Food Network Star- Cougar Town Crossover

I don't normally watch Food Network Star, but it was on while I was doing something else last night and I watched (out of the corner of my eye) the episode where they catered for the Cougar Town cast. Josh Hopkins is incredibly hot with his glasses. He should wear them all the time. Ian Gomez was very funny. I love Christa Miller-Lawrence, but sadly, any comments she may have made must have ended up on the cutting room floor. Busy Phillips- funny and adorable. Cute episode, if you like Cougar Town.

Every time they said contestant Penny's name, I would pipe in from the sidelines with, "Penny! ...Penny! ...Penny!" (Big Bang Theory. Yes?)



Survey time----

What's the longest you have gone without sleep?
I went at least 30 hours with absolutely no sleep when Lauren was born. While she was in the hospital last month, I went about 3 days with very minimal sleep. Girl needs to stop keeping me up. ;)

Do you send private messages on Facebook a lot?
Yes. Much of what I have to say to friends isn't for general consumption. The other day, for instance, I messaged Kimberly that she should be grateful I didn't post "I had no IDEA you and Kimberly went on actual DATES!!" instead of "Happy birthday! :)" on Mark's wall.

Kimberly. And Mark. Honestly, what is up with that.

Have you ever gone to a strip club?
No. Well, if you count those cheesy Chippendales-ish clubs in the 80's, with over-muscled, oily guys in tuxedo thongs, then... once.

Last sporting event you watched?
USA vs. N. Korea-- Women's World Cup, on Tuesday

What do you think when you hear "Australia"?
the Sydney Opera House

Do you have a tan?
Ahahaha. No. The darkest I've ever been is barely beige.

Sea World or Six Flags?
With Jeff and LoLo- Sea World, because neither of them do roller coasters. With others- Six Flags, because I do! I love both parks though. Sea World gets extra points right now for having more shade.

Is it cloudy today?
Of course not. It's a drought, doncha know.

Who's the biggest hugger you know?
ScottK

What scent of hand soap is by your sink?
Lauren recently stole my Method cucumber soap for her bathroom, so now I have Method clear. Whatever scent that is. ...I went and looked at it, and it's called "sweet water." You know, I was just thinking it smelled like sweet water.

:-|

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Chrome

Howdy from Google Chrome. Again. It's uncharacteristically fickle of me to switch back and forth between browsers. I don't like the lack of customization options with Chrome (Jeff says it's "like an Apple product" in that way *eye roll*) but the Jeffs are telling me Chrome is better. It's faster and helps other programs run faster in other windows because it uses much less memory than my beloved Firefox.

Also, Firefox has recently been serving me blank pages on one of my email accounts, complaining about some resolution problem on Yahoo mail and taking forever to shut down on my netbook. So I was ready to give Chrome another chance. Returning to IE is just not a reasonable option.

While browsing Chrome Bookmark Help - because, um, WHERE THE F ARE MY BOOKMARKS? - I found this:

"If you created the bookmark on accident, click Remove to undo the addition of the bookmark."

My mother is rolling in her grave. I can hear her now-- "It's 'on purpose' or 'by accident,' not 'on accident.'" How many times did I hear that? Let's just say I did a lot of things on accident in my youth.

:)

Yeah, I'll give Chrome a trial period, now that I've located my bookmarks. (You have to enable the bookmarks toolbar under Options>Basics to be able to see them without going through menus.)

Last night, Jeff and I watched Due Date with Zach Galifianakis and Robert Downey Jr. It was not good, but I was quite amused at one thing: My music-challenged husband actually sang along with some song in the film- one I swear I've never heard in my life. He doesn't know the words to anything! And he could not believe I had never heard it. It was something called "Hey You" by Pink Floyd.

Mmmkay.

??

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Privacy Setting Alert

Something you might want to check on your ever-evolving, always defaulted to "open," Facebook privacy settings-- There is now (and has been for some users for a while, although I didn't have it) a box just floating randomly on the main Privacy Settings page that says "Let friends of people tagged in my photos and posts see them." That means that regardless of your other settings, all the friends of any person you tag in anything will see that particular item. So if I tag three people in a photo, not only will my friends see it, but all of their friends will also see it on their newsfeeds. Handle this as you see fit, but I unchecked it. 

Of course, if you want all your friends to see a photo tagged of you in someone else's album, and they've turned off this setting as I have... just copy it and post it yourself. Because, as Zuckerberg pointed out, once someone posts a photo or status on the internet, it's out there for people to take and repost or archive at their whimsy.

If you tag yourself in a photo, it will also show in your friends' newsfeeds.

There is a separate setting to control this somewhat from the other perspective, as a tag-ee. Under Privacy Settings>Customize Settings>Things Others Share, there is a setting for "photos and videos you're tagged in" and you can set that to whatever you want. If you've ever had to literally beg someone to take down a photo (as I have) you can set this to "Only Me" and no one on Facebook will get a notification that you were tagged in someone else's photo or video. Friends of theirs (or everyone on Facebook, or whomever they've set to see their pics) can still see the photo, but it won't be specifically pointed out that you're in it.

