Happy Leap Day!

I'm sure CJ won't mind that I totally out her here, by telling you all (shhhhhh...) that before Everett picked her up for their date, she was "so nervous, I'm actually nauseated..." Eeeeeheeehee!

I received a full report, and it was awesome!! They talked and talked past the restaurant closing and for an hour in the driveway at her house afterwards. So great!


Friday Five: Growing Up

1. How many schools have you attended, in all?
PreK
K
3 elementary schools
2 middle schools
High school
A&M
San Jacinto College for summers

Total: 10

2. How many states have you lived in before the age of 18? How many countries?
Two states- Texas and Kansas; Two countries- West Germany and USA

3. Have you ever seen the hospital where you were born -- where is it/what's it's name?
The US Army Hospital in Heidelberg, Germany. I have not seen it since I was born.

4. Do you plan to live in the same state in which you were born, or somewhere else?
I am living far, far away.

5. Do you still talk to people from elementary school, middle-school or high school?
All three. Even before Facebook. :o)

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College Days

Lauren and I spent the afternoon in College Station yesterday. She signed her lease and we toured her apartment complex. It is so nice!! Its only drawback is that it is on the far end of town, but we're talking Bryan-College Station here, not Dallas- Ft. Worth. So exciting!

Lauren took me to Gumby's, which she said has "better pepperoni rolls than Double Daves." WHAT? Well, here's why Gumby's are better: Their rolls are crispier on the outside, and coated in garlic butter. Yes. Garlic. Butter. Wow. Heart attack city, but you'll die happy. And there is one in San Marcos!

Then last night, we went to the A&M women's basketball game where sadly, Baylor won. We were in a mostly Baylor section and there were two completely irate and obnoxious older ladies directly behind us using the F word every two seconds, and making nasty remarks about Aggie team members, students and the crowd in general. You'd think their team was losing (which wouldn't even be an excuse for their behavior), but the Bears were actually ahead by ten points most of the night. Take a pill, ladies. Glad you won't be in our arena next year.

That's the second sporting event I've been to this week where my team lost. Bummer! Jeff and I went to the Texas Stars game on Saturday night, where we lost to the Houston Aeros.

I've been thinking a lot about my freshman year of college lately. Of the new friends I made at school, there were three significant ones who completely disappeared from my life after freshman year, and I cannot remember where any of them went. I don't even remember two of their names! If only I had my journals. :(

Eddie. One of my closest friends that year. He's the only "cowboy" I've ever hung around with for any amount of time. We always teased each other about our very different tastes in music. I'm pretty sure he was from Houston, too. We took a day trip there once, to shop goof off at the Galleria. Fun trip!

Dinner guy. Sweetest person ever. He was on the A&M Gymnastics team. We met riding our bikes to and from school. He lived near me and had a room in a home owned by an elderly woman. Instead of paying rent, he cooked and helped out around the house. Since he was making full-out home cooked meals every night, he invited me over a lot for dinner.

Dave Letterman guy. This dude was in my calculus classes both semesters. We got together all the time to watch David Letterman and work on our math homework. He was from Dallas and had a girlfriend back home. I even talked to her on the phone a few times. I still associate Letterman with calculus homework.

Wonder what these guys ended up doing the rest of college!

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Oscars and Ev/Cathy

Bradley Cooper was adorable during the red carpet. Hoping to do Hangover 3- yay! Best funny moment of the night goes to Descendants co-writer Jim Rash, after they won Best Adapted Screenplay, copying Angelina Jolie's award-presenting pose (what was up with her anyway- awkward much?):



My favorite speeches- Octavia Spencer for Supporting Actress and Christopher Plummer for Supporting Actor.

And gowns- I loved most of them, other than Sandra Bullock's. The black part at the bottom was body-hugging, with a pretty detail at the hip, while the top was wide at the shoulder, and loose and WHITE, which made her look unrealistically enormous from the waist up.

~~

I introduced my friend Everett to Cathy back in the day at my 16th birthday party. (Cathy went to the high school I would have attended, had we not moved when I was in 8th grade. Ev and I were at another nearby school.) They immediately started dating and were together for several months.

Fast forward to two weeks ago, when I noticed on Facebook that Everett was newly single for the second time in a year. He had already taken up with a new chick before I noticed he was available in 2011, but I caught it this time. I immediately texted Cathy.

Everett is single. You gonna hit that?

Hee hee!

She called me and I suggested she see if he wanted to get together for coffee... or margaritas. She FB messaged him.

The next day, last Saturday at Mardi Gras, he messaged her back and said it sounded great and he would prefer the margaritas. (Excellent choice.) She and I were at Crow's Cantina at the time and were literally jumping up and down like goofballs. Last week he was out of town, but TONIGHT is their big date! They talked for an hour and a half on the phone Saturday. I am so excited for them!!


Patrick's Saturday Six

1. Consider the last time you went shopping to a single store: which store was it?
Best Buy- for a new router. Ours died yesterday.

2. Consider the last time you went shopping at a mall: which store was the first one you went into?
I always enter through Dillards, but the first store at which I actually shopped was Hallmark.

3. Do you prefer to shop in a mall or in a strip of stores downtown?
Usually the mall. The parking is easier, and there is just about everything there. Downtown, the selection is more limited, although the items they stock are much more unique and eclectic.

4. You have to go downtown to purchase something in a store there, but the only parking places are parallel spaces near the store or a parking garage five blocks away: which are you more comfortable using?
I'll park in the parallel spaces, if there are any. In real life, good luck finding one!

5. Have you ever bumped another car while trying to park your own car?
Nope.

6. If you bumped a car while parking and you noticed a small mark on the car’s fender that you might have caused, but saw that no one saw you bump it, would you leave a note, or just move elsewhere and pretend it never happened?
I would definitely leave a note!

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Phone Bank

And I'm back to Bethenny Ever After quotes in the sidebar. I'm nothing if not determined. She just cracks me up. And no writers! Simply unscripted reality. I'll try to stick with her PG-13 quotes, difficult though it may be.

I spent four hours doing phone bank last night for the foundation fundraiser. I LOVE doing phone bank. That's my thing! Many friends and family members have made fun of my telephone voice (it's slightly different from my everyday speaking voice... more... delicate and sweet), but I'm telling you it's pure gold. I got two people to up their donations significantly- one from a single $40 donation to a monthly $40. 

We had two informal competitions going on among the phone volunteers. One was biggest single donation received. During my shift, I got the biggest donation on my row- $700. BOO-yah!

The other contest was "first to pick up." In past years, the phones have been set up for calls to roll to the next line. You waited for your own phone to ring. This year, they set it up so that everyone could answer any call, which made it a race. Everyone picked up and whoever got to it first connected. Nine out of ten times, the young and spritely back row beat our mature and laid back front row. I don't know how much Starbucks those college kids were drinking, but they were quick on the draw. Sadly, the front row lost that battle all night long. Those back row overachievers must have been lying in wait, with their hands on the receivers.

