Tag

Thought I would play Tag (Laura/Michelle) since I am supposed to be making an Enrichment Newsletter and don't want to:

1. What’s your favorite children’s book?
“Amelia Bedelia” I love words and I like how this book (and the series) plays with them.

2. What’s your favorite type of cake?
Cheesecake!

3. What are your 3 best qualities?
I have no clue. You tell me.

4. Do you think you're a kind person?
I try very hard to be. But, again, I don't know.

5. What color is your toothbrush?
White with green (electric).

6. Who was your first TV crush?
Stuart Peterson (Against a Crooked Sky …. Actually in the temple film)

7. If you had to choose one celebrity couple to hang out with for the holidays, who would it be?
I wouldn’t want to hang out with a celebrity couple. Don’t understand why someone would. Wait!!! I have one: Mireille Enos and Alan Ruck (sidekick of Matthew Broderick in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off) because I want to ask Mireille why she married him. (I taught Mireille in Young Womens in Mission Bend for those who don’t know her)

8. What's your all-time favorite, most-repeated movie quote?
Can’t think of one…

9. What was your least favorite class in school?
History, didn’t see the point. Now I love learning about the history of a place I am visiting.

10. What was the last thing that made you laugh uproariously?
When I first spied my froggy coin purse / key chain.

11. If you had to choose between a million bucks or the ability to fly, which one would you choose?
Hands down - the ability to fly!

12. Where were you when 9-11 happened?
Working at Shell’s Westhiemer’s Research Laboratory. We saw it on the Internet. After the second plane hit, I went home and watched on TV.

13. What do you do when vending machines steal your money?
Get very angry and curse (you had to have read Laura's...). Then I kick the machine for good measure.

14. Can you change the oil on a car?
Yes:
Step1:Get in car
Step 2: Drive to oil change place
Step 3: Read really crappy magazines for 20 minutes
Step 4: Write out a check
Step 5: Drive home

15. Do you like to cook?
Despise cooking (mainly because my boys despise my cooking).

16. Would you rather wake up after surgery and find that they’ve accidentally given you Barbra Streisand’s nose or Dolly Parton’s breasts?
If I pick Dollys breasts, can I have the waist to go with it?

19. What are you wearing?
What? I’m surfing the web on a Saturday morning, shirking my duties ... I’m in my prom dress, of course.

20. What kind of bear is the best?
Ok, I know, I am being difficult, but this is the first thing that came to mind. Bjørn is ‘bear’ in Norwegian. Since the children in Norway take the transit system to school and special need children could not navigate it, taxi drivers volunteered to take these kiddos to school. They received special training on their own time and are hands down the neatest people you will ever run into. Jessie’s taxi driver was named Bjørn. He was very kind, gentle and I never saw him without a huge smile on his face. Bjørn’S THE BEST 'bear' I know.

21. What’s the last book you finished?
“HTML, XHTML, and CSS - Your visual blueprint for designing effective Web pages”

22. What fictional character is most like you?
Like, from the last book I read? Hmmmm . . .
I can’t come up with someone if ANY fictional character is fair game

23. Do you like to dance?
No.

24. What did you have for dinner LAST NIGHT?
Didn’t have dinner last night.

25. What’s your favorite painting?
‘Woman with a Water Jug’ by Johannes Vermeer – mainly any of his paintings that depict a domestic scene with sunlight shining in from a window (and / or any of his paintings where he uses the camera obscura technique)

26. If you could have any hair in the world, what kind would you want?
Long, curly and no gray in it!

A Question -

So ... is it camping when said camping is exactly 7.45 miles and 14 minutes from ones home? And by home I mean my house - in the middle of a 'sort of' city, OK, maybe 'town' ... but still?

Gary is off camping with the scouts and as he puts it "It is right next to Foster High School".

Camping involves driving, potty stops in wretchedly disgusting bathrooms, more driving, jerky to keep your strength up on the long drive, weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth if you forgot something ... because, well, you couldn't just run right home and get it. Camping is being out in the wilderness where wolves could eat you, and you can see a bazillion stars because there is no ambient light nearby (oh, say like those big lights that light up a football field).

He says they are fishing, so apparently there is a lake and I am sure it is tree filled and all wildernessy, but if you can jump in your car and in five minutes grab a Big Mac?

I just don't know.

Six (More) Things About Me

Like you want to hear more .... but I said I would do it (and I am sure I hadn't come across as weird enough):

1) I've never watched a reality TV show.

2) In honor of Jens 'kissed over 50 guys': number of guys I have kissed is in the single digits (and yes I dated ... a lot - just didn't kiss!)

3) Will put an item on my 'To Do' list that I have already done just so I can put a check by it.

4) Spent a summer filming a series of Seminary Filmstrips for our Church Educational System. After those in SLC reviewed it - I was the only one that had to re-shoot: I was wearing a capped sleeve shirt - and that was too risqué. (Wore a long sleeved turtleneck for the do over ... just in case ...)

5) Took a vow in college to never play a video / computer game (so far, so good).

6) Have a DVD / Blu-Ray collection (OK, this is a joint venture with Ryan and Gary) of about 600 (not counting series or childrens DVDs). I (this part is all me) have them alphabetized by title in drawers and have an Excel spreadsheet listing all of them with fields for cast, plot and IMDB rating that I have yet to fill in.

So Jessie calls today ...

and says (I kid you not) that she's 'tired of this place' and can I come get her? WHAT'S UP WITH THAT? She has been having a blast, won't stay here on Sunday for more than 3 hours without asking for her friends, but suddenly she is using phrases I've never heard her say and more importantly seems to want to come home ... sort of. She said it with no real emotion and when I told her that is where she lives now, she was all like 'whatever, gotta go'.

I personally think she is just messing with my head ...

