Of Attractive Guys and Obnoxious Things

Move over, Tyler Florence. Scott Conant is my new Food Network crush. I have no idea why, really. I've watched him for years. I guess I suddenly noticed he is more than just a picky Chopped judge. Ha!

He cooks, too!

The 49'ers quarterback protesting gun violence or whatever he said he was protesting last weekend should really stop and take a look at exactly what he is protesting. Not having respect for the United States of America is a statement against the United States of America, not against gun violence or police misconduct or hunger or vaccines or any other issue. Here's a clue: If you have to explain to the press what your beef is, you aren't protesting in a meaningful way.

He also said something about his actions bringing people together. What a crock of horse crap. One of the most significant things that bring us together is that we are all Americans. Black, White, Republican, Democrat, rich, poor... we are all citizens of the USA and want this country to be the best it can be.

I don't have a problem with him sitting down during the national anthem, as it is most assuredly his right (since we are in the USA), but since he has no respect for his country, I don't care a bit about any of his complaints. If he appears on my TV again, I'll just turn off the sound, like I do when that completely obnoxious Silk Almond Milk commercial comes on.

*shudder*

(Lauren finds the Carvana commercial with the "That Didn't Suck" song, which I LOVE, even more obnoxious.)

Holy shitsnacks! I just heard that Chris Pine is the son of Robert Pine! Remember... Robert Pine was Sgt. Getraer on CHiPs, with Erik Estrada and Larry Wilcox.

Mind. Blown.

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Beware Double Strollers in the Grocery Store Line

The following is a long story about mostly nothing really. Just amusing!

This morning at the grocery store, I lucked out and scored a checkout line with a lady (grandma, but active-young-grandma) with an infant and a toddler in a double stroller, who had just a single item on the conveyor. She was calming the fussy baby when I pulled in behind them.

When the baby was quieter, she reached under the stroller, and from a space I couldn't see, began pulling items and placing them on the conveyor. Peaches, peanut butter, croutons...

A little helping hand popped up from the stroller, holding a can of bathroom cleaner. Grandma placed the cleaner on the conveyor and reached down again into the stroller basket. The baby started wailing again.

Bagged salad, yogurt, yogurt, yogurt, two packages of raw chicken... It was seriously a clown car of groceries.

As she's placing the 22nd item on the conveyor, the mom shows up. She has an armload of items she adds to the checkout.

"Did you bring reusable grocery bags?" asks the checker.

"No. We'll have to buy them."

Checker adds a few bags to the pile.

Grandma pulls one more item from the Magical Stroller of Infinite Storage. (Where the heck were these when I had a baby? Maybe I should have had a double stroller.)

I was completely cool with all of this, mostly because I've been there, with the crying baby and trying to get out of the store with the precious few groceries I'd managed to pick up before things got out of hand, and also, it was so funny.

Next, a manager pops up from around the corner and plops a "LANE CLOSED" sign at the end of the conveyor.

Ahaha!

"Of course, this lane will close after you!" he told me. Thank goodness.


Friday 5 for August 26: Two Thousand Zero Zero Party Over Oops Out of Time

1. What’s your favorite song from 1999?

"Angel" Sarah McLachlan

2. What are some of your favorite films from 1999?

The Sixth Sense

Girl, Interrupted

Dogma

Office Space

Three Kings

3. What’s something interesting that happened on your birthday in 1999?

Well, I've now Googled this to death and absolutely nothing happened on my birthday in 1999. Ha!

4. How did you ring in the new year as 1999 became 2000?

We celebrated at home with little LoLo (6 years old) and Spankyroo!

MEOWlennium. *snort*

5. What’s something that’s gotten better since 1999?

Our retirement funds!

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Organizing Photos

I spent a few hours today organizing photos and videos on the Mac. I was going to use an app of some sort to manage them, but I think for now I'll stick with organizing them in folders. If anyone has a photo managing app or other method for Mac that they like, please let me know!

It's fun to look at everything, since I haven't in such a long time. My favorite video so far is one of Gavin DeGraw at Parish. We were really close to the stage (well, everyone is pretty close there), and it felt like a casual night out, just having a Shiner at a local place with a local band, only it was Gavin DeFreakinGraw. (New album Sep. 9. Yay!!!)

Friday 5

1. How long would it take you, via the quickest means available, to get to the place of your birth from where you are right now?

about 13 hours, Austin to Heidelberg, including airport, flight and driving time, using Condor Airlines brand new nonstop flight

2. If a traveling food show were to visit your neighborhood, what are some unique, regional foods it would spotlight, and where would it go to get them?