Speaking of taking down photos, Lauren made me take down another cute one of her the other day. Booooo. It's of her and Jake Thomas from the Lizzie McGuire show (Hilary Duff's big show) on the Disney Channel years ago. Her very first fan photo! She was ten. And so excited to meet him. That was also the day I met Bob Schneider, so I was pretty psyched as well. If I had a photo of THAT, it would be all over my Facebook.

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Bridesmaids

Bridesmaids was very funny. "...Répondez, s'il vous plaît. Yay!" Ahahahaaaaa. Now that sounds like something I would write on an invitation. And oh my gosh- the food poisoning scene. "Look away! Look away!" By the time Ellie Kemper ran into the bathroom and did her thing, laughing tears had started streaming down my cheeks. I'm getting the giggles just thinking about it again. The Jordan almonds. Oh man.

The love story was very sweet. There were also a few serious plot elements. Sad tears along with the giggly ones. See the movie or add it to your future Netflix list. Not a favorite, but definitely quite entertaining. 

Meet Me on Monday

1. What is your favorite food?
lately- fish tacos

2. What color scheme is your bedroom?
chocolate and Wedgewood blue- extremely similar to this in style and color:

3. Do you carry a donor card?
I was told a long time ago that cancer survivors could not donate organs, but because of this meme question and my own uncertainty, I did a little research. Turns out that is not typically the case, especially if you have been cancer-free for at least five years. (It varies by state.) I've told Jeff and Lauren in the past that if the docs could use any of my organs, they'd be more than welcome to, but I will become a card-carrying donor now. Having a history of a hematological cancer- Hodgkin's Disease- does prevent me from ever donating blood. What! Y'all don't want my blood?

Chickens.

4. In your opinion, is the glass half empty or half full?
Depends. A glass of tea or a glass of wine?

5. Vanilla or Chocolate?
Don't get me started on your "vanilla is a flavor" thing. Chocolate.

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Poop on a Stick

I have been known to say "poop on a stick!" as an alternative to the F word or other expletives. One day Lauren was talking about the show Off the Map, and something happened to make me say "poop on a stick!" but it came out "poop on a map!" A giggly discussion followed about how for some reason "poop on a stick" sounds like a noun, while "poop on a map" sounds like a verb. Why is that?!

Just after we told Cathy that story, Lauren opened a gift her friend Aaron brought her from Disney World. She pulled a glass sculpture out of the box and announced, "It's... POOH!"

Hysterical if you were there.

Quote of the night last night, over a cheese/fruit tray appetizer at The Grove:

CJ: This cheese tastes like a petting zoo smells... I like it!


Sunday Stealing

1. Who was the last person you went shopping with?
Cathy at IKEA (got the dresser and some super-awesome drawer organizers) and Round Rock Outlets (Loft is having a great sale!)

2. What is something you need to go shopping for?
art for Lauren's new room

3. Do you have the same first name as one of your relatives?
nope

4. What kind of car do (did) your parents drive?
Not sure what my dad is driving these days.

5. Are you rich?
In life's blessings. Heh.

6. If you could spend one intimate night with a celebrity, no questions asked, never to see them again, who would it be?
George Clooney. Colin Farrell would probably be more of a wild and crazy night, but I don't want to sleep with anyone who's slept with Britney Spears.

8. What famous person do you look like? Feel free to use this facial match program by clicking here. Show us at least the celeb photo.
Ellie Kemper

9. What is the most daring thing you've done recently?
Egads. I can't think of a thing.

10. Say you were given a pregnancy test right now. Would you pass or fail?
pass

11. Which sex scandal of the last decade bothers you the most?
the John Edwards thing

12. Do you know anyone in jail/prison?
no

13. What are your plans (or what have you done) this weekend?
Cathy, Jeff and I hung out at home on Friday night. Cathy and I went shopping yesterday afternoon and KathyL joined us for appetizers and wine at The Grove. Then we went back to KathyL's to swim, and chatted into the wee hours of the morning. Today we'll probably see a movie. Tonight I'll help Lauren finish packing for camp.

14. Have you ever woken up and not known where you were?
Not for more than a second.

15. What were you doing at midnight last night??
Having a margarita, chatting with Kathy and CJ in Kathy's living room.

16. Last restaurant you went to?
The Grove

17. How many hours did you sleep for last night?
5

18. Which is more distracting: Sexting while driving or sex while driving?
sexting

19. Do you think someone is thinking about you right now?
At 8 a.m. on a Sunday morning? Nah.

20. Have you ever changed your clothes while in a vehicle? 
Several times.

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Cathy's Back in Town

Yeesh. Twitter needs a "Like" button. So much faster than replying, "Yay!" or "Amen to that, sister!"

So... Cathy's here!!  She's about to shack up move in with a high school friend she reconnected with on Facebook a while back. He's buying a house and she'll be renting from him. She says they have put in place a strict no hanky panky rule for the first year, because they want to "get to know each other as roommates, and not complicate things." These two have dated in the past since reconnecting (they did not in high school). The whole thing sounds like a sitcom pilot. I give them two weeks before it becomes the House of Hanky Panky.

House of Hanky Panky. I think I had a dragon roll there once.

(That's what she said.)

We had some great wine last night. I had read an article in the paper this week that mentioned "the most popular wine in America right now"- Argentinian Malbec. Of course, I had never heard of it. Based on the Wine Spectator score, I bought a Bodega Norton 2008 Reserva, which was fabulous! Try it!

