Ben Dover

I'm happy to report that I can bend over now! One is not supposed to perform this maneuver for a period of time after having breast augmentation. I thought it was for some physiological reason related to optimal healing. Having accidentally done it on day 2, I can tell you that it's because it hurts like Hell.


Patrick's Sunday Seven

Name seven celebrities who passed away during 2010 with whom you’d have liked to have dinner at their prime.

1. Leslie Nielsen
2. Dennis Hopper
3. Lena Horne
4. Tony Curtis
5. Lynne Redgrave
6. Blake Edwards
7. Tom Bosley

Off to the lake! I love Texas winters.

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Dolly's Defect

So there was this post over at The Bloggess about the Island of Misfit Toys and how all the toys but Dolly have an obvious defect, and I was inspired to Google about it and ended up spending like twenty minutes reading all these interesting details about Dolly and the beloved "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" Christmas television special.

Turns out (and this is my independent final opinion, based on my own extensive internet research)... Dolly wasn't in the original script. She was first added in a limited capacity, only because a "dolly for Sue" is mentioned in their cute little song. Via script revisions, Dolly became a bigger part of the story, but producer Alan Rankin and his team forgot to give her a defect. Later, when repeatedly asked about it, Rankin (perhaps joking) finally said that she was clinically depressed because she was abandoned by her owner.

I told Laura about all this. Her diagnosis for Dolly: "She had boy parts."

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Trip Up the Stairs

Whenever I trip on my way up a flight of stairs (very infrequently, especially considering the incredible number of times I am up and down even our house stairs every day), I am reminded of a funny conversation with my mom.

She began with, "I don't understand how anyone trips when going down the stairs. There isn't anything to trip on. People trip up the stairs, when they catch their foot on a riser. You could really hurt yourself doing that."

We went back and forth with it. I suggested that one perhaps does not "trip" down the stairs, but rather "missteps," resulting in a catastrophic tumble. And while we were at it, "tripping" while going up the stairs has a likely outcome of a busted up shin, at worst, so really there's no comparison of the relative dangers of tripping up or down. Either way, we were obviously arguing about semantics.

She kept saying, "There's a step there. Just step onto it. There's nothing to trip on. You are going down the steps." It just went on and on, with each of us trying to explain what the other wasn't understanding. At some point we drew descriptive drawings, with arrows and other advanced physics notations. It was so funny. I know... you probably had to be there.

Much like the pain pill story (um, except there was NO MORPHINE involved here), I'm guessing someone told her they "tripped down the stairs" and she got hung up on the tripping part.

We watched The Brothers Bloom last night. It's an adventure-slash-romantic-comedy sort of deal. Penelope (Rachel Weisz) is the neatest character. She's this socially awkward, lonely bajillionaire, yet she has such a love of life, constantly learning new and interesting things. She says at one point that she "collects hobbies." She is the mark of a team of two con-artist brothers and their female pal, and ends up longing to be one of the gang. Mark Ruffalo and Adrien Brody are the brothers. It was very charming and worth a rental!

Penelope [to Bloom]: I think you're constipated... in your f*ing soul... I think you might have a really big load of grumpy, petrified poop up your soul's ass.

LOL

And the thunderstorm scene. Ahahaaaaa! That may be a running gag for the rest of my life. Must check the weather...

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Blog Stats 2010

Top Talking For Free Blog Traffic Sources:

My overall traffic is up 33% over last year. Welcome, new person!! ;)

I also have four "Blogger Followers," compared to zero in previous years, which is awesome. I do know one of them, so he doesn't count. Jack just "follows" me because it's easier than clicking a bookmark to get here. *waves*

One third of visitors came directly from a bookmark or by typing the URL. Most everyone else came from search engines or social search tools.

Most Popular Search Keywords Bringing Visitors:
 
Okay, STILL I get the most search traffic by far from terms involving the word "webcam." People. Step away from chat roulette. Nothing good can come of that stuff. And no, you cannot view my webcam.

Another very popular subject of search was Evangeline Lilly talking about gin being the "ultimate panty remover," which leads visitors to my post about her weird Letterman interview.

The Bloggess would be so thrilled to learn that "Bloggess anal" was a search term. And my blog is so far down the results of that search, that someone clicked through a bajillion related links to even get to the page with my link.

My personal favorite search keywords--- "plotting the death of dora the explorer...gonna fill her backpack with bricks and dump her in the candy cane river", which is a Modern Family quote that was featured in the sidebar one week.

Most Popular Individual Posts of 2010: 
1. Webcam Ahoy for the second year in a row. This is a completely insignificant post from 2008.
2. In High School They Called Me Anal Girl Up from number 3 in 2009. (Must watch 500 Days of Summer again...)
3. Message Board Drama Okay, this is from 2007. I need to write more interesting current stuff. Maybe something about webcams.

Countries Sending the Most Visits:
1. USA
2. Mexico
3. Netherlands

This is the same top three as 2009.

Cities with the Most Visits:
1. Austin
2. Coatzacoalcos, Mexico
3. Orange Park, FL

Those would be... my peeps! *hugs peeps*

Incidentally, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia is number FIVE on my top traffic list.

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Coffee for Everyone!

I am now the owner of a Keurig brewer. (Yay! Thanks Jeff and Lauren!) Please come over and have some anytime, because this thing came with a metric buttload of K-cups. Scott and Julie keep all theirs in a huge drawer, and let you dig through. I'm trying to find a carousel or something to keep out on the counter, at least for guests. I'll probably end up with the drawer system, too.

Christmas Quote of the Year, from Jeff:

"Jews are basically Christians... except they don't believe that Jesus is the son of God."