People donated $15,000 an hour while I was there. Not bad, eh?! Not that it was a contest, but... take that, noon shift!!

Seriously though, it was a very successful fundraiser and I was truly moved by the whole thing, as I always am. Many of the kids who have benefited from the organization participated. They loved telling their stories and being the honored guests. Several of their parents were manning phones or stopped by to make donations themselves. So many callers told us their stories, too- how they were donating in memory of a loved one, or after making it through their own family's crisis.

Volunteer! It makes a difference in others' lives, and your own.


Saturday 9: Da Ya Think I'm Sexy

1. When do you feel that you are at your sexiest?
When I'm wearing boots and a low cut shirt.

And pants, obviously.

2. What's your favorite magazine? Why?
Real Simple. It's 99% very short articles that provide a lot of information in a small package. The best tips and tricks and products ever.

3. What’s something you do more quickly than most people?
I learn just about anything very quickly, except basic principles of electricity.

4. When do you first remember using a computer?
I used my dad's ginormous home computer to play games when I was maybe 9-10, in the late 70's.

5. Who is the craziest person in your family?
Wild and fun crazy, or batsh*t crazy? My uncle Klaus is the wild and fun guy, with my dad a close second.

6. What one thing are you craving today?
A good Mexican martini.

7. What is your favorite thing to spend money on?
hair products

8. What’s the part of your morning you least look forward to every day?
Ironically, considering my response to #7, styling my hair. It's been a constant battle since childhood.

9. What are some rules you have for yourself that don’t really make much sense?
I don't have that many hard and fast "rules" for myself, but the ones I do have make perfect sense!

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Pinterest... 'n Stuff

*Sheldon laugh*

I've switched to Big Bang Theory quotes on the sidebar. Modern Family is a fantastic show, but much like The Office, from which I previously featured quotes, some weeks there just aren't any great lines. Or there are plenty of them, but you realize they all require a backstory or a visual component.

I really want to do Bethenny Ever After quotes, and I actually had one up last night, but that would pretty much require that I deem this an adult blog. "I don't care if you can shoot diamonds out of (it)... and I like diamonds!" LOL. I decided on Big Bang, because I know there are several great quotes a week to choose from.

Did you know 97% of Pinterest participants are women? Hmm. Men don't enjoy collecting snippets of cool stuff on a bulletin board? I guess guys don't even have bulletin boards in real life. Maybe you guys could think about it like your boss gave you the green light to fill your cubicle walls with posters of hot girls, and uh.... I dunno... cars and uber-awesome electronic gadgets?

I think Pinterest is a perfect place for a few bold guys to begin a trend and start collecting pins!

I try to stay off Pinterest unless I really have time to browse. One pin leads you to another, which leads you to another. It appeals to my love of perfectly composed photographs. Sure, there are delicious recipes (I made one from there for Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken that tastes exactly like take-out, seriously) and mind-blowing ideas for everything from crafts to organization and home decor, but what really makes Pinterest pop are the images. It's a feast for the eyes.

Guys are visual beings. Yes? So come on! Join the fun.

And now, cuteness and hilarity aplenty from down under:



"OK, I didn't actually finish the question..." Bwahaha!!

Finishing the family reunion cookbook covers today. Then I've got a Foundation event this evening. It's gonna be great! Have a fab Friday, all!

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Online Identities

Three of my friends gave up Facebook for Lent. All three posted about it yesterday on Facebook. Heck, they didn't even make it through the first day. ;)

I promise I haven't wrought havoc on your profile pages since you left, posted no embarrassing photos, written no inappropriate wall posts or tagged you in my questionable status updates.

There's plenty of time left for that! Mwahahaaa!

My favorite thing someone gave up for Lent this year is "spending money on food other than groceries." Go Holly!!

~

SuziQ and I shared a great full-circle moment yesterday. We did interviews with a few big name music biz peeps back in the fansite days, and she told me she's about to score one with a singer affiliated with the old group, for the magazine she works for now. Awesome! I can't tell you how happy I am that I found her again and we're back in touch.

A funny story... Three of us ran the fansite. She primarily worked on the message board side of it, since she didn't care to know anything about website design or maintenance. We met during a mass fan exodus from another site. We started our own infinitely more successful website, and most of the girls from the original site followed us. Through that harrying process, we three bonded and got to know each other very well online, by our real names, not just our screen names.

After a couple of years running the board with her and countless daily conversations on IM, etc., I wanted to snail mail her a gift. She gave me her address and then said that she had a confession.

Her real name wasn't Sally. It was Sue.

I'm big on maintaining my privacy on the net, always using a screen name or just my first name when possible. I'm sort of obsessive about it. She totally one-upped ME on the privacy by giving us a fake real name? (Genius! That would never even occur to me.) We were good friends! She hoped we wouldn't be mad and all I could do was laugh. And then I wondered if Sue was even her real name. Ahaha. It is.

Another story about fansite girl identities--

The first-ever of many trips we organized as a fansite group was a concert at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. About ten of us went for a three-day weekend. We met the first day by the pool as we each arrived. One by one we showed up, bursting with anticipation to meet the people we'd talked so much with online. Everyone was very huggy and fun and wonderful, and it was as if we'd known each other for years.

There was one girl was always making hilarious, bawdy comments on the board and in chat. She had a very girly screen name, almost too girly, and K, Sally Sue and I had been surmising for months that she was possibly a guy. She was extremely blunt and didn't put up with anyone being a jerk online. She was sort of the bouncer of the message board. Turned out the entire Vegas group, probably the whole board, had been thinking she was a dude, but didn't realize everyone else had been thinking it too.

In Vegas, we were eagerly awaiting "her" arrival, and she was the last to show up. She kept texting us that she was going to be down, but "I have to put on my makeup..." then "I simply must repaint my nails and then I'll be down," etc. The more girly the texts and the later it got, the more certain we were that she was a man. Someone spoke to her very briefly and said she had a deep voice.

Every guy that passed, we would look and wait and whisper, "Maybe that's her!" You should have seen us trying not to giggle when she finally showed up. She is tall, with a sultry voice, and there is absolutely nothing male about her. Well, other than she'll kick your ass if you get out of line. One of my favorite people ever!

We talked to Sue while we were in Vegas, and her first question was, "Sooo... is she a GUY?!"

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Bubbles

THIS IS MY JAM Y'ALL!

Ohmigosh that made me laugh this morning.


Friday Five (very late)

1. When did you last have a bubble bath?
Oooooh. Too long ago. Must have one soon.

2. What are your thoughts on bubble-wrap?
Good stuff. I like popping it, but not for long. I can get a lot more play time out of foam peanuts.

3. In general, how large is your interpersonal-space bubble compared to other people’s?
My bubble is the same diameter as other people's, but I think I am a little more aware than the average person when someone is in it. Sometimes in a good way, sometimes in a bad way, depending on who it is.

