tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61785292011-04-21T22:34:43.656-04:00Birdwalkan utterly random discussionmenoreply@blogger.comBlogger1331100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178529.post-1138329144007780892006-01-26T21:30:00.000-05:002006-10-24T23:05:41.691-04:00If I had a million dollarsI'd be rich.Here's what I'd do if I had enough money so I never had to work again (unless I wanted to.)Buy modest yet charming house on very large tract of land not too far from civilizationBuild luxurious barn and well-fenced paddock areasBuy an ATV (for gettin' around the property)Buy two horses and a goat. The horses should be even-tempered and be pals with each othermenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178529.post-1137424960299614312006-01-16T10:15:00.000-05:002006-10-24T23:05:41.605-04:00Pushing the envelopeAll right. That's it. If you have the right to drag your kid into the office because he doesn't have school and you don't feel like paying for/arranging for childcare, then I have the right to bring my dog into the office with me. I think that's fair.Plus, if you're going to bring your little angel to work, could you please, um, actually WORK instead of parking your fat ass menoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178529.post-1136746063407737512006-01-08T13:46:00.000-05:002006-10-24T23:05:41.511-04:00People watching at the StarbucksI have always said that each Starbucks has its own personality. For example, the one in the middle of the town where I live is populated by homeless folks and one not-homeless person who I am so fascinated by I can't take my eyes off him -- he sets himself up at a table against a wall with his laptop, piles of paper that I'm sure are part of some sort of filing menoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178529.post-1131141653909307502005-11-04T16:54:00.000-05:002006-10-24T23:05:41.432-04:00A good idea gone horribly wrongI set out with the best intentions of creating a simple little Ipod cozy and apparently something went horribly wrong with its genetic makeup because here's what came out.It's totally lumpy and misshapen, a horrible, Frankenstein-like thing...I'm sorry, Owen, of course you don't actually have to USE this. All the other kids on the playground will laugh at you.In menoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178529.post-1130387719384337392005-10-26T23:45:00.000-04:002006-10-24T23:05:41.355-04:00Please to abandon all hope of any discernible theme in the following postAhhh. Finally, the rain has stopped and the weather has turned crisp and clear. This is, by far, my absolute favorite time of year. I've already broken out Mickey's little sweaters and my gloves and scarfs. (Scarves?)So a few months ago my face started breaking out like crazy. I tried my best to keep it under control using amenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178529.post-1128900068518828292005-10-09T19:16:00.000-04:002006-10-24T23:05:41.277-04:00A Fish StoryA stormy night. A long drive ahead. As we climb into the car -- me, Michael and Mickey -- I say to my husband, "Now be careful. Everything I care about is in this one car."Michael replies, "Everything?""Yes, everything. In this one car."Pause."Oh. Cause I like my fish too."menoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178529.post-1128456330776324462005-10-04T16:04:00.000-04:002006-10-24T23:05:41.205-04:00Is it time to hibernate yet?Yes the weather is unseasonably warm. Which I hate, by the way. (COLD, bring on the COLD, dammit!) But my office…well…let me put it this way. Have you heard of a temperature measurement called Kelvin? It’s used by scientists to measure stuff that gets really, really cold. Well, the temperature in my office right now could be measured using the Kelvin scale, it’s that menoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178529.post-1127852798377385932005-09-27T16:24:00.000-04:002006-10-24T23:05:41.102-04:00Animal CrackersI have spoken before about Mickey being allowed in our bed. And I know I have mentioned in passing how he does not merely sleep in the bed, he attaches himself like Velcro to me. He’s like a tick. But recently I’ve come to the realization that he’s got some sort of pattern worked out in his head for the whole sleeping procedure, and it goes like this:10 PM: While Mom is in the menoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178529.post-1126109946884253822005-09-07T12:19:00.000-04:002006-10-24T23:05:41.025-04:00Ouch!I know this is a small price to pay (no pun intended) compared to what some people are going through, but still -- it's rather shocking to see prices that high. Good thing I drive a teeny little car and only have a seven-mile commute. menoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178529.post-1125760908268129292005-09-03T11:19:00.000-04:002006-10-24T23:05:40.939-04:00Blast from the pastI remembered these two posts from my old blog and I wanted to just kind of link to them from here for no other reason than I wanted to make them a part of this blog in some way. I'm sure there's a more sophisticated way to do this but I don't have the brainpower right now to figure it out.so anyway...here's the link to one story about my grandmother, and there's a link to menoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178529.post-1125674388070446382005-09-02T10:31:00.000-04:002006-10-24T23:05:40.846-04:00How Did This Happen?About a million years ago, while examining a pitiful comp that represented weeks of work on a rather trying project that was going nowhere fast, a former boss looked up at me and said, "How did this happen?"That's the feeling I'm left with while watching New Orleans and the surrounding areas go to frickin' hell in a handbasket. How did this happen?I am not the smartest person menoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178529.post-1125153194249956432005-08-27T10:07:00.000-04:002006-10-24T23:05:39.251-04:00Chat somewhere else, whydontcha?