Life imitates art.

Life imitates art.
Originally uploaded by Sherrypg

Why my pillow smells like dog.

Sometimes...

...you just have to close your eyes and sigh.

I have to have a physical for a life insurance application.

The nurse called me the other day and asked when would be a good day for her to come to the house to do her thang.

I said Mondays and Tuesdays are best for me.

She said she would call me back and let me know.

She just called me back and asked if Monday the 20th would be good for me.

I replied that would be fine.

THEN! She said she would call me back and let me know what time!

Seriously? Seriously?!

Listen lady, that's not how scheduling works. You have your little appointment book there in front of you. When I say Monday or Tuesday, you find a day you have openings. Then you ask me if that day is okay. When I say yes, then you take your finger and slide it down the page to an open time and ask me if that time would work for me. Then I tell you yes or no.

YOU DON'T KEEP CALLING ME.

I know I'm not the most organized person in the world (We missed the Easter festivities at the city park yesterday because WE ALL FORGOT.), but when you work with the public, you need to have a little bit of a handle on things.

Different colored highlighters are wonderful.

Seaweed

This is Seaweed. (Click to biggify.)



He scared the pee-waddlins out of me last night.

He had a friend, Surf, who wasn't long for the world. He passed away just a few weeks after we got them. I found that out by picking him up and watching his legs fall off. Gross.

I had to get a paper towel, grasp him firmly, and pull his dead body out of his shell. Even grosser.

Because of this, we have been keeping a close watch on Seaweed. The habitat isn't exactly the best for these things. It needs to be a little warmer and a lot more humid. We keep some plastic over the top and spritz water three times a week. Plus we have a lid full of water in there to help.

But still, you never know.

Seaweed has been keeping a low profile for a while. The Boy asked me to spritz in there yesterday because he didn't remember to do it on Tuesday. I decided to check on the crab while I was spritzing.

I lifted up the half coconut shell that is used as their "Hut" and noticed a leg just kinda laying there beside him. Crap.

I put the shell back down and thought I would wait 'til The Boy got home from school and see how he wanted to proceed with the disposal.

Some tears were shed and he decided that we should just throw Seaweed away, shell and all.

I picked Seaweed up and there were some other legs laying there all nasty looking. I started walking down the hall and noticed the shell seemed to feel odd.

All of a sudden that little thing popped out! Jeebus!

I high-tailed it back to The Boy's room and exclaimed, "He's alive!"

Turned out, he was molting and the legs I saw were his exoskeleton.

I put him back down in his home, did a little shiver dance, and all is well again.

She's a fine girl.

One of my friends in Oklahoma is pregnant and I'm not there!

She emailed me the other day and let me know. She always poo-pooed the idea that she would ever have a baby, but I always wished she would. And now she is!

I wish I could be there to pat her head and say Poor, Poor Bunny while she is feeling icky/tired/stoopid. I'm having to do it over the internet and it just isn't the same.

I pointed her in the direction of my favorite pregnancy book The Girlfriends' Guide to Pregnancy: Or Everything Your Doctor Won't Tell You. She bought it right away.

She has already emailed some of us Fertile Myrtles and asked about nursing bras. Asking me about bras, pretty funny.

I wish her and her husband all of the best and I really wish I could be down there this fall to smell some new baby smell and nibble on some baby neck.

If it's a girl, I'm going to call her Brandy. What a good wife she would be.

Mercy, Kel. Who'd a thunk these two bozos would someday be parents?
(Bowling Alley Baby Shower? I might could make it.)


Kelli and Sherry, Clueless College Graduates, May 1991

Nuthin'

Just got off the phone with my friend, D. The Commander asked me what was up with her.

"Nuthin'"

"30 minutes on the phone and nothing is up with her?!"

"Nope."

(He's on a need-to-know basis.)

Not my first choice, but it was okay.

