down with the best of them and managed to dance circles around most. They were one of the most fun couples to watch. The other two couples that were great to watch were the bride and groom (of course) and this other Italian couple with some wicked moves. The dj had people really hopping and even did several line dances. He even had them doing the Cha Cha Slide. Although I've heard the song before and have a couple versions of it, it was the first time I'd ever seen anyone doing the dance. *shakes head* I'm gonna chalk it up with the Electric Slide as one I'll never learn. Well those two and the the Cotton Eye Joe, which he also had them doing. No way my joints could handle some of the moves. Shoot, I barely got through the Chicken Dance and you dont do nearly with that dance.

Speaking of the Chicken Dance....here I was thinking payback is nice...I'll get a few pix of the bride and groom doing the dance. Yeah right. You see it coming right? The dj calls the bride and groom to the center of the floor and says there was a special request for them and then proceeds to come up into the dining area, grab me by my arm and drag me to the dance floor....telling all that I'd said something about pay-backs and we all know how pay-backs dont always go the way we plan. *shakes head sighing* So I ended up on the dance floor dancing with the rest. That first butt wiggle squat was a killer and the rest weren't much better I'll tell you. My poor legs were sore for the next two days just from that one dance and my knees, well they are just beginning to feel better.

A bit later, I get called to the dancefloor again....by name. Ut oh. This cant possibly be good. Looks like the bride had her own pay-back planned. I have no clue if it was planned in advance or if it was spur of the moment, but the clever little Italian gal had a surprise and a half for me. So I go out to the dance floor and the dj starts laughing because he now had a name to the face. He came right up to me and said that he heard I was celebrating my 21st birthday *laffin*. Turning to the bartender, he said..."You can start serving her now" LOL! Then he says "at the count of 3, everyone sing Happy Birthday". The cute little man on my arm in the pic to the left started singing before the dj counted and so the dj looked at him and pulled him over next to me to share the spotlight. As they were all singing, I egged him on...louder...louder...LOL.

After the cake (which they very sweetly fed each other), they called ALL the ladies (married and single) out to the dance floor for the bouquet toss. From what I gather, the more ladies out there, the more luck the couple has. At least that's the way it was spun as Im thinking most of the gals there were former brides of the bride. Then they did the garter. Im guessing we had a rather shy groom because that garter really wasnt that far up...she made it too easy for him. Then we had the garter toss. All males (again married or not) were called to the dance floor. A sweet young man managed to catch it, much to the dismay of the gal who caught the bouquet. Why dismay? Because her fiance didnt move fast enough to get the garter. So the gal was seated on a chair in the middle of the dance floor and the young man was told that he was to place the garter on her arm. For every inch he put it up her arm, the married couple would have a year of good luck. Cant fault the boy for what he did....he slid it up her arm very quickly. Much too quickly for the dj's liking. *laffz* So the dj took it off and told the boy to do it again...oh and gals dont like it if you do things too fast. *LAFFZ* After the garter was worked (a bit slower this time) up the gal's arm, the fiance was brought to the floor at which point the gal was instructed to put the garter on him. Again, for every inch was a year of good luck. That's the pic to the right you see. Dude had some skinny legs because she got it nearly clear up his leg!

One of the last dances was the YMCA. The bride's sister dragged me out to the floor to do it with her. She's the one with the purple vest to my right in this picture on the left. I think this is a great picture of the bride and groom. They look like they're having a blast. That was pretty much the last of a great day. Most of the other guests were starting to leave at that point and the waitstaff were clearing the tables. I did manage to get one last picture in. Im going to have to have it printed and framed to put on my desk sometime.

Me, a mutual friend, the bride and her sister. We'd all graduated together except the sister...she was 1-2 years later.

Thursday and Friday

*WARNING: food discussed.

Thursday night we started pulling things together to pack. We weren't in any great hurry because it wasnt as though we had to leave early. I figure we got about half of the stuff we needed set aside and a list made of all the stuff we'd require for our weekend away. On Friday morning, we got up around 8-830am. While hubby took the dog to the "spa" (for those just joining us in this Blogspot, "spa" is my code for boarding the dog at the vet's), I got things packed up. I cant believe how much crap we take along everytime. One of these days I really need to streamline our travelling somewhat. Two people shouldnt need a full-sized suitcase, garment bag AND a full tote for just a couple nights away.

Once we got packed, we popped over across the street to IHOP (International house of Pancakes) for breakfast. The waitress came over to take our drink order and to let us know what the specials were. I asked her "What do you NOT have today?" *laffz* She gave me a puzzled look and began to laugh when I explained that we go to IHOP once a month or so and the last 2 trips they didnt have the one special I was interested in trying for that month. I then told her that I'd told hubby with the fact they had 2 I wanted to try that it'd be my luck that they'd have neither. Once she and I got ourselves composed, she told me they had both. On the off chance that they'd "run out" before she got the order in ...I gave her 3 different orders in the order of preference. *laffz* We were told that Sundays were bad and Sunday afternoon worst because they always were out of nearly everything, especially the specials. *makes note to not go on a Sunday afternoon* I did manage to get my first choice of meal, so I was a happy camper when we left.


