Talking For Free

My Friend Mary

2012-01-30T10:00:00.004-06:00

When I'm giving an example of something or making a comment on something, I sometimes use the name Mary as a generic person in that situation. For example:

At the post office when we were renewing Lauren's passport, a college-aged girl came in with a package that she proceeded to wrap at the counter with Scotch tape. She must have ripped 15 pieces of it from the roll, when the postal worker got annoyed enough to say, "I'm sorry, but you can't send anything through the mail that is taped with Scotch tape. It gets dry and cracks and falls apart. The packing tape is over there." She motioned to the packing tape sitting on the next counter.

Well, there was a roll of "Priority Mail" stickers next to the packing tape. This girl taped every seam on the box with a line of individual 2-inch, red white and blue Priority Mail stickers.

Lauren and I exchanged a befuddled glance with the girl in front of us. The passport line girl said, "Wow," and shook her head as we kept watching.

Wow, indeed. We mused that Package Girl was probably a T-sip. Heh.

Anyhoo--- when we were telling the story later, we said something like, "What is the person going to think when they receive that box? 'Geez, Mary! Did you run out of packing tape?!'"

So that's an example of a "Mary comment." I make them frequently enough that Lauren calls her "Mom's friend, Mary."

Patrick's Saturday Six

1. Considering your childhood, do you feel you had it easier or tougher than your parents did when they were children?
Easier in most ways. Parenting was less strict and formal than when they were kids. Less spanking, more hugging, more participation in their kids' lives. Also each generation seems to have more disposable income than the previous one, which makes things easier.

2. Considering your life now, at your current age, how does yours compare to what you know about your parents when they were your age?
When my parents were my age, my mom was working at IBM. She was a single mom with me in college. My Dad was living in New York by that point, with his new wife (not the current one). They had just adopted his wife's three year old grandson, because her daughter was too much of a partier to be a mom to him. Turned out the wife (my dad's high school sweetheart from Germany) had only married my dad to get into the US, where she still is today. My life is going swimmingly, compared to theirs at the same time.

3. What do you miss today most about your childhood?
I miss all the fabulous trips we took, just the three of us, almost always by car. We went to the Grand Canyon, Colorado, New Mexico, Wisconsin... all sorts of places. I remember many moments where my mom or dad would call to me in the back seat, where I was reading or laying in the flat space by the back window (you all did it!), to point out a beautiful scene ahead- mountains or a valley or a city of lights at night. And all those stops by signs and landmarks where that they wanted to take a photo.

The last trip we took together was to Germany my freshman year of high school. We drove all over and stayed in B&Bs. It was wonderful.

4. What percentage of the time during your childhood did you get what you asked for (within reason)?
50%

5. What percentage of the time do you end up getting what you want today (within reason)?
90%

6. Take the quiz: Are You Spoiled?
You Are 8% Spoiled
You are definitely not spoiled. You've worked hard for what you have.
Down to earth and grounded, you don't need a lot to make you happy.

Time to Play the Music, Time to Light the Lights

2012-01-29T08:44:00.002-06:00

I got on Facebook Mobile, and it opened on what I thought was my news feed. It was displaying a private message I had sent to Donna about a boudoir photographer. For about 4 seconds, my jaw was literally dropped, because I thought I had accidentally posted the message as my Facebook status. Turns out, it was just showing my conversation with Donna.

I really need to stop scaring myself like that.

Jeff and I were not the only adults at The Muppets without children yesterday, just so you know. The movie is mostly very goofy, on purpose. There were several laugh out loud moments, the best of which may have been Chris Cooper's rap number. Oh man- SO funny! Watch Jason Segel and others talk about Cooper's song here (at around 2:00 in the video).

If you watched The Muppet Show back in the day, you should definitely see this film. It may even bring a tear to your eye.

Sunday Stealing: The 99'er Meme: Part 1
You do enough survey memes and the questions begin repeating a LOT. I deleted most of the questions I've previously answered here, so for the full list, please visit the most awesome Sunday Stealing blog.

1) Put your iTunes on shuffle. Give me the first 6 songs that pop up.
"Grow For Me" Little Shop of Horrors
"My Little Girl" Tim McGraw (awwwww I love that song... You're beautiful, baby, from the outside in. Chase your dreams, but always know the road that will lead you home again...)
"Everything You Do" He is We
"Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say) [FrankMusik Cut Snare Edit Remix]" Lady GaGa
"Irvine" Kelly Clarkson
"Girlfriend [The Neptunes Remix, ft. Nelly]" NSYNC

2) If you could meet anyone on this earth, who would it be?
I usually say George Bush, Sr., but let's get real. George Clooney.

3) Grab the book nearest to you, turn to page 23, give me line 17.
There is not a single book in this room today. There's a Consumer Reports magazine (Feb 2012) though:
At his third visit to the Chase office, David was shown a historic simulation report that compared the 11-year performance of the Chase Strategic Portfolio, 5.98 percent, with a benchmark index's 3.87 percent.

Gripping, no?

4) What do you think about most?
Lauren's high school grad and getting ready for college

5) What does your latest text message from someone else say?
"Ty. You too!" (CJ)

6) Do you sleep with or without clothes on?
usually with

7) What's your strangest talent?
Remembering meme questions I've already answered. Like this one.

8) Women.... (finish the sentence); Men.... (finish the sentence)
Women identify cars by color; Men identify them by make and model.

14) If you are outside, what are you most likely doing?
checking out my flower beds, watering, weeding

15) Do you prefer to be behind the camera or in front of it?
behind

25) Do you prefer talking on the phone or video chatting online?
The phone. Video chat gets interrupted too often by internet/computer notifications and such. During a phone call, I can step away from the computer.

Word Play

2012-01-28T06:45:00.005-06:00

So, there's a new Macaroni Grill ad, where a guy talks about a pan-roasted pork chop, nestled in warm pea and mushroom risotto. Only he pauses in an unfortunate spot and says, "...pan-roasted pork chop, nestled in warm pea... and mushroom risotto..."

Eww. Well, at least it's warm.

We passed the new Alamo Drafthouse yesterday. Their iconic neon sign is finally up!! So exciting. Though due to lights that are out, instead of Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, it says, "...Drafthouse inema."

Lauren and I giggled about the drafthouse enema for an hour.

Because we're 12.

Also funny about that theater--- It's on Slaughter Lane. The Alamo Drafthouse identifies most of their locations by street name, so they refer to this one as... Alamo Slaughter. Yikes. ;)

Mumford and Sons' "Little Lion Man" came on the radio. The part that says, "It was not your fault but mine, and it was your heart on the line..." I jumped in late on the second line but thought it was going to say "it was your fault," so I sang "it was your f-art on the line."

(When we told Jeff the story, I mistakenly said I had sung, "It was not your fart but mine..." which was even funnier.)

Very similar to the error I still make to this day with "I'm Like a Bird" by Nelly Furtado. The lyrics are "I don't know where my soul is. I don't know where my home is." Only, I always try to sing "home" first, so it comes out, "I don't know where my h-ole is."

Yep. The official lyrics to that song in our household since 2001 are:

...I'm like a bird
I'll only fly away
I don't know where my hole is
Ahahahahaaaaaa...

Which, on a more serious and sentimental note, brings us to the Lyrics of the Day. A single brief, but ohhhh-so-cool line:

Don't look down
It's only love we're falling in...

"Falling In" Lifehouse

Heeeyy! It's Friday!

2012-01-27T07:20:00.005-06:00

I've made a new discovery on Yahoo. In Yahoo Mail, along the left side, you can see all your email contacts who are online, along with their IM statuses- even people you haven't added in Messenger. And while you are not even logged into Messenger. Awesome (and confusing... but awesome)! You can message them right from the email window without even logging into IM. You know who I discovered on there? My grandpa! Now I can chat with him anytime.

Of course, it looks like my Messenger contacts see me as "online" in their Mail page, when I'm just logged into Mail (which explains a lot of things). I am usually logged in to my Yahoo Mail account 24/7. Messenger, not so much.

OK, remember yesterday, when I said ...I'm almost certain to hear from at least one of my girlfriends, saying "What about so-and-so!"

First comment was from my husband, vaguely remembering my list about an hour after reading it-- "Did you list Viggo Mortensen?" Ahaha! Why, yes I did!

He added that, in all fairness, I "should post photos of hot chicks in bikinis tomorrow." So at his request, I present female celebs I think are gorgeous. In no particular order. By the way, I almost got five viruses searching for these hot chick pics. Adding the word "bikini" seemed to up the malicious attack potential, so these are head shots.

Viruses were not a problem when I was searching photos of male celebs, and I spent a lot more time on that. Just sayin'.

Angelina Jolie

Charlize Theron

Jennifer Garner

Kate Hudson

Mila Kunis

Sofia Vergara

Eye Candy Thursday

2012-01-26T07:22:00.008-06:00

This post has turned out to be mostly for the ladies. So guys, please take the minute you would normally spend reading this and Google images of hot chicks. You're welcome.

Major celebrity crushes... I think I can list all of them in chronological order, although I'm almost certain to hear from at least one of my girlfriends, saying "What about so-and-so!"

Here we go:

1. Erik Estrada (1977-80)

2. Gregory Harrison (1979-82)

3. John Schneider, the first celeb crush I ever met in person- he is SO nice, I cannot say enough great things about him still today. I had this album. And White Christmas... and Quiet Man... I'm not a big fan of country music, so that says a lot. (1980-83)

4. John Taylor from Duran Duran- ooooh the hair (1982-85)

5. Well, I can't remember what celeb or celebs with whom I was enamored for ten years between high school and ER. That is weird. I loved all the Brat Pack guys, but never really had a "thing" for any of them.

Next (and last) is George Clooney, starting from the very beginning of the ER series. (1994- )

Though it pains me, I'll stop at three photos, but you get the gist.

I do have the occasional short-lived side-crush, like these guys...

Colin Farrell

Jeffrey Dean Morgan

Bradley Cooper

Viggo Mortensen - preferably with the long, dark

hair and a sword

Robert Downey, Jr.

The single thing that ties most of these men together- besides the fact that they have great dark hair? They're smart-asses. All the way back to Officer Poncherello. Am I right? What's up with that?

:)

Weekend Update

2012-01-24T08:43:00.007-06:00

"...Jane, you ignorant slut..." LOL. Wow, that's an old reference. Moving on...

Had a lovely weekend! I jaunted up to Dallas and hung out a bit with my aunt, uncle and grandfather. My great aunt met us all for lunch and we did a lot of catching up. My grandpa is 92 and still sharp as a tack. And so funny!

Then I met Donna and the girls at a sports bar called Brackets, where I was able to catch the end of the Patriots game (woohoo!) and we played table shuffleboard. We had dinner at Nosh Euro Bistro (and watched the Giants win- woohoo!) and hung out at the Palomar hotel the rest of the night. It was great to see them! Fun group.

Sunday Stealing: The Never Ending Meme, Ends

36. Have you watched American Horror Story?
Ugh. Yes. On the recommendation of several friends. Those people are nuts. The episode we watched- the pilot, I think- was really slow.

37. Baseball hat or toque?
baseball cap

38. Do you shampoo or soap up first in the shower?
shampoo

39. Wet the toothbrush or brush dry with the toothpaste?
wet

40. Pen or pencil?
pen

41. Have you ever gambled at a casino?
I've played blackjack, video poker and slots on very rare occasions.

42. Have you thrown up on a plane?
nope

43. Have you thrown up in a car?
Yes- one time out the front passenger window while we were driving. It blew right into the open back window onto my oma. How she didn't throw up, I'll never know.

44. Have you thrown up at work?
Ahahaaaaaaaaaaa. Several times a day for four never-ending months during my pregnancy.

45. Do you scream on roller coasters?
rarely. I'm usually giggling at the person next to me screaming.

46. How many shoes do you have?
maybe 10 pairs. Don't get me wrong- I love shoes, but I'm very practical and buy them in the basic colors so I don't have to fill my closet with them or spend Lauren's college fund away.

47. Who was your first roommate?
Never had a roommate.

48. What alcoholic beverage did you drink when you got drunk for the first time?
I think I was drinking party punch of some sort.

49. What was your first job?
selling papers on the phone for the Houston Post

50. What was your first car?
Mazda GLC

51. When did you go to your first funeral?
When my great-grandma died... I was 7.

52. How old were you when you first moved away from your hometown?
18, for college

53. Who was your first grade teacher?
Miss Cacioppo at Shawanoe Elementary in Kansas City

54. Where did you go on your first airplane ride?
from Frankfurt to Houston on a permanent move to the United States. My dad had gotten a job at NASA.

55. When you snuck out of your house for the first time, who was it with?
I never snuck out of the house. I always told my mom where I was going and when I would be back, even if it was (exceedingly rarely) the early hours of the morning.

56. Who was your first best friend and are you still friends with them?
Kristin Dutney in kindergarten. I haven't seen her since the summer after first grade, when we moved from Kansas City to Houston.

57. Where did you live the first time you moved out of your parents’ house?
College Station, TX

58. Who is the first person you call when you have a bad day?
Laura can always cheer me up from a sucky day.

59. Whose wedding were you in the first time you were a bridesmaid or a groomsman?
Kathy and Gary's

60. What is the first thing you do in the morning?
brush my teeth

61. What was the first concert you attended?
The Go-Go's... first "real" concert at a venue other than Astroworld.

62. First tattoo or piercing?
Ears when I was 15.

63. First celebrity crush?
Erik Estrada- BIG time. My best friend and next-door neighbor, Lori, had a thing for Larry Wilcox (Jon on CHiPs), so that was fun. We were 10-12 years old at the time.

Just Another Gorgeous Day in the ATX

2012-01-21T07:59:00.004-06:00

RE: the train from Boston to Binghamton
There isn't one. Sad day!!

From now on I am going to just refer to KathyL as Kathy, and one can assume that if I say Kathy, I'm not speaking of myself in Bob Dole-esque third person.

For a few months, Kathy (senior level marketing genius, not sure if that is her official title) has been angling for this job as integration lead at work. Her company purchased a company in England and they need a person to be in charge of all the monumental tasks that come with that. It's a 12-18 month gig, with a probable promotion to head of the new branch at the end, should she be successful. Well, she got it! Woohoo! So thrilled for her.

She won't be moving to England, but she will be traveling there for five days every other week. Along with her regular trips to company headquarters in Cali, that girl is never going to be in town during the week.

Kim's "#1 Song on Your Bday" that's been going around Facebook is "Ode to Billie Joe" by Bobbie Gentry. Great song! Haunting. I still remember singing it with my girlfriends.

"...He said he saw a girl that looked a lot like you up on Choctaw Ridge
And she and Billie Joe was throwin' somethin' off the Tallahatchie Bridge..."

Creepy!

Saturday 9: Home

1. Do you live close to where you grew up? Why?
Three and a half hours away. Why? I think we mostly live in Austin because Jeff got a job here, and then we loved it so much we stayed. It also happened to be equidistant from each of our parents' houses- his in DFW and mine in Houston.

2. Have you ever been so angry that you almost lost control?
The only time I've felt like I was actually "almost losing control" was the Cheer Mom Incident. You laugh! Cheer moms can be dangerous. I confronted a mom who was letting her daughter's entire squad cut in front of us at the short-staffed concession stand at a cheer competition. No one in the endless line in which we'd waited almost an hour was saying anything. So I did. Keep in mind, I am never the person who says something in those sorts of situations. That's how irritated I was. After we started arguing, the rest of the crowd joined me against her, and I won. Ha!

3. Are you a fan of a musical act that slightly embarrasses you?
Several. The worst is probably Katy Perry. Her music is aimed very much at the teen crowd, but she's very talented. I don't think she has great taste in men, but she's adorable and I like the music a lot.

4. Is there a movie that always makes you cry?
Too many to list. Love, Actually is one of the hardest hitters... The Notebook...

5. Who is the most famous person that you've met?
Jon Bon Jovi. Long story, and although we weren't formally introduced, I'd still count him as the most famous person I've "met" in my lifetime. (I've somehow managed to make it sound salacious, when it's so not. Ahaha.)

6. Before you leave your home, what must you have?
iPhone

7. What do you miss the most about being a kid?
my mom's awesome cooking

8. Tell us about a passion of yours that your readers would not expect.
I have a love of captivating photography, particularly in print advertising. Back in the day, I used to collect Oneida flatware ads (so visually stunning) and others from magazines and kept them in a special folder. Now I have Pinterest to tack them up in my little space on the web.

9. At what age do you think you'd be to think, “I've had a great run”?
Having had a life-threatening illness, I feel like I've been living on very precious bonus time since I was 21, and even back then, I thought I'd had a great run! One can have had a great life at most any age. It's about appreciating and reveling in "moments" day-to-day and also looking back on them in the light of possibly never having had them. That being said, I think I'd be around 75-80 to really feel like I'd lived a "long life."

Foundation FY2012

2012-01-20T06:50:00.004-06:00

This week, the Foundation staff have begun submitting major annual updates for the website for the new fiscal year. Technically, the fiscal year began Sept 1, but "nonprofit time" is sometimes similar to the typically slow-as-Christmas "hospital time," so here we are.

This yearly task involves more than a wee bit of effort and patience with the Content Management System we have to use. Did I mention I loathe the limitations and inelegance of CMSs, as well as the audaciousness of the interface to so erroneously tout itself as WYSIWYG? (I may have also whined about it here and here... and here's the most positive comment I've ever made about the gosh darn thing.) I run my other two websites very smoothly, with infinite design freedom and quite impressive efficiency using Dreamweaver thankyouverymuch.

:p

Speaking of hospital time, Jeff's aunt and my dad were both released from their hospitals yesterday. My dad is recovering nicely and taking lots of Percocet, which should be entertaining for Ursula. Dad and she are heading home from Rochester today, now that the weather is less wintery. Jeff's aunt Kathryn also had cancer surgery. She will be in a rehab center in Boston for a while.

We're visiting both of them this summer, when we head to the Cape Cod area for Jeff's family reunion, with a side trip to Binghamton- maybe on a train. Train from Boston to Binghamton, that is. Not from Austin to Boston. Just... no. I took a bus from College Station to Austin once. With stops in every teensy berg along the way, the two-hour drive took about six days. Lovely trip though.

Alright, I'm off to check out what my Facebook friends and the rest of the world are posting on Pinterest. Happy Friday, y'all!

Sunday Stealing on Thursday

2012-01-19T07:43:00.005-06:00

I know. I'm way behind this week.

Sunday Stealing: The Never Ending Meme, Part Two

21. Did you go to your high school prom?
Yep. It was at the Adam's Mark Hotel (now a Marriott) in Houston. Evans kept it a secret from his mom, because she felt that his going to my prom (he was a junior) would take away from the significance of his own prom. Being a mom now, I'm sure that she knew all along that he was going.

22. Perfect time to wake up?
7:00 am

23. Perfect time to go to bed?
11:45 pm after Letterman and possibly Craig Ferguson's monologue

24. Do you use your queen right away in chess?
I thought you couldn't move the queen on the first turn. ??? I've played chess maybe three times in my life.

25. Ever been in a car accident?
Only one- when a deer jumped into my windshield on the highway. Glass shattered all over me and into the front seats, but only tiny shards, so I wasn't hurt that badly. Luckily, one of the people who stopped to help me was a volunteer firefighter. He knew the secret to getting most of the bajillions of glass shards out of your skin--- he got a towel from the back of his truck and whipped it back and forth across my legs and arms (after saying, "Trust me. This won't hurt." I thought, riiiight..., imagining the shards being jammed in even further, but actually it didn't hurt at all and worked very well.)

