The post where I try to keep a complete thought

Okay, let me see if I can do this without being interrupted in any form whatsoever. Why is it when I think of something witty that I want to blog about, I have to go, unload the dryer, give medication, answer a phone, or whatever? I cannot blog without interruption and it's pissin me off! Let's give it a go and see if this will work this time. I am sitting here with my big mug o' coffee watching "Semi Homemade" on the Food Network. The house is totally quiet except for the TV. Hubby ended up having to go into work today for some emergency thingy at his work, and of course, I needed him home today because we have people coming over for dinner tonight, so I have been stuck with the whole shebang myself. Oh fun! You know why I think I can't do this without interruption? I think I have adult ADHD or something. grrrrrr.....

Anyways, I am supposed to be cleaning and getting the food ready, but instead I am sitting here watching this chick put together a fancy meal for her guest. Maybe she should just come over here and do this for me? That would be fab. Unfortunately, I think this whole thing is up to me. I had gone to Costco yesturday and hubby's boss's wife asked me to pick them up a case of beer since they are not members there. When I dropped it off at their house before coming home, I was mentioning to hubby's boss that it figured this emergency would come up the same day we are having guests (usually it's he and his wife, but not this time), and he assured me, it would be over way before our guest arrive and that hubby would be here in time to help with the preparation. Yeah, we will see. I have heard that before. And you know I cannot rely on my son for any help because he is drugged into oblivion STILL, and he is nothing more than a big tub of goo right now. Speaking of which, one of his friends came over last night and took him out for some icecream which is the first bite of anything he had all day yesturday. They came back home for a while and then headed out again to go over to another friend's house. I cannot believe I let him go. I begged him not to do anything that involved breaking the stitches in his mouth. He made it home and drugged up more and went right to bed. I am hoping he is not all swollen and sore this morning. This has been a bad event for me. I am such a mom.

Wow...no interruptions! YAY! I guess I better get going and get ready for this thing tonight. Also, I need to find something else to watch as Rachel Ray is on now, and her voice just grates on my nerves. She may be an awesome cook, but to me she is annoying. She is so going away.

In celebration of watching the Food Network, I am posting our menu for tonight:

Sirloin steaks
Baked potatoes and sweet potatoes
Grilled veggies tossed in olive oil and seasoned salt (yellow squash, zucchini, mushroom, tomatoe, onion, asparagus)
Fresh bread
Salad

Dessert: Daughter's friend is making a cake
Ice Cream

Drinks: Milo's sweet tea
Peach Margaritas for the ladies
Foster's beer for the guys

Of course I might add a few other things....we shall see.

Yum!

TGI...something or another

Today is Friday already? Jeez. It's been a busy week. This morning I took my son in for oral surgery. It was not fun let me tell you! First of all, when he got up he was already SUPER grumpy. It's no fun hauling a grumpy teenager somewhere when they know there is much more pain coming. We get there, and little did I know, our appointment was at 8:30 and I thought it was at 8:00. That didn't help Mr. Grumpy's attitude one bit. He missed out on 30 minutes more of sleep. *grumble* When it came time for them to take him back, he put on the brave face although I could tell he was nervous. I sat there for what seemed to be forever, and finally they called me back. I will tell you, you have not lived until you have seen your 18 year old, muscular, tough son, sitting in a wheel chair with his mouth hanging open, drooling blood down the front of his shirt. Mommy was not happy. I got all teary looking at him sitting there all drugged up and unable to mutter a word that I could understand. Just sad I tell ya. They do have him on some very potent drugs and he has pretty much been in a coma like state most of the day. I am so glad things went well and he is safe at home. You know how we mommies worry when our children are hurting.

Gotta go drug him back up.

Wow

Allright yall...I am not being unsociable...just busy as heck. I took the day off tomorrow as that is the day my son has wisdom teeth removal surgery. It's not going to be fun I am afraid. I have been so busy lately it has been unreal.

Will post tomorrow.

Have a great night.

Hot, Hot, Hot

I love my husband so much. It is almost 100 degrees outside and he is out there mowing away. Okay, well, he is on a riding mower. Oh, and he has a nice cold beer in the little beer holder thingy so he is not exactly suffering. My daughter asked me today if she could do an experiment and put a skillet outside and fry an egg in it. Tomorrow might be better since the heat index is suppose to be 110-115 degrees. This heat is just miserable.

Work is still going well. I get my first paycheck this week!!! YAY me!!! I have been working since the 6th and I finally have my two weeks saved up, and now it's time to cash out! Whooohoo! What will my first paycheck be for? Well...lessee....daughter's school fees and my car payment. I wish I could be totally frivilous, but no. Too much going on. We did however have a nice birthday party today. Where I use to work, we all went to lunch and celebrated all birthdays for that month, and don't get me wrong, that was nice. Where I am now, they believe that your birthday is your day not to be shared, so you get your very own birthday day. I have been there three weeks and we have had three big birthday parties. I like it. Especially since one of them was mine.

I am going to like it there.

I will be taking a day off to take my son in for surgery on Friday. He is having his wisdom teeth taken out. Of course they are all impacted, so it's gonna be a bad one. They are totally knocking him out, which is scary in itself. Should make for some interesting blog material though. Especially since he will be so drugged up. Gosh, I have so much to do, I need to get off this thing.

Have a great night!

Music....

