monthly totals, biking, note from a friend, quiet night

Ok. I've hit day 14 now and Im doing rather well. Starting tomorrow I'll be putting the tension on level 2...a half step up from where it was set. It'll all depend on how my knees are fairing whether or not I keep it set at that level though. My right knee's always been a mess so any pain there is pretty much expected but if I develop any stiffness or pain in my presently ok left knee , I'll have to back it back off and mention it to the dr.

I got a Thank You note from my gal in NJ that got married back in August. Seems I made some points with the new husband with the gift card I chose. You see, in July I'd asked her where she was registered so I could get a gift or if she was pretty well set householdwise. She said she was set there and had gone on to say how she wished everyone had thought to ask that. Considering I'd been through 2 weddings of my own and had attended a couple others, I just figured it'd be a good idea to ask, especially since we're not living in our mother's or grandmother's eras and for the most part pretty much already have households set up before we get married. Well she gave me a list of places they like to shop at including GameStop. I figured...if the bride's gonna give me a left of center, off the wall, non-traditional place to get a card from then that's gotta be something they really really WANT as opposed to kinda sorta need right? So that's the option I took. From what she was saying, when they opened the card and her new husband saw that $50 card from GameStop sitting inside it.....his eyes just lit way up. I dont think he was expecting something like that...not at all.

Tonight's been quiet here. I half expected with all the kids in this subdivision that I'd have rugrats beating my door down for goodies tonight but it's been silent. I have a hunch that several had parties to attend because I havent heard the video game next door for more than 20 minutes all night (thank you Lord) .

Guess I'd better let this go for now. Now that Im writing daily, I want to make sure I have something to write about so it's not just all biking stats.

day 13 complete

Calories burned: 363.4
trip miles: 10.38
average mph: 20.76


...and today's ride did NOT have the added incentive of me being pissed off at the neighbor. Tomorrow's the last day of the month so I'll have one more ride at level 1.5 on my bike and starting Saturday I'll be on level 2 tension. Im going to see how well Im doing in 2 weeks time and decide whether or not I can take it up another half notch on the tension. At worst, I expect I'll be able to increase tension once every month.

While we were out to supper a couple nights ago, hubby saw something interesting on ABC News while he was up at the bar sneaking a smoke. When he got back to the table he told me about it and so I looked up the website. I really wish I'd known about these web addies before the campaigning started. It would have saved me a bit of grief....not to mention saving my sanity.
I'm leaving the links in here for you to peruse at your own leisure.


http://www.stoppoliticalcalls.org/ht/d/Join/pid/196
http://thinkdodone.typepad.com/ccd/
http://thinkdodone.typepad.com/ccd/2008/09/the-top-5-ways.html
http://www.votesmart.org/index.htm

Oh and iggy gave me an award today in his blog....I've added it to my awards area (they've been shuffled around so the most recent ones will be first in the list). If you click the award, it'll take you to the entry he gave it to me in. Thank you very much iggy!

riding, neighbors from hell, new music and poopie bags

Calories burned: 350.3
trip miles: 10.00
ave mph: 20
total miles so far: 96.31
total calories burned to date: 3371.9

Today's ride courtesy of whatever obnoxious video game the neighbors from hell (yeah...I finally found a set that deserves that title) have been playing. They have the volume up so damn high that I can hear the game on BOTH LEVELS of my townhouse. The noise was particularly annoying while I was in my livingroom (where the bike's located). I think they have their tv right up against our adjoining wall which doesnt help matters. I have a bad feeling that this is how most of the winter will be though because the kids will be indoors most of the time then. God help me if they have a snow day. They must have a game console or something in the one upper bedroom too because yesterday they decided they were gonna play a game (unbelieveably loud) at 9frigginam. It woke me out of a sound sleep. Like I was telling Chicago tonight, it takes something worse than a 4.0-5.0 earthquake to get me out of a sound sleep. I can sleep through alot too...car rides, tv going, washer, dishwasher...it dont matter so it does take alot to rouse me when Im tired. Hubby ended up beating the hell outta the wall to get them to turn it down to a reasonable level. It used to be the noise was every once in a while...but now it's gotten more frequent and louder. I think I've gotten to the point of not being so polite anymore. Im actually considering giving them a big ol taste of their own medicine.. It's worked well with other neighbors that cant be bothered to be courteous....and with rather decent results. I really do hate being rude though, honestly. When I set up our place, anything that was going to make an unreasonable noise was placed on an inner wall wherever possible. The TV couldnt be due to the wiring and such but that's not the neighbor we're having trouble with. I keep the TV down to a reasonable level and use the captions whenever possible. However, Im considering moving my stereo to the outer wall and turning the speakers around so they face the wall.....Im thinking...maybe some Alter Bridge or Ozzy Osbourne will make the point very nicely. Im also reconsidering being kind enough to not vacuum the upstairs after 8pm at night. I think that if I decide that it needs to be done at 3am...then so be it....ooh that carpet DOES need a good steam cleaning too. You know what I'll end up doing though? Contacting our landlords to see who is over that particular unit and then filing a complaint that way....because Im really not *THAT* rude. Maybe I should just start packing now...


Last week my mom sent me an Amazon gift certificate for the floss and my time so I went shopping. I bought myself a couple Christmas cds that I'd been wanting for the last year or so. They came in on Tuesday, so I was able to come home with 3 new cds. YAY! The Christmas albums were both mostly the standard carols and a couple new songs to add to my collection, nothing fancy. One was the Aly & AJ one from a couple years back and the other was Rick Springfield's. Both will be going into the stereo cd changer when the season comes. I cant wait.