26. Closer to mom or dad…or neither?
Close to both, but I was closer to my mom, especially after they split up. I lived with her and Dad moved to England.

27. What age is this exciting life over for you?
110

28. What decade during the 20th century would you have chosen to be a teenager?
The 80's, baby!

29. Favorite shoes you have EVER owned?
I had some freaking amaaaaaazzzzing black leather boots that I bought myself in London when I was a sophomore in high school... in the 80s! Everyone loved them. I can't believe I don't have any pictures of those boots! While I was in London, I also got a black leather pencil skirt and these totally rockin', very European, black pants with decorative snaps down the sides. Oh man. So cool.

30. Do you have an article of clothing you have had since you were in high school?
No. Probably the last thing I got rid of was my letter jacket. I kept the letter and ditched the jacket.

31. Were you in track and field?
Nope

32. Were you ever in a school talent show?
Several. I usually sang.

33. Have you ever written in a library book?
Good Heavens. No.

34. Allergic to?
Deathly allergic to CT and MRI intravenous contrast medias. I have a medic alert bracelet to let people know, should they find me unconscious, at which time they would most likely whisk me into a CAT-scan or MRI and kill me with their test.

35. Favorite fruit?
watermelon

Pinterest- Part II

2012-01-18T12:16:00.007-06:00

My DD sent me an invite to Pinterest, so I'm on there now. I've even pinned my first pin. Whee!

One thing I didn't like about the signup process- it makes you join via either Twitter or Facebook, and then automatically subscribes you to all the people you know from that site who are already on Pinterest. It also requires you to enter some interests and subscribes you to several people you don't know at all. So I was automatically following a ton of people when I first logged in.

Instead, they should just suggest people you know. I enjoy browsing the "popular" pins or searching for whatever I'm thinking about today, rather than commenting on the things my friends have pinned. I guess I think of Pinterest as more of a personal, but shared, bulletin board of ideas than a social outlet. Although... it wouldn't be the first time I've totally missed the point of something. :)

Off to pin on the four boards I've set up! I wonder if I can find the neat things I've seen already again...

2012-01-17T11:35:00.009-06:00

But first... two bits of randomness...

*I'm going to Dallas this weekend to have lunch with Grandpa and hang out with Donna and Kelly. No rock concerts this time, but I'm sure we'll find some fantastic trouble to get into! And I'll enjoy seeing Donna and Kelly, too. Heh.

*Scotty laughed "jajajajaa..." while we were IMing. They say that you know you've learned a language well when you start thinking in that language. Laughing in Spanish? I think that kid is well on his way to mastering it. Or he just had one too many sangrias.

The Bloggess has referred to Pinterest on occasion, so I knew what it was, but I had never visited the site. Then Laura was complaining that she had become completely addicted to it and I thought perhaps it was a really good idea to stay away from it. Within several days, I was becoming more curious, so I finally went on it, and now I'M addicted. Whatever you do, people... go straight to Pinterest and check it out now. But only if you have at least an hour plus a lifetime to browse all the awesome and amazing things you'll see there.

I got stuck in two main areas- recipes and home decor. It doesn't matter what your interests are, they are there in abundance. The coolest of the cool products, ideas, etc. on the net. Now I just need an invite to participate myself!

Happy MLK Day

2012-01-16T10:10:00.002-06:00

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that.
Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Jeff and I spent a fun weekend in San Antonio. We've been regular visitors to the city for twenty years now, so we sought out activities we haven't done before. I didn't figure there would be many, but it turns out there is quite a list, including the San Antonio Missions National Historical Park, which I highly recommend.

The Alamo (Mission San Antonio de Valero) is the most famous of San Antonio's missions, because of the battle that was fought there. It's part of the "Mission Trail" of five missions along the San Antonio River and is maintained by the Daughters of the Republic of Texas. The other four- Mission Concepción, Mission San José, Mission San Juan and Mission Espada- are maintained by the federal government in cooperation with the Catholic Archdiocese of San Antonio. The Archdiocese maintains the churches on the grounds, as they are still used for services and ceremonies today.

The Alamo is awesome, and a must-see, but these other lesser-known sites really gave me a particular sense of connection to the past, perhaps because they are less "touristy" and not right in the middle of downtown. They were all built in the early 1700's and many of their structures exist today- some with more restoration than others, but all with a significant portion of the original buildings and walls. Many of the frescos are visible, which is so cool. These are probably the oldest buildings I've seen in the US. And beautiful- I got some amazing photos!

This has got to be the most striking architectural photo I have ever taken. It's from Mission San José. Just the way the sun was shining through the arches... such great geometry of lines and curves. Later when we were at the galleries at La Villita, we saw paintings and photos of this same area of the mission. Looks like everyone thinks this is a fantastic shot! I may have to frame this one quite honestly. I love it.

La Villita was very quaint. It's a village of art galleries and other shops selling upscale handmade items like jewelry and metal works. There are a few restaurants/cafes. Many of the shops are in historical homes. It sits just a block away from Rivercenter Mall, so if you're there, be sure to walk over and check it out.

Your Aggie Joke of the day-

I was Google mapping the restaurant we chose for dinner on Friday night, and I didn't understand why it said this place was 20 minutes away, when it looked like it was sitting right next to us. The Hill Country Hyatt is by Seaworld, and so was the restaurant! It was sending me over this long route on a freeway, but clearly the place was sitting RIGHT THERE. I was so confused. I finally showed it to Jeff.

"You're looking at us. The restaurant is that point across town on the freeway."

Don't say I never gave you anything, my Austin friends.

We had breakfast in the restaurant at the hotel Saturday morning. The staff is very attentive and cheery, and they address you by name while you're there. A couple with a very loud and overly-friendly sort of guy (one Frank and Bob would call "the frat president") was seated next to us. The hostess mispronounced their complicated last name as she sat them. The guy smiled and explained that his last name was Czech and pronounced it slowly for her a few times before asking, "Hey! How would you say that in Spanish?"

"I don't know," she said. "I'm Thai."

Yeesh. You know he's that guy asking women when their babies are due... complete with a hand to the tummy.

Best part of the weekend was the gorgeous weather! We couldn't have asked for better. Cool and sunny. I so enjoyed the getaway. Now, back to our regularly scheduled programming.

And I am happy to report that all is going well with my dad! :)

Friday Meme

2012-01-13T06:49:00.006-06:00

My dad's seven-hour cancer surgery is today. We're hoping that he'll have an uneventful surgery and a very smooth recovery. And no more chemo!

Curious as a Cat

1) Describe your ideal romantic dinner.
Secluded beautiful beach. Jeff's wearing like... linen pants and a lightweight white button-down shirt and I'm wearing a gauzy white sun dress. Lots of candles. Fabulous wine. Bryan Adams singing live.

2) If you were a piece of furniture, what would you be?
I'd be this sexy leather sectional, available at Motif:

I'm fun, adaptable, streamlined, and also available in Ultrasuede.

3) When was the last time you spotted an unwelcome visitor (i.e., bug, rodent, etc.) in your house?
We usually get a moth in the house every night when someone opens the door. It flies in and settles around a light and drives the cats bonkers all evening.

4) Show and Tell. What comes to mind first when you see this picture? Or, tell a story if it reminds you of one.

I think of how, if you're lost in nature, civilization is supposed to be in the direction of the side of the rocks where the moss grows.

It's FAFSA Time

2012-01-12T09:56:00.003-06:00

It's that time of year when all senior parents are bugging their kids about the FAFSA, the college financial aid form, which has been available for submission since January 1. All my friends are asking, "Has Lauren sent in her FAFSA? My son (daughter) hasn't!" I reply no and we have a big discussion about scholarships and college financing.

I got out my own college financial paperwork, because Lauren wanted to know when I found out about my scholarships (mostly March/April). In the folder was my FAF (the former document, which was simply the Financial Aid Form, rather than the Free Application for Federal Student Aid). It was really interesting to look back through all that information from the 80's- Mom's job info, my summer job info, our bank account balances, monthly expenses, etc.

Also in there- SAT and GRE scores. Whee!

One of my winning scholarship essays was in the folder, too. Oh, such pretty words about how much I loved math and science and how I was driven to help all mankind with my future endeavors. Cheesy, but true. Dear Foundation-- it turns out I've done a bit towards helping mankind, and will continue that pursuit. So, thank you!

I also told Lauren about a small engineering scholarship I got from Schlumberger, a petroleum services company in Houston. I didn't apply for it, and I'm still not sure how I got into the pool of people from which they selected their scholars. When I got the letter, I was SO confused, because at the time, the only Schlumberger I knew was a mattress store, and I thought it was from them. Yeah, there's a joke there somewhere...

So get those FAFSAs in, seniors! Get your parents off your back. :)

Philanthropy Tuesday

2012-01-10T08:44:00.001-06:00

KathyL really got on a rant about an organization who asked her for a donation recently. They catch feral cats and have them spayed or neutered and then release them back to wherever they found them. She was probably the most animated I've seen her in months.

"THIS is what they think we should be spending money on right now? When there are children starving in this country?! Give me a break!!"

When I told Jeff about it, he said, "Ask her if she'd give money to a group who catches feral cats and feeds them to hungry children."

Ahaha! Solving the problems of the world, one horrifying idea at a time.

BTW...

I'm up another million!

Soap on a Rope

2012-01-09T08:46:00.005-06:00

My quote of the day yesterday?

"There was this thing in the 70's, called 'Soap on a Rope.' It was soap... on a rope!"

After we stopped rolling on the floor laughing, Lauren asked why it was on a rope. I... uh... have no idea. A lot of things from the 70's defy explanation. I figured it was to hang the soap on the faucet so it didn't get all gooey on the soap dish.

Google is telling me you put the rope around your wrist so you don't drop it. The Urban Dictionary points out that this feature is particularly useful in prison.

"Pow" is Totally a Word

2012-01-08T06:40:00.002-06:00

If Words with Friends, Bookworm and Hanging with Friends would just add the following types of words to their dictionaries, my scores would friggin' explode:

1) Spanish words
2) onomatopoeia
3) teenage slang

I'm best at Bookworm, because my wordsmith friends kill me in the other two games. Competing against myself and those burning tiles...

That's 3.6 million. It's good, but I never ask my word game buddies what their scores are, because..... Winning!

Sunday Stealing: The Never Ending Meme, Part One

1. Song that always makes you sad?
"Rain"- Patty Griffin

2. Last thing you bought?
Fireball cinnamon whiskey

3. Last person you argued with?
Jeff. For our San Antonio weekend, he wanted to stay on the Riverwalk, because we would have that as our accessible nighttime entertainment. While I appreciate having entertainment options in walking distance, I pointed out that we wouldn't walk the Riverwalk, because we've been there, done that a hundred times. Instead we would most likely just end up picking one nice bar to hang out for the evening and chat and people-watch. I'd rather stay somewhere with a pretty view and hang out in their bar and chat and people-watch. Winner---- me. And the Hill Country Hyatt. *applause* (Don't get too excited. He totally gave me this one.)

4. Do you put butter before putting the peanut butter on?
Ewww. That's really over the top, eh? Although this week I saw Giada De Laurentiis mix a stick of butter into four cups of cheese to make grilled cheese sandwiches... with pancetta. Girl is turning into Paula Deen.

5. One of your stuffed animals’ names as a kid?
I can't remember my named stuffed animals. I remember my dolls' names though!

6. Did you ever at one time own a Barenaked Ladies CD?
Stunt and Rock Spectacle

7. Favorite day of the week?
Saturday

8. Favorite sundae topping?
chocolate sauce and fresh nuts

9. Did you take piano lessons?
Yep. Mom was a very talented pianist and sent me to three years of lessons. It didn't come as easy to me, but I did like playing. It must skip a generation, because Lauren picked it up in no time at all.

10. Most frequent song played?
according to iTunes- "Hide and Seek" Imogen Heap

11. T.V. show you secretly enjoy?
I should probably enjoy it in secret, but I just tell everyone. The Bachelor. Love watching women get all crazy on each other about some guy they've just met.

12. Would you rather play basketball or hockey?
basketball

13. Date someone older or younger?
I always dated within about a year of my age, but if I had to pick... younger

14. One place you could travel right now?
Puerto Rico

15. Do you use umbrellas?
definitely, unless I have my weather-proof jacket on and it's a very quick trip through the rain

16. Do you know all the words to the Canadian national anthem?
Is there more than "O Canada?"

17. Favorite cheese?
We had a cheese plate last night at the Grove with a fabulous selection, and one hard cheese I really loved, but I have no idea what it was. For sandwiches at home, I usually have Havarti on hand.

18. The Smith’s or The Cure?
The Cure

19. Do you prefer blondes or brunettes?
brunettes

20. Best job you ever had?
PPD pharmaceutical research data analyst

You Know You Want This

2012-01-07T07:44:00.006-06:00

I posted a link to this awesome Facebook shower curtain yesterday on Facebook, with the comment, "You know you want this." Only the link didn't post with the comment. So it appeared as:

Aaahahaaaa! I deleted it and tried again, and yay- the link posted, too. Now it's a running gag, of course. You know you want this.

Saturday 9: Nobody Told Me

1. When you grew up were you ever told how to deal with problems?
My mom was the practical one when it came to handling problems. She gave me quick, pragmatic advice like, "Just ignore jerks like him," or "Maybe you can try to switch shifts with someone at work that day." Dad was the philosopher... "Probable impossibilities are preferred to improbable possibilities."

2. What was your first apartment like?
I had a garage apartment at my grandparents' house at college. It had its own outside door and was separated from the house by a locked door, so it was completely private. There was a bedroom, a hallway with a microwave and small fridge, and a bathroom with a shower. My grandparents traveled a LOT, so rarely was anyone there. That meant... crankin' up the tunes! Small space. Plenty of loud music.

3. What was the first car you owned?
Maroon Mazda GLC. I got it my sophomore year of college. The car was about 6 years old when we bought it for $1200 from one of my mom's coworkers, who had maintained it in pretty pristine condition. I paid half and Mom paid half; then she paid for insurance and I paid for gas and maintenance.

4. Tell us about a crush or relationship that you had at high school.
You guys have heard all about my two high school boyfriends, so let's see... I had a persistent crush on Matt. He was very geek chic. He was a soft-spoken guy who was very funny. He was into punk bands, so he had that "edge" going on. Blond hair and ironically nerdy dark rimmed glasses.

Last year, KathyL informed me that not only did SHE also have a crush on Matt, but "so did everyone else!" WHAT?

Well, eat your hearts out, Creek girls. Here's what Matt wrote in my yearbook, sprawled across a photo of the band hall (did I mention he was a drummer?)...

My permanent residence, the birthplace of my lust for you; I hope you (we) may delve into the spiritual entity of your dream.

Matt

So deep, right? ;) We never delved into anything, because on that very day, the day of the yearbook party before our senior year, I started dating my second boyfriend.

5. Have you ever had an “enemy” in your life?
I never had one of my very own, but there was an insufferable biotch on our bus who was Kimberly's enemy. We had assigned seats. They argued incessantly, Kimberly in my seat and this girl across the aisle. Kimberly was always taking the high road, appearing calm and cool, and this chick was a bruiser with an attitude, threatening her all the time, but never coming through. I had a stomach ache every single time I got on the bus for a couple of months.

6. What were you doing the first night that you got drunk?
The first time I was ever "drunk" was at a house party. There were tons of people there. I went with Johnny, Shane, Everett and Doug. Shane and Everett were walking me around in the street when the police arrived to break up the party. My "friends" unceremoniously shoved me behind a tree or something, to hide me. When the guys dropped me off at home that night, I tossed my cookies on the front porch. (Mom's practical advice the next day? "If you're going to drink, for God's sake don't drink too much." So true!)

7. Ten years ago, what was your job and did you like it?
I wasn't working then, but along with the two websites that I still run, I was co-running the fansite and the fansite message board. I loved it! It was amazing the sheer numbers and variety of people I met, some of whom I'm still close friends with. Our families have even vacationed together!

8. What movie had the biggest impact on you as a child and why?
Grease. I was 11. Lori and I were in a department store modeling class/camp (ahhhh such a joke- fun though) that summer. The movie had just come out and we were all obsessed, including the class instructor. Every day there was an hour or so when we would practice whatever the lesson was- makeup, aerobic conditioning, photo sessions, runway show, etc.- and every time, the lady would put on the Grease soundtrack and we would all sing and dance around, and scream when "Summer Nights" came on. Lori and I also played it constantly at home, making up our own choreography and taking turns being Olivia Newton-John. It was just such a universally appealing film and I so enjoyed bonding with friends and strangers with that shared love of the music.

9. What are your plans for this weekend?
Jeff and I are planning our upcoming weekend trip, making hotel reservations, etc. We'll watch the Texans/Bengals game this afternoon. Go Texans!! KathyL and Cindy and I are going out tonight. Tomorrow- no plans. Hit me up!

Google's "Other Contacts"

2012-01-06T08:20:00.008-06:00

I use Google contacts now, since Yahoo upchucked on me. Still no gmail, because I've been wracking my brain for three weeks trying to think of the perfect username. Please send suggestions. Thx.

Google has this weirdness with two groups of people- your actual contacts, which they call "My Contacts," and a mysterious group called "Other Contacts." Other Contacts seems to include friends of friends, although I have absolutely no idea where they are pulling them from. A bunch of Lauren's friends appear there. Several siblings of my friends, some of whom I don't know at all, other than their names. My friends' children. I don't know. You're really freaking me out here, Google.

If they are friends of friends, or contacts of my contacts...

(click for larger)

um... which one of you has been holding out on me that you know Jon Bon Jovi?

Watch Out for Facebook "Please Repost" Statuses

2012-01-05T07:55:00.008-06:00

There has been a Facebook status going around since the Ticker (haven't you turned that thing off yet?) began, that says:

Please do both of us a favor: Hover over my name above. In a few seconds you'll see a box that says "Subscribed". Hover over that, then go to "Comments and Likes" and unclick it. That will stop my posts and yours to me from showing up on the side bar for everyone to see, but MOST IMPORTANTLY IT LIMITS HACKERS from invading our profiles. If you repost this I will do the same for you. You'll know I've acknowledged you because if you tell me that you've done it I'll "like" it.

This is all a bunch of malarky. Here's the Snopes link. When statuses start being reposted around Facebook and use capital letters and alarmist language, be suspicious.

Also, if you don't want your friends to see your Facebook comments and likes, maybe you shouldn't be commenting and liking those things in a public setting like the web.

Kimberly hit me with the most random text yesterday...

Kimberly: Was Loverboy's "Working for the Weekend" our drill team try-out song?

Me: Yikes. Is this a pop quiz? I have no idea. Did we even try out for drill team?

Kimberly: YES! YOU MADE ME!

Me *giggling and confused, because we would never have tried out for "the sluttiest girls this side of the creek"*

Kimberly: I was SURE YOU would remember. Listen to it and get back to me.

Me: LOL. I KNOW the song. I'll say... yes. Do you remember the routine?

Kimberly: Oh, I'm doin' it here on I-90 in South Dakota. Join in anytime. No, not really. I just remember there were splits at the end I couldn't do. :p

Me: Ohhhhhhh... I remember the splits. They said we didn't have to be able to do them, but almost everyone else could. Well, now I have the song stuck in my head.

Kimberly: My work here is done.

Happy Tuesday

2012-01-03T10:46:00.001-06:00

I'd like to begin with a little web designer humor this morning, for a few people out there. Please click and enjoy this

Clients from Hell post.

Heh.