As per usual, I fell asleep for about an hour or so while hubby was driving. I dont recall seeing us approach DC or see any signs saying we were leaving the area. Shoot, I dont even remember seeing any signs saying we were leaving Manassas. All I know is we were past DC and headed towards Baltimore when I woke up. We got to the first of the about 3 or so toll boothes that we were going to encounter when I noticed some paraphernalia in the road. As we got closer, I realized that someone had just had a very very bad day. There was a suitcase in the road (which was still closed thank goodness) and a tote bag (that big black object closest to our truck) which had unfortunately opened spilling most, if not all of its contents. Thank goodness the contents were nothing much more than disposable diapers and were easily (I hope) replaceable. The big green sign says the toll booth is 1000 feet away from that point and you can see the bag's several feet before that. This poor guy came jogging up the road to attempt to collect his stuff. By the time we'd gotten past the toll booth, the diapers had been knocked and strewn several hundred feet PAST the toll area. Definitely a bad day for that poor guy. Only major complaint the entire trip in is the stupid construction. Thank goodness I usually sleep through most of it.



The hotel was absolutely beautiful. I could definitely get used to 4 and 5 star hotels very easily.
What we got was more what I had anticipated when we moved to Virginia in January. Actually, it's a bit more than what I expected as back then I had been thinking we'd get no more than a Motel6 extend stay room. This hotel suite had a bedroom, bathroom, small galley kitchen and a livingroom with sofa, chair and desk. There were 2 tvs (on in the bedroom and one with a game system hooked to it in the livingroom) and a table that separated the livingroom and kitchen areas. I could have easily stayed a week in this room without getting that antsy cooped up feeling. Actually, now that I think of it.....this suite was larger than my first apartment! In the suite, there was a ceiling fan in the bedroom and 2 small AC units...one in each main room. The kitchen had a stove with 2 burners, sink, fridge and even a dishwasher. Every morning between 6 and 9am they served breakfast. I dont mean a cheesy donuts and coffee "Continental" breakfast....I mean a small buffet with plenty to eat. There were cereals, eggs, waffles, breakfast meats, juices, fruits etc etc etc. MMMmmm yummy. The only complaint I have is that we had some rowdy people on our floor and every so often it felt like a damn earthquake.

Tuesday and odds and ends

Yesterday was shot day. The shot didnt sting nearly as much as last week but then again when I mentioned how much it did the nurse working suspected that some of the alcohol from the wipe had gotten pushed in when the injection was given because it wasnt dried off first. She made sure to dry off the spot before giving the shot. This week it's still itching and has lumped up a bit bigger than last week. I suspect that the alcohol had reduced the itching and lumping last week so I've made note to ask the nurse about it. The topical Benedryl gel doesnt seem to work so well anymore (looks at label....hmmm...outta date, no wonder!) so Im going to ask about taking an oral form of the medicine for just the day and day after a shot. Next week we start the next vial of the stuff. *ew* Personally, Im not seeing a change yet as I still feel horrid first thing when I get up. However, it's still early on yet.

Before going to the dr's, we decided to go out to lunch. The original plan was to go to KFC for some (hides Marmie's eyes) fried chicken but the restaurant was closed. Im not sure why. It could be for upgrades or something. Im sure it wasnt for just the parking lot because there were plenty of parking spots close enough. We decided to go somewhere else but something caught my eye and so I whipped my camera out and caught yet a SECOND case of alien abuse in less than a week's time! This poor YCHA was made to stand for countless hours on end with no break holding that "Do not cross" tape. If that humiliation wasnt bad enough, the two-legged y-chromosome aliens from Mars had jammed a piece of wood in the top of his head! Such violence in this day and age...

Last Thursday, before our trip, I *finally* dealt with those blinds. I think it looks cheesy but it's better than it was to say the least. I do have to admit that I like the fact that they brighten up the kitchen some. They dont look it but the valances actually cost less than the tiers because I got them on clearance. I just wish I'd though to grab the matching tiers at the time. Oh well. I could always get the matching toppers for the tiers I have but they dont come in the style I have, they only come in swags. I dont want swags up to be honest. Mostly because of the fact the side windows are so narrow and there's just no good way to get the swags to look nice up there. If I put a full set over the narrow windows, then the set over the middle window would need to be doubled so they're just as full as the side windows... Ah well.

Well, I'd best get the next entry started while the last of the pictures are getting uploaded into my Photobucket account.

Just some fun for when Im gone

This was a survey sent earlier this year. Im guessing that it was around January as I found it on the laptop when I fired it up. Feel free to play along.

01. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME:(first pet, current car):Brandy Torino

02.YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (fav ice cream flavor, favorite type of shoe): Chocolate Sneaker

03. YOUR AMERICAN INDIAN NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal): Lavendar Horse

04. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME : (middle name, city where you were born): Marie Syracuse

05. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 of your first name,): Bulhe

06. SUPERHERO NAME: (The 2nd favorite color, favorite alcoholic drink): Pink Sangria

07. NASCAR NAME: (the first names of your grandfathers) :Lawrence Leon

08. STRIPPER NAME: (the name of your favorite perfume/cologne/scent, favorite candy): Cashmere Musketeer

09. TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME: (Your 5th grade teacher's last name, a major city that starts the same letter): Raugh Raleigh

10. SPY NAME: (your favorite season/holiday, flower): Christmas Rose

11. CARTOON NAME: (favorite fruit, article of clothing you're wearing right now): Banana Shorts