4. What carbonated beverage have you most recently enjoyed?
Diet Dr. Pepper

5. Who in your life can be described as having a bubbly personality?
I haven't seen Teri since the girls were 3, but she's definitely the bubbliest friend I've ever had. Sheryl is also very bubbly! Laura is about to call and say, with a heaping dose of sarcasm, "Why didn't you list me?!" in 3... 2... 1...

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"Natural" Cat Food

Cathy, her roommate Jimmy and I had a great conversation Saturday morning.

Jimmy: They're saying that cats should be eating more natural cat food.... Like, the first ingredient should be chicken breast, not chicken parts or corn meal.
Cathy: Oh. My. Gawd. Chicken breast is human food. They're cats. They can eat chicken parts and corn meal.
Jimmy: It's just more natural. Like beef cat food should have...
Cathy: Cats don't even eat cows. That's not natural at all. There are no cats in nature hunting cows.
Me: Eww. Thanks. Now I find beef cat food to be completely disturbing. That is creepy.
Cathy: I know!
Jimmy: And they don't eat tuna either.
Me: Do they even eat chickens?
Jimmy: I don't think so.
Me: People wouldn't have barn cats on farms if cats ate chickens.
(as if I have a clue)
Jimmy: They're too big.
Me: Maybe they eat chicks then.
Cathy: Eww...

We went through every cat food we could think of, and cats don't normally eat any of those things without humans feeding it to them. (Chicken, beef, tuna, salmon, grilled meats, turkey, gravy...) Cathy and I decided that our new side business will be real natural canned cat foods, offering a selection something like:

Mockingbird Dinner
Lizard Lunch
Field Mouse Puree
Goldfish Tartare
Fiesta Spider Stew with bits of Colorful Strings and Ribbons and Tinsel

Our natural filler will be kitchen floor crumbs, but it will never be the first ingredient. And we city girls don't know if cats eat baby chickens, but because they're cute, we won't put any in our products. Guaranteed 100% chick-free.

Find them at your local high end pet store soon!

Kiptyn- and Maya-Approved!

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Mardi Gras Galveston

Every time I'm in Houston, my skin is instantly dewy and youthful from the humidity. But my hair becomes a curly/frizzy mess, which completely ruins it. I need to keep a bag full of Houston hair products with my travel gear, ready to grab for weekends like this.

Mardi Gras Galveston was pretty awesome. Cathy and I got there around 2 and stayed into the night. We home-based at Crow's Southwest Cantina on The Strand, where her friend Jimmy was working sound for the bands all day. We'd listen to some music and then head out to get some beads and check out the tents and other bands. Then we'd go back to Crow's. We got so many beads that our necks were aching by the end of the big nighttime parade.

Cathy and I went to New Orleans Mardi Gras in college. It was one of my favorite trips ever. Galveston wasn't as wild or as ginormous as the New Orleans celebration, no nudity (several very scantily-clad women in the equivalents of thong bikinis though) and not as many people passing out in the street (we saw only one). It wasn't anywhere near as crowded as Bourbon Street, although it was a bit rainy all day, so that may have curbed the attendance.

My favorite part of the parades were the high school bands. There were some amazing ones. SO much fun. It was freezing and misty at the night parade, but they were still having such a good time and really got the crowd going. Impressive drumlines, too.

Cath and I were trying to post photos and status updates to Facebook all day and evening, but not a single one went through. Facebook Mobile-- so unreliable. I just knew that at some point everything we had tried multiple times to post was going to show up on our walls all at once, and people would think we were completely trashed. We didn't drink much. We were going to be driving home in the middle of the night with 6000 drunk revelers over the Galveston causeway. You have to be sober for that experience. (In New Orleans, we were at Pat O'Briens at 9am each morning when they opened, after about four hours sleep, to start the day with a diabetic coma traditional Hurricane. It was a pretty constant drinkfest. Our travel group stayed at a hotel in walking distance, which makes all the difference.)

Great time! Next on our list is Carnival! We can't wait another twenty years though. Body paint will be out of the question at that point.


Sunday Stealing: The 99'er Meme: Final Part

76) In your opinion, what makes a great relationship?
Excellent communication and truly enjoying each other's company.

77) How did/could someone win your heart?
We have to laugh a lot together as a requirement. And I think the moments I've really fallen for guys are when they've shown depth of character, like when they put aside the cool version of themselves to be vulnerable and honest... or nerdy/goofy.

78) In your world, what brings on more creativity?
I'm usually inspired by the creativity of others. Or a good Syrah.

79) What is the single best decision you have made in your life so far?
our decision to have a baby 19 years ago :)

80) Why did you break up with your last ex?
My last ex was Jeff. He dumped me after a year because he wanted to date other people. He felt like college was for dating around, not for staying with one person for too long. In other words, there was another girl he liked. :)

81) What would you want to be written on your tombstone?
Ack. I have no idea.

82) What is your favorite word?
serendipitous

83) Give me the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word: delusional.
Celebrities and others who are completely uneducated and uninformed on an issue who espouse their personal opinions as if they are fact, and as if they are important or relevant.

84) What is a saying you use a lot?
Awesome!

85) Are you watching Idol this season? If yes, how do you like it?
No. I was such a huge fan before Simon left. It's hard for me to believe we haven't watched it in a long time.

86) Were you surprised that House got canceled?
No. It's a fabulous show, but the medical portion of the plot is predictable every week. And there are only so many obscure diseases and conditions one can present.

87) What is your current desktop picture?
Texas A&M Association of Former Students wallpaper

88) If you could press a button and make anyone in the world instantaneously explode, who would it be?
I'll go with the obvious Casey Anthony.

89) What would be a question where you'd not tell the truth?
Ha. Trick question. Next...

90) One night you wake up because you heard a noise. You turn on the light to find that you are surrounded by WEEPING ANGELS. The Weeping Angles aren't really doing anything, they're just standing around your bed. What would you do?
Holy crap. I would run from the room screaming.

91) You accidentally eat some radioactive vegetables. They were good, and what's even cooler is that they endow you with the super-power of your choice! What is that power?
Invisibility trumps all other superpowers. I'll take that.

92) You can re-live any point of time in your life. The time-span can only be a half-hour, though. What half-hour of your past would you like to experience again?
I would love to relive my wedding, because I was in that slightly freaked out mode (about the ceremony, not the guy) and it went by in a flash.

93) You can erase any horrible experience from your past. What will it be?
Easy. I've said this before--- having Hodgkins.

94) You have the opportunity to sleep with the music-celebrity of your choice. (let's say that you are both single and available) Who might it be?
I would sleep with Lenny Kravitz if we were both single and available, provided he tested negative for anything he may have caught over many years on the road. If we're honestly talking getting intimate with a celeb, I'd rather be with someone other than a musician, for that reason.

95) You just got a free plane ticket to anywhere. You have to depart right now. Where are you gonna go?
Puerto Rico

96) Do you have any relatives or friends in jail?
Cathy is still in Galveston County, but I'll bail her out today. :)

No.