While I was taking care of Dharma's needs the other night, I looked down at the baggy of baggies that I use to dispose of her kitty waste in and thought of a certain entry that a darling friend of ours wrote. After washing my hands quite thoroughly, I grabbed my camera and got this shot. Now, although the bags themselves do not have instructions on them...the package they're contained in does. It tells you in 3 different languages (incase the pictures themselves cant manage to convey the message) what exactly the baggies are for. You can also see by the picto-directions that these are indeed made for the left handed person. Thank goodness I have a tendency towards being ambidexterous. Otherwise, I dont think I'd EVER manage to be able to use them!

Oh...and no, I dont let my nose get close enough to the baggies to find out if they actually smell like lemons as pictured on their packaging

....and Im not about to either so dont go there.

keeping up

Calories burned: 330.8
trip miles: 9.45
average mph: 18.9

Another cold day. Well not really, it was pushing 50 but the chill from the wind which was travelling around 39 mph most of the day (and we have a warning out that it'll last until 2am or later) made it feel so much colder than it was. I actually had to break out a slightly warmer coat that I really wanted to. Seems Virginia went straight from summer to winter over the last couple days.

Dont feel too much like writing tonight. I'll more than likely have an entry tomorrow evening sometime though.

for those keeping track

Calories burned: 344.8
trip miles: 9.85
ave mph: 19.7

another good ride today. It's getting a little easier. Cold today, in the low 40's . Actually needed to wear a slightly heavier coat when we went shopping.

*reminds self that Virginia's not as dry as Texas*

I am me...and I am okay

"I am Me. In all the world, there is no one else exactly like me. Everything that comes out of me is authentically mine, because I alone chose it -- I own everything about me: my body, my feelings, my mouth, my voice, all my actions, whether they be to others or myself. I own my fantasies, my dreams, my hopes, my fears. I own my triumphs and successes, all my failures and mistakes. Because I own all of me, I can become intimately acquainted with me. By so doing, I can love me and be friendly with all my parts. I know there are aspects about myself that puzzle me, and other aspects that I do not know -- but as long as I am friendly and loving to myself, I can courageously and hopefully look for solutions to the puzzles and ways to find out more about me. However I look and sound, whatever I say and do, and whatever I think and feel at a given moment in time is authentically me. If later some parts of how I looked, sounded, thought, and felt turn out to be unfitting, I can discard that which is unfitting, keep the rest, and invent something new for that which I discarded. I can see, hear, feel, think, say, and do. I have the tools to survive, to be close to others, to be productive, and to make sense and order out of the world of people and things outside of me. I own me, and therefore, I can engineer me. I am me, and I am Okay.”

-Virginia Satir, American Phychologist & educator

unusual letter

Calories burned: 321.4

miles travelled: 9.18

average mph: 18.36

I got an email from daddy earlier last week telling me that I had gotten some mail at their place in California and what did I want done with it? Well I took a look at the scan he sent along and saw a couple big huge glaring errors. Although the return address SAYS it's from the right school, the return address itself was totally wrong. Then, when you look where it's addressed TO me (names and addresses removed for protection) it shows where I supposedly graduated FROM. Ok, I give them points for getting the year correct but the school name is wrong. Top things off....my parents' address? Well I havent had that as a mailing address for what, about 5 years now? My dad emailled later letting me know my brother had gotten the same thing in the mail and so he'd written asking about it. My brother told him that his (my brother's) current address is on file through the school's credit union and wouldnt be contacting him through our parent's place. He went on to say that anything arriving claiming that it was from our school needs to be destroyed because it's bogus. My brother also sent along a link that may be of interest :

http://columbusin.proboards34.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=hcimemberinfo&thread=143&page=5

If you scroll down to the 4th or 5th entry on that page, you can see where this school alumni start to discuss it.

I wrote dad back and told him to RTS it....

cd,floss, a birthday on the horizon, flu shots and marbles

As you can see by the decor I have up, I'm extremely excited about a certain cd that's coming out very soon. I cant tell you how much Im anticipating this cd. If it's anything like his pre-Idol stuff, it's going to be one friggin awesome cd. The only thing that's going to manage to get me through until his release date is the fact P!nk is releasing a new album this week. I've listened to the preview of this cd several times already and I cant wait to add it to my collection.

http://www.vh1.com/artists/az/pink/2339248/album.jhtml

The first song on the album is the one getting airtime now.

A couple of weeks ago I got an ad through the mail from AC Moore's Craft store. Knowing how much my mom loves to do embroidery, I dropped her a line letting her know they had the flosses on sale at 8/$1...which is an AWESOME price for them because a normal sale price is 4/$1. The sale was for only two days though, so she'd have to hurry to get them. She wrote back to say that she doesnt have an AC Moore's nearby and was rather bummed about it because it's a ~REALLY~ good deal. A follow-up email asked if I'd mind picking some up for her if she'd send a list of colors along...she'd be happy to pay the cost of the floss and shipping. Of course I didnt mind, it gave me a real good excuse to go and pick up some for myself as well....not as though I really needed them but it's good to have on hand in case I feel like stitching. I walked out of AC Moore's with 90 some odd skeins of floss for a bit over $12. Cant argue with that.