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I Should Have a Blog Label for IKEA

Lauren and I went to IKEA yesterday to look at desks for her room. Always so much fun to dork around there. She found a great one, and we have to go back soon to get a chest of drawers to match. I was going to refinish her current chest of drawers, but I already know how that would have gone: three long, hot days of sanding and staining, with a very undesirable result and the inevitable trip to IKEA to get the matching chest like I should have done in the first place.

Just saving us all some time! Plus- now I can take her old furniture set and put it in the guest room, which will then have matching furniture throughout, for the first time in 21 years. Whoop!

A tip for IKEA shoppers: Do NOT try to go back to something you saw earlier in the store.... against the flow clearly indicated by arrows on the floor. Just. Don't. Especially with a big ol' cart from the marketplace.

An old idea of mine came up again a few weeks ago. Jeff and I need to open a venue like those indoor kid places with ball pits and slides and pizza, only for adults. Of course the activities would be slightly different. Although, you have to keep the ball pits. Come on now. Beer and ball pits? Now that's a lawsuit waiting to happen fun!

Every time I tell someone about this dream place, I say, "I think we should open an adult entertainment venue."

Depending which friends I'm talking to, I get one of two reactions: wide-eyed astonishment or the grin and waggling eyebrows.

Oops. Not "adult entertainment." (Not that there's anything wrong with that.) Entertainment for adults!

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Argh.. and Mmmm...

Wonder who has Goodhair's ear on this dumbass decision...

Attention Gov. Perry: Texas needed that ban on texting while driving

Seriously? It's my right to text while driving? What about my right to have a beer while driving? My right to drive 150 mph? To wield a machete at the grocery store?

"A government effort to micromanage the behavior of adults." How can you even say that with a straight face.

Shameful!

Laura took me to Gourdough's last night. I had never even heard of it, because it seems I live under a rock. That place is kickin' at 10pm on a Tuesday! I ordered the Dirty Berry (fudge icing and grilled strawberries), but they ran out of strawberries in the 30 minutes I was waiting for it (because of the crowd), so I had them put grilled bananas on it instead. It was amazing. And huge. I won't eat another donut for the next year, but yeah. There are two other food trailers at that location- and a whole bunch of bad drivers at that intersection to keep you entertained! We had two major tire screeches, two cars bashing their undercarriage coming in/out of the parking lot, and one actual crash at the gas station across the street.

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Happy Anniversary Everyone!

May and June are bursting with anniversaries. It seems there hasn't been a day in weeks that hasn't been the anniversary of someone I know. In honor of the beloved institution of marriage and the annual Googling of what the heck anniversary gift it is this year, I have to share The Bloggess' priceless post from today:

15 Years is Big Metal Chickens

LMAO

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Non-Linear vs. Linear Thinking... SQUIRREL!

KathyL was saying she is a "non-linear" thinker. She labeled Cindy a "linear" thinker, but said Cindy's husband (whom I have not met) is not. She talked about how linear and non-linear thinkers tend to attract to each other. She explained linear thinkers stick to the problem at hand and think logically from scenario to scenario, whereas non-linear thinkers are very out-of-the-box and jump randomly from thought to thought, like, "So we could take this product line and... OOH! Something shiny!" I laughed there, but it got even funnier when she declared me a linear thinker.

Yeah, she isn't reading this blog. On that note...

I've been calling our cat Kiptyn "Kippydoodle." Cute or emasculating? Just wondering.

I had to RT this yesterday. Bethenny Frankel reported ordering milk from hotel room service for $14:

If I take a sip of $14 milk, I better have an orgasm. -- @Bethenny

Ahahaha. No. Joke.

Meet Me on Monday

1.  What feature of the opposite sex do you notice first?
hair

2.  Do you talk to yourself?
No, but I do occasionally talk to my computer. Not sure which is worse.

3.  What is your current relationship status?
happily married :)

4.  Do you have a garden?
No, but I very much wish I did! I want a salsa garden- tomatoes, onions, peppers, cilantro... I'm not that great with plants, especially high-maintenance ones.

5.  What is your favorite licorice flavor?
Isn't licorice a flavor unto itself? Black?? Someone help me here.

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Happy Father's Day!

I hope all the dads out there, especially mine and my daughter's and all my dad friends and relatives, are having a wonderful day!! Big hugs to every one of you.

Me and Dad, Galveston, 1971 (click for larger)

Patrick's Sunday Seven

Name seven cool or interesting things you’d tell people about your dad.

1. He is an amazing singer, and particularly loves singing opera. He's been in a performing choral group for years.
2. He has a masters degree in Math.
3. He worked in simulation technology and image processing in the aerospace industry for most of his career.
4. He's German- born and raised in Bavaria. After he married Mom and they had me, we came to the United States. He became a citizen of the US in his thirties.
5. He has two children- a German son born in the United States and an American daughter born in Germany. Ha!
6. He lives in an honest-to-goodness log cabin on a beautiful chunk of acreage in upstate New York.
7. My favorite dad story: 1983. He took me to a Duran Duran concert in London (from his home in Brighton) just because I saw it in the paper and absolutely freaked out about how cool it would be to see them there. I was a HUGE fan. He just said, "Let's go!" My step-brother (two years older) reported that it was sold out. Dad said we would find tickets somehow, once we got there. Dad and I hopped on a train and ended up 11th row on the floor at Wembley Arena. He barely knew who Duran Duran was, but he was dancing and getting into it as much as I. One of the best nights of my life. I loved that he wanted to take me just because I thought it was cool. I loved that he just stood up right there in the kitchen and said we should do it, without any concern of the money or time it would take to get there considering how hard (or impossible) it might be to get tickets. I loved that he embraced my music and was the hit of the evening with the teenagers around us at the concert.