LOL. Mmmmkaaaaay.

I could explain what he was actually trying to say there, but then it's just not as funny.


Sunday Stealing: The Quick 2010 Fandom Meme

1. Your main fandom of the year:
I wasn't an active participant in any particular fandom this year. I probably pay the most attention to the Modern Family television series, hence the quotes on the sidebar.

2. Your favorite Film this year:
Inception

3. Your favorite Book read this year:
Eat This Not That series

4. Your favorite Album or Song this year:
"Hey Soul Sister" by Train (especially Donna's hilarious Adam Sandler version)

5. Your favorite meme site of the year:
Sunday Stealing

6. Your Fandom that you haven't tried yet, but want to:
I'd like to try Simon Baker

7. Your best new Fandom Discovery of the Year:
Lady Antebellum

8. Your biggest Fandom Disappointment of the Year:
Steve Carell leaving The Office

9. Your TV Boyfriend of the year:
John Krasinski

10. Your TV Girlfriend of the year:
Sofía Vergara

11. Your most Missed Old Fandom:
Lord of the Rings

12. Your Biggest Anticipations of the New Year:
Fandom-wise... Matchbox Twenty and Lady GaGa albums

13. Your favorite post (of yours) of the year:
Hmm. Senior Ring Time for the Kiddo. It's got the mash-up of funny and informational, plus the life moment for a little drama.

14.Your favorite new blog (to you) of the year:
The Bloggess

15.Your favorite new website of the year:
Photofunia

16. Your favorite news story of the year:
the rescue of the Chilean miners

17. Your favorite actor of the year:
of this and every year, whether or not he makes any films- George Clooney

18. Your favorite drama TV show of the year:
FlashForward

19. Your favorite comedy TV Show this year:
Modern Family

20. Your favorite cartoon of the year:
Family Guy

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'Twas the Morning Before Christmas...

...and all through the house
not a creature was stirring
'cept me here on my netbook.

Yesterday was all sorts of fun here at the in-laws! We played games and hung out and went out to the Farmers Branch Christmas Lights. (Farmers Branch is a suburb of DFW.) It's a city sponsored drive-through light display that goes through a park there.

To say it's a long line is an understatement. To make things worse, that line crawls at perhaps 1-2 cars per traffic light cycle. I drove.

We're chatting and enjoying the process as much as possible, when I casually turn my head and come to the sudden realization that I have stopped on a railroad track. I've got a dorkass in front of me who has two car lengths of empty space between him and the person in front of him, and a guy who is right on my back bumper. (This morning, the back bumper guy is writing in his blog about "a dorkass in front of me who stopped ON the RAILROAD TRACKS.")

I say out loud, "Oh my gosh, I am on a railroad track!" I laugh. "Well at least there's no train coming!"

Cue.

The.

Train.

Turns out in Dallas, they have a rapid transit system. As the railroad signal starts chiming and lowering, the guy in front of me decides he can scoot up, and I drove off the track. Good thing, because I was just about to push him.

So we go through the light display. It's a nice one, but it takes forever, and it turns out to be rather short. Probably fine for a little drive, but for an hour-and-a-half of crawling along, it wasn't much to write home about.

Grandma's review of the light display: "That was a real boner... ... ... ... I mean bummer."

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Merry iChristmas

Yvette posted a link to this group. A church in Georgia has an "iBand" made up of people playing music with iPads, iPhones and iPods. There are several Christmas songs on YouTube from them, if you search for North Point iBand. This one is my favorite. So cute!



One of my favorite people, my uncle Klaus, is on Facebook! Yay! He and his lifelong girlfriend (get married, would ya?!) go to Greece a LOT, and he has all these awesome photos of the beaches.

Speaking of travel, I reeeeally wanted to go to Italy next year, but Jeff thinks it will be too expensive. Last time I priced airfare to Europe, it was off the charts. So... I think we're going to go to Washington DC! I've never been. I'm pretty psyched! It'll be a great vacation to take with Lauren, too. I'm hoping Dad and Ursula will join us there, since it's sort of in their neck of the woods. That would rock.

We are off to Dallas today. And finally some cold weather!!

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Christmas Cards

Something you should know: If your Christmas card arrives here with any sort of photo included, that photo or photo card goes on our mantel. (I especially love them.) If not, your card is read aloud and then goes in a big pile on the bar. That's because I got rid of my cute reindeer card-display-thinger last year, since I didn't get enough cards to fill it even halfway. This year, my same friends and family who have become Scroogey on the holiday cards over the years went all Emily Post on me, and I have enough to fill it twice.

Something else you should know: I did not send out my annual family Christmas newsletter this year. Nor did I send cards. To anyone. I could make up some ish about having surgery, but you all know I plan things out far ahead and in grand detail, so I could have done the card/newsletter by December 1 if I had really had anything interesting to say the time.

Something else you should know:  Coconuts kill around 150 people worldwide each year, which makes them about ten times more dangerous than sharks.

The Christmas gifts I have received thus far are following a theme. Laura gave me a gaggle of gifts yesterday, which included both an A&M beer mug and a personalized wine glass koozie, though my favorite part of her gift was the card, which was so sweet! It featured the sentiment, "No one does 'inappropriate' like we do." It's so true. I love you, man.


Patrick's Sunday Seven

Now that we’re less than a week from Christmas, there’s a good chance you’ve already seen a selection of Christmas-themed movies. Earlier this week, Entertainment Weekly released a list of the 20 best Christmas movies ever.

Name your seven favorite Christmas-themed movies.