They would go to Salt Lick for barbecue, Torchy's for unique tacos and the best queso on earth, Baby Acapulco for the best tortilla soup and Amy's for amazing ice cream.

3. When were you last in ocean waters?

Jeff and I were in Galveston sometime in the last year or so. I'm pretty sure I got my feet wet on that trip.

4. What disposable item do you almost never use because you greatly prefer the non-disposable version?

I wouldn't say I "almost never use them," but I try to use dish towels/cloths rather than paper towels in the kitchen.

5. What’s the schwag* that’s physically closest to you right now?

a Home Depot pencil

* From Wikipedia: Promotional merchandise, promotional items, promotional products, promotional gifts, or advertising gifts, sometimes nicknamed swag or schwag, are articles of merchandise (often branded with a logo) used in marketing and communication programs. They are given away to promote a company, corporate image, brand, or event. These items are usually imprinted with a company’s name, logo or slogan, and given away at trade shows, conferences, and as part of guerrilla marketing campaigns.

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Carnival/Hospital

Weekend before last, Jeff and I went to see Summer Stock Austin's Carnival at the Long Center. He didn't really want to see it, but I got the tickets so late that no one else I asked was able to go. How he slept through half a musical in the second row, I'll never know. Ha!

Carnival was my senior musical. I played one of the Bluebird Girls, a can-can quartet in the carnival. I still remember all the lyrics to our Bluebird Girls' song, "Tanz Mit Mir,", and to most of the others in the show!

One of my all-time favorite musical duets, "I Hate Him / Her Face," is in this show. Paul, the angry, bitter puppeteer, has just suddenly kissed Lili, the naive, sweet young girl who joined his show in the carnival. She sings about how much she hates him, while he blathers on about how much he's in love with her. (This clip isn't my high school, just a good sample...)



When we came out of the show, I found that my aunt had left me a message that my grandpa, who is 96, had fallen and broken his hip. They were going to do surgery the next morning, and he wasn't expected to make it through the surgery. I drove up to Arlington right away and ended up spending the week there.

Grandpa didn't have surgery until Tuesday, but he made it through with flying colors! He was taking steps this past Saturday morning, and is now at a rehab facility. Whew. He is a tough cookie! And still sharp as a tack. I have so many stories through the week. Once, a nurse asked him his name and birthdate, as they do every time they give meds or perform procedures. When he gave them the information, the nurse said, "That's right!" Then Grandpa said, "Well, that's been my birthday for 96 years."

During one of his bouts with hospital delirium, common in seniors and due to pain meds and unfamiliar surroundings, he told us the Germans were running a brothel on the ship we were on, with pretty young ladies everywhere (nurses). He said it was okay to participate, "but only if you aren't married and don't have a girl back home."

The Germans had taken the men prisoner and were drawing blood from them to sell on the black market. He said he was secretly communicating with the US base via the hospital bed control pad on the side rail.

Have some more morphine, Grandpa.

It reminded me of when my mom was once hospitalized with a severe lung infection. She became hypoxic and thought she had joined the carnival. And so we come full circle on this blog post. :)


Sunday Stealing: The Gal's Meme, Parts One and Two

What’s your favorite word or phrase?
"on point"

Tell us about a person who made you smile today.
three young children were helping their mom in the produce department at HEB this morning

What were you doing at 8 am this morning?
watching GMA

What were you doing 30 minutes ago?
writing a thank you note to the friend of my aunt's who let me stay with her in Arlington one night last weekend

What is your favorite holiday? Why?
Christmas- there is a whole month (no, I don't acknowledge it until after Thanksgiving) of celebration and excitement and beautiful lights and family traditions.

Tell us about a visit to another country.
Berlin
I wish I could take Jeff and Lauren there. Maybe someday.

What is the last thing you said aloud?
"Is this your rat?" to Maya, laying next to her rat toy

What was the last thing you had to drink?
water

What are you wearing right now?
denim capris and a red/white/blue patterned top

What was the last thing you ate?
Honey Bunches of Oats with strawberries

Have you bought any new clothing items this week?
Nope. I did buy a lot of Starbucks though.

When was the last time you ran?
Tuesday, the first night I stayed at my in-laws. They were on vacation and my mother-in-law had given me the wrong security system code. When the alarm started going off, I ran like lightning to the neighbors', who had the correct code. We managed to shut it down. The police still showed up.