I managed to get all but a half dozen or so that she needed. I decided the next day to go to WalMart and see about getting the rest as WalMart's always been the least expensive around. Imagine my surprise that they no longer carry embroidery flosses. Say WHAT???!!!?? So I ended up going to Michael's instead and getting the rest of the colors needed. While there, I decided on picking up a couple items to help fill the shipping box out somewhat. I decided on a set of pillowcases that has a pattern on it so you can embroider flowers on them. There were several sets, but the one set that caught my eye was one that was mostly done in the lazy-daisy stitch. I knew that was a stitch she liked to do best because the piece went fast. I also picked her up some bobbin labeling stickers for her spools of floss. Well I get them shipped off but just tell her the floss is on the way...I made no mention of the "I Love You" gifts I enclosed. I figure turn about's fair play....she always does it to me. This Friday I get an email from her and it starts out:

"Package arrived in fine shape this morning. Something funny must have been
going on during the trip out. The floss gave birth to a set of pillow cases and
bobbin labels. STRANGE!!!"

I love her sense of humor.

Got an email from my SIL in Indiana Saturday night letting me know my niece's birthday card showed up. Thank goodness. I always worry because I always enclose sometime special in the cards. Her kids love getting those little special treats because it always means a trip to Toys R Us which I guess is a rarity in that family. She also let me know that what I had planned for the Christmas presents was a great idea (personalized story books)...especially since it is so darned hard finding ANYTHING with the girl's name on it anywhere. It's as bad or worse than finding personalized stuff for myself. Oh, mine isnt so bad now a days...but when I was a kid it was considered a very rare name.

I was in reading my comics, as per usual and saw this one:

Which reminds me that we arrived into Scorpio as of Friday....which means someone's birthday is coming up in very very short order. Who knows how to bake a traffic cone shaped cake? Remember...it needs to be frosted in OCHA orange.

Has everyone got their flu shots yet? I got mine on Friday. Damn did it ever hurt. I guess it beats the alternative:

I've got something else to share but it can wait until I get up later or maybe sometime the next day. I've got more than enough photos in here as it is. However, before I sign out...I found something in Google that may be interesting. We all know that at times our darling Marmie tends to act like she's lost her marbles (kinda reminds me of Tootles the pirate) ......well here ya are dah'lin...I found them:

the pedallin fool

miles travelled: 8.76
average mph: 17.52
calories burned: 306.9

My biking speed is increasing and I've noticed that when I'm really sidetracked, it goes much much faster. Case in point, yesterday my SCSis called to check on me. Lately the calls have gotten farther and fewer in between as she's gotten busier with work. The calls have gotten shorter and shorter. Anyone who remembers, she's the one that likes to keep me on the phone for at least an hour or more. Well the last time she called was about a week ago...I cant remember how long she kept me then but she really needed to talk. This week, it was beginning to feel like it was going to be a marathon call so I climbed on my bike. I tried to keep it to a reasonable pace but we got talking about something that really had my blood pumping. When I get excited about a topic, my blood pressure goes up and I get more animated. Usually, I talk with my hands (you can thank being married to the Italians for more than 10 years and the fact that Im highstrung for that)...well it looks like the legs are pretty much the same because before I knew it, I was really cruising and huffin and puffin in her ear! She got worried as she had no clue what was going on....I hadnt gotten around to telling her about the bike yet. *laffz* I dunno who was more excited about me on the bike...her or me. Anyhow next thing I know, I glance down and Im .oO(how'd iggy put it? ah ya) "burnin up the road" cruisin at 21-22 mph!!! Holy crap! She kept me on the phone until 20 minutes into my ride and only hung up when it was blatantly obvious I couldnt keep up a conversation any longer. That was my best ride so far outta these last 7 days with today being the second best.

Today, I really had set out to do a nice comfortable pace as a break but as you can see from my stats up there, my body chose otherwise. I expect within a week or less, I'll need to crank the tension up on the bike a bit. I may wait til the end of the month though. I'd really like to wait until Im on a new month's spreadsheet before I make any changes. Oh wait....next week IS the end of the month. Damn, well that came fast!

This is a screen shot of the spreadsheet hubby made for me. After Im done riding, I log everything but the average mph in...there's a formula that figures that out for me.

a little of this, a little of that...thankyouverymuch

Thank you for the kind words in the previous entry. . After seeing some of the responses out there, I personally think it comes across as really shallow as I look at it and see alot of me me me me written. It took hours to draft it and word things just right. I ended up working it backwards because I was pretty sure I knew what I wanted in the last grouping. When I got to the careers one, I nearly stalled out. I found out that one of the jobs I'd had before was quite a bit like a dream job and I really wish I was back at it. I had minimal management hanging over my shoulder and I was pretty much left to deal with things as I saw fit....and I was damn good at the job. Things have changed with that particular chain of stores though and the job is nothing like it was before so Im not certain how well I'd enjoy that work anymore.

The travelling one was hard to condense what I'd wish for down so it fit the parameters of the exercise. Once I realized that a good many of my wishes there dealt with me talking to myself....I just kinda lumped them into one. Cheating, maybe, but all were important and some alot more telling than others. The first section was actually the hardest of all of them. Most of what I truly wish for pretty much fits in the last sections of the questionnaire. The first section was also the section I was most afraid would come off terribly shallow....because that's where it would be the easiest place to do it.

On to other things. Sunday we got my new bike put together and I've been really faithful at getting on the bugger daily. Over the last 5 days, my average mph has gone from a 12.88 to a 15.72. Actually, it's more like a 16.42 if you don't count the very first day because the seat wasnt really set at the proper spot for me to pedal comfortably (it was set for slightly longer legs). I am being really good at making sure to do my pedalling for 30 minutes a day. It's not straight through as I sometimes need a break or three along the way.