Under the category "Better Late than Never," I give you my New Year's Eve restaurant mini-review. We went to Fleming's. The food was fabulous and the service was good, although I had to laugh when the waiter carefully corralled all the table crumbs with his crumb sweeper and then swept them straight off the table edge, onto the floor. We also enjoyed people-watching, with all the women dressed like hookers that night. I think it was just bad judgement on NYE attire, but it may have been a group from a strip club.

Our table had the tenderloin carpaccio (mmm), sweet chili calamari (the best), various steaks (the melt in your mouth kind- so good), Fleming's potatoes (jalapeno scalloped potatoes), green beans (blah), cheescake, creme brulee and berries& Chantilly cream (a.k.a. "whipped cream"). Other than the green beans, everything was absolutely awesome. The only bad thing about Fleming's is the cost. You can get food just as good at McCormick & Schmick's or my favorite place, Austin Land and Cattle, for less than a mortgage payment.

Today, we return to our regularly scheduled lives after such a wonderful couple of weeks of holiday time. The sun is out, traffic is light and temps are frigid here in the ATX! Enjoy your day, friends!

Football

2012-01-02T07:49:00.005-06:00

Every time the Cowboys are sucking (and oh, were they ever last night), my Dallas-raised husband waxes poetic about the Staubach days. Yeah yeah... Houston Oilers 4ever, baby!! Bum Phillips, Dan Pastorini, Earl Campbell.... Wooooo!!!

:)

I forgot to mention a very important thing yesterday--- Aggie bowl win! They even kept it together through the second half. Nice job, guys! What an honor to Joey V and Coach Sherman. It was such a touching tribute for Northwestern to wear Joey's number on their helmets alongside the Ags.

I enjoyed the fun element of the "monkey on their back" the Northwestern coach had them carry around all week, even though I didn't want them to be able to rip that jersey off it! Good luck next year, Wildcats!

And who happened to be right there at the ~~Lemon Bowl~~ (a yellow football? come on Meineke) Car Care Bowl, being inducted into the Gridiron Legends?

That would be Bum Phillips! (And that logo is totally a lemon.)

URL Meme

In your browser's address bar, type the letter "a" and make note of the first page that comes up in the autocomplete list. Repeat for "b", "c", and the rest of the alphabet.

A- Amazon
B- Barnes & Noble
C- YouTube vid of Cats Playing Patty Cake
D- Discover Card
E- Etsy
F- Facebook
G- Google
H- The Highball
I- iStockphoto
J- a Jonestown (Lake Travis) vacation rental
K- McKinney Roughs
L- Lost at E Minor
M- MorgueFile
N- Not Too Sweet
O- BioAustin life science companies list
P- PayPal
Q- Modern Family Quotes
R- Stunt Ranch
S- Southwest Airlines
T- TastingRoom.com
U- Uncrate
V- VectorStock
W- Austin Water Bikes
X- xkcd
Y- Yapta
Z- Z Gallerie

Happy New Year!!

2012-01-01T09:36:00.004-06:00

2012 is going to be the best year ever!

I found the drinking game for Arena. It's on this page, in the comments... search for "drinking game."

Bwahaha!

Today's "Year-In-Review meme" was shamelessly gacked from LJ:

Find your first entry for each month of 2011. Post the first line of each, and that's your "Year In Review."

2011 in Review

Had a fabulous time out with the Jeffs last night at McCormick and Schmick's, where the only two pieces of festive New Year's headwear were sported by an 8-year-old and me.

Thank you, Laura, for calling just to say, "NICE RACK!" I'm touched. *wipes tear*

Kimberly is coming down to see Tara's new baby, and I'll get to see all three of them in the next few days.

Friday I got an mail from "Old STNY," which I figured was spam from some pothead flower child, which was doubly weird because Yahoo is da bomb at screening spam.

Why is it that I buy sixteen boxes of Kleenex to stash around the house, yet when my nose starts running like a six-year-old's from all this Austin pollen, there is not a single tissue around?

Last day of work! ...for a while anyway.

Jeff and I spent the past two days touring south central Texas.

While we were on vacation I got pulled over for the first time EVER for a moving violation.

Dear PeopleWhoWearSunglassesInsidePublicBuildings,
I can't stop staring at you to make sure you aren't "someone."

Football this morning!! BTHO Arkansas.

For those who missed it, Chris singing at a World Series game...

Yesterday was pretty great!

Last Day of 2011

2011-12-31T10:55:00.003-06:00

Yesterday's movie was Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. I didn't enjoy the first Sherlock Holmes (although I am a huge fan of Robert Downey, Jr. and Jude Law), so I was hesitant to see it, but it is getting such great audience reviews that I thought it would be OK. Once again, it was entertaining enough not to be bad, but I was sighing throughout, wondering when it would be over. The last few minutes are AWESOME though. Our full theater, ho-hum through the film, was moved to applause by that last scene. Very cute!

I'm almost college-footballed out and the big bowls haven't even begun. There have been some great games this week though. My fave so far- Baylor/Washington. Our bowl is starting shortly. Gig em Ags!!

Tonight- New Year's Eve! We are doing our second annual Super-Nice New Year's Dinner Out, this year at a well-reviewed steakhouse we've never been to before. Then it's back to the hacienda for drinks and jello wrestling.

Everyone have a safe and happy New Year's Eve! See ya' in 2012.

Holiday Cinema

2011-12-30T08:40:00.002-06:00

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is really, really good. It's very dark, and an incredibly compelling mystery. And that girl has a gift for perfect revenge. Just sayin'.

The film will make you uncomfortable to your core, but I guarantee you won't leave the theater or look at your watch during that two hours and forty-five minutes. Unless you absolutely have to pee, but you'll hold it until you're doing the pee pee dance down the theater hallway as fast as you can to get back before you miss too much.

ER heartthrob Goran Visnjic looks quite different with gray hair. Still hot, but those dark eyebrows are distracting. Too much contrast. Instead of watching the movie during his two scenes, I was trying to figure out if his eyebrows didn't turn gray... or if he's coloring just the eyebrows, which would be sorta weird... and maybe he should color the brows gray if they didn't turn on their own... Distracting.

Wednesday, Jeff and I watched a movie called Arena, with Samuel L. Jackson, who is far too good an actor to have participated in any capacity. It's the first film in a while that's actually made me want to throw up. It was better than Human Centipede, but that is not saying... well, anything really. It's one of the most violent movies I've ever seen. A lot of it is Saw gory, most certainly for the shock value. Hollywood must have flat run out of movie blood when they filmed this thing. Like Centipede, I'm betting there's a drinking game to go along with it!

Circles and Real Housewives

2011-12-29T07:34:00.002-06:00

The commercial for the new Galaxy Nexus at Verizon features Google+ (who?) circles. The guy has a circle called "Ex-Girlfriends."

At what point would you ever interact with your exes as a group? It sounds like a nightmare I had once. Friends, if you're ever tempted to group your former significant others on your social network, please step away from the tequila and think again.

Now that the Photoshop project is unwrapped, I can tell you all about it! A while back, Laura and I were talking about how they should do a Real Housewives of Austin. We cast ourselves, along with Tracy, KathyL and Sharon. (Bravo, if you ever wanna get really Real, we're your girls.) I wrote a detailed blog entry about it then.

So I took an old promo photo from Real Housewives of NYC, and put our heads on their bodies. I was going to just chunk them on there, obviously fake and silly, but when Sharon's head fit seamlessly onto Bethenny's body, I decided to make it look more like a real publicity shot. It doesn't, because I'm a total hack at image manipulation, but it looks fairly close. I even created a realistic logo for the show. Because there are six ladies in this particular picture, I added Laura's friend Kim. Kim is great and would fit perfectly into our cast. She wouldn't be that new character you hate for an entire season, just because she's new. (You know what I mean? Although sometimes you hate the new girl for legitimate reasons, like she's insane. *coughKellycough*)

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T07:00:00.002-06:00

A very Merry Christmas to my friends, family and blog followers! I hope all those who celebrate are having a wonderful morning with loved ones.

Here's my favorite Christmas song, "Oh Holy Night," played by Chris Daughtry (at 25m 30s):

Writing

2011-12-24T07:50:00.008-06:00

The act of putting pen to paper encourages pause for thought. This in turn makes us think more deeply about life, which helps us regain our equilibrium. -Norbet Platt

This blog is written in a very casual format. Its purpose is idle chatter, sometimes silly, sometimes serious, sometimes cheeky, very typically scattered, with commentary on whatever I'm thinking about on a given day. Behind the scenes and in other spaces, I have always been serious about writing.

I kept paper journals growing up and through college. Although raw, as journals tend to be, they were well-written accounts of everything of consequence that happened in my day, along with my thoughts and feelings about it all. (I wish so much that I still had them!)

I was a sports writer for my high school newspaper, and also a very prolific poet and song writer during my teen years. A humorous Christmas poem I wrote at age 16 was published in a Houston entertainment magazine.

As an adult, I've written three-and-a-half novel-length stories and several short stories. I have participated in fun writing challenges with friends on the web. I've also written many song parodies and a couple of new songs. I write a portion of the web content for three websites. As some of you know, I have been talking for years about writing a musical, although somehow it never seems to be the right time for it. I will get to it.

I just found out that one of my former coworkers has a blog. I've known her for years as a highly successful business woman, a manager with a particular talent for hiring people with great ideas and letting them run with them. She's a no-nonsense, get it done sort of person at work, with little time for water cooler chit chat. Well, her blog is amazing. It's extremely personal and engaging, with true stories about her life and honest, sometimes heart-wrenching observations. Her writing is flawless. I was so moved I sent her a note about it. Turns out she has a journalism degree. Who knew! She's going back to writing now, after decades of being fairly removed from it.

"It's therapeutic," she told me.

That it is. :)

So this post is to all the aspiring writers, former writers and closet writers out there. Write! For yourself or for others. Be funny or serious. Something long or short. Publish it in a blog, on a message board or Facebook for everyone to see, or share it with one special person... or no one at all. You will be glad you did.

Shopping in the Nether Regions

2011-12-23T08:07:00.004-06:00

I'll be in far north Austin all day today, where my friend is having her surgery. She's having a hysteroscopy, not a hysterectomy... if you remember that whole hoo-ha. There will be about three hours during the process where I'll either come home or hang out somewhere near the hospital. I'd been trying to figure out where I could shop or see a movie or something, but nothing had come to mind.

Then Jeff remembered that we are supposed to get a toothbrush for the cats. (Seriously. The vet says we need to brush their teeth because those two are particularly prone to plaque build-up.) The regular toothbrush was a fabulous toy, while an epic fail for cleaning teeth, but there is a toothbrush that fits over your fingertip that is available at the pet store.

Jeff: A cat toothbrush. That's what you can shop for while you're in the nether regions of Austin!
Me: You mean northern regions?
Lauren *spits her drink*
Jeff: Northern... nether...

Not the same.

Actually, I do need to go to The Container Store up that way for a cuter box than the one I used for my mother-in-law's Christmas gift. I used an Amazon shipping box for something very heavy. I've felt awful about it ever since I wrapped it. It needs a white box. Container Store is surely a nightmare two days before Christmas, but it's totally worth the effort for the sake of a pretty presentation. Plus... Container Store! Yay!!

Best quote from last night's finale of The X Factor USA-- Steve Jones saying, "Coming up- Incredible performances... and Justin Bieber!" Ahaha.

Congratulations, Melanie, the first X Factor USA winner! We loved her from her first audition! Josh, for whom I had a slight preference to win, is equally talented, with a completely different style and voice. He connects with the audience during his performances, which Melanie never really does. She can easily improve that though. If Simon's people got Carrie Underwood from the aloof singer she was on AI to the extremely personable and emotive artist she is today, they can work with Melanie on eye contact, smiling, etc.

Last weekend SNL had a hilarious bit with a "flirting expert" played by Kristen Wiig. You have to see it...

A Blythe Yule to Ye!

2011-12-22T08:15:00.001-06:00

I gave KathyL a bottle of MacAllan 15yr Fine Oak Scotch for Christmas. She was thrilled and offered me a drink. I told her I would try a teensy bit, but I have had Scotch (cheap stuff) before and it was one of the most awful things I've ever tasted. She told me this was "very different," as JeffC and many others who enjoy it have also said.

While it is infinitely smoother than what I had years ago, it still has the whiskey taste that makes me want to hurl. I had barely a few drops of it and she took the rest. Actually, I can't think of any hard liquor I like straight up in a glass. The more it can be hidden in a mixer, the better.

Cheers and Merry Christmas, Scotch lovers!

Meet Me on Monday

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags?
wrapping paper

2. Real or artificial tree?
artificial

3. When do you put your tree up?
the day after Thanksgiving

4. When do you take your tree down?
New Year's Day

5. Do you like eggnog?
in extremely limited quantities

6. Do you have a nativity scene?
I have the hand-poured porcelain one my grandmother made :)

7. Favorite Christmas Movie?
Love, Actually

8. Favorite Christmas cookie?
thumbprint cookies filled with red and green frosting

9. Where will you eat Christmas dinner?
at my in-laws

10. Angel, bow or star on top of your tree?
angel

11. Most annoying thing about this time of the year?
trying to coordinate activities and gift exchanges with everyone when we're all so busy!

12. Do you like Fruitcake?
Does anyone?

13. What are you most excited about the holidays?
hanging out with the fam

14. Do you open presents Christmas Eve or Christmas Morning?
Christmas morning

15. Will you still be wrapping presents on Christmas Eve?
Nope. I'm done wrapping!

Timeline 'n Stuff

2011-12-21T07:52:00.005-06:00

Jeff and I went to the Armadillo Christmas Bazaar at Palmer last night with Scott and Julie. There is some seriously cool stuff there! Very unique artists. I even bought a supercute gift for a certain gardening friend. Then we had dinner at Habana. I tried the picadillo and arroz con gandules, which were both oh so awesome!! My new faves.

OK, it's time to talk Facebook Timeline. I like the whole Timeline concept- having a personal and customizable web page. It looks good and has all sorts of fun information. The problem is-- so few people ever see it. Brand new friends probably check it out once to catch up. Older friends may take a look... at some point... if they are completely bored and/or looking for ideas for their own cover photos.

Yep, that's about it.

I like the applications that can be featured on the Timeline, like Spotify and Netflix, but I don't like that to use them, you have to post all your songs and movies in the news feed. The news feed "noise" from them has already started. I don't want to see a note in my feed every time a friend listens to a song, but it would be interesting to see the last several songs they listened to on their Timeline... if I ever looked at it.

So it's a terrific idea, just a very limited audience.

Finally, from a Family Guy rerun yesterday:

"...Oh wait... I have an iPod like the rest of the world!" Bwahaha!

Slides

2011-12-20T07:32:00.008-06:00

I collected all my mom's slides into one box at some point. (Dear young people... Slides are photos you look at on a big screen via a projector...) The other day, I finally sat down and checked the contents to see if I should send them to my photographer uncle in Chicago. He has all the "family slides" of my grandparents, aunt, uncles and my mom during the kids' growing up years and into the early 70's. I thought all Mom's slides were part of that collection, which I've seen many many times at family gatherings.

Turns out, they are mostly she, my dad and I! They're all from 1967-1972, when I was a baby to five years old. We have photos from then as well, so it really surprised me. There's a whole pack of slides from my first ballet class and recital. Awww. I remember running (and dancing) around in that blue tutu all day, every day, at our house.

My mother liked to take photos of scenery, so at least half of the slides are pretty local and vacation spots. I like to take photos with people in them. Even when I take a photo of a landmark or beautiful scene, I frequently stick my traveling companions in it. Just something I noticed when I was looking through them.

I want to get the slides turned into prints, but at 50 cents per slide, I need to select the ones I want from the hundreds that are there. I wish I had a lightbox or slide projector. I guess I have to just hold them up in front of a lamp. Lame!

Spring Cleaning in December

2011-12-19T07:34:00.008-06:00

I always get the spring cleaning bug in winter. It's usually around Christmas, because we're getting things in and out of closets and I'm appalled at the state of storage in some of them. So far, I/we have done tons of work in the now perfectly organized game room:

completely cleaned out and re-organized the closet
got rid of two trash bags of Lauren's stuffed animals (don't worry, she still has about 4 bags worth)
gathered up no longer played video games and controllers to sell to Amazon

We also decided to sell all our CDs, since we store and listen to our music on computers and iPods. The last real CD any of us bought, with liner notes and everything, was about four years ago. (And major labels will no longer make CDs after 2012.) The only place I play CDs is on trips in the car, and I can use my iPhone there or burn a CD from iTunes anytime I want to. Most of the CDs in our car are mixes burned from iTunes.

Think of all the space you can clear!

Before you rid yourself of original CDs, make sure that you did indeed rip all of them to your device of choice, and also that you continue or begin to keep backups of your music. We automatically back ours up to a computer every week. There's also the cloud as a backup option.

A couple of other tips: Online stores that buy CDs are reported to pay the same as local stores (most of them ARE local stores), so you can save shipping by just selling your CDs to your local reseller. Also, they like perfect jewel cases, so I moved any CDs with cracked or scratched cases to new ones. If you don't have extras sitting around, you'll probably have mix-CDs or other random non-sellable CDs with which you can switch cases.

Shopping.... Check!

2011-12-18T07:55:00.012-06:00

I got my Christmas shopping done yesterday. Whee!!! KathyL and I are going to bake tons of cookie gifts today in her beautiful, new kitchen.

Oh, and in case anyone is wondering where their 2011 Christmas card and mildly amusing newsletter is from me, I didn't mail any out this year. I am thinking seriously about sending something for New Year's, but who knows.

Patrick's Sunday Seven

Here’s a list of Time magazine’s All-Time 100 greatest and most influential gadgets since 1923. Name seven of Time’s 100 All-Time Gadgets that you’ve either owned or used.

1. Apple iPod - We still have all the iPods we've purchased over the years. Four, I think. From my first (the giant fourth gen 40GB, non-color) to Lauren's teensy Shuffle
2. Logitech Harmony - best remote we've ever had. Get one! Makes a great gift!
3. Mattel Electronics Football - fun!! I still remember the sounds. And Mom telling me to turn it off.
4. Apple iPhone- finally got one this year! Better late than... wait my battery is dead again... Heh. No, I love it.
5. Palm Pilot- not sure what the model was, but I remember all the special writing required to enter data with the stylus.
6. Dirt Devil Hand Vac - yep. Had it.
7. Fujifilm Quick Snap Disposable Camera- was a genius idea for parties!

Christmas Party

2011-12-17T09:05:00.002-06:00

Jean's party was fun last night! We do an ornament exchange every year, where people draw numbers to determine order and each person either opens a wrapped ornament or steals an opened ornament from someone else. The exchange ends when the number one person gets to choose whether to keep her ornament or trade with someone.

I hadn't heard of the Night Before Christmas game, but we talked about it. It sounds like a really fun way to exchange ornaments, too!

We drank my Ménage à Trois Moscato at the party. It's not very sweet. It was fine, but definitely not a typical Moscato.

Saturday 9: I Will Survive

1. What in 2011 has proved to you that you are a survivor?
Absolutely nothing, which is good!

2. Have you ever stayed online for a very long time waiting for someone?
Only once or twice, years ago. I wouldn't do it today, because there are so many other methods of communication. If the person wants to talk to you, they can just contact you another way.

3. Are you REALLY ready for the holidays?
Yeah. It's low key this year, so no biggie. I still need one more gift and I have to wrap everything.

4. Did you have an imaginary friend as a kid?
Nope. Although I see how it would have made for a really cute story right at this moment.

5. What niche network do you watch the most?
HGTV

6. Have you ever seen the ocean?
Many many times. I grew up near the ocean.

7. Have you ever been hospitalized?
A few times... for a couple of surgeries, Lauren's birth and a life-threatening lung thing that completely disappeared and remains a medical mystery today.