Your Taste in Music:

Classic Rock: High Influence

80's Pop: Medium Influence

90's Pop: Medium Influence

Country: Medium Influence

Progressive Rock: Medium Influence

80's R&B: Low Influence

80's Rock: Low Influence

90's Alternative: Low Influence

90's Hip Hop: Low Influence

Adult Alternative: Low Influence

Hair Bands: Low Influence

Old School Hip Hop: Low Influence

How's Your Taste in Music?

Skillzy, thanks, but someone else (thanks again G!) already sent me a gmail invite. I appreciate that, but save it for someone else.

I don't consent either

One of the new blogs I have been reading had the most excellent post. He was stating how some of the people in New York (mostly hippies he says) do not want their bags or persons searched before boarding a subway, which as we know could be a possible (and likely) terrorist target. I guess they are feeling all violated and stuff. Anyways, he has come up with some cool products that state how he feels (and how I feel too). Simply stated the products say:




To you at unapplied I say, Rock On!

Also, I want to tell my friend Gawain thanks. You are awesome. I miss talking to you online. We have had some of the best debates and arguments(and laughs too). We agree to disagree. You rock! Now you know how to keep in touch.

G to the Z

Okay, I been on Blogger for months now. Have I gotten an invitation for a Gmail account? No....what's a girl gotta do for gosh sakes. I am special, I promise you I am! Damn Google.

Today has been pretty good. I actually slept until 9:30 which since I started working, I haven't been able to do. We ended up meeting some friends last night at the local mexican eatery and having drinks and eating fish tacos (we are cool like that sometimes). And if that were not enough, I came home and made fabulous peach margaritas (frozen, just the way I like em!). Hubby got half of daughter's room painted today. We are using different colors on different walls, so there is some waiting going on. I plan to post pictures soon, because it is going to be pretty funky. I have been upstairs gutting my 18 year old son's room. I just know I did not raise him to be such a damn slob. Man. It was not a fun job. I wonder what his house will look like when he grows up. I hope he takes more pride in his own home than he does in his room. I am still not finished, but it was such a disgusting, tedious job, I had to take a blogging break. I mean...who knew socks could turn into rock hard shapes. I don't even want to know. I showed him the art of actually putting a pillow case on his pillow. He was amazed. He acted like he had never seen such a feat. What is wrong with him? Grrrr....boys.

If my son's room was not enough work, I had gone out and gotten barbeque tonight for dinner and added on a chocolate cream pie because I have been wanting chocolate in the worst way. Everyone had a small slice and I stuck it back in the fridge. Daughter decided she wanted more and somehow the top slipped and she dumped the whole thing upside down and it slid all over the inside of the frige. I got the lovely duty of cleaning that up. She insisted she do it, but I knew I could clean it better than her and it would be done right, so, more work. Work, work, work. It seems I cannot catch a friggin break.

Now she wants to go to Blockbuster.

The post where I say I am sooooo glad it's Friday

Happy friggin Friday! This has been a long, hard week. Today was soooo much better than yesturday. I think this weekend we have planned to spend painting my daughter's room. Not exactly the best way to spend your weekend, but we have so many things to get done around here it is not even funny. For right now I just want to sit in my hubby's big recliner and relax. I am thinking about going out later and getting some Jose Cuervo so I can mix up a batch of Peach Margaritas. Oh yeah. I hope we can find some time to go see "March of the Penquins" sometime this weekend, but if not, hopefully some time next week.

Hope you have a fab Friday.

When it rains....

It friggin pours! Today was the day from hell. I went into work early because we do not have to be there until 8:15. I got there around 8ish and there was already some one there waiting on an interview. That should have been my first red flag for how the rest of the day was going to go. It was balls to the walls all the way until lunch time. I looked at my clock at one time around 11:00 and although I had only been there for 3 hours, it felt like 10. It was just a hard, busy day. At lunch we left and went to Macaroni Grill for a birthday lunch, and luckily, that took 1 1/2 hours (yay). I was there with my boss so obviously, no one cared. When we got back it was pretty quiet, so I guess there was a method to the madness of it being total hell during the morning hours. I left about 3ish to go pick my daughter up from her friend's house and while we were driving home, the most violent of storms came up. I rained so hard I could hardly see the road. Many people in our neighborhood lost trees. Oh, and that's not the best of it. When I got home, we had no water. Evidently some lame ass road crew cut a large water main to our little city here, and many, many people were without water. This went on for hours. Lucky for me, that meant we could go out for dinner. We ate here. We just got our water back on a little while ago and I am happy that we can finally flush toilets.

So, how was your day?

This day has kicked my ass.

I love working in HR

I really do. You meet the most ummmmm interesting people. I will have to expand on this eventually, but as for now, hubby is making dinner and my stomach is growling.

Busy

Dang...working and just living is keeping me busy and kicking my butt. Hopefully I might have time to make a real post tomorrow. Today it was busy at work, then I had to take my son for a consultation with an oral surgeon to set up getting his wisdom teeth removed, and then for some strange, stupid, and idiotic reason, I agreed to go to some stupid cookware party tonight. How do I get myself into these things? I know..I need to learn to say no.

ARGH!

More List

Let's see what else I have been up to....

1. Killed a human being **who would actually answer this?? (ummmm...no, never killed anyone)

2. Gone on an African photo safari (sadly, no. But that would be awesome!)

3. Ridden a motorcycle (does a mini bike count?)

4. Driven any land vehicle at a speed of greater than 100mph (Yep...my first car, a '67 Mustang. I wish I still had that car)

5. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced (ewww..no, pain!)

6. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol (yep, my daddy taught me how to shoot when I was a teenager)

7. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild (nope)

8. Ridden a horse (We had horses growing up. I use to barrel race and do Western pleasure events, so yes to this)

9. Had major surgery (Yep)

10. Had sex on a moving train (Nope)

11. Had a snake as a pet (A big no on this one..I hate snakes!)

12. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon (no)

13. Slept through an entire flight: takeoff, flight, and landing (no because I am usually drinking alcohol to calm my nerves)

14. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours (yep...good times)

15. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states (no - I wish)

16. Visited all 7 continents (no, more wishes here)

17. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days (nope)

18. Eaten kangaroo meat (yep, we use to have an Australian restaurant here)

19. Fallen in love at an ancient Mayan burial ground (hahahaha no)

20. Been a sperm or egg donor (no)

21. Eaten sushi (yep, and I didn't like it)

22. Had your picture in the newspaper (several times for NON criminal activities..hehehe)

23. Had 2 (or more) healthy romantic relationships for over a year in your lifetime (yep, been married 2x, so of course)

24. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about (oh yeah)

25. Gotten someone fired for their actions (No)

26. Gone back to school (yep, graduated 2 years ago with an actual college degree!)

27. Parasailed (nope, scared of heights)

28. Changed your name (after marriage)

29. Petted a cockroach (with my shoe)

30. Eaten fried green tomatoes (many times...I am a southern girl after all)

31. Read The Iliad (when I was 14)

32. Selected one “important” author who you missed in school, and read (yep, I find the classics interesting now)

33. Dined in a restaurant and stolen silverware, plates, cups because your apartment needed them (nope)

34. …and gotten 86′ed from the restaurant because you did it so many times, they figured out it was you (hhahahahah no)

35. Taught yourself an art from scratch (yep)

36. Killed and prepared an animal for eating (yep, fish, I guess that counts as an animal?)

37. Apologized to someone years after inflicting the hurt (yes, but there is someone I would really love to apologize to, but do not have the nerve to do it)

38. Skipped all your school reunions (nope, skipped the last one though)

39. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language (yes)

40. Been elected to public office (nope)

41. Written your own computer language (nope)

42. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream (every single day)

43. Had to put someone you love into hospice care (no, my family all die in their 40's, its sad and I am worried about it too)

44. Built your own PC from parts (nope)

45. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn’t know you (no, but I modeled many times when I was in my late teens for a famous southern artist who has sold many pieces that feature myself to people I don't know. It's weird to think paintings of me are hanging in stranger's houses)

46. Had a booth at a street fair (yep)

47: Dyed your hair (yep)

48: Been a DJ (no)

49: Found out someone was going to dump you via LiveJournal (NO!)

50: Written your own role playing game (no)

Sunday

It's been a great lazy Sunday. I stayed up late last night watching movies and reading blogs. It was great. I slept in today then have been doing laundry pretty much ever since. Hubby should be home in about an hour. It's been a long weekend for him driving his mother back to her house yesturday, then leaving this morning to head back home. Daughter has been at her friend's most of the weekend, and son has been in and out so it's been very nice and quiet. I am ready for our lives to return to some kind of normal. The last 4 weekends have been hard with all of us/husband traveling somewhere. We have so many things to get done around here.

Meanwhile, I found at site called craigslist today. I had seen mention of this on some other websites, but I read a few entries from that site today and have come to the conclusion that people are crazy. If you have never checked out craigslist before, I encourage you to go read it, then appreciate being normal (if any of us really are). Anyways, it's entertaining to say the least.

Now, go give someone a hug.

Things

What have I been up to in the past?

01. Buy everyone in the pub a drink (nope, always too drunk to think of it)
02. Swim with wild dolphins (I wish!)
03. Climb a mountain (several times)
04. Take a Ferrari for a test drive (FUN!)
05. See the Pyramids at night (maybe one day)
06. Hold a tarantula (No way! I am scared of spiders!)
07. Take a candlelit bath with someone (I am happy to report yes...many times *wink*)
08. Say 'I love you' and mean it (definatley)
09. Hug a tree (yep, and I am not even a tree hugger type)
10. Do a striptease (several times....no other response)
11. Do a bungee or parachute jump (nope, scared of heights)
12. Visit Paris (nope, scared of french people)
13. Watch a lightning storm at sea (oh yeah, it was scary!)
14. Clean behind the fridge! (at least once a year)
15. Stay up all night long and watch the sun rise (yep, many times)
16. Ask the question you've always been too embarrassed to ask (yep, and got the answer I wanted too)
17. See the Northern Lights (not yet)
18. Go to a huge sports game (HOCKEY!)
19. Create your own masterpiece (several times)
20. Grow and eat your own vegetables (oh yeah, and I miss having a garden)
21. Touch an iceberg (nope, does a icicle count?)
22. Have an office relationship (many years ago)
23. Sleep under the stars (several times)
24. Compromise (please, I have three kids)
25. Change a baby's nappy (see #24)
26. Take a trip in a hot air balloon (nope, afraid of heights)
27. Watch a meteor shower (yep..it was awesome)
28. Get drunk on champagne (everything gets me drunk)
29. Take a luxury holiday (does 9 days in the Bahamas count? Did I mention we were flown there on a private jet?)
30. Give more than you can afford to charity (many, many times and yet, people are still hungry).
31. Look up at the night sky through a telescope (I am married to a nerd, this is and important part of a nerd's life, I must humor him).
32. Have an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment (more than once)
33. Have a food fight (looooong ago)
34. Bet on a winning horse (nope...I was too young)
35. Take a sick day when you're not ill (wow..who hasn't?
36. Get a pet (we have many pets)
37. Ask a stranger out (yep, I go for what I want - or did)
38. Have a snowball fight (many times)
39. Photocopy your bottom on the office photocopier (uhhh, no, this I did not do)
40. Scream as loudly as you possibly can (HOCKEY!)
41. Hold a lamb and seen them being born... (this is a weird thing..but no)
42. Enact a favorite fantasy (yes, am I suppose to elaborate?)
43. Take a midnight skinny dip (oh yeah)
44. Heard the words 'I love you' (fortunately more than once)
45. Fly on Concorde (no, but I watched my friend take off on it on her way to France)
46. Take an ice cold bath (yeppers)
47. Have a meaningful conversation with a beggar (yep)
48. See a total eclipse (yep, summer of 1985 in Jacksonville, Florida)
49. Ride a rollercoaster (many, many, many - and my life IS a roller coaster)
50. Hit a home run (back in my softball days...I actually did this)