25 Random Things About Me

I was 'tagged' in facebook (sorry y'all that I tagged - hope you don't mind) and thought I would post it here also:

1. Worked on a top-secret project for the Air Force when I worked at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

2. Went into anaphylactic shock while administering IV antibiotics to myself

3. Speak, but mainly read Norwegian

4. Love reading books on forensics medicine

5. Have a huge fear of being hit by a train

6. Like to design / write code for web sites for fun

7. Was diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

8. Love to take photographs, but only of landscapes with no people in them

9. Am left handed but right footed

10. Buy self help books but never read them

11. Have a pathological fear of singing in public

12. Want to go on a cruise to the Mediterranean alone and take a ton of photos

13. Was passed by a smart car while driving on the autobahn in Germany

14. Lettered in gymnastics in High School

15. Am horribly, painfully shy (even though I try to hide it)

16. Worked at Morton Thiokol (makes Space Shuttle solid booster rockets) when the Challenger disaster occurred

17. Can write backwards as fast as I can write forwards (mirror image)

18. Have never had a female coworker at any of my jobs (degree in highly technical area of computer science)

19. Have never fallen asleep sitting up (ie in an airplane, at a desk, chair etc)

20. Currently in remission of stage 3 Lyme disease

21. Have an extensive collection of jewelry (gold, sliver, semi precious/precious stones and crystal) with over 1000 pairs of earrings alone (and rarely wear them)

22. Learned to speed read but don’t do it often (out of practice)

23. Have had a non-stop headache since being pregnant with my 18 year old son (and no, it is not my sons fault!)

24. Want to go back to school and get another bachelors or a masters degree

25. Love to laugh, especially with my husband

If you are reading this ... consider yourself tagged (but only if you want to be).

On The Way Home

from picking Jessie up:

LOVE the stone dogs...

(Unfortunately shot out my car window while moving - not as in focus as I would like.)

What's Wrong With This Picture?

So after dinner, Gary says he will do the dishes if I supervise Jessie playing at http://www.disney.com/ (On my computer? Goodness, no! His ... I won't let her get NEAR mine). He finishes and goes to fiddle with the remotes of the TV setup in our bedroom. I am very grateful (still am) but as I walked in the kitchen - I noticed that every cupboard door was open.

Is this a guy thing (both my guys suffer from 'cupboard-open-itis')? Is it normal? Is it really my OCD? 'Cause I'm thinking that closing the cupboard doors is just part of normal every day life, especially when part of everyday life included cleaning the kitchen. Is that so wrong? It's like I live with a ghost that is trying (very successfully I may say) to make me nuts. Every time I go in the kitchen, a cupboard is open, a light is on, the pantry door is open or its light is on - and I CANNOT stop myself - I have to shut them / turn them off. Why does this not bother them? Actually, why can't they even SEE that they are doing it?

Is it me? Or are my boys on a very successful campaign to make me crazy?

This is why I am not a CSI Technician

This ... and the stench of a dead body. 'This' being the sneaking suspicion that it is 20 hours of drudgery picking through garbage, carpet fibers, dirt ... you name it for every 5 minutes of excitement. They happen to only show the 'eureka' moments on TV, thus making something horribly dull seemingly not so.

Now, in my chosen profession, I never felt like there was a dull moment ... until today. Back when I actually got paid to code, I usually programmed in assembler code designing operating systems - basically coding in the hexadecimal equivalent to those pesky 0's and 1's you are always hearing about when it comes to computers. It required memorization, skill, and cunning to figure out where you messed up - but not patience (OK, maybe a little).

Today I have been designing a web site for Gary for scouting and coding it all in HTML rather than using some software package to make it for me (THAT would be cheating). That is all well and good. I was tired of breaking my silly one just to figure out how to fix it or change it. But ... he wanted photos - about 300 of them. This involved making thumbnails for all of them, uploading both the pictures and thumbnails to the server, writing a line of code for each thumbnail/photo combination (you click on the thumbnail and it takes you to the full size version of the photo).

A screen full of code:

I'm all for learning new things, but after 5 lines of code you have it down, 10 and you are yawning, 20 and you are wondering where your aide is (yes, this is why it was not boring - we dumped the crappy stuff off on aides).

So why do it? Well, I sort of like Gary and I said I would do it, but most of all? Well, Rodney the frog is staring at me disapprovingly from atop my pile of 'girly stuff' and I am reminded that it cost Gary $35.00 and he is off to get me another one with not two, but FOUR legs next time!

So I code ...

Gotta go

Missing Winter...

OK, OK Cute Furry Animals ...

Man ... Happy Now?

But just so you know, my froggy coin purse is SO going to be in my purse on Sunday!!!

Snips and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails...

Now this is love. I laughed hysterically when I saw him ... doesn't he look sorta .... mad? Maybe because he was made into a coin purse key chain:

Seriously a coin purse - there is a zipper you can't see (and I have yet to touch) that Gary opened and stuffed the frog body full of tissues to give him a 3 dimensional form. Now, picture him with front legs - yeah Gary says they sell those too, but instead of being a key chain, it has a string to put it around your neck - go figure. I'm thinking I am going to need one of those too.

Here's the thing ... I have a trunk full of key chains: my key chain collection, and I didn't have a single amphibian part at all in the entire collection. Now I do! Two since he brought me a surprise - a genuine frogs foot key chain:

You wouldn't know it from these, but I am a frog fan. A big one - had frog pets growing up and everything. This is maybe a wee bit off the mark for someone who likes frogs as much as I do, but I couldn't pass this one up.

And just so you know since you only have photos: they smell .... funky!

Soon, All Will Be Right With the World ...

For me, for approximately 10 days, then I go a wee bit nuts again for a couple more weeks. What can I say, I am more stable when the saner half of this duo comes home after work. He left Australia at 8:00pm this evening (a day early!) and won't show up at home until about 5:00pm tomorrow - thus the reason I personally think it would suck to travel to and from Australia frequently.

