College Station Weekend!!

We're heading to College Station this beauuuuutiful, cool morning for the official "college visit!" Can you say, PSYCHED?

Someone was trying to convince me yesterday that with Lauren's grades and accomplishments, she can go anywhere to college, and she should "try to get in somewhere better than a state school." Holy wow. I've never heard that from anyone before. A&M and t.u. are two of the best universities in the country!

That "t.u." does look pretty puny next the "A&M," doesn't it? I like that. :)

By the way, Lauren is pretty set on a nursing degree. She would be a fabulous nurse.

Tonight- Midnight Yell Practice. Lauren's first of many to come. And we haven't been in forever! I can't wait.
Tomorrow- the Texas Tech game with KathyL! WHOOP! Perhaps we'll also see her parents, who are sitting in their season ticket seats, in a far better location than we will be.

RE: The sighting of the "gunman" on campus yesterday... Immediately it seemed weird to a lot of people that this guy was only spotted by one person. Also, campus was not put on immediate lockdown, which indicated that there was probably significant suspicion that this was a mistake. Regardless, I am glad they took all the precautions they did! Better safe than sorry!

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...It'll Be Because You're an A**hole

All ok with my cancer check. Mammogram remains to be done in a couple of weeks, but since that sparkling piece of technology never showed my original half-inch solid tumor, I never think much of it (until the day of the mammogram, of course). Also, breast cancer recurs in the brain, lungs or bone, not the other breast. Dumb old test. However, the ladies at the The Breast Center at St. David's are fabulous! It really is like a spa. They have designer coffees there, but they should really serve wine, for the full spa experience.

In regard to my dad's situation, my doc said as with lung cancer, pretty much all bladder cancer is caused by smoking. So, if you don't smoke, don't start. If you do, please try to quit.

Funniest thing ever was watching the oncologist manage my visit on their brand new computerized records system. He and the rest of the staff are rather slow on it, because it's new. It's great to see how far they've come since the stone tablets and stick figure drawings they had when I first started going there.

Lauren and I saw The Social Network last night, but only because she gets points for it for a class. The movie was so boring, just like I thought it would be. On top of that, the Mark Zuckerberg character is completely obnoxious, from his snotty attitude to his incessant chattering at 2500 wpm. The guy has absolutely no redeeming qualities.

Best line--

Erica (to Mark): You are probably going to be a very successful computer person. But you're going to go through life thinking that girls don't like you because you're a nerd. And I want you to know, from the bottom of my heart, that that won't be true. It'll be because you're an asshole. 

Love it!

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Cancer Check

Well, today is the annual oncology checkup. 18 years cancer-free. As a success story, Dr. L loves to see me. Hoping to keep it that way with a clean bill of health.

I have set up my implant replacement surgery for December. I'm nervous, but excited. It's two days in bed, which isn't bad at all. It'll be the week before Christmas break, so I'll actually have three weeks before I have to be at work again.

Had fun watching the Rocky Horror episode of Glee last night (along with several old friends online)! I about keeled over when John Stamos sang "Hot Patootie." I was like, Am I really seeing this? It was hilarious to watch, and impressive at the same time. That last jump onto his knees, he looked like he pulled something. I was just amazed he could do it at all. Also nice- when the teacher guy took his shirt off. Just. Saying. The cheesy storyline still doesn't really do it for me, but I can understand why people love it.

Donna invited me to join her for an as yet undisclosed activity in San Antonio on St. Patrick's Day. It has rock band overtones, but I don't see anything about them being in town. Whatever it is, if she's there, it will be a full-on blast and a half. She's one of those people where it's safe to commit before you even know what the heck you're doing. She's supposed to elaborate today. *drums fingers*

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I Wish They Sold Just Tape

This where Jeff and I were standing in Staples...

... when he said, "I wish they sold just tape."

:|

He meant a single roll.

Got some bad news last night. My dad has bladder cancer. Good news is that it seems to be early stage, and they removed all of it in surgery yesterday afternoon. I read that bladder cancer typically recurs and has to be removed again, even if it is early stage. So he is likely in for more surgeries in the future. Biggest cause seems to be smoking. He's a lifelong smoker.

As I was listening to Ursula on the phone, I kept thinking, How long has he known and not told me?! But it turns out he just had symptoms last Thursday and they sped him through the testing process and tossed him into surgery Monday. That is lightning speed! His first surgery EVER. Wow. I'm several up on him. Another weird thing is, now I know neither of my parents is allergic to intravenous iodine dye at all, whereas I am deathly allergic. Thanks for the recessive gene, people. ;)

She says, "He feels good. You know your dad. He has the nurses in stitches." Ahaha. I'm sure he does. I'm supposed to call him tonight, when he gets home.

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Deep Thoughts

I've been pondering fandoms. I know. I should be working on world peace, but I've been distracted lately.

