The Disney Meme

Varsity took 1st place at guard competition yesterday, and JV got 2nd! Flippin' awesome! It's always fun to watch them, and especially to watch them take the whole thing in awards. There are a lot of exceptional programs out there, too. Good competition!

Ahhh. A survey near and dear to my heart. I'm a bit of a Disney junkie...

Sunday Stealing: Harriet's Choice: The Disney Meme

1. Which non-Disney-Princess Disney Film is your favorite?
Toy Story

2. Which Disney film makes you cry the most?
Pooh's Grand Adventure. Christopher Robin is going off to school for the first time. He's scared to go and the characters all mistakenly think he's missing, so they're afraid they'll never see him again. So sad! Plus it's one of the ones Lauren and I watched to death when she was 2-3 years old. A sentimental favorite. I cry at all of them though.

3. Which Disney film makes you the happiest?
Finding Nemo

4. Which Disney film has the best music?
The Little Mermaid

5. Which Disney film has the best love story?
Beauty and the Beast

6. Who is your favorite Disney Princess?
Belle from Beauty and the Beast

7. Who is your favorite Disney Prince?
Prince Eric from The Little Mermaid

8. Who is your favorite Disney animal sidekick?
Tigger

9. Who is your favorite Disney main character animal?
Winnie the Pooh

10. Who is your favorite villain?
Gaston from Beauty and the Beast. OMG. So funny. My 2nd fave is Shere Khan the tiger from The Jungle Book.

11. What is your favorite Disney song?
"Part of Your World" from The Little Mermaid

12. What is your favorite Disney villain song?
"Gaston" from Beauty and the Beast

13. What is your favorite Disney animal song?
"I Just Can't Wait to Be King" from The Lion King

14. What is your favorite Disney Princess song?
"Reflection" from Mulan

15. What is your favorite Disney Prince song?
"Prince Ali" from Aladdin

16. What is your favorite Disney Prince/Princess duet song?
"A Whole New World" from Aladdin

17. What is your favorite Disney love song?
"A Whole New World" from Aladdin

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OHNO, He DID!!!

Before we go to the daily Olympic Report-- in a political correctness display of epic proportions, local news anchors were stoic last night during a video of drag queens running a relay in high heels for an AIDS benefit in Australia. Awkward. Barely a smile from any of the four of them. Come on! They are wearing spiky heels and running a race! Not even a giggle? Please.

Ohnoooooooooooooooooo!!! Whee! He was robbed on that silver though. Jimmy Fallon is hilarious and adorable (yet sometimes incredibly annoying, how is that?), and I stole my blog post title from him. "Ohno, he di'nt?? Ohno, he DID!" Ahaha.

And how 'bout that USA hockey team?! Gold medal matchup with Canada on Sunday. I can't wait!

The guard website (a section of the band site, but they're calling it a site, so... eh) is up, with minimal content at the moment. Among a gajillion other things, I await photos from a parent. I'll take some pics today, too, so maybe I can just use my own.

Next up, I will be producing the color guard recruitment video!! I am very excited.

In Facebook news... it just isn't working in Firefox since sometime last night. For me, anyway. And in God-forsaken IE, there isn't a functional version of Flash, so I can't just bounce over there and use it either, because Mafia Wars requires it. GRR!!! $%%#*@!!!


Saturday 9: Should I Stay or Should I Go

1. Have you ever been on a date and you had to tell the person to just go away?
I may have needed to, but I wouldn't do that. It's only a few hours. Even my worst date ever, I made it through.

2. Do you wish you were someplace else right now? If yes, where?
No, I'm good here. But if I were to be anywhere else today, it would be Vancouver!

3. Do you have any pet peeves?
arrogance and cronyism... wait, those are my complaints about the governor. People who are always late.

4. Tell us about a guilty pleasure of yours.
I used to say American Idol, but we haven't watched in a couple of weeks. Maybe I'll get back into it. So I will say... red wine and chocolate together. Although, why should one ever feel guilty about that.

5. If you could change places and become a celebrity, who would you'd like to be?
Maybe Gwyneth Paltrow? She seems to have a healthy balance between career and motherhood, and she's married to a guy in a rock band. Very cool. And for being such a skinny girl, she has a great butt.

6. What do you consider your biggest talent?
writing song lyrics

7. Do you have a favorite actor/actress that is not a big star, yet they are your favorite?
Not really. I only like the big stars.

8. Name your five favorite rock bands of all time.
Rock, huh. Let's see... The Police, U2, Bon Jovi, REM, No Doubt

9. If you were to start a new relationship (for whatever reason), how much of your sexual history would you share? Would you resort to lying?
I'd share anything he wants to know. I've never seen the point of lying about that, which probably tells you that I am not an outlier on the average spectrum of sexual histories. Or, at least I don't think I am.

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Friday Five: Comparisons

Yesterday, Jack introduced me to Redneck Spanglish, an east Texas variation of High School Spanish. LOL. I love it.

While watching Olympic men's freestyle aerials last night, we had some suggestions for rules changes, one of them being starting waaaaaaay up the hill. They start halfway down! Just imagine the Hurricane Peterson could have done if he started at the top of something like the ski jumping large hill. And I think, instead of a deduction, they should get a bonus for a wheelie.

Another NBC Olympic quote-- "Germans don't do well in poor weather conditions."

More men's hockey this afternoon!