The Boy asked me if I would rather see Monsters vs. Aliens or Return to Witch Mountain. Let me think for a moment....animated monsters and aliens vs. real, live Dwayne Johnson...DUH!

Evidently my vote didn't count.

We are just getting back from seeing Monsters vs. Aliens. It was a pretty entertaining movie. The only problem I had with it was watching the character Derek Dietl, Susan's fiance.

He is voiced by Paul Rudd (hawt, hawt, hawt), but looks very similar to Conan O'Brien (nawt, nawt, nawt).

I was going to put up a side-by-side photo comparison, but I couldn't find a graphic of Derek. And I really didn't want to put Conan on here.

So here is a photo of Paul to enjoy. (Happy Birthday a few days early, Paul!)



And, because I love you, Dear Readers...

Stuff and Such

This is a woe-is-me post.

Allergies! I got a blister under my eyelid last Friday and couldn't figure out what was going on. I finally took an allergy pill and it went away. Yea! Today, both of my eyes are itching like crazy. I took another pill and I'll see what happens.

Broken! My recliner broke. The cable that runs from the handle to the reclining part snapped. Ugh. Two weeks it is going to take to get the part in. Two weeks. I could drive to the warehouse and pick it up myself in two weeks.

There! I feel better now. Thanks for listening.

They walk among us.

My mom sent me this. Cracks me up. Don't know if it is true, but still...

Phatdippin' Rap

Having a ball

My bowling league ended its season last night.

Our team didn't do all that well overall, but we did get a lot of money back. Plus we won third place in the no-tap tourney last fall and second place in the no-tap tourney last night. We got cash for that too!

I received no awards. None. Nada. I was disappointed, but not crushed. I ended the season with the highest average in the league, 168, but since I missed some nights, I wasn't eligible for the award. I had to have bowled 2/3 of the games and I was six games short. Dagnabbit. When they handed out the award to the first (second) place person, the president of the league did mention that actually, I had the highest average, but I was short on games.

Since my average is high, I didn't get any awards for 200 games or high series. I had a 214 game, but needed a 225 for an award and I had a 578 series, but needed to have a 623 to get an award.

Missed it by *that* much.

I did win a door prize though.

The awards for the city tourney are tomorrow night. It looks like I have a couple of second places right now, but I don't know if they are awarding second place.

Crossing fingers.

__________

I changed the background on my blog and now I have the saddest looking bunnies on here. What's up with the long faces, Bunnies? Someone trying to take your eggs?

Danny Boy

Happy St. Patrick's Day.

Hey, you in the back, pinch!

Sharing some time.

Us old farts bought a time share in a resort.

We went over today to get our photo IDs and our parking stickers and to show The Boy the lay of the land.

We are really looking forward to parking the RV there this summer. They have paddle boats, miniature golf, horseshoes, shuffle board, basketball courts, tennis courts, an indoor pool, a HOT TUB, board games, an arcade and all around good times. They have kids' nights with crafts, movies and the ilk. It is going to be so much fun!

Here are some photos of the big play ground.

They have HUGE tires stacked up for the kids to crawl around on. Since there is still snow, The Commander had to be his 12 year old self and throw snowballs at people.



I got hit by the shrapnel on this one.







__________

Now I have to go look up the Spanish word for butter because the waiter at the Mexican restaurant where we had supper knew just enough English not to know what I was asking for.

__________

P.S. The Spanish word for butter is mantequilla.

Military Ball 2009

(The lighting in this place left a lot to be desired.)

Questions for The Boy

1. What is something mom always says to you?
That I’m the sweetest kid.

2. What makes mom happy?
Me and chocolate. And Dad.

3. What makes mom sad?
When I’m not around.

4. How does your mom make you laugh?
Telling jokes and tickling me.

5. What was your mom like as a child?
You really haven’t told me a lot about your childhood. I guess I could say you were more like a boy than a girl. (I was a huge tomboy.)

