and THIS is how you respond

We've all been seeing Mr. Sheen's very public melt-down for weeks now and his out and out attack on Mr. Cryer, who as far as I could tell, really didn't deserve such treatment. Did Mr. Cryer make a public statement raging back at Mr. Sheen? No. He kept his piece for a bit and then, when he did choose to say something... used humor. This has to be one of the funniest responses to an ill mannered twit I've seen in a long time. Kudos to Mr.Cryer for keeping it light and nipping that particular outlet right in the bud.




Considering that Mr. Cryer's the only one to win an Emmy for this show, I'm guessing Two and a Half Men might do just fine if given half a chance and the right support.

Celebrity Doppelgangers

So in Facebook this week, they've been doing the "Who is your celebrity doppelganger?" Actually, it's been more like the which celebrity do (or did) your friends say you most look like? Well, I don't ever recall any of my friends saying I looked like anyone (that's a post for another day...*sigh*) so I ran a couple of my pix thru the generator on www.myheritage.com. I had to down-load a toolbar which I more than likely will be getting rid of in a few days as I really don't need any more crap on my computer. These were the results:

This picture was taken graduation day, June 1987.



The picture used for this one was taken a couple years ago. It's about as glammed out as I get these days.


The picture used for this one was taken just a couple weeks ago. Oh I ~so~ need to get my hair done!


I was really surprised at some of the choices, to be honest....

I ended up using the picture of Gabrielle Union on my Facebook page (hey...she's pretty!) and peeps just don't see it. Ok, ok...so I'm severely melanin challenged, but you have to admit that she's a closer choice than some of the others!! Maybe I should have used the one of Anna Nicole Smith...?

awards and a tour of bloggyville

Warning: extremely long entry.You'll be here and in other blogs for awhile so save me for the last read. I don't mind, honestly. Just make sure you go potty, wash hands, grab a meal or snack and drink...yadda yadda yadda...you know the drill...before sitting down. Oh and grab some kleenx just in case.


We all know what a poor bloggy buddy I've been. I didn't get my thank yous out timely and this one deals with the awards I didn't post when I should have. As much as I'd like to blame it all on the addiction to that site that I have, I suspect many of these simply got jambed up behind the Journey entry. Most of my usual readers can tell you, if I get something on my mind and I don't blog it right away, well everything else gets tossed to the back burner until it's dealt with. Usually, once I get the problem out of the way...the rest of the entries all insist on being told LIKE NOW!! However, I had a dr appointment on Thursday and it's taken til today to actually feel close to 95%. That's another whole entry though. If you have yet to have these awards given to you, please feel free to help yourself.

Anyhow, these are all the beautiful awards that were either specifically sent my way, OR the general reader was instructed to please take. Many of my friends are like that as we don't like thinking that anyone got left out. The only two that I'm sure of where I got them are the first two, because I made sure to change the name slightly while in the files so I knew who. Not sure why I didn't with the other two. Anyhoo...the first two were swiped off of Deanna's Blog. They were so beautiful that I couldn't resist.



I ~think~ this next one came from Wendy, I'm not entirely sure. I seem to remember making a comment on her blog saying I already had it....


*goes to double check*


Yeah, here we go the rules to this one are on this entry that she wrote on September 2nd.


Now, this one....I have no clue who I swiped it from. I suspect it may have been iggy's blog although I'm not really 100% certain on that. If someone could look into that for me? Thanks.

N/M I found it.

Anyhow, if I recall, this one was supposed to provoke some actual thought and as such became a bit of a speed bump because if you've learned anything about me , it's that anything that takes thought pretty much places my brain in traction for weeks. Well. In honor of this award I'm going to put in some links of my more popular entries as well as a few of those entries of others that really touched me in some way. Personally, I think collectively ALL of you deserve this award and should be proud to wear it on your blog somewhere (oh crap...this means I gotta get these uploaded into the Slideshow stream now...).


The most popular of my entries by far seem to be when I'm in a very dark spot or when I fail at something. Why is that? I thought for sure everyone wanted happy bloggers? *laffin* Anyway, I had two tie for the position of "Most Popular Blog Entry" at a whopping 21 comments a piece (ok, so it aint whopping, but dammit...I got a very small following comparatively speaking and not everyone leaves a bloody comment like some of y'all's entries get!). The first one was written on February 10th, dealing with my then SCSis (now GaSis) who'd called me up and left me feeling very disturbed. The entry was titled In A Dark Dark Spot Right Now . This story seemed to have reached a bit more even footing as of the end of July. However, I'm in the dark....again.... I am hoping it's just that she has no phone service and no friggin common sense to ask the boss if she could make one 5 minute phone call to assure her friend of 30 years that she's ok. I surely HOPE it's nothing more serious than that. Needless to say, it's weighing heavily on me right now. I do have an idea, but it needs to wait until tomorrow.


The next one was written on August 11th in 2008 and was entitled Itshouldabeenakodakmoment. A bitch of a title to write, but one that expressed the frustration of not being properly armed, OR while being properly armed just not having enough juice in the damned camera to get that perfect "Kodak moment". This, too, garnered 21 comments. I think this one may have actually gotten that number because I asked a question at the end of the entry (which is something I don't generally do). Maybe I need to write when I'm pissed off, sad or frustrated more often?

Some of the runners up are:

From the Home page (please remember this blog section plays music automatically BUT the player's at the top so you can turn it off):

The Committed TShirt creation that was made for iggy. This May 12, 2008 entry got 14 comments.

The Super Bowl Sunday post that debutted the new bumper sticker for the upcoming election season. This entry from Feb 2008 had 11 comments.

From the "Padded Room" entries (the Like a Phoenix blog):

The Nov 13,2008 entry entitled Tour of Duty-TRU intermission where I go into a small side track of some of the troubles occurred in the one apartment I was living in. Surprisingly, they WEREN'T caused by the jerk I was married to at the time. That one had 9 comments on it. It only got that many because I'd neglected the blog for so long though.