OK, cute furrry animals, but I will just enjoy the photos.

Laura's Tag

() gone on a blind date
() skipped school (lame, I know. What can I say? I loved school)
(X) been to Canada
(X) been to Mexico
(X) been to Florida
(X) been on a plane
(X) been lost
(X) been on the opposite side of the country
(X) gone to Washington, DC
(X) swam in the ocean
() cried yourself to sleep (I have trouble falling asleep… cried all night, but never fallen asleep mid sob)
(X) played cops and robbers
() recently colored with crayons
() sang karaoke
(X) paid for a meal with coins only
(X) done something you told yourself you wouldn't
(X) made prank phone calls
(X) laughed until some kind of beverage came out of your nose
(X) caught a snowflake on your tongue
(X) danced in the rain
(X) written a letter to Santa Claus
(X) been kissed under the mistletoe
(X) watched the sunrise with someone you care about
(X) blown bubbles
(X) gone ice - skating
(X) been skinny-dipping outdoors
(X) gone to the movies alone

Typical Communiqué

E-mail from Gary just now:

"Any shopping requests before I leave Brisbane (seamless leather coin purses, 'real' toad head key chains or coin purse, etc). My last shopping day is today."

My reply:

"Seriously …. we are way low on Kangaroo Scrotum coin purses and if you don’t get me a ‘real’ toad head key chain I might have to hurt you.

Me"

We are such romantics...

Mercurial

mer⋅cu⋅ri⋅al  /mərˈkyʊəriəl/ [mer-kyoor-ee-uhl] –adjective

1. changeable; volatile; fickle; flighty; erratic: a mercurial nature.
2. animated; lively; sprightly; quick-witted.
3. pertaining to, containing, or caused by the metal mercury.

Gary told me yesterday that my blog was just like a thermostat - a very clear indicator of how I was feeling at the particular moment that I wrote something. I found this odd, and read back a few weeks - which, of course, includes the day my life imploded reading Ryan's essays - and I don't see it. At. All. I know that out of the three definitions above for 'mercurial' I steadfastly reside in definition number 1, but after that - my writing is a very gray area for me and I find that puzzling.

I mentioned this to Linda Randall, who reads my blog in a very stealthy fashion, and she says she agrees. If I called my mom - the trifecta of stealth readers of my blog - I have no doubt that she would agree. Why can't I see it? If I could see it, I would love to catch it, and stop it and make things sound, well ... rational is a start. Normal would be a goal.

Oh, and for those of you, like me who have no clue how things are going based on the few words I strung together above: Today is a good day. A very good day.

Shopping Spree!!!

Yeah, Gary, you read right - I went shopping! If anything can get my very busy husband to pull up my blog on his really cool pimped out phone (I forget what it is, a blackberry breeze or spaz or spree or something like that) in Australia - those two words will do it (I am SO mean)! Of course I did it all from the comfort of my office chair, I'm lazy and not an idiot. My good friend Mr. Amazon is coming by on Wednesday to bring me some boxed DVD sets (OK, OK, and I'm buying so ...). (And that is just 3 dots a right parenthese and a period, I am clueless when it comes to winking, blinking, sideways smiley dudes)

The really, really cool thing about not watching commercial TV is that all of a sudden you notice new series that look really interesting. I have been watching Criminal Minds (Season One, what can I say, I like Elle, not the Goth Chick that replaced her) today since Ryan was getting awfully tired of RENT and I am too lazy to go find Phantom of the Opera.

I am also lazy (go with me here for a second) and sneak onto every one's blog via Laura's since she has them all listed nice and neat, and noticed her title "Burn Notice". Was just going to check and see if ANYONE had blogged recently (a big fat NO) and there was the title. Since she is apparently as sick and twisted (and I mean this in the nicest way possible, Laura) as I in our love of Criminal Minds, I trust that it is a good show. And purchasing it now - it is $19.99 instead of the $60.00 it started out at.

For good measure I threw in "Life" (also $19.99) because I saw somewhere that it looked good and has the cutie pie from "Band of Brothers" in it. So someone tell me now if these shows are duds you will be doing me a great service - OK, just Life since I trust Laura's review of Burn Notice.

Then started thinking, "Now what is the name of that show with the guy 'with-what-they-call-an-aneurysm-which-can't-really-be-an-aneurysm-since-that-just-bursts-and-kills-you-should-have-been-some-sort-of-tumor' guy who sees the future. Man ... and he is the only other English speaking actor other than Hugh Laurie that can pull off an American accent! Then I found it - "Eli Stone" - and went to double check again that he really, really was born and grew up in the UK and there he was, with Angilina Jolie as his first wife (?) Oh, THAT Johnny Lee Miller - thought she married an American rock singer first - I am mixing names up somewhere, but decided to buy it on that trifecta of trivia alone. I have seen some of these but never saw the first one and I really, really want to see how it all began.

So, my plans don't amount to much for the next month - getting an Enrichment Night pulled together, watching shows, putting together another web site and reading two XHTML books. My life is so exciting I can hardly stand myself.


**Note: Sorry Kimberly (for the toe also, and no I don't think it's the pointer!) you had posted while I was ranting/typing!

About Poked Out Charlies Eye Today

Not on purpose … I was cutting her ‘no-hawk’ (think Mohawk but on the nose) with some scissors and she sort of decided to lunge at them. Kinda like shaving a toddler-who-needs-to-be-on-Ritalin ‘s head.

Here’s the thing. Charlie is a Norwegian mutt. A purposefully bred mutt, I think was the story – kind of like a cockapoo, labradoodle, and whatnot. She is ¾ mellom Schnauzer (mellom meaning middle) and ¼ Gordon Setter.