(Warning: if you're tired of hearing me talk about poop, don't read this.)So yesterday I'm at work and 10:30 rolls around, which means it's time for me to visit the bathroom. As previously discussed on this blog, I am really regular (and damn proud of it) but when I have to go, I HAVE TO GO. Otherwise the whole system gets messed up and I work too frickin' hard menoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178529.post-1125150984915078252005-08-27T09:56:00.000-04:002006-10-24T23:05:39.172-04:00To the victor go the spoils...er...swine...We won this on the boardwalk at Point Pleasant. If everyone in the background looks kinda wilted its because it was approximately eight thousand degrees and 200% humidity at the time. (Beamed in from my cellphone.) menoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178529.post-1124634805958082482005-08-21T09:50:00.000-04:002006-10-24T23:05:39.098-04:00Incoherent, pain-induced ramblingsIt is Sunday morning, I have a headache as a result of grinding my teeth all night, so I'm lying in a darkened room with my dog and we're watching SpongeBob Squarepants and waiting for the Advil to kick in and I thought I'd rid my brain of the random thoughts and observances floating around in there and see if that helps.The blog is always greenerIn some ways, I menoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178529.post-1123187910504868462005-08-04T16:15:00.000-04:002006-10-24T23:05:39.011-04:00I have seen the enemy, and it has enormous earsSeveral weeks ago I noticed that all the shrubs outside the condo were shrinking. The shape looked roughly the same, but they seemed to be getting steadily smaller. I thought maybe I was imagining it, but eventually it became clear: they were getting smaller.Also, the flowers on my hydrangea suddenly disappeared. This was especially disconcerting menoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178529.post-1122424201041376162005-07-28T20:13:00.000-04:002006-10-24T23:05:37.177-04:00The opposite of loveI have dated a lot of assholes. I'm pretty sure that I dated way more than my share of assholes, actually, like a lot of women I think I was attracted to them. Even though the type of guy might have shifted, from "bad boys" to Hispanics to artsy guys to corporate types, or whatever, but I think I was attracted to something in them, some trait that they all had in common. An menoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178529.post-1122592852447147302005-07-28T18:40:00.000-04:002006-10-24T23:05:37.248-04:00HeartbreakerAs you may know, I am a dog person. Big time. I like dogs better than people, for the most part, and therefore am on a first name basis with all of the dogs in my complex (their owners, not so much.) Some dogs I like better than others. For example, I have known Suki the Newfoundland since she was 10 weeks old and looked like a black porcupine. She is now fully grown and the sweetest menoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178529.post-1122325596071680332005-07-25T16:52:00.000-04:002006-10-24T23:05:37.110-04:00The Rules, part DeuxI work for marketing. Which is not the same as Public Relations. Please do not come to me for the sixteenth time asking for a clip that ran in some newspaper when I have repeatedly told you that you need to ask someone in PR for that. (In other words, not me, because I DON'T WORK FOR PR.) It is, frankly, insulting to me that you can't seem to tell the difference between thosemenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178529.post-1121995679454288082005-07-21T21:26:00.000-04:002006-10-24T23:05:37.042-04:00The RulesNo, this isn't about that stupid book from a few years back that advocates treating men like shit to win their eternal devotion. This is about My Rules. Everybody's got 'em...that little mental list of rules that they have about the right way to do things. Here's mine.Please do not talk to me while I am peeing. Women love to do this, for some reason, I have no idea why, but I'll be in menoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178529.post-1121115537538154572005-07-11T16:38:00.000-04:002006-10-24T23:05:36.972-04:00Miss/Don't Miss (a partial list)Things I miss:The smell of percolating coffee in the morningTaylor hamPop TartsCheap plastic tableclothsThe screened porchGrapefruit spoonsVacation Bible SchoolHot vinyl car seatsSoda in glass bottlesShoelaces with rainbows on themBathsPajamasSwimming all day until your lungs hurt and your ears were full of waterSunburns that peelThose small triangular windows in menoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178529.post-1120778592768142452005-07-07T19:18:00.000-04:002006-10-24T23:05:36.901-04:00Peapod windfallLast week when Peapod brought my groceries, they forgot the bread and the entenmann's cookies (those are for my husband.) No problem. They credited me. Life goes on.This week they brought me TONS of extra stuff I totally didn't order. Unpacking the bags was like Christmas!A box of Honey Bunches of Oats (with Strawberries!)A bottle of tartar sauceA bottle of dijon mustardA huge loafmenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178529.post-1120778194718778142005-07-07T19:06:00.000-04:002006-10-24T23:05:36.827-04:00Givers and takersThere are two types of people in this world. One is the type of person who heads straight to the handicapped stall in the bathroom -- you know, the one that's bigger than my first apartment -- even if the other stalls are empty. This is also the same type of person who goes into the kitchen and takes all the Splenda out of the coffee service area for herself and keeps it in her menoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178529.post-1119316661869177102005-06-20T21:09:00.000-04:002006-10-24T23:05:36.763-04:00...and the meringue weptI would like to say thank you to the old lady who helped my husband find the cream of tartar in our local supermarket. I knew I was sending him into unfamiliar territory, but I did say that he'd find the cream of tartar in the baking goods section. He looked, couldn't find it, even asked an employee (who told him to "look by the fish" -- no, dolt, that's tartar sauce, not menoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178529.post-1118781601860575352005-06-14T16:37:00.000-04:002006-10-24T23:05:36.697-04:00Oh, YUCKI uncovered this little bit of wisdom while doing research on an article for couples trying to conceive.This site suggests that in honor of Father’s Day you “borrow” someone else’s kids, then…“After you've handed back the kids, revel in your coupledom. Enjoy a grown-ups' dinner out on the town — or a backyard barbecue for two. Let him choose the restaurant or the menu (even if it's that menoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178529.post-1118777373893497742005-06-14T15:29:00.000-04:002006-10-24T23:05:36.630-04:00FlickrThis is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.menoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178529.post-1118282677855321302005-06-08T22:00:00.000-04:002006-10-24T23:05:36.559-04:00Guilty pleasuresI have a couple of guilty pleasures I'd like to fess up to. First, I know it's wasteful, I know it's wrong, but I just love driving with the sunroof open and the air conditioner on. I actually like the a/c blowing on my FEET while the sunroof allows the sun to shine on my HEAD. That's my preferred method.Second, I know it's goofy but I just LOOOOOVE that show on Bravo, Blow Out. menoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178529.post-1117591699803676272005-05-31T21:57:00.000-04:002006-10-24T23:05:36.483-04:00So many thoughts, so little timeOh my gosh I've been so busy but I have all of these things buzzing around in my head and finally two spare minutes to get it down. I've included helpful subheads for easy reading.Who wants to hear about my butt?I went on my very first trail ride this weekend. It was an absolutely gorgeous day, sunny, breezy, not very buggy...we saw a fox, deer, wild turkey...I wasmenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178529.post-1115657970856733782005-05-09T12:53:00.000-04:002006-10-24T23:05:36.405-04:00Cough it upYesterday when visiting my parents for Mothers Day, Mickey ate a knee-high stocking. We panicked, yelled at each other for awhile, then called the vet, who told us to force two tablespoons of hydrogen peroxide down his throat to make him barf it up before it reached his intestine. Which we did.For future reference, two tablespoons of hydrogen peroxide will not only make a dog menoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178529.post-1115592681568442592005-05-08T18:21:00.000-04:002006-10-24T23:05:36.332-04:00A dim viewOk. That's it. I give up. Although I do not like the person I am, I can't make myself be the person I think I should be. I simply can't make myself act, think, and behave as if I were someone else. I have tried and it just won't work, and I'm just plain tired of feeling like crap.I am a grouchy, sarcastic, vindictive, overly sensitive, insecure, easily annoyed person with a very short menoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178529.post-1114979737553627332005-05-01T16:12:00.000-04:002006-10-24T23:05:36.244-04:00Black Tie EventsSo I was at this black tie event last night. I used to enjoy these things, but now I pretty much look at them as an evening where I get to make painful small talk about nothing with people I don't know, wear uncomfortable clothes, and eat too much salty food that leaves me bloated the next day. Sometimes they're fun, but generally I'd rather be home watching tv. Anyway.So I'm atmenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178529.post-1112836864681742022005-04-06T21:04:00.000-04:002006-10-24T23:05:36.166-04:00While waiting for my pants to emerge from the washerA few confessions, if you don't mind. I hear it is good for the soul.First, I am fairly sure I am losing my mind. Twice in the past month I've surprised myself by saying snotty things to people who only somewhat are asking for it. It was almost like I had no control over what was coming out of my mouth...it just goes from brain to mouth withoutmenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178529.post-1111974045579990342005-03-27T20:40:00.000-05:002006-10-24T23:05:36.071-04:00Mickey celebrates Easter in his own way"Mickey? MICKEY!!! What did you do to the Easter Bunny?!?!" menoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178529.post-1111598421039352122005-03-23T12:18:00.000-05:002006-10-24T23:05:35.986-04:00By popular requestAll righty, Morgan -- here you go...You’re stuck inside Fahrenheit 451: Which book do you want to be?Gosh, I don’t really understand this question. Do you mean which book do I love enough to want to risk it all to save from the flames? This doesn’t really make sense since the books in F451 didn’t really have any say in what happened to them, in other words, they couldn’t save menoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178529.post-1111288846206124532005-03-19T21:35:00.000-05:002006-10-24T23:05:35.907-04:00Home again, home again, jiggity jigWell, finally, the long-awaited replacement honeymoon has been taken and thoroughly enjoyed. A good time was had by all, much sunblock was utilized and a great deal of food was consumed. Holey moley was a great deal of food consumed. Anyway, now that the vacation is but a memory, I have a few observations to make.1. Every vacation has a migraine in it. It nevermenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178529.post-1110760483715351352005-03-13T19:23:00.000-05:002006-10-24T23:05:35.831-04:00My favorite applianceMy brother and his (lovely, smart, etc) girlfriend gave me a rice cooker for Christmas. This is, mind you, a super-duper fuzzy logic rice cooker from Japan, not some rinky-dink on-off thing that burns the bottom of the rice and boils over. This machine makes incredibly good rice -- brown rice, of course -- but it also cooks a whole mess of other stuff really well, including menoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178529.post-1109642826009736802005-02-28T20:56:00.000-05:002006-10-24T23:05:35.753-04:00Idol MusingsCan someone please tell me why (virtually) every performer on American Idol needs to incorporate that arm-outstretched, palm-up, soulful-look