6. How old is your mom?
40

7. How tall is your mom?
Five foot…ssssssiiiiiixxxx? (Close. 5’7”)

8. What is her favorite thing to do?
Eat chocolate. (Wrong. Read.)

9. What does your mom do when you're not here?
Watches TV and is sad cause I’m not here.

10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?
For her comedianne.

11. What is your mom really good at?
Pretty much everything except running and climbing.

12. What is your mom not very good at?
Running and climbing.

13. What does your mom do for a job?
She works part time at the 915 Café.

14. What is your mom's favorite food?
Chocolate. (Wrong. Donuts.)

15. What makes you proud of your mom?
She’s the best mom on the Earth.

16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?
Patrick Star from Spongebob. Not the dumb part, but the snoozing and agreeing with Spongebob, which would be me.

17. What do you and your mom do together?
Watch TV.

18. How are you and your mom the same?
We have that toe thing. (Our toes are shaped the same.)

19. How are you and your mom different?
She likes salad. I don’t.

20. How do you know your mom loves you?
Cause she does all the sweet things for me.

21. What does your mom like most about your dad?
He is a sweet, kind person.

22. Where is your mom's favorite place to go?
Mexico Joe’s.

Strange

It is eerily quiet in the house this morning.

The dogs are in the kennel and The Boy is at his Grandma's house. It is just me and The Commander. (I know what you're thinking, but we are both getting over the flu and anything more strenuous than drinking a glass of water wears us out.)

We drove up to Minneapolis last night to pick Shorty's girlfriend up from the airport. It was her first flight ever and she was a little nervous, but she said as they got going, it wasn't too bad. The poor child flew up from a balmy 80 degree Oklahoma to a chilly 31 degree Iowa and totally forgot to bring her coat. She wasn't too thrilled this morning when I told her we were expecting 1-2 inches of snow tomorrow.

We didn't get back home until around midnight last night and Shorty had to be back at Iowa State this morning at eight to rehearse something the Cadets are doing at dinner tonight. The left about five. Yick. I woke up, wished them safe driving and went back to sleep. I'm not dummy. We are going to leave around lunch time today. I have to get my hair "did" at 11.

I'll try to put a photo or two up here sometime next week of us in our finery. The guys will be wearing their military uniforms and we hot chicks will be in fancy dresses.

I KNOW!

______________

I have made a couple of more recipes that I have really liked.

I made Cinnamon Coffee Cake for church the other day. Very easy and very good.

But the one I'm most excited about was Lemon Chicken. Lemon Chicken is one of my top three things to eat at Chinese restaurants so I thought I would give it a try. I wish I would have battered and fried the chicken like in the restaurants, but this was very, very tasty.

Pity Party

Number of attendees = 1

You Would Be a Crafty Superhero

You are naturally curious and even a bit of a snoop. You like to have dirt on everyone - both enemies and friends. You need a lot of freedom in your life. You like to do your own thing, and you don't fit into any normal mold. Through lots of life experience, you understand the world well. You can often predict what people will do before they even think of doing it. You are a shapeshifter who fits in with almost any group. You can get along with anyone. You're quite flexible. You are a true intellectual. You are thirsty for knowledge, and you are curious about the world.

What Kind of Superhero Would You Be?

I guess a crafty superhero still has her weaknesses. I was getting over that nasty mess I have had for a couple of weeks. Everything was feeling groovy.

Then on Monday, wham! Cough, cough, cough, cough, etc.

Seriously?

Tuesday, cough, cough, cough, cough, shiver, shiver, shiver, etc. I'm my own radio station - Hot 101.2.

Last night - cough, cough, cough, cough, shiver, shiver, shiver, etc. Sorry Commander.

This morning, my radio station changed formats - The Hot New 102.3.

Oh, my-lanta. Hello? I have a Military Ball to go to this weekend. Shorty's girlfriend is flying up on Friday. I got fancy clothes to wear.

Maybe it is a short-term flu. I can deal with that. (Although I got my flu shot, darnit).