What’s the last sporting event you watched?
Olympic men's 100m track

If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?
Hawaii

Who is the last person you sent a comment/message to on Facebook?
Jen

Ever go camping? If yes, tell us about one time.
Only with Brownies and Girl Scouts as a kid. One memorable camping trip, I was on cooking duty with a group of girls. One of the moms taught us to throw spaghetti against the wall to see if it's done. When the rest of the troop returned from their activity, we had covered the posts of the patio kitchen area with spaghetti. Hilarious!

Do you think a tan improves your looks?
nah

Have you ever lost anything down a toilet?
I don't think so.

What is your guilty pleasure?
TMZ

What did your last text message say?
"There is pasta with meat sauce in the fridge and olive oil bread on the island."

What are you doing tomorrow?
nothing on the calendar yet

What do you think of when you think of Australia?
Sydney Opera House

Last person you talked to on the phone? What about?
Jeff- last Friday, telling him I was at home

Any plans today? Do tell.
catching up on EVERYTHING, after being unexpectedly gone for a week

What’s your favorite room where you live?
Living room. I'm exceedingly happy with the decor and colors, and the arrangement of furniture.

Biggest annoyance in your life right now?
My toe is hurting for some reason. Probably because I wore the same not-so-comfortable shoes for days in Arlington.

Last movie you saw? Review, please.
It's been a while, sadly. The Conjuring 2- it was pretty good. Creepy.

If you are jealous of anyone, tell us about it.
William and Kristin. You would all be jealous, too, if you knew them. They're always traveling, biking in France, having a drink in Norway, that sort of thing.

What is the most serious relationship you’ve had?
My relationship with Jeff is pretty serious. Dated 2 years, engaged 1 year, married 26 years.

Should anyone be jealous of you?
The one person left behind in our department at work, who didn't make it out. Yet.

What do you usually do during the work day?
sit at the computer, working on various clinical trial documents

Tell us about someone that you really don’t care for.
I have had a couple of acquaintances over the years who are like this. They sound great on paper, but hopefully you know what I mean. She is always, always friendly and smiley and pleasant. She is polite and generous and sweet. I just always wonder what the heck is under all that pleasantness. There's no real substance. She never has an interesting story. She never belly-laughs. She just seems a little robotic. In a way, I think I don't trust her, even though she's really one of the nicest people.

Do you use the phrase “Have a good one” daily?
nope

How old do you wish you’d be turning on your next birthday? Why?
40. I think I'd just like to be forty forever. Lots of world experience and confidence, but no twisting your ankle getting out of bed.

Do you still like amusement parks? Tell us about your last trip to one.
I do, but my family does not. We haven't been to a lot of amusement parks over the years. The last serious coaster I rode at a cheer competition at Six Flags in Arlington scared the crap out of me, so I would probably avoid those these days. I'm glad I went to Astroworld about a gajillion times growing up!

How did you get one of your scars?
I have a scratch scar on my hand from our old bad kitty- Ernie.

Will you still love me tomorrow?
Yep

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RIP PC

I mentioned that I would be using our last surviving desktop PC for work and my website until it died, hopefully in about a year. Well, when Jeff moved it to make room for the iMac, the PC CROAKED, right there on the spot.

So we have a Windows emulator dealie on the iMac now. It seems to be working for logging into work and also for Dreamweaver. I can't seem to register my Dreamweaver software, which has me concerned that I may have to reinstall it once a month, but I'm hoping the problem was just an Adobe connection issue instead.

Next I'll be installing iTunes and authorizing/deauthorizing computers, which is one of the most nonintuitive and scary Apple processes, especially if you weren't able to deauthorize your old device before it went belly up. I always feel like I'm about to lose all access to my music or permanently lock myself out of my phone or something.


Sunday Stealing: The Controversial Meme

1. Would you try a recreational drug if all were legalized?

I think marijuana is safe as long as you don't smoke it, and you don't use it all the time. I don't think I would partake in any others.

2. Are you happy that the U.S. Supreme Court once again upheld a woman’s right to abortion?

Yes

3. Would our country cope any differently with a woman president?

It would be no different.

4. Do you believe in the death penalty?

Yes

5. Do you wish marijuana would be legalized already?

Yes

6. Do you believe in God?

Yes

7. How do you feel now that same-sex marriage is legalized?

It should have been legal a long time ago.