Schnauzer

Gordon Setter

We groom her like a Schnauzer, she looks like a Schnauzer (except for the docked tail and ears – Norway is a ‘cruelty free’ animal environment and no dogs tail or ears are docked) but has the hair of a Gordon Setter – soft and curly rather than wiry. It gets matted and then we are in trouble. Last time this happened, the groomer just shaved her entire body and then groomed her head like a Schnauzer - she just sort of looked stupid-naked. But now her head hair is long and her body hair is just starting to grow out – thus the impromptu hair cut and near eyeball puncture.

The only other time the Gordon Setter in her rears its head is when birds are around. In Norway, they would eat the gravel we would put down on the walk down the hill in the winter, so always out front pecking at something. Charlie would try with her ¼ setter to creep stealthy up upon them and they would just look at her like “Are you serious?” and just walk, WALK away, they never even had to fly off, she just stalked. When I told her that if she ever caught one, she was supposed to kill it – I am pretty sure I heard her say “Ewwwww”.

So, we forget about the Gordon Setter part except for the grooming and she seriously needs something. Here a photo of her with her eye showing (trimmed her eyebrows too). Her other eye is intact also …. Promise.

I've started calling her "Skank"....

Gary Might Be Having a Bit More Fun Than Me

Well, not any more ... it is his Monday morning now and he is back at work, but his weekend was fun. Even went to an animal sanctuary. He went to church too, but didn't grace me with any photos of the church or temple he walked past on the way to church. He sent me photos from his phone (just to make me jealous, I am sure) but if his cell phone can take these lovely photos, I can't wait to see what his real camera is bringing home.

And, for all you tired of my lunatic ravings ... he might be home one day earlier - one less day of rants! (Until it starts all over again a week later when he is gone again for two weeks).

RENT

Been watching Rent on our new HD TV and surround sound and cannot seem to stop. I don't know if any of you have seen it (or would like it for that matter) it has a few strikes against it that I personally don't care about, but y'all probably do. The music on the other hand ... is fantastic. It is so fun to crank the speakers on our surround system up till the windows are rattling and just listen to these talented people sing. The beginning song makes me think of many things, but mostly makes me feel good. I decided to put it on my play list on 'play' so it starts annoyingly right up, will turn it off later. Hope you don't mind. I also put the words to the song below.

Five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred minutes,
five hundred twenty five thousand moments so dear.
Five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred minutes -
how do you measure, measure a year?

In daylights, in sunsets, in midnights, in cups of coffee.
In inches, in miles, in laughter, in strife.

In five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred minutes -
how do you measure a year in the life?

How about love?

How about love?

How about love?

Measure in love.

Seasons of love.

Seasons of love.

Five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred minutes!
Five hundred twenty five thousand journeys to plan.
Five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred minutes -
how do you measure the life of a woman or man?

In truths that she learned, or in times that he cried.
In bridges he burned, or the way that she died.

It’s time now to sing out, tho the story never ends
let's celebrate remember a year in the life of friends.

Remember the love!

Remember the love!

Remember the love!

Measure in love.

Seasons of love!

Seasons of love.

If you can get past the 'R' rating (for probably the) lesbians, gays, drag queens and aids, I swear it is a fantastically beautiful movie all about living in the face of dying and making each minute count. And also everyone living together in peace - all those I mentioned above along with what one might consider 'normal' people being best of friends and loving each other in spite of their differences.

Note: Apparently the music shuts off right before it ends and since it is the only thing on the play list, starts over again. Annoying, but the only one I could find of the Movie Cast (mostly the original Broadway cast) singing it. As Kimberly would say .... Bah!!!

Addendum: I added more songs so that at least it would not go in a continous loop. I tried to stay 'PG'.

Maybe it was all that CSI ...

Day seven with Gary gone and a double whammy - Ryan is gone to a weekend competition for a club. More on that later. So all by my little lonesome.

Gary called his Saturday morning, my Friday evening (+16 hours (his time) does not make live communication very easy). He was headed out to do some sight seeing and swim in the ocean. And if you have been reading the news: A SHARK INFESTED OCEAN. Our conversation is typical for us, what can I say?

After a few pleasantries, questions about Ryan, Gary's plans for the day, the usual ....

Gary: Pissed anyone off today?

Me: I don't think so, but you know I never really know ...

Gary: Ahhh, the night is still young, I have faith in you.

Me: Thanks, and have fun swimming - don't get eaten by a shark ... unless it is on company time. (I apparently get grundles of money if he dies while on company time)

Bye

Gary: Bye

It doesn't seem very loving, but y'all just don't know us very well ... really.

Like the words to a song on the (rock) station I listen to:

"Lucky I'm in love with my best friend,
lucky to have been where I have been ..."

.

.

.

Ryan is at a HOSA competition. It stands for Health Occupations Students of America. Mainly girls who want to be nurses Ryan said. (The dog...)

So what is he going for? The Forensics Medicine competition. You heard me FORENSICS Medicine: dead bodies - shot, flayed, cut up in pieces - that forensics medicine.

The team goes into a room with a dead body or body parts (not really ...) and they get all the particulars - decomp, all the clues, all the lovely little details to determine a) if this was a natural or unnatural death, b) how they died c) I have no freaking clue. I guess whoever comes closest to the actual circumstances wins. I have no idea Ryan does not say much about it.

It seems a bit odd. I blame myself. I was fascinated by forensic medicine before it became cool to be interested in it and you were just, well ... creepy. But that has never stopped me before. I was in pre-med for a year in college and got all of the biology, anatomy, chemistry, etc needed for most of the books I buy on forensic medicine to make sense. Is my son wanting to go into this in college? No. I really have no idea what he is doing at the competition for the second year in a row, but it's a club and that is a positive step for our very shy, introverted Ryan, so we go with it.