This week's shot wasnt all that bad. I had very minimal reaction to it for a change and it didnt itch into the next day which was great. The nurse had been in touch with the dr covering for my allergist and they'd said that if Im having reactions into the next day and later that I need to repeat the dosage until there is hardly any reaction ( a lump 10 mm or SMALLER and barely any itching). What's this mean? It means that more than likely 2-3 weeks of the same dosages until the body adjusts. The nurse told me she's seen some whose bodies would fight an fight and then all of a sudden everything gets to be smooth sailing so who knows. I've noticed, however, that when I catch a meal beforehand there is barely any reaction at all. I told her about it and suggested she may keep it in the back of her mind for the next patient that comes along and has problems. This week I ate before I got the shot and will do it again next week. I dont know if it's coincidence or not but if it helps Im all for it right about now.


While we were in the dr's office I saw a vanity license plate that was too cute. The question I have is, is it written that way because the vehicle was a gift to a loved one named or with the nickname Shay? OR is it entirely possible this vehicle was gotten by divorce or other means and the plate is simply a cutesy way of saying touche (pronounced too-shay)? I see other really neat plates around here. On Tuesday I saw one I wish I had thought of getting for my husband's truck....it said "No Beans". *laffz*

The folliage has been quite lovely here, now that it's decided to get cold enough for a majority of the leaves to turn. The trees around the doctor's office have lost about half their leaves already. What a change in a week's time that was. Is it me or are the days going by really fast? Seems like it was just a few weeks ago we moved in here and now nearly 8 months have passed. Im hearing that some points north have been getting snow inducing temps already so it shouldnt be to much longer here. Already were getting days in the 50s and 60s with 40s overnight.

Sometime last week ago or so I grabbed a picture of the Logan's restaurant as seen from the road. The covered area to the right is outdoor seating. The parking is around the rear of the building and that porch wraps almost clear around the building. I think we'll be going to lunch there tomorrow after we go in for our flu shots. Usually I try to time all my dr visits for the beginning of the week. However, since Im having allergy shots, I cant have any other kind of shot on the same day. In fact, there's a 96 hour buffer zone where I cant get any shots of any kind. From 48 hours beforehand to 48 hours afterwards, Im a shotfree zone. Since the dr's office has a walk in clinic for shots only on M-W-F for the flu shots....this leaves me only Fridays when I can go in for my shot. *sigh* Not that I truly WANT another needle, I do know that it will be good for me in the long run. Especially since I tend to catch colds and illnesses really quick.

I was reading in Jess's blog the other day and she chose to write about the fun and benefits of sunglasses. Kudos on the entry dear. You are completely right with the connection on sunlight and cararacts. My now ex ended up developing those on both eyes in his mid-30s. I always suspected that it was because we'd moved to Louisiana and even in the bright sun he refused to wear some eye protection. Prescription glasses were too expensive and he refused to wear the ones that would go over his glasses and wrap around the sides. Anyhow, I treat sunglasses like jewelry. I have several pairs hanging by the door, a pair on hubby's desk for repair and spare pairs in each of the 2 vehicles. There are a total of 8 pairs I believe. One is even a fun leopard print and one pair has a rosy tint to them. The rose ones are used on cloudy days. Oh wait...I have 9 pairs! There is a light blue tinted pair on my desk for when the monitor is bothering my eyes.

Because of the hours we are running over here, it's gotten to be a bit of a squeeze getting things done on Tuesdays anymore. I've taken to getting my shots a bit later in the day so hubby can have a couple extra hours of sleep. On a normal Tuesday, we'd taken to getting my shot then going to supper then to WalMart and finally to the grocery store. Well we discovered a couple weeks ago that this was simply going to have to be reworked if we were going to be home for our shows at 8pm. A couple of weeks ago, before we'd adjusted the schedule somewhat, we'd just pulled into the grocery store when I looked up and saw the most beautiful moon I'd seen in a while.

I've been WHAT??

Ok, most people know my feelings on the memes, games and tags. For those that dont, I dont generally like them at all so it's not usually in anyone's best interest to "tag" me. My feelings are, if I like the game or questionnaire...I'll put it in my own blog and share with my friends. If I dont, I wont bother. I have friends from several different circles and many times I see these "games" a good 2-3 times in my email inbox. The one I got tagged with this time, I've seen no fewer than 5 times on different occasions. My general response is much like the donkey...you try to drag or push them to do something and what do they do? They set their heels and you cant get them to do anything you want. I've been this way my whole life. HOWEVER, this one was particularly thought provoking in that I really needed to dig deep in an effort to not sound overly shallow. Im afraid that I more than likely failed in this aspect.

Top four wishes

In no particular order, I wish...
01) ...that this election year was OVER. Is it me or do they start sooner and sooner? All I know is that Im tired of the mudslinging ads and the ad nauseum calls.

02) ...that everyone had enough of what ever they needed. Money, food, shelter, clothes, health, friends, love, etc etc etc

03) ...that I could have brought my "kids" from my last marriage with me...I miss them so much.

04) ...I had gone to school and planned ahead for my future.

Four places I want to travel

01) I want to take a trip like one of my chat friends did and visit 2-3 days with everyone that makes a point of commenting on my blog. It would be great to see those that I havent had the pleasure to meet, face to face.

02) I'd like to go on a "Killing inner demons" trip sometime. Those of you that know some of my background know exactly what that means. I expect I'd come back to Virginia a good 5-10 pounds lighter because I'd be sick most of the time I'm sure. It'd do me good to face some of those problems again and realize that they can NOT hurt me any longer.