8. What do you think of the US Republican candidates for president?
Mitt Romney- Very slick and politician-y. I hate that. I don't trust what he's saying.
Newt Gingrich- I don't like all his personal life problems. Not that most politicians don't have issues of personal integrity, but his are front and center. He is a polarizing individual I don't think would be able to get anything done. I've always found him just plain irritating.
Rick Perry- It's like Bush, Jr. all over again. Just... no. Let's not be the laughing stock of the world.
Michele Bachman- Far too conservative. A little "out there."
Ron Paul- His ideas are too fringe for him to be a realistic candidate.

Those are all the ones I know. If the Republicans can't come up with anyone I like, I'll abstain from voting for president next year. My general feeling about Obama is that he had the skills and an incredible opportunity to motivate Congress to work together, but as soon as he ran up against his first challenge with them, he gave up. He could have hung in there and chiseled away at the divides, but he just threw up his hands. He seems to approach the presidency as a drudgery, and I am surprised he's running again. There's intense pressure for the incumbent to run again though, so I get it.

Donald Trump said he might run as an Independent. Can you imagine? *shudder* He would probably commercialize the whole thing. "And now, live from the House of Representatives chamber, it's the State Farm State of the Union Address, with your host, Mario Lopez!!"

9. Could you imagine life without a computer?
And have to go to the library or own a set of encyclopedias to look up information? And use snail mail? And a typewriter? What a nightmare.

Facebook Status of the Week

2011-12-16T07:49:00.003-06:00

Oops- forgot my new thang!

Facebook Status of the Week

(Friends who own a daycare accompanied this status with a photo of five toddlers playing in a box by the front door.)

"The Occupy movement takes over the entryway. The 99% demand redistribution of cookies, more time outside and fewer naps."

Moo-ooo-oooooooves Like Jagger

2011-12-16T07:37:00.005-06:00

I awoke this morning at 5 a.m. with "Moves Like Jagger" in my head. I only know the chorus, so it wasn't long before I had to get the heck up and distract myself.

It's now 7 a.m. and I don't need to try to control you... look into my eyes and I'll own you...

Ack.

Anyhoo----

The Bloggess invited her readers to bring someone to her "most fascinating dinner party IN THE WORLD." I'm totally bringing Anderson Cooper.

Friday Five: Literally Figurative

1. Do you prefer to be in the driver’s seat or in the co-pilot’s chair, literally and figuratively?
Figuratively, I prefer co-pilot. Literally, I prefer to drive.

2. Do you have a lot of baggage, literally and figuratively?
No and no.

3. How much junk have you got in the trunk, literally and figuratively?
Literally none. Figuratively, more than I'd like. Better too much than too little though.

4. At celebrations where people are drinking, are you more likely to be literally or figuratively drunk as a skunk?
Nah, I don't drink to that point. I think the last time I was over-served was over ten years ago. The Jeffs and I were at the Hyatt and I accidentally ordered a fishbowl-sized margarita. And drank it.

5. What’s something you enjoy that’s literally cheesy, and what’s something you enjoy that’s figuratively cheesy?
Literally- Torchy's Tacos queso. Figuratively - The X Factor.

Insert Name Here Has Joined the Conference

2011-12-15T08:45:00.009-06:00

Yesterday, I was on a conference call at the office, with our marketing director and probably 100 other people around the country. The first ten minutes of the thing, the guy running the meeting was barely audible underneath constant announcements of...

"Mindy Sparkles has joined the conference."

"Steve Cummings has joined the conference."

"Britney Paris has joined the conference..."

(Not sure why I seem to be making up stripper names this morning, but you get the picture.)

Please, meeting organizers. Turn off the announcements if you're hosting a conference call for more than maybe ten people.

Then we had to keep making sure our phone was muted because we were making nasty comments about the late people... and the announcements. Luckily only one of the tons of folks on the call accidentally left their phone unmuted. They made a couple of comments on the meeting before muting. Oops. Now THAT's entertainment!

I finally solved my printing problem from yesterday. I had to play with the printer settings (ended up using "photo" and high print quality for the best results) and also changed from matte photo paper to superdy-duperdy high quality inkjet paper (who knew?!). Just in case anyone else out there comes here searching for problems printing photos- there's some stuff to try. Incidentally, I just stuck a piece of cardstock behind the paper in the frame to give it more body. Yeah, I have every sort of paper imaginable.

I have hanging doorknob sign paper, people. It's a sickness.

Good Morning!

2011-12-14T07:24:00.006-06:00

I spent hours working on a hilarious Photoshop gift for someone this week. It looks good, but I can't get it to print correctly. Gaaaaaah! Someone shoot me.

You know the two Christmas commercials for Marshalls/TJ Maxx/Whatever-the-other-is, where the Glee-types sing a song all over the mall to the tune of "Up on the Housetop"? The first one... here it is:

At the end, instead of "...same great giiiiift," do you sing "...same great shiiiiit"?

We do, too!!

Meet Me on Monday

1. Tomorrow I'm going to _________?
go to the mall for a particular present only available there, and to Pier 1 to buy an ornament for Jean's party this weekend.

2. Pudding or Jello?
usually pudding

3. What book are you currently reading?
Not reading one at the moment, but I would love to read Jack Kennedy: Elusive Hero by Chris Matthews!

4. What is the first concert you went to see?
The first "real" concert at a concert venue was the Go-Go's at the Summit in Houston. My friends and I attended tons of Astroworld concerts before that. We were there literally almost every day during the summers in middle school. Not sure what our first big name concert was there.

5. What is your current weather?
68°F, light rain, winds south at 7mph, humidity 93%. It's similar to spring in Houston, only the humidity would be 110%.

More on Ménage à Trois...

2011-12-12T14:24:00.001-06:00

Found out the story behind the whole wine logo thing from this morning. Folie à Deux is the winery that makes the Ménage à Trois wines. From their website:

It’s Okay To Be A Little Crazy About Wine... In 1981, two wine-loving psychiatrists established a boutique winery they named Folie à Deux, a French term meaning “a passion shared by two.”

Hence, the dancing ladies!

Their Ménage à Trois wines are each a blend of three different grapes. I have tried and enjoyed the Red (Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot) in the past (thanks Cathy!), and now I have a bottle of their Moscato (Moscato grapes from different winemakers in different regions), which is as yet unopened. They also have mixed White (Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, Moscato... ooh), Chardonnay (Chardonnay grapes from different Cali counties... Chardonnay makes me kinda gag, but I can see why YOU like it) and Rosé (Merlot, Syrah, Gewürztraminer... sounds yummy!).

These are inexpensive wines available just about everywhere, including Target. So try some!

Matching Cohosts

2011-12-12T09:11:00.003-06:00

But first... Why is the Ménage à Trois wine logo two women dancing?

*ponders*

So there were rumors that George Stephanopoulos was going to be replaced by Josh Elliott on Good Morning America. GMA denied it, so it's probably completely false, but it started discussion over how mismatched Robin and Steffy are, because she is so tall and he is so short. Josh is a burly sort of guy and looks more physically matched to her as a cohost.

I like George a lot! But I do always notice he seems really little next to Robin. So I had an idea- instead of giving George's job to Josh, they could find a woman littler than George to replace Robin. Jeff suggested Kelly Ripa. I was all, Yes!

Good Morning America with Kelly and Steffy.

OK. Maybe it's a good thing we're not in charge of casting.

iPhone Battery Suckage

2011-12-11T07:21:00.003-06:00

The iPhone has the most unpredictable battery ever. Love the phone. Hate the battery issues.

Some days I use my phone all day long and it has at least 20% battery when I go to bed. Other days I barely touch it and it's practically dead by the evening news. Not long ago, I charged it overnight and it was only at 93% by morning. Last night I went to bed with it at 45% (didn't charge it) and it is completely dead now. That's seven hours of standby eating half my battery.

It's so frustrating!

I can only guess that some apps are sucking my power during standby- perhaps the ones that use the GPS, though they shouldn't use it while the app is running in the background.

I want a single button on my screen that I can press to shut down every open app. A simple request, but no.

On a more blissful and blessed note, Jack and Diane had cutie baby Jacob yesterday!! Gotta call my uncle and give him the old "Hey Grandpa!" bit... Mwahaha!

Ooh Baby Baby!

2011-12-10T07:08:00.006-06:00

My cousin went into labor last night with the baby she never thought she would have. I am so excited for her that I could burst!! What an adventure she and her hubby are about to begin. The best one ever!

:-))))

Fridaaaaaaay!

2011-12-09T07:06:00.008-06:00

Borrowing the Friday Dance from Shane today...

\o\../o/..\o\../o/..\o\../o/..\o\../o/..\o\../o/..\o/

I'm starting a new thing here on the old blog. I'll post a FB status of the week, selected from my friends' statuses, on Fridays. Here we go...

Facebook Status of the Week

"I think Siri and I just had our first fight." -JP

(Heh.)

We were having lunch at Doc's yesterday when the Virginia Tech thing went down. We watched everything on the one news station of ten televisions otherwise showing sports, with no sound. After a bit, a displayed headline said that two people had been killed. Then it said they had caught the guy. Then it said more shots were being fired, at which point we weren't sure if they had never actually caught the guy at all, or they caught the wrong guy, or there were multiple shooters, or maybe someone was just hearing things. Then they started showing video from the previous shootings from 2007, which was very confusing until the year came up at the bottom of the screen. One really needs sound during these reports.

Very sad situation, and I can't imagine how freaked out the students must have been.

I've been doing aerobic kickboxing for four years now, and they pulled a brand new move out of their hat the other day- the "side punch." It's like you have an opponent standing about two feet to your side and slightly behind you (cuz that always happens). It's similar to the elbow, where you go from center position to elbowing the guy at a 90-degree angle straight to the side, but instead, you fling your entire arm to the side, and hit with your fist. After about two of those, your shoulder starts hurting. By the fourth one, you know it's going to be Motrin time in the morning. Unless you're 20. Then it's probably fine.

I have to say it feels more like a move from The Three Stooges than martial arts.

Nyuk nyuk.

Wow. Dating myself there. Moving on...

Friday Five: Toppings

1. What’s your favorite ice cream topping?
chocolate sauce

2. What’s your favorite pizza topping?
veggie - mushrooms, red onions, black and green olives, sun-dried tomatoes

3. What’s your favorite thing to sprinkle cocoa powder on?
eww. nothing.

4. What’s your favorite thing to put whipped cream on?
The only thing I like to put whip cream on is pumpkin pie. I don't like it on coffee or ice cream or any of the other things people put it on.

5. What do you like to put upon a cracker?
Brie

Boop

2011-12-08T09:42:00.003-06:00

Our kitties are about a year-and-a-half old now. Ever since we got them, we've done this pet-owner-ish weird thing, in that little voice people use when talking to their pets, where we put our fingertip on their nose and say, "Boop." Then there's usually a follow-up comment (when the cat looks at us like, WTF?) where we'll say, "I booped you!"

Well, Lauren saw this yesterday...

I mean, this is amusing anyway, but with all the booping that goes on in our house, it is freakin' hysterical!

HEB Plus

2011-12-06T08:25:00.003-06:00

Yesterday morning, Jeff and I were joking around about H-E-B Plus (an expanded version of a regional grocery store chain), whose commercial said they carry televisions and furniture. We were pondering what other random non-grocery things they sell. Used cars... Lingerie... Exotic reptiles...

Later:

Me (on the phone): There's an APD SWAT Team standoff nearby.
Jeff: H-E-B?
Me: A... P... D.
Jeff: Oh! I was thinking, H-E-B has a SWAT Team? Geez, they really have branched out.

Ahahaaaaaaa! Just try and lift a candy bar this holiday season... Suzanne Wade will show up with her red-shirted associates and spray your house with tinsel and snowballs.

Actually, H-E-B Plus probably carries ammo.

And loose diamonds... Live bait...

OK. I'm done.

:)

I have not done Lyrics of the Day in forever! I just heard this song on the radio and it's one of those that I've heard a million times, but it always touches me for some weird reason. I just love it.

Song Lyrics del Dia

...I'm falling even more in love with you
Letting go of all I've held on to
I'm standing here until you make me move
I'm hanging by a moment here with you...

"Hanging By a Moment" Lifehouse

Monday Meme

2011-12-05T08:24:00.010-06:00

Sunday Stealing: The Blue Memory Meme, Part One

1) If the whole world were listening to you right now, what would you say?
Citizens of Earth, I beseech you to love and support each other, to make this world a better place for all of us. And... Gig 'em!!!

2) If you could meet anyone on this earth, who would it be?
George Bush, Sr.

3) You just got a free plane ticket to anywhere. You have to depart right now. Where are you gonna go?
Sydney, Australia. It's summer and I've never been.

4) What do you think about most?
at the moment- my daughter

5) You have the opportunity to spend a romantic night with the music celebrity of your choice. Who would it be?
John Taylor of Duran Duran. Back in the day, it would have been him or Michael Hutchence of INXS. Oh. Yes.

6) You can erase any horrible experience from your past. What will it be?
My parents' divorce when I was 15.

7) What's your strangest talent?
No strange talents that I can think of!

8) What would be a question you'd be afraid to tell the truth on?
None. Fire away!

9) Ever had a poem or song written about you?
Nope. I've written a few, but no one has written one for me... yet. Let that be a challenge to you, Jeffery. Hee.

10) When is the last time you played the air guitar?
Just the other day, when that commercial with the family singing "Crazy Train" came on.

11) Do you have any strange phobias?
Nah

12) What's your religion?
I am a Christian, unaffiliated with a particular church at the moment. I was raised Catholic. In college I attended a Bible Church for a couple of years, which was a bit too fundamentalist for a Catholic girl. If I were a member of a church today, it would be a non-denominational Christian church. I have strong spiritual beliefs. I've just always been disappointed in the politics of the churches I've attended.

13) What is your current desktop picture?
Texas A&M University wallpaper

14) When you are outside, what are you most likely doing?
walking the neighborhood

15) What's the last song you listened to?
"Good Life" OneRepublic

16) Simple but extremely complex. Favorite band?
The Beatles

17) What was the last lie you told?
I can't remember having told a lie in recent years.

18) Do you believe in karma?
I believe that you generally reap what you sow.

19) What is a saying you say a lot?
"I've got bigger fish to fry."

20) What is your greatest weakness; your greatest strength?
weakness- I sometimes keep my personal opinions to myself, to avoid unnecessary confrontations, then realize later that it might have been worth the argument. One can be too diplomatic.
strength- I can learn most new things well and very quickly

21) Who is your celebrity crush?
George Clooney

22) Give me the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word: heart.
Austin's wonderful Championship Hearts Foundation, which provides free heart screenings for student athletes

23) How do you vent your anger?
I sing really loud to pissy music.

24) Do you have a collection of anything?
DVDs of musicals

25) What is your favorite word?
serendipitous

Hyster......... something

2011-12-04T08:32:00.002-06:00

Two weeks ago, on the same day my mammogram showed something (eek) that turned out to be nothing (whew), one of my girlfriends had some tests run and found out that she has a pre-cancerous uterine condition. I took her out to dinner that night and we chatted about it. She told me that she has to have a hysterectomy.

She said she wasn't planning on telling her mother about her lab results OR the hysterectomy. I said that her mother would want to know. She said she didn't want her to worry. We had the whole conversation you might imagine. She asked me if I would tell her mom, if she didn't. I said I would want to tell her, but I probably wouldn't be able to pick up a phone and actually do it, against my friend's wishes.

I very strongly encouraged her to tell her mom, because if her mother found out later, or if, Heaven forbid, something further happened and she needed the support, her mom would feel so awful that she hadn't known all along. Plus, you have a whole trust issue after that. And what are moms for, if not to worry about you and take care of you when you need them? That's the very reason we have Supermommy powers.

Then, as we're chatting along about whatever, she asked if I was up and around the day of my hysterectomy (elective, a few years ago because of obnoxious periods from Hell, totally worth it). I said they may have gotten me out of bed once at the hospital that day, but not really "up" until the next day at least.

She was confused.

Friend: They told me I would be up and around that afternoon, but I can't go back to work until the next day.
Me (shocked): The next day?!! Man, insurance companies are really running the system. Now we have drive-through hysterectomies?
Friend: Yeah, it's a day surgery.
Me: Are you sure you're having a hysterectomy? I was 3-4 days in the hospital and about another 3-4 days of recovery mode at home. And I'm pretty pain tolerant. Then you're not allowed to even drive for six weeks.
Friend: Oh. Hmmm... Maybe the doctor didn't say 'hysterectomy'?
Me: Maybe 'hysteroscopy'?
Friend: Maybe. I guess I need to call the doctor back.

Yeesh. Not that a hysteroscopy sounds as fun as a barrel of monkeys, but there is quite a difference between that and a hysterectomy.

It's been two weeks and she hasn't called the doctor back yet, much less made the surgery appointment, whatever it may be. Now I AM threatening to tattle on her.

A Blender for Christmas?

2011-12-02T09:13:00.003-06:00

Me: I think I want a KitchenAid 560 blender for Christmas.
Jeff: I am not getting you a blender for Christmas. That's terrible.
Me: Why? It's a nice one.
Jeff: I thought you wanted a grill pan! Oh. I guess that's kind of the same as a blender.

Kinda! LOL.

So I want a grill pan, a blender and the "Spongebob's Surf and Skate Roadtrip" game for Xbox. And of course world peace.

Friday Five: BRRR!

1. What’s your favorite thing about cold weather?
Snuggling up under a blanket with the hubby or the kiddo or both.

2. Soups and hot beverages seem to be everyone’s favorite cold-weather culinary combatant, but what’s another food that seems to take the bite out of the cold?
Chili

3. When the weather is just starting to turn cold but is not yet in full frigidity, what do you add to your bed until it’s time to break out the heavy artillery? (I said what, not whom!)
I replace the summer blanket with the thick electric blanket, but I don't turn it on. When it's really cold, I'll plug it in. I only turn it on to warm everything up before I get into bed. It's too hot to sleep with it on.

4. What household chore seems especially unkind in these colder months?
Taking out the trash. Brr!!

5. Among people you know, who seems most oblivious to cold weather?
JeffC. He was raised in it.

Retail Therapy

2011-12-01T07:58:00.005-06:00

Yesterday was pretty great! :)

But I can feel today sucking already. :(

I think it's going to be retail therapy day. Actually, this is the most wonderful time of the year for retail therapy, because we all have to shop for Christmas anyway. Shopping for others is always my favorite kind of shopping. It's the thrill of the hunt for perfect gifts!! Some cower and groan at the thought, but I love it.

Jeff's cousins from Missouri are going to be at the Christmas gathering in Dallas this year. I'm really looking forward to seeing them. We don't keep in close contact, so we don't know their tastes that well, but they're family, so gifts should be something a little more interesting than general purpose items along the stationery/photo frame line. I'm thinking Texas food gifts.

Everyone likes a little habanero salsa, yes?

Shimmy Shimmy Strut Strut, Give a Little What What...

2011-11-30T10:16:00.003-06:00

I just searched the iTunes store for "Train." It asked me, "Did you mean T-Pain?"

Uhhhh... no.

I did a FitTV workout yesterday that I thought would be different and awesome-- Burlesque!! Cool, right?! After about 15 minutes of writhing around on the floor, whipping my hair around and feeling myself up (I *think* that was part of the routine), I decided this particular program is actually for guys to watch, not for women to do as a workout. Don't fall for it, girls. You won't even break a sweat.