The Commander isn't too thrilled with me, though. I'm now a day behind on our house cleaning list. I was supposed to clean the master bath yesterday. I could probably get the floor done. I could just lie there and sweep my hands around.

I love my Aloe Vera plant.

Here's my story. Let me tell you it.

Last night, I was making French Onion Soup for the Commander. One of the steps was to put the pot with the onions in the oven for a while to brown up the onions. I had to keep the lid on it and cracked just a little.

This pot has never, EVER, been in the oven. I don't even know if it knew the oven existed. As a matter of fact, I had to go to the website that sells this pot to see if it could even go into the oven. (Yes, up to 400 degrees.)

When the time came to remove the pot back onto the stove, I had no problem what-so-ever.

Then, disaster struck.

Since I am use to the pot normally holding boiling potatoes or spaghetti noodles, my head didn't quite wrap around the fact that THIS POT JUST CAME OUT OF A 400 DEGREE OVEN AND THE HANDLES COULD POSSIBLY BE VERY, VERY HOT.

I had to take the lid off and give the onions a little scrape. I removed the lid without an oven mitt/potholder. Needless to say, I didn't stay attached to the lid for very long.

The very hot, very glass, lid hit the top of the stove, bounced around and headed for the edge of the counter. I stuck out my foot (Which has saved a small child's head from hitting the floor once. So I know the procedure.) and the lid bounced off my leopard print house shoe. It landed on the floor upside down, bounced upright and did the little spinny thing for a bit. No breakage! Yippee.

But, man, my fingers were hot.

I kept working on the soup (and managed to grab the hot handle of the pot a couple of more times with the other hand) and notice the fingers on my right hand weren't getting any cooler. And they were hurting.

I went downstairs to the Aloe Vera pot, broke off a leaf and applied the slimy goodness. This morning? No red. No blisters.

(I also had another cooking episode years ago where I removed a glass casserole from the oven with two hands, but only one oven mitt. Aloe Vera came to the rescue then as well.)

______________


Tomorrow night I'm going to be sleeping in a mall with a bunch of Cub Scouts. I don't know if there will be much sleeping because of 1) Cub Scouts and 2) The floor of the mall is not cushy.

I'm not dead

Yet.

I'm on day 10 of the sinus infection/cold/whathaveyou. Not fun.

You Would Win Best Original Screenplay

You are insightful and expressive. You've always been a natural storyteller. You know how to hook an audience, entertain them, and surprise them at the end. Where people see everyday life, you see an engaging plot with interesting characters. You notice details that other people ignore. People you've only met once or twice live inside your head.

What Would You Win an Oscar For?

Wiper Blades- Heywood Banks

This reminds me...my rear windshield wiper needs replaced.

I love whiteboards.

Busy week. Busy weekend.

We are going to try to go to an RV show tonight. We'll see how that goes.

Guests in town tomorrow.

Rubber stamping card making party for me on Sunday.

Somewhere in there I need to get groceries. Hopefully today so I can feed the guests tomorrow.

I'm sure I'll figure something out...

You Are a Whiteboard

You are a dreamer, a visionary, and a straight up idea person. You are very creative. Even if the things you think up are a bit wacky, they often are brilliant. You are an adept problem solver. You are always tossing around dozens of ideas. You would make a good artist, designer, or architect. You do best when work feels like play.

What Office Supply Are You?

Happy Birthday!

February 4th, 2000
9lbs, 11oz, 23"














First day of Pre-K


First day of Kindergarten


First day of 1st Grade



First day of 2nd Grade (I failed to get him a back to school haircut. Don't judge.)

First day of 3rd grade

Success, we haz it.

The blue ones had some droopy hats.



But the green ones were all perky



And because you can never have too many cookies in the house, I made some faux thin mints.

I'm not always in a snit.

The Boy's birthday is tomorrow. Thus begins the tale of The Goodies.

Friday - Go to sprawlmart. Show them this photo from last year and ask, "Can you do it?"