First, when I say "fan," I am not referring to people who like something a lot. These are people who LOVE something to the point that they have the shirt, cap or other wearable promotional merch, know the jargon, quotes, lyrics, and other uncommon references, and get all fluttery just talking about it.

Here's the theory:

Perhaps we are not actually fans of a particular person, game, character, team, movie, band, song, etc., but rather of the perceived placement of that thing among other like things. I've observed it for years with music fandoms, and then realized it seems to carry through to each of a person's other fandoms as well.

Stay with me, people. Or maybe you should leave now and save yourself two minutes of precious afternoon.

I am thinking there are three types of fans. I'll note that I feel one is no better or worse than the others. Apply these to whatever fandom you wish. Then take it even further, down to subgroups like songs by your favorite band or characters from your favorite movie.

1) The big fan of the most popular one everyone likes.
This person has a penchant for the lead singer of the band, the popular political candidate, the top-grossing movie of all-time, the number one song on the charts, the big football team du jour. They are certain to get enthusiastic support when they mention their love of that thing, which is great for making instant friends with about half the people on the planet. "You love ice cream??!! Me too!!"

2) The big fan of the close second.
Uber-fans of the lead guitarist, the sidekick, the supporting actress, maybe the big hockey team du jour. This fan tends to be an enthusiast of the thing that many people would agree should be the best, but for whatever reason, it it is hovering ever-so-close to the top of the heap. No one would disagree that this thing is great, but they would argue xyz is better. This fan feels a special kinship with other fans because it's not the Captain-Obvious popular thing of the moment. "I LOVED Moulin Rouge." "You did? Me too!"

(I'm this type, with the exception of my unholy love of George Clooney, Sexiest Man Alive. Just saying.)

3) The big fan of the obscure and overlooked.
These are aficionados of the character actor, the show on Bravo that no one watches, the unreleased song from the Japanese version of an otherwise popular CD, that really shy drummer, indie films, unsigned bands, roller derby. Access is the keyword here. This fan may actually chat with a film's director on Yahoo, because they are one of the ten folks who saw the movie. And when they meet another big fan- it is a moment tantamount to finding a long-lost twin. "YES! Blake Berkmanchester is doing a book signing at Quizno's on Saturday!" "WHO?"


It's late, so I'll just leave it at that. I think there's a future obscure and overlooked book in there somewhere though.

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Live in the Ballpark

Went to Live In the Ballpark last night. Very cool! Such a deal to be able to see all those bands in one evening.  I particularly enjoyed Gin Blossoms and Collective Soul. Best moment was when Ed, the lead singer of Collective Soul, pulled a random person from the audience to play guitar on "December." The guy was awesome! I think we all loved watching as much as Brandon enjoyed his time on stage.



The only bad thing about the event was for half the sets, the speakers weren't loud enough. We could easily chat and hear everyone around us chatting as well. Not that we couldn't hear the bands, but when you're at a concert, you want the sound to kind of envelop you and numb your eardrums. Ya' know?

On a completely unrelated note, I present a very powerful and moving message about physical beauty. Thanks for sharing, Donna!

No. The word "pretty" is unworthy of everything you will be, and no child of mine will be contained in five letters. You will be pretty intelligent, pretty creative, pretty amazing, but you will never be merely "pretty."

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Saturday

Having two kittens around while I'm on the computer has taught me all sorts of things about the function keys on my keyboard. Just now, I learned about something called "caret browsing" (F7).

:/

On the other hand, the best thing ever is greeting two kittens in the morning or after you come home from being out for several hours. They just crawl all over you, purring and happy. SO adorable.

Patrick's Saturday Six

1. If you had to choose between being married to someone you no longer loved with no chance for divorce or separation, or being single forever, which would you choose?
I can see a few benefits to just being "married," even to someone with whom you don't really have a connection, but the downside is far too high a price to pay. I would definitely rather be single forever than spend my life with a guy I didn't love. You can have very significant loving relationships and stay single.

2. If you had to give up either the use of your arms or legs, which would you choose and why?
Legs. How am I supposed to Facebook without arms? And Jeff would have to Chi my hair for me every morning, surely to result in severe injuries to us both.

3. Which annoys you more: poor grammar or poor spelling?
I have rethought this. Grammar annoys me more. If someone is a poor speller, it seems to me that they are just careless with regard to spelling. If someone consistently uses poor grammar, it makes me think they didn't pay attention past third grade English.

4. Which would you enjoy more in an arcade: a video game or a pinball machine?
Pinball, baby!!

5. You have the chance to spend time with a close friend: would you prefer to spend time one-on-one over a homemade meal or in a nice, quiet restaurant?
Definitely one-on-one at home. At some point during my visits with my close friends, we are talking about something that shouldn't be shared with the population at large-- sometimes the conversation in its entirety.

6. For one month, you can only communicate with those around you electronically: would you choose email or texting, and why?
Email. I am a slow texter. Also I much prefer being able to write a long message and edit it to make sure it reads the way I intend it to read, before I send it.