Then there was the 2 parter I wrote in June of 2008 called Great Escape. Both part 1 and part 2 got 2 comments a piece. Not bad considering that it's a much smaller circulation than the 2 Cents blog.

The last 3 entries come from the Journey blog. It's another that I don't exactly update frequently. Mostly right now, it's a place to whine and put things that I deem much too adult at times for my usual writings. All 3 are ones I wrote in 2007.

Interesting Read dealt with information as to why certain test were being performed and why certain medicines were being considered. We've sense discovered that the one medicine does NOT play nicely with my body. This was writen August 16th and got 8 comments.

Two days prior I posted one entitled Thursday August 2nd where I dealt with the indignity of being a woman, seeing a new doctor and having a very long overdue pap. What some of the issues were that the dr was considering placing me on. All the "Let's try and get this baby started" good stuff ya know. All that stuff that had to be placed on the back burner because hubby had to have certain surgeries to fix him up. At the time, I had to weigh things as to importance. His, which were MEDICALLY necessary.... or mine, which were just because I wanted a baby. Obviously, his were much more important.(7 comments)


The last worth mentioning in this section is I Hate This Feeling which dealt with the fact my dr stuck me on Prometrium and how the drug affected my body. This got 7 comments.

Now. Here are some of my favorites of the ones I read.

The entire Insight Series written by Dorkys Ramos, where I think I saw this reflection type post first. I like these posts because they really make me think (and then the brain goes into traction and I forget to comment most times....just know that they're some of my favs of yours).

There are a few over at Yaya's Place (whose Fragment Friday entries are the bomb all and on their own) that really get to me. Why? Because Yaya and I are sorta in the same boat right now... or at least in two like boats rowing side by side. Each wanting desperately what some women (Octomom, Kate, et al) seem to get so friggin easily. We just wanna be mommies. Her entry on Aug 10 2008 called Why I'm A B^tch goes into the side effects of the medicine she's taking to help her get pregnant and the frustration (and I suspect a bit of depression) she gets every month when the medicine hasn't worked it's magic.

Then there's her entry on March 22nd of this year that actually made me cry. I had to step away from the computer for a good long while after reading How Do You Be Happy For Others where she answers a reader's email in detail on her blog. All those same feelings that I have...right there...and someone else was feeling them too.

Next we're going to visit iggy's blog entry called Trees Are Like People (June 3rd) was stunning and thought provoking even in its simplicity. I haven't seen a tree the same since. A real shame that no one thought to include this gem in their choices. Oh look...it was HIS blog I first saw the award on...awesome.

Oh look...THIS is where I got the award (*whew* I really would hate to think I swiped yet ANOTHER award!) so I actually EARNED this one too!! I got the award from over at Deanna's Blog in August. I am going to agree with iggy on his selection of He Had Curly Hair and a Crooked Smile and I Loved Him Very Much as one of the best entries. I'd say that a close second would go to Change Your Thinking entry. That one got me to thinking of an idea for an entry which I have yet to post but I think I'll stick in the drafts for the next appropriate moment as they seem to hit every year at least twice...

.....7th inning stretch.....

Put down the food for this one. This one is from Marmy's blog and the entry is called Laff Me Red Stripey Sock Off. Actually, most times it's inadvisable to be drinking or eating while reading her posts. It's much too messy and I'm sure the monitor and keyboard don't appreciate getting splattered. This is one of her shorter entries but gives you a good idea what she's all about.

Then there's always a trip to Razors and Vines blog. I suggest reading the entry entitled Ever. I love the quirky writing style. I just may need to adopt that style considering both sides of my personality like to fight for control of the keyboard.

do not

Do so.

And the last stop on this entry is going to be in Shan's blog. Her entry, An Apple For the Teacher? Nope, School Supplies which went into how little teachers get for supplies for their classrooms. Every word of what she had to say was true. Actually, things are much much worse for the private schools... or at least it was at the private Christian school I worked at in Louisiana. I was there for about 3-4 years and I can tell you the average there wasn't even the national average for teacher pay. They were alotted ~maybe~ a grand total of $50 per semester for stuff for the classrooms (visual aids, decor, standard supplies like chalk and erasers were supplied by the school if extra was on hand) and dickyboy's salary never topped $24,000 for the year.

She also wrote one called We Are Women...We Must Backstab that I think should be required reading for everyone. Thankfully, I don't believe I've seen any of my bloggy readers saying stuff to purposefully hurt another around here. Now sometimes, there's the errant question that gets misread, misinterpreted, whatev... but that happens because of the medium. If we could only HEAR what the heart and mind of the writer is writing, then there wouldn't be nearly the hurt feelings.

Well, that completes our 3 hour tour...

Holy shit it took me that long to write???

Yep, it did (thanks to the contant stream of emails that came in while I was writing and we all know I just can't let 'em sit there when I'm at the computer....).

the trip, pt2

When we pulled in on that Friday night, I saw the most beautiful flowers in mom's "garden". I don't ever recall seeing them before although I'm sure they've been there every time we visit in the warmer months. Anyhow, I suspect that I noticed it now simply because there was a lesson to be learned. What was the lesson? Well, all this time I've been trying to learn the "don't sweat the small stuff" lesson and it was time to add the "pay attention to the little things" part. So the weekend, for the most part, for me was "Pay attention to the little things, just don't sweat them". Because of this lesson (as well as the macro, foliage and zoom settings on my new camera), I got some pix that I normally wouldn't have even tried for (and in one case, normally would have run away from, but that's a story for another day). This particular bloom was on its way out and was quite dead around the edges. You can see another bud that had already gone past expiration. None of the others were bloomed out and it actually made me look forward to waking up the next day there to see if one of the other colors would be opened up for me to capture with my camera.