Just awesome.

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Conditions Under Which I Will Watch Baseball

Holy crap, I know a lot of die-hard baseball fans. Rock on, y'all.

When I was young, my parents and their friends were very into football, so that's always been my fan sport of choice. I like watching hockey and soccer, too. Action-packed. Exciting.

Baseball is slow and contemplative and repetitive. It's a game with a designated time for getting out of your seat to stretch and get your blood flowing again. While a guy plays the organ.

I did spend three uber-fun seasons attending baseball games at A&M. In trying to figure out why that was so great, yet I can't manage to even feign interest since then, I've identified some factors that come into play. It seems I'll watch baseball (sculling, bowling, photosynthesis...) if any of the following conditions are met:

1) I'm physically present in the stands. If I am in attendance at any sports event, I'm watching and actively participating.

2) A friend or family member is playing. I'm a very exuberant cheerleader. It's always me screaming on the home video.

3) There exists a tear-jerker, Olympics-esque backstory involving an underdog team or a player overcoming adversity or going for a big record. I watched three games (matches? tournaments? gaggles?) of GOLF (more sedate than baseball ever was) a few years ago when a guy was going for some record against Tiger Woods. It was positively gripping. I even teared up when he got it. Or lost... I can't remember.

4) It's the Aggies. And it's a very important game. And I'm not at the mall or something.

5) I'm at a game watching party or sports bar gathering. Although, one time in college I went to a huge Final-Game-of-the-World-Series party at UT with Kimberly, where I somehow managed to avoid watching the game all night. My opening question on arrival: "So who's playing?"

6) The guy I'm dating/married to is into it. If I honestly examine my motives for going to all those Aggie baseball games, boys played a role. It was a cheap date (I had my own season tickets) and it was a fabulous place to go with girlfriends to meet guys. I think I was at every home game the year I went with Jeff and his buddies. Today Jeff will watch baseball, but he isn't a huge fan. He did keep track of the Florida game the other night via the net.

In the end, I try to nod and smile and take part in all the baseball conversations going on around me these days, with bits of information I've gleaned from other conversations. So, um... Omaha!! Woo!! (Don't be too impressed... I thought Omaha was the team we're playing next, until I realized it was odd that UT was playing them as well.)

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Everything Old is New Again

Heeeeey! Song title!

Well it turns out the New Yahoo Mail they are trying to sell me on is the old new one I have already. Whew! The only problem with it is that it wants me to always be logged into Messenger, and it now includes all my mail contacts in Messenger, many of whom are business contacts I don't necessarily want to chit chat with all day. It may be time to switch to GMail.

Here's a movie that looks good- The Change-Up... out August 5.



"I need to cool it on the Thai food." Bwahaha!

I took a pic of Melissa's amazing top on Real Housewives of NJ.

SO CUTE! Her hand is covering little satin buttons down the center.

Lauren and I make "car CDs" that have half my music and half her music randomly shuffled, so we can both be happy with what's playing. (I like to mess with her and put things like "Mmm Bop" on them. ;) ) One of her songs on the current CD is "If I Didn't Believe in You" from a musical called The Last Five Years, with which I am completely unfamiliar. The guy is singing to a girl named Cathy and he addresses her by name over and over. If it were a love song or something otherwise uplifting, it would be fabulous to hear my name a hundred times, but he's completely ticked at her, telling her she's unreasonable and unsupportive and not listening to him at all. It's very weird to listen to and has become a big joke every time it comes on. I will not fail so you can be comfortable, Cathy! I will not lose because you can’t win.

Great.

"Mmm Bop" rocks, by the way.

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Upgrade Now!

Yikes. This is where my Yahoo Mail issues started last time.

6/13/11

Dear Kathy,

We appreciate that you have been with Yahoo! Mail for the past 12 years. We are looking forward to bringing you an even faster, safer, easier-to-use Yahoo! Mail very soon.

If you’ve already upgraded to the latest Yahoo! Mail, thank you.

If not, in about a month from the date of this email, when you sign in to your Yahoo! Mail account, we will ask you to upgrade to the newest version of Yahoo! Mail. At that time, your current version of Yahoo! Mail will no longer be available. But you don't have to wait. You can have the newest Yahoo! Mail today.

You can upgrade now to the newest Yahoo! Mail if your browser is Internet Explorer 7, Firefox 3, Safari 4, or Chrome 5, or newer.

Thank You for Being A Loyal Yahoo! Mail User. We hope you enjoy the newest version of Yahoo! Mail.

David McDowell
Senior Director
Product Management, Yahoo! Mail

Thanks. I'll wait.

Lauren and I were shopping at the mall yesterday and I noticed that across all stores we went to (primarily department stores and clothing stores) there was far less stock than the last time I was there. American Eagle looked like a boutique, with sparse racks and displays. Dillards, Macy's... both had fewer racks and lots of room to roam around between them. It was without exception, a pared down version of the mall. A sign of the times, I think. Inflation is crazy right now, and it is reflected in less purchasing and less stock. (And not being able to find the perfect pair of denim shorts! Grr.)

At the limited version of Starbucks at Target...

Lauren (looking at the menu): They have "Hey, Wear a Condom." Luke always gets that.
Me: What did you say?
Lauren: Caffe Americano. Luke always gets that.
Me: Ahh.

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OK, I Won't Call This Post "Monday"

Remember when I used to try to title every blog post with the name of or lyrics from a song? Good times. Now I've become a blog slacker and the days of the week will have to do in a pinch.

David Cook's new CD is finally coming out June 28. Here is a fantastic vid of him performing the first single, "The Last Goodbye," with the very talented (and famous) fifth grade PS22 Chorus from Staten Island. I LOVE this!



Song Lyrics du Jour

...I wonder if he holds you like I did
I hope that he can love you better
Cause we were everything that's right... at the wrong time...

David Cook "The Last Goodbye"


Meet Me On Monday

1.  What is your favorite yogurt flavor?
peach

2.  Ankle or knee socks? And on the same theme, white socks or coloured??
no-show socks... white unless I have the perfect color to match the outfit... although since they're no-show, what am I trying to prove with that?

3.  How is the weather right now?
hot as all get-out... over 100 most days. We're having a drought, too.

4.  Are you a fast typer?
pretty fast. I'm NOT a fast texter... yet. Working on it.

5.  Red or White Wine?
red

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Sunday

Richard Marx taped a PBS special in Chicago on Wednesday night. Hugh Jackman sang a few songs.  JC Chasez showed up to sing a little something as well. A tiny clip (thx to Eva for the link!):




Long Meme

Do you sleep with your closet doors open or closed? closed

Do you take the shampoos and conditioner bottles from a hotel? If I like them.

Do you sleep with your sheets tucked in or out? Who sleeps with their sheets tucked in?

Do you cut out coupons but then never use them? I used to cut coupons religiously until about 10 years ago. I haven't cut any since then.

Would you rather be attacked by a big bear or a swarm of a bees? a bear so I can miss out on the additional gross factor of squishy, crawly bees

Do you have freckles? Yep

Do you always smile for pictures? Yes

Have you ever peed in the woods? Of course.

What about pooped in the woods? Nope

Do you ever dance even if there's no music playing? only if I'm demonstrating a move

Do you chew your pens and pencils? I put pens in my mouth, but I don't chew them.

What size is your bed?  queen

What is your song of the week? Train "Save Me, San Francisco"

Is it okay for guys to wear pink? Yes

Do you still watch cartoons? just Spongebob, if Lauren and/or her friends are watching

What do you drink with dinner? water with a splash of tea or lemonade

What do you dip a chicken nugget in? honey mustard

What movies could you watch over and over and still love? Love Actually, Lord of the Rings, Moulin Rouge

Last person you kissed? Jeff

Were you ever a boy/girl scout? Yes, I was a Brownie for two years and a Junior for one year.

Would you ever strip or pose nude in a magazine? never

When was the last time you wrote a letter to someone on paper? Cards don't count, I suppose... or typed Christmas newsletters? Then... over ten years ago.

Can you change the oil on a car? Yes

Ever gotten a speeding ticket? nope

Ran out of gas? no

Favorite kind of sandwich? Reuben

Best thing to eat for breakfast? soft-boiled egg on toast- my grandma got me stuck on that

What is your usual bedtime? I get into bed between 10:30 and 11, and go to sleep by 11:30 most of the time.

What is your Chinese astrological sign? sheep

How many languages can you speak? one- Dad is still in the doghouse with Oma for that

Do you have any magazine subscriptions? Consumer Reports

Which are better- legos or Lincoln logs?  Legos

Are you stubborn? not really

Who is better...Leno or Letterman? Letterman by far

Ever watch soap operas? only All My Children every once in a blue moon

Afraid of heights? Yes

Sing in the car? constantly

Dance in the car? occasionally

Last time you got a portrait taken by a photographer? a completely disastrous extended family photo in Dallas about 10 years ago- ack. Thanks for reminding me.

Do you think musicals are cheesy? yes, but in a good way!

Ever eat a pierogi? yep- a frequent side dish at my house

Favorite type of fruit pie? cherry

Occupations you wanted to be when you were a kid? singer, doctor

Do you believe in ghosts? no

What do you wear to bed? a short nightgown or nothing

First concert? The Go-Go's

Wal-Mart, Target or Kmart? Target

Cheetos Or Fritos? Cheetos or Feetos? Cheetos.

Peanuts or Sunflower seeds? Sunflower seeds

Ever take dance lessons? ballet, tap, jazz, disco (yep)

Can you curl your tongue? yes

Ever won a spelling bee? I came in second in our school spelling bee in 5th grade. Lost on the word "fortress." A boy word. Meh.