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J Zero and Harry Turd

One of CJ's exes' last name is Zera. She mentioned him the other day and I said "J**** ZERO?" She about fell out of her chair laughing. She says I have said that literally every single time she's mentioned his name in the last 25 years. That's not the worst thing we call one of her exes. The worst is Hairy Turd. (We just call him Harry.) It's a mix up of a few letters of his real name. She We I am terrible! Don't mess with my friends or you, too, will henceforth be known by an embarrassing junior-high nickname. :p

Talked with Doug last night! I think we've covered most of the basics since we last saw each other about 10 years ago. I haven't given him the link to this thing yet, but I did tell him that when he comes here, he can search for his name and see how long and riddled with potholes my sleuthing process has been. He is sure to be impressed. Even though he lives right down the freeway from me and I somehow missed it. Yeah. This may not have been my most impressive Googling ever. Heck, I found Scotty in two days... in Coatzacoalcos! Of course, he has a Facebook, like a regular person. Not that he's ever on it... ;)

Doug tells me Glee is doing a Rocky Horror episode next week. Wow! How cool will that be?! Why can't I get into that show? I have always wanted to love it, but the story just doesn't do anything for me. I only like watching the musical numbers. (Well, I LOVE the musical numbers.) Somehow I'm rarely watching the "big" TV shows everyone else is watching.

Happiest of Fridays, all!

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Facebook Parodies

I love these two...

1) From The Onion-



2) YouTube Movie trailer a la "The Social Network"-

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It's Doug!!!!1!!!111!!!

That's sorta what I said in my FB friend request just now.

Looks like the elusive Douglas just got on Facebook!! And he's back in Austin. Double freakin' BOO-YAH.

Y'all have been with me on this quest for a couple of years now. Just thought I'd share the great news!

:)

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Don't Ask

I am completely in support of gay people serving in the military. Period. Anyone who is physically and mentally capable of serving and feels a call to duty should be able to serve.

I acknowledge that there exists a single issue- logistics. There are not co-ed barracks, because of all sorts of male/female issues, including the physical distraction. Not that men and women aren't having liaisons in the military, some more than they should *coughcathycough*, but it is a strict policy to keep men and women from being side by side in battle or bunks. So, where is the best place for a gay person to be? If you had one gay man, could you put him in a women's group? Perhaps, but the female groups don't necessarily do the same things as the men. And of course there isn't going to be just one man or woman in a group who is gay.

It's a conundrum. Maybe they just let men and women live and work together. Dogs and cats living together! Mass hysteria! Ahaha.

Fortunately, it is not my job to figure out these life riddles. Although, this is more a brain teaser, which is up my alley. Battalion 14 has two gay men and Battalion 22 has three gay women. There are 4 barracks. No men and women can bunk together and no gay people of the same sex can bunk together. Also, Homophobic Harry doesn't want any gay men sleeping with him, although there was that one night in college...

My morning sign-in process had a minor flaw, but I've fixed it for today. WOO! Alas, I will not be there to see it, because I work the afternoon shift. I'll actually be at a training downtown again today. Last one.

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Streamlining Tuesday

Unveiling my new and awesome, streamlined sign-in/sign-out process at school this morning. The kids are going to LOVE it. I am expecting a standing ovation. Seriously. It is crazy crowded in there before school, and they spend most of their time in line filling out paperwork instead of reading or whatever. Not anymore! Please, hold your applause.

Lauren will be performing with the church band for the first time in December. So excited about that! I'm not as excited about the ginormous keyboard that is either in my car or my house most of the time. She couldn't play the tambourine? Or the triangle, like the dude in Aerosmith? ;)

When we were in College Station, Jeff and I discussed retiring there, but decided that there aren't enough old people to keep it interesting. What is funny about that is for so many years, my experience was going to my grandparents' house, and at the time, I thought there were only older people there. My grandparents liked it. Really the biggest downside for us would be traveling. We want to be able to hop on a plane and go, and being in CS requires an initial trip to somewhere else before you can actually go somewhere.

So what I decided is that we should be living there now and retire in Austin! LOL. Unfortunately, AMD doesn't have a College Station location.

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Weekend Update

We went to the HBA of Greater Austin's Parade of Homes yesterday in Lakeway. Beautiful homes, all in different ways, but I must say I preferred last year's show at Mueller. This year's Lakeway homes, especially the first three, have gorgeous lake views and amazing outdoor living spaces, but I liked the design and decor of the Mueller homes better. Pictures are not available yet, because the show is still on through the 31st, but my fave was 305 Bissett Ct. (At least I'm pretty sure that was the one...) It has a great kitchen with a beauuuuutiful pizza oven and a waterfall sink in the powder room.

Almost all the homes' functions- lighting, sound, etc.- are operated by iPads. Must be the new thing.

Could college football have sucked any more than yesterday? It sucked like a giant sucking thing!! Dear Nebraska... please pull your head out. Thank you.