97) Who's winning the U.S. Republican presidential nomination? Why?
The new popular guy who is overtaking Romney. I can't think of his name, and I don't know a thing about him other than Jeff said he is "scary." He will win because Romney is too slick and elitist. I just never believe a word Romney says. He's insincere and condescending and I don't think he has a clue how most people live.

98) Who's winning the next U.S. Presidential election?
Obama, who I think, if he had his druthers, would rather not run at all. He's just going to be the default winner, because he "has" to be the Dem nominee and the Republicans can't come up with anyone reasonable.

99) If the whole world were listening to you right now, what would you say?
Can't we all get along?

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Ready for the Weekend

I hope everyone is having a great Friday!!

Friday Five: Green

1. What’s your favorite green article of clothing?
The top I wore to the Daughtry concert when we did the VIP experience. I would like to pick the satin paisley one I wore to Lady GaGa, but it requires a strapless bra, and you girls out there know how readjusting a bra all night totally sucks all the awesome out of a top.

2. What could you do with a little bit of extra spending green this weekend?
Stay at a really nice hotel in Galveston for Mardi Gras, instead of the utilitarian hotel where I'm booked in Houston.

3. In what way are you conservative of natural resources?
I type this blog online instead of sending out a paper newsletter to the world each day.

4. When did you last shoot some pool?
With Jeff last summer at the Dixie Chicken in College Station

5. Of whom are you envious lately?
As the kiddo's college years are quickly approaching, I an envious of people who have paid off their mortgages! :)

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A Facebook Request

I beg of you, please do not send private Facebook messages to enormous groups of friends. I am getting more and more of these. I have to say, it's pretty annoying to get constant notifications every time another of the 55 recipients replies to the person who sent it. Unlike statuses and other posts which you can easily "unfollow," you have to formally "leave the conversation" to get out of the notification nightmare for messages, and Facebook posts a note to all the recipients that you have left. Most of us have clicked "leave the conversation" and then didn't, because it warned that it would make a big announcement about it. Now we are all cringing every two minutes when another notification pops up.

(In case you're wondering, the prevailing etiquette seems to be to reply to the message and then immediately get the heck out of the conversation... guilt-free!)

Instead, post a status or note that is only visible to those people. That way if we don't need to reply, we don't have to, and if we do reply, we can turn the notifications off if we want to.

If it's something that requires ongoing communication, start a private "group" for that purpose. Although... I've been added to groups I didn't care to join as well. Awkward. I don't feel comfortable leaving those either, but at least I can turn off the notifications.

Instead of just adding you to groups automatically, Facebook should send you an invitation to join, saying, "Mary invited you to join the group South Austin Pole Dancers." Then you can choose to join or not. Instead it's, "Mary added you to the group South Austin Pole Dancers." And you are a member. Yay. Oh, and it goes to all your friends' newsfeeds, too. "Kathy was added to South Austin Pole Dancers by Mary." Thanks, Mare.

And if my FB buddies are getting any funny ideas about adding me to questionable groups now, just remember... paybacks are hell.

:D

To those who have read this far through my stream of consciousness this morning, I offer a very helpful Facebook search hint! One giant flaw with Facebook search is that there is no way to search for business pages by location. The information is all right there, but you cannot access it in search. It took me forever to figure this one out on my own, because Google didn't have an answer. But actually... Google was the answer.

If you have the awesome and powerful Googlebar Lite installed on Firefox, just go to Facebook and do a site search in Googlebar for something like "restaurant austin tx" and BOOM. There they are in a pretty list!

If you are using IE (bless your heart) or don't have or want Googlebar Lite, just go to Google and type:

site:www.facebook.com plus your keywords, like...

site:www.facebook.com restaurants austin tx

Ta daaaah!

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VDay in Review

Remember how I thought it might be fun to throw a challenge into Valentines Day this year, and told Jeff we had to find something at Walgreens and spend no more than $5? After shopping for a funny, fun and/or cool gift for my sweetie there, I can tell you that the challenge should just be the $5 part. Drugstores have the highest prices on just about everything. I could have gotten something far more awesome for the money just about anywhere else. Still had a good time shopping though!

Note that Jeff said he liked the single store requirement, because it made it easier than having to consider the best item one could get for five bucks at every store in the free world. Whaa?? That's the thrill of the hunt, right ladies? Shopping--- very different for men and women.

Here's my $5 gift. I am a gift basket girl, and I wanted to get cheese and crackers and a single interesting beer for him, but Walgreens doesn't sell any beer in single bottles, so I couldn't afford it. Darn it! I ended up with cheese and crackers, Jelly Belly ice pops, his favorite orange Tic Tacs and gum. Cute right?

But Jeff wins this one, because... SNUGGIE! $5 on clearance.

It's designer, people. I'm typing in it right now.

Bet you didn't know that they have $2.99 wine at Walgreens. Yep. Full-size bottle. Not a sale price. It almost makes up for the $10 box of Band-aids you bought with it. I would have gotten Jeff cheese and crackers and a bottle of wine for less than $5, but I just couldn't go there.

Lauren has just started dating a new guy. He surprised her yesterday after school with a dozen beautiful roses. Awwwwww. That earned big points with mom. Just saying.

Great day! ♥

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Happy Valentines Day!

"And he took her in his arms and kissed her under the sunlit sky, and he cared not that they stood high upon the walls in the sight of many."

- J.R.R. Tolkien

"...Waiting for you...
For you to come in to me

Lay skin to skin with me
Making me smile and smile..."
Tony Lucca- "It's You"

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

I've been thinking some more about my parents' musical tastes. First and foremost, my mother was obsessed with Tom Jones, and had every album he ever recorded. She saw him in concert a few times. I knew every song of his, because those records were always playing in our house- a stack of them dropping onto the turntable one by one, speakers blaring from the back room, so we could hear it everywhere.

She also loved Engelbert Humperdinck. I remember listening to John Denver quite a bit as well. Beach Boys. Beatles.

Mom was always into pop music and what my friends were listening to. Not the edgier stuff, but most of what was on the radio.

Dad... He's German and didn't learn English until he was 25. He hasn't ever been into popular English music as far as I know. Maybe back in the 60s? I think he enjoys Enya now. That is why I will never forget the image of him dancing in our floor row at Duran Duran in Wembley Arena. So great!

Dad listens to a lot of opera. Luckily, when I was growing up, it was usually the weekend when Dad's records were on, so I wasn't around as much. He would burst into an aria on his own every now and then, so I got the occasional dose. ;)

He had a few German and French pop records. Well, more like nightclub singers- sort of the foreign language counterpart to mom's Engelbert records. There was a particular Mireille Mathieu album of his that I played to death, even when he wasn't around. She is a French singer, but this was one of her many German albums. I had no idea what I was singing, but I knew every word of every song. I would totally buy it today!