1. Love Actually
2. Gremlins
3. The Year Without a Santa Claus (Heat Miser and Snow Miser!)
4. Frosty the Snowman (I'm not the only one who cries when he melts, right?)
5. A Charlie Brown Christmas
6. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
7. The Nightmare Before Christmas

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The Proverbial Ho-Bag

Heh.

If you have not yet tried the Torchy's Tacos taco of the month, the Naughty Santa...

RUN- DON'T WALK- to your nearest location and get it NOW. It's only in Austin and Dallas, but it's worth whatever drive you have to make. Canadians, I'm talking to you.

Grilled shrimp, chorizo, pickled onions, avocado and jalapeño-jack cheese on a flour tortilla with poblano ranch. This thing needs to be on the regular menu.

KathyL and I exchanged Christmas gifts. We each gave the other a basket full of alcohol! Too funny. She gave me a red wine and cheese basket, and included a Waring electric wine opener just like the one she has, which I've always fancied. I gave her a margarita basket with Grand Marnier and special tequila and a few interesting, well-rated marg recipes and the mixers to make them.

There you are- two free gift ideas if you have someone to shop for this week.

Matthew McConaughey was on Guy's Big Bite this weekend and made his Just Keep Livin' Margarita, which has Orangina (citrus soda) in it, to make it really light. Also sounds great. One of the recipes I gave Kathy is for a beer margarita, which is similar, with a light beer (Corona is recommended) instead of the soda.

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Chink in the Chain??!

I was reading an article about the repealing of Don't Ask Don't Tell (It's about time!) and someone referred to it as "one chink in a very long chain." That reminded me of a time Jeff was telling me something about Intel and semiconductor production in Asia, and he said this was a "chink in their armor," an idiom which I had never heard at the time. I was completely shocked and disturbed that he had used a racist term like "chink" when referring to Asian people. My jaw dropped and I said, "That is awful! Why would you say something like that?!"

He was very confused.

Sorry. I did grow up under a rock. :)

We watched The Collector last night. Oh. My. Gosh. That was one of the most gruesome and disturbing films I've ever seen. It was more bloody and gross than any of the Saw movies, mostly because it was never bordering on ridiculous. Saw is very tongue-in-cheek. The makers of those movies sit around and think up crazy crap for a psycho to do to someone- the more horrific the better. When they hit on something fantastically absurd, they high five each other and have a beer, then get to work on the drawings. This movie has the same sort of shocking, maiming human torture, but it is very realistic. It takes itself very seriously. Just, eww. I had to watch something else before I went to bed.

On the opposite end of the cinematic spectrum, I was reminded of Love Actually last night. THE best movie any and every day, but especially at Christmas. Watch it. Love it. Bring a box of tissues.

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Sunday in the ATX

On the way to Sam's yesterday, Jeff told me that there is a woman in her mid-seventies who has been checking receipts at the door the last few times he was there. Last time, he chatted with her for a minute and asked how it seems she is always there. Does she work like eighty hours a week? She said no, that she worked just forty hours a week.

When we were leaving yesterday, she was there again.

Jeff: We have GOT to stop meeting like this. My wife is going to get suspicious.
Sam's Lady: And she does look like the type who would beat me up with a baseball bat!
Jeff and I: *awkward laughter*

Hey now, Sally Sarcastic. I just look sweet. :p

BTW, I always hate waiting in line on the way out that door to have my receipt checked. The checkout lines are really skinny, so it would be difficult to get through there without paying, especially with all that huge stuff.


Sunday Stealing: The Ninja Meme, Part Two

26. Whose responses to Stealing do you want to read the most?
Scotty

27. What color shirt are you wearing?
blue

28. Do you like sleeping on satin sheets?
Yes. Although they slip off the bed, so they're rather impractical for everyday use.

29. Can you whistle?
yep, but not that loud sports-arena whistling with your fingers in your mouth. I wish I could do that.

30. Favorite colors(s)?
green

31. Could you be a pirate?
aye matey

32. What songs do you sing in the shower?
I've actually sung in the shower recently. Only because I constantly have "Bound to You" stuck in my head. I've also been known to occasionally sing "Rock-A-Bye Your Baby with a Dixie Melody." Jazz is great shower music.

33. Favorite girl's name?
Hmm. Brianna.

34. Favorite boy’s name?
Ethan

35. What’s in your pocket right now?
I don't have a pocket right now.

36. Last thing that made you laugh?
Jeff and I tasting Whipahol last night. Holy cats, that stuff will light you up. No refrigeration required. That should have been my first warning.

37. Best bed sheets as a child?
Raggedy Ann. Incidentally, I played Raggedy Ann in a Christmas play in third grade.

38. Worst injury you’ve ever had?
I tore my rotator cuff... in the shower. Don't ask. There were several weeks of physical therapy involved on that one, with the repeated question, "How did you tear it?"

39. Do you love where you live?
I do!

40. How many TVs do you have in your house? How many HDTVs?
4 TVs. All HD.

41. Who is your loudest friend?
Laura

42. How many dogs do you have?
none

43. Does anyone have a crush on you?
of course ;)

44. What are the most fun things you ever did?
Going to the first-ever homecoming Pep Rally for the Houston Oilers at the Astrodome after their AFC Championship loss to the Steelers in 1978. And there is VIDEO! Gotta love YouTube. (We were sitting a little to the left of this person.)



Seeing Duran Duran 11th row at Wembley Arena for their Sing Blue Silver Tour final London show, December 23, 1983. George Michael was there for the show, as were many popular British groups.

When I was in third grade or so, I was chosen to be one of a few PISD elementary students to present a school district award to Gordie Howe at a Houston Aeros game. We were at center ice with the media flashing their cameras and news video cameras rolling. I happened to be standing next to him during the presentation, and he put his arm around me. I was a big Aeros fan, and was so thrilled to meet him.

Any A&M football game. Even the ones where I come out with a screaming headache from screaming for three hours.

The double date in Dallas in college with Jeff's friend (the pilot) flying us around in a four-person Cessna.

45. Favorite Team?
Texas A&M Aggies

46. What songs do you want played at your funeral?
Why does this question keep popping up? I would think it was a sign, but my fortune cookie said Friday that my life is about to take "a refreshing turn." *waits*

47. What were you doing at 12 AM?
Watching "That 70's Show" and listening to Lauren come in the door from being out.

48. What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up?
Don't sneeze... don't sneeze... don't... Man, nothing hurts post-chest-surgery like sneezing. Oh. Other than SHIVERING. Just stay warm and cedar-fever-free if you've been under general anesthesia in the past week.

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Back in the Groove

Late morning yesterday was the first time I was really up and around doing my normal activities. Last night I actually got dressed and we ventured out to dinner. Then Cathy called and invited Jeff and me downtown to hang out with her and Kenton and another couple, who are all here from Houston for a company Christmas party this weekend. So Jeff and I drove up to the Omni and we went to Iron Cactus on Sixth Street for drinks. It's always surreal to be out after you've been sick or otherwise out of commission for several days, isn't it? It was so fun, though! Thanks CJ! It was great to get out of the house and feel like a normal person again.

Oh lovely. Patrick's meme is about Christmas shopping. Just reminding me that I still have some left to do.


Patrick's Saturday Six: Christmas Shopping

1. When do you usually buy your Christmas cards: leading up to the time to mail them or at the half-off counter the day after Christmas?
Half-off after Christmas, unless I can't find the perfect ones. Then I wait and get them next year.

2. What store do you most prefer to avoid when you shop?
I avoid the mall altogether. I know I always have to make at least one trip there, but I try very hard to have everything I need on a list when I go, so I don't have to return.

3. How likely do you buy a little something for yourself while you’re shopping for everyone else?
Rarely. Once I'm in Christmas shopping mode, I'm focused on everyone else. I'll forget to get things I actually need while I'm out.

4. You find what you consider a perfect gift for a close friend, but it costs about twice what you want to pay: would you buy it anyway?
Definitely. I am all about the perfect gift.

5. Take the quiz: Do You Spend Like a Santa or a Scrooge?
You Spend Sensibly
You love to shop for holiday presents, but you are above all a savvy shopper.
You know you don't have to spend a fortune to get the perfect gift, and you'll shop around to find the right thing at the right price.
You prefer gifts that people actually want to receive to gifts that dazzle or impress.
You hope that your gifts stand the test of time. If someone keeps your gift for years, you consider it a success!

6. How do you feel about shopping this time of year: do you dread it like a root canal or are you raring to go at every opportunity?
I enjoy it, but I wouldn't say I was raring to go at every opportunity.

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Hola, Friends!

I survived the Arnica Montana. You know something? I had a choice of French or US-made arnica, and I chose the American one, when now I'm thinking they've probably actually done studies on it in Europe and here I was, taking the wacky California version.

Austin Surgical Hospital was amazing. The people were all so friendly and helpful and everything ran on time. I would definitely recommend them. The surgery went really well. I only had significant pain for the first 36 hours or so. Totally worth it. The final result is several weeks away, but so far it looks great!

Just thinking... my master bathroom photos are up on my remodeler's website. I'm wondering if my before and after photos will be on my surgeon's site. ;)

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More Thoughts on Herbs and Such

Elaborating on yesterday's comments...

I don't like to take medicines at all. I have to be pretty darn miserable before I take even a Tylenol. I have a prescription for Percocet post-surgery, but I'm not filling it. I'm going to stick with Vicodin, and hope that I can stop taking that after day 1. Also not filling an Ambien script he gave me, because almost everyone I know who has taken it has some sort of "Ambien story" about sleep-walking/cooking/driving/etc. Scary, man.

These natural remedies that haven't been clinically tested for side effects, contraindications, efficacy and the like just give me the heebie-jeebies. However, if a trusted friend recommended some sort of... I dunno... goat testicle cream (that's MADE OF goat testicles, not FOR goat testicles... I draw the line at applying, ingesting, injecting or inhaling veterinary products) and had personally used it with success and without side effects, I would talk to Google and my doctor about it, and would be willing to try it. So you guys can be the guinea pigs on that sort of thing, and I'll be your Arnica Montana resource after this week, because I am flying by the seat of my pants on this one and taking it tomorrow. I assume my doctor has used it with most of his patients without incident.

Did I mention this stuff has to be dissolved under your tongue? Why do herbal remedies have to be so oddly administered? I'm thinking they do it on purpose to increase the mystique. It could probably easily be a pill, but they would rather tell you it has to be crushed with a mortar and pestle, and blown into your ears with a straw, all so the homeopathy dude at Central Market can impress you with its awesome Austin-y granola-ness.

I'm not totally opposed to natural remedies. I've tried a neti pot, for goodness' sake. It takes balls to pour water into your head through your nose. Just saying.

(Several treatments with the neti pot didn't do a thing for my allergies, by the way.)

I'll probably be away from the computer Tuesday and Wednesday, so enjoy your other internet haunts! I shall return with tales of sublingual Arnica Montana.

