Timeline Profile Cover Art

Thursday, September 29, 2011

The new Timeline profile format for Facebook is coming out very soon. It's available to developers now. I was searching for the dimensions of the new header image they call "cover art," that you get to customize. The cover art image is 851px x 315px. FB says you can use a photo that is minimum 720px wide. I suppose they resize it with minimal distortion.

For those who may want to create a graphic instead of using a featured photo, I also found this helpful vid!



There are also apps (already out!) that will help you to create a graphic, if you're not as creatively or technologically inclined. From AllFacebook.com...

More Ways to Hack the Cover of Facebook's Timeline

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Frankmusik

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

"No ID" by Frankmusik... over there in the sidebar>>>

The lyrics are lacking (which would normally rule it out as a fave), but this song gets so stuck in my head!! Now it's there for all of you to enjoy in your heads all day as well.

You're welcome.

I like "Do It in the AM", too. A mini commentary and the song are at NuWavePony. With this:

When I hear this song I can help but think this song could have been a perfect comeback song for JC Chasez of ‘N Sync. Frankmusik reminds me a lot of JC and what JC was doing with music when he released Schizophrenic’ his underrated electro-pop solo record from 2004.
which I was thinking the whole time I watched him sing on Friday night. Another blogger writes, "He looks just like JC Chasez..." He really does. Sounds a lot like him, too.

I didn't realize it's been 7 years since Schizophrenic. Time flies!

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Ags in the SEC

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

WHOOP!

Watched the press conference live from College Station yesterday evening. Very exciting stuff! I'm just so glad we got football season tickets this year. Current ticket holders get to keep their seats as long as they pay for them each season. Since the university sold out this year, people who want season tix next year will have to cross their fingers that others will give theirs up. I'm guessing not many will, considering the money people can make on StubHub, even if they didn't want to attend any games. With SEC teams playing, the value increases even more.

We could make almost all our annual ticket cost back by selling just our t.u. tickets this year. We aren't doing it, not that Jeff wouldn't love to, but I'm just saying. Of course, he's free to sell his ticket to Clooney, as Kimberly pointed out the other day.

Speaking of Texas... A&M officials made it clear it's up to them to decide whether or not they want to continue to play our traditional football matchup. A&M wants to play that game, and has said so on several occasions. So all the Texas fans who have been complaining to me that if we leave the conference, there would be no A&M/Texas game, that ball is in your team's court. As was pointed out in the press conference, several SEC teams maintain old rivalries between conferences- including Florida/Florida St., Clemson/South Carolina, Georgia/Georgia Tech. So... fabulous! Let's do it!

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Sunday Stealing on Monday

Monday, September 26, 2011

Sunday Stealing: That Meme That's Going Around

A. Age:
44

B. Bed size:
Queen

C. Chore that you hate:
ironing

D. Dogs:
I only like nice dogs. I have a bit of a fear of them.

E. Essential start to your day:
checking all my electronic communications

F. Favorite color:
green

G. Gold or Silver:
silver

H. Height:
5'4

I. Instruments you play:
piano

J. Job title:
mom

K. Kids:
17-year-old daughter

L. Live:
...Laugh...Love...

M. Mother's name:
Judy

N. Nicknames:
Special K, K-squared, double-K

O. Overnight hospital stays:
2 births, 2 surgeries, 2 illnesses

P. Pet peeve:
incompetence

Q. Quote from a movie:
"Remember, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. Except for herpes. That sh** will come back with you." - Sid from The Hangover
 

R. Right or left handed: right

S. Siblings:
one older half-brother I didn't grow up with

T. Time you wake up:
7:00 am

U. Underwear:
sometimes

V. Vegetable you hate:
beets

W. What makes you run late:
phone calls

X. X-Rays you've had:
waaaay too many

Y. Yummy food that you make:
chicken Parmesan

Z. Zoo animal:
koala

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"Stupid Whores" and Stuff

Sunday, September 25, 2011

Doug took me to the SoCo shops on Friday before the Erasure concert. I've never been to any of them, although I've been in the area a zillion times. Awesome stuff there- from antiques to handmade jewelry to furniture, to a quartet of taxidermied squirrels playing rock band instruments... Interesting to say the least.

Lucy in Disguise was my favorite store, I think. Any costume you could ever imagine is there. Just tons and tons of outfits, shoes, wigs, masks, jewelry... anything for dressing up. They're already selling for Halloween, so get there quick to avoid the crowds.