And Johnson, I think I've reached my limit for watching overthrown passes. Just saying.

At Kathy's last night, we had champagne and Pama. Um, yummy! I'm not usually a champagne person, but it was really good.


Sunday Stealing: Another 50 Questions Meme, Part Two Indeed!

26. Do you like someone?
*g* The guy I live with!

27. The last song you listened to?
"Fireflies" Ron Pope. God, I love that song. Even after hearing it a thousand times.

28. What time of day were you born?
mid-morning

29. What’s your favorite number?
3

30. Where did you live in 1987?
College Station

31. Are you jealous of anyone?
Not really.

32. Is anyone jealous of you?
Nah

33. Where were you when 9/11 happened?
at another school mom's house with several other moms, packaging fundraising wrapping paper orders

34. What do you do when vending machines steal your money?
roll my eyes and leave

35. Do you consider yourself kind?
Yes

36. If you had to get a tattoo, where would it be?
on my hip, so I could only show it when I wanted to

37. If you could be fluent in any other language, what would it be?
German

38. Would you move for the person you loved?
definitely

39. Are you touchy feely?
Very touchy-feely with my touchy-feely friends. Not in general though.

40. What’s your life motto?
"Life is short..." adding on whatever crazy thing it is I want to do at the moment

41. Name three things that you have on you at all times?
There isn't anything I have on me at all times. Most of the time, I have my wedding ring, my credit card and my phone.

42. What’s your favourite town/city?
I love so many. Let's see... worldwide it would be Munich. In the US, it's probably Orlando.

43. What was the last thing you paid for with cash?
Entry to the Parade of Homes yesterday

44. When was the last time you wrote a letter to someone on paper and mailed it?
too long ago. I'm not even sure what postage rates are anymore.

45. Can you change the oil on a car?
I could if I had to.

46. Your first love: what is the last thing you heard about him/her?
He just bought a new orange Vitacci scooter.

47. How far back do you know about your ancestry?
Only about four generations (great-great grandparents) on my mom's side. My grandmother did some genealogy work many years ago, but no one knows where it is now.

48. The last time you dressed fancy, what did you wear and why did you dress fancy?
I dressed up for the ballet a few weeks ago. I wore my favorite black strappy heels and my teal and black dress.

49. Does anything hurt on your body right now?
No.

50. Have you been burned by love? 
Hasn't everyone? Yes.

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BTHO Mizzou!

Gig 'em Ags! Let's pull this one off today. Mary was telling me about something on the radio where they were asking what body part you would be willing to give up for Texas to win the national championship this year. An Aggie called in and said "I'd give my left nut if Texas would lose every game." Bwahaha! Chris (yet another t.u. fan at work) said that was the best the Ags could hope for. I agreed, when our QB is tossing balls to the other team. I still love ya' Johnson. Let's do this thing!

Cathy is "in a relationship" on Facebook, which of course, makes it official. Woohoo! Brent is so cute. I can't wait to meet him! She's really happy, and I am so thrilled for her.

Facebook messaging last night...

Cathy: Brent askred if i wouldnt mind him chsngij his statuw olnb....Damn ambien, ill tell youb romortrow.
Cathy: BWAHabahbshba,
Me: LMAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. Girl! Go to bed.
Cathy: G,nite.

One really shouldn't Facebook when one has been taking sleeping pills. Maybe she doesn't even like Brent. ;)

Patrick's Saturday Six

1. You order takeout from a favorite restaurant. You’re at the counter paying for your dinner by credit card and the host hands you the charge slip that includes a blank for a tip. Do you leave one for takeout?
Nope. A tip is generally for personal service, and they haven't provided me a service- not delivery, not filling my drink, not taking up my dishes, etc. I have tipped at counter service places at times, but only for exceptional friendliness or, especially in Austin establishments, behind-the-counter entertainment.

2. You’re having dinner at a restaurant you’ve never visited before and you receive poor service, a wrong item on your plate and you have an inattentive waiter. Do you leave a tip anyway, or would you leave nothing?
I leave nothing. The tip is supposed to reflect your opinion of the service. If it were that bad, it is appropriate to leave no tip. If I'm the server, I straighten out my act if I want to make any money that night.

3. You’re under the weather and you decide to make a doctor’s appointment: how likely are you to search the web for your symptoms and walk in with your own diagnosis already in hand (or in mind)?
I used to always do that, but I've unnecessarily scared the crap out of myself a few times, so now I only look things up when I think they're not that significant. 

4. You see a drug ad on television promoting a “miracle cure” for a condition you know you have. How likely are you to contact your doctor and ask about that specific medication?
I've never had that experience, but I would ask about it, if I wasn't already on something that was working.