I hope. ;)

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Beautiful Sunday

In addition to about six other drugs for various post-surgical issues (bring on the Percocet!), my surgeon wants me to take an herb called Arnica Montana to reduce bruising and inflammation. Well, having worked in pharmaceutical research and as a science-minded individual, I am skeptical of and have never taken homeopathic "medicines," for both safety and efficacy concerns. I still don't want to do it now. So I asked the homeopathy dude at Central Market, "This isn't going to kill me, is it?"

"This is homeopathic stuff. You could take the whole bottle and nothing would happen!"

Truer words were probably never spoken.

Sunday Stealing: The Ninja Meme, Part One

1. What do you add to your coffee?
cream (or creamer) and Equal

2. What are you reading now?
this meme

3. Do you own a gun?
No

4. Are you registered to vote?
Yep. Scary, ain't it?

5. Do you get nervous before doctor appointments?
depends on what kind of doctor it is

6. What do you think of hot dogs?
They're good every once in a while.

7. Favorite Christmas Song?
Oh Holy Night

8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning?
merlot

9. Can you do push ups?
sort of

10. What was the name of your first boyfriend/girlfriend?
John

11. What’s your favorite piece of jewelery?
my wedding ring

12. Favorite hobby?
punkin' chunkin'

13. Do you work with people who idolize you?
Of course.

14. Do you have ADD?
nope

15. What’s one trait that you hate about yourself?
I don't "hate" anything, but I need to be more patient with idiot drivers.

16. What’s your Middle name?
Marguerite

17. Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment.
need to take a Claritin, these kittens sure are troublemakers, wonder what movies came out on Friday

18. Name 3 things you bought yesterday.
I power shopped for Christmas presents yesterday! I could tell you what I bought, but then I'd have to kill you. In the spirit of the season and all.

19. Name 3 beverages you regularly drink.
tea, lemonade, scotch (that's a joke. I never want another drop of scotch to touch my tongue. Yucko.)

20. Current worry right now?
how I'm supposed to get a whole new wardrobe of bras next week, during the holiday crush

21. What side do you dress to?
um, neither

22. Favorite place to be?
anywhere next to a blue ocean

23. How did you bring in the New Year?
with a bottle of wine at home

24. Where would you like to go?
Italy is next on my vacation wishlist.

25. Name three people who you will see today.
JeffC, Jeff and Lauren

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Double-Meme Day

Jeff gets ultimate brownie points for surprising me last night at dinner. There was a vase of roses on our table when we arrived. Melting Pot will handle that for you. Who knew? So sweet! You even get to keep them.

The last time we went to Melting Pot, we were there with Lauren and they sat us in one of their closed-off booth thingies with the sliding door, which we always thought would be so cool. Well, it isn't. The walls between the booths don't go all the way to the ceiling, so you can hear every single word from the tables on either side of you, exactly as if you were all sitting at the same table. So noisy! Not to mention you have to be careful what you say, because ten other people you don't know are listening, whether they want to or not.

I kept wanting to jump in on a conversation at the next table with something like, "Mark, you should go to NYU! They have the better film program!" Ahahahaa.

The table they had for us last night was in the back corner, a table for two (or three, if you're into that) with walls all around that went all the way to the ceiling. Cozy! Plus... flowers!

Saturday 9: Reason to Believe

1. Has anyone asked you to believe in something that called for a huge leap of faith on your part?
We once made a fairly substantial business loan to someone in a developing country as a part of a church-related project. I didn't figure we'd ever see that money again, so I guess I didn't exactly do the leap of faith thing. LOL. But the question is if someone asked me to believe in something. Jeff and his parents asked me to make that leap of faith. In the end, we did get the money back with interest. :)

2. When is the last time you moved? Why did you move?
15 years ago we moved because we wanted a bigger house in the same general area of town.

3. Malls? ..or Internet? Are you doing more online shopping this year? The polls say we are, but I'm curious about what the real people are doing.
I have yet to do most of my shopping, but the things I have gotten so far have been at local stores. If something is less expensive online, I will definitely buy it there.

4. Do you remember the first meme you participated in and if so, what was it?
I've added it at the bottom of this entry. For reference (if you look) "the board" refers to the message board of a now-defunct fansite I was running with a friend at the time.

5. If you could invent something, what would it be?
A device you could wave over someone and their physical pain would completely disappear for a certain amount of time. (Usually docs have to know whether things are still hurting, or if the pain has moved, is different, etc., so you can't remove it forever) I'd say 4 hours a pop.

6. Are you finished with your shopping? Do you still have a few things to go? What? Not even a game plan? ...or is there just one person you're having trouble finding something for?
Most of my shopping remains to be done. I have ideas for almost everyone. The in-laws are always the most difficult, because I like to give them things they can use up- tickets to events and that sort of thing- rather than items that will sit in their house.

7. What's left to do at your place (or where you are going)? Is the tree up? ...or maybe you're just happy you found the Christmas coffee mug and are calling that good?
I got out all the decorations, and we quickly decided that with two kittens we couldn't put up the tree and our precious ornaments from over the years. So we bought a small tree, which they immediately climbed and knocked over. So we won't have a tree this year. I'm going to put out some of my other decorations. Right now, I have a Santa on my mantle and that is it.

8. Is your life turning out the way you thought it would when you were a kid? If not, is it better or worse?
It's neither better, nor worse than I imagined. Definitely different. That's the fun of living your life- it's always a surprise what's going to happen next!

9. Tell us about something you'll miss about 2010.
2010 didn't really have anything that I won't have in 2011 as well. Bye bye, 2010!