I will probably be a little bit more normal when he comes back and I have someone other than the dog to talk to. Charlie is starting to look extremely ... nervous.

The Sonic Conundrum

So ... Charlie's been very demanding about her morning ride this week and I had started to find something odd on our outings ... So started keeping track ...

Ended up at Sonic every single time, weird huh? What's even weirder is the price. I always order a Route 44 size diet coke with cherry and lime, easy ice, please (or they will fill the entire cup and you have nothing to drink all day but melted water ...) and every time they 'quote' me a price:

Monday: $1.24
Tuesday: $1.18
Wednesday: $1.35
Thurday: $1.50
Friday: $1.40

So, what is this? They just get to randomly pick a number? Add what they think they deserve as a tip? I honestly don't know how much the price of a Route 44 drink should be in the morning and I know that mine is a difficult order - I think the cherry and lime are maybe supposed to be 10 cents each and maybe they charge me maybe not and maybe if you just go easy on the ice they add in a 'dumb customer request' charge - I don't know, but if anyone out there knows how much this should cost, I'm thinking I would really like to know....

Carol's 5 Tag

I'm It. (I think I figured out the 'tag' word - thought it was like a 'tag' in HTML which seemed to have nothing in common with a blogger - this is how dumb I can be, I had to go back in my memory a wee more years to remember TAG tag - yes, I can be this dumb...)

1) 5 things in your purse:

OK, I am being difficult right off the block ... I know this comes a complete shock to everyone. The thing is I have a wonderful backpack purse that I load when I need it. Right now it is empty of all the regular accoutrement's I put in it:

So ... this is it ... just the crap you don't care about. Man ...

I guess take your pick:
1) Kleenex
2) barrettes
3) comb
4) elastic
5) lip gloss

Pathetic ....


2) 5 things in your work room:

See, here we go again. Right now my work room is "The Junk Room so Alma Can Clean the Rest of the House" room. I would take a photo, but Linda Randall saw it Monday and about had a heart attack said 'it so wasn't me' (when it is so exactly like me) and I would hate to put anyone in mortal danger so I will pick out random items and not show you the room itself:

1) Jessie's computer
2) Christmas wrapping paper that belongs in a wrapping paper case under Jessie's old bed that I am too lazy to put away
3) Every 'blank-in' thing from that stupid old entertainment center we got rid of. Boxes and boxes of old VCR's. There was more crap in there than could actually fit - I think Gary just filled boxes with random crap from all over the house, just to dick with me - there's like 8 boxes...

4) My embroidery machine - very lonely because Lori cannot get through the junk to use it.

5) "The Claw" a great present from Bonne that my boys won't play with because they have forgotten how to have fun (a mini claw that you steer to pick up candy and drop down a chute - feel free to come get it if YOUR kids will play with it)

3) 5 things you always wanted to do:

1) Go on a cruise to the Mediterranean - alone (go figure) and take tons of photos at all the stops

2) Go back to school and get my masters degree
3) Go back to school and get another bachelors degree
4) Go back to school and just goof off taking what ever the hell I wanted to
5) Go to a school of photography to learn how to take decent photos

4) 5 things you are into:

1) Learning XHTML code
2) Learning Java script
3) Designing and building various websites
4) Reading books on all three subjects above
5) Slacking in front of our new TV and surround system watching Blue-Ray shows with great music in them / and Planet Earth.

5) 5 bloggers you want to tag:

OK, here's the thing and I know y'all will be stunned by this, but I really don't have any friends and Carol, I think just tagged everyone in our little blog land oh, except for :

1) Alisha
2) Kimberly (but I don't think she reads my blog) I read her's in silent stealth - loved the dream where she runs over a very small human (a child) I know I shouldn't love the story but she writes it so funny. And the dream where her bed is covered with straw (I think she is a princess and does not know it ....)

that's it folks

Well That Was Fun, Wasn't It?

Not quite myself today, but not why y'all might think. And it is all good folks - private e-mails can fix a bunch. Ryan has been writing essays for his college applications and I have had the privilege of reading them. Saying that they have ripped my heart out is a wee bit of an understatement. So let me say that politics was most definitely not on my mind today, just writing to get my mind off other things. And apparently a mistake that I will never make again.

"Ryan" photo by Gary Hurst

This was the easiest to get through: (permission from Ryan Hurst)


"I don’t remember much about proceedings. I couldn’t tell you what was said, or if I found it meaningful or not. I remember it was a bright white walled room that smelled sweetly of flowers. The atmosphere was morose, and I felt uncomfortable to be there. It was February 1997, and my baby sister had died. I was six.

If there ever was a good age to have your sister die, six would not be it. I became very confused, and pondered the subject of dying for quite some time, as if I could rationalize it. I tried to comprehend where my sister was, or if she was a person at all. Then I wondered about my eventual death, which troubled me. You could say I had my existential crisis a little early. I would always wonder as I was growing up about why bad things happened the way they did.

I came to realize that we don’t have forever to do everything, and that we should make do with what we have. We shouldn’t waste what we have. That dying isn’t necessarily bad, or something to fear. Everybody dies. That sometimes it is better to die, than to live in pain or be a ‘vegetable’ and not feel anything. The meaning of life, for me, isn’t to stay alive as long as you can. That the meaning of life, as I see it, is to find a meaning for life, whatever it may be.

We should be happy for what we got, even if it wasn’t particularly good or fun. It can always be worse. The experiences always help us in someway, even the bad ones. It doesn’t matter what happens, it how you react and learn from what happens that matters. The rest is in the details.

This was all inspired by my sister, whom I’ve never met or even seen. She taught me some of the most important lessons in life, without saying a word. She was an inspiration mostly, a conduit to these thoughts. I don’t know if she’s in an afterlife or not, but I am none the less grateful to her for what she ‘taught’ me."


*** end of Ryans essay ***


So let me just say, politics don't mean shit to me today...