5. A cell phone company sells you a phone that fails to do something you feel is basic. They advertise a money-back guarantee, but the fine print says there’s a $35 “restocking fee” for returning the phone. How much are you likely to fight that charge because of the phone’s inability to do what you need it to do?
I would pay it if it was in the paperwork. I might express shock and dismay, to see if they would waive it, but if they didn't, I would suck it up. That's why I bring Jeff with me for these things. He tells them there's no way in Hell he's paying that BS charge.

6. You decide to buy a new computer, and there are two computer stores in town: one has low prices and an almost-absent sales floor staff, and the other has higher prices but very friendly, helpful staffers. You decide to get information from the well-informed staff at the more expensive store. If you knew you could save 25% or so by going to the cheaper store, how likely would you be to buy from the more expensive store that gives you better service?
I'd say 1/3 of the time I use the knowledgeable staff somewhere, I go ahead and buy the item there. Especially if the person really shaped my decision on what to purchase.

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Safe Miners 'n Stuff

Amazing job getting everyone out of the mine in Chile. Just awesome. 

Every time I see a headline like Gates says courts should not set policy on gays, I think, What the heck do I care what Bill Gates thinks about *insert military issue here*?! Yeah. I'll figure that one out right before the Defense Secretary leaves that job.

Song Lyrics du Jour

...You wear white and I'll wear out the words "I love you"
And "you're beautiful..."

Train "Marry Me"


Thursday Thunks

1. It's election time. The moon is currently waxing crescent and is 37% full. What do you do to decide who to vote for?
Voting guides, political ads and a Ouija board

2. Everybody is afraid of something. Do you play a musical instrument?
I play piano, but not well.

3. Everyone loves some kind of music. What is an irrational fear that you have?
Fear of heights, to the extent that I avoid looking straight down from a high place. I also don't like people I care about leaning over railings and such. Don't let me see you doing it. It makes me feel ill. So technically, I have a fear of YOU falling.

4. Back to politics. Who do you think will be next president after Obama whether he gets a second term or not?
Egads. The pickings are slim. Maybe Jon Stewart will jump in?

5. What is the most unusual piece of furniture that you own?
An antique English washstand that my grandmother bought over there. It's the only antique in my house, and it's hidden in Jeff's office. I'm a fairly contemporary decorator.

6. Everybody gets angry at times. When was your last time and what did it concern?
I needed 1000 sheets of colored paper the other day from the office supply lady at work. She gave me two reams, and one was opened. I said I needed a new one, and she insisted it had just popped open and was 500 sheets. It soooooo obviously wasn't. Sure enough, it was 40 sheets short. Not sure what her problem was, but I should have gone back there and made her get me another pack of paper! I supplemented with some I already had, because I'm nice like that.

7. Do you have cousins? If yes, are you or have you been close? 
I have 5 cousins and 3 step-cousins, and I have been close with 2 of them. None of them has ever lived near me.

8. What was the last song that you sang in the shower?
Remember, I sing everywhere but the shower. The last song I sang was Taylor Swift, "Mine".
...You made a rebel of a careless man's careful daughter...

9. What question would you like me to ask next week?
"What's your current favorite song?" I need new music suggestions!

10. What's in your left pocket right now? 
I don't have a pocket in my night gown.

11. When was the last time that you laughed till you cried?
About a week ago. I can't remember what it was that cracked me up.

12. What song would you like played at your funeral?
Yikes. I have no idea.

13. How did you discover Thursday Thunks the first time that you played?
A link from Sunday Stealing.

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Happy Hump Day (w/TMI)

There's a button you click in Mafia Wars that takes you to a Facebook page that shows any special missions that are available. If your friends who play the game don't have any missions at the moment, the page shows a vast expanse of whitespace, with a little blurb in the center that politely says:

Find more friends.

Nice. Well, maybe if I had better MW friends, they would have missions for me. Meh.

And now for the TMI portion of our show: I am seriously considering getting a new and improved breast implant, made of silicone instead of saline. Now is probably the time to do it. My plastic surgeon says the saline implants always fail, and the lifetime is about 20 years max. I've had mine for 18 years, so unless I have an unusually awesome one, it will happen at some point. The current silicone ones are a lifetime deal that will never break or leak. He let me feel one. They are nice! Very realistic. My scar from before is barely visible, and he would go in through the same incision, so it should look great.

I don't know though. I hate to schedule a surgery if I may not ever need it. Better now then in ten years, I guess. Also if I do it, maybe I can get a tummy tuck out of it. Hmm. Of course, one of my Bunco buddies almost croaked from an infection in her abdominal incision, after adding a tummy tuck to her boob lift. Perhaps I oughtn't get too enthusiastic with the procedures.

Last night I had a romantic dream about Michael Bolton. I also oughtn't take Benadryl before bed.

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Quick Post

Me (to JeffC): Here, you can have the Estes hat they gave me at the launch.
JeffC: No thanks. You keep it.
Me: I won't wear it. You did a lot of work on the motors. You should have it.
JeffC: No. No. Really, you keep it. I won't wear it either.
Jeff: He just doesn't want it because it doesn't say "cocks" on it.
Me: *aghast*
Jeff: Cox. It's an RC airplane manufacturer.