8. Do you think it’s wrong that so many Hispanics are moving to the USA?

It is wrong for anyone, regardless of ethnicity, to illegally live in the USA or any other country. All immigrants must follow the legal process to live in another country, including Americans moving elsewhere. I don't have a problem with anyone who lives here legally and follows our laws.

9. A 12-year-old girl has a baby… should she keep it?

If she has family support, she may be able to keep it and provide a good life for the child. If not, I would hope she would make the decision to give the baby up for adoption.

10. Should the alcohol age be lowered to 18?

Yes, but raise the driving age to 21. I can say that, now that I'm no longer a band mom who did a happy dance when Lauren got her driver's license. :)

11. Should the wars in the Middle East be called off?

It would be great if all wars everywhere were called off. 

Maybe this is really asking about US involvement. One one hand, we aren't the world police. On the other, as citizens of the world, we can't ignore genocide or any activities that directly threaten US security. It's a hard question and has to be evaluated case-by-case and re-evaluated over time.

12. Do you believe in spanking your children?

No. There are far more effective ways to parent.

13. A mother is declared innocent after murdering her 5 children in a temporary insanity case… what do you think?

She's obviously insane, but there has to be a punishment. Mandatory time in a psychiatric facility. Required medications/therapy and frequent assessments by a mental health professional for the rest of her life.

14. Would you want to prosecute someone for burning their country’s flag as a method of protest?

No jail time. You should simply lose your citizenship if you burn your own country's flag. If you feel the need to burn something to protest an issue, the smart choice would be to burn something specific to your issue. If you hate your country, go somewhere else, follow their immigration laws and live there.

15. It’s between you and a person who is being kept alive (with NO hope) by life support machines… one has to die? Who?

Between me, conscious and living, and a person unconscious on life support, with no chance of recovery? The person on life support has to die. That's an obvious choice, no?

16. Are you afraid others will judge you from reading some of your answers?

Nah

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Sunday Stealing on Monday

Sunday Stealing: The Gongerling Meme

1. You’re building your dream house. What’s the one thing that this house absolutely, positively MUST HAVE? (other than the obvious basics of course) 

A knockout media room, with two levels, a comfy sectional on the front row, reclining leather theater seats on the raised back row, and a bar/snack area behind the theater seats.

2. What is your dream car? 

BMW Z4

3. What is your favorite website that isn’t a blog? 

The Internet Archive

4. iPhone or Droid, which do you want/have? 

iPhone

5. When you’re feeling down or lonely or just generally out of sorts, what do you do to cheer yourself up?

listen to music

6. Tell me about something or someone that you love that most people seem to hate. 

Well, I wouldn't say I love them, but I do enjoy Nickelback's music.

7. What did you want to be when you grew up?

a Broadway star

8. Would you go on a reality show if given the chance?

Nope. You have no idea what will happen, or what you will be dragged into, on a reality show. It could ruin your reputation forever.

9. Who was your favorite teacher when you were growing up? (Grade school, Middle School, Jr. High or High School only.) 

Mr. Spasic- 7th grade TX History

10. You get one pass to do something illegal or immoral. What are you gonna do? 

The most practical answer here would be to rob a bank.

11. What were you doing 10 years ago?
I was a stay-at-home-mom to an amazing 7th grader, and a Band Mom and Cheer Mom!

12. By this time next year, I ...
hope my home improvement projects are complete.

13. What is something that you need to do, but you've procrastinated on?
Move our extra kitchen paints into large mason jars for cute and practical indoor storage.

14. Which fictional TV show character you would shag anytime?
Other than the painfully obvious Dr. Doug Ross on ER... Jim Halpert on The Office.

15. What is your greatest pet peeve?
When someone takes offense to every little thing. Get over yourself.

16. Tell me about your most recent trip of more than 100 miles.
Our last trip over 100 miles was to Dallas in April, where Lauren met with her neuro-oncologist. It was a quick trip, up one day and back the next, staying over with Jeff's parents.

17. Which do you use more often, the dictionary or the thesaurus?
dictionary

18. Do you have a nickname? What is it?
I do not.

19. What are you dreading at the moment?
the remainder of this dreadful political season

20. Do you have a meme you think we should steal? (Yes, an old trick. But c'mon now. I gotta give it a shot. It's a lot harder to find memes now. But it's ok to answer "You're lazy" to call it a day.)
Friday 5

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