Friday Five

1. What’s something you do more quickly than most people?
I am really fast at learning just about anything.

2. What’s something you do more carelessly than most people?
I'm not big into dressing for bad weather. Sometimes I don't put on my jacket when it's really cold, or I walk through the rain without an umbrella or even pulling up the hood of my coat. I've gone out to the (detached) garage countless times without shoes in the freezing cold. Unless I'm going to a football game or something for an extended period of time, I just suck it up.

3. What’s something you do more slowly than most people?
Read a fiction book. I haven't read a book in one or two sittings since high school. Most of the time, I eventually forget what I last read because it's been so long, and I stop reading the book.

4. What’s something you do more carefully than most people?
Keep and check credit card receipts.

5. In what contexts are you more patient than most people?
I'm exceptionally patient with children. I actually tend to be impatient with most everything else. :)

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Olympics Etc.

So the NBC quote of the day is: "The Germans are the best at the sliding sports." Heh. No comment.

USA Men's Hockey-- BOO-YAH!!!

And Evan Lysacek continues to kill Plushenko with kindness. Keep it up, dude. You rock.

I hate to mention this.... but... okay, we've been watching "The Bachelor." We finally watched Monday's Women Tell All episode, and I about died laughing at one part. They were playing a montage of random clips of the girls talking about Tenley, how she is straight out of a Disney movie, like a princess with the birds and forest animals flittering around her. My favorite girl, Gia, one of the sweetest contestants ever, who is 26 but looks like she could be 16, pops up in one clip and shockingly says, "That girl sh*ts rainbows." Bwahahahaaaaa! You should have seen Gia's face in the studio when they played the clip. She was SO embarrassed. Of course I like her all the more now.

Okay, I tried to find a pic of Gia to show you, but all I see is her half-nekkid Maxim shoot from a few years back, where she doesn't look all innocent the way I've described her at all. LOL

And finally, a little morning hilarity -- Introducing the Hot New Social Network, PhoneBook

Happy Thursday!!

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Snow

Joomla. Egads. Another website CMS that doesn't allow you to determine your own destiny. (99% of you have no idea what I'm talking about, but let me assure you, I'm not being overly dramatic about this.) I shall find a way to escape your Joomla-y chains and create my color guard website vision!! *shakes fist*

It snowed yesterday! BIG half-dollar-sized snowflakes. It stuck everywhere but the roads. The district didn't let the kids out of school, although Lauren's teachers let them go outside during a couple of classes. Nice.

The best part- many of my adult neighbors sledding down this really large hill a few blocks from us, while their kids were holed up in geometry and English. Woo!! I was surprised how many Austinites have actual sleds, although the cardboard box was also a popular option.

I got The Politician last night. It's pretty good so far.

Hockey today! USA! USA! USA!

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New Website Project

On Facebook, Lauren became a fan of "Not Flying Planes into Sh*t." LMAO

I'm designing a website for the color guard with the band site webmaster. It'll be a sub-site really. I know. I no longer enjoy creating websites and I have vowed to never do it again, and I stand by that... but I shall make one giant exception, as this site is for my baby's guard. :)

This project comes along during a week when I'm designing an ad for the Foundation AND making major updates to their website. Holy cats.

The newly popular "random webcam chatting" phenomenon weirds me out. I get that it would be interesting to see who pops up, however, it would not be worth the percentage of folks who would pop up naked or worse. Looking to make friends online? Join a message board.


Song Lyrics of the Day

...I've been looking in the mirror for so long
That I've come to believe my soul's on the other side...

Evanescence, "Breathe No More"

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USA! USA! USA!

USA men's hockey team defeated Canada! WOOO!!!

Laura's son and his friends participated in a local curling thing at the ice rink this weekend. They wanted to become the official Mexican Curling Team, and even declared a team name, El Ojo de Tigre. Then they found out Mexico already has a curling team. Who knew? I think they should keep the team and Laura and I will start up a curling event company and run events at colleges, selling curling tshirts and buttons and overpriced concessions to overzealous fans and competitors' parents.

With winter guard upon us, I am exposed to a plethora of wonderful music, much of which I have never heard, some of which are remixes or covers of songs I know. Although the trend this season seems to be ultra-modern shows with wonky instrumentals, some programs do still include lyrical ballads, one of my favorite styles for the art. From a show on Saturday, a remix of a popular Gavin DeGraw song...

Song Lyrics du Jour

Tonight you arrested my mind,
When you came to my defense
With a knife in the shape of your mouth
In the form of your body
With the wrath of a god
Oh you stood by me..... Belief.

Gavin DeGraw, "Belief"

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Sunday Stealing

Hopefully I'll get to see KathyL today. Saturday was her birthday! Happy bday!

Yesterday was a guard competition here in town, which you would think would be easier than the out-of-town ones, but it involves carpooling, and trips here and there for lunch, practices, etc., so it's an all-day affair. Normally we get somewhere and stay put for the duration. It was a statewide contest of an international organization, with a lot of innovative programs and terrific guards. Our girls got 6th in prelims, and kept their place in finals! So great! They're also beating out programs that were considered their toughest competition last year. They're particularly happy about that. Since their old rivals from San Antonio are now consistently placing below them, they're on the lookout for new ones.