Ahh. I can't keep up with all guy stuff. Either way, I'm getting this Gamecocks hat for JeffC.

It's "sunglasses day" at work. Should be interesting. I'm not sure I can work the circ desk with sunglasses!

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Monday Meme Catch-Up

Microsoft note: I spent like 20 minutes trying to figure out how to get my Windows 7 taskbar to be translucent again, after it randomly turned a hideous opaque shade of blue. The fix? Reboot.

The rocketry event was awesome!!! My whole body still hurts from all the prep and set-up, but it was well worth the effort... and even worth getting very little sleep on Friday night. The kids were SO thrilled. You can watch many videos from various vantage points on YouTube. My video from way-too-close is up on Facebook. :)


Sunday Stealing: Another 50 Questions Meme, Part One (perhaps)

1. When you looked at yourself in the mirror today, what was the first thing you thought?
OMG. My hair looks really cute.

2. How much cash do you have on you?
$27

3. What’s a word that rhymes with DOOR?
"Whore," of course. I know this is a trick question, Frankie Freud. Analyze away.

4. Favorite planet?
EARTH!! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!111!!1!!!!  *vuvuzela*

5. Who is the 4th person on your missed call list on your cell phone?
Jeff

6. What is your favorite ring tone on your phone?
"No Surprise" Chris Daughtry

7. What shirt are you wearing?
An A&M tshirt. It's "college t-shirt day" at work.

8. Do you label yourself?
Not with anything permanent.

9. Name the brand of the shoes you’re currently wearing?
I don't wear shoes around the house, but I will be wearing AVIA running shoes today.

10. Bright or dark room?
Bright!

11. Did you do anything to celebrate John Lennon's 70th yesterday (Saturday)?
Nope.

12. What does your watch look like?
I haven't worn a watch in several years.

13. What were you doing at midnight last night?
Sleeping.

14. What did your last text message you received on your cell say?
"ok" (You guys always juuuuust miss the good ones.)

15. Where is your nearest 7-11?
about 3 miles

16. What’s a word that you say a lot?
"cool"

17. Who told you he/she loved you last?
Jeffery

18. Last furry thing you touched?
Maya

19. How many drugs have you done in the last three days?
None

20. How many rolls of film do you need developed?
Is this a meme from 1972? Zero.

21. Favorite age you have been so far?
26

22. Your worst enemy?
Humidity

23. What is your current desktop picture (extra points if you post it)?

o....m....g..... *stares*

*ponders what my extra points get me*

BTW, you can click it for the large version. Go ahead. You know you want to.

24. What was the last thing you said to someone?
"Goodnight." I'm always the first one up around here.

25. If you had to choose between a million bucks or to be able to fly what would it be?
Easy. A million bucks. Then I can fly anywhere I want to, and read SkyMall a very cerebral book while I do it.

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Senior Ring Time for the Kiddo

Lo-Lo now has her senior ring on order. Am I officially old now? Good grief.

We did discuss how most people don't wear their high school rings after high school, but she really wanted one. And it's very cool, I think. She has a music design on the "2012" side, since she plays various instruments, and a color guard design on the other side, with her name. She selected a topaz stone, which is her birthstone and her favorite color- yellow. Silver ring. Neato!

Plus, I beat the school vendor's price by about $100 at Zales. BOO-YAH.

Funniest thing heard last night--

Lauren (to Jeff): YOU dated a cheerleader in high school?
Jeff: Hey, you don't have to be so surprised.

That... just earned this post a "funny" tag.

JeffC sent me this amusing/interesting map of the online social networks. He just proved my point that Facebook is the be-all-and-end-all. It's actually based on usage facts and figures, as you can read if you click on the map to enlarge to full size. See? I can gack things from people other than The Bloggess. :p

(Well she did have this one funny link: SO TRUE: The pain of watching non geeks use computers And it is indeed SO TRUE.)

I'm having a positively fabulous morning! Hope you have a fabulous Friday!! :D

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Meme Thursday

Thursday Thunks: Sneaking Out

1. When you snuck out of your house for the first time, who were you meeting and why?
I never had to sneak out. As long as Mom knew where I was, she was almost always okay with my being out. The literally 2-3 times she wasn't okay with what I was doing, I whined a lot but I didn't go.

2. Tell us about the last time that you got your heart broken. Extra points if you publish their naked photo.
Jeff went out with another girl at home over Christmas break my junior year of college, and then broke up with me as soon as we got back to school for spring semester. I didn't see it coming at all, so I was devastated. I can't post his naked picture, because Facebook paybacks are Hell.

3. Tell us about someone you know named Bob. (Yes, we know this is a stupid question. Stupid is what we do best.)
Bob B. One-half of Frankenbob from college. He was in the nuke department with me. He had been in the navy before attending A&M. We hung out a lot, had many classes together. We and our mutual friends had a ton of game nights over the years, where we usually played cards. He's funny and very sweet when he wants to be. He is a great cook as well.