straight into the camera, imploring gesture thing? Do you know what I'm talking about? I've always been annoyed by that but now it seems to be a prerequisite -- everyone does it, and IT MUST STOP.There's actually one guy on that show who I menoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178529.post-1109385458773226672005-02-25T21:30:00.000-05:002006-10-24T23:05:35.667-04:00As Our Heroine Finally Catches Up With The Rest of the World I exchanged my first text message the other day. Yes I know everyone else has been doing this for quite some time but it's new to me. Here's how it went:I heard my phone vibrate but could not answer it given that I was in a packed auditorium, surrounded by bigwigs. I glanced at the phone and saw that it was my husband. I suddenly menoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178529.post-1108608968134473942005-02-16T21:36:00.000-05:002006-10-24T23:05:35.569-04:00My Fav Time of DayI know I don't get to post very often but I must tell you that the fifteen minutes I get to sit down and write about nothing are my favorite time of day. When, as I said, I get time to do that.A few things of no real importance have gone on lately, including this.Someone in my office almost ran me over in the parking lot the other day. I don't mean that in a figurative kind of menoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178529.post-1107483681816348612005-02-03T21:12:00.000-05:002006-10-24T23:05:35.485-04:00Horsey update
If you heard a loud THUMP at about 8:30 on Monday night, that was the sound of me coming painfully back down to earth after my previous triumphant riding lesson. I couldn't do anything right this week...the horse simply would not do what I asked him to do no matter what I did. (Well, that's an exaggeration. He was not cooperative, but for the most part he did what I asked, more or menoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178529.post-1106790653468049202005-01-26T19:28:00.000-05:002006-10-24T23:05:35.404-04:00Ted
The other day I was telling a co-worker about a guy I used to work for at my first job out of college. His name was Ted. (The guy I used to work for, not the co-worker.) Ted was an interesting guy, and if I had known then that all of my bosses would not be as much fun as Ted I would have maybe stayed at that job a little longer. Actually, that's no so much true. At the time he was kinda menoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178529.post-1106503459913029162005-01-23T13:29:00.000-05:002006-10-24T23:05:35.336-04:00Lesson number three
So here's the riding lessons update. Before I begin, let me remind you that I had a bad experience when I was like, ten, that kept me from getting back on a horse for twenty-six years. And since I've started taking lessons again, the one thing I was most worried about was learning to trot. I know it sounds funny, I'm sure there are all sorts of jokes to be made about that menoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178529.post-1106501175649442342005-01-23T13:06:00.000-05:002006-10-24T23:05:35.256-04:00The Blizzard of '05. (Yawn, stretch.)
There is nothing like a snowy day to keep you inside and blogging. If I sound like I'm unhappy about that, nothing could be further from the truth. I love having an excuse to do nothing -- you have no idea how much -- and my day has been made even more luxurious by the fact that my tennis club (don't I sound like a big old snot? Me and my "tennis club"? menoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178529.post-1105583160052393442005-01-12T21:10:00.000-05:002006-10-24T23:05:35.180-04:00I am not looking a school horse in the mouth, but...
I'm feeling rather hopeful about riding lessons. It's only my second lesson, of course, but I did notice that the horse I rode last week -- Whistler, who, in my opinion, was an absolute pleasure to ride, responsive, helpful and forgiving -- was giving his rider a really hard time this week. For example, he demanded to eat grass while he was menoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178529.post-1105582214120776422005-01-12T21:02:00.000-05:002006-10-24T23:05:35.107-04:00I swear I am not making this up
I was listening to a talk radio show today and one of the callers, in referring to her lawyer, said she hired him because he had the reputation as someone who could teach her boss (who was allegedly sexually harassing her) a lesson. She said that she'd heard he was the kind of lawyer who could "...nip him in the butt."
menoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178529.post-1105154959665281862005-01-07T21:53:00.000-05:002006-10-24T23:05:35.016-04:00Ok, ok...
For those of you have emailed and called me to find out if I was still alive because I hadn't posted in so long, I'm freakin' fine. Quit yer worryin'. I haven't posted lately because I've been really busy, and thinking about a lot of stuff, but I'm not comfortable posting any of it. Sorry. It's unfortunate, because I'm so focused on these big, touchy issues -- family, holidays, all menoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178529.post-1102190150193104012004-12-04T14:47:00.000-05:002006-10-24T23:05:34.947-04:00Tennis bicep
You know how stuff happens sometimes and you just aren't paying attention? I just realized that my right arm is becoming disconcertingly muscular due to all the tennis. I actually have a VISIBLE bicep. I can honestly say that I have never been this upper-body-buff (actually that's not completely true, I'm really too fat to be buff...under the fat, I'm buff, I swear) before in my menoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178529.post-1101940162539280762004-12-01T17:20:00.000-05:002006-10-24T23:05:34.875-04:00Oh, calm down
I just realized that the previous post combined with the Thoughts About My Own Death post, taken together, could give folks the idea that I'm not doing so good mentally. If so, you can stop worrying, I'm fine. And by that I mean literally I'm fine, not the kind of "I'm fine" that actually means "I'm not fine but I'm also not interested in talking about it or fixing it."