Sunday Stealing: The Clown's Meme 2

34. What do you like about the summer?
Less traffic, no particular time to wake up (I get up at the same time anyway, but it's the principle), laid back mood

35. What do you like about spring?
warmer weather to be outside more, flowers, the smell of freshly cut grass

36. How many states/provinces have you lived in?
two- Texas and Kansas

37. What cities/towns have you lived in?
Worms, Germany; Pasadena, TX; Lenexa (Kansas City), KS;  Houston, TX; League City, TX, College Station, TX; Austin, TX

38. Do you prefer shoes, socks, or bare feet?
bare feet

39. Are you a social person?
yes

40. What was the last thing you ate?
a chocolate cupcake at Starbucks

41. What is your favorite restaurant?
Iron Cactus

42. What is your favorite ice cream?
mint chocolate chip

43. What is your favorite dessert?
Yogurt Planet's plain frozen yogurt, with banana slices and chocolate chips

44. What is your favorite kind of soup?
tortilla soup

45. What kind of jelly do you like on your PB & J sandwich?
seedless blackberry

46. Do you like Chinese food?
I do

47. Do you like coffee?
yes, with milk and sugar

48. How many glasses of water, a day, do you drink on average?
two

49. What do you drink in the morning?
water

50. What non-banking related card in your wallet is the most valuable to you?
Barnes & Noble membership card

51. Do you sleep on a certain side of the bed?
left side

52. Do you know how to play poker?
yep

53. Do you like to cuddle?
love to

54. Have you ever been to Canada?
Niagara Falls, Toronto, Halifax and St. John

55. Do you have an addictive personality?
not really

56. Do you eat out or at home more often?
at home

57. What do you miss about high school, if anything?
hanging out with my friends on the deck before school and at lunch

58. Do you know anyone with the same birthday as you?
nope

59. Do you want kids?
I have one! :D

60. Do you speak any other languages?
I speak High School Spanish and German Road Signs.

61. Have you ever gotten stitches?
a few times- all medical procedures though, no accidents

62. Have you ever ridden in an ambulance?
yep, when I passed out in Walmart. ...Fainting in Walmart does kind of qualify me as a LOSER... ;)

63. Do you prefer an ocean or a pool?
Ocean.

64. Do you prefer a window seat or an aisle seat?
aisle

65. Do you know how to drive stick?
yes

66. What is your favorite thing to spend money on?
home decor

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Saturday!

I missed the live Tiger Woods speech yesterday. Whew. Later, however, I was pummeled with commentary on what a news outlet actually called "The Day America Stood Still." Seriously? No, SERIOUSLY. *eye roll* It was the most fake speech ever. The timing and method of this "spectacle" makes him come across as massively arrogant.

Saturday 9: Don't Stand So Close to Me

1. Who would you like not to stand so close to you?
Preschoolers with runny noses. :) Aww, but they're so cute though!

2. Which of the following aspects of your life would you think rates the highest: mind, body or spirit?
Mind

3. What is your favorite movie line?
"Well maybe we should tell that to Rain Man, because he practically bankrupted a casino, and he was a ritard." Alan from The Hangover

4. What is your favorite movie title?
Zack and Miri Make a Porno

5. What is something that has happened to you that you would consider a miracle?
I've told just one person outside my immediate family my thoughts on this, because let's face it, thinking an actual miracle has occurred in your life is kinda kooky. But here ya go-- When I was 31 and twenty weeks pregnant with Michael, I presented with every recognizable symptom of an exceptionally deadly form of breast cancer called inflammatory breast cancer. It would have been my third bout with cancer, that time totally unrelated to the previous two. (Yeesh, right?)

My OB/GYN, my oncologist and my breast surgeon, all highly experienced specialists, each considered what they saw to be a positive diagnosis for all practical purposes, but I did have to have the biopsy as the beginning of the standard diagnosis and staging procedure. They were pretty candid in explaining to me that no other conditions really looked like that, and we were going to move quickly to figure out a treatment plan etc., especially considering the pregnancy.

When the biopsy result came back negative, the three of them were shocked and shaking their heads. They thought about doing another biopsy, but my surgeon felt he got a reasonable sample from the most affected area. He didn't understand the result, but he trusted it was a reliable one. I don't have a clue why such a thing would happen to me, but there really isn't an explanation for it resolving like that. Miracle or not, I am so very grateful that it turned out to be nothing.

6. What do you try to stay away from?
Cigarette smoke. Toxic people. Any discussion of Tiger Woods. Over-processed foods, except Slimfast and red diet Koolaid.

7. What is it too late for?
swine flu vaccine

8. Give someone credit for something and name it if you can.
I give my parents credit for fostering my great love of music. There was always some sort of music playing in our house. My mom was also an amazing pianist and singer. My dad sings as well, currently in a performance group in the German Club.

9. Would you rather be famous now and forgotten after you die or forgotten now and famous after you die, forever? And why?
Forgotten now and famous after I die. Everyone wants a legacy, right? And who wants to deal with the loss of privacy that comes with fame?

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Austin Makes CNN

Terrible tragedy yesterday in north Austin, with a loose screw flying a plane into an IRS office building.

Several out-of-town friends messaged me that Austin sure does seem to have more than its share of strange people, therefore I am obligated to point out that this airplane idiot was from California by way of the northeast. Another popular comment- software engineers are an odd lot anyway. Well, that I might agree with. *wink*

Also, a few fine, upstanding people I know and love said they agreed with some of the points in his website diatribe. I hate to agree with any of the rantings of a psychotic, but I do see some of his points as well. However, it does seem to me that he had been trying to avoid paying taxes since he was in his twenties. Pay your taxes, people. None of us gets to pick and choose what they spend our money on. So in the end, it's probably pretty fair. I pay for some of your dumb projects and you pay for some of mine that you think are equally ridiculous.

No one claims the American government is a perfect system, nor is any other on earth. You don't like it? There are countless ways to protest and make changes within the law. Or you could leave.

Let's also note that this nut job made it sound like he was in the poor house, yet he has a pilot's license and an airplane. Please.

I wrote the following yesterday morning, before all the hoo-ha at the Arboretum. Strangely it is related, as I feel the Californian similarly blamed his personal financial problems on everyone but himself...


Oh. My. Gawd. Yet another person declaring herself a victim when she was irresponsible and didn't repay her debts.

"Maybe half of it was my fault because I didn't look at the fine print," Dr. Bisutti says.

HALF?! Well ain't that big of you, Doctor. Take out hundreds of thousands in loans and then fail to pay. Then blame everyone else. It isn't anyone's fault but her own, and I hope she manages to pay that $1000 a month until she's 70. I have not one iota of sympathy for her. Most of us manage to pay our debts completely, and on time. Without a doctor's salary, I might add. And I don't see anyone jumping through hoops trying to reduce what we owe.

This country needs a kick in the pants, teaching some people what responsibility is.


On a happy note, Evan Lysacek won Gold last night in men's figure skating for the first time since Brian Boitano in 1988!! I talked about Brian during one of the performances, when a guy was doing something I thought Brian would do. (What would Brian Boitaaaaaaaano dooooooo? Is Southpark even on anymore? lol) Plushenko has an attitude problem, and although his jumps are fantastic, his skating is uninspired. So... HA. And Johnny Weir was robbed. Just sayin'.

The Friday Five- Clothes!

1. What if your favorite piece of clothing and how does it make you feel?
An amazing pair of dark wash jeans I got at Macy's. Cannot remember the brand to save my life. I wear them with boots and I feel sophisticated and trendy at the same time.

2. What was the most expensive article of clothing you ever bought?
A leather miniskirt I bought in London.

3. What is a current fashion trend you think look horrible?
Jeans and flip-flops.

4. What decade do you think had the best clothes?
I would say the 60s. Cigarette-leg pants, miniskirts, bright colors, go-go boots!

5. If you friends/family could throw away a single piece of your clothing, which do you think it would be and why?
I have one pair of sweatpants. They are enormous and I look awful in them. I only wear them around the house when I'm really cold, but every once in a blue moon I end up wearing them out to HEB or something. I should toss them right now.

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Can You Hear Me Now?

I can speeeeeeeak again!!1!!!1!! Laura reminded me that when she was on voice rest after her throat surgery, she had to use a pen and paper, and her family started writing replies on the paper instead of saying them out loud. Ahahaha!! It is so weird. At last, no one has to whisper to me anymore.

Facebook announced granular privacy settings for individual postings to the news feed and your wall from apps. Well I've been using it with Mafia Wars for several weeks. Maybe they beta'd it with Zynga or something. It's working well for me!

Snowboard cross was way fun to watch, but I just love halfpipe. There is a lot of "Oooh!" and "Ahhh!" and "Ohhh!!" The tricks are amazing! Vito is so adorable with the iPod, not only plugging into it for his runs, but singing with it. What can you say about Shaun White. He so rules the sport.

I already knew Vonn had won gold in downhill during the day yesterday, but I just had to see it last night. That mountain was like ice. Crazy speeds and lots of falls. Vonn wins the award for best reaction to her win. The girl cried during her interview and then absolutely sobbed when she finally was able to hug her husband. I had to get the tissues. And to be on that podium when they play your national anthem has to be one of the greatest moments in one's life. You want to see someone present in the moment and appreciating the significance of their own achievement. It's disappointing to see someone stand there stoic. She was great. She was holding back from crying, but the tears were right there. Awesome.

Go to NBCOlympics.com and click "watch now" on any video. There's a BOSS button on the player that puts up a spreadsheet. Cute.

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My Voice is Returning!

So I can produce a tiny bit of sound now. I'm still resting my voice as much as I can. And the lemon/honey/hot water thing seems to work. Turns out one of my aunts from the Dallas party weekend had viral pneumonia. I'm betting that was where this whole thing started.

Did you ever wonder if we say "wends-day" instead of "wed-nes-day" because someone just misread the word, like all the people who say "per-den-al-es" instead of the correct "ped-er-nal-es" (Pedernales)? Or maybe someone misspelled it and it should be Wendesday? This is the stuff you think about when you have laryngitis and everyone is talking around you, and since you haven't participated in conversation for several days, you start zoning out.

My husband finally got on Yahoo Messenger for the first time in forever! He's been on it now and then at home in the evening when he's on Yahoo Groups, but with his new laptop, he can be on all day from work. He put together a cool avatar and everything. Tres coolio.

Last night on the Olympics, Shaun White told the best story about his gold medal from Torino. He said he and his buddies went out all night and they (not he) wore the medal and the ribbon got really dirty. Shaun showed his mom the next day and asked her if she knew how to clean it. She said she did... and took it to the dry cleaner. With the medal attached! (The thing is shaped like a donut and looks like the ribbon just winds around it.) He said he got the medal back intact, neatly hung on a hanger with the pins and the plastic. SO funny.

I feel like I haven't been to the library in a month. It's been a week and a half. I hope I can remember how to alphabetize. They say it's like riding a bike. Heh.

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Happy Tuesday!

I was just talking on here yesterday morning about my first boyfriend teaching me how to drive a stick, and yesterday afternoon Lauren's (also one year older) ex taught her! Too funny.

This laryngitis thing bites. The worst part? All the witty remarks that just sit in my head, unspoken. No really, I swear. ;) That and not being able to answer the telephone- gah. I am amused, however, that people have begun to speak to me in a whisper. What is up with that?