03) I'd like to go back in time and have a stern talking to with myself. I'd tell her:
* rely on your friends and family..tell them the truth and dont gloss things over for them, you'll need them in short order when something bad happens and then this way they wont be shocked when things go finally down
* to talk to her family about medical problems and keep a journal about them...it's going to become handy in the long run
* that her life isnt going to be as short as she thinks it will be, it'd be better to make plans and start caring for herself now
* to go with her gut reaction, if she think the person is a jerk then they are...and no amount of moving or compromising is going to fix the problems
* to not EVER feel obligated just because you dont want to upset people, if it feels wrong then it more than likely is
* that yes, she will eventually be very very happy

Then I'd go and deck my family physician for telling my family for so long that my weight issue was "just baby fat" and that "it'll fall off eventually". If the kid's fat then tell the parents....dont gloss it over and give false hope, it doesnt help anyone in the long run.

04) Somewhere exotic where the animals roam free. I'd love to see them in their natural habitat before it (and they) all disappear forever.

Four Careers I want to try

01) A renowned photographer. As much as I'd like to blame iggy for this one, I can't. I've always liked taking pictures and my favorite subjects have always been animals. Anyone who's been through my Photobucket files can attest to that. Any time we go to a touristy place, I have the camera out.

02) I'd love to be a graphic artist. Although Im creative, Im not quite creative enough. Sometimes my brains stalls out so Im not certain how well I'd do. So much to learn.

03) A movie/ music critic. *Laffz* I know, it's not as though Im not doing that a bit already with American Idol, but it would be nice to be paid for my opinions. All I know is that I dont mind putting the work in and I dont have to answer to anyone which is fine by me.

04) Design. Set design, layouts in a store, display design...anything that means I can work alone or with a minimum number of people around. Im the "getthehellouttamywaysoIcandomyjob" type of person so the fewer people around the better. Im also not good for manager jobs as the inner Leo takes over and then EVERYONE's unhappy. I have an eye for detail that tends to drive the bosses nuts too, so it's good to have minimal supervision as well.

Four things I'd like God to say at the gates of Heaven

01) No that one decade wasn't all your fault. He was just a test and granted you didnt do so well in the beginning you pulled it together in the end.

02) Mimi's doing great. She wanted me to tell you that she was so glad that she got to see you that one last time during your wedding and she was happy you didnt come in January. It would have broke her heart to see you sad again. Oh...and she's wondering if you brought more Diet Coke and a bottle of Scotch.

03) Jaja says that he understands that obligations get in the way of family trips so quit beating yourself up over it . It's been almost 10 years for goodness sakes so quit your cryin, come on down to the pond, and have a seat as he's got plenty of mini-marshmallows so the both of you can feed the geese.

04) No, my daughter, that body that always fought against you while you were on Earth is not standard issue here. Once you pass through The Gates, everything gets upgraded and overhauled. Go ahead and see for yourself. Dont worry about friends and family in there not recognizing you after the changes. Trust me, they'll know you from a mile off no matter what.

Now...for the tagging. I absolutely refuse to tag any one specific person. Mostly because almost everyone that's in my follow list has already been tagged and those that werent I dont know well enough to comment in their blogs, much less tag them. So I tag you, you, You and YOU!
If you've done it already, great... go you!

If you havent, consider yourself tagged again. Hey if I can do this then you can too.
And for those of you who are gonna be party poopers about this and not do it? *pbbbbt* We love you anyhow.

commercial just for punkn

I cant wait until it's over

We had 5....of these damn calls again today. With these and the other 6 that are already on block, Im quickly running out of block spots. Im about ready to just unhook the phone until the election's over. Just not answering doesnt help matters, it's still annoying when they call ad nauseum....

Memory Test, I'm almost dead

Ok ok... Im not almost dead but I did score an 18...

This is NOT a pushover test. There are 20 questions. Average score is 12. It will help if you are over 60! This one will be difficult for the younger set. Have fun, but no peeking! Good luck youngsters.

01. What builds strong bodies 12 ways?
A. Flintstones vitamins
B. The Buttmaster
C. Spaghetti
D. Wonder Bread
E. Orange Juice
F. Milk
G. Cod Liver Oil

02. Before he was Muhammed Ali, he was...
A. Sugar Ray Robinson
B. Roy Orbison
C. Gene Autry
D. Rudolph Valentino
E. Fabian
F. Mickey Mantle
G. Cassius Clay

03. Pogo, the comic strip character said, "We have met the enemy and...
A. It's you
B. He is us
C. It's the Grinch
D. He wasn't home
E. He's really me an
F. We quit
G. He surrendered

04. Good night David.
A. Good night Chet
B. Sleep well
C. Good night Irene
D. Good night Gracie
E. See you later alligator
F. Until tomorrow
G. Good night Steve

05. You'll wonder where the yellow went...
A. When you use Tide
B. When you lose your crayons
C. When you clean your tub
D. If you paint the room blue
E. If you buy a soft water tank
F. When you use Lady Clairol
G. When you brush your teeth with Pepsodent

06. Before he was the Skipper's Little Buddy, Bob Denver was Dobie's friend....
A. Stuart Whitman
B. Randolph Scott
C. Steve Reeves
D. Maynard G. Krebbs
E. Corky B. Dork
F. Dave the Whale
G. Zippy Zoo

07. Liar, liar...
A. You're a liar
B. Your nose is growing
C. Pants on fire
D. Join the choir
E. Jump up higher
F. On the wire
G. I'm telling Mom

08. Meanwhile, back in Metropolis, Superman fights a never ending battle
for truth, justice and...
A. Wheaties
B. Lois Lane
C. TV ratings
D. World peace
E. Red tights
F. The American way
G. News headlines

09. Hey kids! What time is it?
A. It's time for Yogi Bear
B. It's time to do your homework
C. It's Howdy Doody Time
D. It's Time for Romper Room
E. It's bedtime
F. The Mighty Mouse Hour
G. Scooby Doo Time