I think they are calling FitTV "Discovery Fit & Health" now, in case any dudes are grabbing their remotes to search. Enjoy!

LOL Tuesday

2011-11-29T11:26:00.004-06:00

From xkcd.com, where you can waste LOTS of time, should you be so inclined. You're welcome.

Ahahaaaaa! Story. Ofmylife.

Broken Dishwasher Bluuuuues

2011-11-28T07:34:00.005-06:00

While we were at a stop light yesterday, the guy in the car next to us actually tossed a piece of trash out his window. What kind of boor do you have to be to throw garbage out of your car onto the ground? I'm pretty sure most people stopped doing that in the mid-80's.

Our dishwasher stopped working the day before Thanksgiving. Ugh. Talk about bad timing... the week with the highest volume of dirty dishes generated. We found the one we wanted (after our typical Consumer Reports research and polling friends) at Sears, but the salespeople there are annoying and also kept trying to steer us to some Kenmore that was on sale for a few hundred dollars less than the dishwasher we wanted - a huge clue that the Kenmore had some sort of problem.

So we went to Lowe's, where we had been earlier, and asked them to price-match the one we wanted. Lowe's knocked off the $50 to match the Sears price, plus another $50! Thanks, Lowe's! PLUS it would have been delivered on Dec 16 from Sears and could be delivered as early as tomorrow from Lowe's. Huge difference, when you're hand washing everything!

Meet Me on Monday

1. I really need to clean my _________.
closet

2. What food makes you think of Christmas?
homemade chocolate chip cookies- Mom made a metric ton of them every year and brought them to my grandparents' house in College Station, where we and Mom's four siblings and their families celebrated. (People were sleeping everywhere! Very difficult to get your great-grandma up at 4 a.m. to open juuuuust one present without waking a bunch of other folks. "Sorry I woke you, Uncle Brian... Cookie?")

3. If you could choose to stay a certain age forever, what age would it be?
32

4. What was your first paying job?
Babysitting! Working for someone else- a brief stint doing Houston Post telephone subscription sales.

5. Have you read the Twilight series?
No, but I'm not a big fiction reader. I would probably read them if I were.

Post -Thanksgiving Turkey Day!

2011-11-25T10:36:00.000-06:00

I'm cooking Thanksgiving dinner today! We had leftover enchiladas for lunch yesterday and stadium fare for dinner. Meh. Bring on the stuffing.

The game yesterday was a great match-up of even teams. Two great defenses, two inconsistent offenses, both of whom spent three hours sucking last night. How there were any points made at all boggles the mind.

Because I live in Austin, I have a lot more friends who are Longhorns (or just fans of theirs) than Aggies. Longhorn fans being excited about their win- awesome! Good-natured teasing is even okay with me. Fervent, hateful railing on Aggies as a group, at any time, but particularly after a win, is utterly classless. Two malicious Facebook statuses from last night have forever changed my feelings about a couple of people in particular. I won't defriend them today, but they won't be on my friends list by the new year.

Bite me, jackwagons.

I am happy to report that the hope of our section at the game was carried by three season-ticket chicks, one of whom was moi. People were a bit sulky whenever our offense was on the field in the fourth quarter, but the three of us were waving our towels and cheering! WHOOP! I hope those girls are there again next year, along with our other neighbor season-ticketers.

I am very proud to be an Aggie and an Aggie football fan. The season was definitely not what we wanted or expected, but it had some fantastic moments. Thank you seniors, especially Ryan Tannehill, Cyrus Gray, Jeff Fuller, Coryell Judie, Tony Jerod-Eddie, and the amazing Randy Bullock, for your many contributions to our great team. Returning next year---- Ryan Swope, we love you! You ROCK! Ben Malena did a stellar job of stepping up with Gray and Michael out the last couple of games. Christine Michael should be back in the saddle as well. Thanks for a fun season and we'll see the fightin' Texas Aggies at Kyle Field next year!!

GIG 'EM!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T09:46:00.008-06:00

I hope all of you who are celebrating Thanksgiving have safe travels and a happy day! I am very thankful for too many things to list. Most thankful for family and friends. I treasure you every day.

I'll be serving our traditional meal tomorrow. Right now, we're preparing to head to College Station for the game. Today our game guest is Lauren's friend Shannon, who will be attending A&M as a freshman next year with Lauren.

This is Lauren's first t.u. game. I think she'll be surprised how much more intense it is. And how much your head can hurt and your voice can disappear from the screaming. In a good way! It's the last match-up for the foreseeable future. GIG 'EM!

Jeff and I saw The Descendants yesterday. You know I wanted to like the film. It was just very disjointed. Several aspects of the story were introduced and then dropped, like the teenage daughter's drug and alcohol problem. And I get that she might want to have her friend Sid with her for support, but would Dad really invite a new male friend of hers to stay in their hotel room, especially on such a personal trip? That being said, Sid was great. They had him along for comic relief, but didn't have a reason for him to be there, so they just tossed him in the mix and hoped the audience wouldn't question it.

George Clooney was awesome, of course. And I usually complain that he plays himself in every single role, but this one was definitely different.

Just wanted to note that. :)

The movie could have had a better flow and left out some extraneous things, while including more about the interesting story and subplots. My guess- this film was a victim of poor editing.

Hmm...

2011-11-23T10:17:00.001-06:00

I thought Lauren just said, "Ewok was yesterday," when she actually said "E-Walk..."

And with that, I'm not sure whether I lose my Aggie card or gain a geek card.

I Love Music Award Shows, But...

2011-11-21T10:54:00.007-06:00

I had a whole thing written up about this hilarious discussion Lauren and I had about what would happen if you returned to your human body after being an Avatar, and your Avatar transformation pod malfunctioned and you were trapped in there. Upon reading it though, you totally had to be there. There is a very important visual element that just can't adequately be described in words.

Lauren said she might let me post a video of her reenacting the conversation. Cross your fingers, friends! You don't want to miss that!

So instead, I have a mini-rant today:

The DJ on my radio station just echoed what I was saying last night-- What is up with the AMAs and other music award shows not knowing how to mix a band??! She complained, "They did Daughtry an injustice." I totally agree. Daughtry and every other performer on that show. A music savvy audience is tuning in to see this impressive list of performances, and they all sound horrific.

Lieutenant Dan

2011-11-20T08:47:00.008-06:00

We were at the game yesterday when some handlers paraded a dude in a nice suit past the end zone. Tons of people along the sidelines asked to have their photo taken with him. Everyone in our section started asking each other who he was. Some of our section got up and were using their cameras to zoom in and get a closer look. That's when I said, rather loudly, "It looks like Gary Sinise." And then the lady behind us excitedly told the people behind her, "Oh! It's Gary Sinise!"

And that's when the thing spread through the crowd like PRAIRIE WILDFIRE. People were immediately atwitter, discussing his film credits and how great he is on CSI.

There were a lot of really bad Forest Gump impressions.

We're in the 17th row. You should have seen me squinting as hard as I could to really see this guy, while hoping that it was Gary Sinise, but thinking, What the heck would Gary Sinise be doing at an A&M football game?! I was just waiting for someone to actually identify him as Tom Cruise... or the Brazos County Sheriff.

So I got on the web on my phone and Googled "Gary Sinise A&M football," and sure enough--- it was Gary Sinise! President Bush (Sr.) was at the game yesterday, being inducted into the Corps of Cadets Hall of Honor. He brought Gary Sinise as a guest.

From The Bryan College Station Eagle:

President George H.W. Bush also will be present, with special guest Gary Sinise, known to many as "Lt. Dan" from the film Forest Gump.

Sinise was a guest at a forum hosted by the former president in April 2010, where discussion centered around support for the USO.

"They had great interaction there and later that year he invited him to attend a football game," explained Kevin Wensing, spokesman for the president. "This was the first opportunity where his schedule allowed him to come, and it just also happens to be Military Appreciation Day.

Sinise is very active in supporting veterans and their families and also goes on USO tours with his band, The Lt. Dan Band.

They did eventually introduce him and show him on the sidelines on the jumbotron, waving an Aggie towel. Pretty cool.

Sunday Stealing: The Woman's Work 45 Meme

1. Do you like blue cheese salad dressing?
Quite a lot.

2. Favorite late night snack?
cereal

3. Do you own a gun?
No

4. What’s your favorite drink at Starbucks or other specialty coffee shop?
Lite Mocha Frappuccino

5. Do you get nervous before doctor appointments?
rarely

6. What do you think of hot dogs?
I like them, but I know how awful they are nutritionally, with respect to processing and dubious ingredients, so I don't eat them very often.

7. Favorite Christmas song?
"Oh Holy Night"

8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning?
I don't usually start drinking until noon. Heh.

If I am eating a regular breakfast, and not my everyday, highly processed Slim Fast with dubious ingredients, I usually drink skim milk.

9. Can you do push-ups?
A few, but I don't like to. Excessive push-ups and other pectoral exercises can flatten breast implants.

10. What’s your favorite piece of jewelry?
my wedding ring, followed very closely by my Aggie ring

11. Favorite hobby?
I don't really have a "hobby" at the moment. I particularly enjoy going to movies with friends and family, especially at fun theaters like the Alamo.

12. Do you have A.D.D.?
Nope

13. What’s one trait that you hate about yourself?
I don't really hate anything, but it would be nice not to be so easily moved to tears. Sad things, happy things, poignant moments... I'm not the annoying sobber or anything; it's that silent tear-streaming, where your "friends" will sometimes notice and not-so-sweetly say, "OMG. Are you crying?!" I've occasionally cried over football games- won and lost. Shed a few tears watching, or even just listening to, a really fantastic vocal performance. I've teared up a couple of times during the national anthem.

Um... Can someone pass me a tissue?...

14. The last disease you contracted?
I had a bladder infection last summer.

15. Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment.
I need to check times for The Descendants at the Drafthouse today.
Gotta add celery to my Thanksgiving grocery list. (I already have everything except fresh produce, which I always get last minute.)
No wonder my speakers aren't working... my headphones are still plugged in.

16. Name 3 drinks you regularly drink.
water with a splash of decaf tea, lemonade, diet Dr. Pepper

17. Current worry right now?
getting my Christmas shopping going before it gets really crowded at the mall

18. Current hate right now?
I hate people who steal credit card numbers. We've had it happen 5 times now and even though you aren't responsible for any of the charges, you have to get a new account. The whole thing is a pain in the rear. Yesterday we found out someone stole another one of ours and charged $1000 online to various women's clothing stores. I wish they would find the person and send you their address, so you could go there and pelt them with rotting garbage. Dirtbags.

19. Favorite place to be?
during football season? Kyle Field

20. How did you ring in the New Year?
with the Jeffs at McCormick and Schmick's

21. Like to travel?
Love to travel.

22. Name three people who will complete Sunday Stealing this week:
Laura, Doug and Gary Sinise

23. Do you own slippers?
yes, but I so very rarely wear them

24. What color shirt are you wearing?
blue

25. Do you like sleeping on satin sheets?
I like laying on satin sheets, but they aren't good for sleeping. The top sheet slides against the fitted sheet, usually all the way onto the floor during the night. Heck, I've had my comforter and top sheet slide off the bed when its made up. You sit on the bed to tie your shoe and... wheee! I like to sleep on cotton sheets.

26. Can you whistle?
I whistle, but I can only do it well while I am inhaling, not exhaling. Much like my daughter who can only jump rope backwards.

Perhaps I've said too much here. Moving on...

27. Favorite singer/band?
I'm not super into any one particular artist lately. I do have big love for Daughtry.

28. Could you ever make it 39 days on the show Survivor?
No, I'm more a hotel girl than the roughing-it sort. You don't want to be lost with me in the woods.

29. What songs do you sing in the shower?
Jazz standards

30. Favorite girl’s names?
Lauren, Ashley

31. Favorite boy’s names?
Ethan, Ian

32. What’s in your pocket right now?
a wocket

33. Last thing that made you laugh?
the three of us were having a little fun with an OU player's last name while we watched the end of the OU/Baylor game

34. Like your job?
Not working

36. Do you love where you live?
Very much

37. How many TVs do you have in your house?
4

38. Who is your loudest friend?
Laura

39. Do you drive the speed limit or speed?
I either drive right at the speed limit or just slightly over.

40. Does someone have a crush on you?
Nope

41. What is your favorite book?
The Notebook

42. What is your favorite candy?
Reeses peanut butter cups

43. Favorite Sports Team?
Texas A&M Aggies

44. What were you doing 12 AM last night?
chatting with Jeff

45. What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up today?
checking to see if my photos from yesterday's football game are good

Sports Saturday

2011-11-19T05:45:00.003-06:00

My heart and my prayers go out to OSU and the families of their coaches and others who were killed in that plane crash yesterday. It made it weird to go for Iowa State last night in the final minutes of the game, but WOW. What an upset! It doesn't get much more exciting than that.

I was at Kathy's last night and Jeff called over there around 10:30.

Jeff: Are you watching TV?
Me: No.
Jeff: You should probably turn it on.

OK people. You know what I was thinking at this point-- planes are crashing into skyscrapers or something.

Me: What's happening?
Jeff: Turn it to ESPN.

ESPN. Mmmmkay... I was slightly less concerned then, although with the OSU tragedy, and the Sandusky hoo-ha, I was still feeling uneasy.

Me: What is it?
Jeff: Iowa State is about to beat OSU! Five minutes left.

Holy hell. Don't scare me like that.

So we tuned in and watched the final five minutes and double OT, literally from the edges of our seats. What an amazing underdog win!

Saturday 9: Being a Good Sport

1. Were you raised around a lot of sports?
I was raised as a fan of professional football and basketball in Houston. Rockets and Oilers, baby!!

2. What is your favorite sport?
Football

3. When did you last play a sport?
Lauren and I played Speedminton about six weeks ago. The last teams I was on were my 7th grade volleyball and basketball teams. Go Lions!

4. When did you last attend a professional sporting event and what was it?
I went to an Austin Toros game last year.

5. What was the last sport you watched on TV?
The end of the OSU/Iowa State football game last night.

6. If you have children, do they play the same sports that you did? If not, someday if you have kids, would you like them to?
I played basketball and volleyball. Lauren did competitive cheer. I've never felt that I wanted her to do anything at all just because I did. We let her interests guide her.

Except for choir, which I very gently suggested... several times since she was in elementary school. She has a beautiful singing voice, but never had the slightest interest in choir. So we see how far that got me! :D

7. Do you think other people care too much about sports?
Nah. I think sports are a fantastic diversion from the daily grind, and if you play, a perfect way to get exercise without feeling like it's "a workout."

8. Do you have the freedom to be as involved in either playing or watching as much sports as you’d like to?
Yes. (This is where you can tell Saturday 9 is really written by a guy. You've outed yourself, Bud. ;) )

9. Who is your favorite sports team?
The Texas Aggies! Gig 'em! Beat the Hell outta Kansas!!

LOL... and X Factor

2011-11-18T07:38:00.004-06:00

Lauren and I were out yesterday in her car. I told her she should exit at 2222 and turn left, then left again at Balcones Drive. I mentioned that Chez Zee is on that corner. (It's a restaurant.) As we approached the intersection, with Chez Zee not yet in view...

Lauren (laughing): You mean CHASE?
Me: Huh?
Lauren (pointing to Chase Bank): I'm pretty sure it's pronounced CHASE, not SHAAAY-ZEEEE.

Bwahahaha!!!

Then we saw Chez Zee. Priceless.

Well... I didn't want to like X Factor USA, but I do! We've been watching it for several weeks now. The format has the contestants performing in a full-out concert environment, with backup singers and dancers and effects, which easily shows their capabilities in comparison with each other, as well as professional acts.

I'm not sure I'm diggin' the judge vs. judge aspect of the show though, because it detracts from the contest between the competitors. Judges have a motive to vote for their own people, rather than supporting anyone they think should win. It's always fun to see them argue, but they can do that without having their own little "teams." There is also a disadvantage to two particular mentors, I think: singing groups and older contestants. They just won't bring in the same numbers of votes as male and female individual singers.

My favorite to win is Josh. He is a great singer, has great personality, and improves his act and confidence every week. We only have had one complaint that his hair is too gelled and shiny and rather a mess, but this week it was gel-free and looked pretty good!

I also like Melanie, who has the best voice by a mile, but lacks personality on stage. If she works that out, she can win it.

Drew is fabulous and unique. Lakoda Rayne are good, except at times when they are "pitchy" (to use a phrase from AI).

Penn State

2011-11-17T09:32:00.005-06:00

The Penn State sex abuse scandal is getting more infuriating by the day. Sandusky says he isn't a pedophile, but he does shower with young boys. Seriously?

Further...

"Am I sexually attracted to underage boys? Sexually attracted, no -- I enjoy young people, I love to be around them ... but no, I am not sexually attracted to young boys."

OK. Let's remember our Psych 101 and read this again. Ask a normal adult if he is sexually attracted to young boys and he emphatically and immediately replies, with a pained wince, "Absolutely NOT." Heck, even a pedophile who is a good liar does that.

Also, we repeat a person's question only when we are taking a moment to consider our answer. He actually repeats it twice, in a way. A person answering appropriately and without doubt, a question about his own integrity or morality, answers without repeating the question.

Then we have Mike McQueary changing his story. On second thought, he stopped the rape AND reported it to police. The guy is a hero! Too bad those things escaped his mind all these years, especially during his recent testimony to the Grand Jury.

#yeahright

Penn State will suffer as an institution for years because of this. The scandal and coverup is all people think about when they hear the name. It's a real shame that a one sorry excuse for a human being, and a few people eager to cover for him, have brought this upon their school.

In a somewhat related note, far more related than most topics to which I jump... I had never ever heard the team name "Nittany Lions" before last weekend. I've followed college football for most of my life, and I just never heard what their team was called. Someone was talking about the Nebraska game and said "Nittany Lions." I thought Penn State played Nebraska. Who and where is Nittany University??

Evidently, it refers to Mount Nittany, near the school, and the mountain lions who used to live there, before vanishing in the mid 1800's. Mountain lions still roam the western half of the US. And Florida, because who doesn't want to live in Florida?

SimHotel

2011-11-15T12:09:00.002-06:00

THAT is what I said should be a sim game (see post below). We were watching the "SpongeBob" Crusty Towers Hotel episode and I said there should soooooo be a hotel-development simulation game. I would rock that thing.

Just.

Saying.

:)

Video Games

2011-11-15T07:37:00.014-06:00

The first computer game I ever played was Star Trek, a text game, on my dad's computer when I was a kid. Oh my gosh, I loved it! I had paper drawings everywhere, tracking Klingons and starbases...

Yeah, I should probably stop there, before I ruin my ubercool image. Heh.

itwassomuchfun!

Friday Five: Video Games

1. Do you prefer to play games on a console or PC?
Console. We have a Wii and a PS3. I want an Xbox with Kinect for Christmas.

2. What is your all-time favourite game? (No answer too embarrassing)
Any of the Super Mario platform games. Best game EVER-- Super Mario 64.

3. Which game has been the most disappointing?
Boom Blox - Spielberg, for goodness' sake. It was marketed as being great for all ages, but it's geared towards young children, I think. There are far more awful games out there, but none preceded by the hype of this one.

4. Are there any upcoming games that you're excited to try?
Anything that uses Kinect.

5. If you could design a computer game, what kind would it be (platform, racing, shoot-out, etc.) and what would it be about?
I love the old sim games, like SimCity. I was just saying to Lauren the other day that there should be a sim game for something, and of course I have no idea what it was. It was genius though. :) I'll have to ask her...

