Hola from Miami Beach

I am sitting at the pool on a gorgeous morning at the Surfcomber in SoBe. No one else is up yet and I'm the only one here. It's quiet except for the birds and the sound of the waves. So nice.

Catching my breath from a fantastic time in Orlando with Angel, Kevin and Kenneth. As Kenneth suggested, we HAVE to do it again next summer! We did all sorts of things. The boys and the kids went to Universal and the Wonderful World of Harry Potter, or whatever they call it. There was a mini golf outing or two. Angel and I met Wendylicious for dinner and hit a piano bar. We all had a fab dinner at Vito's and hung out here and there. It's really too bad it had to end so soon. :(

Yesterday we met the Baileys here in Miami. Watched the heartbeaking end to the US team's journey at the World Cup. I have a total rant about soccer as a sport, but I'll save that for when I get home, where I can rant properly. Who can whine and complain on a morning like this? :D

We had dinner at a positively amazing South Beach restaurant last night. It's called Ola and if you are ever here, you MUST go. Oh. My. Gawd. Latin cuisine. I've never had most of the stuff. Smoked fish mini tacos in little fried malanga chips shaped like taco shells... shrimp in panca sauce... black beans and rice... fufu... All sorts of things we sampled from each others plates.

We're having breakfast here in about an hour, then off to the ship. One week at sea!! Our cruisemates haven't cruised before, so we are especially excited for them. Also exceptionally excited about San Juan on Thursday. I'll take lots of pics.

Angel has also assigned me to take bathroom photos in every bathroom on the ship. That will take some doing, but I am up for that challenge. ;)

Have a wonderful week everyone! I'll talk to you when I have internet access again!

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Packing

Alright. I have 3 friends in or traveling to Seattle within the next week. Is something going on there I should know about?

Packing today. I have a love/hate thing about packing for long trips. It requires a lot of planning and organization- yay!- but it can be very convoluted and stressful, too. I learned something from last year's 10-day trip to New England--- that shiny, new, ginormous suitcase is of no use to anyone. When packed to full, it's way over the weight limit for bags, not to mention too entirely unwieldy to maneuver through the airport. Getting that behemoth into a car is practically impossible.

We should have purchased two medium bags instead of the Shaq model. For this trip, we've borrowed a couple of bags from my most traveled friend, KathyL. She has multiple suitcases in every size and flavor, including two of the giant size. Tsk tsk. I'm tellin' ya', just ship your stuff Fed-Ex if you need that much space.


Monday Mayhem: Fathers Day (I can't ever get these done on the right days...)

1. What is your father's middle name?
He doesn't have one. Funny story... Once, my dad filled out some government form where he wrote "NMN" for 'no middle name' in the box for middle name. The person calling people up to complete the process actually called out "Joe Nmn Smith." (Joe Smith is a fictitious name, friends. Just so you aren't trying to figure out a tactful way to ask what the story is there. Is Joe her 'real dad?' Hmm...)

2. Where was your father born?
in Germany's Black Forest. I assume not literally in the forest, but if you ask him, "in the Black Forest" is his answer. There has to be a town on his birth certificate. Perhaps the forest fairies don't even issue birth certificates.

3. What was the most influential piece of history that took place during your father's childhood?
World War II, where he was a German toddler. His father died in the war.

4. Who were/are your father's role models?
his stepfather

5. What is your earliest memory with your father?
He was wiring the stereo, speakers and record player in our first American apartment when I was around three years old.

6. What is your favorite childhood memory with your father?
Being on Galveston beach when I was 4-5. Also 11th row floor seats at Duran Duran at Wembley Arena with him when I was 16.

7. What color eyes does your father have?
Green

8. Did you buy your father a Father's Day gift? What was it if so?
No, I just called him.

9. Is there anything you would like to tell your father that you could or did not?
Nah, I can tell him anything.

10. What was your father's biggest influence on you?
instilling in me a love of life and an awareness and appreciation of happy everyday moments, not just the grand and momentous occasions

11. What good advice did your father give to you?
To trust my own instincts

12. What would you like to pass on to your children that your father passed on to you?
scientific curiosity

13. What famous father would you not mind having as your father?
It's not original, I know, but I have to go with Bill Cosby.

14. What three traits do good fathers have in common?
being his kids' number one cheerleader and supporter, patience, strength and protection of his children

15. Give us your most favorite quote made by a father.
Jim Gaffigan tweeted on Sunday, "My 4 yr old son gave me a hand made card for Father's Day. Maybe for Christmas I'll draw him a picture of some toys."

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Art Encounter

Went to the Beninis' ranch yesterday for one of their Art Encounters. Nice event, but we arrived too late to get seats and couldn't hear the lecturers very well from our standing spots. I'd say there were 100-200 people. I've been out several times to visit on regular days and have always been one of maybe two or three cars there, so it was crazy to see so many! KathyL had never seen the sculptures, so after we walked the studio exhibit, we drove the trails. It was a beautiful day for it.

Thursday Thunks

1. Did you pass your driver's test the first time you took it?
Nope. I didn't come to a complete stop when making a right on red. There's some sort of kooky rule that you can't get your license if you violate the law during the test.

2. You are sitting outside on your deck in your comfy lawn chair, feet are up and the temp outside is perfect. There are no bugs to bite you and ruin the night... it's peaceful and all you can hear is the birds singing and an occasional cricket. Whats in your hand?
ice water with a splash of lemonade

3. How many graduation parties and weddings do you have to attend this summer? Ok.. how many are you invited to?
One graduation party. Julie got her PhD!

4. There is no other choice in the matter - you must transform into a different race, but the catch is that you get to pick which race. What will you now be?
The Boston Marathon. Yeesh, I have no idea. I'm the one who didn't know that Hispanic/Latino is an ethnicity, not a race. Ever since Laura told me she is "White, of Hispanic origin," I get to tease her about being a "white girl." That is never going to get old. For me.

5. Someone once said that the grass isn't greener on the other side... are you jealous of your neighbor's lawn?
Actually, we were blessed with great soil on our lot, so our lawn looks pretty awesome.

6. Your S/O is walking along a beach barefooted and steps on a piece of glass buried deep in the sand. His foot is bleeding... does he cry, swear or stomp around on his other foot?
Swear

7. I'm gonna take you fishing... are you going to be a whiny baby and not bait your own hook, and when you catch a fish am I gonna have to take it off the hook for you?
I will bait my own hook, but I am NOT taking a fish off a hook.

8. When asked what would you bring with you to a deserted island, why doesn't anyone answer "a boat"?
That is the smart-ass answer of someone who likes to suck all the fun out of these questions. He's the same one whose third wish is for "three more wishes."

9. Hamburger buns - sesame seeds or not?
yes please

10. Whats your favorite flavor of water?
I don't like "flavored water," which is really code for water that is junked up with artificial goo and sweeteners. I like a squirt of lime juice in my water though.

11. Eclipse is coming out this month... are you going to see it?
No. I don't follow the Twilight series at all. I keep trying to tell you guys... I'm quite the rebel.

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Happy Fathers Day!!

Happy Fathers Day to my dad and Jeff and all the other dads out there! You are an important part of your children's lives forever.

:)

Every five years or so, I get a zit. Always on my nose, and the size of a small city. Then I have to search the depths of my bathroom cabinets for expired acne meds to get rid of it. I actually had to poll people on which looked better, the zit or a bandaid. You know how distracting a dorky bandaid is on your face. Yeah, they voted for the bandaid. Then I looked like I'd had a nose job.

Evidently at some point they started posting friends' activities on their friends' pages in the "Top Stories" news feed on Facebook. I don't usually view my news feed in that mode, because Facebook and I don't see eye-to-eye on what I think are "Top Stories." (Honestly, Facebook, we've known each other a while now. You don't get me at all.)

So on that version of the feed, I can see, without stalking visiting a person's wall, their comments on other people's statuses, photos, etc. Not our mutual friends, but people who are only their friends. Items which their friends have set privacy options to at least "friends of friends," of course.

You may have to open another window and follow this rambling description on your own FB page. Or just raise an eyebrow at your monitor and read on, as you usually do when reading these posts. :)

Much laughing at the Melting Pot last night. We had a great time! Strange waitress, but still great. Googling was required more than once during the conversation, so you know it was awesome. Pun of the Night (not that there is one every night) was mine, but I can't repeat it here. It involved the word fallacy.

Three days until we see Angel and Kevin!! Angel and I will have to take dual public bathroom photos with our phones during our trip... although... to whom will we send them? Well, if any of you get a bathroom photo of us, it's because you've been lovingly selected from my contact list. Or perhaps at random. Depends on how much merlot we've had.

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Saturday 9

I take back what I said about Lance yesterday. He looks 58.

As The Bloggess tweeted... Worst. Fathers Day gift. Ever.  LOL... and eww.

You know, really I could just post links to Jenny's blogs every day, for your entertainment and mine. You do have them all bookmarked by now, right?

During the USA soccer game yesterday, for which Lauren was hesitant to make the effort to get up early, she actually discovered an appreciation for the sports bar as a venue for watching sporting events on TV. She got a kick out of a room full of strangers high-fiving each other after goals and collectively bemoaning the bad calls. She wants to go back with us next week.

The next US game is Wednesday, when we leave for Orlando, so before we go watch the game, we're going to make sure we're packed and ready to go to the airport. I also received an email that our cruise ship will be having watching-parties in the lounges during our trip. Fun! By then, the US will probably be out of it and we'll cheer Germany or something.

My friend Lisa always goes for the soccer team with the hottest players. It's probably as good a system as any.

Saturday 9: Jumping Someone Else's Train

1. When was your last train ride?
Maybe five years ago, we took the Hill Country Flyer out to Burnet and back. Fabulous outing! I highly recommend it.

2. How many foreign countries have you visited? Tell us about one.
Eleven countries. Let's talk about Germany-- I've been three times:
1) We lived in Worms when I was born until I was almost 3.
2) I went back with my parents when I was a freshman in high school. That trip we stayed with my aunt's family in Hamm, and went all over the Rhine Valley. We did castle tours and a Rhine cruise. Hung out in Worms and Heidelberg.
3) Jeff and Lauren and I spent a week in Munich when Lauren was about 3, doing all sorts of things. We loved the subway and never used our car the entire time we were there. We spent the following week in Berchtesgaden with all my Germany family, mostly hanging out at the B&B that we all rented out, and taking tours and nature walks.

3. What do you always take with you on vacation?
My flat-iron and the GPS, because being lost on vacation sucks almost as bad as Diana Ross hair.

4. Tell us about something you've lost recently.
I very rarely lose things. I'm actually the person others come to when they lose things, so I can tell them it's on the shelf behind the clock.

5. Do you prefer action packed vacations or relaxing ones?
I like either, or a mix from day to day. I'm honestly up for anything. If forced to choose, it would be action-packed. We can sleep when we get home. And when I say action-packed, I'm talking about constant activities. Not bungee jumping and sky diving, but perhaps a cooking class, a historic tour, a hike and an evening at a piano bar.

6. How long will you wait in a check out line before abandoning your purchases?
Unless I absolutely have to be out of a store for some reason, I'd probably wait up to some ridiculous amount of time- maybe 45 minutes.

7. How old do you wish you were?
I'm happy with my age, but if I had to choose another age, I guess I'd pick 27.

8. Do you consider yourself kind?
yes. Life's too short to be mean.

9. Tell us about your tattoos. Or if you had to get a tattoo, where and what would it be?
I do not have any tattoos. If I did get one, it would be on the back of my shoulder, where I could cover it up or expose it, depending on what I was doing at the time. It would be... something like small, simple, girly stars or flowers.

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BFD

Lance Armstrong is upset that the editors of Outside Magazine photoshopped "38. BFD." onto the tshirt he's wearing on the cover. He's upset about the BFD part. I'm mostly concerned that in the photo, he looks 48.

Anderson Cooper got glasses. They're terrible. :(

In World Cup news...
Tuning out the vuvuzelas

Ahaha. Good luck with that. I do sooooooo hate that noise. It reminds me of the Austin Aztex game, where I was annoyed by the group of fans with noisemakers and a big drum. I love their enthusiasm! It's just that the noise drowned out the announcer and it was literally incessant. Not one break during the entire game. I came out of there with a headache because of it. I can take three hours of constant crowd screaming (hello- A&M football games), but I wish any noise-making devices would be used intermittently.

We went to the LBJ Library for the first time yesterday. Kimberly has told me for decades that this place has a Gutenberg Bible on display. That's one of the reasons I wanted to go. Is it there? Nope. It's at the Harry Ransom Center. Maybe it was at LBJ for a few months in 1988. Anyhoo... the library was interesting! It was especially cool to see old Johnson family photos from the LBJ Ranch, which we visited last year.

The library is also featuring a Walter Cronkite exhibit right now. I wish I had a dime for every person in there who was saying, in his or her best Cronkite voice, "That's the way it is..." He was such a wise and trusted journalist, and so personable. In a poignant tribute, the back of the program at his memorial service had a photo of him walking away down a hall. In the bottom right corner, it said, That's the way it is...

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Couple Facebooks

Can I just reiterate this morning how weird it is when couples share an email address or a Facebook? Email is bad enough. If I want to write a note to my girlfriend about how bad my cramps are today or the cutest dress I found at the mall, I don't want her husband reading through it. And if I actually have some sort of advice I'm seeking or other more sobering or private matter, I absolutely have to use a different mode of communication. I actually got comments from a husband several years ago when I emailed.

Okay, his advice was helpful. It's the principle.

I have two otherwise perfectly lovely friends with "couple" Facebooks. Facebook is a one-person endeavor. It's intended to be a representation of you on the web. I've seen the Jim-n-Mary Smith sort of page. You never know who you're talking to or hearing from, but at least the name warns you of that. On both of my coupled-up friends' pages, you think it's the husband's Facebook, but then the wife tosses her comments in here and there, with a label "(from Mary!)"

Mary. It's a free service. Get your own page.

Tune in tomorrow, when I'll rant about people who have their pet (or even more tragically, the logo of the UT football team) as their profile photo.

While I'm planning and executing all sorts of special entertainment options for Jeff's time off, I've neglected taking in the dry cleaning and other mundane activities. Oops!

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Saturday Six: College Questions

I have the NEW musical book in hand! Should this thing ever actually be produced, has its legal issues. Since it's (mostly) just a fun project, I hate the thought of spending any real money figuring out that stuff. It has just occurred to me that my composer is a lawyer. Duh. He'll probably know what, if anything, we need to do. Handy!

Song Lyrics du Jour

...I glued my feet in front of you
'Cause I swore I'd never leave
And then it all falls down
Around me
As I watch you walk away from me
The street lights flicker then
Your shadow fades into the night
And my heart starts caving in...

The Bigger Lights "Always"

And... meme time!

Patrick's Saturday Six

1. If you had to go back to school this fall, what degree would you pursue?
Master's in Healthcare Administration

2. Would you be more likely to choose a degree that would complement your current one, or go in a completely different direction?
Completely different direction. Using my degree requires that I live in one of several specific locations around the country, none of them near here. It's not that I wouldn't enjoy doing nuke as a career, because I would love it, but I'm not willing to move to any of those places at this point, for a job that would be entry level.

3. Did you or would you have lived on campus for college, or stayed at home if that had been an option?
I didn't live on campus, although I had friends who did, so I experienced some dorm life. It would have been really nice to live on campus on nights I was doing campus activities, especially when I didn't have a car and had to ride my bike home late. Other than that, I thought it was fine living off campus. Had I gone to a local university, I might have been open to living at home. It was just me and my mom then, and she was always so great with my friends and stuff.

4. If you had to live on campus, and you found yourself in a dorm with mostly college-age young people who liked to party, how much of an impact would their rowdiness have on your ability to study?
A big impact. I would go to the library or to a friend's place off campus to study.

5. Take the quiz: What College Are You?
You Are the University of Colorado at Boulder.
You're the type of person who likes to study hard and party hard.
You're smart and a free thinker. You enjoy many types of activities.
You are likely to succeed in school. You can study hard when you need to.
However, you also know that school isn't everything. You're all about achieving life balance.

6. Is this a college you could see yourself attending if money were no object?
If I had to, sure. It isn't a school I've ever considered though.

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A&M Stays with Big 12

The Big 12 Lives - But Still Has a Texas Problem

Byrne "refused to play the 'UT Says' game"? Until yesterday, perhaps.

...And in a decade... NU will be in a coffee shop talking research with its new friends. The Big 12 will be in another barroom brawl. Texas will be standing on a table, looking to dive into the scrum, a broken bottle in one hoof, a money clip in another. 

We totally should have gone to the SEC. A&M's President Loftin says staying with the Big 12 preserves our athletic rivalries. Didn't we have the big ol' discussion that UT and A&M would continue their Thanksgiving Day game, no matter what conferences they chose? The rivalry would have remained intact.

Another article says we'll never even get the $20-25 million per year they're claiming from TV broadcasts. The only point I see that would have been an issue with the SEC is travel schedules for students. I think our athletes would have made that sacrifice to be in the conference.

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Vinegar for Sunburns

I'm working on a video project, so I sort of forgot to post here this morning. Oops. Scotty's probably on his third margarita, wondering what's happened to me. He'd still be on the third one by now anyway, but he's just also wondering about my missing post. *wink*

Lauren got a terrible sunburn yesterday afternoon at Kristen's. I've had a hundred bad burns, so I totally sympathize. We did try a suggestion of vinegar and water on dishtowels last night, draped over the burn, and she says it provided a massive reduction in her pain level. Yay! She is so much better today. Don't know if it was the vinegar or the quick healing of 16-year-olds, but next time I get burned, I'm using the vinegar.

I found what looks like an awesome book for my musical. Crossing my fingers at this point. There aren't that many books that take place in this venue. If I have to write my own story, I can. I just wanted to use a book for time, and to have a bit of a backstory for the musical itself (...based on the book so-and-so...). Cross-branding is all the advertising rage now. The author might sell a few more books from the show, and I would get some book fans to come to the musical. Put on by my neighbors. In my backyard.

I wonder if Matt can dance...

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Sunday Randomness

Jeff flew to St. Louis yesterday for a funeral, coming home tomorrow afternoon. A very hectic, sad and unexpected trip.

He's off of work for the next month for sabbatical. Our vacation is in the middle of that, so I think he'll be able to stay entertained the whole time. Sabbaticals used to be two months long. For those, you really have to have some sort of big home project or something to do, or you get bored. They've cancelled the sabbatical program altogether at this point, so this will be Jeff's last one. It's too bad really, because it's a pretty attractive benefit for new employees and for employee retention.

I watched the England/USA game. A tie is a victory for the USA team, they say! Not nearly as much fun as a win though. That was my second time to watch a soccer game start to finish. I really do need to learn the rules. Did you know the game doesn't really end at 90:00? For anyone out there who might be thinking they should stand up and cheer then... Don't. :)

I get impatient when the team is moving the ball in the direction opposite their goal. With my American football frame-of-mind, it just makes me antsy.

An observation: Soccer is the sport with the most hot guys in it. It's practically the women's counterpart to lingerie football.

We're kitten-sitting for the next week. He is very cute, and his name is Xerxes, or Xerc for short. He is very talkative, which Lauren thinks is cute. Me, not so much. Good thing he is completely adorable!

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Tomi is a Dude

So Mafia Wars Helper's webmaster, Tomi, is a guy. (See yesterday's post.) Jeff stalked him on FB to find out. Nice profile pic of him scuba diving! So now I guess I have to start calling him he. Plus I have to deal with Jeff's gloating. ;)


Saturday 9: Goodbye to You

1. Have you had to say goodbye to a good friend or lover because they were moving?
Not a lover, but several good friends. The last one was Julie, when she moved to Boston.

2. Have you ever wanted to use personal information about someone to sort of "blackmail" them? If yes, tell us about it.
Yikes. That would never cross my mind.

3. What two things influenced the choice of your present job or to stay at home?
1) for the early years especially, wanting to be present for Lauren's growing up, to be there for all her "firsts," etc.
2) from a very practical aspect, the ability to live within the limitations of a single income

4. Do you like warm weather? How warm does it get where you live? What is the best way to spend a hot, summer day?
I like it just fine, and much prefer it to the cold. It gets over 100 here in the summer. Best way to spend a hot summer day is at the beach. Swim and then walk around in the ocean breeze, looking for shells, listening to the constant rush of waves. Ahhhh...

5. What do you find "hot" in a man/woman? What is the first thing you notice about someone who is hot? Do you ever think of yourself as hot?
Strictly physically speaking, I find broad shoulders extremely hot. Not body-builder shoulders (*cringe*) but just width and some muscle definition. It gives an impression of physical strength and protection. Yummy. I can be hot when I want to be, but I'm pretty average looking most of the time.

6. Are you quick to anger? How do you react when you are angry or frustrated? What do you do to cool down?
I am generally slow to anger, except in the car, where I don't play well with idiots. I usually have some sort of comment for people who are driving without all their brain cells firing. I make a conscious decision to let things go, because I don't drive as well if I get irritated.

7. In your family, who is the least like the rest of you?
My wonderful Uncle Robert. He's the cool and quiet one, while most of us are loud and rowdy.

8. What are a few great books that you've taken along to the beach or on vacation in years past? If you aren't a big reader, what do you do to while away the lazy hours?
I usually play logic games or Sudoku. Sometimes crosswords.

9. Do you like going outside during a thunderstorm and watching the lightning?
Yes! Awesome.

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Happy World Cup Day!

I'm not so into the world of professional soccer, although I do love watching a game. I've been to an Aztex game. My dad is into it, and several other people I know. So to those who love it, enjoy!! I'll be watching for results and cheering the US team from under the bleachers.

The Mafia Wars Helper is an awesome site for MW players. I use it mostly for the analysis of my attack and defense to maximize and plan my acquisition of new items. Jeff and I have an ongoing thing about whether Tomi Crnicki, who runs the site, is a girl or a guy. I keep saying "she" when I talk about her, and he keeps saying "It's a guy!"

"T-o-m-i? It's so a girl."

"If it were an English name, I'd say it was a girl, but it's a guy."

LOL. Since it's MW, it probably is a guy. Until I hear different, I get a kick out of thinking it's a techie chick. Yay Tomi! (Add me! *g*)

Friday Five

1. What are your thoughts on “air quotes?”
I think they are hilarious. Yep, I use them.

2. If you are the sort to flip someone the bird, what were the circumstances surrounding your most recent flip? If you’re not that type, have you ever, ever used that gesture?
I flip the bird on extremely rare occasions- always as a joke to a friend who is giving me a hard time about something. With people who have actually pissed me off, I want to do it, but I think it's a very uncultured thing to do, and makes you look like an idiot.

3. What’s a gesture you’ve made up, or what’s a gesture made up by (and shared with) your friends or family?
When someone uses the expression so-and-so is "having a moment," Lauren or I will close our eyes and open our mouth and roll our head around in a slow circle. Jeff was doing that in the car on a trip once, and we both saw him and were all "What the heck is wrong with you?" He said his neck was hurting. I said, "Oh I thought you were having a moment."

*crickets*

You have to see it.

4. Are there any gestures that have specific, unique meanings in your workplace?
At the elementary school library, we do "wide eyes" at each other when kids are doing or saying something questionable, like giving a really lame excuse for why they lost their book. As in, are you seeing/hearing this one?

5. Have you ever received an anonymous gesture of kindness or affection?
When one of my high school boyfriends and I were having a special dinner at a fairly fancy restaurant one night, an older couple paid our whole tab, because they thought we were so cute together. So sweet!

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Are We There Yet?

My musical novel isn't quite panning out. I'm halfway through and we haven't yet gotten to the venue that I thought would be the setting of the entire production. Turns out that is just "part" of the story. I need to research other options that take place entirely in that environment. Amazon search would be best, I suppose. Amazon.com, that is. Not the river. Although... I could be missing an opportunity for a positively fabulous anaconda song...

Am I the only one who gets excited when I pick up a gallon of milk at the grocery store and the expiration date is after some date I am totally psyched about, like a trip or a party or something? As in, Ohmigosh. June 23! That's when we're leaving for Florida!!

Yes?

Alrighty then.

The kiddo is reconsidering her selection of psychology as a career, and is leaning towards forensics. I did not miss the opportunity to pimp A&M as a possible school, and it turns out they have a BS in Investigative and Forensic Science. Whoop! Of course I don't really care where she goes to college. I'll buy the parent bumper sticker and cheer for the football team. (Well, just the bumper sticker if it's t.u.) But if she does choose A&M, that would so rock.

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News Commentary Day

The Peruvian justice system managed to do in a few days what Aruba's couldn't manage in years- lock down a Van der Sloot confession. I am glad to see him paraded out in a bulletproof jacket, quaking in his boots. The Dutch government is ticked that they are displaying him like that? Please. He's a (likely two-time) murderer and an extortionist, who won't tell the Holloways where their daughter's body is without a payoff. His privileged life, which once protected him from the law, is gone. I'm hoping it was his conscience and not just the police that convinced him to confess to murdering Stephany Flores.

For the Super Mario fans-- BP Kills Mario. Very creative. Too bad BP is not as creative with the leak fixes.

I see several articles about gas stations covering up their BP signage, because they are losing customers. They are saying that they no longer get their supplies from BP. For many, that may be true, but how do we know for sure? I would wait to see another company's sign there.

Other articles claim no one is hurting BP by boycotting gas stations that sell their gas, because the unrealized profit is just a drop in the bucket for them, and it's really just killing the gas station owners. Well, people do what they can, and if it can only make a tiny dent in BP's bottom line, then so be it. It's the principle. And so many are defending BP by saying this whole catastrophe was an accident and they're doing the best they can to remedy it. True; however, it was caused by using cheap parts to save money. That is no accident. You don't save a buck on items whose failure would have such a dreadful consequence. Would Tony Hayward skydive with a KMart parachute? I don't think so.

I leave you to your day on a happy note, with a great mommy quote from Jenny at The Bloggess-  "If you’re wearing clean socks and you don’t have hooks for hands then I’ve succeeded as a mother." :)

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Howdy

I just saw an inspiring quote for our Tuesday morning:

As we let our own Light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

-Nelson Mandela

Scotty was telling me about the San Juan Water and Beach Club hotel in Puerto Rico, since we'll be spending a day in the city on our cruise. It reminds me of SoBe. So pretty...





I've started reading the novel on which I may base my musical. So far, it's good, but because the lead character works in fashion, it's giving a lot of background on the fashion industry, which I know nothing about and don't really care to know about. That element can't be removed from the story though, so I guess I had better pay attention. I'm hoping I'm past it now. Let's get to the big dance number already!

I also did some research on script writing groups and classes in town. Austin is very much a haven for screenwriters. I'm holding out for a class or workshop for playwrights. I have read a few helpful and very informative articles how to write and produce musicals.

Kathy kept calling me a librettist the other night. I had never even heard the word. Then, because of my uncertainty, she began to think she'd made it up. Actually, she was in the ballpark. A librettist writes the words to an opera. I will be the playwright and lyricist on this project. The writer of the music will be the composer.

Yes, there will be a quiz later.

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Bobby

Welcome back, Blogger. Finally working again!

Do you ever comment on something on Facebook and wish you hadn't, because you get a notification every two minutes for the next six hours that someone else has also commented? Not the fun ones where you're bantering back and forth with other commenters, but the ones where someone got promoted or their child won an award and everyone is just saying "congrats!" or "woohoo!"

I'm just here to say what you all are thinking. You're welcome.

CJ has become Facebook friends with my very first (and very unrequited) supercrush. Well, disregarding Carter in 1st grade. This is my first real one, Bobby, in 6th grade. One of those pathetic, pubescent infatuations you have on someone completely out of your league. Bobby was the cutest guy in the sixth grade, hands down. Movie star handsome and Mr. Popularity. I was taller than everyone then (oh to be tall again), pretty shy around boys (no worries, that was also fleeting), and somewhat geeky (ok, that sorta stuck). He was dating the cheerleader with the prettiest hair in the whole school. (Perfect wings, man. I don't know how she trained those things.) He totally knew I had the hots for him. Still, he was very sweet and took the time to talk to me now and then. He's single-- maybe Cathy can go out with him. Ha! She says he's a hot mess these days, so I'm thinking no.

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And Now... We Write!

My life dream- to write a musical. I am suddenly super-motivated to begin making some serious moves towards it. Several months ago I told Kathy L, my most book-obsessed friend, that I want to adapt an unknown book. It has to be a great story, with some humor in it. Immediately, she suggested the perfect one. I don't want to divulge what it is here, but it takes place in a venue I know a LOT about, so I could actually write it very accurately! It is also a perfect setting for a musical theater production, because music is already an integral part of the scene.

I haven't read the book yet, but I'm borrowing it from her today. My next move will probably be to take a little class on scriptwriting. I could get a scriptwriting book and learn about it, but it would be great to meet other writers and get a little more in-depth information on the process.

I can write the whole thing, script and song lyrics, without a composer, although I'll probably get one involved before I finish everything. I am a great lyricist, but can't come up with a good, original tune to save my life. A couple of years ago, I asked Grant if he would write the music... someday. He said to let him know when I was ready to work on it, and hoped he would be available. We've collaborated on songs before and he would be fantastic!

The amusing irony is that when we had our short-lived living room band in high school (I call it a living room band, because we played in Grant's living room, rather than their garage), he was always harassing me for singing in a "Broadway style" rather than a pop style. I had to take it off Broadway and make it more "Madonna." Yeah well, welcome to Broadway, Grant!

Then of course there is the issue of the book author. At some point I need to find out how to go about getting permission to use the book. I don't think it's a problem really, but rather a negotiation of how to split the millions we'll make on the musical. *g*

Eee!!

Sunday Stealing: Another Question Meme

1. It's 2AM and you are not home. You are more than likely:
Dead or kidnapped. Call 911.

2. What's the last thing you spent more than $100 on?
Jeff's Nook reader

3. What do your bank checks look like?
plain old security blue

4. Where did the shirt you are currently wearing come from?
Stein Mart

5. Name something that will be on your Christmas wish list:
some sort of cooking tool

6. What color is your toothbrush?
Green

7. Name something you collect and tell us about it.
I don't collect anything at the moment.

8. Last restaurant you ate at. Who were you with? How was it?
Waterloo Ice House with Kathy L last night. It was good.

9. Who was the last person you bought a birthday card for?
Kimberly

10. What is your worst bad habit?
I kick off my shoes by the door when I get home, and leave them there. I've been trying to put them away every morning, when I'm picking up the living room, but sometimes I still end up with 3 pairs of shoes there before I take them back to the bedroom.

11. Name a magazine you subscribe to?
Consumer Reports

12. Your favorite pizza toppings?
mushrooms, black olives, onions, sun-dried tomatoes

13. Whose number were you looking up the last time you used a phone book?
the company that painted our house several years ago

14. Other than family, who is the person that you love most?
CJ

15. What is the last thing you cooked?
chicken for Apple Walnut Chicken Salad

16. Name something you wouldn't want to buy used?
a helmet

17. Which shoe do you put on first?
usually the left

18. What is the last thing you remember losing?
I lose the downstairs phone all the time

19. What is the ugliest piece of furniture in your house?
the TV stand in the game room

20. Last thing you bought and ended up returning?
the CUTEST pair of silver sequined flip flops from Kohl's. The sequins were sewn too tightly to one of the shoes, so the strap wasn't flat. They didn't have another pair in my size. :(

21. What perfume/cologne do you wear? If none, why?
Pure Grace

22. Your favorite board game?
Scrabble

23. What was the last board game you played?
PayDay

24. Where did your vehicle come from?
South Point Hyundai

25. If a movie was made about your life what would the theme song be?
Tom Cochrane "Life is a Highway"

26. You're sad, who can cheer you up easily?
Laura

27. What was the color of the bridesmaid dresses of the last wedding you went to?
I can't remember. I think it's been 8 years since the last wedding I attended.

28. What house cleaning chore do you hate to do the most?
mopping the kitchen floor

29. What is your favorite way to eat chicken?
chicken picatta- I like that it's pounded flat, so the flavors are more balanced than a thick chunk of chicken. With chicken, it's all about the flavor-to-chicken ratio.

30. It is your birthday. You hope the cake is? 
chocolate with chocolate frosting

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Pretty!!!!

the new wedding ring

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'The Clutter on Your Work Desk'

My daughter's desk is behind mine. Hers looks like a tornado hit it most of the time, demonstrating that the desire for organization is not genetic.

No, I haven't changed my desktop background from the generic Microsuck one since we installed Windows 7. That thing is in desperate need of a beach scene. Incidentally, Windows 7 ROCKS and has not ever crashed on me, unlike its highly unstable and immensely frustrating predecessor.

That's my prized Duran Duran Rolling Stone from Feb. 2, 1984 up on the bulletin board there.

What else. Ahh, I have three trombone/baritone/euphonium mouthpieces to put on ebay, as soon as I figure out how to do that. Three!


Patrick's Saturday Six

1. Would you describe your desk as generally cluttered or generally neat?
Generally neat

2. There’s the old saying about one’s clutter being “organized” just where he can find everything: considering the most cluttered part of your workspace, can you really find everything easily?
My boxes are cluttered, but I can find stuff in there.

3. You have an important appointment to remember: where’s the first place you’re likely to make note of it: on a desk calendar, your computer, or your phone?
computer calendar

4. Take the quiz: What Does Your Desk Say About You? 
You Are an Organized Worker
You are a very personally expressive person, especially outside of work. Your individuality matters to you. You draw a lot of inspiration and energy from the outside world. You get bored easily if you spend too much time alone. You are confident and competent. You tend to not make mistakes, and you trust your judgment. You are down to earth and practical. You achieve success one step at a time, by paying attention to details.

5. How many personal photos do you have on your desk, and who are the photos of?
Two- a school portrait of Lauren and a photo of my Grandma and me at my Great-Aunt's lake house in Wisconsin when I was 9

6. Is your desk too big for you, too little, or just right?
Just right. It's a large work surface, so I have space to lay things out when I'm doing projects like print media design (or scanning scrapbooks!).

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Good Morning!!

I don't want to say I'm accident prone, but I seriously scratched myself with my bra.

*giggle* http://thebloggess.com/?p=7186  

I have finally started the fancy rehab exercises for my knee, at home thank goodness. When I did rehab for a torn rotator cuff years ago, and they had me go in 2-3 times a week. A royal pain. My knee joint is still unstable, so I'm strengthening every single muscle that supports it. Luckily as long as I see 50% improvement in two weeks, I don't have to return to the doc ever again.

I finally have everything set to work on my grandparents' wedding scrapbook. I was just scanning photos of their honeymoon to Hawaii. Oh, I would love to be able to go there every year. So gorgeous. Someday we will take that cruise that departs San Diego and goes through the islands and back. On our Hawaii trip, we did Oahu and the Big Island. I would like to see Maui and Kauai.

Since I got rid of my vast collection of paper scrapbooking supplies years ago, I'm using Shutterfly again for the album itself. They do a wonderful job of creating a printed, bound book from your custom design for each page. Then Grandpa is going to send copies to the family... another thing you cannot do with a handmade scrapbook. I *heart* technology.

It is a beautiful Friday morning here in the ATX. Enjoy your day, wherever you are!

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It's CUME

I filed stuff for Laura in her students' cumulative folders (a.k.a. their "permanent records") again this year. The teachers call them "Cume Folders," but when emailing you about it, they spell it without the e. Disturbing, I tell ya. When I showed up at the school, Laura handed me a pair of latex gloves for the job. LOL

Third graders are very loud on the last day of school. Just sayin'.
 
So Al and Tipper are breaking up. My theory is that he finally figured out she's a Republican. Come on now. That girl is a right-winger through and through. I cannot imagine getting divorced at that age, to make it that far and then just give it up. It's too bad.

Speaking of the inventor of the internet... AT&T is switching to usage-based internet billing for smartphones. Other phone carriers and home internet will most likely follow in time. Remember when Time Warner attempted it for home internet? Customers freaked and they backed off.

For most people, the AT&T switch does mean a more reasonably-priced data plan for the iPhone (hmm!!), however you now have to eyeball your usage all the time to make sure you aren't going over for the month. Remember when we used to have to monitor our long distance phone calls, because they were charging by the minute? You felt that timer ticking in your head the entire conversation. Often, you cut off the call before you wanted to, because you knew the cost was getting crazy. I imagine that will be me... hesitant to be on the net and counting the kilobytes for every page I bring up.

This new size-obsessed view of the web will also trickle down to website design, as I mentioned when TW was trying it. Web pages are typically small in size, but graphics and videos are not, especially in large numbers. With usage-based internet, the day is coming when sites who want you to visit will need to be small, so your monthly MB allotment doesn't take a hit, and eventually the web will start looking like a bland, jpeg-free collection of Word docs.

YouTube will be the biggest MB drain of all. Oh wait--- iTunes! Yikes. I hate this already.

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Brigaldara Amarone della Valpolicella

The 20th anniversary wine was Brigaldara Amarone della Valpolicella 1995. There you go. My father-in-law is keeping the label for me.

I spent a few hours in the library yesterday morning, to learn about my upcoming job from the library assistant who's leaving. That place is SO organized. Every drawer and cabinet has a label of what is inside. It's really incredible. Right up my alley. And I get my own desk! How cool is that for half-time.

Lauren, Jaxon and I played Scattergories yesterday, and we had the letter F. One of the words was "something in this room." We were in the room where we play board games and do puzzles. Lauren said "Family Fun." Aww! So cute. And two points. We also spent some time unscrewing the back of the Scattergories timer to replace the batteries, because it seemed to be going a little wonky. When it finally came off, a handful of plastic gears fell out, leaving an empty box. Turns out, the thing doesn't run on batteries at all. It's just mechanical. And broken. Ha!


Sunday Stealing: The Just Because Meme

1. Make a list of 5 things you can see without getting up.
a Wii controller on the floor in the front room, my collection of glass bottles in the window above the front door, Lauren's group band photos on the wall, the AC thermostat, part of my neighbor's backyard playscape

2. How do you style your hair? How often do you cut it?
I usually flat iron it, with a little wave. Sometimes I let it dry curly or curl it with a 1" curling iron. It's long, so I get it cut every two months or so.

3. What are you wearing now?
An orange linen top and white denim capris. I'm all T-sipped out today.

4. What's your occupation? Do you like it?
Stay-at-home mom. I love it.

5. When was the last time that you took a nap? Was there a special reason?
A couple of weekends ago. The special reason? I was crazy-tired.

6. Who was the last person you hugged romantically?
Jeff

8. What was the last full meal that you ate?
the taco salad I made last night

9. What was the last email that you received?
A high school Yahoo Group update on the softball team.

10. What one website do you always visit when you go online?
Facebook

11. What was the last significant thing you bought?
a Nook for Jeff for his birthday on Saturday- super cool piece of electronics

12. What musical artist did you not get at first, but then became a fan?
Lady GaGa

13. What did you think about before you went to bed last night?
How I wished my eyes would stop itching. I took the Zyrtec before I went to bed, and it seems to be helping. Definitely helping more than Claritin.

14. What was the last CD you bought?
Lady GaGa The Fame

15. What is your favorite weather, and why? What's the weather like today?
Sunny with a cool breeze, because it's perfect for hanging out outside. Today will be sunny and hot. I know that without looking at the weather forecast.

16. If you could have a special artistic talent, what would it be?
I'd love to just be able to draw. Nothing fancy, just something more than stick figures.

17. Did you watch the Idol 9 finale? If yes, what are your thoughts?
Did not watch at all this season.

18. What's something you'd like to say to someone right now?
I'd like to tell the Texas State Board of Education they've made all Texans look stupid with their ultra-conservative textbook edits.

19. Any special plans for this (holiday in the States) weekend?
(last weekend) We went to Dallas.

20. Besides your current S/O, who was the last person that you loved romantically?
Evans... so many eons ago. He and his wife very recently had a baby girl!

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June!

Time flies. I can't believe it's June already. I'm all allergies this morning. Gah. I'm going to try Zyrtec after two recommendations over Claritin, which doesn't really do anything for me.

Saturday 9: Midnight Confessions

1. Have you ever had to confess something to a lover or friend?
Nope. I did have to confess some things to my parents over the years. The first big thing was when I broke the back windshield out of their car while my cousins and I were tossing rocks in the air at Grandma's. Whee!

2. How well do you handle rejection?
Unless I'm particularly invested in the situation, I handle it very well and just move on with a minimal dent in the ego. If it's a job, a person, etc. that is important to me, I take a definite hit.

3. What makes you feel old?
Hearing adults say they were born in the late 80's.

4. What makes you feel young?
Riding roller coasters.

5. What’s something you are old school about?
Cell phones. Unless it's some sort of emergency, I think it's rude to answer your cell phone in the middle of a conversation with someone. Even a text. I hate when we're talking along and suddenly the person's head goes down to their phone screen and they keep talking while they type. Also, iPods. I don't like chatting with someone who has their iPod ear buds in their ears.

6. What TV show's seasons would you buy on DVD? Tell us why it rocks.
I'm not really a big purchaser of DVDs, but in the spirit of the question, I'd say most seasons of "American Idol." I'd like to see the progress of the singers from the first show to the last. It's often surprising. Also, there are several really memorable performances I'd love to see again.

7. If you could create your own TV channel, what would it be?
I'd do a comedy channel similar to Comedy Central, but without all the obnoxious commercials.

8. Where do you like to go for a day trip?
Johnson City or San Antonio, depending on if I want a city trip or a country trip

9. Name some things that you still want to do in your life.
visit Russia, drive through the Chunnel, take an Alaska cruise, attend a film premiere

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