Frankmusik opened for Erasure. He was pretty good. I'll have to look him up on iTunes. Erasure was so awesome. Their new songs are very 80s (yay!). They mostly played old tunes though. Andy Bell took off his first shirt pretty early on, and immediately replaced it with a t-shirt, but I am certain he did that whole thing only to show off the fact that he is totally RIPPED at 47. Dang impressive. I could have done without the two backup singers. By that I mean- I wished the entire concert that they weren't there at all. They were really annoying.

We were all up and dancing next to our seats. The biggest audience reaction by far was for "A Little Respect." My all-time favorite song of theirs is "Oh L'amour," which they also performed to an enthusiastic response. Totally took me back to my college dance club days, when my friends and I would scream and run to the dance floor if we weren't already there when it came on.

We had first-row mezzanine seats, which are perfection. It's a smallish place, and from that vantage point, you're really close and can see everything. Plus, a couple of major arguments broke out on the GA floor. Ridiculous. I know from being on the floor at Duran Duran at the Music Hall that you are packed in there like sardines, and unless you are 6'4, you can't see a thing. We ended up making our way to the back of the floor section at Duran Duran, and hanging out at the bar that night, where we actually had air to breathe and space to see over people's heads. So your ACL Live tip o' the day is to get Mezzanine seats.


There was an after-party at the venue, which was really cool, although I think it should have been on the lower floor, rather than the mezzanine, so mobs of people aren't trying to exit and enter at the same time through one tiny door. Gah. ACL Live is perfectly set up for that sort of thing though, with an expansive outdoor area. And of course the gorgeous W hotel is next-door, as a convenient alternative after-concert hangout.

The football game yesterday was loads of fun, except for most of the second half, where we derailed and lost it. I hate to complain, but how many freakin' times does their offense have to run the same play before our defense covers that guy??!?!?!?!!! YEESH.

Wait, one more complaint... against our opponent... Incomplete pass ruled complete, and followed by a quick snap so we couldn't ask for a review? Brilliant strategy. Wonder how that played out on TV, because it was pandemonium at the stadium.

Our season ticket neighbor, Adrian, brought his buddy John, who was wearing a very special ring... his Texas A&M SWC Cotton Bowl ring! So. Cool.

Lauren brought her very good friend, Tobi, who is a German exchange student whose house dad is an Aggie. After the game, we had dinner in Bryan. Funniest convo ever, started with him asking me how much German I know.

Me: ...actually, I took Latin in high school.
Tobi: Oh I HATE Latin. We have to take it at school.
Me: Latin is awesome!
Lauren: Why do you hate it?
Tobi: We just translate it and don't ever speak it. We translate old, boring texts like... stories about stupid wars.
Lauren (shocked): Stupid whores?
Tobi: Stupid whores? I don't know how to translate that to Latin, but I have a great app that does. (*gets out iPhone*) How do you spell it? S-T-U-E...?
Lauren: S-T-U-P-I-D...
Tobi: Then H...
Lauren: W-H-O-R-E-S
Tobi (laughing): Oh! I thought you said "stupid H-O-R-S-E!"

We were all about on the floor!

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OK, Facebook...

Saturday, September 24, 2011

(from FB)

Now that I'm over the utter shock of the Facebook makeover, the only thing I actually hate about it is the news feed itself. You can get rid of the annoying ticker and chat list on the right sidebar with any of several browser extensions (like Better Facebook, which also does tons of other wonderful things to make your FB life easier), so eh.

(from FB and, evidently, memegenerator.net)

The "top stories" vs. "most recent" news feed format, however, is ridiculous and almost useless, because it is incomplete. I don't know how it benefits Facebook to not show all the updates you've asked for, in reverse chronological order, like before. Now that they let you define how many updates you want to see from each individual friend, the news feed should be a really pleasant experience, but then they had to throw us "top stories" and a few recent posts instead.

So now if you want to see all your friends' updates, you have no choice but to go to their individual profile pages. I don't mind doing that for a few people, but there's obviously not enough time in a day to click through everyone. So I just won't see most of their posts. Totally unsocial.

I do think the new Timeline profile pages will be really cool. It's more customizable than the current profile page, allowing a large photo of your choice to be the header image. Seems you can choose featured photo albums and that sort of thing. It's a more aesthetically-pleasing, more personalized page.

The social apps are going to be a privacy nightmare, but I think if you pick and choose, and set your settings appropriately, it could also be really interesting. Like, it looks as if you can have Netflix show the most recent films you've watched. Pretty neat, unless you watched something questionable in subject matter (and/or personal taste). Then prepare for endless harassment.