I am an American

** Disclamer: this is not really aimed at anyone, anything or any post - I have just been thinking about it today because of a post and sometimes things just come out of my fingers. The stupid part is posting it ... and I warned you I get stupid when Gary is gone (not the post, I stand by my post - the stupid part is posting it) **

I am an American

That’s it, for better or worse I am an American. That is all.

I am an American who wishes that everyone had a decent house to live in, food to eat and equal school systems. Why? Because these are my sisters and brothers and I love them … all.

I am an American whose brother is an Air Force helicopter pilot and a hero from rescuing injured soldiers from behind enemy lines and has risked his life countless times saving other Americans and Afghanis who needed help. ANYONE who needed help. He is brave and funny and my hero.

I am an American who’s gay sister does not have the same rights as me and that makes me sad because I love her to death and would do anything for her, why? Because she would do anything for me – she is the most kindhearted person I know and it hurts me when she is hurt. I love her because it’s easy, you should love her because Christ said “love everyone” but so many of my fellow (Christian – since I am quoting Christ) Americans don’t.

I am an American who lived in Europe and was reviled for being and American and NEVER backed down. Even when the questions they had, like why everyone in America did not have equal health care like they did, I could not easily answer. Because I love this country and the freedoms that it offers me. (To write something like this, say. I might lose the respect of some, a friend or two, but I can still say it and not be arrested…)

I am an American who wishes that that everyone in America was good, and kind, and respectful and hardworking, and I know it is not true but wish we could find a way to work together when problems arise. And I think we do a pretty good job of it … maybe not, but the system is in place is a good one.

I am an American who worked hard to get where I am and enjoy the benefits of my labors and education and know that it would not be fair to pay everyone equally for unequal work. But think sometimes we pass by those injured, and helpless, mentally deficient and don’t give them a moments notice. That scares me having a mentally handicapped daughter. What is going to happen to her when I am gone? Is anyone going to really care? Is she going to be taken care of and given the respect she deserves? I am a realist and know I am in deep shit on this one – I don’t see a happy ending. That eats at my heart daily.

I am an American who is very faithful in my religion, but respects that other Americans do not share my beliefs. That is what America is about: freedom. So I am confused when issues come up that seems to want to force my beliefs on others who do not share them. These are people who are equally American with the same freedoms, or so I thought. And trust me, this makes me an outsider more than anything, and it confuses me more than I can say. I wish we could all live together in peace, but I cannot see that happening in the near future.

I am an American who lives in Texas. And to me …. well … that’s just geography.

Saying Stupid Things...

Yeah, making enemies and saying things that best not be said. I think this should be it for the day...

On the top 5 list of things that makes me feel bad is upsetting someone - so why did I do it?

Twenty years and nada ... so why now? What is wrong with me? I think I am from another planet.

Mr. Amazon is not my friend today.

Last time we ordered a big screen TV through Amazon the delivery company scheduled a time, came out, took it out of its box and installed it.

This time, got a delivery time and a guy saying this was all he had to do - get it in my front door.

Yeah, I don't even know how to get it out of the box...

Fun to ensue when Ryan gets home.

I'm Seriously Bored

Quote of the day:

Played the "Lori Needs" Game

Game: Google ‘lori needs’ and write down what you come up with. (Stolen from Carol and Laura)

Lori needs – “I typed in Lori needs into google and came out with some assorted statements about things I need. This kind of reminds me of a magic 8 ball via google.” (Apparently I am not the first to do this (skipped all the rest of these))

Lori needs - to vent. (Oh my goodness yes – wait until Gary has been gone for 10 days and get back with me.)

Lori needs – help. (This goes without saying and I had to skip a ton of these also or that is all I would have. Apparently Lori’s are very needy.)

Lori needs – magic. (Hell yeah. This would solve a lot of those "Lori needs help" issues.)

Lori needs – friends. (I wouldn’t know what to do with them. I am a horrible friend.)

Lori needs – a gelato machine. (Man, if it would make the lemon gelato I had in Rome – I’m in.)

Lori needs – to let herself off the hook. (I wouldn’t even know how. I have taken self deprecation to an art form.)

Lori needs – surgery. (….OK….)

Lori needs – to live. (Maybe that goes with the surgery thing. Or maybe I am not doing enough living. Roll of the dice there.)

Lori needs – a liver transplant. (Well, there you go … the surgery. I don’t think that the diet cokes are rotting my liver, but you never know.)

And I am cheating – an 11th bonus one since it is hysterical:
Lori needs – to wonder what she’s done to make the residents of her very own town hate her. (Hmmmm. I am not very likeable, but a whole town hating me? Not sure there.)

Ooops!

So Charlie and I have a routine every morning. Do we walk a mile? No. Do we sit down and read scriptures together? No. Do I throw the Frisbee for her? Of course not, it would land on the neighbors roof. We go for a drive. I roll the window down and she sticks her head out. She LOVES it.

The fact that we end up at Sonic purchasing a Route 44 diet coke with cherry and lime has nothing to do with it (they are cheaper before 11:00am), just an ends to a means. It takes me all day to finish it if that is any consolation to this budding addiction of mine.

So ... this morning I am picking up before the cleaning lady comes and the house is a disaster from de-Christmasing yesterday. Ryans room is a disaster since he, once again, ignored me to pick up before she comes, so I shut the door.

Then it's time. Our time together, our bonding, special time. When I pick up my keys she always comes running and off we go. I pick up the keys. Nothing.

Me: "Charlie, lets go!"

Silence

Me: "Charlie Bear?"

Nothing

I assume she is still sulking from Gary being gone and decide to go without her. Hate to ruin a straight run and, well, that Sonic drink was calling.

Me clinking my keys: "Charlie, I'm leaving"

Nothing. Out the door I go.

Come home.