10. Lions and tigers and bears...
A. Yikes
B. Oh no
C. Gee whiz
D. I'm scared
E. Oh my
F. Help! Help!
G. Let's run

11. Bob Dylan advised us never to trust anyone...
A. Over 40
B. Wearing a uniform
C. Carrying a briefcase
D. Over 30
E. You don't know
F. Who says, 'Trust me'
G. Who eats tofu

12. NFL quarterback who appeared in a television commercial wearing women's stockings...
A. Troy Aikman
B. Kenny Stabler
C. Joe Namath
D. Roger Stauback
E. Joe Montana
F. Steve Young
G. John Elway

13. Brylcream...
A. Smear it on
B. You'll smell great
C. Tame that cowlick
D. Grease ball heaven
E. It's a dream
F. We're your team
G. A little dab'll do ya

14. I found my thrill...
A. In Blueberry muffins
B. With my man, Bill
C. Down at the mill
D. Over the windowsill
E. With thyme and dill
F. Too late to enjoy
G. On Blueberry Hill

15. Before Robin Williams, Peter Pan was played by...
A. Clark Gable
B. Mary Martin
C. Doris Day
D. Errol Flynn
E. Sally Fields
F. Jim Carey
G. Jay Leno

16. Name the Beatles...
A. John, Steve, George, Ringo
B. John, Paul, George, Roscoe
C. John, Paul, Stacey, Ringo
D. Jay, Paul, George, Ringo
E. Lewis, Peter, George, Ringo
F. Jason, Betty, Skipper, Hazel
G. John, Paul, George, Ringo

17. I wonder, wonder, who..
A. Who ate the leftovers?
B. Who did the laundry?
C. Was it you?
D. Who wrote the book of love?
E. Who I am?
F. Passed the test?
G. Knocked on the door?

18. I'm strong to the finish...
A. Cause I eats my broccoli
B. Cause I eats me spinach
C. Cause I lift weights
D. Cause I'm the hero
E. And don't you forget it
F. Cause Olive Oyl loves me
G. To outlast Bruto

19. When it's least expected, you're elected, you're the star today...
A. Smile, you're on Candid Camera
B. Smile, you're on Star Search
C. Smile, you won the lottery
D. Smile, we're watching you
E. Smile, the world sees you
F. Smile, you're a hit
G. Smile, you're on TV

20. What do M & M's do?
A. Make your tummy happy
B. Melt in your mouth, not in your pocket
C. Make you fat
D. Melt your heart
E. Make you popular
F. Melt in your mouth, not in your hand
G. Come in colors



Below are the right answers:
01. D - Wonder Bread
02. G - Cassius Clay
03. B - He Is Us
04. A - Good night, Chet
05. G - When you brush your teeth with Pepsodent
06. D - Maynard G. Krebbs
07. C - Pants On Fire
08. F - The American Way
09. C - It's Howdy Doody Time
10. E - Oh My
11. D - Over 30
12. C - Joe Namath
13. G - A little dab'll do ya
14. G - On Blueberry Hill
15. B - Mary Martin
16. G - John, Paul, George, Ringo
17. D - Who wrote the book of Love
18. B - Cause I eats me spinach
19. A - Smile, you're on Candid Camera
20. F - Melt In Your Mouth Not In Your Hand

weight, weather, way annoying phone calls and word from home

Oh how I know that feeling! I mentioned a couple weeks back to Chicago that I was looking at getting a recumbent exercise bike. I had one all picked out at that point on the WalMart site and all I had to do is order it. After a discussion with hubby, it was decided that he'd put it on the WalMart card. So I figured he'd get right to it. Ummmhmm. I finally mentioned it once too often and he handed over the card so I could place the order. We're having it delivered to the Wally World right down the road from us. We could have had it delivered here for an extra fee but we were afraid they'd want to deliver on a Monday or Tuesday and the next 2 Mondays and Tuesdays are all tied up with doctor appointments. I can't wait to get my hands on it. I'm tired of my legs and corresponding joints giving me fits. Most of all Im tired of not being comfortable walking and standing. Like Mr Lockhorn is saying in the comic to the right "My body is in perfect balance...everything is falling apart at the same time."



The weather has been nice here. Last week was nicer than this week. This week it warmed up some and we've had to shut the windows and turn the AC back on again. I'm not overly happy with that. I was enjoying the nice fresh air we were getting. It was a very nice change of pace. I was kinda hoping the trees in the area would show us some nice bright colors this year, Texas never had it that's for sure. However, so far this year, we've had some yellows and asgoodasdead browns. There are already leaves on the ground and some of the trees are bare in less than a week's time.



Thanks to the upcoming election here in the states, my phone (and my doorbell) has been ringing seemingly nonstop. As much as I'd like to say that I'm getting it from both parties, I'm not. I do want to thank the party that's been harrassing me, it's a real good way to get me to vote for anyone other than your candidate. I got so annoyed the day before yesterday that I dug up on the Comcast website instructions on how to block certain calls and ya know? It's been a real peaceful couple of days. As for the doorbell, I'm about ready to answer it while naked. With any luck it'll scare the volunteers littering my yard with their crappy fliers as well as any potential annoying "Witnesses" away. I will be so damn glad when this election is over with. Oh, and before anyone slams me for not liking their candidate because the volunteers are harrassing me constantly, I can't stand either one of the main choices this time around (whether they're harrassing me or not)....not one bit.