I need to talk to manager. Leave photo with notes about how many (30), when needed (Tuesday afternoon) and phone numbers.

Saturday - Go to sprawlmart. Talk to manager. She hasn't seen photo. She takes a look and says it can be done, but she needs to talk to her manager about price. Will call me.

Sunday - Nothing

Monday - Nothing. Go to other store and buy substitute goodies.

Tuesday - Call from sprawlmart. Just checking to see if anyone called you?

We went ahead and told her to go ahead and make them because the price she quoted was not too bad and that's what he wanted.

SuperMom comes through again!

(From last year. See how excited he is about them?)


Guess I'll have to eat the backup goodies myself.

(Again from last year. The Commander enjoys them as well!)

Well, this sorta fits with that last post.

A DEA agent, together with an ATF and an FBI agent, as part of a task force, arrive at a ranch in western Nebraska. The agents tell the rancher, "We need to inspect your ranch for illegally grown drugs." The old rancher says, "Okay, but don't go in that field over there." The DEA agent verbally explodes saying, "Mister, we have the authority of the Federal Government with us." Reaching into his rear pocket and removing his badge, the agent proudly displays it to the farmer. "See this badge? This badge means we are allowed to go wherever we wish on any land. No questions asked nor answers given. Have I made myself clear? Do you understand?" The old rancher nods politely and goes about his chores.

Later, the old rancher hears loud screams and spies the three agents running for their lives and close behind is the rancher's bull. With every step the bull is gaining ground on the agents. They are clearly terrified. The old rancher immediately throws down his tools, runs to the fence and yells at the top of his lungs . . . . "Your badges! Show him your badges!"

I'm so mad right now it isn't even funny.

Every day when I go to pick up the boy from school, I park on the west side of the road. The east side of the road is a no parking area from 7:30am-4:00pm. Yet for some reason, there are always pickup trucks parked on the east side of the road. Right under the no parking sign. I have been sitting there many days while the cop in town drives right by there and doesn't do anything about those trucks illegally parked.

Today, there were some cars parked all wonky where I usually park and, of course, a pickup parked under the no parking sign.

I pulled to the end of the block and waited until the buses went by. Then I pulled around and was going to wait by the no parking sign for the boy to walk over. The truck that was parked there pulled around the corner and parked.

I wasn't there two seconds and a van pulled up behind me, parked and the driver got out with a small child and walked toward the school.

She wasn't across the street when the cop pulled up next to me and rolled his window down. I rolled mine down and he said, "There's no parking on this side of the street until four o'clock."

If you know me well, you know that homey don't play that game. I was thisclose to giving him what-for. It hurt, but I held my tongue. I said, "All right." and he drove off.

I think the next time he drives by the illegally parked trucks while I'm sitting there, I'm going to hop out of the car and suggest he ticket them.

Aaargh! Hulk Smash!

Input needed.

We have a predicament.

We have an event for each of the boys scheduled on the same day.

The Oldest has his ROTC's Military Ball and he has invited The Commander and me. His girlfriend will be flying up to join us as well.

The Boy has his Cub Scout's Blue and Gold Banquet that day too.

??????

Did it. Done it. Dood it.

Things you’ve already done: bold
Things you want to do: italicize
Things you haven’t done and don’t want to - leave in plain font

1. Started your own blog. (Hi! You're reading it.)
2. Slept under the stars. (Until the storm blew in.)
3. Played in a band.
4. Visited Hawaii.
5. Watched a meteor shower.
6. Given more than you can afford to charity.
7. Been to Disneyland. (We used to go every summer. My Granny and Papa lived two hours from there.)
8. Climbed a mountain. (Rode a gondola to the top of the Swiss Alps once.)
9. Held a praying mantis.
10. Sang a solo.
11. Bungee jumped.
12. Visited Paris.
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea.
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch. (I did take two years of glass blowing classes. I can't blow glass, but I can make a mean paperweight.)
15. Adopted a child.
16. Had food poisoning. (The Commander has had it. I don't want it.)
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty.
18. Grown your own vegetables.
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France. (When I was there, we were on a tour and didn't have the time to go to the Louvre.)
20. Slept on an overnight train. (If I had a sleeper. Don't want to do it sitting upright.)
21. Had a pillow fight.
22. Hitch hiked.
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill.(Prefer to call them Mental Health Days.)
24. Built a snow fort.
25. Held a lamb. (Held a baby bear once.)
26. Gone skinny dipping. (More of a chunky dunk.)
27. Run a marathon. (HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!)
28. Ridden a gondola in Venice.
29. Seen a total eclipse.
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset. (Prefer sunset.)
31. Hit a home run.
32. Been on a cruise.
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person.
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors.
35. Seen an Amish community.
36. Taught yourself a language.
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied.
38. Seen the leaning tower of Pisa in person.
39. Gone rock climbing.
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David in person.
41. Sung karaoke.
42. Seen Old Faithful (geyser) erupt.
43. Bought a stranger a meal in a restaurant.
44. Visited Africa.
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight.
46. Been transported in an ambulance.
47. Had your portrait painted. (If caricatures count.)
48. Gone deep sea fishing.
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person.
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel tower in Paris. (My friend carved her initials in the paint.)
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling.
52. Kissed in the rain.
53. Played in the mud.
54. Gone to a drive-in theater.
55. Been in a movie. (Nothing you've seen. Straight to DVD.)
56. Visited the Great Wall of China.
57. Started a business.
58. Taken a martial arts class.
59. Visited Russia.
60. Served at a soup kitchen.
61. Sold Girl Scout cookies. (I've eaten my share as well.)
62. Gone whale watching.
63. Gotten flowers for no reason.
64. Donated blood.
65. Gone sky diving.
66. Visited a Nazi concentration camp.
67. Bounced a check. (NOT ON PURPOSE!)
68. Flown in a helicopter. (Flew over the woods/forest in SE Oklahoma. Loved it and would do it again in a heartbeat.)
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy. (Herkimer the stuffed bear is sitting on my nightstand.)
70. Visited the Lincoln memorial.
71. Eaten caviar.
72. Pieced a quilt.
73. Stood in Times Square.
74. Toured the Everglades.
75. Been fired from a job.
76. Seen the changing of the guard in London.
77. Broken a bone.
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle.
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person.
80. Published a book.
81. Visited the Vatican.
82. Bought a brand new car.
83. Walked in Jerusalem.
84. Had your picture in the newspaper. (I live in a small town. I'm in there every few weeks.)
85. Read the entire bible.
86. Visited the White House.
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating.
88. Had chickenpox. (And its close relative, Shingles.)
89. Saved someone’s life. (I did keep two small children from cracking their skulls open. One fell backward off of a hospital bed and one fell backward off of some bleachers.)
90. Sat on a jury.
91. Met someone famous. (I hung out in Las Vegas with Gordon Jump.)
92. Joined a book club. (Just read "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee.)
93. Lost a loved one.
94. Had a baby.
95. Seen the Alamo in person. (Photographic evidence).
96. Taken a road trip.
97. Been involved in a law suit.
98. Owned a cell phone.
99. Been stung by a bee.
100. Met the love of your life.

Remember the 10

Every morning when I went into work, I would come around the corner of the ETS building on campus and there would be Kendall and James having their morning cigarette break (Kool Soopah Longs).

On January 28, 2001, I didn't want to come around that corner.

On January 27, 2001, 10 members of the Oklahoma State University family died in a plane crash in Colorado.

Kendall was on that plane.

He was my first real boss at my first real job.

He wore pocket tees with holes in them.

He had a ball cap with "FOG" on it. (Foghat. Get it?)

I got some of my favorite quotes from him. I can still picture his drunk, squinty-eyed face as he gestured with his Kool, "Take a picture of ME!" and "Chicken make lousy house-pet."