So, you menoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178529.post-1101939508574062792004-12-01T17:06:00.000-05:002006-10-24T23:05:34.808-04:00Against my better judgment
I normally avoid posting about My Real Feelings. No, seriously. I'm happy to talk about ducks and bugs and the weather and maybe even the occasional bowel movement, but I generally don't share my deeper thoughts about many issues because I'm afraid that someone in my family will read this and it will either hurt them or cause them to worry, both of which are utterly menoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178529.post-1100383636524682532004-11-13T16:53:00.000-05:002006-10-24T23:05:34.746-04:00Stupid things I did last week
You ever have one of these weeks? This past week I did the following:
1. Stopped up the sink at work. I was making microwave oatmeal and it boiled over and instead of dumping it in the garbage can, I got disgusted and dumped the whole, half-cooked mess right down the sink, creating a spectacular clog. And no, I did not admit what I did (I pretended some other menoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178529.post-1100382746219170232004-11-13T16:32:00.000-05:002006-10-24T23:05:34.677-04:00Thoughts About My Own Death (or, Songs Not To Play At My Wake)
I recently attended a somewhat offbeat memorial service (or was it a funeral? The body was, indeed, in the room which may actually qualify it as a funeral) which led me to contemplate my own inevitable-but-I-hope-far-far-in-the-future funeral, much in the same way that I used to contemplate my own wedding while attending the weddingsmenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178529.post-1099346232914638752004-11-01T16:57:00.000-05:002006-10-24T23:05:34.600-04:00The Other White Meat
The other day I was on my way to the cleaners and I happened to wander right into the midst of a bunch of trick-or-treaters. One kid was dressed as a chicken. He was this little guy, about six years old, wearing a red "comb" on his head and a big puffy chicken body covered with real feathers, and orange tights with foam chicken feet covering his little sneakers...he just menoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178529.post-1098659474657804502004-10-24T18:58:00.000-04:002006-10-24T23:05:34.358-04:00How could I forget to mention this?
Another reason for my recent absence was the appearance of these in my basement -- where the computer is.
They are REALLY BIG, really ugly and they jump unbelievably high. They also have incredibly long antennae. I called in an exterminator after opening the door to the unfinished part of the basement and having one of these things leap directly at me, then menoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178529.post-1098489675034566302004-10-22T19:33:00.000-04:002006-10-24T23:05:34.286-04:00Yes I've done it again
I know, I know I broke my vow. I'm a loser. No, really my recent absence was due to a recent conversation I had with one of our tech guys in which I was informed that yes, they do indeed monitor our internet usage and they have a list of sites that are under special scrutiny...every time I went to post on Blogger after that I got all paranoid and that kinda took the fun menoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178529.post-1097250068188058332004-10-08T11:34:00.000-04:002006-10-24T23:05:34.202-04:00Steamy Friday
So it's Friday and I've taken the day off for no real reason except for the fact that I have tons of PTO time that I will lose if I don't take. So this morning Mickey and I slept until 10 AM...yes that's right we slept until the unheard-of hour of 10AM and now I'm just checking office email, drinking coffee and reading the paper and in just a few minutes I'll be going upstairs to menoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178529.post-1097008128365862412004-10-05T16:23:00.000-04:002006-10-24T23:05:34.116-04:00Big Food Tuesday
Woke up hungry today and can't seem to stop eating no matter what I do. It all started with a bowl of oatmeal, then a bran muffin (well, just the top, actually) then a lovely panini (fresh tomatoes, mozzarella, provolone, pesto, olive oil) then a krispy kreme, then a tiny Hershey bar. Looks like I'm treadmill-bound tonight for sure. Played tennis last night, too, and it was goodmenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178529.post-1096747318385284822004-10-02T15:47:00.000-04:002006-10-24T23:05:34.007-04:00Catching up
So I believe I owe you several days of bests/worsts. Here goes.
Thursday:
Best thing? Bought the long-awaited Brian Wilson album, Smile. Record store owner who rang up my purchase asked me how old I was to even be interested in this album, saying, "What are you, in your mid twenties?" God bless that man.
Worst thing? Had to explain to the young kid standing next to record store menoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178529.post-1096487024387360842004-09-29T15:37:00.000-04:002006-10-24T23:05:33.918-04:00Is it a good sign that I'm having trouble coming up with a "worst thing"?
Best thing? Found a place locally where I can take riding lessons. I start in January, assuming that I can make it work with my schedule.
Worst thing? Well, I'm having a hard time coming up with something, actually, but if I had to pick something I guess it would be the annoying coughing fits I've been having today thanksmenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178529.post-1096400076872992612004-09-28T15:33:00.000-04:002006-10-24T23:05:33.837-04:00Follow the yellow brick road
Ok. Best thing? Boss brought Munchkins to the staff meeting this morning.
Worst thing: Boss brought Munchkins to the staff meeting this morning AND I CAN'T STOP EATING THEM.
menoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178529.post-1096319132046948522004-09-27T17:04:00.000-04:002006-10-24T23:05:33.771-04:00Better late than never
Yes, I’m still alive. I hate to be one of those Johnny-Come-Lately posters, skipping whole weeks of posting…but sometimes I just have nothing interesting to say. I’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately but nothing is really crystallizing into anything postable. Also I’ve been busy at work. So I think, from now on, I’m going to play a little game that I used to play in my menoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178529.post-1094234326114287152004-09-03T13:39:00.000-04:002006-10-24T23:05:33.704-04:00On rudeness
I’m sure this is the thirtieth or fortieth post I’ve done regarding rudeness, but it seems to be an issue I continually struggle with. I try so hard to be polite to people, probably because I’m acutely sensitive to rude stuff being done to me. Those who know me may be dubious about that statement, or maybe you’ll think that if I actually am trying to be polite my efforts to be menoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178529.post-1093899553778222362004-08-30T16:58:00.000-04:002006-10-24T23:05:33.635-04:00"If I have to yak, I'll yak."
Got a huge kick out of this story in my local paper today. This kind of thing is what makes sports interesting to me.
menoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178529.post-1093637979864817682004-08-27T16:03:00.000-04:002006-10-24T23:05:33.569-04:00We beat Luxembourg
So a story just came out today that NJ is the wealthiest state in the nation. According to a professor at Rutgers, "The key point would be, if New Jersey seceded from the U.S. and became a separate nation, we would be the wealthiest nation on Earth, just ahead of Luxembourg." Well, whoopee.
The fact of this story is that the median income they're discussing is a mere $55,221.menoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178529.post-1093528519446964842004-08-26T09:50:00.000-04:002006-10-24T23:05:33.497-04:00Horrifying revelation #53
Last night, I'm playing tennis on the public courts near my house. I'm wearing my cute little tennis outfit, the one with the yellow shorts under the black skirt. I'm thinkin' I look real cute and athletic. Suddenly, mid-game, the guy playing on the next court looks at me and exclaims,
"You look like Tonya Harding!"
So much for cute.
menoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178529.post-1092069127660320232004-08-09T12:26:00.000-04:002006-10-24T23:05:33.433-04:00Cicadus interruptus
On Sunday afternoon, my husband and I took Mickey out to enjoy the beautiful weather and romp on the campus of a local college. It's really quite bucolic, in a rolling-hills, Olmstead-esque kind of way.
While we were walking around on the lawns, we found a boomerang that someone must have left behind. While Mickey sniffed about for critters, we entertained ourselves by menoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178529.post-1092068617043334392004-08-09T12:23:00.000-04:002006-10-24T23:05:33.367-04:00That come-hither look
I swear this dog knows he's having his picture taken.
menoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178529.post-1091650605805143012004-08-04T16:16:00.000-04:002006-10-24T23:05:33.302-04:00Yet another dog picture
I can't even come up with a caption for this. He's just so darn cute.
menoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178529.post-1091232339819144522004-07-30T19:57:00.000-04:002006-10-24T23:05:33.239-04:00The answer
Well I've given it some thought and here are the songs I would choose if I had to be "played in" to the Fleet Center, a la John Kerry:
The Boys Are Back in Town (Thin Lizzy)Stand Back (Stevie Nicks)I'm Winning (Santana)Makin' It (David Naughton, also star of various Dr. Pepper commercials and An American Werewolf In London) and my personal favorite:
Rubberband Man (The Spinners) menoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178529.post-1091199045638415572004-07-30T10:42:00.000-04:002006-10-24T23:05:33.175-04:00Odd choice
Did it strike anyone else as odd that Kerry chose to make his big entrance to No Surrender? I'm as big a Bruce fan as the next guy but that song would not even have made my short list. It aint exactly hopeful.
The last few lines of the song go like this:
Now on the street tonight the lights grow dim/The walls of my room are closing in/There's a war outside still raging/you say it menoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178529.post-1090938092482404402004-07-27T10:12:00.000-04:002006-10-24T23:05:33.102-04:00How To Drive People Away
By popular demand, I'm posting my personal system for avoiding folks you don't really like -- officially called Ten Steps to Alienating Friends and Rebuffing The Annoying.
Step 1. Don't let them take you by surprise. Never open door/answer phone without first knowing who is there. If you don't know, don't answer. There is no sweeter, more empowering sound than the menoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178529.post-1090874142879339312004-07-26T16:31:00.000-04:002006-10-24T23:05:33.019-04:00It left me Cold (Mountain)
I'd be interested in hearing from anyone who read Cold Mountain AND saw the movie. Is it my imagination or did the screenplay differ pretty radically from the movie? I don't remember a lot of the brutality, such as when they tortured that poor woman to get her to turn in her sons (they were deserters.) I don't recall the Teague character being so evil. It kinda feelsmenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178529.post-1090873886104224692004-07-26T16:30:00.000-04:002006-10-24T23:05:32.937-04:00"Wanna hear a funny story?"
Have you ever noticed that what follows this statement almost never actually is a funny story?
menoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178529.post-1090873218024037882004-07-26T16:20:00.000-04:002006-10-24T23:05:32.787-04:00Introducing...Olive!
A face that could launch a thousand tennis balls. This is Donna and Morgan's new little one, Olive. She is sweet and huggable and, although she does not know it yet she is, quite possibly, one of the luckiest dogs on the planet. This dog is going to have a wonderful life full of kisses and hugs and boiled chicken.
menoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178529.post-1090270085879365992004-07-19T16:47:00.000-04:002006-10-24T23:05:32.725-04:00What’s the grossest thing I can think of?
I’ve noticed that some people don’t really wash their hands after using the bathroom. If they just proudly walked straight out of the stall and left the room, that would be one thing – but instead they do this bizarre hand wash fake-out…they run the water for literally a half second…no soap, no rubbing…they just kind of flick their hands under the menoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178529.post-1090270020158675812004-07-19T16:46:00.000-04:002006-10-24T23:05:32.667-04:00Apologizing for oneself
Way back when I was in college, I did a lot of theater. It was not my major, but I really enjoyed it and did everything from staged readings to mainstage productions with glee. Looking back, I probably sucked royally but what the hell, it was fun.
When I first started doing theater, I would hear a lot about a concept called “apologizing for yourself.” I’d come out menoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178529.post-1089838935797668782004-07-14T17:01:00.000-04:002006-10-24T23:05:32.546-04:00Several thoughts
I’ve been kinda busy and haven’t had time to post but I have been saving up these thoughts and now I finally find myself with a few extra moments, so here goes.
First, I realized that my ongoing struggle with my weight (for the record, see photo below…I’m not THAT overweight but you know, these things are all relative…) is not so much about eating too much but exercising too menoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178529.post-1089144487411643832004-07-06T16:08:00.000-04:002006-10-24T23:05:32.480-04:00Ta-da!
This is my new (well, only) niece, Morgan. Although I realize that many newborns are not cute, I believe that Morgan is, indeed, a cutie pie. I would say this even if she were not related to me. Please note that she arrived several days early and, therefore, I am knitting like mad trying to finish that baby blanket for her. menoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178529.post-1087998129905292322004-06-23T09:37:00.000-04:002006-10-24T23:05:32.420-04:00And the winner is "...some kind of fungus"
Thanks to all of you who helpfully emailed me to say that horrifying thing growing in my mulch is a fungus of some sort. You are, indeed, correct. A bit of research revealed that that funny looking thing is what's called a Dog Stinkhorn, so named because A.) it smells and attracts flies -- which I can personally confirm and B.) it looks like an menoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178529.post-1087850684191526252004-06-21T16:44:00.000-04:002006-10-24T23:05:32.361-04:00What the hell is this?
Attention all gardeners! Please help me identify this revolting "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" thing.
This strange thing, believe it or not, is growing in my garden, along the hedges. It is disgusting. It is big, and orange, and that brown stuff on it is not mud, it is actually something extruded by the plant itself. If you poke it, this life form feels rubbery. That menoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178529.post-1087418487400369432004-06-16T16:39:00.000-04:002006-10-24T23:05:32.302-04:00cad I hab a tissue?
Oh, yeah, forgot to mention...picked up a nice little cold. Can't take a day off without coming down with something, can I? menoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178529.post-1087392564903345852004-06-16T09:29:00.000-04:002006-10-24T23:05:32.241-04:00Apparently Lenin also stayed at this hotel at some point...(actually this is a former President whose name escapes me.) menoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178529.post-1087392497072358382004-06-16T09:28:00.000-04:002006-10-24T23:05:32.184-04:00We stopped in a town called Red Bank and I had a bunch of really good cinnamon-roasted almonds. This was just the beginning of the dietary train wreck that the weekend eventually became. menoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178529.post-1087392445259664142004-06-16T09:27:00.000-04:002006-10-24T23:05:32.124-04:00The view from our room early on Saturday morning. I swear this is the Jersey Shore. Really. menoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178529.post-1087392207267175272004-06-16T09:14:00.000-04:002006-10-24T23:05:32.064-04:00Minibreak
I think in the UK they call long weekends "minibreaks", don't they? Anyway, no matter what they call it, I had one last weekend. My husband and I went "down the shore" as the Jersey folks say and spent a couple of days at a slightly shabby but nonetheless nice hotel right on the beach. This hotel had a spa and I had something called a Hot Stone Massage which involves the use of heated,menoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178529.post-1086797487847548752004-06-09T12:11:00.000-04:002006-10-24T23:05:32.000-04:00This is refugee Mickey. He's fleeing a tyrannical dictator. See his sad, sad face. menoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178529.post-1086797378860810902004-06-09T12:09:00.000-04:002006-10-24T23:05:31.942-04:00Finally: Photos!
I'm just fooling around with this new photo feature on Blogger...here are a couple of test photos and captions for your enjoyment. If it works, more to come. Warning: expect many dog photos.
In this photo, please know that my butt is not really as big as it looks...I have a bunch of stuff in my right back pocket. I'm fat, just not THAT fat.