Dang, I been busy!

Here I sit....creeped out

I just finished watching a movie "We Don't Live Here Anymore". Very sad. Here is a link to the site: We Don't Live Here Anymore Pretty good, but I had never heard of it until tonight. I was walking around the video store looking for something different and picked it up on a whim. It is an independent sort of film, but with great stars. Laura Dern was in it, and I thought she looked terrible, but that's just me. Made me think a lot about life and how things can get sometimes. *sigh*

Anyways, about the creepy thing. For some weird unknown reason, I decided to bring in a picture that my grandmother painted when she was alive. She died when I was 9 (in 1972). She lived in the Ozark Mountains in Arkansas. I spent many a summer with her in her "cabin" which was really a house, but we always referred to it as a cabin. It was one story with only 2 bedrooms, but it had a huge living area with a largish kitchen and family room with a huge stone fireplace. Over this fireplace was always a picture that she had painted herself. Since she lived in the mountains and had no car (she couldn't drive, but neighbors would drive her places and family would bring her groceries) it sort of explains the condition of this painting. She did not use canvas, instead she used something like plywood. She painted a scene on both sides. One side is a view from her "cabin" in the Spring, the other side is a view in the fall. I am not sure how she got paint (looks like oil) and not canvas. Maybe she ran out of canvas, I don't know, but somehow this painting landed into my father's hands. After he passed away, my stepmother gave me the painting which had been stored in a shed in their back yard. We brought it home, and by this time it was looking pretty rustic. It has been hanging in our garage for years. Something told me to bring it in my house tonight and put it on my mantle. I am not sure why I have not done this before now. I guess I always thought it might be too rustic for my decor, but for some reason tonight, I said to hell with it. I brought it in and took down my huge clock that I had hanging up there originally, and leaned it against the wall. It's pretty large. I called my son down to give me his opinion, but I had already decided it was staying. I heard my son coming down the stairs and looked at it lovingly to see a huge spider peek out from behind it. Neither of us was brave enough to pull it down and get rid of the spider, so I sat and waited for it to come out. It did. It's now under my shoe.

He liked it up there and asked why I am just doing this now.

The picture is staying. I really do not care about the decor.

It reminds me of the many summers I spent with my grandmother at the cabin in the Ozarks. Her parents had traveled there from North Carolina in the mid to late 1800's where they owned and ran the ferry boat business that would ferry horses, wagons and people accross the White River. My father raised me pretty much alone and when he would travel on business he would drive me the 6 hour trip to Arkansas and leave me with my grandmother. She would take me fishing down at the White River and show me how she spit snuff on her crickets for good luck. She use to fry me bologna for sandwiches. I remember how she use to come in the room I slept in at nap time and get on to me for playing "possum" (fake sleeping). I remember how she thought Elvis was the devil until one time she heard him singing gospel music, then changed her tune. I remember getting ticks picked off of me at night from playing in the woods all day. I remember her putting food out and we would sit on her screened in porch and watch the deer come to eat. At night she would sit in front of that huge fireplace with logs crackling and read her bible. She read it over and over again. Every time she finshed it, she would mark it on the last page. That page is covered with marks.

I miss her.

Secrets

New Secrets

New Look

Like the new look? I am so excited to have something new, mod, hip, funky, etc. Thanks to Rachel at the Web Divas! Head on over there and look at their awesome work. Pick something awesome out for yourself. Go ahead...treat yourself!

Web Divas

It was hard for me to decide which one to pick, but this one really reflected me. Let me know what you think!

Not observant..not one bit...nope, not me

Overall, Your Observation Skills Get: C+

You tend to notice the big things in life... But the details aren't exactly your forte

How Observant Are You?

TGMMILIGH!

I know...it's supposed to be TGIF, but in this case, it's Thank God My Mother In Law is Going Home! Today was the icing on the cake.

Breakfast Me:

Small container (1 serving size) of Light N Lively Cottage Cheese
eat in my dress clothes and pray I don't spill it on myself, I eat as I stand up

Breakfast Her:

1 Bowl of Cheerios
sliced banana on Cheerios (she even has a desired thickness for this slicing process...argh!)
small glass orange juice (no pulp please)
1 cup of tea with a side of milk
1 small glass of water with ice
1 napkin
1 spoon

I put it all together, carried it all to the table. She ate it while sitting at the table with the napkin tucked in her "duster/moomoo thing" using it as a bib.