4. We just found the perfect retail space. We are giving you the store. What’s its name and what do you sell?
It's called Just Boots. I just sell boots.

5. Tell us about your last "friend with benefits".
Yeah, I never was into that. There had to be a deeper connection for me to get that cozy with someone.

6. Kimber worries a lot. What was the last thing that you worried about?
Getting out of east Austin last night before the sun went down.

7. Do you believe “once a cheater, always a cheater”? 
No. Sure, there are people with a perpetual roving eye, who will never be faithful to one person. There are others who get into a situation for one reason or another, who would be unlikely to do it again. If you're cheated on, your challenge is to determine which kind of partner you're with, and if it's worth sticking it out.

8. Tell us about moving out of your parents' home. Who did you move in with?
I moved to College Station to start school the fall after high school grad. I was in a garage apartment in my Grandparents' house. No roommate.

9. What was your most recent regret?
Using Google Chrome to edit this entry. The "select" on this thing is a bit overenthusiastic.

10. Berleen recently ranted on facebook about having to got to parent-teacher conferences when your child has great grades. What was the stupidest meeting that you most recently endured?
I haven't been at a stupid meeting in a while. I manage to see them coming and avoid them.

11. Do you collect anything?
personal memorabilia

12. Has anyone ever told you that you were in the wrong job?
Only the few people who weren't happy that I took my current job.

13. Is there something that you’d like to complete before the end of 2010?
I've just started organizing my photos in Picasa. I'm tagging them all and adding captions, etc. It's a huge project, but since I haven't printed photos in forever, I need to get a system going for permanent storage and retrieval.

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Love These Cool Mornings

Took the kittens to the vet this morning before the sun came up. So crisp and October-y!

Want to know how to make your hair product last longer? When you think it's empty, go and buy something you think is better. Once you're waiting to use the new stuff, the old stuff just stays at the same level every time you use it. I've been using my almost-gone heat protectant spray for a month since I bought this new, more awesome spray!

Has a specific instrument ever caught your attention while listening to a song, and then you can't listen to that song anymore without concentrating on just that instrument? I swear, there is someone playing a triangle in Aerosmith's "Don't Wanna Miss a Thing." A TRIANGLE. Ting! Ting! Gah.

I was contacted yesterday by a producer of a primetime network reality show, asking me how they might put the word out to the women who visit my crafting website that they want one of them for the show. How coolio is that? Just a testament to my hard-earned Google ranking, really. Fun though.

Library cataloging training downtown today. I will Dewey-decimal every one of you afterward.

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Go-Go Boots and Parenting

A very cool blog post about parenting, by Rachael Rossman (link shamelessly gacked from The Bloggess)...

Lessons

It reminds me in some ways of these amazing white go-go boots my mom bought me when I was 4 or 5 years old. I remember them quite well. She told me that the only reason I owned them at all was because I had soooo loved them at the store. She hated them because they were "trendy" and Mom never bought me a dang thing that wasn't a possibility to wear for the next thirty years, because as you know, "basics never go out of style." So I spent a lot of my own money on trendy clothes later. The first thing I bought with my own money was in elementary school- one of those gold metal stretchy belts to go with my NotJordache jeans.



Anyway, I wore those awesome boots everywhere. And in warm weather or cold, they were hot. Shiny vinyl = not breathable. After about five minutes, I would invariably unzip them and fold them down. It wasn't that I knew they looked awful, but was so hot I didn't care. I thought they still looked cool like that anyway. My mom would just shake her head. All quadzillion times I did it. But she let me wear them every day because I loved them.

On a bit more "Red Dress Project"-relevant note, I did wear my Indian Princess costume to school one day. With the go-go boots.

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Cute!

I don't really like Maroon Five's current single "Misery," but it has one great line:

Song Lyrics du Jour

...It's not what I didn't feel,
It's what I didn't show...

"Misery" Maroon Five

(Isn't it though?)

Went to Jim and Mikey's birthday barbecue yesterday. It was fun to see the girls, and we finally met Jim's new girlfriend. She's great. They are childhood friends who reconnected on Facebook. Nothing cuter than that, folks.

Although, Cathy has a pretty cute story all her own, meeting a high school friend on FB, with whom she is enjoying spending her time!

Then there's Angel calling me her "Schmoopy Boopy" yesterday. I don't know. That may be the cutest thing anyone has ever called me. LOL

And the finale of today's cute-themed post (hey! there's a theme today!), here is a video of our kitties:

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MAAAAAAKEUUUUP!!

A while back, I explained to Lauren the Milton Berle gag where the guy would shout "MAAAAKEUP!" and then someone would whack Berle in the head with a giant, over-powdered powder-puff. She's always thought it was hilarious, and we revisit it when someone mentions makeup.

While we were looking at the smorgasbord of rubber stamps at Michael's yesterday, she said she wanted to select a "personal stamp" that would be like her calling card. She said she would put it on all her school papers and stuff.

"And also," she said as she picked up a piano stamp, "I would just go up to people and go, 'PIANO!'" Then she cocked her arm back, and in true maaaaakeup! style, whack-stamped me on the arm.

ROFL!

Then we hung out in that aisle, pretend-whack-stamping each other. "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" Whack. "SNOWMAN!" Whack. "SQUIRREL!" Whack.

(Here's a vid of the Milton Berle thing from an episode of "The Muppet Show.")


Sunday Seven

AOL recently published a list of what it calls the 100 Worst Songs of All Time. Here’s their list.

Can you find your least-liked songs on their list, or do you think they left off a major annoyance that should have been near the top? Their work may help you with your task for this week’s question!

Name your picks for the seven worst songs of all time.

Okay, before I answer, I have to say that while #82 is not my favorite Chasez tune, he does have other quite redeeming ones. And Barenaked Ladies "One Week" is awesome. Also, while reading through the list I had to stop and download "Breakfast at Tiffany's" by Deep Blue Something, which I love, and I'm listening to it now on endless repeat.

♪♫ ...and I said, "What about 'Breakfast at Tiffany's?'"
She said, "I think I remember the film..."

1. "Come Away With Me" Norah Jones
2. "Fireflies" Owl City
3. "Crazy" Gnarles Barkley
4. "Mexican Radio" Wall of Voodoo
5. "You're Beautiful" James Blunt (#96)
6. "Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car" Billy Ocean
7. "Barbie Girl" Aqua (#5)

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Weekend Update

Jenny The Bloggess left a comment on my blog! Those of you who have heard me tell stories that begin, "The Bloggess was talking about..." know that made my day. :D

Went on a hot date last night to Iron Cactus, which, due to awesome weather and its prime location and outside patio, was packed out the yang. So we went to a place called Gumbo's on Lake Travis, which is neither on Lake Travis, nor does it have a gumbo entree. (Gumbo is available as a barely-mentioned side dish.) I had a pretty impressive salmon with pesto and crab. Everything there has a little spice to it, even the butter. Very good, upscale restaurant, but super loud.

The boys are finishing up the Great Rocket Motor Project of 2010 tonight. It's dominated all life as we know it for several weeks. Next weekend these thousands of motors will be used at a Boy Scout event, and will no longer exist. Ha!

No, I still don't want to see The Social Network, although I like JT's new look.

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Football and Internet Garbage

Ugh. The A&M game last night, while exciting, sucked! Jerrod Johnson was so incredibly hot and cold, it made my head spin. Third quarter was the most nightmarish, and Jerrod simply dropping the ball on the ground for OSU to scoop up and score a TD was the worst play of the night. When the guy is in his rhythm, he is freaking amazing to watch! When he's bobbling snaps and throwing interceptions over and over, you just have to wonder why he's even out there at all. It makes me crazy. GRR.

Some new prime time show was on the other night, and I caught a minute of it. The teenage daughter was telling her mom that her best friend had been sleeping with her boyfriend. Instead of getting all mom-ish and passing along parental wisdom and advice, the mom just said, "That bitch!" Love it. Oh, I think it was that show based on The Incredibles.

I was contemplating "internet garbage" this morning. I'm talking about a few things:

1) old websites no longer maintained and out-of-date
2) emails going into accounts never checked, as well as very old emails simply stored in folders in all our active accounts
3) bajillions of graphics, photos, vids no longer viewed or used

This is actual trash, because it all resides in a physical space on a computer somewhere. More and more storage is required for these things, and places like Facebook are now allowing high resolution photos, for even more eventual waste. They just keep adding storage space, and it's fairly cheap, so no biggie, right? Jeff tells me each piece of that garbage is so small, it's not a concern. But all of that junk together is immense! Plus, it is only getting exponentially worse over time.

I think there ought to be a time limit on these things, where if an html page or graphic or image, etc., has not been accessed in X years, it can be deleted by whoever is storing it. Think how much stuff that would be. Even if you want to be nice and require that they at least attempt to email the owner (at what is probably one of those email accounts that has been left to wither), at least we can get rid of some of the miles and miles of computers that are required to store all that.

I just Googled "internet garbage" (you know, to see if I have coined a new term), and found this article by a like-minded someone over at PC Magazine. He adds another great point- there is garbage on search engines, broken links to things that no longer exist. Although it's not taking up a large amount of space on a hard drive somewhere (or is it?), let's get rid of that as well, if only for our sanity. Google still links to my site that was moved in 2002. It only consists of an index page and a 404 page, text only, that says we've moved to xyz.com. I would delete it altogether, but I don't remember the username or password to that thing. I would love if the host would delete it!

I'm going to clean out my Picasa account right now. Just doing my teensy-weensy part. Happy Friday, gang!!

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