I am sipping warm water with a bit of lemon juice and honey in it. It's pretty good, but I don't know why lemon juice would be helpful for laryngitis when alcohol is a no-no. At least the alcohol might kill some of the infectious organisms. *eyeing red wine*

The pairs skaters are having a lot of errors this year, but getting high scores anyway. You can tell they are surprised at their scores. The gold medalists were fantastic though!

Sunday Seven

First, you’ll need to watch the new "We Are the World" performance, which begins about 1:15 into the video. Make note of the performers you recognize on sight by name, and you’ll list the first seven of them, in order of their appearance, no matter how far into the song it takes for you to actually come up with that many.

1. Justin Beiber
2. Jennifer Hudson
3. Nicole Scherzinger
4. Josh Groban
5. Tony Bennett (skipped Lionel Richie because he isn't singing)
6. Mary J Blige
7. Michael Jackson

Hmm! I think I only missed two? And I know the one lady is the lead singer of Sugarland. I have no idea what her name is though.

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No Voice :(

I am completely voiceless now. I didn't realize I was supposed to rest my voice when the laryngitis began on Friday. I struggled to speak all weekend, and now I got nothin'. Bummer!! It's too bad I didn't have laryngitis during the week when I don't speak as much. You're not even supposed to whisper, because it is harder on your voice than speaking. Who knew?

The film Valentine's Day is vaguely a light and fluffy version of one of my favorite all-time movies, Love Actually. It's fun and entertaining, but without any of the depth of the latter. Worth seeing though! I was actually quite surprised a few times during the unfolding of the plot.

I love the winter Olympics! My favorite sports to watch are moguls, figure skating and snowboarding. I'm particularly happy about Kearney's, Wilson's and Spillane's medals. Also loved watching Germany take gold and silver in luge.

Sunday Stealing: The Clown's Meme 1

1. How old will you be in five years?
47

2. Who did you spend at least two hours with today?
Jeff

3. How tall are you?
5'4 and a half

4. What do you look forward to most in the next six weeks?
all Lauren's winter guard competitions

5. What’s the last movie you saw?
Valentine's Day

6. Who was the last person you called?
Jeff

7. Who was the last person to call you?
Jeff

8. What was the last text message you received?
Lauren telling me she was on her way home

9. Who was the last person to leave you a voicemail?
Jeff

10. Do you prefer to call or text?
call

11. What were you doing at 12am last night?
sleeping

12. Are your parents married/separated/divorced?
divorced

13. When is the last time you saw your mom?
December 19, 2006 when she passed away

14. What color are your eyes?
green

15. What time did you wake up today?
I slept in--- 7:30--- Happy Presidents Day!

16. What are you wearing right now?
blue and white PJs

17. What is your favorite Christmas song?
"Oh Holy Night"

18. Where is your favorite place to be?
outdoors with friends

19. Where is your least favorite place to be?
any doctor's office

20. Where would you go if you could go anywhere?
St. Petersburg

21. Where do you think you’ll be in 10 years?
hopefully working at a job I absolutely love and living in a smaller one-story house

22. Do you tan or burn?
burn

23. What did you fear was going to get you at night as a child?
a disembodied hand that would crawl through the house, up into my bed and strangle me. I saw it on an episode of Night Gallery or Twilight Zone.

24. What was the last thing that really made you laugh?
We laugh so much around here... it was probably when we were making fun of the mug-shot-like photos of the Canadian mogul dudes.

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

26. How big is your bed?
queen size

27. Do you have a laptop or desktop computer?
Both. I prefer the desktop by far, because of speed and capabilities.

29. What color are your sheets?
off-white

30. How many pillows do you sleep with?
one really firm pillow

31. What is your favorite season?
spring

32. What do you like about Autumn?
cool weather, football and fun holidays

33. What do you like about winter?
Christmas, black leather boots and not having to maintain the hot tub. I know. You're supposed to hot tub in the freezing cold. I say, why ruin an awesome hot tub session by being miserably cold when you get out? Cool or warm outside temps are best.

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Happy VD!

That never gets old. Although they've been calling them STDs for a number of years now, so maybe it's a little old. Happy Valentines Day to all my wonderful friends, and especially to my hubby and longtime love. There is something special about having known the person you're with since you were both teenagers, and when he's not leaving his rockets in the living room or locking that pointless bottom door lock ;).... I am lucky to still feel like a giddy coed around him.

Drove back from Big D last night. I am amazed we didn't lose the car in a pothole. They are everywhere after the recent weather, and on freeways where you're driving 75mph. It's Dallas, where 10 over is the minimum speed. Kept waiting for Princess Peach to drop a banana peel. (That one was for the Nintendo fans.)

My in-laws are in other countries more often than not. One of the projects they work on is an orphanage in India. They are there most frequently. We talked for a while yesterday about the cultural differences between here and there with regard to married life. For one thing, there seem to my in-laws to be more situations with one spouse living far away, usually to go to school in the US, and for periods of years at a time. Where these types of living arrangements are exceedingly uncommon in the US, and I certainly would not do that in my family, it doesn't seem to be a big deal to their Indian friends at all.

We were pondering whether it has something to do with arranged marriages, that perhaps there is a different bond between them than with our traditional "fall in love and get married" scenario. Is it just a more practical cultural mindset, to do what is necessary to get an education and a good job, or is it a lack of romantic connection with their mate that makes it easy to live apart?

Now I am certain many people in arranged marriages luck out and get someone they are attracted to and fall in love with. The majority probably love and care about the other person deeply over time, even without the passion and excitement of ever having been "in love" with them. But I can tell you that the guys my mother would have paired me with were NOT the ones I would have chosen. Mothers look for different things than daughters. That's cool, and of course I totally understand her choices, now that I am a mom.

Anyhoo. So then I was wondering... the kids in the orphanage do not have parents to arrange marriages for them. Who does it? Are they never married? Liz tells me she hadn't thought about that. One of the house moms that works at the orphanage is an orphan herself, and far past the typical marrying age there, but recently was paired with someone by one of her church leaders. In the end, Liz imagines that the orphans are rarely married. So sad! And it's Valentines Day! Now I can't stop thinking about it. I think someone should be over there pairing the young adults who don't have parents. Maybe orphans can be paired with each other. I dunno. Something! I must figure this out. It's a Valentines Day emergency. :)

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Waiting on Dallas Snow to Melt

Lauren and I have our eyes on the weather this morning, hoping for Dallas snow to clear from the roads for our trip. We are hoping to leave this afternoon. Come on, roads! The schedule will suck if we have to wait until tomorrow to leave!

Was reading a Valentines Day article about sexy things to do with your sweetie. There was this one part that said, "if you’re feeling especially bold, arrive at the office in nothing but your coat..." I read it as something with your goat. Yeah. A goat is a bit off the charts for me.

We've been making an effort to eat less processed foods at our house. I don't go as far as buying organic everything, or the expensive "all-natural" meats, but I do try not to buy many boxed mixes or too much stuff in the store aisles. We don't drink soda. I like to make stuff like biscuits from scratch rather than from a tube. When shopping, I try to "keep it on the edges" as they say, where the fresh ingredients are. Well I looked down last night and realized I was drinking some sort of red diet Koolaid. Could there be anything more "fresh from the laboratory" that red diet Koolaid, for heaven's sake? *sigh*

Jeff bought the drink mix. Just sayin'.


Friday Five

1. How and when did you learn to swim?
YMCA swim camp every summer from ages 4-8

2. How and when did you learn to drive?
John, my one-year-older boyfriend, taught me when I got my learner's permit at 15. It was summer, and since my mom had her car at work, he let me drive his Fiat. It was a stick, and I vividly remember the first day, when I practiced in a parking lot. I killed that thing a thousand times. It was hilarious.

3. How and when did you learn to tie your shoelaces?
I very vaguely remember practicing in preschool. So 3 or 4 years old?

4. How and when did you learn to cook?
Well my mother was an excellent cook. She loved it, too. I never had much of an interest, other than helping her bake. So I knew how to bake pretty well by my early teens, but I had to learn to cook on my own when I moved into my first apartment with a kitchen, in grad school. So... age 22. I got married at 23, so Jeff got to suffer through the learning process with me. The only entrees that always came out perfectly back then were things I put into the deep fryer that we had gotten as a wedding gift. Great stuff, but unfortunately one can have too much chicken fried steak.

5. How and when did you learn to type?
Kimberly and I took a typing class one summer at Alvin Community College. We were probably 16. Of course we had been typing all along, just "incorrectly." I type very fast incorrectly today as well.

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'Chad Sent You Spurs!'

The funniest thing ever is the current Valentines Day promo on Mafia Wars. Your friends send you VDay gifts. I get messages like-- "Chad sent you spurs! Your love meter has gone up!" Bwahahahaa! Thank you Chad. Maybe John will send me some handcuffs.

I was going to write a treatise on "The Four Stages of Snot During a Head Cold" today, beginning with the "stopped up" stage, progressing to gross green... Yeah, let's just say I have reached Stage IV, the decongestion stage, which is literally like a water faucet running straight out your nose. Constant kleenex, but I'm so glad to be able to hear again.

Last night's "Modern Family" was a great one! Claire and Phil did a role playing date at a hotel. At one point she asked him if his wife was so beautiful, why was he here in a bar with her, to which he replied that his wife was "tired and always making lists of things for him to do around the house." She takes offense and says the maybe his wife wouldn't be so tired if he would do some of the things on the lists. He asks if he can start over. So she asks again and this time he says, "because I respect her too much to do to her the things I'm about to do to you." HA. "Jackpot!" she says. Too cute. Later she ends up naked under a trench coat that gets stuck in an escalator. Priceless.

Hoping for good weather on Friday in Dallas. Lauren and I are supposed to go up for her to hang out with a friend she met at camp. We haven't figured out exactly what I will be doing while she is out with the friend, but perhaps I will do something with my mother-in-law. Otherwise, look for me at the Galleria with my laptop at Starbucks. Or maybe I'll do a movie marathon. Supposedly the snow is going to stop tomorrow. Crossing our fingers!

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Better

Forget "death warmed over." Yesterday I looked like plain ol' death. Skeery. About 10 am though, my fever broke and I felt a bit better.

There is always that moment when you're sick that you make the monumental decision to finally get up and take a shower. The moment you think you feel juuuust well enough to make it through the process. You psych yourself up and just accept the fact that you'll need a nap afterward. The best part is the new, clean pair of jammies you get to put on. Ahhhhhhhh... It's the little things.

I hope Scott was watching Giada on her cooking show yesterday. She had on an exceptionally low cut shirt. And if I notice, you know it's really low. I ditched network television on Tuesday, in favor of HGTV and Food Network. So while I have no knowledge of or comments on current events, I can tell you how to make Tuna and Artichoke Paninis or help you turn your backyard into an outdoor office!

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Siiiiiiick

Everyone, please welcome Jack to the Talking for Free blog fold.

Hiiiiiiii Jaaaaaaaaack!

Jack is my cousin Diane's significant other. Yep, Jack 'n' Diane. How cute is that? They went to high school together and met up years later at a reunion and hit it off. Cuter still. The best part though, is that he is a blogger. And an active Facebooker. Woohooo! His blog is about his triathalon adventures. So impressive. I could never do that.

Jack is one of the people who kept me company on IM yesterday, when I was lying on the couch, miserable from a fever and sore throat plus raging sinus infection. He did ask if I wanted some cheese to go with my whine. You try to welcome someone to the family, and this is what you get.  ;)

You know what? There is absolutely nothing on television during the day. It was 4 pm before something decent appeared. FOUR. P. M. I am so looking forward to that again today. Maybe I'll just sleep instead.

Laura's class ended up raising around $1300 for Haiti relief with their bake sale. Awesome!

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Just Another Manic Monday

The husband says, "Hey! Update your blog! No one knows what you've been doing since 'Rum Balls.'" Heh.

Facebook privacy tip for the new main page: If you want to specify who can see your games and applications on the new dashboards in the left sidebar, there is a new privacy setting at Account>Privacy>Apps & Websites>Activity on Apps and Games Dashboards.

Big family reunion was this weekend in Arlington. Much fun! And some major drama. What's a family reunion without drama, though, right? *shudder* Some people just shouldn't drink and say every thought that forms in their head. And I should know not to accompany that person out to a bar at midnight. Live and learn.

Lauren had a guard competition on Saturday. They had a huge issue with their show flags arriving on Thursday at about twice the weight and different sizes, so different centers of gravity than their practice flags they've been using since December. They were not able to spin them well at all. They practiced Friday and then on Saturday morning before heading to the event. They were promoted last competition from AA Class to A Class, and got 2nd in their new division by 1 point! AMAZING! The 1st place guard came over and congratulated them. So sweet.

The Pretentious Blogging Meme: Part 2

12. How many drafts of potential blog posts do you have right now?
Two

13. In what medium do you draft your posts?
Blogger's online interface (well... plus post-it notes)

14. How often do you completely scratch or delete drafts or blog post ideas?
probably twice a week

15. If you had to leave your blog in your will to another blogger, who would you choose?
Laura.

16. Are there other blogs that you feel are similar to yours in content, style, or voice?
There are bajillions of personal blogs online. I don't read any regularly. My friends who used to blog have gone all-Facebook. Well, Scotty has an LJ, but he won't share the URL with me. :p

17. Has anything surprised you since you started blogging?
I am surprised how often personal blogs are referenced by official information sources, like television news, internet sites, etc. It's pretty cool though. Instant public opinion at your fingertips.

18. What are your goals or plans for your blog going forward?
My goal is to have something to say most days for the rest of my life.

19. Do you make any money from your blog? (optional) about how much a month?
I do not monetize this blog. I do have Google ads on my website blog. I make less than $5 per month on that. Eh.

20. What blogging system do you use?
Blogger

21. How did you come up your blog name?
I wanted something to indicate that I was going to be talking about anything and everything on here, and without many filters. I also wanted it to be song lyrics. I'm a big Duranie, and "...talking for free..."  from the song "New Religion" really jumped out as a perfect name. Plus, I'm not paying a dime to host this thing, so I really am talking for free. See? Perfect.

22. How many blogs do you have? What was your peak?
I maintain two blogs. The other is a companion blog for one of my websites. My peak was three at a time- a personal one and two website blogs.

23. Are you having as much fun as when you started?
Yep!

24. Where do you find other bloggers like you?
I don't. Not that I wouldn't mind stumbling upon some, but I don't seek them out.

25. What’s your one wish when it comes to blogging? 
That people would not arrive here having searched for "anal girl."

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Rum Balls

The third graders' bake sale was an enormous success on day 1. They raised $700 for the Red Cross for Haiti relief. Wow! The sale was crazy busy though, prompting Laura to quietly ask a mom, "Do you have any rum balls... hold the balls?"

Amusing on many levels.

She says it wasn't until she told me the story that she realized how it sounded. See what being frazzled can do to a person? Day 2 today!

We have made our anniversary weekend plans! I have so many trips on the calendar now, I can't keep them straight. And the Orlando/Miami/cruise trip in and of itself has so many pieces to it, with hotels everywhere, rental car, plane tix, ship tix, etc, that I have to make sure I've gotten everything reserved AND printed. (We're still looking for a great Miami hotel and I need to get a car.) Y'all know I have each trip's documents in chronological order in their own labeled trip folders. I'm just complaining sayin'.

We also forgot a trip, which is not like me at all. It's Jeff's family reunion in Missouri this summer. Turns out they are having it when we are on our cruise, so we'll miss it. Sad day! :(

We're knocking out the first 2010 trip this weekend. Big family party in Big D for my grandpa's 90th birthday. People coming from all over the country! So fun!

Have a great weekend, all!

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*grin*

This was my first MMS today, from Angel:

 

LOL. Thanks babycakes! I needed a smile this morning.

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Defying Gravity

I finally did it. I hit the final four notes (at 5:48 in the sidebar video) of "Defying Gravity."  I've sung along with that thing at least thirty times. Not only are the notes loud and fairly high (I'm an alto), they also follow two loud and high phrases and begin a half-beat early in the measure. I always either miss the timing or one of the notes! So.... HA! Ahhhh-ahh-ahh-ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! That is the lyric of the day. One of the greatest Broadway song endings.

Laura's class has Day 1 of their benefit bake sale for Haiti relief today. They thought it up on their own! Great group of kiddos.

She and I spent some time with Zonia and LibraryKathy yesterday, explaining some of our best terrible inside jokes to them. We covered my uncle Rob's "And that's how I got to Chicago," as well as the infamous "I've worn them my whole life and look at me" story from a long ago trip to Houston to my mom's...

Laura: I won't wear tampons because they cause cancer. And toxic shock.
Me (annoyed): Oh please. I've worn them my whole life and look at me. I'm fine.
Laura: Yeah, look at you! You've had cancer TWICE!
Mom (to me, laughing): She's got a point!

:)

After that story, I learned that LibraryKathy's brother-in-law had Hodgkins as well, at the same time as I did twenty years ago, only he was at such an advanced stage that he had to have a bone marrow transplant as part of his treatment. Holy cow. She says he has been fine since, other than a few mild but permanent side effects. That is terrific!

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Torchy's Tacos

We're obsessed with Torchy's. OBSESSED. I think we've averaged 1.5 times per week there since we first went. I have made it my mission to try every taco, so each time we go I order a different one. I've tried so far:

Beef Fajita
Baja Shrimp
The Republican (jalapeño sausage)
The Democrat (barbacoa)
The Trailer Park (fried chicken tenders)

And we have to have the chips and queso. Absolutamente delicioso.

The only one I haven't liked is the barbacoa, which I tried last night. I did my research on Google to find out exactly what barbacoa is. I had a vague idea it wasn't straight up beef. It is meat from the head of a cow or a goat, although it can also refer just to the method of slow cooking any regular meat. So when it said on the menu "beef barbacoa" I thought it was just regular beef.

I ate some of it, so it wasn't disgusting or anything, but very greasy, which it is supposed to be, and a very weird consistency. I finally realized it could well be traditional barbacoa. Whatever it is, I won't get it again. Although it came highly recommended by people online and the first person we asked to recommend one there. Plenty of people like it!

Killer tacos, people. Get some!!

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More John Edwards

I would like to wish a personal congratulations to George Clooney for his Best Actor Oscar nom for Up in the Air. No really, a personal congratulations. Pretty please?

I've been watching the interviews with John Edwards' former aide, Andrew Young, on Good Morning America. Today he and his wife were there, and she answered the question of why she allowed her husband to pretend he was the father of the girlfriend's baby. She said it was because they were depending on that job for income and insurance, and also Edwards had a good shot at the White House at the time.

I'm thinking, how do the Youngs explain that to their children? Good heavens. I cannot imagine a father lying for someone to the extent that his own kids would think he had a baby with a girlfriend. Especially announcing it so very publicly! I know their kids are young, but they would have eventually known, and will now eventually know he lied about it. Bleh.

The Youngs are certainly not blameless. Their covering everything up only allowed poor suckers like me to continue supporting a politician who would have been a disaster as President. I guess Andrew Young thought all these things he wrote about didn't matter.

The worst part? Edwards and his aides purposely planning for him to "come clean" about the baby after he was President and his wife had passed away. Eww. Just hearing that, I feel like I need a shower.

One thing I also don't get. The Youngs have the sex tape of John Edwards and Rielle Hunter in their safe deposit box. For what purpose exactly? If they didn't want to sell it or use it for something, they would have simply destroyed it. Maybe keeping it as evidence? As a threat if someone comes after them?

And I add again, it's not the things Edwards did to his wife that irritate me. I'm certainly not here to judge his marriage. It is using other people to cover up his fathering a child. It's making a sex tape. It's having no respect for the people in his own state. Those things directly impact his ability to serve as leader of the United States.

And I haven't even read the book yet! LOL. I'll have more to say then, I'm sure.

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Grammys 'n' Stuff

Orthodontic Update----- Lauren now has a "spring retainer" because she has one tooth that is holding on for dear life to a slightly skewed position. It goes into perfect alignment at night with the regular retainer, but during the day, it slips a little bit out of place. The spring retainer has something similar to invisilign on just the part where that tooth is. They took a mold of her lower teeth, carved out that tooth on the model and moved it to where it is supposed to be. Then they make the retainer in that position, with the plastic piece to really hold the tooth in place. She is wearing it full time for a while, then she'll go back to night wear again.

The Grammys----- Did they finally ban Kanye West from these events?? Woohoo! I watched delayed on my DVR so I could skip through the Michael Jackson segment. When Drake came on stage during the song with Lil Wayne and Eminem, I thought, Man he looks like Jimmy from "Degrassi." Jeff says, "It's the kid from Degrassi!" I laugh and say he looks like him, but it's not him. Jeff insisted it was, so we took it straight to the expert on these things.

...Lauren: Yes! That's Drake.
Me: What's his rapper name?
Lauren: DRAKE.

WTH. I was pretty sure his name was Aubrey.

Yep, Aubrey Graham, middle name Drake, the basketball player from Degrassi High on the "Degrassi" show, is now Drake the rapper! And he can sing, too, which is a rarity in the genre. And he was on the Grammys. I'm very impressed! And okay, Aubrey would have been a little uptown for a rapper name.

Edwin McCain----- He has a new single, "Walk With You." It's hitting AC radio now, although it's been out for a few months. He was on my station this morning talking about how he wrote it for a friend's daughter's wedding. It's funny, because several years ago, he was a little surprised that he had ended up being the guy with the biggest wedding songs out there- "I'll Be" and "Could Not Ask for More." Now I guess he's just going with it and writing full out in wedding mode. It's not my favorite from him, but it's pretty good. Grab a kleenex, folks...



Lyrics of the Day

I'll take this slow, sweet walk with you
You're letting go of my hand to say, "I do."
And he will discover just how blessed a life can be
I know, 'cause all those years ago, someone handed you to me...

Edwin McCain "Walk With You"

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