If I use any of the social apps, I would make sure I'm not doing or saying anything on those sites that I don't want everyone on my friend list to know about. Mark Z hopes you'll forget people are watching... I don't forget it. So we'll see. I may participate in only a limited capacity in the social apps, at least in the beginning.

I have come a long way with my overly cautious internet privacy concerns, though. For example, originally I didn't allow anyone to tag me in Places, but now I do.

*bows*

Heck, I don't even have to approve it before it posts to my wall. So go ahead and fake-tag me at your local swingers club. Just remember... paybacks are hell. :)

And now we are off to College Station to watch the Fightin' Texas Aggies BTHO OSU!

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TGIF

Friday, September 23, 2011

Am I the only one who rushes over to my computer when I need to do something real quick on the web, only to be completely distracted by my home page and subsequent clicking of interesting links? Then I forget why I even got online in the first place.

Just wondering.

It's my mom's bday today! She would have been 66. Hope she's somewhere with friends, having a fruity drink with a parasol. (In my Heaven, there's totally a tiki bar.)

Friday Five: To the Table

1. Some friends have invited you over to watch the big game. What do you bring for the snack table?

Taco Tartlets
24 Servings

24 Won Ton Skins
1 Lb Ground Beef
1 Pkg Taco Seasoning
2 Tbl Picante Sauce
1/2 Cup Chunky Salsa
1 Cup Mexican Cheese
1/2 Cup Sour Cream

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Press wonton wrappers into mini-muffin cups. Cook beef in skillet until browned. Drain off fat. Stir in taco seasoning and 2 tbl picante sauce. Spoon beef mixture into cups. Top with salsa and cheese.

Bake about 7 minutes or until wonton wrappers are golden brown. Serve immediately with additional salsa, sour cream and ripe olive slices if desired.

2. What do you bring for a potluck lunch at work (or school)?

Corn Casserole
8 Servings

15 1/4 oz can whole kernel corn, drained
14 3/4 oz can cream-style corn
8 oz package corn muffin mix
1 Cup sour cream
1/2 Cup butter, melted
1 Cup Cheddar Cheese, Shredded

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, stir together the 2 cans of corn, corn muffin mix, sour cream, and melted butter. Pour into a greased casserole dish. Bake for 45 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from oven and top with Cheddar. Return to oven for 5 to 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Let stand for at least 5 minutes and then serve warm.

3. It’s a regifting party! Everyone brings some gift they never opened or used and leaves with someone else’s. What do you bring?
I don't have any gifts I would re-gift, but I have a reeeeally cute Christmas frame I bought on a whim years ago, intending to give it to someone at some point. It just sits in my boxes of Christmas stuff and gets shuffled around from year to year.

4. You’re going camping for a long weekend with a bunch of friends. Everybody agrees to bring one thing that others often don’t think to bring. What’s your contribution?
First aid kit, OF COURSE. You're welcome. :-)

5. Road trip! The car in which you’re going to spend twenty hours with your closest friends only has a CD player. What do you bring?
Honestly I would bring a mix CD, but I suppose they're asking about albums here. Beatles albums- everyone knows/loves those songs! If it's just the girls- ABBA CDs, too.

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Netflix

Thursday, September 22, 2011

From Greg at Telling Dad...

Netflix Quikster Qwikfail

...Typically, when someone says they’re sorry, they try to right the wrong. In Netflix’s case, they managed to make it worse. Their apology went something like this:

“Hey, I’m really sorry about punching you in the stomach. I was going to do it anyway but I should have warned you first. To make amends, I’d like to punch you in the face...”
LOL. You know, for the first couple of days after Netflix's big announcement, I thought the DVD side was being called Flixter. I didn't understand why everyone hated it so much, when I thought it was so cute.

"Quikster"-- ?

Epic. Fail.

We've gone streaming-only with Netflix. If they could just manage to have something I want to watch, that would be awesome. There are only so many old and/or subpar films I want to see. May have to go with the paid Hulu service!

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Horrendous Format Change, Facebook

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

I had a compelling post ready to go for this morning, but all I have to say is...

Facebook, you SUCK.

I have no idea how you determine what stories I think would be interesting to me, but they aren't. People have always changed their news feed default to "Most Recent," because "Top Stories" has always been pointless.

The garbled bunch of junk on the right sidebar is a mess. Choose either the dumb chat list or the dizzying news ticker, but not both. Actually, I'll take neither.

Grr.

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House Hunters

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

But first...

Dear Mr. Boehner and Republicans of the Congress,

There are only a few things for which a Congressman should take an unyielding stand and say, "I will never vote for this." Collecting vital tax revenue from the country's wealthiest citizens simply by establishing a minimum tax rate so their percentage equals that of the middle class... is NOT one of them.

Duh.

No love,
Me


Obama has put several reasonable budget cuts on the table. It's called compromise. Try it.

So, when I'm sick, I have a habit of getting up and around much too quickly. As soon as I think I can get moving, I'm up and doing way too much. Then I end up back in bed, recuperating like I should have been all along. I was on the couch watching a lot of HGTV in a sickish haze yesterday. It was a House Hunters marathon or something. Love that show. The people are usually so interesting. My three faves on Monday:

*two doctors in Wisconsin... Yawn. City. Seriously the most bland, emotionless people I've ever seen, but their precocious 9- and 7-year-old daughters cracked me up with their very insightful commentary on the decor of each home. Total junior decorators.

*a pretty, young Israeli girl moving into her first home in Tel Aviv, with a mere budget of US$700,000- very concerned that the condo she wanted did not have a bomb shelter (!)

*a newly-single, boobie-riffic fifty-something in Florida, looking for a "bachelorette pad" near her new bestie cougar pal, who went with her on the house hunt. Those two were something else! The homeowner even went on a date with the real estate agent at the end. (I was impressed, curled up in the corner of my sectional at that point, wishing I had the energy to get myself a glass of water.)

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Blog Titles and Sunday Stealing

Sunday, September 18, 2011

Since I'm really free-form in my blog entries most of the time, I struggle to encompass the penetrating scope of my posts in a single title. Well, I came across a Yahoo News headline that just did away with journalistic tradition and listed the random topics, without apology:

Senior Citizens Accidentally Become Web Sensations and A Lost Colorado Cat Found In New York

Bravo, Yahoo. Bravo.


Sunday Stealing: The Lower 40 Meme, Part Two

21) Have you ever flown a kite?
I've flown tons of kites.

22) Do you wish on your fallen lashes?
Um, no. Am I supposed to?

23) Do you consider yourself successful?
That particular term is associated with career success. I don't think anyone is considered a "successful mom" or a "successful volunteer." When I was working in my career, I considered myself very successful.

24) When was the last time that you made an obscene phone call?
I've never made an obscene phone call to someone I didn't know.

25) Have you ever asked for a pony?
No. I asked for a monkey several times though.

26) Plans for tomorrow?
None yet.

27) Can you juggle?
I can juggle two bean bags or about 32 to-do list items.

28) Missing someone now?
Nah.

29) When was the last time you told someone "I love you"?
Friday, on the phone. Hey, I've been sick! :p

30) And truly meant it?
Ha. Friday.

31) How often do you drink alcohol?
maybe once a week

32) How are you feeling today?
I am on day 3 of a bad cold, so better but not great.

33) Have you every tried to write a meme?
No

34) Have you ever been fired from a job?
Nope

35) What are you looking forward to?
Erasure concert this Friday night!

36) Have you ever crawled through a window?
A few times.

37) What's the most recent bad meal that you had to endure?
I made jambalaya the other night and the shrimp was an icky, weird texture. I wanted to order takeout or something, but we just ate it. Blech.

38) Can you handle the truth?
Oh yes.

39) Who's to blame for what's going on?
George Bush of course

40) What will it take to fix it all up?
OU needs to make the move to PAC-10.

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Whoop!

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Lauren was accepted to Texas A&M University yesterday. She is so excited! She will be a Biomedical Science major.

I think I've mentioned before that I have a few people muted on my Facebook newsfeed. Generally, three things might send a person to my "hidden friends" list:

1) the gazillionth whiny, predictable, partisan political statement
2) always-obscure statuses quietly begging people to inquire what the heck the person is talking about
3) the daily 5:30 a.m. post about how I should be the best me I can be and go out and make it a spiffy day

A few times, I have gone to the list (bottom of news feed, click "edit options" and view "hide posts from:") and reconsidered people I think I may have sent there in haste. I visit their pages to see what they've been up to. 99% of the time, I remember exactly why I hid them. All good people! Just some of them I can't take every day. Sorry, Laura.

;)

My friend James should have been on that list from the very beginning. He is the most dogmatic Democrat there is, posting 5-6 extremely biased political items a day from underground sources. He's just so damn funny I could never do it! Amazing the things for which one can compensate with a great sense of humor.

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PTA

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Last night was the longest PTA board meeting I've attended in 13 years. Holy cats. We just had so much to talk about and to vote on. We went two and a half hours straight. Then again, it's my last year as a parent volunteer. *cry* We went around the room and introduced ourselves for the benefit of the new people. I had to say, "...and I have a daughter who is a senior..." which was met with a symphony of awwww's. I was thinking, I know, right?!, but the board's lament was really a response to my being one of about eight experienced people they'll have to replace next year.

I can only say that I have a complete, very neat and organized folder (of course I do) of every piece of information necessary to run the website, along with a full explanation of duties, etc. Easy as pie to take over. I'll have to see if I can wrangle an incoming freshman parent in May, to run it for the next four years.


Patrick's Sunday Seven

Earlier this week, we saw the 45th anniversary of the premiere of a science fiction program on NBC that had a modest beginning, but grew into a cultural phenomenon. I’m sure you know by now that I’m talking about Star Trek. After several series devoted to the franchise, there are many, many characters to admire. Could you name your favorite seven? They could be from any of the Star Trek series. They can be Star Fleet heroes or any of the myriad villains. But I do ask you to list the series from which they come, particularly if the character isn’t part of the “core” cast.

Name your seven all-time favorite characters from the Star Trek universe.

Well  I watched the original long long ago, and probably every episode of Next Generation, so...

"Bones" McCoy from the original
Spock from the original
the Tribbles from the original
Jean-Luc Picard from Next Generation
Troi from Next Generation (impressed with anyone who looks that good in a full spandex bodysuit)
Lieutenant Yar from Next Generation
Geordi La Forge from Next Generation (a.k.a. "banana comb" ...heh)

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Tuesday Stuff

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

It's too bad Kimberly and Gib don't still live here in Austin. They have a really great life in Wyoming, so I guess it all works out, but I still miss them!

At some point in our conversation yesterday, Kimberly was joking around, suggesting people to whom we could sell or give our extra Aggie football ticket(s), for games we can't all attend for whatever reason. She said since the people are sitting with you, you have to like them. She started listing names of people we know from high school and college... and hot male celebrities. One of them was Matthew McConaughey (hot male celeb, not someone we know... also a Texas grad unlikely to appreciate attending an A&M game).

So then I dreamed last night that Matthew McConaughey had invited Kimberly and me to visit him. He lived in a very modest but nice, enclosed house in the very center of the Kemah Bridge. You had to walk up the middle of the bridge to get to it. I won't bore you with the details of our lovely chat and house tour, but thanks for the nudge to the subconscious, Kimberly.

Watched the Bachelor Pad finale last night. Did anyone else get the feeling that at least some of the Blake/Holly/Michael love triangle thing with the bonus engagement "surprise" was fake? Blake and Holly forever? Really? I mean, of course they like each other, but getting married so soon and to someone you barely know, who slept with someone he didn't even like just to form an alliance? Michael had an odd reaction to their engagement announcement, too. It was just all very strange. Michael was so depressed moments before he and Holly won, and then was dancing around. $125,000 wouldn't make me happy after just finding out that my recent ex-fiancée is secretly engaged to my nemesis.

Don't get me wrong, $125,000 would definitely HELP. I just don't think I would be dancing. :)

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Wine Class

Monday, September 12, 2011

KathyL and I took a wine class at the Wimberley Valley Winery yesterday. Such a pretty winery! By winery I mean the building. It's beautiful! No grapevines though. They import all their grapes. I had no idea there are wineries that do that. Even the teensy place we went to in Grapevine has a teensy plot of grapes. Maybe that was just for show. Hmm...

They did food and wine pairings during the class, instead of just the typical crackers. Of course, it makes a huge difference in the taste of the wines. I'd love to see if there is just a food/wine pairing class somewhere, like Central Market, where we would take more time to explore that aspect.

I was most surprised that I really enjoyed a dry white wine and goat cheese together. I loathe both of those individually. The creaminess of the cheese balances the dryness of the wine, while the little bit of sweetness of the wine counters the tart of the cheese. Pretty cool.

I was least surprised that I loved the salted dark chocolate. Not a fan of the sweet plum wine that was paired with it. But, oooh- salted dark chocolate, people. Must be what crack is like to some.

Last night we watched "9|11: 10 years Later," an amazing documentary on CBS. I hadn't seen it when it originally aired in 2002. It was supposed to be a documentary about a rookie fire fighter, and ended up being a 9/11 program. There is extensive, stunning footage, including the first plane hitting Tower 1, rescue operations inside Tower 1, then outside when it came down, as well as behind-the-scenes happenings at the fire station all day. If you missed it, you can watch it on iTunes. There are also some clips here.

I'm having lunch with Kimberly today!! She and Gib came down for the UT/BYU game this weekend, which was their first date back in the day. Awwwwwwwww. I cannot tell you how cute I think it is that they came back for that.

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Rambling Sunday

Sunday, September 11, 2011

September 11. I was with a bunch of elementary school moms when it all went down. We were so worried planes were going to fall from skies across the country and that perhaps they might target schools. (Mom worry, of course.) The district asked on TV that we leave our children at school, where they were safe. Most people (myself included) did. I had to figure out what to say at the end of the day when my then 2nd grader came out to meet me to walk home. The teachers had done a fantastic job of explaining to them in age-appropriate ways what had happened. Lauren was concerned, but not too much, and I was so grateful for the teachers' calm and loving help and guidance for the kids, when we were all so confused ourselves, as adults.

It's amazing how the feelings from that day come right back when we see the video of the planes hitting the towers, isn't it? That same stomach-clenching, sickening feeling watching plane #2, knowing it won't stop, but holding out impossible hope it will this time.

One lasting thing I hate about the whole 9/11 situation is that it has ruined the day for many positive and wonderful activities. The high school wanted to hold a carnival-like fundraising event last year on September 11, but it just didn't seem right to do it that day. People have their birthdays on September 11, but everyone sort of cringes when they hear the date. I honestly wonder how many parents are in hospitals today, praying their baby holds out until midnight to be born on the 12th. Over time, I hope we can embrace the day as one to celebrate life and freedom, to honor those who lost their lives in the tragedy.

So we're back from a whirlwind trip to Dallas. We dropped Lauren off in Stephenville at Tarleton State University to visit a friend. Then Jeff and I had dinner in Granbury and spent Friday night and Saturday at the in-laws before making the trip home and picking up Lauren on the way.

J's parents had a family friend with an overnight layover in Dallas staying the night Friday night as well. He's such an interesting guy! He's lived all over the world and has had some really unusual life experiences. American Airlines (usually my fave) couldn't manage to get a plane without some sort of mechanical problem to take him and his colleagues to Miami yesterday. They may still be at the DFW airport this morning!

We were watching Pawn Stars late last night and some guy brought in an Abraham Lincoln election ribbon. Corey asked Rick why Mr. Lincoln didn't have a beard in the photo on the ribbon.

Rick: Well, he originally didn't have a beard. The story goes that a little girl wrote a letter to Lincoln and told him he would look more distinctive if he grew a beard. I don't know if that's true or not.
Me (to Jeff): Of course it's true. He looks much more distinctive with the beard!

So yeah, Rick meant he didn't know if the story was true or not. Heh.


Sunday Stealing: The Lower 40 Meme, Part One

1) Who is the last person you high-fived?
The football gang (Lauren, Cathy and Jeff) at the A&M vs. SMU game last weekend.

2) If you were drafted into a war, would you survive?
Nope. I would be in the fetal position, quivering in a puddle of my own tears.

3) Do you sleep with the TV on?
Very rarely, and only when I'm sleeping alone. Even then, I'll eventually turn it off during the night. I don't sleep well at all with it on.

4) Have you ever drunk milk straight out of the carton?
Maybe a few times when I lived by myself and it was the very last swig of milk in the carton.

5) Have you ever won a spelling bee?
No. Thanks for reminding me! F-O-R-T-R-E-S-S. Fortress. That's the word I lost on when I came in second place in fifth grade.

6) Have you ever been stung by a bee?
Once, when I was a kid. I was swinging barefoot in my friend's backyard. I jumped out of the swing- wheeee! - right onto a bee in some clover. It stung the bottom of my foot. I was also stung on my hand by a wasp that was on the underside of a doorknob when I was in second grade. Those are my only stings.

7) How fast can you type?
I can type really fast when I'm creating the text myself. Transcribing something from a written page, I am OK, but not anywhere near as quick.

8) Are you afraid of the dark?
Every now and then.

9) Eye color:
Green

10) Have you ever made out at a drive-in?
No, I've only been to drive-ins with my parents and with Cathy. But I'm totally adding that to the bucket list.

There's a funny story there. Cathy and I decided at some point that it would be a rite of passage to see a rated X movie at the Red Bluff Drive-In in Pasadena as soon as we both turned 17. (Oh man, that says a lot about us, doesn't it?) So we did. Well, as many things do when we are involved, it turned out to be a total giggle-fest. We sat there through the entire double-feature with our candy and sodas, mocking the movies Mystery-Science-Theater-3000-style.

11) When was the last time you chose a bath over a shower?
About four months ago. I rarely do the bath thing. We have a hot tub, so if I want to relax, I choose that over the bath.

12) Do you knock on wood?
No

13) Do you floss daily?
Not every day.

15) Can you hula hoop?
Yes

16) Are you good at keeping secrets?
Very. Got something you wanna tell me?

17) What do you want for Christmas?
Well, I still don't have a Z4.

18) Do you know the Muffin Man?
No, but I hear his wife's a tart.

19) Do you talk in your sleep?
Exceedingly rarely. Cathy is the only one with a story about me talking in my sleep.

20) Who wrote the book of love?
Probably Nicholas Sparks.

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Finally Friday!!

Friday, September 9, 2011

Song Lyrics du Jour

..You'll never be what you'll never be
But you can always be
the one for me
baby...

Bob Schneider "The Way Life Is Supposed to Be"


Friday Five: Sticky

1. What kind of magnets do you have on your fridge?
I have one set of cute plastic round circles, a few business-card magnets from our favorite local businesses plus Grant's company in Oregon (how nice to see Grant every day!), and a cat that looks like Maya.

2. What’s your preferred type of glue?
ZIG 2-Way Chisel Glue Pen. If you want a permanent bond, you use it wet. To get a repositionable, Post-it-like bond, you let it dry and then stick to something. The chisel tip is the best! It's so easy to apply to anything.

3. When is it good to feel sticky?
The only time it is good to feel sticky is after sharing cotton candy with your toddler. Never at any other time.

4. What was the last thing you wrote upon a Post-It?
AddThis 
< style = "height : 40px " >

(A suggested fix for a whitespace problem with the AddThis social bookmarking widget on my website. Sadly, it doesn't work.)

5. How much pancake syrup do you put on your pancakes?
The minimum I can get away with. And I use light syrup. Better than the real stuff! I don't like how regular syrup soaks into the pancake. *shudder*

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On Being Gentle With Each Other

Thursday, September 8, 2011

We've all been through periods in our lives where daily we spend every last ounce of energy we possess, just to maintain the most normal life we can through some sort of adversity. If it isn't you right now, it may be someone you know. I caught this link on Twitter this morning. It's a fantastic post I'd like to share here as well.

We Must See Past What it Seems…..

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Go Bags

Sometimes it takes property-threatening wildfires to show you your own priorities, when it comes to your "stuff." Most of my neighbors have bags packed and ready, some even loaded into their vehicles, in case a wildfire sends us off as evacuees. Packed items include clothing and other emergency supplies, as well as important things that cannot be replaced, should, Heaven forbid, our homes be threatened.

My comment- "Yeah, Dena packed all her photos in her trunk. I should at least box ours up."

Jeff's comment- "We should probably copy all of our computer data onto flash drives."

Brilliant thinking! Oddly, that never occurred to me. 

My aunt Ellie, one of several people who called/texted to check on us yesterday (we're fine, thanks!), lives by the beach on the Gulf Coast. Their hurricane bag has a flash drive with PDFs of all their important documents, like insurance papers, etc. That way they don't have to pack the actual papers. Smart!

So everyone in the drought zone, get your "go bags" ready! 99% of us won't ever need to use them, but it doesn't hurt to be prepared. (This reminds me of the "baby bag" that sat packed in my bedroom the last several weeks I was pregnant with Lauren. Never needed that one either, as she was patient enough to wait until my scheduled C-section date!)

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iPhone Marketing Suggestion

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

So I was thinking about the "iPhone prototype accidentally left in a bar" marketing ploy I talked about yesterday. If they really wanted to DO this (Apple-style, I might add), they could just make it an annual event. Announce that a prototype of the iPhone current-plus-one will randomly appear on a bar somewhere in the US on xyz date. People will flock to bars to look.

Ooh! Cross-marketing is the rage now. Specify that the prototype will be left on a table at a random TGI Friday's®.  Friday's® could run a themed special that night... maybe an iPho noodle soup.

Thanks. I'm here all week.

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A Guy Goes Into a Bar...

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

This iPhone prototype lost in a bar thing is neither an "embarrassing gaffe" nor a "clever stunt." I hardly believed it really happened last year. I eventually decided it might have been an accident. Claiming the exact same thing happened again makes it all the more suspicious. Please. Apple employees are not that stupid.

So, stunt- yes. Clever? Not so much. I'd file it under "embarrassing stunt."

Come on, Apple. Creative, exciting marketing is your forte. You're better than this.

One of our local news reporters is in Bastrop covering the wildfire this morning. The Facebook report:

"The glow seen in the sky against the dark of night is one of the eeriest things she's ever seen." 
I couldn't agree more. Stay safe, folks.


Patrick's Sunday Seven

Name seven notable people age 80 or up that you’d like to spend an afternoon with to get to know them and how they’ve made a success for so long.

Cloris Leachman
Maya Angelou
Paul Newman
George H. W. Bush
Mel Brooks
Mike Wallace
Henry Kissinger

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Drought and Fire

Monday, September 5, 2011

Entertainment is... watching Chris Daughtry and Josh Paul have a Twitter conversation in the middle of the night. Those guys sure love what they do.

Very surreal moment last night on the way home from College Station- the beautiful area in and around Bastrop State Park is burning from a wind-whipped wildfire. At midnight, the flames extended almost right up to where we turned off Hwy 21 onto 290, the alternate route to Austin. Seeing it was frightening... and so sad. Over 14,000 acres and 300 homes in Bastrop have been burned so far and the fire is still uncontained and moving south. I've driven through that area countless times over the last 22 years. On the way to College Station on Saturday, we were just commenting how very pretty the lush, pine-tree-lined Hwy 21 is through there. Just sickening.

There are fires in north Austin as well. My heart goes out to everyone affected. They're saying October is Central Texas' best hope for rain. We desperately need it right about now!

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Three-Day Weekend

Saturday, September 3, 2011

Yell practice at Kyle Field tonight! And so the season begins!

The Seven Minutes in Heaven webisode with Amy Poehler is great. All the episodes are pretty funny, but Amy is hilarious. What makes her mad... but then turns her on? "Buff guys who loot." *snort*

OK, I absolutely despise those cheesy, touchy-feely, chick emails that make the rounds, but this one arrived in my inbox from my friend Kelly at an eerily appropriate moment. So in case someone out there needs to consider any or all of these right now, I'm passing it along...

1. There are at least two people in this world who would die for you.
2. At least 15 people in this world love you in some way.
3. A smile from you can bring happiness to anyone, even if they don't like you.
4. Every night, someone thinks about you before they go to sleep.
5. You mean the world to someone.
6. You are special and unique.
7. Someone that you don't even know exists loves you.
8. When you make the biggest mistake ever, something good comes from it.
9. When you think the world has turned its back on you, take another look.
10. Always remember the compliments you received. Forget about the rude remarks.
Lastly for today, AC on his own Ridiculist. Thanks for the heads-up, Laura! Somehow I managed to miss it altogether. "OMG watching Anderson Cooper giggle is like watching a unicorn fart rainbows."

So. Funny.



*giggle*

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College Colors Day!

Friday, September 2, 2011

I hope all of YOU are wearing your college colors today!

Jerrod Johnson wrote a song about A&M. It's too cool. The game we went to his junior year, they ran a hilarious video on the big screen of several players singing, because so many of them loved to sing. Some of them were better than others... ;-)  Loved that!

Jerrod is such a stellar guy. One of the things I love about him writing this song is that we sometimes think athletes are attending a certain university or playing in a particular city only for the opportunities they are afforded there. It's nice to see that isn't always the case. Personally, I think even if you came to A&M for the opportunity, you couldn't get through four years without becoming a true Aggie. :)



We're heading to College Station this weekend for yell practice and the SMU game on Sunday. WHOOP!

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Facebook Family Drama

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Dear PeopleWhoWearSunglassesInsidePublicBuildings,

I can't stop staring at you to make sure you aren't "someone."

I'm not sure which of us is more lame.

<3 Me

New game from one you probably already own: Play charades with your Apples to Apples red cards! Some of them aren't usable, but most are. It's fun! We played last night. :)

So... just when I'm all connected to the long-lost part of my family overseas, they play out a huge family drama on Facebook, in front of the whole world. My brother and his wife have been divorced since their kids were 5-6. He and his girls (now adults) have been in little contact since then, but they recently became Facebook friends.

My brother asked my niece about the glasses she was wearing in her profile photo and she said she's had them for years. Then my other niece came in and screamed at him that he should have known that. Then my brother's ex-wife jumped in and made a speech, then random friends started commenting... It all got out of hand and it looks like the girls defriended him.

My brother sent me a message and apologized about the scene and said he would tell me the whole story sometime. I'm just sorry to see anyone have a strained relationship with their children. I hope in time they can forgive him for whatever it was that happened. Until then, I guess they won't be keeping up on Facebook!

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This is a personal blog with no particular niche, or really any purpose whatsoever. Thanks for reading all the way to the bottom! Stalker...

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