Here is my very first meme, dated April 11, 2003:

01. Name: Kathy
02. Age: 30-something
03. DOB: April 2
04. Height: 5'4
05. Weight: Yeah.
06. Eye color: Green
07. Hair color: Auburn
08. Piercing: Ears
09. Tattoos: No way
10. Scars: tiny scratch scars from the former Cat from Hell
11. Body shape: Girly
12. Current taste in mouth: Godiva raspberry truffle (thanks hubby!)
13. Current clothing: denim capris and peasant shirt
14. Current music: The Scabs "Tarantula"
15. Current desktop: JC from BMAs, sans Tara
16. Current thought in head: How the hell does all this LJ stuff work?
17. Current IM sessions: Carrie
18. Current time: 5:29 CST
19. Current weather: 76 sunny
20. Current feeling: Scholarly. Am learning LJ technical junk.
21. Current Status: Married
22. Current location: Office chair in front of computer

~*Last Times / This Or That More Lame Questions*~
23.  Last time you smiled: Seeing my best friend Laura, who teaches at DD's  school, in a Little House on the Prairie dress for Pioneer Day this  morning
24. Last time you frowned: Ten minutes ago when I had no idea how to get back to my own journal screen
25. Last time you hugged someone: DH this morning
26.  Last time you cried: watching CNN, when the Iraqi man in Baghdad spoke  to the marine in broken English, saying he was so thankful he was free
27. Last time you laughed: reading the board about 20 minutes ago (those girls crack me up)
28. Last time you yawned: an hour ago
29. Last time you lied: truly cannot remember, probably college
30. Last time you thought of suicide: never
31. Last time you got angry: 1pm
32. Last time you ate: truffle- about 5 minutes ago
33. Last time you went potty: 1 hour ago
34. Last time you slept: til 6:15 this morning
35. You or Me: Well, since these questions refer to me as "you", what exactly does this mean? ;)
36. This or That: This
37. Optimistic or Pessimistic: optimistic
38. Sad or Happy: happy
39. Fork or Spoon: spoon
40. Pepsi or Coke: Coke
41. Pepsi Blue or Code Red: Neither
42. Friends or Family: Friends
43. Sleeping or Eating: Eating
44. TV or Internet: Internet.
45. Condoms or The Pill: PILL. Just say no to condoms.
47. Sarcasm or Insults: Sarcasm
48. Zero or 0: 0.00
49. Cheating or Faithful: Faithful
50. Al Gore or George Bush: Is there another option?

~*extras*~
51. Are you enjoying this quiz?: Yes, it is keeping me from boring a larger audience at the board.
52. What are you going to do after this?: Check on sick DD
53. What time is it now?: 5:39 pm
54. Say one nice thing about the person you got this from: Gropey is one of the funniest people at the board.
55. Do you have a girlfriend/boyfriend?: I have a husband.
56. Do you have any talents?: I sing. No really.
57. What was the last movie(s) you saw?: The Two Towers... again.
58. Why are you on the internet?: I am on an endless quest for information to update the fansite.
59. AIM names?: none
60. Do you smoke?: no
61. Do you do drugs?: no
64. Is this quiz too long?: no
65. Should it end here?: Unless you're expecting me to come up with additional questions- yes..

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The Sing-Off

Okay, I'm finally caught up on the new season of "The Sing-Off." They're still using that cardboard cutout of Nick Lachey as a host, when Joey Fatone is the obvious choice for that job. Nicole Schirzinger just sort of rubs me the wrong way, but I so adore and respect Ben Folds and Shawn Stockman.

I very much enjoyed seeing Nota, the winners from the first season, on Wednesday's episode. It's just too bad I am sick to death of that Black-Eyed Peas song. Love-love-LOVE when Nota adds a Latin beat somewhere in a song to make it a little bit Puerto Rico!

My faves from this season are/were On the Rocks from U of Oregon (whom I've mentioned here before), The Backbeats from USC and UCLA (or more accurately their lead singer Joanna), The Whiffenpoofs from Yale (who are already out, but nailed that Mika song on night 1) and the church group Committed from Alabama. I like Street Corner Symphony from Nashville, but the lead singer is a little wispy. His voice is really nice, but he seems timid on stage and like Ben said, he has a sadness in his persona that may be better conveyed by singing in a lower register.

Here is video of The BackBeats from night 1, singing Beyonce's "If I Were a Boy." Does Joanna rock or what?!



TGIF. Today is my last day of work before three weeks off! Christmas shopping is looming over me. Must get it done by Monday, I think. Tuesday is my surgery!

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Mid-Week Randomness

We went to dinner downtown with Jeff's boss from Boston and a couple of other co-workers and wives last night. Very fun! Throughout the evening, there was a battle royale between Gil's iPhone and Jeff's Droid. Mostly we determined they are pretty much the same.

Listened to 101X quite a bit the past two days. It's really great. During the morning show, Deb the DJ talked about coloring her grays (which I've never done), so I think my assumption that the listeners are mostly college students was inaccurate. :)

I'm not typically the mom who knows any household hints, but here's one for ya'. Jeff found it online, so a shout out to Google on that. (holla.) If your kitchen sink develops a weird smell, not even necessarily a gross one- ours was a strange plastic-ish with a little "mildew-y?" thrown in- try cleaning underneath the rubber gasket in the drain on the disposal side. Our new sink (installed a couple of years ago) has a large basin on the garbage disposal side and a smaller one on the other side, so I wash dishes in the small side. I used to wash them in the disposal side in my old sink, so it had a lot of soap regularly running through it. I think since this one doesn't, it allowed gunge to build up under there more than it should. Jeff took a toilet brush with dish soap and pushed it through to clean under the gasket. It was very gross! Who knew?

The Social Network an Oscar front-runner for Best Picture? Wow. That is about as strange as James Franco and Ann Hathaway hosting the show. Maybe I won't watch this year.