Dinner Me: Son took me out for belated birthday dinner.

Dinner Her: Spaghetti dinner that I made just for her (hubby had some too) because everyone else had other plans.

Layout for her dinner:

Spaghetti
French bread
spoon (for twirling)
knife (for cutting before twirling)
fork (for shoveling it in)
water with ice
cup of hot tea
milk
napkin to tuck into shift/moomoo thing to use as a bib
glass of iced diet coke to chase down the hot tea (I dunno, does this make any sense?)
parmesan cheese
butter for noodles

I told her I have never seen anyone that needs so much stuff just to sit down and eat a meal. I laughed because last night when she started with her list of things she needed to eat leftover steak and potatoes, my daughter said, "Every man for himself". She is a little smarty pants that one.

I think I have figured out my problem when it comes to coping with this woman. See...I am a midwestern girl first and a southern gal second. I am laid back and take things as they come. I do not like a lot of fuss. Everyone that lives in my house is that way. We just flow. We are all pretty quiet and keep to ourselves while subconsciencly working as a team. We do not even think about it. We just do it. We also come together when we need to and defend each other fiercely. There is no I in team. Her team is full of I's, obviously, not part of the team. I am trying people. I really am.

Work went well today. They had a big breakfast spread and birthday cake for me this morning. I was really surprised and did not expect that. What a great group of people. They even sang Happy Birthday to me! This is one of those places where I feel I fit in and feel that I have been there forever although I have only been there for a week and a half. It feels great to have found something this wonderful. When people come in to apply on open positions, now that I know the process, I feel very fortunate to have been chosen for this position. I am not quite sure how I did it, but I am grateful for it. I work hard and stay busy, but I do not come home completely wiped out. Next week may be a different story because the girl that has been training me is on vacation next week and I may be pulling my hair out before it is all said and done. Ask me next Friday I may not be so full of sugary stories then.

Well, it's late and I need to get up early and hit the gym. I haven't been in about a week, and I do not need to let that go. I got up and ran at 6 am this morning. I am going to have to get motivated and get back to that.

Oh yeah, and be looking for changes around here. I am excited.

Happy Bastille Day!

Here it is. My birthday. I do not feel any different, just more tired. *yawn* I tried to sleep in today, but I had a horrible dream and I couldn't fall back asleep. I had a dream my husband left me for someone else and he was not nice about it either. Anyone that knows my husband knows this is rediculous because he does not have a mean bone in his body. I never say never because I was married before to a man who I thought was very nice and did not have a mean bone in his body, until he met one of my friends. Then, not only did he leave us (me and his babies) for her, but he got mean. Something about meeting someone else can make all those walls go up and then you do what you have to do to cut yourself off and make yourself feel less guilty. I have seen and heard about this happening many times. So, that is why the dream disturbed me so. I know it can happen and people can change, but I love this man and I really don't think he would do it. Especially with some of the stuff we have been through. If we can survive that, then we are bonded for life. Depressing stuff on my birthday huh? I think that it's because I have not seen him very much. With all this taking his mother back and forth to Florida/Georgia, and trying to get his work caught up with all that back and forth, we have been ships that pass in the night.

My mother in law is still here and my whole house reeks of Estee Lauder. Ugh...shoot me now.

Meanwhile...here is some birthday fun for ya:

Your Birthdate: July 14

With a birthday on the 14th of the month (5 energy) you are inclined to work well with people and enjoy them. You are talented and versatile, very good at presenting ideas, and you are also very good at organization and systematizing. You may have a tendency to get itchy feet at times and need change and travel. You tend to be very progressive, imaginative and adaptable. Your mind is quick, clever and analytical. A restlessness in your nature may make you a bit impatient and easily bored with routine, and rebel against it. You have a tendency to shirk responsibility.

What Does Your Birth Date Mean?

Celebrity Birthdays July 14th:

* Ingmar Bergman, 1918
* John Chancellor, 1927
* Gerald R. Ford, 1913 (38th President of the United States, born in Omaha, Nebraska)
* Rosie Greer, 1932
* Woody Guthrie (Woodrow Wilson Guthrie - famed traveler and song writer "This Land Is Your Land")
* William Hanna, 1911


July is:

* American Beer Month
o Source: www.americanbeermonth.com (Thanks Ian!)
* Anti-Boredom Month
o Boredom is an important sign of depression. Source: www.boringinstitute.com/recentevents/17antiboredom.html
* Baked Beans Month (National)
o July is National Baked Beans Month. Michigan leads the nation in the production of dry edible navy beans, black beans and cranberry beans. Source: State of Michigan Web site with a special page for National Baked Beans Month. Click Here
o Another good Web site about National Baked Beans month: www.classbrain.com/artholiday/publish/article_355.shtml
* Blueberry Month (National)
o Source: www.blueberry.org/bbmonth.htm
* Fireworks Safety Month (June thru July 4th)
o To learn about Firework Safety, see: www.preventblindness.org/safety/fireworksafety.html
o Another good Web site with information about firework safety and Fireworks Safety Month, see: www.girlpower.gov/AdultsWhoCare/general/fireworks.htm
* Hemochromatosis Screening Awareness Month
* Hitchhiking Month
* Hot Dog Month (National)
o July is National Hot Dog Month - National Hot Dog Day - July 23
o Source: www.hot-dog.org/pr_2003HDMonthPlanningGuide.htm
* Ice Cream Month (National)
o Source: www.allabouticecream.com/History/nationaldays.html
o Information about National Ice Cream Month Click Here (from www.greeting-cards.com)
* Lead Poison Control Week
* Peach Month (There seems to be some confusion on whether National Peach Month is in July or August...so we've listed it on both months)
o President Reagan declares July as National Peach Month in 1982 - See proclamation: www.reagan.utexas.edu/resource/speeches/1982/61582c.htm
o "Loaded with vitamin C and at only 40 calories each, peaches are nutritious and delicious." Source: www.smarterkids.com/rescenter/calendar/cal_activity.asp?activity=1652
* Read An Almanac Month
o Source: www.libraryhq.com/calendar.html
* Therapeutic Recreation Week (National)

Still hangin 'round

Welp, still here. I am surviving. Tomorrow is my birthday and mother-in-law has made plans for me tomorrow that do not involve my birthday. Great! I am off work tomorrow. I guess I made them feel guilty about me being a part-time person, but working every day for more hours than I committed to. So, I get a day off! whooohoo! I wish it was on Friday instead of Thursday, but still. It will be my birthday. I will be 42 if you just need to know. My new job is going great, and getting busy with all the new staff/professors/research assistants, etc we need to get hired before the semester starts. I go to work and stay so busy before I know it, it's time to go home. I have lost 3 pounds already from just moving around and not having time to stuff my face. I wanted to lose 10 pounds anyways, so this is good.

Oh well..until tomorrow.

Not a happy post, but doing the best I can

Well...hubby is on his way with Mother in Law. Now, I do not want you all to think I do not like the lady, it's just that she drives me (and most of us) absolutely nuts. Okay, picture this: loud New Yorker (her) and quiet Southern Belle (me). Now, picture this: oil (her) and water (me). There you go. Perfect explaination. Sometimes she can be okay, but other times, she just asks entirely too many questions. I have spent most of my day trying to come up with witty comebacks to her constant questioning. May I share a few with you?

Her: (Starting at noon everyday) - "What did you lay out for dinner? Have you thought about dinner yet?

Me: "I was thinking of a nice Chianti with a side of fava beans" (insert gross noises here - she won't know what the hell I am talking about).


Her: "Why are you vaccuming your floor when you could simply use a broom?"

Me: "I don't know, I like doing things the hard way".


Her: "Why can't you just wash the few dishes you have in the sink instead of putting them in the dishwasher?"

Me: "Because once again, I am a goober and I like doing things the hard way"


Her: "What channel is Matlock on? I keep putting it on channel 2 and it's not there"

Me: "For the 100th time....you do not live in our state and we have different channels than you. Matlock has been outlawed in our state. Please do not try to find it because I really do not feel like sitting in jail because you are watching an old person show (sorry to all you young folks that love Matlock).

Okay, these are just a few examples. I need to figure out how not to sound like a complete ass when I respond to the many questions that will be coming my way. If you have any suggestions, please let me know.

I could also refer to the hilarious movie we watched the other night and just say something like this: "Durka durka"

HA! There I go again!

Durka, durka

*snicker*

Okay, I need to just stop. Anyways, back to work today. Oh excuse, me. Sorry, I just got hit with bad news - my mother in law is coming after all. Nothing like hubby coming in and hitting me with that great news as he walks in the door. Evidently she has no power at her house down in the panhandle, so now it looks like the hip replacement recovery will partially take place at my house. Great. Okay, that changes this post completely because I went from feeling all humorous and happy, to feeling a little beaten down and pissed off just knowing I am going to be hounded to death and on my guard constantly. CRAP! Oh, and did I mention my birthday is in a few days and it will be spent taking care of my mother in law. Now I want to cry.

Oh well. Let me see if I can start over from the top. Today is Monday and it was back to work for me. Oh damn. Sorry, I just can't do it right now. I guess I need to go recover from this bit of news. Hopefully next time I post, it will be the happy me full of fun and happy things to say.

Let's hope.

Alright

Welp, looks like that big bad hurricane is not as big and bad as previously thought. Seems it has slowed down and broken up quite a bit so maybe it will not be as bad as we feared. Hubby came in from Georgia last night in anticipation of some horrible catastrophe, but so far, nothing. They stopped talking about it constantly on the television, so that is great news. Hopefully we can make it through tomorrow with limited damage.

Last night when hubby came home we went out to Sonic and split a chicken sandwich then over to Blockbuster to rent a movie. We rented "The Pacifier" and "Team America". We watched "Team America" first and I do not remember a time in recent history when I laughed so hard. Those "South Park" guys are brilliant. I guess this movie was meant to piss all sides off, but I thought it was hilarious. I almost spit Lime Pepsi out my nose when the scene with Michael Moore started and he was standing there with his fat grubby hands full of hot dogs, with mustard all over his shirt and he was spewing his Michael Moore crap all over the place. It was so funny. The thing with the celebrities was right on. Especially the list of celebrities they used (the usual suspects). We loved that they changed the Screen Actors Guild to Film Actors Guild thus givings each of the celebrities (who think everyone cares about their views) the acronym of F.A.G. I thought my poor hubby was going to have a heart attack from laughing so hard. If you are all caught up in your political party, I suggest you do not watch it as you will truly take offense (like I said, they assault everyone). But if you have a sense of humor and can admit that even your party can do stupid stuff, then this is for you. Especially the speech at the end. Friggin brilliant and so true! I am not sure anyone (except a puppet) could have said it any better. The sex scenes were the funniest of all. I still laugh thinking about that. HA! One of the funniest lines was made by the well known political expert (although, he studied auto mechanics in "college" - not sure what makes him so convinced he is an expert in anything except possibly changing the oil in his car):

Sean Penn: "Last year I went to Iraq. Before Team America showed up it was a happy place. They had flowering meadows and rainbow skies and rivers made of chocolate, where the children danced and laughed and played with gumdrop smiles".