Have you ever cried because you were so happy? oh yes

Own any record albums? not anymore. I sold them all when I moved to Austin in 1990.

Own a record player? no

What was the last concert you saw? Bon Jovi

Hot tea or cold tea? cold

Tea or coffee?  tea

Sugar or snickerdoodles?  sugar

Are you patient? not typically, but in my role as a mom I have always been very patient

DJ or band, at a wedding? DJ

Can you knit or crochet? I crocheted for about three weeks once. I wouldn't have a clue how to do it now.

Best room for a fireplace? bedroom

If married, how long have you been married? 21 years

Do you watch American Idol? We used to be huge fans, but we did not watch any of it this season.

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Saturday

JeffC was "Aragorn" at Fuddruckers yesterday. I almost spit my cherry Coke Zero across the table when they announced it over the PA. He said when the cashier had asked him for a name, he'd said, "Aragorn, son of Arathorn," but the guy said it wouldn't fit.

I dropped a fork while I was putting it into the dishwasher, and one of the tines literally impaled the top of my foot. Blood and everything. I'm just here to tell you all that despite the utensil's innocuous appearance, stabbing yourself with a fork can be surprisingly painful.

Well, I'm about to go paperless on my recipes. I've had cookbook/grocery list software (AccuChef- it's awesome!) for years, but always kept printed recipe cards for everything in a cute recipe book. I've neglected to print the last several new recipes I entered, so I've just been using the program to display the recipes on my netbook in the kitchen while I cook. It'll be a good time to get rid of the printed stuff and do that all the time, since I'm on this tree-hugging stint and all.

I know. I'm so Austin.


Meet Me on Monday

1. What is was the last piece of candy that you ate?
a miniature chocolate bar that my in-laws brought from Europe

2. Do you "read" in the bathroom?
Never have. Why do people do that? Wouldn't you rather curl up in a comfy chair and read? Unless "read" is in quotes because it is a euphemism for something. Then yes, I probably do.

3. I can't stand when someone _________?
...intentionally posts a vague Facebook status so people will have to ask WTF they're talking about.

4. Do you do daily, weekly or monthly grocery shopping?
Weekly. But I have to get produce twice a week, because the quality is so awful these days. I also have to get bread twice a week since I started buying real bread at the deli instead of the mass-produced stuff.

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Just Another Difference Between Men and Women

We were talking about this hilarious bit on The Daily Show:

The Daily Show - Rash of Penis Photos
Tags: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook

Yep. Big difference between men and women. If every guy who passed me today offered to show me his junk, I'd have to say, "Oh, that's okay. Really. Not necessary." (Well, there are a select few I would love to see, but the chances of those particular men showing up today are close to zero.) If every woman who passes a guy offers to show him her goodies, well that guy is having one of the best days of his life.

Just saying!

And because I can't manage to think of a segue from gentleman-parts to Fritos, I'm just quantum leaping here...

Me: Someone told me once that they thought Fritos smell like feet, and ever since then I think they do. It's gross.
Jeff (eating chili-cheese Fritos): But these are chili-cheese Fritos.
Me: They smell like chili-cheese feet.

Incidentally, my friend Suzanne told me the summer we worked at UTMB Galveston together that she didn't eat black olives (one of my favorite foods!) because they smell like formaldehyde... which we had just smelled during our tour of the human anatomy lab, where they were dissecting cadavers. I didn't eat black olives for years.

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Wedding!!

Jack and my cousin Diane are engaged!! WoOhOo!! Welcome to the family, JackAttack. :D

We're planning our Vegas trip with Angel and Kevin. I'm checking out shows right now. Carrot Top anyone? Bueller? Really I'm just hoping to run into George Clooney, since I barely missed him at the airport last time.

Me: I don't really care where we stay, as long as it isn't a pit.
Angel: A money pit or a sketchy pit?
Me: Sketchy.
Angel: So Circus Circus is out?

Love planning trips with Ms. A!

All afternoon, after yesterday's post, this kept showing up in the ads on my Yahoo Messenger window:

Get it now... then rot there while the rest of us get the official version. Mwahaha!

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Yahoo Beta Purgatory

It turns out that for the last few months I've been stuck in a weird space between Yahoo Classic Mail and The New and Improved Superdy Duperdy Yahoo Mail. They "upgraded" me to the beta of the new Yahoo Mail a while back. Then they left me there.

The other day, I had a question about a new folder only visible from my iPhone. When I went to Yahoo's help section, none of the instructions even vaguely resembled what was going on on my mail screen. After a day of Googling and polling friends and feeling very weirded out that no one else's mail matched mine, I finally surrendered and clicked the button to revert me to Classic Mail.

Yahoo Mail (in a snarky tone): Are you sure you want to go back to Yahoo Mail Classic?
Me: Yes. *click*
Yahoo Mail: Will you tell us why in the name of all that is holy you would want to do that?
Me: Um, NO. *irritated click*

Well, the blasted folder wasn't in Classic Mail either. I threw up my hands and decided to live with it, and I went back to the New Mail.

And there it was! The secret folder and the non-existent "options" link everyone had been telling me to click, for which I had searched all day! And a shiny new blue banner graphic and sleek, modern buttons! It was... the Final Non-Beta New and Improved Superdy Duperdy Yahoo Mail. (Now... and for who knows how long... known simply as Yahoo Mail.)

Beta users are supposed to be unpaid invaluable aides, privy to the latest development updates and a secret handshake! I see how it is, Yahoo.

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I Was Going to Call this Post "Lewd Photos" But I Reconsidered

When news outlets talk about the recent rash of "lewd photo scandals," they always put up the photo of Rep. Chris Lee where he's posing shirtless in the mirror.

Dude. I can see bare-chested guys from my front porch.

Lewd is when they have to blur something out, or they have to show an alternate photo of your face *coughBrettFavrecough* because they'd have to blur your lewd photo in its entirety. Don't settle for less, ladies!

And now it's time for...

Tech Talk

...where I discuss technical things of which I know just enough jargon to throw off people who know even less about it than I.

Here it is: I'm pretty sure all this proposed cloud computing is going to break the internet. 

First there were Google Docs, where everyone can view and/or edit documents from anywhere. Now Amazon gives you access to a copy of every MP3 you purchase for you to stream from wherever for forever. Soon Apple is going into the cloud thing for iTunes. (What happens to precious items I didn't purchase, like my (somewhat-)super-secret copies of master recordings of a certain singer's backup vocals for an particular song years ago? Can I store it there? Can I listen to my local copy on my i-devices? Eh- it has to be heard with awesome headphones anyway... GAH. But I digress...)

And we're all supposed to view/edit/listen to these items via the net (or 3G? really?). First off, my phone data plan won't handle that and rumors are again circulating that home internet costs will become usage-based soon, making home use a drain as well. Secondly, the combined bandwidth is going to be astronomical. Will the strain on the system slow everything to modem speed? It just sounds like a very convenient, however, nightmarish scenario. I was already twitching at the thought of all of us streaming movies from Netflix, although so far our streaming has been pretty great with the limited number of shows and films available.

Of course, for the music, if I'm still allowed to have a local copy on my PC/laptop/phone/ipod as well, all should be fine and dandy, because 99% of the time I'll just listen to my own copy without having to access the internet at all. I still can't find anything that definitively says I get my own copy.

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It's Not Easy Being Green

...having to spend each day the color of leaves...

Heh.

Well, I've now disposed of my Rolodex and my purse calendar. I'm a little nervous about that, but it's done! The only thing I have to work out is which of my events need alerts and how I should get those alerts, because I find I don't look at my iPhone calendar as much as I did my paper calendar or my Calendarscope calendar on my PC (which I also got rid of). I just know I'll forget something!

I've also found my perfect tasks app, to eliminate paper lists. It's called "Tasks" by Kogus and it is free. Super simple- no priorities or dates, just lists! Easy to enter a new item and easy to check off or delete items.

My kitchen faucet still doesn't work, so I'm an extreme water saver as well!

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Goodwill Auction

Scott was telling me that Goodwill has auctions every Saturday, where they take the higher-dollar and more collectible sorts of items that have been donated and do a live auction to get more money than they might just putting the items out in the store. He and Kirsten go a lot. Yesterday, Jeff and I went with them for the first time. Scott's here at the blog today to see my review, I'm sure. Hehe. When I said, "It was interesting," it really was!

This odd lot of things... I just wonder who had them and why they got rid of them. There were multiple sets of those see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil monkeys! Even a matching pair of monkey lamps. There was a grouping of Elvis Presley stuff, including a very unique clock that may have been worth $100 on its own. That lot went for $20. A huge box of action figures. I wanted to bid on two things that I just couldn't really justify in the end, because I have nowhere to put them- - three beautiful Japanese parasols and a pretty yellow vase. (Scott ended up with the vase, so I can visit it in their bathroom anytime!)

Another reason to go is just to enjoy all the personality in the room. Many bidders are resellers. Some seem to be collectors. Many are like us- watching and bidding on a thing or two that looks interesting. Usually it's pretty low-key, but the bidding wars can get serious. Scott had a funny story about when Kirsten once stopped bidding during a bidding war with someone, and a guy told her he would give her a dollar to outbid the person one more time. When the person went up again, he stopped her. "Eh, it isn't worth two dollars to me..."

Most things went for under $10. The highest winning bid of the day was $100 for a bobcat pelt.

Bobcat pelt, friends. Try finding that at a garage sale.


Sunday Stealing: The Team Jeffie Meme

TRUE OR FALSE

Q: Kissed someone on your friends list? T

Q: Been arrested? F

Q: Held a snake? T

Q: Been suspended from school? F

Q: Sang karaoke? F

Q: Done something you told yourself you wouldn't do? T

Q: Laughed until you started crying? T

Q: Caught a snowflake on your tongue? T

Q: Kissed in the rain? T

Q: Sang in the shower? T

Q: Sat on a roof top? T

Q: Been pushed into a pool with all your clothes on? F

Q: Broken a bone? T

Q: Shaved your head? F

Q: Played a prank on someone? T

Q: Shot a gun? F

Q: Donated Blood? F

LAST PERSON...

1. You hung out with? ScottK and Kirsten and Jeff

2. You texted? Doug

3. You were in a car with? Jeff

4. Went to the movies with? Jeff and JeffC- The Hangover II

5. Person you went to shop with? Jeff- the pool supply store

6. You talked to on the phone? Cathy

7. Made you laugh? Lauren

8. You hugged? Lauren

IN THE LAST 48 HOURS HAVE YOU...

1. Sang? Of course

2. Listened to music? Yep

3. Danced Crazy? No

4. Cried? No

FIRSTS .....

1. Who was your first prom (or homecoming) date? 
JohnH- homecoming my sophomore year of high school

2. Who was your first roommate? 
Jeff, when we got married

3. What alcoholic beverage did you drink when you got drunk the first time? 
tequila *shudder*

4. What was your first job? 
steak restaurant hostess- age 16

5. What was your first car? 
maroon Mazda GLC

6. When did you go to your first funeral and viewing? 
my great-grandmother when I was 9

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

8. Where did you go on your first ride on an airplane? 
Frankfurt, Germany to Houston, TX

9. When you snuck out of your house for the first time?
never did

10. Who was your first best friend?
Kristin D in kindergarten

11. Who was your first Best Friend in high school?
Cathy

12. Where was your first sleepover? 
egads- I have no idea

13. Who is the first person you call when you have a bad day? 
Cathy

14. Whose wedding were you in the first time you were a bridesmaid or groomsman? 
KathyL's

15. What is the first thing you did when you got up this morning? 
brushed my teeth

16. First time you tied your shoe laces? 
yeah, no clue on this either

17. Are you Facebook friends with your first crush? 
no, but Cathy is friends with him!

18. Who was the first person you met from the blogosphere?
I haven't met anyone via blogs, but the first person I met from a message board was KirstenL

19. What was the first music album that you bought?  
Saturday Night Fever soundtrack

20. Who was your first celebrity crush?
Erik Estrada

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Saturday Quizzery

Oh God. I'm one of those people who wants to be someone's Facebook friend because they always think I'm funny when I comment on our mutual friend's posts. Evidently, flattery will get you everywhere with me.

OK, you know how dogs will bring you toys or their leash when they want to play or go for a walk? Our cats bring us toys all the time. Kiptyn is more demanding than Maya, and will drop the toy at your feet and meow incessantly until you play. Well, they have this toy that looks like a fishing rod of sorts, with a plastic bendy stick and a string with a leather lure-looking toy on it. (If you hang it over the back of the sofa, it's "Fishing for Kitties.") Kipper just clumsily managed to drag it all the way up the stairs to bring it to me. SO funny!

Patrick's Saturday Six

1. Do you prefer red wine or white wine?
I used to drink only white, but now I mostly drink red.

2. Do you prefer a mixed drink or beer?
Depends on where I am and what we're doing, but I guess I would say beer, because it's going to taste the same no matter where you are. Margaritas, etc. are highly variable depending on the bartender.

3. Take the quiz: What’s Your Favorite Celebration Drink?
You Should Celebrate with Beer
You are nurturing and supportive. You are the biggest cheerleader in your friends lives. You are a truly loving person. You are affectionate and warm-hearted. You are appreciative of all of the good things in your life. You count your blessings. You are unselfish, humble, and altruistic. You get great joy from putting others first. 

Um, wow. That was the nicest thing anyone's said to me this year. Thanks, goofy quiz! Wanna be Facebook friends?

4. What’s the last alcoholic drink you consumed?
I tried the bottled Skinny Girl Margarita for the first time. It's OK. I thought it would be very strong and sour (it's alcohol and lime juice, basically), but it tastes watered down.

5. Do you generally drink more often at home or away from home?
Definitely away from home. Unless we have guests over, it's extremely rare that I drink at home.

6. How do you tell if you’ve had too much to drink when it’s time to drive home? (Assume, in this case, you didn’t go somewhere with a designated driver.)
If I feel the slightest bit buzzed, I won't drive. If I've had more than one drink, with the last one in the past hour or two, I won't drive, even if I feel fine. I prefer not to drink anything at all if I'm driving, but I will after one drink, if it's my only practical choice (and I'm not feeling like I drank something). This sounds far more complicated than it is. Beer me!

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Edwards Indicted

Remember how I used to think John Edwards was awesome?

John Edwards indicted on conspiracy, campaign law violations

Just a few of the reasons I later found him to be a dorkass.

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Last Day of Work!

...for a while anyway. I'll revive the full-time career once Lauren is off to college. In the meantime, I'll again be busy with many activities that don't send me a paycheck, but are genuinely worthwhile endeavors. Well, most of them. Sometimes I'll just be blasting Lady Gaga through my headphones and singing along at Broadway stage volume.

This summer Lauren's and my project will be to redecorate her room. Fun fun!

On the iPhone front, I now have a white OtterBox iPhone 4 Commuter case. It has a handy hole to show the Apple logo.

It's awesome and fits the phone perfectly. The black parts are grippy rubber and the white is textured plastic. That way it can slide in and out of purses and pockets easily, and the little bit of rubbery stuff that provides some traction doesn't collect a bunch of lint. The only downside of it is that it's pretty slippery when you lay it on a hard surface face up. So I just turn it over if I set it down, because the front rim is all rubber. I also have a Zagg screen protector.

This trailer grabbed my attention before The Hangover II:



Could be good! :)

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