Have a great day, y'all!

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Not Shazam... Sound Hound

Correction: In yesterday's blog post, I said Shazam was the awesome app that recognizes music. It is SoundHound that Lauren uses, and she says it is "much better than Shazam." So, there ya' go!

Lauren went on a date with a brand new guy last night. New to us anyway. They've known each other for a while at school. By the time he brought her home after their movie, I was in my PJs, so I didn't get to meet him. Sad! Jeff met him though. They saw 127 Hours and said unfortunately it was not good. A full fifteen minutes of the film is a guy cutting off his own arm with a multi-tool, and Lauren tells me, "Oh my gosh, the grossest part of the whole movie was when he drank his own pee!!"

I am working full time this week, for the first time in 17 years. I have to make myself a bag lunch and everything, because of a half-hour lunch (if that). I'm just hoping to make it through five whole days without the usual soap operas, bon bons and a nap. ;)


Monday Mayhem

1. Do you RSVP to all of your invites over the holidays?
I RSVP to all my invites all year long.

2. What's your best excuse for not attending a holiday function?
Already going to another holiday function.

3. Have you ever had 'a little too much' of anything in front of your boss at a holiday celebration or done anything else that may come back to haunt you in the future? 
Nah.

4. How many cards do you send via 'snail mail' (regular mail)?
Usually around 40, but this year, probably 5 or so. And I write something in them. None of this just signing at the bottom malarkey. *eyes Sheryl* Actually, I usually include a newsletter, too. It's not even too obnoxious.

5. How many cards do you send via email?
I don't send cards via email.

6.What is your exercise routine during the holiday season?
Same as all year- work out five days a week for at least half an hour a day. This holiday season has already been difficult with my schedule, and I won't be able to do any intense workouts for at least three weeks after my surgery- BLAH.

7. What is your least favorite thing about the holiday season?
Traffic around the shopping areas.

8. Tell us what is your regifting policy?
I have only regifted like two items in my life.
Required for me to regift:
a) gift is new, in the original closed packaging
b) gift is something I received from a random gift exchange or some other impersonal way, not from a friend
c) giftee must be a casual acquaintance or a service provider, like the mailman... not a friend or relative

9. Ever been the recipient of a re-gift?
Once, I'm fairly sure.

10. What is your basic 'fat outfit' to wear after you have been sampling too much of the holiday festivities?
I wear workout clothes, like yoga pants and a tshirt, because they're stretchy. Also, it gets me in the mood to work out!

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Finally! Music Recs!

MIX 94.7's morning show used to be GREAT. Now it's become about 50% garbage. That wasted time is split between advertising masked as impromptu conversation about things like laser hair removal and vision correction surgery, and lengthy "previews" of what's coming up in fifteen/thirty minutes. Sometimes they talk more about what's coming up than they eventually say in the segment itself. Very annoying.

So KathyL and I were hanging out last night at her place, listening to her iPod over speakers, like we usually do. I started keeping a list of songs I liked as they played, so I could download some new stuff today. 94.7 doesn't play much alt rock, so I don't hear the new songs unless Lauren is listening to them (or at Kathy's). Kathy asked me why I'm not listening to the awesome alternative station on satellite radio. Uhhhhh... I don't have satellite radio!

Now I've done my research and found 101X, which is an alt rock radio station here in Austin. Will be switching from MIX 94.7 posthaste. It even appears 101X has a morning show. The station looks skewed towards the college demographic, but I'm excited to give it a shot.

I'm downloading several songs from The Airborne Toxic Event, Hockey, 3OH!3, Neon Trees and a few others. Kathy's a fan of Arcade Fire, who I had heard snagged a few Grammy noms this week, but there's something about their sound I'm not so fond of. Eh. She has a love/hate relationship with Nickelback, and played a couple of their harder rock songs for me, which she likes but I'd never heard- "Burn It to the Ground" and "Something in Your Mouth." I'll get those as well.

What did she get in return for giving me a bunch of new music suggestions? A recommendation for one of my favorite songs, Theory of a Deadman's "Bad Girlfriend" AND a bonus suggestion of the Shazam application for her iPhone, which thrilled her to no end. She had never heard of it. HA. (Julie actually sang into Lauren's iPad the other night and it guessed the song. Freakin' amazing. Check it out!) ETA: Oops. It's actually SoundHound that Lauren uses. :)

And your extra bonus recommendation of the day (thanks Shane!) for those who aren't on Facebook...

Ben Moody (the genius behind Evanescence's first album "Fallen"), and original Ev members Rocky Gray and John Lecompt have gotten back together with bassist Marty O'Brien (Disturbed/StaticX) & American Idol Finalist Carly Smithson to form the band "We Are The Fallen".

It sounds a LOT like Evanescence, but I love them, so that's okay with me. 

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Fritz Not Felix

Random memory-
While I was at college, A&M showed Fritz the Cat (an animated film with an X rating, for those who are unfamiliar) at The Grove on campus. Tons of our football players were there, which only added to the hilarity. And my t.u. friends wonder how I never knew, in all the years I was there, that A&M is considered to be a "conservative school." University-sanctioned porn, people. Animated animal porn with a social message, but porn nonetheless.


Saturday 9: Hard Habit to Break

1. Do you have any habits or rituals at this time of year?
I have to drink a little egg nog at some point. I'm not a huge fan of it, but my parents loved it and always had it around during the Christmas season when I was growing up, so it reminds me of childhood.