His mother has this partial rock garden. Actually, I should say that it's a majority rock garden. It's about 85% rocks and some plants. I always thought the purpose of a rock garden was to be all stone? Ah well. There is this interesting corner piece to it, however. I don't know if the tree had originated there and simply been cut down and dug up, or if the wood piece was brought in from elsewhere, but it makes for an interesting shelf for one of the pieces. The guy on the top (as well as a couple of the others) made me think of several of my friends.......
Here's a close-up of the guy up top. Any guesses as to which readers I thought of when I saw him? The monkeys at the base made me think of my GaSis. I had a closer picture of them but it was blurry so I pitched it. I do have other shots of some of the other pieces in my Flickr account. Feel free to pop over and take a look if you care to. I'll be adding more to the TN folder in the next few days. I'm trying to do it a bit at a time so I still have time to do other stuff around here. Well that and the fact I want this to stay fun and not feel like a major chore. While in the pix files, feel free to take your time as I went into details on a few other pictures there.
This guy to the right is a new addition to the family. He's supposed to be the nephew's dog but this guy actually lives at "paw-paw's" house (sissy doesn't want it at her house as she doesn't like dogs and isn't home most of the day anyhow). The pooch's name is Skynyrd, named for that southern rock band. The nephew insists on calling him Snoopy. I found out the dog will answer to pretty much anything so long as it's said with love and results in a good pat on the head. He's 10 months old and is a pretty good size right now. I don't think he'll get too much bigger though.
This is one of the pictures I was mentioning before that will have more details in the Flickr account. Do you recognize the one tree on the left? It's the big one that I clicked back in December. I'm not seeing an entry with the other picture though so I'm not entirely certain I shared it in Blogger or not. I'm not seeing it here but I know for sure I shared it in my Photobucket account. The next tree I don't believe I got a shot of before but I clicked a couple similar trees that trip.
It reminds me a bit of a bonsai tree with the way some of the branches are on it. The only thing it needed is a bit of twisting and contorting. I kinda like the simplicity of this picture. In trying to get the entire height, I couldn't get much more in the frame with it. Maybe it's a good thing, eh? The next day's worth of pictures, I think I got a shot of grandmother's trees while we were out this time too. I'm not certain right now as I'm downstairs on the laptop and the balance of the pictures are on the main computer upstairs right now. It's highly possible it's in the next set of photos. Then again, the next set might be the pix I snapped while we were walking home that one day. Yeah, hubby knew I needed some away time ;).
Anyhow, on this day hubby saw some rather oddly shaped white things in the lawn. There's a distance shot in the Flickr. When he approached, he noticed that they were these HUGE mushrooms (ew). The picture to the left is one next to his foot for a size comparison. They were quite large. *gets up for a sec to check size of hub's slippers* Ok, his slippers are an 11-12 so I'm guessing his shoe is a 10.5 or so. When he realized what it was, he asked to borrow the camera (not "can I have the camera"..."may I borrow" was actually used....Why? Because this camera I bought with MY money so it is definitely MINE. Ok ok...the money was from my account but it was more than likely from funds donated by him. Sheeesh. Picky picky y'all!).
I was so happy to find out, upon rising the next morning, that my hopes that the other blossoms would have bloomed by the next day had, indeed, done just that. The most GORGEOUS reds and yellows ever. Considering that yellows aren't my "thing"....that comment is really kinda telling. This one to the right (again, turned by Blogger against my wishes) is my absolute FAVORITE of the group. Actually, it's my fave of the whole trip I think. It's not a cropping of the other picture of the yellow blooms, this one is SFTC.

my silly cat

So a couple of weeks ago I was sitting home, alone, while hubby was out at work. I generally keep the tv going in the background just for some noise because I just cant stand an overly quiet house (even while sleeping). As I was typing away, I glanced down under the desk and noticed that Dharma wasn't in her bed, so I glanced around. Where do I find her? On the foot stool, watching the tv. This is somewhat normal for her, especially when Animal Planet is on.

Then I noticed what was on the television.....

Yep, she was sitting there watching a DOG SHOW. *shakes head* Silly kitty.

Brought to you by Queenie Jeannie!

Queenie Jeannie said...
#1. You mentioned your art...what do you do??

http://ladystyxcrafts.blogspot.com/

I wouldn’t call it art so much as crafts. I LOVE to finish plaster pieces. Some turn out really good and some...eh not so much. I had been hoping to make a go at selling the finished pieces but that hasn’t worked out so well. I did manage to sell 3-4 pieces over all, but that's on the course of as many years. I'd get a bunch done and end up giving them all away. I do have a few pieces I kept for myself and a slew in my closet that will probably sit there until I find the right home for them. I need to re-do the pictures because many aren’t on the blog link I provided. Sadly, most times my pictures simply do NOT do the pieces justice (just ask Karla). I've got some pictures on the site above but I've got more pictures that didnt get posted there because they were done as gifts.

I like to do other things as well. From time to time (mostly when I’m visiting the in-laws because I ~really~ need something to keep my mind off the fact that my MIL is aggravating me), I’ll work on a counted cross-stitch piece. This type of craft doesn’t hold my attention too long though because it takes forever to get a piece done. I really need to get a picture of the one I’ve been working on. More than a year later and I ~finally~ got the border done. Wow! *laffz*

Every so often, I’ll try something new. Right now, on my table, is sitting a lath art piece that I just haven’t gotten myself to trying out. I figure it’ll be another month or more before I get the guts to get into it. they have a couple kits on their site that I wouldn't mind trying if I decide I like doing it. They're rather expensive though.

The profile picture is another project I did. I’d found some “Paint it yourself” kits on clearance in a local craft store back in Texas. If I had any CLUE they were being discontinued COMPLETELY (instead of on clearance because they were bringing new styles in), I would have bought more. As it is, they’re no longer in the stores AND I can’t find many online either. It really kinda sucks because I'd like to do the same pattern in a few more colors. Presently I have one done in pink and this other (in the profile picture) is in lavendar. I'd really like to do one in blue, one in green, one in yellow and one in peach so I have a whole rainbow of them. The kit is a stretched canvas with the picture sketched on it with a numbered graph on the label. I was so scared to mess it up because it required that you mix the paints in specified amounts to get the right colors and I’d never been known to measure before mixing (which explains some of the one of a kind colors that my plaster pieces sometimes show up in). I may end up taking some tissue paper and trying to duplicate the pattern.

There have been a few more crafts I’ve done over the course of the years:

This one you can see some of the ornaments I'd painted for our Christmas tree. I did a slew of flat plasters and about 12 of those marbled spheres. All those are are clear glass Christmas balls with the insides painted. It was time consuming but very easy. A few drops of acrylic paint (use 2 or 3 different colors) and turn every few minutes for several hours (we're talking double digit hours!) until the paint has swirled and marbled, covering every inch inside. Tip it upside down in a egg crate to drain and dry (this takes even longer but as you can see, the effect is well worth it).




These are the candles I did for my wedding in 2006. All it is is plain glass holders painted with gold etching solution. I think I did at least 2 coats, possibly 3. Pop a votive candle in and tie a bow around the stem and voila.
At one point I was making beaded earrings...those ones with the tassels... but I stopped doing that project because I wasn't very good at them AND the seed beads were a tad too small for me to be handling.

#2. What is it that you love the most about American Idol?

A few years back, I was a streamer. I used to have a weekly "show"...no wait, that first site I had at least 3 spots during the week (plus did A LOT of fillins). So American Idol viewing basically started as a way to keep a finger on the pulse of the music industry. A way to make sure I was current with my tunes (I tried to keep the hottest, newest tunes in my files). Then, a couple years ago (someone correct me, I know I didn’t write for the 4th year...that was Bo Bice and I was in the forums then...did I start in year 5?...If I did it's been almost 4 years now) I started writing and trying to analyze who was most likely to leave each week. It's grown so I follow several blogs, news outlets, betting sites and Dial Idol (not the most accurate but can give you a good idea where the votes went the night before)....once I analyze everything (yeah, I’m lame enough to take notes)...I write up a review. My reviews are generally later than everyone else's (although I’m working on getting them done faster this year and not relying on second and third opinions), oftentimes getting them posted mere seconds before the results show starts. I guess I love it best when one of the contestants really nails their performance. I like seeing them grow and get better over the course of the show. Like one blogger I read says, "I love this cheesy show!" Now if I could just get paid for doing all this work....LOL! If that wasn’t enough (and sometimes it isn’t on the boring nights or the nights with some of those hyena-laughing drama queens), I get to spend a couple of nights a week watching it with a good friend of mine and discussing it with her on MSN. Now THAT’S the best thing in the world about this cheesy show.



EDIT: 03/05/09 @ 10:19PM: For those that have pointed out my graphic work...thank you, I'd forgotten. It's been so long since I worked on anything for anyone other than myself.

Some of the work can be seen on one of these three sites:
http://s4.photobucket.com/albums/y103/ladystyx1969/Banners/

http://s100.photobucket.com/albums/m25/starshine1969/banners/

http://s100.photobucket.com/albums/m25/starshine1969/bannersbands/

it's really kinda simplistic though....anyone with a good Paint program can do.

So what do YOU carry around ?

I saw this other one over on QJ's entry, Jeannie's Happy World: I've been PURSE TAGGED!

Here are the rules for this if you wanna play along:

1. Post a picture of whatever bag you are carrying as of late. No, you cannot go up to your closet and pull out that cute little purse you used back before you had kids. I want to know what you carried today or the last time you left the house. No cheating!

2. I want to know how much it costs =). And this is not to judge. It is for entertainment purposes only. So, spill it. And, if there is a story to go along with how you obtained it, I'd love to hear it.

3. Tag some chicks. And link back to this post so people know what the heck you're showing everyone your bag.

I rarely carry anything that costs more than $10-15. Why? Because I have this nasty habit of leaving it on the floor (house as well as vehicle). I also used to rarely carry anything that wasnt cloth because it would get filthy and cloth purses can be tossed in a washer. I do have a small brown leather purse that I like to carry once in a while but since it's sitting in my closet, Im not allowed to show it. I've actually got a cloth one in there too that I use when we go to zoos and aquariums because it has a long strap on it and I can wear it cross wise on me and not have to worry about it getting caught up somewhere as Im taking pictures. Anyhow. The one I carry now has a short enough strap so it doesnt fall off my shoulder ...so that's mainly why I use it.

That and it didnt cost me a single penny as it was a Christmas present from my mom a couple years ago.

Let's see what treasures Im carrying today. Hmmm :
Whoa....whatta mess. Let's pull the bigger items out and see what's there.

My leopard print wallet, my check book, a pocket calendar, a purple note book with matching pen (for taking notes about my allergy shots) and a Suduko book with a pencil for keeping me occupied in waiting rooms (yeah, so...I old school it, big whoop!).

Oh look...there's still more stuff. Let's pull some more out...

Oooh not a good pic. Oh well. We've got a list of books Im still wanting to get at McKay's, an old shopping list, store coupons (mostly for the bags of frozen fruit I use in my smoothies), a scrap of paper with my email addy on it (because everyone misspells my online nick and I needed to give it to the tax lady) and a baggie with Splenda with fiber packets (hey dont laugh, every one of those packets has 1 gram of fiber in it and the restaurants dont carry the Splenda with fiber!).

Geeeez. Look. There's still more in there!!

Hmmm the last "bits n bobs" from the main section and two of the three pockets. We've got 4 hand wipes from nights out eating ribs, a packet of Lactaid, 2 packets of Tylenol, a tube of Aveeno anti-itch cream (for shot day), Gold Bond lotion (the hands get so chapped in the winter), a pair of tweezers (because mirrors in store dressing rooms are so much better than mine in the bathroom ya know), lip balm (the hands arent the only things that chap in the winter), an eraser (because the eraser on the pencil wont last forever), my cell phone, spare batteries (for the camera which isnt pictured because Im using it), an appointment card (for my allergy shots), a business card from the H&R Block person doing our taxes (she isnt done yet....we've got an appointment on Wednesday to finish up.......NONONONO!!! Not on American Idol night!!! *sigh*), and my keys. The wood piece has my name on it....you can see I have store fobs on it as well.....and that one other keychain hooked to it all says "Confidence". It was the first key chain I bought for myself after I moved in with my now husband. Oh and the tube attached has more Lactaid....just in case.

There ya have it. That's what I carry. Thankfully my purse isnt as big and bad as it used to be. Why? Because THIS husband knows how to carry his own wallet n crap.

If this is the first entry you have seen from me today, you may wanna backtrack some because I've been pretty productive the last 18 hours or so.....

an attempt to fill in a void

The other night, my hubby was playing one of his computer games (DOOM3) and he yelled out "OMG!! They've even invaded my game!!!"

So of course, I nearly get whiplash turning around to see wtf he's talking about when I see IT. There, standing boldly in the light from his gun...in all it's orange glory.....an ALIEN!

I look at hubby and he very slowly nodded his head...so I very carefully grabbed my camera, fired it off and snapped a shot of one...standing next to a pool of blood. He saw at least 3 more, all basically in the same state.

So here it is, proof that OCHAs are taking over much more than we realize.

I just sent this off to to iggy and thought I'd share it with all of you too. Just my lame attempt to say we miss him lots.

silly husbands pt 2

So...Thursday night, our conversation goes like this:

H: (asked because I must have a full meal in my belly before my shot) Where do you want to go to breakfast tomorrow morning?

M: I dunno, havent thought that far ahead, ask me tomorrow morning.

At this point, I see the lightbulb go on over his head and smell the smoke and just KNOW what he's thinking because it's the same damn thing I'd do.

M: And I dont mean the minute you hear an obnoxious bodily function NOR when you hear the pills rattling because Im taking them NOR when I blow my nose. I mean after all that AND my feet (with or without slippers) have actually touched the floor.

Sad I felt the need to qualify that to him.

So...Friday morning, I sit up and go through the morning ritual. He hears me and comes into the bedroom....squats down, passes a hand UNDER MY FEET (I got short legs so when I sit on the edge of the bed, my feet dangle) and says:

H: Nope, feet havent touched the ground yet.

Then he starts to walk out of the room. *laffz* I told him then and there he better expect that his silly self was going to make it in my blog *again*.


Friday's shot went ...well it went. Because of the reaction last week (more than a quarter sized swelling with itching lasting around 18 hrs), we had to take another step back. Im getting sick of this, I should be done with the build up shots by now but my body's fighting it every step of the way. I brought up the weight issue again but Im guessing Im just not wording it correctly because I keep getting the "it shouldnt be because we have all sizes patients getting these shots" comments. *sigh* *Leaves it in HIS Hands*

Anyhow, while I was there, I got on the scale again. If you recall, last week I was bummed because the weight was up about 4 pounds from the last official weighing. This week the difference has been cut in half. Considering I eat before my shot AND I still had the sneakers on AND well that other stuff I mentioned last time ...this is pretty good. I should be just about down to where I was in a week or two. I have another dietitian appointment at the end of the month. I know I wont have nearly the weight loss, but with the trip away from home, Im hoping for a little leniency in this matter (especially since I at least ATTEMPTED to make smart choices while there). I doubt I'll get it though because I was supposed to be adding more veggies and fiber and I really havent done more than I had been doing other than tracking the best I can the amount of fiber I've been taking in. Im ~supposed~ to be taking in about 25-35 grams a day but most days I can account for only 20 or so. I know how much is going in my tea, how much is in the bread, how much is in my tv dinners and cereal, but when it gets to how much is in the apple and banana I eat...that's another matter. I was allowed the occasional 100 cal snack but I only allowed myself 1 splurge all month. Pretty good considering Im a sweets fiend and normally have a goodie daily (not to mention ALWAYS buying dessert when we go out to supper). I even had told her that I wasnt giving up my nightly cocoa as I found a low cal one to substituted for the full sugar one I HAD been drinking. Do you think I've gotten into that cocoa yet? Nope.

Calories burned: 316.4
Trip miles: 9.04
ave mph: 18.08

A bit slow but I'm not 100% for a couple of reasons, one being that I spent part of the night clearing my throat. I half expect that Im coming down with whatever hubby's been fighting off (he's had it at least twice now). Although Im not feeling 100%, I still managed to get on the bike AND put it up to the next tension level.

some bad news and the creative moose wanders around unsupervised

I got a letter from mom and daddy this morning stating that their ability to do any travelling this year is more than likely going to be nixed. This really kind of sucks for them because they have gotten to where they go to Indiana once a year to visit with my brother, his wife and their kids. The reason why their plans are pretty much shot is because of this:

http://www.modbee.com/local/story/564758.html

Mom's been working for them for several years. Thankfully, there should be some semblance of a severance check...but we all know that the money doesnt last all that long and she aint exactly a spring chicken. Let me rephrase that, it's going to be a trifle more difficult for her to find a job as she'll be turning 59 in August and has no more than a high school diploma (she became a housewife right after graduation). She and I are alot alike, all we know is retail.

In answer to the Grand Pooba's question in the last entry, yes, that is where the new title came from. I'd been thinking for weeks that this blog needed a different title and had been looking for something that sounded just right. I pulled up lyrics to all my favortie songs, and scoured the motivational/ inspirational quote sites, finding nothing that captured my attention. Then, while my mind was on something else entirely (namely a quote that Chicago and I saw on a t-shirt last night that I thought would just work for what I wanted), the creative moose gnawed through her lead, kicked down the stall door and commensed to singing show tunes. She wasnt singing just any show tune either...oh no. She pulled up one from my choir and theater past....that particular song from Pippin. Mind you, I hadnt thought of that musical in years.... Anyhow, it seems to match my mood lately.

Now to come up for snappy titles for the other 5 blogs on this account.....

today's ride:
Calories burned: 373.3
trip miles: 10.66
ave mph: 21.32

The Year in Review

Dave Barry has got to be one of my favorite authors. When he's "ON", he's very very funny and when he's "OFF" his articles can be kinda...well eh. The one time of year that he tends to be his funniest is during his The Year in Review article. It's a long read, so you may want to bookmark it and go back to it when you have time. Between the election and the economy (Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and gas prices were a favorite target), he had enough fodder to fill several pages.

Silly husbands

So...here I am busy at the computer, listening to tunes and cleaning up the projects floatin around the laptop when my darling hubby emails me from work. His usual emails are "What ya doin? How are the kids?", basically an "I Love You and miss you lots" communications (kids referring to the furbabies). Another question that's usually sent is an inquiry about supper to which I generally send a one word response (I hear Karla already...) FOOD. Then if specifics are desired the response is : hot or cold, in a bowl or on a plate (Karla, stop laughing). Well today, hubby decided to forestall the answer he KNEW he'd get by emailling this:

"What type of edible food substance, hot or cold, that is served on a plate or
bowl, will we have this evening?"

Gotta love him.

a plate that reminded me of a friend

Calories burned: 381.6
trip miles: 10.90
ave mph: 21.80

While we were out running errands the day after our return from Tennessee, I was (as always) in "hunting" mode for OCHAs and vanity plates. Actually, more the latter than the former as I know iggy's got pages and pages of aliens in his special folder in my Photobucket (he'll be writing for years). Anyhow, imagine my surprise when I looked up after loading fresh batteries in my camera and saw one that reminded me of our own dear marmie!

Redneck fix

As we were out on Friday, I grabbed this shot. Thankfully, since I do alot of OCHA and license plate hunting...my camera (as well as a few extra batteries) are generally right at hand at all times. The only time the camera is NOT in hand is if Im going into a store that sells cameras. As you can see, not just duct tape fixes everything. It looks like clear shipping tape works just as well!

packages, plates and preparing for a trip

A package showed up today from my folks in California. YAY!! In it were 2 packages for each of us, one for BOTH of us and a big gold pressy with a strip of "Happy Birthday" paper across the front of it. In the emailled instructions I received a few days ago I was told that "there is one package among the shipment that you'll KNOW that you can open right away". I would gather that since all the other boxes were labelled "no peeking" and "dont open until Christmas" that the one gold box was the one I was to open right away. So, like a child, I ripped right into that package and what to my eyes should appear but a beautiful porcelain dolly dressed in blue and white. According to her tag, her name's Melissa.

I called mom and let her know the pressies arrived and we talked for a bit. We decided that since
we'll be busy tomorrow with the dr appt and travelling AND because we wont be home for Christmas Day (and we didnt want to haul all the gifts to TN and back NOR wanted to wait til we got home), that hubby and I could open the gifts tonight. He got a couple pairs of really warm lounger pants for when he steps outside to pollute his lungs and a new watch. I guess the latter will be set aside for when the one he has now (one that my mom bought him last year...) finally kills. I got a nice fleece button up jacket and a Donna Karan Cashmere Mist perfume and body lotion gift set (hmm...ummm....same exact set I got from her last year...). Also in the box was cosmetic bag (I dont wear makeup *usually*) filled with perfume samples (I dont normally wear alot of perfume and am still working on the samples from 2 years ago....), and a caddy for all our small electronics stuff (like the cell phones). The caddy is going to go upstairs on the dresser. Im sure it'll come in handy. I think next year Im gonna steer her to my Amazon wishlist. I know how some people feel about those things but it's the one way to make sure I dont end up with yet another DK Cashmere perfume set ...again. Better yet, I'll hint that I need some painting supplies....or a nice piece of jewelry...I dont have much of that. Oh wait...no not that, I'll end up with another watch...

While I was at it, I opened the package that had arrived from a dear friend in Pennsylvania. It's been sitting on my computer cart downstairs for a few days now, just waiting on an approved Christmas wrap unwrapping day. Normally, it would have waited for Christmas morning as per my usual behavior. Why? Because when I was married to The Jerkus, we never had any money to do for each other and the only presents under the Christmas tree were ones we'd gotten from family, friends and the students at the school we'd been working for. There were some really nice things in those presents. Many times, that's where our Christmas meal would end up coming from. Sad really. Anyhow, I opened the pressie from our OCHA Santa himself, iggy, and there was a small calendar (and the autographs of the people from the company he works for) and a decorative box with 2 cds of Christmas music and a dvd with a cozy fireplace! Oh lookit this! One of the songs is one I sang in choir....I dont think I've ever found that song anywhere else!!

Well I guess I better go. I have to get a shower and get packed and clean up the kitchen and and and...well you get the idea. Oh! Before I forget, I got another one of my license plates posted over at http://horriblelicenseplates.blogspot.com/2008/12/sorry-about-your-inferiority-complex.html . Thank you for the honor Mr & Ms HLP!

Oh and today's ride is the last for about a week as we'll be headed outta town tomorrow, unless the obgyn decides I MUST be sent somewhere the day after Christmas, then I wont be going anywhere. We should be back by the 28th or 29th.

Today's ride was a nice comfortable ride, not overly working it (like yesterday) but not exactly lazing off either.
Calories burned: 373.8
trip miles: 10.68
ave mph: 21.36

Everyone have a Merry Christmas, Happy Yule or whatever you're celebrating this time of year and I'll see you next week. Oh and steer clear of the inflatocrap whenever possible.

some totals, carolers, thanks

Calories burned: 377.7

trip miles: 10.79

ave mph: 21.58

Totals to date:

Calories burned: 6372.9

total miles for the month: 182.03

To put the total miles into perspective, a trip from my place to Norristown Pennsylvania is only 179.94 miles....Im only 4.29 miles short of a trip from here to Reading Pennsylvania. As for Chicago....that's a 2 MONTH ride.

I suspect that if I HAD really made that trip to iggy's neighborhood, the above scene would have greeted me....OCHA carolers, getting into the holiday spirit! So long as they dont offer me any fruitcake, I'll be happy.

I wanna thank Wifey and her hubby for the awards they were passing out. I have them in my awards entry now. The one on Wifey's page just goes so well with my decor (her's is in my sidebar...the one below is from Matt's page) and Matt's, well the one he's giving out is just too cute!!!

And I got them simply for saying a nasty Scrooge deserved a horse head in her bed! Well, Chicagolady has her connections and I do too. Shoot, I was married to the "mob"...I still have a few connections as well. What color should I put on that order for ya Wifey? A nice roan? Or maybe a Palomino?

Mmmmmm part 1: the Dislikes

That 10 favorite things game looked to be so much fun, so I asked Wifey @ http://wifeoriley.blogspot.com/ to go ahead and get me a letter so I could play along. Within a day or so, I got a comment from Wifey in drag (ok, so she signed in under her hubby's account) and was issued the letter "M". So last night, I got brainstorming on what could possibly be my favorite things that start with the letter"M". Unfortunately, my brain wouldnt stop when it was time to crawl into bed!! Actually, it still hasnt stopped...


It was actually easier to find a short list of dislikes than it was to find likes. With my luck, my brain will go into overdrive again tonight and I'll have a longer list of dont likes. *laffz*

Mondays. Who in their right mind likes Mondays? I surely dont. It doesnt matter whether the hubby is working the front end of the week or the back end, Mondays suck. If he's working the front end, it means at least 1 if not 2 more days of work before he's home for time off. If he's working the back end of the week, then it's only one more day off and then it's back to the treadmill.

Misunderstandings. Nothing like a misunderstanding between people to break up a wonderful friendship. Misspoken or misheard words....worse yet words not said and intensions not clarified can really drive a wedge between people. Hurt feelings ensue and if not rectified, rifts become nearly impossible to repair.

Meddlesome people. I dont care if they're bureaucrats, neighbors, or family (blood or related by marriage). Period.

Medicines! Especially those that you dont see any appreciable use for, like allergy pills which OBVIOUSLY help you breathe. Worse yet are the ones that you have to arrange your eating schedule around. Worst yet is when the doctor puts you on 2 different medicines and one is an "empty belly" type pill and the other is one you need to take with food....top things all off, one's every 6 hours while the other one is every 4hrs. Yeah....I dont like medicines.

Math. I never enjoyed it because I had trouble wrapping my head around many of the concepts. Top things all off when I get tired, I tend to transpose numbers. Strange because I love music and that's nothing but numbers and fractions....working on my web pages which require a general working knowledge of percentages. I think the worst thing is that my brother is a math genius and made me feel dumb one too many times. I also hate history... not only for the memorization but for the dates (so yeah, I hated it long before that jerk came along). I never could keep them in my head. However, history doesnt exactly fit this theme now, does it?

The middle finger. This one falls into a grey area though in as much as Im prone to letting it fly when Im really pissed, I really hate when it's flipped at me. So expressive this one digit...

yeah...that's about right...

I got this one over at Wifey's blog.....a good deal of my result is very accurate....with the exception of the comment about my parents. They weren't abusive in the slightest and for the most part never drank alcohol.

Your result for Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else? Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz...

You Are a Marilyn!

You are a Marilyn -- "I am affectionate and skeptical."

Marilyns are responsible, trustworthy, and value loyalty to family, friends, groups, and causes. Their personalities range broadly from reserved and timid to outspoken and confrontative.

How to Get Along with Me

• * Be direct and clear


• * Listen to me carefully


• * Don't judge me for my anxiety


• * Work things through with me


• * Reassure me that everything is OK between us


• * Laugh and make jokes with me


• * Gently push me toward new experiences


• * Try not to overreact to my overreacting.

What I Like About Being a Marilyn

• * being committed and faithful to family and friends


• * being responsible and hardworking


• * being compassionate toward others


• * having intellect and wit


• * being a nonconformist


• * confronting danger bravely


• * being direct and assertive

What's Hard About Being a Marilyn

• * the constant push and pull involved in trying to make up my mind


• * procrastinating because of fear of failure; having little confidence in myself


• * fearing being abandoned or taken advantage of


• * exhausting myself by worrying and scanning for danger


• * wishing I had a rule book at work so I could do everything right


• * being too critical of myself when I haven't lived up to my expectations

Marilyns as Children Often

• * are friendly, likable, and dependable, and/or sarcastic, bossy, and stubborn


• * are anxious and hypervigilant; anticipate danger


• * form a team of "us against them" with a best friend or parent


• * look to groups or authorities to protect them and/or question authority and rebel


• * are neglected or abused, come from unpredictable or alcoholic families, and/or take on the fearfulness of an overly anxious parent

Marilyns as Parents

• * are often loving, nurturing, and have a strong sense of duty


• * are sometimes reluctant to give their children independence


• * worry more than most that their children will get hurt


• * sometimes have trouble saying no and setting boundaries

Take Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else? Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz at HelloQuizzy

quirks

Calories burned: 361.2
trip miles: 10.32
ave mph: 20.64

Just a nice leisurely ride today.... lol.


Ok so while I was making my second pass through the blogs yesterday, I came across Wife o Riley's entry: http://wifeoriley.blogspot.com/2008/11/some-call-it-crazyi-call-it-quirkyyou.html and knowing my quirks, I figured it would just be easier to put them in here. I could have put them in there but they really can be numerous and depending on the situation at had, sometimes the quirks have their own quirks..or is it the quirks are modified? Did that make sense? Probably not. Ah Well. Anyhow, here's a good deals of my quirks and their exceptions/modifications/or whatever. You'll notice many are food based, most unfortunately. If you've already read these before, then just skip onto the next blog...it's ok...I dont mind...*sobs softly feeling neglected* LOL

01) Whenever possible while eating, I eat in even numbers. Cookies, crackers, candies....french fries, wings... There are many exceptions to this rule though.
A) If it's a full size candy bar, I'll eat only the one.....fun-sizes must be in even numbers.
B) M&Ms and Skittles (or anything else with many colors) must be separated by color and eaten (in pairs naturally) by least favorite color to most favorite color.

1 Exception....Skittles and flavored candies are eaten not just by color but by flavor, least favor first.

C) Fruits and veggies are eaten with the same rules above. Ears of corn, just 1....corn niblets, even numbers. Same with meats....steak just 1, wings or chicken nuggets in even numbers. Ice cubes dont even escape this...well at home at least. Nothing I can do about drinks in restaurants.

All odd numbers are given either to hubby or the dog (kitty doesnt really enjoy alot of human food so it's a waste)....except candies...those go to just hubby.

02) No matter where we are, whether it be home or a motel or someone's house, I must sleep on the side of the bed closest to the bathroom due to the possiblity of nighttime trips. As I get older, these trips are sometimes a bit more frequent than I'd care to have.

03) No matter where we are, whether it be home or a motel or someone's house, I must sleep on the side of the bed farthest from the air conditioning unit (any fan in the room cannot be simed directly on me while Im sleeping either) because I tend to come down sick.
A) Exception to rules 02 & 03: In the case of the ac unit/fan being on the same side of the room as the bathroom, rule number 03 supercedes rule 02. I'd much rather have to take an extra few steps to the bathroom than to be more miserable than usual the next day.

04) I have a certain pattern to my day (stop laughing at me iggy) and if I dont follow this pattern....my whole day feels thrown off and I feel rushed. Tuesdays have been particularly trying for me as I've had to get my mind set for a new scheduling. Now, I dont have to do anything at a specific TIME...just in a set order.

05) When I've had a bad day, I crave mint chocolate chip icecream. It's the only time I really really want it. Any other time, I could care less if it's available or not.

06) I have season specific cravings in the line of sweets. Halloween is the only time I want candy corn, peppermint sticks are Christmas, etc etc

07) I ~LOVE~ to color. You stick a coloring book and crayons (or colored pencils) in front of me and Im pretty much all over it (how'd my SIL put it? Oh yeah) like white on rice.

08) When I am tired, I'll fall asleep. It doesnt matter where or when it is....car, office, livingroom...sitting up, lying on the floor (which used to be a common spot for me while watching tv), etc. Mom always said that I could fall asleep at the drop of a hat...any hat...stetson, party hat, beenie ...etc.

09) I sleep, for the most part, on one side of the bed. Even if I have a whole big bed to myself...I always sleep on one edge.

10) I still fold clothes the way my mom taught me to...even if it doesnt quite fit where it has to go. It's one of the reasons why I never did well working in the domestics department of any given store, because I simply couldnt learn how to fold the stuff in the department the way specified in the the company standards.

11) I still collect stuffed animals.

12) I still love animated features (cartoons) and comics.

13) I speak almost fluently in cat. Each cat has his/her own voice and I usually can mimick them well enough to get them to come over and meow back.

14) I dont get along with too many people my own age. I generally get along better with people a little bit older than me.


Im sure there's many more, however I just finished riding a little bit ago and my brain simply isnt working correctly right now.

Seen on a main road somewhere in Virginia...

OCHA #2: Step on it will ya?

OCHA #4: Im driving as fast as I can man!

OCHA #3: Sheesh we're gonna be late!

OCHA #4: No we aint, that's why we started out tonight. Besides we had to beat all the voter traffic.

OCHA #1: That reminds me, are we going to have time to vote ?

OCHA #5: With the way #4's driving?

OCHA #4: Hey now! I can stop and let you out right here ya know.

OCHA #2: We should make it with a few minutes to spare, once this traffic lightens we'll make great time. Besides you know how much #4 loves his sugar-free orange jell-o with the fat free whipped topping on it. He wont wanna miss that.

OCHA #4: All I can say is that squirrel better not eat it all before we get there. If he does, Im gonna nip his nuts.

OCHA #5: Hey...did someone remember the directions?

OCHA #1: Yeah, they're right here. But I think Mapquest.com messed up again.

OCHA #3: Hang on, I'll double check on my laptop

OCHA #3: Oh man, the squirrel's already there!

OCHA #2: How do you know?

OCHA #3: Because that cheeky little bugger's picture is already up on the celebration pix at http://makingsmallthoughtfulblogentries.blogspot.com/

OCHA #4: That's it, his nuts are as good as nipped!

OCHA #1: Ummm, #4 are you sure you're headed NORTH to Norristown, Pa? I could swear that sign just said Atlanta.....

OCHA #3: Oh hell. Now we really ARE gonna be late!!

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Happy Birthday iggy! Have a most beautiful day !!!
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