Got an email the other day from home. Seems the ex wrote and has had a parole hearing earlier this month and that "things looked good" for his release. However, ALL paroles and approved releases were put on hold because an earlier parolee had killed a cop at a traffic stop. All prisoners that had been approved for work outside the prison walls were recalled from their jobs as well. Now, as much as I'd like to have them keep him locked away forever, why should those who have done their time....and made steps to rehabilitation....be punished for the one creep that couldn't keep his actions in check? The letter went on to say that all the property that had been left at the apartment that he was renting prior to his arrest had gone to a sister's house and then eventually to his folks house. From what I gather, that's where he'll be released to when he finally gets out. Here I was under the impression he'd have to stay in the state of his incarceration for a few years before he could leave and file as a sex-offender. Maybe I was mistaken? Or maybe they failed to mention this to him yet? This is, however, possible good news though as Im in hopes that he'll still have a few of the items that I'd left behind and will be nice enough to send them along to my family. Then again, knowing how he is, it's more than likely he was just saying what he thought they wanted to hear. *SHRUGZ*

Wisdom from the past

I received this one from a friend via e-mail today. Thought I'd share it here because the quote could easily be said in this day and age.

The budget should be balanced, the Treasury should be refilled, public debt should be reduced, the arrogance of officialdom should be tempered and controlled, and the assistance to foreign lands should be curtailed lest we become bankrupt. People must again learn to work, instead of living on public assistance.

- Cicero 55 BC

Fours

I think I got this from one of ya'll a month or so ago and had meant to bring it on in here. It just arrived yet again from my mom. I guess that's a good reminder that I wanted to post it eh?


A) Four places that I go to over and over: WalMart, Dr, grocery store and McKays (second hand books and recordings)

B) Four people who e-mail me (regularly): Mom, Chicago, Alice and iggy

C) Four of my favorite places to eat: Olive Garden, Logan's, Bob Evans and IHOPs

D) Four places I would rather be right now: TEXAS!!, California, South Carolina or New York

E) Four people who will respond: just 4?? I certainly HOPE that more than 4 play along....there's a few newbies in here that I'd like to get to know better!!!

F) Four TV shows I watch.: House, Bones, Heros, Supernatural (I watch alot more than that....it was hard to just name 4)


Feel free to play along....place your answers in the comment section.

Happy Birthday Alice!!!

Glitter Graphics & Comments

Have a wonderful day!!!

just some pictures

The first picture was taken from the deck at the Logan's restaurant down the road from us. They (the fountains ...to clarify for the easily confused) are located in a pond near the entrance to the Bull Run Plaza. The other 3 are some of the flowers that were outside of a TGIFridays. Not sure what they all are, I just know that they grabbed my attention and are really pretty.

new vanity and a flea bite

A few weeks back I got a call from the repairman. I think it was the day after I made a crack in someone's blog about them being lucky that their stuff is repaired in a timely manner. It seems the owner of the property *finally* said the stuff could be fixed.

(INSERT HUGE EYEROLL HERE)

I was looking back to see if I mentioned that they had sent a repairman for measurements...another one, not that first guy when we first moved in. Well, after several months of waiting and bitching, they'd sent a second dude to take measurements. It was a Wednesday afternoon. He told me that generally when HE says it needs repair, it'll get done. I guess they'd had problems with the last guy. Anyhow, we got talking and he had been under the impression we'd only been there a month or so...he was surprised when I told him how long this stuff had been waiting. I told him that I realized it wasn't the landlord's fault but the property owner's and I also stated that it was my opinion if you couldn't afford to fix the property you were renting out to others that maybe you should consider selling it to someone who could. Now, if you own the place and are living there...AND the repair wasn't really threatening anything in the home (sure enough the vanity and storeroom out back weren't exactly emergencies, just inconveniences), then by all means wait to fix them. However, if people are paying you good money to live in your home....well then everything should be in working order...period. Mind you, if this had been an apartment complex...you can be sure I would have been reporting it to the BBB.

Anyhow, so the new dude comes in and gets the measurements and assures me it'll all get done. He even goes to say that he'd see if he could get it done that week (remember, he came in on a Wednesday afternoon). Thursday, no call.....Friday, again no call. Okay, I didn't really expect that it would get done that week anyhow because surely he had other places that needed doing as well. The following week, I stayed close to home...just in case. No call. Another week goes by, and still no call. It got to be 3 weeks and I pretty much decided I was going to call and raise hell on Monday. Friday afternoon, just as I was making the decision to really piss some people off about this...the repairman called. (insert small eyeroll here) He said he'd be in with his crew on Monday around 830-9am. Hubby wasn't too happy because it was the Monday before he went on nights and he really needed to be sleeping in the day hours to get his body back to the night schedule. LOL. Ah well.

They showed up on time on Monday. All repairs were done in about 4 hours time. We now have a shed with a door frame that's FIXED so it'll lock, a brand new vanity AND a screen for the sliding glass door. The only reason it took so long on the repairs is because when he was in for measurements, he'd just eyeballed the patio door instead of taking an actual measurement. *shakes head* Never EVER assume that things in homes are built to "standard".

Trying to keep myself occupied over here. I've freshened not only my 2 busier pages here but my MySpace as well. While I was at it, I switched my SCSis's MySpace back to her off-season monkey decor (she's a rabid Yankee fan). I had an interesting project show up last evening that kept me occupied for an hour or so....actually longer now that I think of it if you consider I had to "shop" via Google. It allowed me to play with a program that I don't normally use over here. Now that I have the hang of it though, I may play around with it more often!

I've caught several movies the last few weeks. Some I've seen before and a couple that....well I never would have thought to watch if they hadn't been on TV. I popped in The Emperor's New Groove and Kronk's New Groove one day just for some noise. Lord knows I've seen them both several times. I also watched The Wild and Ironman over the last week or so. On TV, I caught the first two Pirates of the Carribbean movies. They were better than I expected. That Johnny Depp's a real hoot. I got so I didn't know whether I wanted to cheer for his character or slap him across the face. There were some really funny moments in both of those movies.