Band Books Exhibit

2011-11-14T07:42:00.009-06:00

ScottK wants to go to the banned books exhibit at the Ransom Center. I thought he said "band books." While I was thinking of a nice way to say I would probably be... I don't know... sick that day, I realized he was saying banned and censored books. Ahh! I'm all over that. Sign me up!!

Something I saw online randomly reminded me of the absolute most creative thing I ever made. I had seen a write on/wipe off board at a store, that I guess you hang on the wall by an office door. It said, "_______ is:" and it had check boxes for things like "in," "at a meeting," "at lunch," etc. I was cross-stitching at the time, and Kimberly was an RA at her dorm at UT. So I made one for her room. I designed a project in white letters on burnt orange fabric, that said (with check boxes):

Kimberly is:
_ in
_ at class
_ in the TV room
_ at the game...

etc....

I stitched it, then stretched the fabric over cork board and framed it. I added a pushpin for her to stick inside the correct check box (which had been carefully sized to accommodate the pushpin).

BOO-YAH! Creative City.

She loved it and used it. The girls in the dorm thought it was so cool. I was thrilled with how it turned out!

You know, if I did that again, I would just paint on the corkboard.

Meet Me on Monday

1. Does your family/friends know about your blog?
some of them

2. What is your favorite card game?
Skip-Bo

3. What do you wear to bed?
usually a short nightgown

4. What is your favorite kind of French Fry?
sweet potato fries with just seasoned salt

5. What is your usual bed time?
I've been getting into bed about 11- 11:30, and asleep around midnight lately

Saturday Night Downtown

2011-11-13T09:28:00.003-06:00

I had a great time at the UT/Kansas State volleyball match! Only one teensy complaint. They play the fight song waaaaaaaay too much. I was a good sport and clapped along every single time, but holy cats, people--- every point?

Kidding! It was probably every other point.

After volleyball, we went to PF Changs downtown. At the end of the night there were fortune cookies. Julie happened to open hers to the side that just said "Eggplant" (then the translation in Chinese characters) to which Jeff and Scott added... "in bed." That got me giggling. Scott's fortune was "Always under-promise and over-deliver"... in bed. Bwahahaha! Great advice!

We watched "Whitney Cummings: Money Shot" on Netflix. Hilarious! Loved her thing about Cosmo articles like "Tricks for the Bedroom"... "I don't want my vagina doing tricks, like you open your legs... a bird flies out..."

:D

We love her new sitcom, "Whitney," too! My favorite character- Roxanne. Rhea Seehorn is fabulous! SO funny.

Meet Me on Monday (I seem to be running a day ahead or, more accurately, 6 days behind)

1. Are you excited for the holidays or are you dreading them?
Excited about the holidays! But dreading Christmas shopping. I need to get my list organized.

2. Do you hit the snooze button or get right up?
I get right up.

3. Do you still have your tonsils?
Nope. I think I was five when they took them out.

4. What was the last piece of candy that you ate?
a peanut M&M about a week ago

5. Do you shop at thrift stores?
Rarely. Every once in a while I get the urge to do it. I particularly love to shop for home decor at thrift stores, because of the thrill of the hunt for a great item at a great deal. I once got a set of three small, framed prints that were unopened, in original packaging, with the $90 price tag still on them, for $4.

Any of You T-Sips Know the A&M Score?

2011-11-12T07:39:00.004-06:00

What the heck is up with Twitter being over capacity every two minutes? Gah! I don't want to see that happy whale graphic ever again. Upgrade your servers. :p

In a very disturbing, parallel universe sort of catastrophe, Jeff and I are going to be at the University of Texas volleyball game this afternoon as Scott and Julie's guests, WHILE THE A&M FOOTBALL GAME IS HAPPENING.

I don't even know what to say about that.

Lauren will keep us up-to-date via text, until she has to leave for her party... then we're all on our own.

Yes, it's birthday party day for Lauren! She and a bunch of friends are going out to a very nice dinner tonight, then watching a movie here afterward. It should be a superfun time!

Patrick's Sunday Seven

Name the last seven DVDs you watched in your own home.
(well, these are not all DVDs- some were streaming Netflix)

1. The Human Centipede -one of the worst films ever made
2. Moulin Rouge - one of my absolute all-time faves!
3. Evita - most of it anyway. I always get bored towards the end. Most of my favorite music is in the first half.
4. Killers - I hated it. Jeff and Lauren thought it was alright.
5. Hot Tub Time Machine - Ahahahahaa! My second time seeing it. LOVE it.
6. The Silence of the Lambs - We wanted Lauren to see this classic. She's a huge horror fan.
7. Daybreakers - surprisingly good

iOS 5.01 Released

2011-11-10T15:05:00.003-06:00

Chatty Kathy. They called me that throughout my childhood and into high school. So I interrupt this Thursday for the third time... to post that iOS 5.01 has been released. And this article lists exactly my issue--

Almost immediately after the launch of the iPhone 4S, owners began reporting that the phone was exhausting its battery at a prodigious rate, with some claiming that their batteries were losing 1% of their power every few minutes.

That was me! 1% every four minutes, to be excruciatingly exact. I don't have the 4S, but my battery was draining fast.

The update is installing right now on my phone. I shall report back tomorrow with the battery-life results.

Sandusky, Paterno and Penn State Students

2011-11-10T09:14:00.010-06:00

Well, you can read the whole disgusting account here, from the Washington Post:

Sandusky Indictment

...including who did what, after discovering it was happening.

Penn State should be embarrassed by their students' behavior. For crap's sake, why would you support Paterno? If you do, great. Hold a vigil or something. But to support him to the point of violence? Really? The rioting is unconscionable and strikingly juvenile.

Adventures on LinkedIn

2011-11-10T07:52:00.012-06:00

Donna and a colleague had lunch with Andrew McCarthy on Monday in New Zealand. In case you were wondering... he's still freakin' adorable. And an award-winning travel writer now, in addition to his acting and directing pursuits!

OK, my dear friend KathyL is a lot like me in some aspects, but very different in most ways... like... the girl is generally fairly serious about life. She is exceedingly laid back and unaffected by things, at least outwardly. She's typically very cool and keeps her head while all about her are losing theirs (as Kipling would say). The only time I've heard her really laugh is when she's had too much wine.

Last weekend, I mentioned her ex-boyfriend from high school and college. Kathy and I were only acquaintances in high school, and she and Mike dated long distance between Texas and Ohio while we were in college, so I've never actually met him. She said she wondered what he was doing now. (Wow!) She kind of giggled and asked, "Do you think he's on LinkedIn?"

I was all over that. "Yes! I bet he is." LinkedIn... far more impersonal than Facebook, but whatever works for her. After witnessing a glimmer of giddiness, I just wanted to see her see him.

She grinned and pulled out her laptop. I was very surprised that she was even a little excited about it, and I was eagerly giving her search tips. She found him after a few attempts. She read all his job info and saw where he lived. She told me all about his career, which he'd begun while they were still together- he's a camera operator, usually for TV news shows. He even had a current PHOTO and she said he "looks the same!" Hee!

Then she said, "Eh," and logged out and closed the laptop.

That's IT?

Oh well. I'm sure I'll convince her to look up someone else in a few years. :)

Yahoo Calendar and Contacts Issues

2011-11-07T09:41:00.003-06:00

I had to switch from my Yahoo calendar and contacts to Google calendar and contacts.

Yahoo contacts were not syncing correctly with my iPhone. Some of them were randomly missing from the phone, although they remained on Yahoo. There were also 13 contacts Yahoo would not allow me to delete during the long process of my trying to fix the problem. So weird.

For the calendar, the syncing was fine between my phone and Yahoo, but when I viewed my calendar online, which I do a lot during the day, the dates of events were incorrectly displayed, or looked like they were over several days when they were not. Um, that is a serious issue, Yahoo. Makes the calendar rather pointless, don't you think? The dates were correct on my iPhone and when I actually clicked on the event online.

Both issues are obviously on Yahoo's end. Moving to Google for both has been a perfect solution so far. Thank goodness! My frustration level was hitting max. We all know the inevitable final step... Gmail. I swore I would never do it. I don't want another email account to maintain. Guess I will get rid of my Yahoo account then.

My phone may be suffering from the iOS 5 battery problem. It's been draining faster with normal usage. I'm getting maybe six hours of talk time. Although that seems to be average, I was getting more time between charges before. Perhaps I'm using it more lately. Last night I left it on the nightstand with 81% battery. This morning it was completely dead. Not sure what happened there. It does seem like some weird one-time glitch. Hopefully it doesn't happen again, as that is my alarm clock. :)

I have now done every battery-saving thing recommended online. Waiting for the official fix from Apple, to see if it helps.

Sunday Stealing 'n' Stuff

2011-11-06T09:34:00.001-06:00

Well, one of my teams won yesterday! Yay LSU!!! Only caught the last quarter and OT, but woooooooooooHoooooooo!! Sorry, Mom. And 'Bama.

A friend commented on Facebook that he doesn't know what the Aggies are doing in the locker room during halftime, but he thinks they just shouldn't go in there anymore. I agree 100%. What the...?! We have the talent to beat every team we've lost to this season. Gah.

My hubby took me out to dinner and a George Clooney movie for date night last night. Not sure if the movie selection was very thoughtful or very clever. ;)

Ides of March was good. It took a little while to get interesting, but then it really took off. It exposes the tangled web of deceit that exists in the world of politics, particularly during election time. While it is visceral and sickening, it pushes you to think about your own integrity and what you might do if you were caught up in the game. You get a good feel for how someone's principles can be slowly (or quickly) eroded in that environment, to a point where a person doesn't even recognize himself.

Sunday Stealing: The Madness Meme, Part 1

1. Have you ever licked the back of a CD to try to get it to work?
Eww! Why would I ever do that? You spit on it and wipe it with your sleeve.

2. What’s the largest age difference between yourself and someone you’ve dated?
Six years. I was 19 and he was 25. It meets the "half-plus-seven rule," but my mom probably wasn't thrilled.

3. Ever been in a car wreck?
Only once, when a deer jumped into my windshield.

4. Were you popular in high school?
Nope. I wasn't "unpopular" though.

5. Have you ever been on a blind date?
A few. I'm not a fan.

6. Are looks important?
To varying degrees, from "not at all" to "extremely important," depending on the situation. I think the perception of attractiveness is more about a person being "put together" and confident, than it is about their actual physical features.

7. Do you have any friends that you’ve known for 10 years or more?
Most of my current friends I have known for ten years or more.

8. By what age would you like to be married?
I wanted to be married by 30. Got married at 23.

9. Does the number of people a person’s slept with affect your view of them?
Only if it is at the extreme low or high end of what I think is a reasonable number. So... yes.

10. Have you ever made a mistake?
Far too many to count. Learn and move on.

11. Are you a good tipper?
I tip very well for personal services like haircuts, and average for restaurant and bar service. I rarely tip at places like sandwich shops with tip jars.

12. What’s the most you have spent for a haircut?
$85

13. Have you ever had a crush on a teacher?
Two- 7th grade Science and college American History.

14. Have you ever peed in public?
With an audience? No. I've peed outside behind trees though.

15. What song do you want played at your funeral?
I'm a planner, but I happily leave planning my funeral to someone else.

16. Would you tell your parents if you were gay?
Yes. I've always had a very open relationship with my mom and dad.

17. What would your last meal be before getting executed?
Salt Lick barbecue

18. Beatles or Stones?
Beatles all the way. I really don't like the Rolling Stones.

19. If you had to pick one person on earth to die, who would it be?
That's all sorts of bad karma. Next...

20. Beer, wine or hard liquor?
wine

21. Do you have any phobias?
scorpions, heights at times

22. What are your plans for the future?
lots of travel, back to work, one-story house with fabulous media room

Gig 'em Ags! Beat OU!

2011-11-05T11:30:00.003-05:00

My mom would be going for Alabama today, but I'm going LSU, because two of my close friends went there and I like purple. So... Geaux Tigers!! Should be an amazing game!

I've never had so much conversation sparked by an article of clothing, than when I wore an A&M shirt to my oncologist yesterday. First comment was from Jeff. "Are you wearing that today because you'll be too embarrassed to wear it tomorrow?" My husband has no faith. Gig 'em!!

The oncology office I go to is enormous- many docs, chemo, lab, xray- almost a small-scale MD Anderson. While I was checking in at the desk, one of the receptionists started a big conversation with me about the season we've had. She has a son who went to A&M and they were at the Missouri game last weekend. The grandson is a junior Aggie to the max.

I sat down in the waiting area near the lab and everyone there was an A&M fan. Chatted with them for a moment before the lab tech called me back. He gave me the evil eye and said he didn't like my shirt at all. I noted that he was wearing maroon scrubs. Touché, eh? He said he found them on his floor that morning and dusted them off, because he didn't have any others. Sure, buddy. ;)

"Who are y'all playing?"

"OU. In Norman."

"Hey Joe!!" he called over to another tech across the lab. Joe looked over and he told him I was an Aggie. Joe flashes the back of his work ID, displaying a big OU sticker. I told him "Good luck."

Went back out into the waiting room and sat in the larger area, where I talked Aggie football for 45 minutes with a whole new group. A guy spotted my shirt from the receptionist area and came to sit next to me to talk about A&M.

Finally the nurse came for me. "Nice shirt!" she says.

I got into a gown in the doctor's office. When he came in, he saw the shirt on the chair and said in a disappointed voice (he's a Longhorn), "A&M? Really?"

I said, "We're everywhere!"

I thought it was cool yesterday on my radio station that Alex was saying he thinks the Ags will beat OU. Sandy said A&M "threw up all over themselves last weekend." Alex said he knows, but he honestly thinks we'll win this one. "And they're such nice people there. I just hate to see them lose." Awww!

Patrick's Saturday Six

1. Do you think you have the same accent as most of the people who live in your neighborhood, or do you sound like you’re from somewhere else?
I have far less of a Texas accent than most people in my area.

2. Have you ever been mistaken by a stranger as being from somewhere other than your place of birth? If so, what’s the farthest from your hometown one has guessed you’re from?
I don't think anyone would guess my German parentage and birth, but I consider my hometown to be Houston. Few people have been able to ID a place I'm from, if they are guessing. Their typical comment is that I have no accent, but very rarely I'll use the word "y'all" or a Texas expression like "I don't have a dog in that fight" and give myself away.

3. If you had to come up with a name for the dialect you hear most often, what would it be?
In Austin, it's mostly "mild Texas drawl."

4. Take the quiz: What Kind of American English Do You Speak?
You Speak General American English!
70% General American English
20% Dixie
5% Upper Midwestern
5% Yankee
0% Midwestern

5. What regional word or expression common to your area do you find yourself using most often?
Y'all

6. Which regional word or expression common to your area do you hate the most?
Hook 'em. :)

Friday Five: Natural Disasters

2011-11-04T08:36:00.006-05:00

This morning is my annual cancer checkup with my oncologist. Always a good time. I have now been cancer-free for 19 years! Woohoo!!

Friday Five

1. What natural disasters (earthquakes, tsunami, volcanoes, wildfires, tornadoes, hurricanes/typhoons/cyclones, floods, landslides, etc) is your area prone to?
tornadoes, wildfires, floods

2. What natural disasters have you experienced firsthand?
Biggest one- Tropical Storm Claudette flood in Houston in 1979. 43 inches of rain in 24 hours. We had knee-deep water in our house and were rescued by boat.

My dad's friend Bill, as the water recedes. It had crested just over the tops of cars in the street.

Dad (omg those white shorts! ahahaha!) and Bill (who would die if he saw this today, I'm sure).
Water finally out of the houses. There was a lot of beer being consumed that day.

Wanna know what ants do in floods? THIS. They float in clumps until they
hit something and then they swarm onto it. Don't let them find your leg.
Incidentally, snakes swim around in the water. That's why there are no
pictures of me wading around, posing with a refreshing beverage.

All our stuff coming out of the house to dry, including the carpets,
which ended up having to be tossed anyway.

I was also hunkered down at home through several huge hurricanes. The worst one was Alicia in 1983. (We were in the League City house then.) Our whole fence and a couple of trees blew down, along with damage to our roof, etc. Two friends and I had a three-way conference call going during the worst part of it. We were laughing and chatting about the storm and other regular stuff. My mom kept trying to get me to get off the phone, but I wasn't about to put it down. I would have been terrified! I'm surprised the phones kept working.

And finally, from my great-aunt's front screen door, I watched a smallish tornado come down the street at her house in Wisconsin. It was very surreal seeing it approaching so close. Before it got right up to the house, I rejoined my extended family, who were having fun playing cards while sheltering in the basement, because it happens so often there. I thought they were nuts. That tornado passed us by, about 100 feet away in the street.

3. Have you ever been evacuated due to a natural disaster?
The Flood. We had to leave my cat, Mickey, in the flooded house. Poor baby. We were at a Red Cross Shelter for several hours, and that was the hardest time, because I was upset and hot and totally drenched from wading out to the boat. Vivid memory. My heart always goes out particularly to flood victims when they are on the news. Been there; relived it a thousand times in my head.

4. Have you made/do you make any special preparations in case of natural disaster where you live?
If there is a tornado nearby, which there hasn't been, we have indoor spaces safe for sheltering. Also, I have drinking water stocked in the garage.

5. What type of natural disaster scares you the most?
earthquake!

First Comes Love, Then Comes Marriage...

2011-11-03T08:02:00.002-05:00

I don't know very much about Kim Kardashian or her pending divorce, but is it typical to date for six months and get married after a three month engagement? It's been a long-ass time since I was dating, so maybe that's how it's done these days. Or maybe it's the way you do it in your thirties, when you're a little more hurried than you were in your twenties? (I got married at 23, having dated J for 18 months, then engaged for a year.) Everyone imagine for a moment... your last serious bf/gf and how well you really knew them at six months into the relationship... now imagine you married that person... Happy?

If you are now weeping into your coffee, reminiscing over your ex, please just disregard this lame exercise.

I know I'm probably the last to see this vid, but I've watched it a hundred times now and it still cracks me up.

"...Creeper!"

Today is the first day in a long while that I actually have nothing I need to do! Woohoo! It's early though. I'm sure something will come up. If Laura sees this, it'll be something at the elementary school. ;)

Chris Daughtry Sings the National Anthem

2011-11-02T17:44:00.004-05:00

For those who missed it, Chris singing at a World Series game...

Yay!

Weekend in Review

2011-10-31T09:33:00.013-05:00

Saturday's football game was pretty awesome, even though we gave it to Mizzou in the second half. (Grr!) It was very exciting though, especially that last field goal they attempted (and MISSED!) before time ran out. Funny to see everyone standing around wondering if it was over, or if they do overtime or what. Yes they do, as was also evidenced later when we watched triple overtime in the Stanford/USC game! I wish Vanderbilt would have beaten Arkansas, although my Aggie comrades weren't as supportive of that. I love to see Arkansas get beaten, especially by underdogs. Alas! 'Twas not to be.

During the second half of our game, and all the way down the ramps and out of the stadium, to the buses and out to our cars at the parking area, we were ALL discussing what the heck happened to our beloved Aggies that day. They should have stopped using Fuller... It was the offensive coaches' fault... If Tannehill were playing better... Where was the Wrecking Crew... It's just the typical second-half issue...

Dude. If only Coach Sherman could have been there to hear all of our valuable suggestions! The fans could fix things right up. Heh. He must get an earful every week!

We went to the David Cook/Gavin Degraw concert last night, and Carolina Liar opened. I had no idea they would be there. They so rocked!!!

I've been waiting to see David for years, and he was amazing. The guy has a stellar voice. We were commenting that the songs from the new album are sort of blah, but his talent really shines through, despite that. He has an awesome band as well.

And of course Gavin was fantastic! I don't like when bands play almost exclusively songs from their new album, which is what Gavin did. There has to be a mix, I think. I like the new stuff a lot, but there's nothing that compares to an old fave popping up now and then during the set. I like a two-to-one new-to-old ratio. He sang about three old songs total. Still it was an awesome show.

The last time we saw him, it was at The Parish. Of course the stage is much larger at ACL. He really got out from behind the piano and showed us some moves! His sound guy and other crew members were always bouncing to the beat and really into the music during his set. LOVE that.

We got to ACL early enough to get barstools overlooking second street and people-watch for a while before the show, too. Happy to report that no glass fell on us from any highrises the entire time we sat there. ;) It was a fabulous evening!

A couple of my clips from David's set...

Cover of Muse's "Stockholm Syndrome"

"Lie"

Twitter Ah Ha Moment

2011-10-29T07:20:00.011-05:00

I've figured out why I don't do Twitter all that much. My eyes skip over any highlighted word that begins with @ or #. Unless your tweets are like mine- textual updates with very little in the way of tags and referrals- I'm not processing most of your message.

Also, I have no way to "Like" your hilarious and/or informative tweet. I guess the correct manner to acknowledge you is:

LOL/Thanks for the info! RT @you: Funny/informative tweet.

Excess typing and cryptography make me sad, but rest assured, I am laughing at and/or processing your tweet, even though I don't say so. Unless it's full of hashtags and stuff.

Yikes. I'm so uncool.

Saturday 9: Mr. Roboto

1. Do you enjoy holidays like Halloween or is your approach more robotic?
I love Halloween and other holidays like it! I am disappointed when people around me aren't as into it as I am.

2. Have you ever been to a haunted house?
All sorts of haunted houses and other places, including the Halloween ones for fun, a ghost tour in Charleston, and a stay at the Driskill. I have a haunted hay ride story... in high school, a big group of us went to the local huge Baptist Church's hay ride, which ended up with church staff funneling all of us into the main sanctuary and literally locking us in for a sermon. Not. Kidding. There was an adult blocking every closed door to the place. You think WE were pissed? You should have seen our parents when we told them!

3. What are you doing for Halloween this year?
Just giving out candy, since Doug didn't invite me along to Halloween in Dallas tonight. ;)

4. What was your lamest Halloween costume ever?
I worked Halloween at Gallaghers in high school and wore a pin on my dress that said "This IS my costume."

5. Is handing out candy fun for you, or more of a nightmare?
It's usually fun until about 8:00, when the un-costumed teenagers with pillowcases full of candy start showing up. I make them say "Trick-or-treat." You can't half-ass the whole thing.

6. Do you buy trick-or-treat candy and end up eating it yourself?
Never. I buy stuff I don't eat. Leftovers go straight to work with Jeff November 1.

7. Did you carve any pumpkins this year?
Nope. We haven't carved a pumpkin since Lauren was small, when we did it religiously. Aww, I miss that!

8. What was your favorite costume as a child?
No question- Ballerina!!

9. What is your biggest pet peeve about trick-or-treaters?
I don't like the ones who are in cars. The whole point is to walk around your neighborhood or with friends in their neighborhood. I don't want to see your mom creepin' in the running car in the street.

♪ Skinny Dipping in the Dark ♫

2011-10-28T06:28:00.002-05:00

Nothing beats that proud moment of triumph, about the fiftieth time you sing one of those songs that has a challenging set of lyrics and you finally sing all the words correctly. Like "Last Friday Night"-

...Last Friday night
Yeah we danced on tabletops
And we took too many shots
Think we kissed but I forgot
Last Friday night
Yeah we maxed our credit cards
And got kicked out of the bars
So we hit the boulevard
Last Friday night
We went streaking in the park
Skinny dipping in the dark
Then had a menage a trois
Last Friday night
Yeah I think we broke the law
Always say we're gonna stop
Whoa-oh-oah
This Friday night...

FISTS IN THE AIR!!!! Wooooooooo!!!!11!!!!!1

Another memorable one... Barenaked Ladies "One Week." We should all have been awarded engraved plaques for getting that one down. So many lyrics coming at you at the speed of light. Gonna make a break and take a fake. I'd like a stinkin' achin' shake. I like vanilla- it's the finest of the flavors.

Now I'm working on Nicki Minaj/Eminem's "Roman’s Revenge." ;)

Remember several days ago, Doug and I toured The Austonian? Well, Wednesday...

Glass falls from Austonian high-rise

The W, within a block of The Austonian, had a similar glass-falling incident recently. Just stay away from that area. Yikes... we'll be there Sunday night. Alrighty then.

If you are around me much, you've heard me say "Poop on a stick!" as an exceedingly genteel alternative to the F word. If I'm reeeeeally irritated, it's "Poop on a poop stick!" (or the F word). I did a search for something completely unrelated this morning and randomly ended up on The Bloggess' site at an old post titled "Crap on a Crap Cracker." LMAO

Underwear and Baseball

2011-10-27T10:38:00.004-05:00

In Lauren's three-year-olds class at church, the little girls call their underwear "big girl panties," as you might expect. The boys? They call theirs "big boy panties." So cute. I love it!

The World Series game was postponed last night due to rain.

They play football in rain.

Matter-of-fact...

Just saying. ;)

Cruuuuuuuuuuuuuuz

2011-10-26T07:42:00.011-05:00

We watched baseball on TV Monday night. That should tell you how little else was on, and how clear our DVR was. There were some exciting moments, but as is typical for baseball on television, to me it was just...

...

...

Yep. At least I was able to play Hanging with Friends while I watched. Or if I had been so inclined, I could have written a complete treatise on "intentional walks."

My main entertainment- yelling "CRUUUUUUUUUUUUUUZ" every time Cruz appeared. Superfun! Oh, and the Rangers have a cute pitcher, so that was nice. At the rate they changed them out, I'm surprised I noticed him at all. Not sure of his name, but he has dark hair and a beard.

Go Rangers! :)

So Lindsay Lohan is posing for Playboy. That makes me throw up in my mouth a little. The woman is a pathetic mess. More than Britney ever was- even in her shaved head days. But if you boys like to ogle naked, slutty, alcoholic, jailbird starlets...

On second thought... Well played, Playboy.

Eye Candy Tuesday

2011-10-25T10:45:00.008-05:00

Joey Fatone retweeted Boyz II Men a few times, and seeing them on my feed, I wondered if I had followed them without remembering. (Would not have surprised me.) Rock on, Boyz II Men. Congrats on the new album and twenty years!

OK, ladies. Why haven't you told me to watch True Blood? Yeah, I see how you people are about the sharing thing. Yesterday I was bowled over by the vision that is Joe Manganiello.

HOLY. &%#*.

Adorable, right?

And whoa.

He even seems to have a personality to go with the looks.

The Two Sickest Films Ever

2011-10-24T08:13:00.012-05:00

And not in a good way.

The most disturbing film I'd ever seen was Boxing Helena...

A surgeon becomes obsessed with the seductive woman he once had an affair with. Refusing to accept that she has moved on, he amputates her limbs and holds her captive in his mansion.

...until Sunday, when we watched something called The Human Centipede...

A mad scientist kidnaps and mutilates a trio of tourists in order to reassemble them into a new "pet"-- a human centipede, created by stitching their mouths to each others' rectums.

Let me just tell you, you don't want to be the middle person in that arrangement. I see there is a Human Centipede II and that III is going to be released in 2013. Wow. We can blame this one on the Dutch, but Boxing Helena was a US production, so there's blame to go around on these things.

Rent them and see the train wreck. You can't look away. Plus it's pretty entertaining to heckle them. There's even a fun Human Centipede drinking game!

...6. If someone poos in someone else's mouth you have to pour your drink in the person on your left's mouth, preferably until they chunder...

LOL

Patrick's Saturday Six

1. What canned vegetable do you have the most of in your pantry?
Corn, because twice I bought cans for a recipe and then didn't end up making it. I don't serve canned corn at all, so it will be sitting there until I make this silly recipe... twice.

2. What flavor of salad dressing do you have the most of in your refrigerator?
Brianna's Blush Wine Vinaigrette - THE best

3. Do you prefer butter, margarine or a butter substitute?
I prefer butter, because it's natural, but it's not spreadable, so I usually use tub margarine for spreading.

4. Which kind of cooking oil do you use the most?
canola

5. Take the test: Do You Eat Like a Liberal or a Conservative?
You Eat Like a Conservative
You may or may not be a political conservative, but studies show you sure eat like one. You gravitate toward comfort foods and classics. And you don't waste your time with fancy food trends. You prefer to eat what's tried and true. You get annoyed with people who have hangups about what's healthy. Pass the mac and cheese, meatloaf, fried chicken, and apple pie. Your tastes are all-American as they come!

6. Not counting water, how many different kinds of drinks are there in your refrigerator?
five- OJ, 2% milk, skim milk, wine, decaf tea

Pretty Saturday!

2011-10-22T11:21:00.002-05:00

Love this... from Facebook this morning...

Saturday 9: The Last DJ

1. Who was your favorite DJ and what radio station did you listen to as a kid?
My favorite DJ as a kid was Casey Kasem. American Top Forty, baby! I listened to Top 40 stations in Houston (can't remember any DJs there, maybe Lori can help me out)... KILT, as a kid. They went country at some point and I switched to KRBE and KKBQ through high school.

2. What has been the weirdest thing you have worn in public?
Summer before sophomore year of high school... John, Cathy and I went to see Grease II. I wore jeans and a t-shirt, with a tied bandana as a belt. John was typically dressed very "80's dance club" and made frequent attempts to coax me into an edgier style. When he came to pick me up that day, he convinced me to double my makeup and add a bunch of wrapped and tied bandanas up and down my legs. I was practically immobile. Cathy almost got a hernia trying not to laugh when she met us at the theater.

3. What was the best part of last weekend?
A&M/Baylor football game at Kyle Field. Whoop!

4. What was the most effective punishment for you as a kid?
Pointing out the natural consequences of my actions, and letting me suffer them. That was far more effective than any spanking or grounding would have been.

5. Would you lie to your significant other to not hurt their feelings?
Not about anything that mattered.

6. We're taking your order for breakfast. What would you like?
eggs Benedict, fresh fruit, OJ

7. Do you celebrate Halloween? If yes, do tell. If no, why not?
We rarely have or attend a party, but we do celebrate in some way each year.

8. Do you hand out candy to the neighborhood kids?
Yes! So fun!

9. What's the favorite age you've been, so far?
Without associating it with whatever was going on at the time (which would more accurately be "the best year of your life"), I would say 34 is a great age. Old enough to know what you want and have the confidence and experience to go for it, and past the scrimp-and-save years.

Day at the Museum(s)

2011-10-21T10:18:00.004-05:00

Just caught a few minutes of Regis (well, Josh Groban) and Kelly's interview with Orlando Bloom. He was talking about filming The Hobbit in New Zealand. (yay!) Also mentioned the LOTR cast and crew's LOTR tattoos, which each person got on a different part of their body. Wondering where Viggo's is... No, don't Google it for me. Just let me imagine.

Doug and I went to the LBJ Library and Bullock Museum yesterday. Love both places!

ScottK had educated Jeff and me on the history of the "Come and Take It" flag of Gonzales last weekend. It came up because of the A&M/Baylor/SEC thing... can't tell you how we got from one subject to the other, but there you go. So, we were woefully unfamiliar with the story of the cannon, etc. Well, there was a replica flag on display at the Bullock.

Then there were a hundred different souvenirs of that flag in the gift shop. Ha! It's everywhere...

Then we toured The Austonian and a couple of their one-bedroom condos. Well, Doug toured and I was along as the friend who critiques everything. (Where was House Hunters?!) That place is beeeeeeautiful!! Top of the line finishes and materials. Amazing views. Spacious public areas on the top two floors- 55 and 56. It's so impressive.

Then we hung out at the W and had drinks in their ubercool bar. Fun day!

Friday Five

1. What non-food items are in your refrigerator or freezer?
rocket glue in the fridge

2. What non-book items are on your bookshelves?
games, memorabilia, travel souvenirs, clocks

3. What song or album in your music collection doesn’t fit in with your usual tastes?
50 Cent- "Candy Shop"

4. What item in your wardrobe really doesn’t match anything else?
A really flowy, metal-beaded at the waist, translucent, animal print top. I've worn it twice.

5. What scar on your body did you receive in the unlikeliest of ways?
I have a teensy one on my hand from when our cat Ernie bit me years ago.

ETA... I remember how we got from SEC to the Battle of Gonzales. At the game, there was a student with a sign that was an SEC/A&M flag with "Come and Take It" written across it.

BTW...

2011-10-20T11:08:00.001-05:00

Pass it on. Lauren and I want to have shirts made. :) Ryan Swope ROCKS.

People's Choice Awards Nominee Nominations

2011-10-20T07:43:00.008-05:00

The Bloggess has organized a very successful write-in campaign for Wil Wheaton to be a nominee for Favorite TV Guest Star (Big Bang Theory) at the People's Choice Awards website, where they are currently taking votes for 2012.

#OccupyPeoplesChoiceAwards
#wheretheresawiltheresaway
#ItsTheWilofthePeople
#wilwheatonwoulddoitforyou
#WeWilOvercome

Write in Wil Wheaton and vote here!

Then go through the previous categories or choose "Favorite Movie Icon" from the links below that, and vote for George Clooney. You know you want to.

Telephone Soliciting- Argh

2011-10-19T13:48:00.005-05:00

I ranted about telephone solicitors at a party several years ago. It was an animated, soapbox sort of rant, where I may have even used a mild four-letter-word or two. At the end, one of the parents of a friend of my daughter's said, "I'm a telephone solicitor, and..." I thought he was joking, but unfortunately he was not. Love those moments, right?

I was a telemarketer myself for a couple of months when I was 16, selling papers for the Houston Post at a call center. It was a miserable job for me, because all I could think was how flippin' annoying I was. During training, the main rule of the sell was to keep talking and never hang up before the other person did. That insures that they are literally forced to either purchase the newspaper or hang up on you. Most people feel hanging up on someone is rude, so they won't do it. (Never mind that it was rude of me to call you at home to give you a random sales pitch.) Well, I sold a LOT of papers by following that rule.

Almost every phone call we receive on our land line now is a solicitation call. Most are charities. I have a strict no-donate policy for any charity that asks for donations via telephone. Jeff donates to almost all of them, so they continue calling, and will ask for him and not speak to me at all. That would be fine with me, other than Jeff isn't home most of the time the phone is ringing off the wall. The ones that really piss me off are the ones who say, "Hey! Is Jeff around?" like they're some buddy of his. I used to be fooled and talk to them or hand them off to Jeff. No more. Now I don't answer any call that is from someone I don't know.

I've told most of these charities to stop calling, but they don't. They are not subject to the no-call list, so they just keep calling. Totally annoying. I'm talking almost daily calls from two organizations, along with the countless others.

The other large group of calls are from polling companies, who are also not included in the no-call list. Political groups, mostly.

The remainder are companies who shouldn't be calling me at all. To fix that, I would have to file complaints with the FCC, which requires a ton of paperwork and tracking times, dates, names, etc. (I started that process with Strand Brothers, with their completely obnoxious and constant calls the past couple of years. Jeff didn't think their calls were a big deal, so I had him switch our contact number to his cell phone. Now he's fielding their ridiculous calls. Works for me!)

The real answer to the sales and polling calls? I could eliminate the land line, but then I have to give my cell number to businesses. What's more annoying than sales calls at home? Sales calls on my cell. I'm thinking of turning off the ringers to the land line, and having that number go straight to the answering machine. Maybe I'll do exactly that.

So if you are still calling on my land line, please direct all calls to my cell. Or you can leave a message and I'll get back with you!

Growing Up

2011-10-18T14:46:00.025-05:00

In every parent's life, there comes a moment when their 17-nearly-18-year-old child makes an inevitable, utterly palpable and conspicuous move towards independence and adulthood. You may shed a tear of pensive melancholy, proud joy and the shocking realization that reading glasses and a colonoscopy are right around the corner for you. Yesterday was that moment here...

Lauren got her own iTunes account.

Yes. It's true. No more sharing our library. No more individual syncs of two iPhones on my computer. She's got all her own songs and apps on her own computer and her credit card on her account. She loves it! I think one last annoying hiccup during a sync between the new iTunes 10.5 and iOS 4, which she still had, frustrated her into finally making the move. She has been talking about it for a while. Now her stuff is her own.

A funny (mis)step in the process- the first thing I did was copy all the non-DRM music files from our playlist of all "her" songs to a folder on a shared drive. At least that is what I thought I was doing. What I did was copy all the music files from the entire iTunes library to my DESKTOP. 3000 songs. I was toodling along, doing other things while it was copying, and closed one of my windows and saw all the icons splattered across my screen on the desktop. I thought, WTF is happening?!

It was something to see. I did manage to stop it before all the songs were copied.

Anyway, now our iTunes separation is officially done. Awwwwww...

I forgot to mention Monday that Gumbo's has the best calamari ever!! I am a huge fan of calamari, and good fried calamari is pretty difficult to find. It can get rubbery in a New York minute, and there is a whole breading-to-squid ratio that has to be maintained. Gumbo's calamari is cut into huge fried-cheese-stick-sized sticks, rather than the typical skinny circles and legs. (Although legs rock, and are best for freaking out people at the table who won't touch squid with a ten foot pole.) The taste and texture of the calamari itself is to die for. They taste almost like scallops when they are prepared as these thick chunks.

The breading is a thicker consistency than the typically wispy coating of little calamari slices, which matches perfectly with the slabs. Theirs has a fabulous seasoning, providing perfect flavor for the otherwise naturally bland seafood. I convinced the people at the next table to get an order and they ooh-ed and ahh-ed over it as much as we did!

Real Housewives of NJ Reunion- Part 1

2011-10-17T10:49:00.004-05:00

...and other stuff. Goes without saying, but sometimes I throw it in for the newbies.

From Clients From Hell...

http://clientsfromhell.net/post/11484693921/me-so-what-do-you-want-the-website-to-be

Heh.

Kathy and I had lunch at Gumbo's @Bee Cave yesterday. They have a fabulous outside bar area overlooking a pond with ducks and swans and turtles and a giant swimming snake. *shiver* The weather was sunny and cool and gorgeous! Then we shopped at the always-fun outdoor Hill Country Galleria across the street. (I couldn't get her to go to Ides of March, despite my very enthusiastic pitch.) She got some Christmas shopping done. She's like the old me! The recent me has not even a list going at this point.

The fam watched Real Housewives of NJ reunion show (Part 1) last night. Teresa used to be one of my favorite people on there and now I think she's a pissy, self-centered woman who takes no responsibility for her part in any situation. She glued on a fake smile for the entire last season. It doesn't disappear, even when she's seething about something. It's just plain old creepy.

"Watch out. I'm about to throw a table at you."

Jacqueline is still my favorite (missed her on the reunion show- :( ). She's got that optimistic outlook and sense-of-humor about stuff. Caroline and her hubby are a great couple and I love to observe how she's dealing with the whole empty-nest thing. Melissa is adorable with her beautiful outfits and is always trying to help Joe mend things with his family. Remember my favorite top of the season?

SO CUTE.

You know, my favorite thing about Melissa is actually that she films sometimes without any makeup. It's cool that she doesn't feel she needs that all the time, even for TV.

Kathy is refreshingly "real" with her voice-of-reason observations and her stay-at-home-mom things and struggling with the decision to go back to work.

I guess every Real Housewives series needs their Teresa, to keep things ~~batshit crazy~~ interesting.

Fantastic Football Day

2011-10-16T11:06:00.002-05:00

What a game yesterday!! Best part- when we really pulled ahead and after touchdowns we all started chanting SEC! SEC! SEC! And the crowd reaction when the SEC/A&M commercial played on the big screen. It was perfect. Thanks for trying to block our school from leaving the conference with your legal mumbo-jumbo, Baylor. SEC-ya' later.

And Scott had a great time. Yay! Hope he doesn't accidentally let out a "WHOOP!" at his Amherst/Williams game-watching event next month.

Sunday Stealing: The Questions Galore Meme, Part 2

21. What was the last song you listened to that wasn’t sung in English?
Does Enrique Iglesias' "Bailamos" count? ...te quiero amor mio... If not, then last week I watched an old TV performance of NSYNC's "Yo Te Voy Amar".

22. One of our SS players generally leaves a critical comment on our memes. Which is fine. All's fair. Do you let meme authors know when you hate their memes?
Nope. I just don't do them.

23. What TV show would you like to be on?
American Idol. As a judge.

24. What was the last video game you played?
Guitar Hero a few months ago

25. Have you ever been in a musical? If yes, do tell.
Several school musicals, from 3rd grade to 12th grade. My first role in 3rd grade, I was Raggedy Ann in a Christmas musical, where the toys came to life. My senior year, I was a Bluebird Girl (Can-Can dancer and singer) in Carnival. My biggest musical role was Aunt Polly in Tom Sawyer in 5th grade.

26. Do you follow your own style or everyone else’s?
I'm not putting together really "out there" outfits or anything, so I guess I'm following the normal style du jour.

27. What’s the last store you bought from?
Target

28. In retrospect, have you ever let a person use you a lot?
Gosh I hope not.

29. What are you doing two days from now?
Spending the day at the LBJ Library and Bullock Museum with Doug.

30. Did you ever believe there were monsters in your closet?
Yep. Mostly, I was afraid of things under my bed though.

31. When you graduated high school, did you let random people sign your yearbook or just close friends?
No random people. Only friends and acquaintances.

32. Would you consider adopting a child that had a mental illness?
Yes

33. Does thinking about death scare you?
Yes, as it should.

34. If you died, do you believe that you go to Heaven or Hell and where would your spirit go?
Heaven. No giggles from the Peanut Gallery.

35. Who did you last write a snail mail letter to and why?
I don't remember the last snail mail letter I wrote.

36. Do you care what people say or think about you?
To an extent. I care what people who are close to me think about me. I want to know what others think, but their opinions don't affect me as much.

37. Have you ever been threatened?
I was almost smacked by a guy once. I have never been even remotely inclined to lay a finger on anyone in anger, but I would have beat the ever-loving sh*t out of him if he had touched me.

38. Which side of your family do you get most of your qualities from?
Good question! Probably my mom's. But there is a lot of my dad's side as well.

39. What was the last thing with alcohol that you drank?
a margarita at Kathy's last weekend

40. Have you ever kept a relationship a secret?
Nah.

Separate iCloud and Shared iTunes Store

2011-10-15T06:45:00.006-05:00

OK. The iCloud threw me for a loop, but I've figured it out with the help of many people on boards across the web, who were trying to figure it out themselves. Here's the boiled-down deal for someone like me, who shares an Apple ID with other family members to share apps and music purchased via iTunes...

Keep the shared Apple ID for iTunes purchases. Then each person in the family needs to have a different unique Apple ID for use with the iCloud. That will keep each of your files, contacts, backups, etc. separate while you can still share music and apps.

I think. I haven't had time to try it yet, but it's supposed to work. Unfortunately you can't experiment and jack around with your Apple IDs, because you have to wait 90 days to reassign an Apple ID to a device.

Here's a very basic article with most of the stuff I learned from skimming the net. (A hazard of downloading the first day.)

http://gigaom.com/apple/icloud-101-apple-ids-and-your-ios-device/

Saturday 9: Mrs. Potter's Lullaby

1. Adam Duritz (writer and lead singer of Counting Crows) mentions previous girlfriends in songs. In Mrs. Potter's Lullaby he sings “There a little piece of Maria in every song I sing”. Is there a piece of an ex that will always be a part of you?
Of course. JohnH gave me a deep appreciation of all different types of people, most of whom I would never have met, but for his expansive and wildly diverse social circle. Evans' philosophical and laid-back nature rubbed off on me... a bit! :D

2. Who was your very first significant friend?
Kristen Duteny in kindergarten

3. What are four (4) things you hope to do this weekend?
celebrate a victory at the A&M/Baylor game
see Ides of March
hang out with KathyL
figure out my iCloud stuff

4. What do you consider to be the main purpose of your blog?
free-form writing, with very occasional helpful or entertaining information

5. Tell us something that you've never before written about in your blog because it's too personal.
Ahahahaahaaaaaaa!! I think I've covered just about everything. Well, anything that might embarrass my daughter a LOT, I wouldn't say here.

6. If you could choose your doctor, do you prefer someone of the same or opposite sex?
If I have absolutely no other information or recommendation, I go with a guy. My only current female doc is my OB/GYN. She rocks!

7. If you could dream about anything tonight, what would the subject matter be?
George. Clooney.

8. How do you react to practical jokes when they're played on you?
I'm usually very embarrassed (which encourages people to do these things again), but I laugh along with everyone else!

9. What's on your agenda for the upcoming week?
We have a big Foundation event on Thursday night!

GIG 'EM AGS! BTHO BAYLOR!!

TGIF

2011-10-14T07:12:00.004-05:00

Interesting phone call on Kim Iverson's radio show last night. A girl's boyfriend had gone out of town and met up with his ex-girlfriend and they ended up sleeping together. While he was there, she had slept with a guy at home. When he later confessed to her about the incident and apologized and said he wouldn't do it again and he wanted to stay together, she told him that she also slept with someone that weekend.

That's when he freaked out and called her names and broke up with her. The girl said it wasn't fair, that she didn't understand why he has this double standard, etc. Kim said two things- the first of which I think we all know:

1) Most guys are able to have sex with no emotional connection to a person, "just for fun," whereas women typically have to have feelings for the guys they're with. So a man assumes if his girlfriend had sex with someone, she has an emotional connection to that guy.

2) One element of sex for men is a feeling of conquest, so there is a second reason for him to be upset... another guy came in and "conquered" his girlfriend.

Never thought of the power issue. It's sort of sick and hot at the same time, isn't it ladies?

I have to add that Kim said his reaction was completely inappropriate. Kim was just suggesting reasons he might see her transgression as more serious than his own.

One of the best songs from Evita- "Requiem for Evita/What a Circus". Check out this amazing clip from Andrew Lloyd Webber's bday celebration in 1999:

(Antonio is... whoa so cute)

...Mourning all day and mourning all night
Falling over ourselves to get all of the misery right...

Genious lyricist Tim Rice.

Ever wonder what entertainment would be like without lyricists and choreographers?

*snort*

The Austin Chronicle's Best of Austin 2011 is out!

Kathy's Urologist Adventure

2011-10-13T10:50:00.002-05:00

This must be what it's like for guys when they come with us to the OB/GYN. Only the reverse is more Tim Burton-esque.

I can't tell this story without the total-TMI background story (Lauren is cringing as she reads this, I'm sure), so... I was having very minor UTI symptoms. The labs didn't show that I had any infection, so after a couple of weeks, my doc sent me to a urologist, to see if they wanted to do a cystoscopy, where they look into my bladder with a camera. Sounds pleasant, no? I grudgingly went.

A urologist sees people with kidney and bladder problems, but also is the primary doc for men and their "man issues" like the OB/GYN is for women. We start going to our doc at 18. Men start going to theirs at 50. Not fair. But I digress.

In the waiting room, there were three other women and about fifteen men. Two of the women were just there with their husbands. Unlike the OB/GYN waiting room, where there are flowers and soft music and pamphlets about pregnancy, beauty products and healthy lifestyle, the urologist waiting room has just a bland gray wall of pamphlets on prostatitis, erectile dysfunction and vasectomy.

The nurse asked me to leave a urine sample. The OB/GYN bathroom is a pristine place, with pretty scents and touchless trash cans. This bathroom was a nightmare. If I didn't go in with an infection, I was pretty sure I would have one before I left. Really guys... peeing in a cup is FAR easier for you than for me. A little aim goes a long way. A bunch of packaged antibacterial wipes had fallen on the floor and were left there. I didn't even want to touch the pens for labeling the cup. Didn't want to get near the toilet seat, which was up of course. I'm not a germophobe, but I did a lot of hand washing throughout that process... with their rough, industrial paper towels.

In the examination room, where there is usually a whole-body anatomy chart at the regular doc or a pregnancy or female anatomy chart at the OB/GYN, there was one of a man and all his man parts. After studying it (hey- I've never seen the chart), I checked out all the equipment. Every piece of electronics in the room had some sort of long tube on it, for going up this or that. Frightening.

Luckily, the urologist didn't even examine me. He said he didn't have any reason to do a cystoscopy. I don't have the symptoms anymore, and he said it was probably just irritation from something I ate or drank. I couldn't get out of there fast enough. After I left, I just needed a hot shower and a chick flick!

Boybands and College Sports

2011-10-12T07:34:00.005-05:00

I was perusing some backup disks yesterday and found a treasure trove of stuff from the boyband fansite days! It would take a couple of weeks to go through it all, but I did read, ogle and listen to tons of files. I've got thousands of photos, vids, sound files, songs, song parodies, screencaps, desktop backgrounds, archived online chats, our website interviews, site graphics- just a ginormous grab bag of media. SO FUN!

ScottK is going with us to the Baylor game. He's completely unaffiliated with any teams.. for any sport... anywhere. He has never been to a "real" football game in his life. Not sure most people should take their first NCAA football baby step with an intense experience like an Aggie game, but I think he's ready! And it's White Out for Wildfire Relief-- don't forget, attendees!

In a couple of weeks, Jeff and I are going to a UT volleyball game with Scott and Julie. Yes, you read that correctly. Julie said she would teach us all the "things" you're supposed to do at a game to support the Longhorns. She started demonstrating them. Scott jumped in to say that we may have fun attending a game, but we won't be into all the "things." I would say that's pretty accurate. And I promise not to wear an A&M shirt. Jim (die-hard Longhorn) inspired me with his stories of attending Aggie games when he lived in College Station for several years. I can do this!

Tuesday Stuff

2011-10-11T07:18:00.003-05:00

Allergan has a new commercial for a med that helps with something they call "chronic migraine," defined as 15 or more migraines a MONTH. That's positively nightmarish. I get about one migraine a year, and that's awful enough. I used to have a prescription for a barbiturate (Fiorinal), but since I get migraines so infrequently, I didn't have it with me when I was out of town several years ago. I had to use Excedrin Migraine, and guess what- it worked just as well! Much less hassle, safer and readily available anywhere. Try it if you haven't. As long as I take it before the aura goes away (first 30 minutes or so) I get no headache whatsoever. I have a slight nausea and sound/light sensitivity, but that is it. I've never had to take a second dose.

While I'm giving random handy hints... all those new "curling mascaras" curl your lashes because the applicator brush gets mascara all the way around your lashes. To do it with whatever mascara you already own, just coat the top and bottom of your lashes. Ta da!! It really works.

Well, I added a Facebook page for my hobby website, encouraging everyone currently getting weekly updates via my Yahoo group to switch over. I was thinking probably 85% would move and I could just ditch the Yahoo group. Yeah, about 15% made the switch. So now my website has a Yahoo Group, a Facebook page and a blog. I really need to stop there. Sorry Twitter.

This weekend I did a survey meme that asked my current favorite commercial. Lauren reminded me it's actually this Chili's one:

Well, mostly the first five seconds. I've been saying, "It's singeing me!" for several weeks now, whenever the sun is frying my skin- quite a lot during the 100+-degree OSU game a couple of weeks ago.

(That is the correct spelling of "singeing." Yes, I did have to make sure. :) )

Happy Columbus Day

2011-10-10T10:35:00.001-05:00

(Ha! Thanks Shane!)

Gotta love a three-day weekend. Hope you are all enjoying your day off, too... if you have it! :)

Aggies WIN!

2011-10-09T08:32:00.004-05:00

I don't know that I've ever watched an A&M football game with UT fans. Oh, there was last year when Scott and Julie came over for the A&M/t.u. game on Thanksgiving, but Scott didn't go to UT and Julie only went for grad school, so she's not a real Longhorn. She's not even into football. Her support was half-hearted at best.

Last night I was at Shawn's (T-sip) with Laura (T-sip) and Rich ('sip), and Shawn's friend Clay (T-sip) and his wife Mary Jane (Vanderbilt- see ya next year!). We watched the A&M/Tech game because Shawn asked if I wanted to and I said, "Hell YES." Surrrrrrrrounded by them- not an Aggie in the room, but me. They were all very nice, I must admit. Clay was actually supporting us because he had a bet riding on the score (A&M within 5.5- so yay), but I'll take that.

And hey- I did watch the t.u./OU game earlier in the day.

I wasn't my typical Aggie-watching self. I managed to stay in my seat most of the time and keep my voice to a medium volume. SO glad we won that one, and played a second half unlike the prior two weeks. Gig 'em!!!

Patrick's Saturday Six

1. Describe your favorite old portrait of yourself: how old were you when the portrait was made and what were you doing?
When I was 3, my mom had a whole set of portraits made of me. This is one of the outtakes that she kept. My dress is dorked up, but the photo is very "me." Just a little silly at an otherwise very formal photo session.

2. Of the photos of people you have on display in your home, what percentage of them would you estimate have you in the photo?
20%

3. Which do you prefer in a portrait in terms of background: a solid color, a textured color, or a very scenic background?
textured color

4. Which do you prefer in a portrait: the subject smiling, looking serious or looking like they’re in thought?
smiling :)

5. Which do you prefer in a portrait: the subject making eye contact with the lens or not making eye contact with the lens?
making eye contact

6. You see a portrait of someone — male or female — who is in exceptionally good physical shape: how likely is that photo to make you take action to get in better shape yourself?
unlikely- and if I can tell someone is in great shape from a portrait, they're probably a bit more muscular than I prefer

Watch Your Step

2011-10-08T10:20:00.005-05:00

OK, so, picture this if you will...

Last night, Jeff was supposed to help KathyL move her extremely large couch from her living room to her garage, so that her gorgeous new couch, arriving this morning, has an empty spot to reside upon delivery. Well, he got a blister on his hand when he got home from work last night from digging a hole to try to fix a leak in our sprinkler system, so I helped her instead.

The couch is not light, but it's more humongous than heavy. We slid it easily across her floor with those little glider things. Then we tipped it onto its back to get through the front door. On its back, we lifted it and she led the way out, walking backwards. We went down the front porch step onto the walk that leads to the driveway.

Only there isn't just one step. There are TWO.

Blindly, I took a step onto what I thought was flat walkway, and started an extreeeeeeeme sloooooow-mooooootion tumble into Kathy's beautiful landscaping. As I was going down, along with my end of the mammoth couch, after my life passed before my eyes, I remembered that Kathy lives on a very steep hill. I continued my snail-paced descent into the plants, picturing myself rolling all the way down that hill and into the street below.

Splat. I fell flat onto the daylilies. BOOM. The giant couch fell into its upright state next to me. My head was downhill from my feet, and the couch was right alongside me, so I could barely move to even attempt to get up. Kathy was asking me if I was OK, and I knew I had scraped the ever-loving crap out of my leg on the steps, but the worst of it was my stomach muscles that were hurting from laughing. She had to literally pull me, uphill, out of the plants.

I could not... stop... laughing. We did get the couch into the garage. Then we had wine.

And now... a PSA: A reminder, not just to Hank, but to all those on both sides of the aisle who rant about things and are surprised when it comes back to bite them -- The First Amendment protects you from legal prosecution. It does not protect you from repercussions for things you say. It's your right to say it, and my right to be pissed off, and vice versa.

Saturday 9: Someday We'll Be Together

1. Have you ever left a relationship but knew that eventually you'd get back together?
No, I never assumed I was getting back together with anyone after the relationship was over. Once it was over, I figured it was over.

2. Are there things that you hate to buy? Items that you either hate to spend perfectly good money on or hate to spend the time it takes to buy them?
I hate to buy lightbulbs. It seems I'm always buying them. Our ceiling fan bulbs go out far too often.

3. What is your favorite cartoon show and why?
Spongebob. It's family-friendly, unlike some of my other cartoon shows (Family Guy, Archer...), and I think it is hilarious most of the time. The older ones are, as is typical for most shows, more hilarious than the newer ones.

4. Are you anywhere close to doing what you wanted to do as a kid?
Somewhat. I always wanted to be a stay-at-home mom while my children were young, like my mom did. I've been a stay-at-home mom for longer than I imagined. Career-wise... somewhat as well. I wanted to be a doctor, but I am far too squeamish for it. I majored in a health-related field and took a job in another health-related field.

5. Now that you're in the "real world," is your current job now really what you want to do for a living? If not, what would you ultimately like to do?
My passion would be to work at a university as a scholarship/financial aid administrator, helping students get money to go to school.

6. A local university has asked you to teach a class about the one thing you know the most about. What would you be teaching and what would the name of the course be?
Broadway Musicals 101

7. Commercials ... they can make us laugh or can annoy the heck out of us. Tell us about your favorite commercial and/or a commercial you simply loathe.
My fave is still this one...

8. Tell us about your favorite comedy movie of all time.
So many... I'll go with Princess Bride

9. Tell us about your favorite black and white movie of all time.
Sort of cheating here, but Young Frankenstein

OK, Now it's Friday

2011-10-07T07:49:00.001-05:00

Well, since the judge didn't impose an injunction, today is supposed to be the launch day for the new Timeline profiles on Facebook. I read somewhere that the Timeline folks' lawsuit against Facebook serves them right, after FB sued sites like Teachbook for the letters B-O-O-K. Ahhhhh HA! What goes around...

But yay. I may get to use my football-themed cover art.

New landscaping:

It looks SO GOOD! The centerpiece of the layout is the Japanese Maple near the front door. Very pretty. Had to trust the designer on that one.

Friday Five

1. What’s better the sloppier it gets?
No comment. :)

2. Who gets more beautiful the angrier he or she gets?
I don't think any of us are more "beautiful" when we're angry, but I think always-chipper types of guys can be "sexy" when they're angry... like...George Clooney. (Ides of March... in theaters now! Something tells me George isn't in the film as much as the trailer suggests. Hoping that's not true.)

3. What turns out better when it’s less planned or less organized?
Going out with a group, like for happy hour. An impromptu "hey, let's all hit Chuy's after work" is better than an email sent out Thursday with a time to meet on Friday.

4. When do less focus, less motivation, and less determination mean more success?
When you're trying to take a nap.

5. When is impatience a virtue?
When a loved one needs help, a la Terms of Endearment... "GIVE MY DAUGHTER THE SHOT!!!"

Feels Like Friday

2011-10-06T08:16:00.011-05:00

It's only Thursday?? Not only does it feel like Friday-- it feels like NEXT Friday.

OK, I spent a few hours designing a fancy Facebook cover art image revolving around A&M Football. It's only relevant through about Thanksgiving, and they can't roll out the new Timeline profiles because some company is suing FB over the name. Oy. Come on, y'all! Don't make me start working on a Christmas graphic.

My house is notoriously difficult to find for some reason. We are on a normal, residential street. Not sure why the confusion exists, but everyone has the same complaint. Well, thanks to the electric company, it's currently well-marked with neon orange spray paint and little orange flags! You cannot miss it.

Let the landscaping begin!!