Oh my gosh...hysterical!

It's almost as funny as Tom Cruise claiming to be an expert in Psychiatry even though he is nothing more than a high school drop out. It won't win any awards, but if you are looking for a good laugh, I suggest you watch it. I guess tonight we will watch "The Pacifier". I don't expect it to be an academy award winner either. But hey, we can all use a laugh can't we?

Have a great rest of the weekend.

Enjoy some great quotes from "Team America: World Police"

-- Hans Blix: I'm sorry, but the UN must be firm with you! Let' me see your whole palace, or else!
Kim Jung-Il: Or else, what?
Hans Blix: Or else we will be very, very angry with you, and we will write you a letter telling you how angry we are.

-- Gary: So, so what? You're just gonna shut down? I really like you. There's no chance we can ever get together?
Lisa: Only if you could promise me you'll never die.
Gary: You know I can't promise that.
Lisa: If you did that, I would make love to you right now.
Gary: I promise. I will never die.

-- "I missed you more than Michael Bay missed the mark
When he made Pearl Harbor
I missed you more than that movie missed the point,
And that's an awful lot, girl, and
Now, now you've gone away... and all I'm trying to say, is
Pearl Harbor sucked, and I miss you
I need you like Ben Affleck needs acting school.
He was terrible in that film.
I need you like Cuba Gooding needed a bigger part.
He's way better than Ben Affleck.
And now, all I can think about is your smile, and that sh*tty movie, too.
Pearl Harbor sucked, and I miss you
Pearl Harbor sucked...
Just a little bit more than I miss you..." -- From another song in the movie

Lock the door and hide!

Hurricane Dennis might pay us a visit. Lovely. All the years I have lived in this area, we have experience many different weather conditions, but hurricanes are new to us. We usually get the rain or tornadoes that spin off a hurricane, but like when Ivan came though, we are suppose to get some massive high winds. *sigh* This happening weather event brings with it something almost as devistating. My mother-in-law. Now, I do love this woman very much, but argh! WHY? She is in a Georgia hospital recovering from hip replacement surgery and will be released possibly tomorrow. Since she cannot return to her home in the panhandle of Florida due to the hurricane, she will be brought up here to our lovely, quiet home to do part of her recooperation. NICE! Okay, not only do I have a new job, kids, house and various other things to attend to, now I get to be a nurse, maid, escort, and helper to someone recovering from hip surgery. Oh yeah, and did I mention how anal she is about EVERYTHING? "Why this?" "How come that?" "What are you doing" "Why are you doing it that way?". Don't you just wish you were me? Since I am the part-time worker, and hubby is a 12-15 hour a day kind of guy, that leaves me to deal with it on my own. Comeon, I know you are jealous. Please help me. Please?

On the job front, everything is going well. Looks like I will be 5 days a week (25-30 hours) instead of the lovely 12-15 hours a week job that I applied on. Why is it that a company will advertise a job as part-time, but when you get there and they find out you have a brain, they want to hold on to you and not let go. Yesturday when I was learning something pretty complicated, I was secretly saying to myself, "What have I done? What possessed me to go back to work?" I almost got a little teary thinking about missing my old life of sleeping however long I wanted, and doing whatever I wanted, when I wanted to do it. But, this is something I have decided to go for and it is a great place to work so far and the people seem pretty fabulous. It's pretty flexible and they do not seem very anal at all. Except about wanting me to stay longer than I accepted. Argh. However, the money is pretty good and I get to decide when I want to leave, so that in itself is worth it. I decided to leave at 2:00 today, so I did. Awesome. Did I mention we could use the extra money? My money is our fun money, and I like having fun.

Also, I wanted to mention my sadness over the bombings in London yesturday. I do not understand how any religion can condone the taking of human lives, but the people that are doing this are not humans, they are animals. They are too stupid to understand there will be no virgins waiting for them in their next life or lives, or whatever the hell they believe. I really don't want to talk much more about it because it just makes me angry and sad. I have my own beliefs about the way things are and the way things are going, and there are many that share my view (obviously), and then there are many who do not. I have always said I have friends on both sides of the fence and some in the middle. I love my friends not matter their beliefs, and I try to take the view of agree to disagree rather than to lose a friendship over political differences. I do however, pray for the families and friends who have lost loved ones in this horrendous terrorist act, and hope that those who are involved, however they are involved, will be brought to justice in one form or another.

Nuff said about that.

Day One...and I survived!

Today was my first day at my new job. It is part-time, well...supposed to be. When I got home today they called and asked if I could come in tomorrow. Looks like my part-time might turn into something more soon. I was hoping to stay part-time, but they did tell me to work whatever hours I want, so at least that is good. One of the girls is going on vacation in a couple of weeks, so they want me to be up to speed before she leaves. So, we will see. I do like the people qute a bit so far - that is another plus. I only worked 4 1/2 hours today, and it made me so tired. Evidently my brain has some cob webs that need to be cleared and some kinks that need to be worked out. Maybe soon I will get adjusted. It is funny however how it only took me one day to figure out who are the hard workers and who are the slackers, ha!

On another note, we are under tornado watches courtesy of the latest tropical storm and it looks like the one behind it is headed directly for us. FUN!

Well, I am going to go do a little cleaning then knock myself out with some Tylenol PM and see if I can get a good refreshing night's sleep.

Tuesday last day of freedom

Well...here we are. The day before I start my new job. I have so much to do today it is not even funny. But here I sit, blogging and watching MTV. I rock don't I? I have totally mastered the slacker thing, but it's all over tomorrow. *sigh* I did go to the gym today however. I did 15 mins on the treadmill, 20 mins on the elliptical along with my weights program. So I have not been a total slacker.

List of things to do today:

1. Pick daughter up from friend's house.
2. Go buy new daily calendar inserts for my daytimer.
3. Get a manicure and pedicure.
4. Go to the mall to look for a few items.
5. Get the final 3 loads of laundry done.
6. Clean house before 1st day of work.

Oh well....off to do it. Have a great day!

Happy 4th of July!

Love it!

I found this at Continuing Saga That Is My Life. I absolutely loved it.

A young woman was about to finish her first year of college. Like so many others her age she considered herself to be a very liberal Democrat and was for redistribution of all wealth. She felt deeply ashamed that her father was a rather staunch Republican, which she expressed openly.

One day she was challenging her father on his beliefs and his opposition to higher taxes on the rich and more welfare programs. In the middle of her heart-felt diatribe based upon the lectures she had from her far left professors at her school, he stopped her and asked her point blank how she was doing in school.

She answered rather haughtily that she had a 4.0 GPA and let him know that it was tough to maintain. That she had to study all the time, never had time to go out and party like other people she knew. She didn't even have time for a boyfriend and didn't really have many college friends because of spending all her time studying and that she was taking a more difficult curriculum.

Her father listened and then asked, "How is your friend, Mary."

She replied, "Mary is barely getting by." She continued, "She barely has a 2.0 GPA and all she takes are easy classes. She never studies." To explain further, she continued emotionally, "But Mary is so very popular on campus. College for her is a blast. She goes to all the parties all the time and very often doesn't even show up for classes because she is too hung over."

Her father then asked his daughter, "Why don't you go to the Dean's office and ask him to deduct a 1.0 off your 4.0 GPA and give it to your friend who only has a 2.0." He continued, "That way you will both have a 3.0 GPA and certainly that would be a fair and equal distribution of GPA."

The daughter, visibly shocked by the father's suggestion, angrily fired back, "That wouldn't be fair! I worked really hard for mine. I did without and Mary has done little or nothing. She played while I worked real hard!"

The father slowly smiled and said, "Welcome to the Republican Party."

Explains it all perfectly...don't cha think?

Lil Ol' Me

Just thought I would share this picture with you all. This is me waving to everyone from atop a rock in a beautiful creek in The Smoky Moutains.

See me? *wave*




Hay Ya'll! (That's how they talk in them parts)

Pre Fourth

Here it is the day before the 4th of July and what am I doing? Watching Jaws. This time last year we were in Destin, Fl., at almost the exact spot where the 14 year old girl was killed by a shark last week. We are usually down there this time of year because my mother-in-law lives there and her house is very near the beach. We usually meet up with his old friends from high school and hang out with them the entire 4th holiday. This year our plans have changed because hubby had to go out of town on business. He will be heading down there next week for his mother's hip replacement surgery. We were going to go, but since Wednesday will be my first day at my new job, we are staying here. Considering what is going on at the beaches I am relieved to not be going and arguing with daughter about how far she can go out. That girl must be part dolphin because she loves the water so much. She is a snorkeling freak and nothing in the water seems to scare her. That is the worst kind of child to have after you hear about a shark attack. This is the one that either wants to be a vet or a marine biologist. This is also the one that wants to swim with the dolphins at Discovery Cove this fall.

Speaking of my new job, my offer letter came before I left for Tennessee and I finally had a chance to sit down and read it. I love the wording. I love being told that if funding was cut for education, then my salary may be re-evaluated and possibly cut as well. Ouch! Now I know how teachers feel. I am very happy with the salary and the hours that I will be working. I just pray that I am happy with the people and the atmosphere as it would be very refreshing to restart some sort of career now that my kids are older and we could actually use the extra money since I have one starting college this fall. I look forward do having a job that I love surrounded by people that I actually like. I pray that this happens.

As for the rest of the day, we will begin painting daughter's room today. A funky pink and bright green.

Have a great day.

Feeling Shocked

Well, we are finally back from Tennessee and I was sitting here catching up on my blog reading, when I ran across some news that has me stunned and sad. An awesome fellow blogger that lives very (and I mean VERY) near me, has lost her husband. I am sitting here stunned because I do not know her in person, but I read her blog almost daily and feel like I do. We had recently put two and two together and figured out not only are we are practically neighbors, but her husband was the one that came and fixed my roof when that huge branch had gone through it. I did not know him well, but he was nice enough to help us out when no one else would take the job (too small, not enough money involved). He came over the day I called him, ran over to Lowe's to get the supplies, brought one of his guys back, and they fixed it in just a couple of hours. I could not thank him enough. He seemed to be a very awesome man.

Please keep her and her family in your prayers. I could not imagine what they must be going through.