2. Polar bears seem to do well in the snow... How about you? Is snow just another thing you deal with when it shows up, or is it shutdown time? ...and if you're posting from a non-snowy locale, do you make trips to actually see snow? It's okay to admit it...
It doesn't really snow here, and I don't make trips to see it, although fairly often it has snowed in Dallas while we're there over the holidays. I wouldn't like living in a snowy location and dealing with it every day, but I do like playing in it on occasion.

3. Tell about a toy you remember from your childhood.
I had one of those large, metal, spinning tops, with the pump-action post in the center. I would spin that thing on our kitchen floor when I was a preschooler.

4. If you could make one thing in the world absolutely free for everyone, what would it be?
Healthcare. And not in a socialist way, where we pump more and more cash into the system while the quality of care tanks. I'm talking about providing high quality care by managing costs via taking out all the BS and reducing the enormous profits of service and product providers. Make a profit, but not a ridiculously-high one on the backs of sick people. If you want to make mountains of money, do it with an awesome iPhone app or the new pet rock. Don't strangle it out of people who are just trying to live another day.

5. Do you live close to your immediate family members? If not, how far away are they?
Nope. My Dad lives in upstate New York. Jeff's parents and brother live in Dallas.

6. My mom ordered a turkey dinner from a local market. It was o.k., but not very good. How was your turkey (or last holiday meal) this year?
It was awesome. Had it at the Renaissance Austin Hotel.

7. In a one horse open sleigh: Have you ever been on a sleigh ride or a carriage ride? Do you even like horses? Or would you just rather travel by your own two feet?
Ohmigosh, I don't think I've ever been on a carriage or sleigh ride! Get that on the bucket list. I like horses just fine. Not my favorite animal of all time or anything, but they're nice.

8. What is your favorite Christmas song? ...and sung or played by whom? You know, the one you tend to listen for on the radio or hit 'repeat' on the player...
I have two. "Oh Holy Night" (NSYNC, Celine Dion or Josh Groban) and "All I Want for Christmas is You" (Mariah Carey)

9. What is your least favorite Christmas song? ...and sung or played by whom? You know, the one you tend to skip on the player...
"Last Christmas" (Wham!) and I am a huge Wham! fan, so that's how much I hate that song.

And now it's in my head. Thank you Saturday 9.

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Beginning of the Weekend!

Political issues seem to have my knickers in a twist this week. Just roll with it. I'm sure by Monday I'll be back to fluttering through the prairie flowers in slow-mo, farting rainbows like Tenley Molzahn.

Sure. I'll wait for you to Google.

.....

(We have a cat named Kiptyn. You know we watch "The Bachelor".)

Anyway, here's a little quote from this article on repealing Don't Ask Don't Tell. John McCain is speaking of heterosexual troops and their possible concerns about openly gay soldiers:

"We send these young people into combat. We think they're mature enough to fight and die. I think they're mature enough to make a judgment on who they want to serve with and the impact on their battle effectiveness."

HOLY TAP DANCIN' RICE KRISPIE TREATS. Did he just say people should get to select who they want to work with, based on their sexual preference?! How about their ethnicity or religion? Height? Hair color? Just... wow.

Moving on.

Song Lyrics of the Day

...And when you smile,
The whole world stops and stares for a while
'Cause you're amazing
Just the way you are...

Bruno Mars "Just the Way You Are" :)

One of Lauren's student groups has been doing fundraising for a single mom and her ill son, who were going to be evicted this month. So far, they have raised enough cash to pay her rent for over a year. Amazing! So proud of them.

"The Sing-Off" starts up a new season on Monday. Yay! Bring on those a cappella groups!

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It's a Beautiful Day

Wendy's status on FB-- "I like a man who is all action, no talk." So true.

An example of my very discriminating taste in international epicurean delights---

Me (in the break room): Mmmm! That smells wonderful. What is it?
Coworker: Ramen noodles!

Heh.

Tons of kids in the library yesterday, getting those last books before Christmas break. Things were really hopping! Hope it keeps up. :)

So Amazon decided it wasn't smart to host WikiLeaks (or they were "violating the terms of service", whatever...). Turns out they've been hosting it for a while. Australian Assange makes a snarky reference to our First Amendment when talking about the taking down of the website, when clearly the more fitting comment would have referenced a company worshiping the almighty dollar. That's the reason Amazon hosted the site in the first place, and when public backlash began to rear its ugly head, that is why they got rid of it. Just my humble opinion.

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Jackwagonry

That Wikileaks jackwagon, Julian Assange, is on an Interpol most-wanted list now for crimes in Sweden. (He says he's completely innocent of course.) I'm so suspect of his motives for all this leaking of government documents. If he had uncovered some real injustices or something, fine. This last thing he helped the world by releasing-- it's like someone at work went around and told all his coworkers the mocking names they've been called in closed-door meetings. I would have hoped the world's leaders could have a chuckle over it. Italy's Prime Minister Berlusconi could have texted Obama-

Yeah, well. I've called you a lot worse. Lol.

Really, it's so ridiculous. And I'm sorry, but we can't just release every government's secret documents. It would be total mayhem around the world. I believe most true crimes and injustices eventually, hopefully sooner rather than later, reveal themselves, not via some arrogant gossipmonger, but rather via the victims or participants themselves, or someone else who has a real stake in the matter.

Just saw this. Oh, Amazon. I used to be a fan...

WikiLeaks moves to Amazon cloud to weather DDOS attacks

On the surgery front- I have one more pre-op, because my doctor wasn't even at the one yesterday. It was more a mountain of paperwork than a visit. Our kitties are having their spay and neuter surgeries this morning. Awwww. They were very sad just to be in the car. Poor babies!

And now, speaking of jackwagons... your moment of Zen:



Crybaby.

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