At his funeral, our friend EB came up to me and said, "That crazy Kendall." He was right. Crazy Kendall. I miss you.



__________

We won't be in Stillwater this year for the run, but here are a couple of photos from last year.

Eyebrow Dance

Getting jiggy with it.

Now I want a Cadbury Caramel Egg.

I'm a loner.

Your International Spy Name is Solitaire Danger

Your Code Name: Checkmate You Reside in: St. Petersburg Why You're a Good Spy: You're sneaky

What's Your International Spy Name?

I love milk.

I really do. I would rather drink it than any other beverage.

Lately, I have been wondering if I would be able to drink a gallon of milk in an hour. I have heard about people challenging others to do it. I thought that if I decided to do it, I could have people sponsor me and then give the money to the American Heart Association.

Then I looked online.

Maybe I don't want to drink a gallon of milk in an hour. I still think I could, but I don't want the after effects.

I also don't want to take the Cinnamon Challenge.

We're like this {crosses fingers}

You Got 8/10 Questions Right

You are a probably a news junkie, Obama fan, or both. You know a lot about Barack Obama - including his politics, history, and family. It's likely you're a very knowledgeable person and quite well read. You can't stand ignorant people, no matter what their political persuasion is.

How Much Do You Know About Barack Obama?

I like to share.

One of the blogs I read is The Crafty Crow. They have links to awesome kids' crafts from all around the web.

(I know Miss Banana's Mom will like this site.)

They are currently having a giveaway that looks really cool. So head on over there and check it out.

It's alpaca.

You Are a Hooded Sweater

You are active, casual, and laid-back. There's not a pretentious bone in your body. You are very humble. You have a very giving spirit. Whether you're dealing with friends or strangers, you tend to ask very little of people. You are honest and open. You believe that if you are truthful with people, they will be straight with you.

What Kind of Sweater Are You?

My head hurts.

I spent about three hours with the computer guy trying to get The Commander's POS computer to connect to the damn internet already! Wired or wireless. Either way. I don't care which. No luck. The Network and Sharing Center says it is connected to the internet, but IE keeps giving me the HTTP 400 Bad Request error. It claims it cannot find the webpage. Any webpage evidently. I don't know what to do. Neither did the computer guy.

Of course My iBook is rocking our new wireless signal. Now all I need is a Chumby. I'll take the amethyst one. Thanks.

So to sooth my aching head, I took Cursing Mama's lead and did this quiz.

Your result for Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else? Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz...

You Are an Audrey!

You are an Audrey -- "I am at peace"

Audreys are receptive, good-natured, and supportive. They seek union with others and the world around them.

How to Get Along with Me

• * If you want me to do something, how you ask is important. I especially don't like expectations or pressure


• * I like to listen and to be of service, but don't take advantage of this


• * Listen until I finish speaking, even though I meander a bit


• * Give me time to finish things and make decisions. It's OK to nudge me gently and nonjudgmentally


• * Ask me questions to help me get clear


• * Tell me when you like how I look. I'm not averse to flattery


• * Hug me, show physical affection. It opens me up to my feelings


• * I like a good discussion but not a confrontation


• * Let me know you like what I've done or said


• * Laugh with me and share in my enjoyment of life

What I Like About Being an Audrey

• * being nonjudgmental and accepting


• * caring for and being concerned about others


• * being able to relax and have a good time


• * knowing that most people enjoy my company; I'm easy to be around


• * my ability to see many different sides of an issue and to be a good mediator and facilitator


• * my heightened awareness of sensations, aesthetics, and the here and now


• * being able to go with the flow and feel one with the universe

What's Hard About Being an Audrey

• * being judged and misunderstood for being placid and/or indecisive


• * being critical of myself for lacking initiative and discipline


• * being too sensitive to criticism; taking every raised eyebrow and twitch of the mouth personally


• * being confused about what I really want


• * caring too much about what others will think of me


• * not being listened to or taken seriously

Audreys as Children Often

• * feel ignored and that their wants, opinions, and feelings are unimportant


• * tune out a lot, especially when others argue


• * are "good" children: deny anger or keep it to themselves

Audreys as Parents

• * are supportive, kind, and warm


• * are sometimes overly permissive or nondirective

Take Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else? Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz at HelloQuizzy

Now what?