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The 2012 Grammys

The Grammys were pretty great last night. I'm very impressed with the last minute tributes to Whitney Houston after her death on Saturday. Her story is like too many others, one that began with such incredible talent and infinite potential. Such a wonderful life lay before her, abruptly derailed because of addiction. The saddest part of her downfall was the loss of her incomparable voice. It was very frustrating to see over the years. It seems she lived a tormented life for a long time. RIP Whitney.

I loved the Beach Boys segment with Foster the People and Maroon 5. When I was a kid, I played my mom's Beach Boys albums until I wore out the grooves. So cool to see current artists up there with them, singing the old tunes. That's one of the best things about the Grammys every year.

I also really enjoyed Glen Campbell's segment. He's another guy I remember listening to on the radio and singing with my mom in the car. There was a joke I sort of remembered about "Rhinestone Cowboy," where Lori and I used to sing, "Like a rhinestone bullfrog.... arrrp, arrrp!" Ha! Random! I have no idea why we sang it. I need to ask her.

And Adele. Wow. She is such a remarkable talent. I like her so much because she is unique. In a crowd of great singers (and songwriters), she naturally shines above them. She is so deserving of all those Grammys and other accolades she's received. And oh my gosh, my favorite thing at awards shows... genuine, joyful TEARS! She was so thrilled to win Album of the Year.

Thumbs down--
Coldplay- like fingernails on a chalkboard. What the heck?
Nicki Manaj- crossed over from creative into plain old weird... and not entertaining
celebs texting during the show- learn some manners!

Thumbs up--
Taylor Swift, who sometimes doesn't sound so great live- cute song
David Guetta and Deadmau5- so cool!!
Paul McCartney singing the Beatles medley- yeah yeah YEAH!

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Sunday Stealing

I sprained my knee doing God-knows-what a little over a year ago. (Nothing as interesting as Laura's shower story.) After completing several weeks of physical therapy, it still hurt and was cracking a lot, especially during workouts. Yesterday I randomly realized during hi-low that my knee felt okay, so I very cautiously tried the forward lunges. No pain! Wow! I had stopped doing lunges so long ago that I've just been in the habit of skipping them. It's probably been fine for six months. Too funny!

Sunday Stealing: The 99'er Meme: Part 3

51) Do you tend to hold grudges against people who have done you wrong?
Um... yes. I'm not proud of that. On the other hand, I'm also very easily moved to forgive someone who gives me a sincere apology for just about anything short of murder.

52) What is your astrological sign?
Aries

53) Do you save money for anything? What?
We specifically save monthly for property taxes due in December. We also save a general amount for unexpected expenses, vacations, retirement, college, etc.

54) What's the last thing you purchased?
Windshield wipers for my car. Mine are incredibly noisy. The guy at the auto parts store said if these new ones are too noisy, I can bring them back. Nice!

55) Have you ever had a relationship that you realized was lust not love? 
No

56) In a relationship?
Married 22 years

57) How many relationships have you had?
three

58) What do you want to tell us about your day?
Today is going to be busy. I'm going to make all the covers for our family reunion cookbooks for this summer, so I can send them to Jeff's aunt. I haven't done paper crafting in years, so we'll see how it goes. I'm excited to do it.

59) Where were you yesterday?
Running various shopping errands with Jeff. Last night we stayed in and watched Breaking Dawn: Part 1 on pay-per-view.

60) Is there anything interesting within 10 feet of you?
My photo with Joey Fatone when he was in RENT on Broadway. Such a fun night!

61) Are you wearing socks right now?
nope

62) What's your favorite animal?
monkeys

63) What is your secret weapon to get someone to like you?
I offer to help with something. Then even if the person doesn't like me, at least they think I'm nice. :)

64) Where is your best friend?
They are spread out all over the world at the moment.

65) How did your last relationship end?
I moved away to go to college and Evans was a senior in high school, and neither of us wanted to do the long distance thing. We did continue dating (while seeing other people) well into my sophomore year, when he was a freshman at UT. I stopped seeing him and anyone else when I fell head over heels in love with Jeff spring semester!

66) What is your heritage?
German and Irish

67) What were you doing last night at 12 AM?
Something very unusual, especially for midnight on a Saturday-- Lauren, Jeff and I were all under a warm blanket in our bedroom, watching Parking Wars.

68) What's new?
I'm going to Mardi Gras in Galveston next weekend with Cathy and a friend of hers! I've actually never been.

69) What is the key to seduction?
confidence

70) What was the weirdest thing that happened to you this week??
discovering I could have been doing lunges for the past several months

71) You are walking down the street on your way to work. There is a dog drowning in the canal on the side of the street. Your boss has told you if you are late one more time you get fired. What do you do?
Of course I help the dog. I don't think anyone could walk away.

72) You are at the doctor’s office and she has just informed you that you have approximately one month to live. a) Do you tell anyone/everyone you are going to die? b) What do you do with your remaining days? c) Would you be afraid?
a) I tell certain people.
b) I spend it with my family and friends around me every possible minute.
c) I would be very afraid. I've been in a similar situation myself, after a mistaken diagnosis with about a 6-12 month prognosis. I also watched my mother go through it, knowing she had about 2-3 weeks. After a time the fear takes a back seat and other emotions take over- ones that make you use your time more wisely than spending it worrying and feeling sorry for yourself. The calm begins once you can escape the overwhelming grief to look outside yourself.

73) You can only have one of these things: trust or love.
Hmm. I don't think you can have love without trust, but you could have trust without love. So I choose love.

74) What's a song that always makes you happy when you hear it?
"Smile" Uncle Kracker :-)



75) Who has your cell phone number (other than family)?
All my friends and a spambot always texting me to ask if I need a loan.

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Valentine's Day Challenge

Jeff agreed to my Valentine's Day challenge! Our gifts to each other must be from Walgreens and can cost no more than $5.

Who will get the most romantic bang for their buck?? Stay tuned!

Saturday 9

1. Do you enjoy going to a casino now and again?
I love being in a casino- the lights, the sounds, the excitement. I just don't enjoy spending money gambling. I'll watch my friends play though. (I'm also that girl who invites you to the mall and you end up buying six bags full of stuff, while I go home empty-handed, but thrilled for you. What a rush!)

2. What makes you happy most of the time?
Being with friends, doing anything or nothing at all.

3. Are you jealous of someone right now?
Regarding matters of the heart- no. I am quite jealous of Kathy though. She was "working" in London and Barcelona this week.

4. You're stranded on a desert island with one fictional character. Who is it? Why?
Doug Ross, MD. For obvious reasons related to neither my health nor safety.

5. Have you ever been in the emergency room? If yes, for what (most recently)?
"Speaking of ER..." New Years Eve 2009, when I stepped on a sewing needle and couldn't get it out because it was jammed into a tendon.

6. Where is the last place you drove to just for fun?
A few weeks ago, Jeff and I took the long, scenic route to San Antonio on state highways to avoid boring old I-35. Wonderful drive through Blanco. There is a peak you crest just beyond Dripping Springs soon after you turn off 290 onto RR165, where you can see miles and miles of hill country sprawling across the horizon.... OMG. Breathtaking!

7. If you were to make your living as a photographer, what would love to shoot?
I would be one of those photographers who take candid pics of regular people doing everyday things- black and white photos that make the everyday seem sublime, which it can be, if you're paying attention.

8. Tell us about a band you like that we might not have heard.
Rotel and the Hot Tomatoes. A cover band- they do 60's-90's pop. I've seen them several times. The first time was at a New Year's Eve party downtown at the Hyatt Regency several years ago. They are so entertaining! Great show. Lots of energy! Beautiful and fun outfits and wigs.



9. Where was the last place you went shopping? Why?
I went to Target to get some more things for a care package we're putting together for our favorite army medic, my Goddaughter Scarlet, who is in Korea.

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Go Hotdogs!

Lauren plays NCAA Football on the PS3. She has a high school team called the Hotdogs.

Me: It's too bad you can't design your own mascot. That would be fun.
Lauren: "Ask me about my wienerrrrrrr!"

(a la Jonah Hill from Accepted... I know a few of you have seen it...) --



CJ dropped her beloved iPhone on the ground, face down, and it completely shattered the screen. Amazingly, all the touchscreen capability is still there, along with the fully-functioning phone. She is awaiting the arrival of her new 4S. *so jealous!*

And now... a super-long meme, only interesting to me! (Aren't they all.)

Friendslist Meme

1. Copy and paste your Facebook friends list.
2. [Bracket] people you've known fifteen years or more
3. *star* the name of anyone who was in your wedding party
4. Bold people with whom you went to school (grade school, university, etc.)
5. Italicize the name of everyone with whom you've worked
6. Underline the name of everyone who lives in your local area
7. Turn red people to whom you are related.

[Alicia]
[Allen]
Amy
Angela
Angel
AngieC
[AngieS]
[April]
[Bill]
[BobA]
BobD
[BobH]
[BobM]
[BobS]
Brittany
Bruce
[Caleb]
[Frances]
[CarolB]
[CarolI]
[CatherineJ]
*[CatherineJJr]*
Cathy
ChadE
ChadW
Charity
Charles
[Cheryl]
[ChrisB]
ChrisT
[ChrisY]
[Christopher]
[Christy]
[Cindy]
[Clara]
[Connie]
Connor
Crystal
[DavidG]
DavidM
Deanna
[Deanne]
Debbie
[Deborah]
Dee
Dena
[Diana]
[Diane]
Dianne
[Dirk]
Dominick
Donna
*[Doug]*
Dyanna
Dylan
*[Elizabeth]*
[Ellie]
[Evans]
[Everett]
[Frank]
[Gary]
*[Gene]*
[Grant]
[Greg]
Holly
[Ina]
Jack
[James]
[Janeen]
JasonK

[JasonP]

Jean
*[Jeffery]*
[JeffK]
[JeffP]
Jennifer
[Jim]
[Jimmie]
Joanna
[Johnny]
Joshua
[JudyA]
*[JudyF]*
[Julian]
[JulieE]
[JulieP]
June
Karla
[KathyG]
[KathyM]
[KathyS]
Kayla
[Kecia]
Kelly
[Ken]
Kenny
[Kenton]
*[Kimberly]*
[KimB]
KimP
KimS
[Klaus]
KristinS
[KristinW]
[Kristy]
[Kurt]
[Laura]
[Lauren]
[LeeAnne]
[Lily]
[Linda]
LisaJ
LisaH
LisaC
[Lizanne]
[Long]
[Lori]
[Luis]
[Lynda]
[Madellaine]
[Mark]
Mary
Matt
Melanie
[MelissaB]
MelissaD
[Michaelyn]
Michelle
[Mike]
[Pam]
[Pat]
[Patricia]
[Patti]
[Paul]
[Pedro]
[Penny]
[Philip]
Rania
[Ray]
[Renee]
[Richard]
[Robert]
[Ruth]

Sandra

[Scarlet]
ScottC
[ScottM]
[Sebastian]
[Shane]
Shawn
[Sheila]
Shellie
[Sheryl]
[Siegfried]
[StephanieY]
[StephanieF]
*[Stephen]*
[Sterling]
*[Steven]*
Sue-Ellen
Tami
Tammy
[Tara]
[TeresaC]
TeresaS
[Teri]
[Tiffany]
Tina
[Todd]
[Tom]
Tonya
[Traci]
[Tracy]
[Troy]
[Veronica]
[Warren]
Wendy
[William]
[Wynette]
[Yvette]
Zoë
Zonia

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Two Georges

For anyone who missed George Clooney's "Person To Person" on CBS last night (like me- oops), here it is!



Love his media room. :)

I've been playing Wham! on iTunes all week. Try doing that without hopping out of your chair and dancing. It may or may not have happened at some point.

Every now and then, when some really raunchy song comes on the radio, and I'm wondering what is going on with music today, I remember George Michael's song "I Want Your Sex" -- from 1987. "...Every man's got his patience and here's where mine ends..." Oh yeeeaaaah.

Remember, this was before we adoring girls knew admitted to ourselves that George was gay, and way before his scandalous trouble with the law. It was "the good old days" of George Michael.

^^ Um, no.

^^ ACK. Nooooooo no no no no.

YES. This.

Let's do some Wham! lyrics and reminisce over a more innocent time...

Lyrics of the Day

"...I'm like a maniac at the end of the day
I'm like a doggie barking at your door
So come take me back to the place you stay
And maybe we can do it once more
You say I'm dangerous, don't worry baby
I get excited at the things that you do
And there's a place for us in a dirty movie
Cuz no one does it better than me and you..."

"The Edge of Heaven" Wham!

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Plan B n' Stuff

Congratulations A&M grad and Denver Bronco Von Miller, the NFL's Defensive Rookie of the Year! WHOOP!!!

A&M Football season tickets still haven't been put up for renewal yet, due to an as yet unknown schedule for next year's home games. We are all eagerly awaiting the announcement, as there is now a waiting list for new season ticket holders. Awesome for the program! Last year was the first time ever that they sold out of season tickets!

So... the Plan B controversy. I think it's a great product for many reasons. To have it readily available to students is fabulous. It's already available at drugstores, but it would be nice to have other options.

To those who think it's wrong to use, don't use it. Plan B is safe and legal, so there isn't any reason it should not be made available to those who do choose to use it. Frankly, it's none of anyone's business if they do.

To those who think it encourages unprotected sex, take note of the common side effects:

nausea
vomiting
diarrhea
abdominal pain
headache

I imagine after taking it once, you never ever engage in unprotected sex again. That's a good thing!

One morning long, long ago, I forgot my birth control pill and took it later in the day, then took the next one in the morning. They were too close together and I had all those symptoms from just a slight increase in hormone levels. I don't think I forgot my pill again after that. Not pleasant. I assume Plan B is far worse... but much better than a D&C.