So.... last week's shots went a whole lot better than they have been going. Infact, this week, there was minimal to no reaction at all. The lump was no bigger than a flea bite and hardly itched at all. Now, either the Aveeno hydrocortizone is really working... or my body is finally adjusting to the medicine. You know what the shocker is? We had increased the dosage from a .15 to a .2. Now with every other shot, the reactions had gotten worse and worse...even when we reduced the dosage. This time, however, it's the complete opposite. *shakes head* I can't wait to go in this week for my shot so I can tell the nurse.

The truth comes out!

I was going to post this yesterday....and for some reason I changed mind. Maybe it was because of the date on it or something. Anyhow after reading the entries for today, in particular to iggy's reaction to Sugar's entry, I'm beginning to wish I HAD!

And now you know..........................the REST of the story....

gray days and a sick truck

We had another gray day today...or at least what I saw of it. That's the one thing I miss about putting myself on the nighttime shift with hubby, the daylight. At this time of day, even if I WANTED to go out and do some walking, I don't dare. From front stoop to the mailbox or trash pickup location, that's fine....but elsewhere in the neighborhood, I don't think so. I could always put myself back on the day shift, but then I'd see hubby even less than I do now and I wouldn't be able to do any of the household cleaning until he was awake... ah well.

Like I was saying, we've had some really gray days here lately and some rain. Last night there was a storm that was strong enough to make me want to turn the computer off. It didn't last too long though. The weather channel had a tornado alert go up but it was for points east of us. It must have been strengthening as it went over us. The rain's been somewhat welcome though because it washes a good amount of the pollen from the air.

The truck broke down a couple weeks ago (the week of the 14th). It had been acting up a bit on Saturday and Sunday, not wanting to start right up which is pretty odd. On Monday (15th), when hubby left to go to a class at work, it refused to start. There was enough juice going through as the lights came on and the radio fired up. Hmm. So he grabbed the trickle charger to get it charged up some. It ran fine after that although it was a bit weak on the start-up coming home. On Tuesday (16th), I had a Dr's appointment and when we went out to the truck....you guessed it, it wouldn't start. The radio and lights came on fine again though. At this point, I was remembering my mom's old Impala. It had been bought off a travelling salesman friend of my dad's . The dude would travel 100+ miles a day with it making sales calls. Well it, too, had run fine for a while and then all of a sudden stopped wanting to work. The problem was that my mom, didn't drive 100+ miles a day in it...she was lucky if she put about 10-20 on it daily and maybe an extra 20 a week when she was working in the community theatre. That car simply wasn't being run like it was used to and as a result, things stopped working correctly. I figured, we were having the same problem , simply because we run it only half the time than we used to. We're only 2 miles from work so the truck doesn't even much get warmed up and the Dr's office is about 5 miles from here or less. Since we have to go to the Dr's on Tuesday, we simply do all our running then so Sunday and most Mondays the truck simply sits. So that Tuesday, we had to hook the charger up again and hubby decided that maybe a new battery was in order. It was only 4-5 years old anyhow.

Hubby dropped me off at the Dr's office and went to Pep Boys for a new battery. I guess from what he said, he opted to have someone else install it because when he tried to do it himself, he dropped the wrench inside the truck. He took it as a bad sign that he had to go in to buy a tool to reach the wrench so figured a few extra dollars for installation wasn't so bad. On Wednesday (17th), he went to go to work. The truck started...barely. So he had me place a few calls and get prices for an electrical test for the truck to find out what was going on. He was suspecting a short somewhere was draining things. We shot emails back and forth trying to decide what to do about it. He decided that if it couldn't be repaired at a reasonable dollar amount (gotta remember, this is an '88 Ford F150 Lariat and has scads of miles on it), that he'd have to either fix the Torino (ka-chingville I'm sure as she has a leak somewhere and other problems) OR buy someone else's problem (aka a used car). He saw several on a for sale page at his work and *IF* it came to that, at least he'd know the person he was buying from. While he was checking the ads out, he sent me a few leads on repair shops.

My last call was the most productive of the bunch and I ended up telling hubby that he needed to go with this company. Why? Well, the person I was talking to on the phone was the owner of the company. When I asked her for the price of an electronics diagnosis and described what hubby said was happening, she gave me a word of advice and suggested I should be asking for the pricing for something else ...which was much much cheaper than the figures I was getting. She told me why I needed to ask for that and told me what she thought it could be. She took the time to explain things in a way that a technically challenged person would understand. The fact that she put the potential customer FIRST above the "all mighty dollar", well that says alot to me about how the person conducts business. That's the type of person I prefer to keep bringing my work to.

On Thursday (18th), he went to work and as soon as the repair shop opened, drove over. His boss followed him so he'd have a way back to work. The repair shop was supposed to call me later but they never did, so hubby went over the check on the car. The test (the cheap one the owner told me about) was inconclusive and they ended up needing to run another test on it but since it was late in their day, it would have to wait until Friday. Friday they ran the other test and were pretty sure what the problem was. They ordered the part and said they wanted to keep the truck over the weekend to double check their suspicions (they had to wait on the part anyhow). On Monday, they tried to start the truck and of course it was dead as a doornail. Turns out that the alternator was a busy little part. Not only was it charging up the battery as it should, but it was working hard overnight and draining the power right back out. It was Monday afternoon before they could install the part and then they kept it one more night to make sure there wasn't any more draining of the battery. On Tuesday, hubby dropped me off at the Dr's and went to pick up the truck. Damn thing cost us ~$700 and that's NOT including the rental car.... It's running fine now though, that's all that matters.