Now, generally when I come home she is at the back door jumping up and down excited. Because I am home? No. Because she gets a treat for keeping the house free of pirates and such. No Charlie.

I sit down, take a sip, relax and start to think that maybe I really do have a serious addiction. No Charlie.

Now I am worried. Is she sick? Is she dead? Ick, if she is dead, what do I do?

Then it hits me, every morning she goes and lays down on Ryans bed for her morning to noon nap. Oooops. I go upstairs and open the door to a seriously berserk dog.

She got a treat.

Where Did They Go?

"Not a Happy Camper"

His words not mine ....

I am not feeling as sorry for myself anymore. Just got a call from Gary. The limo picked him up at 4:30 yesterday, and he is at the airport in Brisbane, Australia - do the math - 24 hours - ick. And his bag didn't make it. He is headed to the office right now, in clothes he tried to sleep in (it is summer vacation over there and he said a ton of families with screaming babies were coming home from visiting the States) and then off to buy something to wear tomorrow.

I will put away Christmas any day over that. I might even go grocery shopping ... and enjoy it.

So Not Worth It

Call me The Grinch - this sucked.

But I am done! I think. I keep finding things that I forgot to box up.

Found 'Em

I know y'all were breathlessly waiting ...

Charlies Acting Weird ... Again

Let me preface this with Charlie is creepy-smart. She is the smartest dog we have owned. OK, and I am out of bed, but what do you expect when you go to bed at 6:30.

As you can see in the 'spooning' photo in an earlier post, Gary and Charlie are virtually inseparable. She adores him. Mainly because he throws a Frisbee for her. Catching Frisbees probably comes before food and water on Charlies list of importance.

When Gary pulls out a suitcase and starts packing, Charlie starts getting weird. She has figured out that when that big thing with all the clothes goes out the door with Gary, he doesn't come home for awhile. But she always has a sliver of hope. If a dog can look depressed, Charlie has it down while Gary is packing and she is watching.

It starts out with her sitting by the door or on the staircase looking out the door. You can't get her to move, she is holding vigil that maybe this time it was just some cruel joke or mistake and he will be back any minute. I was in bed and usually Charlie would be right there where she always is when Gary is not in the bed, sleeping like a human on Garys side, her head on his pillow ... worshipping his scent, I suppose. I walked out to tell her he wasn't coming home and to come lay down by me. She was at the door staring out. She turned her head to look at me for a second, then just turned it back and continued staring out the door.

Then she gives up. She figures out he is not coming home and goes off into some corner of the house to moon over the fact that her master is gone and she does not know when her next Frisbee fix is going to come. I have no idea where she is right now - I have even called her name.

No go.

Same Old Same Old

The limo service picked Gary up at 4:30, I took Jessie back to Richmond State School when she asked to go back, came home and threw up.

I'm goin' to bed....

Lost Angels

Took the tree down today. It's a start. OK, I cannot put it away and since Gary is going to be gone for two weeks, well, it was time. The ex-garden area is looking very empty:

My job was to take off the ornaments. Most have their very own box - partly because I am anal and partly because I have collected them from all over and came in boxes, so why not store them in them - it identifies it and is generally form fitted to the ornament. Anyway ... I'm boxing up my ornaments and I keep looking for the Swarovski boxes thinking I should take my most expensive / breakable angels off first before they plummet to the ground ... and the boxes are no where to be found. I vaguely remember putting them somewhere so that I would remember where they were. That worked out really well. Why I didn't put them in the trunk with all the other empty boxes beats me. So my angels are lost, laying on my very cluttered desk looking forlorn, and fragile.

Sometimes I wonder if I really even have a brain at all ...

What!?!

So Gary and I are in the truck driving somewhere tonight and he is talking about some things he needs to do and uses the phrase 'since I am going to be gone for four weeks out of the next five' and continues on. I'm sort of paying attention, saying uh huhn, yeah ... whatever. Then I hear it again 'I am going to be gone four weeks out of the next five' and this time it actually sticks to my brain.

Me: "Whoa, back the horse up Nelly ... WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?'

Gary: "I needed to get the scout camp reservation done?"

Me: "No, the part with the four weeks out of the next five"

Gary: "What? I'm going to be gone four weeks out of the next five." Then he proceeds to give me his itinerary. "I told you this." He says.

Me: "You told me you were going to Australia on Sunday for two weeks, the rest, I don't think so, or I wasn't paying attention."

Probably the latter, but either way I am screwed. Have you noticed how weird I get when he is gone? Yeah, multiply that by, well, a bunch. Prepare for major rambling on my blog.

I'm in trouble.

Blog Block, Again

I come up with a big blank every time I go to post a 'daily blog' so I decided to post one of my photos. It seems everything is so dull and drab and not 'spring-ey' here so I went with 'Green':

I liked todays quote too:

I can't seem to stop!

New Toys

Got a new version of Photoshop today and bought some textures to put on top of photos or 'paper' and various other things and thought I would post this dang picture since it took me so long to figure out how to give it texture and age it. Whew!

Yippy!

"Girly Stuff"

I've been busy keeping my mind off this anxious feeling that is apparently there for no reason whatsoever. Jessie is fine, I don't seem depressed, just this panicked feeling. Not a full blown panic attack, just ... anxious - like something bad is coming. So I have been learning scrapbooking.

It seemed a 'not me' kind of thing, but in looking - it seems to make your web pages and blog sites look ever so much nicer. So while I didn't think I did 'girly things', I definitely like how it looks!

So, while everyone slept these last 4 nights, I scoured the web, found some wonderful websites on digital scrapbooking, found tons of free graphics and taught myself the 'girly' parts of Adobe Photoshop and Corel Paint Shop Pro. For some reason, hoarding, downloading and organizing my ever growing file system of graphics seemed to envelope me in a comforting blanket of peace and while I was doing it - I was calm. I have absolutely no idea why. I am seeing double from averaging 2 hours of sleep for the last 5 days, but hey! I have graphics!