Also, at $25 a pop, it's ridiculous to assume that would be anyone's primary or secondary method of preventing pregnancy.

A final shout out this morning-- One of my awesome Aussie friends, Sue-Ellen, has begun reviewing movies for online mag Beauty and Lace! How flippin' cool is that? Read her review of This Means War here.

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Goodwill Outlet Shopping

Ever since the "hottest male singer" question on Saturday's meme, I have been thinking I forgot Lenny Kravitz. So... Bob Schneider and Lenny Kravitz.

 "Good morning!"

Wow. He cooks, too.

Laura said not to write about yesterday's field trip in my blog, so here ya' go... Whenever she calls me and opens with, "Wanna go to the 'hood with me?" I know we're going somewhere that's not the Arboretum, but won't be anywhere near "the 'hood." The only time I've been in the 'hood with Laura is when she was teaching there, back in the day.

I've been wanting her to take me to her favorite Goodwill store in town. It's sort of like an outlet, where the donated items that other Goodwill locations don't want is sold for $1.30 per pound. While the store is east of I-35, it's in an industrial park, not the mean streets of Pleasant Valley (where Jeff and I lived when we were first married... in a student apartment complex where the worst crime was the music our upstairs neighbor played).

Anyhoo... it is a fun place to search bins for treasure. Laura's best find so far was a brand new, in the box Cuisinart waffle iron for $3!

The only problem with the store is that it is quite dusty, between the not-so-clean household items that people are wildly tossing around, and the clothing that people pull out and immediately shake to see, which pops fibers and dust into the air. I had been giggling when we got there that someone had a surgical mask on. Later, I was thinking Goodwill could probably sell them for a quarter at the door and make a mint.

There's a process where employees restock the bins, where they open and close sections at a time. People wait by the sections about to open and all Hell breaks loose when they finally let everyone in. It's like a stampede. I preferred the areas where people were casually sifting through stuff after the crowd died down. That's probably why I only ended up with one item.

I think the best thing to get there is furniture. Most of it is broken, but if you are into woodworking, you can get incredible deals on things that just need a new leg or a fix on a busted corner. They had tons of nice chairs that just needed reupholstering and/or refinishing.

It's the location on Burleson Rd., if you want to take a look!

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Super Bowl Commercials

It was very nice to sleep in this morning.

What a fantastic game last night! Yay Giants! I also liked the halftime show a lot. Madonna looked very happy and energetic. She looks amazing. (Those of you who bet on the fishnets- cha ching!) I like it better when the artists say something to the crowd at some point, making a bit of a connection, but that would be my only complaint. Reminds me of a Cars concert we went to once, where the band never said a word to the audience all night, just played song after song after song.

It was a great game, with our great friends, too much great food and a few great commercials! My ad faves were...

Skechers Mr. Quiggly



M&M



Hyundai



Toyota Camry Reinvented



And... this is advertising... something...

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Super Bowl Sunday!

Me: Daniel Radcliffe said that he met his girlfriend at a Harry Potter wrap party.
Lauren: Harry Potter rap party?! (starts rapping....) My name is Harry... Harry Harry Potter...

I almost peed my pants.


Sunday Stealing: The 99'er Meme: Part 2

26) Are you happy with the person you've become?
Yes. Always trying to improve, but still happy.

27) What's a sound you hate; sound you love?
Hate the sound of crying/screaming babies/children whose parents are clueless that they need to remove the children from the show/restaurant/theater. Love almost any kind of music.

28) What's your biggest "what if"?
What if I had gone into my intended career in radiation safety?

29) Do you believe in ghosts? How about aliens?
No ghosts. I do think there are aliens out there somewhere, but they're either too busy or too unevolved to come visit us.

30) Stick your right arm out; what do you touch first? Do the same with your left arm.
Well, I'm on my netbook in the living room today. Right arm- a soft, green throw on the sofa. Left arm- the cats' scratching post.

31) Smell the air. What do you smell?
Butterscotch. I baked Hello Dolly cookies for our Super Bowl gathering later.

32) What's the worst place you have ever been to?
Downtown Cancún on our honeymoon. The hotel zone was awesome, with very friendly, warm and helpful local folks. We ventured downtown one day. Several shops we stopped into where we didn't buy something, we were cussed out or harassed by the shop owners as we left. We were also accosted by Americans relentlessly pushing timeshare tours. So obnoxious. Hopefully that was something that was going on in 1990 that has changed since then. I still won't go back there.

33) Choose: East Coast or West Coast?
Oooh. Hard. I choose... East Coast. No earthquakes. Closer to Europe for easy traveling.

34) Most attractive singer of your opposite gender?
Bob Schneider

35) To you, what is the meaning of life?
I think of life as one's chance to experience a full range of feelings, successes and failures, love and loss, while enriching the lives of others to the greatest possible extent.

36) Define: Art.
Anything created to stir one or more of the five senses- most commonly sight, but I think it could be any of them.

37) Do you believe in luck?
In some cases, yes. If you're playing Yahtzee and have a phenomenal game, I would call that luck. If you are diagnosed with a fatal illness and it mysteriously disappears, I would call that divine intervention.

38) Patriots or Giants? Or, who gives a rat's ass?
I like both teams about the same, but I'm going for the Giants, because Lauren is a big fan of theirs. Jeff said he thought I would base my pick on which team had the cutest quarterback.

Moi???????? :)

39) Will you watch the game? If yes, with who?
Yes, with Jeff, Jim, Scott and Julie at our place.

40) Do you drive? If so, have you ever crashed?
I drive. I've never crashed.

41) What was the last book you read?
The Politician by Andrew Young. Yes, it was a long time ago. I'm just not much of a book reader. I'm actually reading a book right now though- one from Kathy's raunchy romance novel collection.

42) Do you like the smell of gasoline?
yes

43) Do you have any nicknames?
not any cool ones :(

44) What was the last movie you saw?
Cashback. "An aspiring artist develops insomnia and takes a night-shift job at a store. He soon discovers that he can freeze time and begins disrobing customers." It's a British film with a lot of female nudity. It's pretty good, actually. Funny, with a love story.

45) What's the worst injury you've ever had?
Stepped on a nail poking up through a 2x4 when I was about 5 years old. It almost went all the way through the top of my foot. It took a while for the hole to close. I thought the tetanus shot was far worse than stepping on the nail.

46) Have you ever caught a butterfly?
No, but I have a photo of a great moment when a butterfly landed on my dad's shirt in Germany.

Lauren (age 3) on the right. "Opa. There's a butterfly on your shirt."

47) Do you have any obsessions right now?
not really

48) What's your sexual orientation?
straight

49) Ever had a rumor spread about you?
I'm not aware of any. If only someone could start something really awesome, I could get a cool nickname out of it!