Mickey, mom and our obedience menoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178529.post-1086641320965848652004-06-07T16:47:00.000-04:002006-10-24T23:05:31.883-04:00Garage door update
Remember when I said I thought I got ripped off by the company who fixed my garage door? Well, I take that back and then some...it appears that what's happened is the exact opposite of being ripped off...it's been over a month and they haven't cashed my check yet. menoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178529.post-1086641133374244332004-06-07T16:45:00.000-04:002006-10-24T23:05:31.824-04:00For the gals
So ladies, if you don’t already have one, rush right out and get yourself one of these nifty new Intuition razors. Each disposable blade comes surrounded by a “skin conditioning solid” that sort of soaps up and smooths the way for the blade, and makes shaving in the shower a lot less of a drag (pun intended.) Of course, now I’ll have to take out a second mortgage on my house to bemenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178529.post-1086641103580855702004-06-07T16:43:00.000-04:002006-10-24T23:05:31.768-04:00Uncle
I have spent a good portion of my thirty-five years on this planet pathetically trying to forge connections with other human beings. I really am a sad case, smiling at strangers on the street, being kind to waitresses and shopkeepers and holding doors for people. I used to think that that deep down we’re all the same, trying our best to get along in the world, and basically good at heart. menoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178529.post-1086206870694130412004-06-02T16:06:00.000-04:002006-10-24T23:05:31.708-04:00Look up
Now there's an ad on my blog for something called "Sterilized Owl Pellets", whatever that is. menoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178529.post-1085173225972652332004-05-21T16:57:00.000-04:002006-10-24T23:05:31.649-04:00Beware garbage men bearing gifts
Today when I took my dog out at lunch we were walking along, minding our business, when two guys in a really big municipal garbage truck pulled over right next to us and tossed out two milk bones. Then they drove away without saying a word. What was THAT about?
I hope they were for Mickey, not me. No matter who they were intended for, though, I would not let menoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178529.post-1085173016680078462004-05-21T16:52:00.000-04:002006-10-24T23:05:31.591-04:00What a migraine feels like
It starts with a feeling that you’re just not right. As if your head isn’t quite connected to your body. Then you notice that everything is too bright, too glare-y. It looks like the sun has been turned up several notches. The TV is too loud, the air conditioning too cold, your clothes too stiff, too confining. Your brain feels spongy and mildewed. Sometimes there are menoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178529.post-1084976249368778102004-05-19T09:50:00.000-04:002006-10-24T23:05:31.528-04:00Manners make the world go 'round
On two separate occasions last week, someone called me and launched into a full-blown tirade that would have been utterly unacceptable under any circumstances at any other company I've worked for, but was especially heinous since the person who was yelling at me was wrong in the first place. I'm talking pretty stunning nastiness here, without provocation, menoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178529.post-1084371890829932712004-05-12T10:24:00.000-04:002006-10-24T23:05:31.461-04:00Never mind
Turns out I was right after all. Parts really do cost $120. Heh heh. menoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178529.post-1084222407596347122004-05-10T16:46:00.000-04:002006-10-24T23:05:31.399-04:00Oops
I think I got ripped off. Our garage door broke and I stayed home to deal with the guy who came to fix it...he quoted me a price to fix it and I said, "OK!" and he fixed it and went away and now my husband's saying it sounds really high...he called another company and the price they quoted him $20 for the parts I paid $120 for. Oops. menoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178529.post-1083938762513394562004-05-07T10:06:00.000-04:002006-10-24T23:05:31.342-04:00Another boring bird post
I'm NOT an amateur ornithologist by any means and kinda find those "bird people" funny, being a "dog person" myself. However, since moving from Bergen County, NJ to Morris County, NJ I've had the occasion to get up close and personal with a lot of wildlife (Note to out of state readers -- I know, it's still NJ. It aint exactly rural, but nonetheless to me Morris County menoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178529.post-1083781507760017552004-05-05T14:25:00.000-04:002006-10-24T23:05:31.280-04:00Still perfect (fingers crossed)
Knitting update: am about five inches into blanket and I am cautiously optimistic...it looks really, really nice and will be breathtaking if I manage to finish it w/out screwing up. Note: its nice yarn, that's why. I'm not that talented. Hopefully it will also knit up rather quickly because the body of the blanket is basically fifty three knit stitches, fifty menoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178529.post-1083185899226905792004-04-28T16:58:00.000-04:002006-10-24T23:05:31.222-04:00A fresh start
So I've begun knitting a blanket for my as-yet-unborn niece. She's due in July. I bought nine skeins of very nice hand dyed merino wool and I have a pattern that should knit up pretty well. The wool alone cost me almost $100 -- kinda makes you rethink the whole concept of MAKING something when you could go out and buy the thing already finished for less, doesn't it? The yarn is menoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178529.post-1083185517454485432004-04-28T16:51:00.000-04:002006-10-24T23:05:31.162-04:00Am I the only one who does this?
So today someone stopped in my office and asked for something that's essentially part of my job to create. I said, sure, no problem. They said, oh, thank you! like I'd done them a big favor, and just kept explaining what they needed (even though I pretty much grasped it immediately) That's what started the following squirm-inducing exchange:
(Me) "No problem."
menoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178529.post-1083185093008822612004-04-28T16:44:00.000-04:002006-10-24T23:05:31.102-04:00Mundane annoyance update
Yesterday I went food shopping at the ACME for the week and came home with three very well packed bags. THREE! Not eighteen! Three! The person doing the bagging was truly a conoisseur. You could see her really thinking as she was putting stuff in there. When I got home it took me one trip to get everything from the car to the kitchen. ONE TRIP!
See, that's what I'm menoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178529.post-1082321394028715982004-04-18T16:49:00.000-04:002006-10-24T23:05:31.045-04:00Mundane annoyances
Ok so I know I've mentioned before that my life is kinda boring. So, with that said, I hate to complain about something so trivial, but you must understand that this is pretty much what my life is about these days. I am not curing cancer or running a Fortune 500 corporation -- but I do spend quite a bit of time at the grocery store.
So here's my complaint: what is the deal menoreply@blogger.com