So far today I have:

• Fed all of the mammals in the house breakfast
• Refilled the automatic fish feeder (for the dragonfish*)
• Did dishes
• Did four loads of laundry
• Shoveled the front stoop
• Shoveled a path across the deck for the dogs
• Got the mail
• Got a handmade greeting card from Deanna
• Got a book from Lynette
• Made some homemade greeting cards
• Played Wii Baseball
• Printed off some questions for my bookclub tonight
• Made lemonade for my bookclub
• Showered!
• Fixed lunch for the humans
• Uploaded some photos off of the camera to iPhoto
• Posted on my blog
• Answered some emails
• Forgot it was Monday and missed all but 10 minutes of The Price is Right
• Read a little bit of "The Lost Recipe for Happiness" by Barbara O'Neal
• Read a little bit of "Pontoon" by Garrison Keillor
• Read some blogs

I'm tired. And sweaty.

* Drago the dragonfish. Ick and then eeeewww.

She worries about me.

Cursing Mama expressed her concerns.

Iowa Open Container Law

321.284A Open containers in motor vehicles--passengers

1. A passenger in a motor vehicle upon a public street or highway shall not possess in the passenger area of the motor vehicle an open or unsealed bottle, can, jar, or other receptacle containing an alcoholic beverage. "Passenger area" means the area of a motor vehicle designed to seat the driver and passengers while the motor vehicle is in operation and any area that is readily accessible to the driver or a passenger while in their seating positions, including the glove compartment. An open or unsealed receptacle containing an alcoholic beverage may be transported in the trunk of the motor vehicle. An unsealed receptacle containing an alcoholic beverage may be transported behind the last upright seat of the motor vehicle if the motor vehicle does not have a trunk.

2. This section does not apply to a passenger being transported in a motor vehicle designed, maintained, or used primarily for the transportation of persons for compensation, or a passenger being transported in the living quarters of a motor home, mobile home, travel trailer, or fifth-wheel travel trailer.

So, here's mud in your eye.

Our new debt.

Let me show you it.

(This is not the exact RV motorhome coach we purchased. By the time we paid for it, ate lunch and drove an hour back home, they had taken everything down off of the web. And since we don't take possession of it until the middle of February and I didn't take any photos of it at the dealership (because it was online!), I pilfered these from some other RV dealer. This is the same year, make and model.)













__________

The previous owners were from Oklahoma at some point and had (for whatever reason) the Trail of Tears "End of the Trail" image painted on either side. Like this, but more gaudy. The Commander says it has to go. I think it stands out.

__________

Since the model is a Brave, I am going to call it Chipper Jones. The Commander isn't gonna call it anything. Party pooper.

__________

So if you need me this summer, I'll be at the lake. Come visit. I'll fold the table into a bed for you.

I tilted. I shifted.

Yawn. The River Walk in San Antonio.



In MINIATURE!



Try it with your photos at Tilt Shift and let me see them!

Insert witty title here

I'm back from Oklahoma! Yea!

I'm back from 60 degree Oklahoma to Iowa where everything is covered in ice. Boo!

I will give Iowa people this - they know how to make a mean Hot Cider.

Unlike the ciders I have had in Oklahoma where you heat up some apple cider, put a cinnamon stick in the cup and call it good, the people up here are creative.

I have had hot cider with ginger ale and hot cider with, get this, orange juice. Yummies.

______________

We paid off our mortgage. We are debt free for now. The Commander is eyeballing an RV. One of those big suckers.

I'll keep you posted.