50) Do you believe in magic?
Yes. "...in a young girl's heart... how the music can free her, whenever it starts" ♫

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FB Timeline and Saturday Six

For those who don't like Facebook's Timeline and are looking for a silver lining in all this, I have good news: None of your comments and likes on other people's posts show up on your Timeline, like they do on your wall. Whee!

Remember though, depending on the person's privacy settings, they can show up on the ticker and will likely show in the news feeds of mutual friends, and will always show on that person's wall. So don't go all crazy commenting and liking questionable things.

Patrick's Saturday Six

1. How often did you attend football games — or any kind of sporting event — from your high school when you were a student?
I attended almost all home football games, as did most of my friends, even though at the time we were typically battling Pearland HS to avoid last place in the district.

2. How often did you attend football games — or any kind of sporting event — from your college when you were a student?
I attended every home football game and a few away games when I was in college. I had the all-sports pass, and we went to tons of basketball and baseball games as well. I went to a few volleyball and softball games over the years.

3. Since graduating either, how many games have you attended?
I went to my high school's Homecoming football game when I was a freshman in college. That's about it. We went to three A&M football games over the years until last year, when we got season tickets and attended all the home games. We'll keep those tickets again this year. I have also been to a couple of volleyball matches and one men's basketball game at A&M since grad.

4. If you had to choose any sport to really get into, which sport would you choose and why?
Other than football? Probably soccer. I like watching fast-paced games where there are relatively few scoring opportunities- ones where you can really stand up and cheer when a team finally makes a goal!

5. If you had to choose any particular team to follow, which team would you choose and why?
Houston Texans. My hometown team! I haven't been following NFL football for years, but I have so many friends from home who post about the Texans on Facebook every week that I started watching them this season.

6. Your prediction: Who’s going to win this year’s Super Bowl?
Giants

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Usage-Based Internet Fees and the Future of the Web

I find it very ironic that the web is moving rapidly towards a graphics-heavy presentation style at the same time that internet providers are looking to change to usage-based fees.

Love infographics? I hate them. Most of them are so full of arrows and numbers, I feel I'm about *thisclose* to a seizure. Most importantly though, you can get the same information in voluminous text form in 1/100th of the file size.

Facebook's Timeline, as much as I like it (sue me :p), is very heavy on large photos (about 35kb each, in preview size). The mobile site doesn't load the big pics, so that is not a concern, but when my internet provider goes to usage-based fees, I will be more selective about viewing people's Timelines, and I won't be looking much at my own.

And YouTube? Netflix streaming? Get out. I don't know how that's even going to work. People will spend a lot less time watching videos when the meter is running and they're hearing that cha-ching! cha-ching!

Oh, and all those news links you click that take you, unsuspectingly, to a video story- those will be even more obnoxious when you're paying by the GB.

Last week, one of my clients wanted me to link a 4MB PDF for site visitors to view a pretty flyer for an event. The flyer contained all the same information that was already on that page in text form, in less than 1kb. Lovely, but that's a large percentage of data for someone like me who might view this thing on my phone, which has a 200MB monthly data allotment. We were able to reduce the size of the PDF to a much more reasonable 140kb, but still... A graphic with the same info on it? Why?

They wanted the link to say "Click here for the event flyer!" I wanted it to say, "Click here to view a 4MB flyer containing the same information you've just read." You know you would appreciate the warning.

Of course, I don't want to see the bland, text-heavy web of the modem days. It just seems there should be better image optimization and fewer graphics in places where text can be used.

Or the best option of all---- Just don't charge usage-based fees.

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Komen and Planned Parenthood

Obviously Komen's move to cut funding for Planned Parenthood has everything to do with politics and pressure from anti-abortion groups. I don't donate to charitable organizations with ultra-conservative sociopolitical agendas. And it looks like Komen will lose big on this decision to suddenly allow politics to direct their donations.

Today, in multiple interviews, Komen has said that they simply favor donating to more "streamlined mammography providers." (I agree with that, as you will see. I had actually written an unfinished post this morning. It follows below.) However, I do find that a very convenient and jarring turnabout from the original reason they gave for the defunding- "the Komen board voted that all of its vendors and grantees must certify that they are not under investigation by federal, state or local authorities." Riiiight. How many organizations did that affect? Just Planned Parenthood?

So... from this morning...

Why was Komen ever funding breast screenings at Planned Parenthood? I support the mission of Planned Parenthood. Their website says that "Planned Parenthood is the nation’s leading sexual and reproductive health care provider and advocate," and "for more than 90 years, we’ve worked to improve women’s health and safety, prevent unintended pregnancies, and advance the right and ability of individuals and families to make informed and responsible choices." Clearly, it exists to provide much-needed pregnancy, abortion and birth control services. I would hardly identify it as a place to get a free mammogram.

Also, Planned Parenthood's client base is young women. Considering their very low risk, I think those donated dollars could be much more wisely spent.

Keep in mind, I am a breast cancer survivor, diagnosed at age 26. It happens, but it's exceedingly rare.

According to the New York Times, Planned Parenthood said, "...Komen’s money had over the years underwritten breast cancer screenings for 170,000 women, some of whose lives were saved as a result." Notice they omit the number. I'd like to see that number of lives saved, compared as a percentage to other groups with higher risk patients.

Again, I support Planned Parenthood's mission. It's just that I see only a vague connection with breast cancer screenings. There are several organizations who are focused on providing free or low-cost mammograms for women with financial need. Donations to the Komen Foundation might be better allocated to those groups.

Because of Komen's jumping from reason to reason why they defunded Planned Parenthood, I just don't buy either of them. It reeks of political BS.

Other breast cancer prevention and research non-profits to which people may wish to donate are listed at Charity Navigator. Look for the four-star ratings for the most fiscally efficient foundations. (Great site anytime you're looking to make a cash donation!)

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Random Wednesday

The Bachelor cast went to Puerto Rico this week. They were in Old San Juan, going all around to places we were not long ago. It's so beautiful. The blue cobblestone streets... brightly painted houses... the ocean... gosh I can't wait to get back there and stay a while.

Lauren decided for her graduation trip she wanted to vacation on the world's largest cruise ship. So we are now booked on the Oasis of the Seas. (She carries just over 6000 passengers and almost 2500 crew members.) She didn't even care where it was going, just wanted to be on it. I'm very excited to hang out on this ship! We're still going to Boston this summer, and we'll visit my dad in New York. We've just deleted the Washington DC portion of that trip.

Song Lyrics of the Day

...All along I believed I would find you
Time has brought your heart to me
I have loved you for a thousand years
I'll love you for a thousand more...

Christina Perri- "A Thousand Years" (Christina's beautiful vid on the sidebar >>)

Oh, and... BOO-YAH.

8 million on Bookworm. A board full of errant V's and U's finally killed me. Next game, I'm going to work on the books. It's far less points than completing bonus words, but I'm hoping something super-awesome happens when you complete all of them.

Next game night... I'm so breaking out Boggle.

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