I have definitely put a dent in my hard drive - so I need to stop. Decided I needed to get busy doing something rather than preparing to do something. And since my only goal for this site other than rambling is to never show any part of my body but my feet - I needed to come up with an alternate source of photos to fill in all the pretty frames I downloaded.

I get an e-mail from Real Simple Magazine every day with a quote of the day. This was the one for today so I decided to get my virtual scissors and glue some stuff on a virtual piece of paper and just see how it turned out. (Like the quote too):

It needs work, but for being sleep deprived and a beginner ... well, lets just say I have room to improve.

Grrrrrrrr....

I received a package today for Jessie from the Hart's. They are: Gary's sister Cherri, her husband Steve and their youngest daughter Ashley. The note says that Ashley wanted to send Jessie a Christmas Box. It is a wonderful assortment of Disney Princess stuff that she will LOVE. The note is written (I think) by Steve and signed Steve and Ashley - but I am assuming Cherri was not being a conscientious objector or anything...

So ... you ask - why the 'Grrrrr'? Well, I'm reading this lovely note and they mentioned that they sent it to us since last time they sent something to her, they were not sure if she got it. "LAST TIME"?!? Arrrrrr - I am so mad that I didn't know or that Richmond State School didn't tell me, or ... I don't know. I don't know if they should be required to tell me, but there it is again - stuff happening and me not knowing about it. This is especially frustrating because of the 'Thank You' issue. We didn't know, so we did not thank them - and most of all - had we known, we would have had Jessie call.

Cherri is the only one of my siblings / siblings-in-law that actually reads my blog on a regular basis - and Cherri - I don't want you to feel bad that I am frustrated. I am thrilled you sent something to Jessie. I am sure she loved what ever you sent last time! Sorry I didn't know about it. I will give you a call, and better yet - Jessie will give Ashley a call next Sunday (as soon as I get her number).

I guess we will have to work kinks like this out. I guess I can ask them to hold any packages for Jessie, then I would know and could ... oh, and there it is right there. Was going to say "control the situation." That in a nutshell is what is hard giving up: control. And here I was thinking I was not a control freak.

Jessies' Visit

As per our usual Sunday schedule Jessie was here. Gary has been frustrated that I have not done more with her when she is here. They usually watch a movie, and childrens movies are really not my thing I can't stand sitting through one. I know I should spend more time with her, but shushing her during a movie doesn’t really sound like quality time to me.

I came up with a brilliant idea today – have Jessie surf Disney.com while I worked (ok, played) on my computer. Since they are both at separate desks in our office, I was right there to get her out of jams and we talked the entire time she was ‘surfing’.

It was enjoyable and she did occasional ‘fly bys’ to see Gary – so everyone was involved and spending time with each other. And for all you out there going ‘She is on the computer on Sunday?’ Hell yeah – it keeps me sane.

I snapped a few photos of her while she was here. She looks thinner to me, but I see her every week. Let me know if you think she looks like she is losing weight. She is on a restricted diet and I think it is working (and the fact that she cannot raid the pantry at RSS).

I like the photo. It is very difficult to get a good picture of Jessie so I will take what I can get.

Four nights ago I had a horrific night of very unsettling dreams. I cannot really remember all of them but I know that some included Jessie and I woke very disturbed. It has haunted me enough for the past 3 nights that I have avoided going to bed. The first night I didn’t go at all and the other two I went to bed between three and four and was up by seven since my dreams in the daytime are never good.

I couldn’t put my finger on what was bothering me, but I was just anxious about her, so seeing her today - looking well dressed, clean, etc, having her give me a tour of her room, finding everything there and in its place helped me a great deal. I haven’t gone so far as to say sleep is an option … but I am getting there …

Lego Town

Gary was busy over the holidays. After he finished his wood project, he still had days of vacation - so he got our new TV room looking nice then spent hours and hours watching movies and assembling the rest of last years lego building and all of this years. It was very nice of him, he didn't really want to do it, but I wanted to see them done.

It is an adorable little block. Very 'Europeanish'. It reminds me of houses we saw at LegoLand in Denmark. It is a lovely addition to my toy collection in the TV room:

Lego Town:

Calendars

I love calendars. Don't know why, I just like to know what day it is from my desk which ever way I look.

I remember reading in a few peoples blogs how they enjoy a new month - to be able to turn the page and start with a completely new page, free of all the junk that gets written on their calendar throughout the month.

Since I keep everything in my electronic calendar on my computer, phone and hand held, my months stay pretty clean so I hadn't really thought of that before.

But as I got out my calendars for 2009, I realized that I liked the blankness / clean slate of them all. I didn't feel like making any resolutions this year since I rarely keep them and it makes me discouraged and cynical in making any, so I didn't give it a moments thought.

But as I looked at these calendars surrounding my desk, I realized that the year was a blank slate - and I was going to start filling the days regardless of whether or not I made resolutions, whether or not I actually wrote something down on a calendar - the days would be filled with my doing ... or not doing. Filled with how I lived my life, reacted to situations ... all of it.

It gave me pause for a second.

I am struggling with some heavy things right now and it has been hard, and scary - not knowing what the future would bring for my children and our family. These are things that are not totally in my control, but the decisions I make, how I react to situations that will arise, how I fill my day, how I deal with the stress ... that is all totally up to me.

I guess I will make a resolution that I work to make each day a day where I do the best I can - and if the best that day is laying in bed trying to get over an illness, or stop a migraine then I am going to try to know that was the best I could do and call it a good day. The rest, well it is going to happen, and I am sort of just along for the ride.

I choose to enjoy the sites along the way.

How Much Do You Remember About 2008?

Click on the clock to take the quiz: