Tuesday, May 29, 2007

Copy Cat! Copy Cat!

I was reading Caroline's blog and saw this quiz and decided I must try it.
Once my results came in I had to share.
So I'm being a copy cat today.
So sue me.
(Not really.)
Of course it doesn't hurt that Caroline gave us all a freebie answer for one of the questions.
Ha!
Want to find the answer?
Read her blog.


Your Vocabulary Score: A

Congratulations on your multifarious vocabulary!
You must be quite an erudite person.

Friday, May 25, 2007

Young Entrepreneurs

There's this kid who hangs around town.
Lots of kids do that, but this one carries a sign.
During the college festival (where we got the goldfish and listened to Reel Big Fish perform) we saw this kid carrying a sign that said, "Will kick self in head for $1.00."
You couldn't miss him, he was flashing it to everyone.
According to SN2 he made about $85 during the college festival.
A fool and his money and all that, right?
So tonight as we're exiting the theatre via a side door (coming out of POTC 3 which is looooong, good, but overly long), we come upon a group of kids.
As we approached them we had the opportunity to see one kid kick another in the nuts.
Hard.
I'm not a guy, but it looked painful to me.
Guess who was getting kicked.
Our young entrepreneur.
It's Jackass, small town style.
And he's obviously intent on making a fortune.

Give me a gold star because I walked to work today

What a great day!
It's Friday, it's a long weekend, and it's Friday.
Did I say that already?
You know some things are so good you just have to say them twice.
So...I walked to work today!
Yes, give me a gold star.
It took about 12-15 minutes, and yes it is quite warm outside, but I'm flushed mostly because I'm so damn proud of myself!
It's the simple things...
Tonight at 5:00 we're heading over to the (small) theatre in town to see....what else, Pirates of the Carribean 3.
I'm excited, but like I've said before I don't know if I'm more excited for the movie or for the popcorn and lemonade slushy I buy each time.
I love popcorn (mit butter), hence the need to walk to and from work!
Big plans this weekend...to clean and organize.
Long overdue.
I want to get my knitting organized and take stock so I can finish mittens that have been left unfinished, see what projects need to be repaired, and figure out what ones need to be put away until I feel I can stand the sight of them again.
Hope everyone has a lovely, enjoyable weekend, and let's not forget to what and to whom we are paying tribute.

Thursday, May 24, 2007

Swan Sightings

Kat sent me this link today.
I was sitting in a computer training class all day (Access) so it wasn't a bad day, but of course I couldn't click on the link to watch the scene - can you imagine the music playing while the instructor is talking?
That would have been bad.
So I came home and watched the video.
Xanadu.
I can only think that Kat and I must have talked about this movie at some point (we've talked about a lot of things, many of them not fit for print) and come to the conclusion that we both liked it.
Let's be honest, it's really not a good movie at all.
The songs are good, and to be truthful I do like Olivia Newton-John, but what makes it worth watching is this person:
This picture is not from "Xanadu", it's from The Warriors, a family favorite and truly an amazing movie.
DH likes to watch it because he grew up in NYC in the 70s so it's familiar territory for him - kind of a trip down memory lane.
I like it because it has a great story, it's based upon a Greek tale, and well, it has Michael Beck.
Duh.
So back to "Xanadu" - not one of his better movies, but what can you do - you take what you can get.
Watch for yourself and see what you think:

Monday, May 21, 2007

Did summer end already and I missed it?

I got an email today from Fashion Bug with this subject line: Last days of Summer Sale + $15 off $75 purchase

Did I miss summer? Because yesterday it was 54 degrees here, which could constitute fall weather, but it is still spring. So how can you have a sale and call it the "Last Days of Summer" when the last time I checked summer doesn't even begin until June 21.

It boggles the mind.

Saturday, May 19, 2007

Dinner Dates and Sunny Saturdays

My post yesterday didn't let anyone leave comments.
Not that anyone would want to leave comments on my rant, but I have to tell you it was not intentional.
It was all Blogger.
Last night I went out to eat at at Red Osier's outside of LeRoy with some friends from work.
What a great time we had, and I have to tell you the food was amazing!
But the company was even better.
Now it is Saturday morning and there is nothing I love better than sitting out on my front porch in my rocking chair and listening to the birds sing.
All I'm missing is a shotgun and my jug of moonshine.
Tee hee.
I've been working on a mitten for DN2 but the pattern is not very well written and I had to improvise.
Which for me is not a good thing.
Because instead of having my cables branch gracefully outward, they look like a dead limb with some knots sticking straight up.
Oh well, it's a mitten.
And knitting mittens is enjoyable for me.
I still have one on the needles that I need to fix.
Shoot I have a lot of things I need to fix.
And one thing I need to take care of is keeping my darn cats out of my yarn.
They are driving me crazy!
Anyway, it's a sunny Saturday and we're off to town to buy a birthday present for DN2's friend.
SN2 will be at the prom, SN1 will be working, DN2 will be at a sleepover, who knows where DN1 will be -- only DH and I will be at home.
Now let's see if I can stay awake past 9:00.

Friday, May 18, 2007

I open my mouth to speak and my mother's voice comes out

My eldest has moved back home.
Well both of my eldest children are back.
And life is different.
But DN1 has her own mini-fridge and like many smart people tries to watch what she eats, so her forays into the kitchen are rare and usually involve a pasta and tuna or pasta and sauce combination. Plus large amounts of fresh fruit.
SN1 on the other hand has been living away from home for almost four years.
That's 28 dog years for those keeping track using that method.
I'm awfully glad to have him here but we are undergoing a period of adjustment.
And perhaps it is me who has to adjust more than anyone else.
Problem is, when I yell at him for eating all the food, drinking juice and not putting the carton away, or leaving dishes lying around I hear my mother's voice coming out of my mouth.
And I shudder.
Let me tell you why.
Way, way back when - and I can't even tell you if I was 7 or 8 (because I've chosen to forget), my mother remarried.
A union that many still question to this day, including my aunts.
Along with my stepfather we got three stepbrothers and a stepsister.
All older than me (I'm the baby, can't you tell by the way I act???).
When they married it was about 1972 or 1973 (again I've chosen to forget). It may even have been 1971, see I really can't recall. And Ken and Tom, don't send me an email and remind me, I'd rather not recall.
So we were all living in this house with four bedrooms: me, my two brothers, and my three stepbrothers. I think the oldest stepbrother was there but again, blurry recall.
Regardless, it was the early 1970s, a time when the residual of the late 60's rebellious stage was still present in our small college town. I emphasize college town because back then wherever there were college students, there were always drugs.
Not sure if it is still that way at present, but I can certainly tell you we have plenty of beer pong champions on our street.
So we all lived in this little house and it drove my mother crazy.
The period of adjustment for everyone was horrorific.
I tried to stay out of the way and hung out in my bedroom listening to my Monkees records on my blue plastic record player from Grants (which I still have).
My mother would SCREAM at my stepbrothers, Tom would try to just get along with everyone, and Ken would just want to do his own thing, which involved listening to music in his room.
Sounds of Jimi Hendrix playing the National Anthem would float down from the attic bedroom that my one stepbrother made into his own, and anti-war and pro-drug posters were hung on the wall of another bedroom, one I remember in particular featured the Glad Man holding a bag of pot. (When stepbrother G became a "Jesus Freak" later in the 1970s that poster was thrown away - and I can't even find an image of it now.)
The pot my mother found growing in the backyard was flushed down the toilet and you could tell she was mad, mad, mad about that.
Because she screamed.
She screamed a lot, my stepbrothers got in trouble a lot, and my stepsister wisely lived in her college dorm away from the fracas.
It was horrible, that's what I remember the most, and never really did calm down until after my stepbrother and my brother graduated from high school in 1974 and then my brother moved out of the house and into his own apartment.
Can you blame him?
It is those thoughts that come into my head as I yell at my son for leaving a brick of cheese in his room, which the dog promptly picks up and claims.
And I hate myself for being my mother.
And having her voice come out of my mouth.
With the knowledge that awareness is the first step towards fixing the problem, I resolve to think before I yell.
Something my mother never did learn to do.

Thursday, May 17, 2007

Mary, Mary quite contrary, it's raining so you don't have to water your plants

Rodale publishes books containing a plethora of information on plants.
But don't you think they should publish a book about weeds?
Fortunately they have and I need to buy it because I don't need information on how to grow weeds, they can certainly do that on their own, but on how to identify them. Especially in the beginning stages of germination when you can't really tell a weed from a plant.
I planted some flowers and plants last year and they're coming up wonderfully (I say wonderfully because anything other than dead is wonderful).
Lily of the Valley, Lemon Balm (which smells lemony but sometimes I think I should be polishing my furniture with it), Lavender and a Hibiscus. Yes, one Hibiscus.
Miraculously they are all coming in.
I'm not a master gardener.
Merely a novice.
And even then a lazy one.
I work on the theory that plants are much smarter than me and will know what to do even if some idiot screws it up. Like if you plant the bulbs upside down the flowers will still strive for the light.
This is what I'm worried about with my bleeding heart (sample picture inserted, this is not a picture of my plant and you'll find out why in a sec):
I'm really not sure if I planted it right side up or upside down.
But it's raining and then the sun will shine and the plants will know what to do.
Thank goodness.

Tuesday, May 15, 2007

Knit Tea Swapping






I've joined a new swap and we found out who we are swapping with today.
This time it is an open swap - we know each other - and we have to specialize in local goodies.
Now is there any way I can send her fresh lilacs?
Those are definitely a local favorite.
Hmm....

There are dead fish in my laundry room

And boy do they stink.
No one has gone fishing lately.
But the dead fish are there nonetheless.
How did they get there?
Why are they dead?
They are goldfish that DN1, DN2 and DN2's friend Hi-Hi got at the street festival in town two weeks ago.
And they stink.
They stink so much I have to say it twice.
Should I clean them out?
I could, but I figure it is not my responsibility.
I didn't want the fish in the first place -- nothing against goldfish, but I prefer these:





to these:






I'm sure with much care and love certain goldfish can last for a long time.
Or at least over 24 hours.
We "won" some at the carnival last year and they died overnight.
How come PETA doesn't start protesting over the treatment of goldfish?
Someone had better get in there and clean out the fish - because even the cats won't touch them.

Friday, May 11, 2007

The Kool-Aid House


Today is the last day of classes for the college.
We're back to being a full house again.
All six of us (DH, myself and four kids) are again under one roof.
It's been four years since we were all together, so it is taking some adjustment, but it's not too bad really.
We have much more room than we did in Quantico (about 3,000 more square feet).
Funny thing is, we always were happy to take people in when our house was smaller.
And by taking people in I mean inviting them to spend the night, the weekend, whatever.
I'm a firm believer in it's not where you spend your time but with whom you spend it.
Then come Monday we'll be having three college students come spend a few days until they can get into their summer apartment.
Is there room?
Sure.
Are there enough beds?
No.
Should any of us care?
Nah, any port in a storm.
We are back to being the Kool-Aid House, with lots of people coming and going.
I like it.
It allows me to sit back and watch and not have to interact too much.
And that's a good thing.
(As long as no one touches my Cadbury Mini-Eggs.)

Thursday, May 10, 2007

Happy Birthday, Happy Anniversary, and Eight Random Things

Today is someone's birthday!!!
Happy Birthday Gayle!

And today is also the anniversary of a good friend -- he's spent 30 years in the Marine Corps - started out a private and is now a colonel. Imagine that. And still a great leader and deep thinker. Happy Anniversary!

Now I've been tagged by Caroline (who I'm beginning to like more and more as time goes by) to dish about myself and provide you with eight random facts.

Here are the rules:
Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
People who are tagged write a blog post about their own eight random things and post these rules. At the end of your post you need to tag eight people and include their names. Don’t forget to leave them a comment and tell them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

It's a stretch to find eight interesting/semi-interesting facts. I mean honestly, eight?!?! I would prefer ten, I like to keep things well-rounded. Here goes:

1. I once ran the Marine Corps Marathon without training for it and I finished it.

2. Every town/state/country I go to I always imagine living there – some places pass muster, some places I can’t wait to leave. I'm still undecided about where I'm living now.

3. I love the smell of cinnamon or apples, spicy smells, but I won’t burn candles with those scents in the summertime -- I reserve those smells for the fall and winter.

4. I’m not as smart as I think I am, but I’m not as dumb as I play at being.

5. I clap every time someone gets Double Jeopardy on the show Jeopardy. It doesn't matter where I am because with true Pavolovian training, I clap.

6. DH was deployed for the Gulf War when I was pregnant with SN2. I wanted to go into the delivery room alone so that way I could talk sh*t later on about how I did it myself. O-Lan from The Good Earth was my role model, I really wanted to be like her. But DH came back in time so I was never able to test my mettle. Dang it.

7. I obsessively check my shipping status on amazon.com once I've ordered something. Ask Kat, she'll tell you. I look several times a day, as if it's going to magically get delivered quicker.

8. I know the words to almost every song that comes on the radio. Especially the ones from the 70s. I've even had people ask me about that. It's a gift. Too bad my singing voice is not.

And for a bonus let me tell you a little story that I thought about tonight while I was driving up to the Devil's Store (help me stay away!) and a Who song came on the radio and at the same time the Sabres were working at losing game one in the series.

I went to Buffalo to see The Who during their farewell concert tour in 1982 and when they performed the song Love Reign O'er Me and Roger Daltrey sang "Rain on me" it actually began to rain. It was magical and I'll never forget it.

Now I must tag eight people, but because I'm not a stickler for convention, and I consider myself a paradox on my good days (wanna-be hippie yet rabid conservative), and a total piece of sh*t on my bad days, I may just be a hippie today and break all the rules and not tag anyone!

That's what I am going to do, because it's late at night and I need to get to bed (10:00, ohmygosh! past my bedtime!).

Seriously, post your eight random things, and we'll all be over later to check them out.

Tschuss!

Tuesday, May 08, 2007

Haiku Beef

Kat sent me an email on May Day.
I finally got around to responding today.
She wanted to know what I thought about her eating a roast beef sandwich for lunch that had been in the refrigerator since the Thursday before.
So a week later I'm checking in to see if she is still alive.
She is.
And that brought about this haiku email:

and I am so glad
that you are still here with us
and not rotted beef

Just sharing, because I've been double dog-dared to blog it.
^_^

Friday, May 04, 2007

Confidential Message

Confidential to Jean:

I bought some popcorn last night at the Devil's Store and it was really good.
I wish I had it right now.

Yarn Stores

My town really needs a yarn store.
Does anyone want to go into business with me?

Wednesday, May 02, 2007

Books and books and more books

I'm still working on my paper so no big news on my homefront.
Although I did stop to watch NCIS last night.
I enjoy that show, even if it gets a little hokey in some spots.
Then instead of returning to my paper I changed the channel and found out they were showing the movie The Mighty which is based on the book Freak the Mighty that I read for class.
I think I'm about ready to find an area in literature in which I can specialize, but is there any money out there for someone who knows everything there is to know about junior novels of the 40's, 50's and 60's?
Yeah, I doubt it.
It's sad when a secretary can make more money than a professor.
Anyway Caroline asked me about The Woman in White.
To be honest I haven't finished it yet, but what I've read so far is enjoyable.
It's a typical 19th century book written with all the extraneous adjectives that you would normally find. I will finish it one of these days, if I can stop reading Betty Cavanna or Rosamond du Jardin or other authors of that ilk.
I'm so stuck in a different era.