Texting Can Be Deadly

I saw this clip on someone else's blog the other day and I can't stop thinking about it. This is pretty graphic and I can't quite figure out how they filmed it, but it makes you stop and think.



I know none of you would text while driving, so I'm preaching to the choir, but pass this video on to those that you know who do.

Trying to Be a Travel Agent Again

I used to be a travel agent. I booked reservations for people going on vacation all the time. I was pretty good at it, too. Today, I've been trying to find a package for Greg and his mom and me to visit San Francisco to see the King Tut exhibit, and I am having a HECK of a time. Can someone remind me how I used to do it? You'd think it would be way easier with the internet, but I think there are too many choices now!

So, has anyone stayed in San Francisco that can help me out? We ultimately want to end up at the De Young Museum in Golden Gate Park, which is about 20 miles from the airport. Would I be okay staying by the airport (which seems to be cheaper than down by the hotel) or am I going to be really mad that I booked a hotel so far away? Should I bite the bullet and pay $100 more a night for a hotel that doesn't have bed bugs? This is HARD!

Long Day

Whew. It's been a long day. Greg & I took the girls to the Strut Your Mutt walk, which was fun, but disappointingly underattended. We got there about 9:30, checked in, and started the walk before it actually started. We wanted to beat the crowds. Turns out there wasn't really a crowd to beat, but it was a nice walk at Lacamas Lake anyway. I'll post pictures tomorrow.

Then we spent the rest of the day looking for a chair for Greg. We drove all over the east side of Portland and hit almost every furniture store from Clackamas to Gresham. Who knew chair shopping was so exhausting?

We finally did find one for him. I hope he will finally be comfortable sitting in his own living room now. Keep your fingers crossed!

Stolen Off of Deb’s Facebook Page

I stole this off of Deb's Facebook page this morning.

Here are the ABCs of Me for your entertainment today.

A - Age: 39

B - Bed size: Queen, but it feels like a twin with two whippets who always hog the bed

C - Chore you hate: cleaning…especially the bathroom

D - Dog's name(s): Carmen and Sophie

E - Essential start your day item: Alarm clock

F - Favorite color(s): Green and purple

G - Gold or Silver: Gold

H - Height: 5'3"

I - Instruments you play: The radio, my iPod

J - Job title: administrative assistant

K - Kids: none

L - Living arrangements: house in Vancouver with hubby, 2 dogs, 2 cats, 2 bettas

M - Mom's name: Linda

N - Nicknames: Kris, Krissy, Bookworm, Midnight Flamingo

O - Overnight hospital stay other than birth: None; just day surgery stuff

P - Pet Peeve: Just one? I don’t know if I can narrow it down. How about: people that try to squeeze in to your lane at the last minute when they knew good and well that they needed that lane and just did it to not have to wait the half you just waited.

Q - Quote from a movie: "Does anyone ever ask you if you have a case of the Mondays?" "No, no, man. If someone did that, they'd get their ass kicked.” (I’m so sorry to copy, Deb, but this is my FAVORITE, too!)

R - Right or left handed: right

S - Siblings: None

T - Time you wake up: 5 am

U - Underwear: Yes…white cotton granny panties

V - Vegetable you dislike: Lima beans

W - Workout style: None. Oh, wait, yes, I do have one…letterboxing. I’ll happily hike 8 miles in a day for letterboxes.

X - X-rays you've had: left arm, right ankle, teeth, and I’m sure there are others I’ve forgotten

Y - Yesterday's best moment(s): Going to bed

Z - Zoo favorite: Flamingos (except the Oregon Zoo doesn’t have any. Can you believe that???)

Random, unplanned, spontaneous, drive-by guest post

That is all.
Please stay tuned.

I Need $305.90

I just found the ultimate jigsaw puzzle. Look at this puppy:



It’s called “Life, The Greatest Puzzle” and it is a mere 24,000 pieces. The thing measures 169” x 62” That’s 14.05 feet x 5.18 feet!

It’s a mere $289.95 plus $15.95 for shipping (the thing weighs 25 pounds, so that’s pretty good, actually).

And, according to the web site, no one from Washington or Oregon has put it together yet. At least not and gotten credit for it. Although why you would put together a 24,000 piece puzzle and not brag the hell out of it, I can’t imagine.

Strut Your Mutt

I am participating in a fundraiser for Second Chance Companions called Strut Your Mutt on August 29. Join me at Lacamas Park in Camas for the walk or make a pledge donation through me to this worthy charity today!

Second Chance Companions is a 501(c)3 non-profit pet adoption and referral organization dedicated to helping find deserving homes for animals in SW Washington and the Portland metro area who are homeless, or about to be homeless. They are a humane, no-kill organization staffed entirely by dedicated volunteers.

Although SCC does not run an independent shelter, they maintain a list of hundreds of pets just waiting to have a family of their own. If you are interested in adopting, and committed to providing a loving home for the duration of a pet's lifetime, please contact them.

Grumpy

I'm feeling grumpy tonight. Let's list why:

I'm not feeling good and I better not be getting sick from some fool who came to work with a cold and passed it on to me.

My copy of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix that is on my iPod (and iTunes) is missing at least 2 disks, which really annoys me.

My stupid freaking, frigging, fracking, futzing computer is so s l o w that it is driving me INSANE!

I can't decide where to take my vacaction.

I woke up drooling this morning.

I have a toothache.

Greg is mad at me that I've been spending so much time on stupid Farm Town.

I'm going to bed. Thank God this day is over.

My Favorite Toy

My favorite toy as a child was my doll. I had quite a few dolls, but my favorite ones were the Fisher Price My Friend Mandy dolls.

I had My Friend Mandy,

My Friend Jenny,

and later, My Friend Becky.


I clearly remember getting my first My Friend Mandy doll for Christmas in 1977. I was so thrilled! I actually had two Mandy dolls (first issue with pink rosebuds on her body and the second issue with yellow rosebuds on her body). I think I called the second one Mindy.

My cousin Deb had a Mandy doll, too. I think I probably made her name it something else, because I was bossy and older. We had so much fun with those dolls. We probably played the equivalent of 5 years straight with them.

Of course, being that I was a spoiled only child, I had every outfit imaginable for those dolls. I remember going to Toys-R-Us and looking to see if any new ones had been released and being so excited when there was something new. My mom made me a ton more clothes for them, too.

Deb's daughter Samantha has them now. I hope she is enjoying them as much as her mother and I did when we were little girls. I wonder if anyone has a picture of us playing with those dolls? That would make an awesome scrapbook page.

500th Post

Hey, I missed it, but yesterday's post was the 500th post since I started my blog. Whee!

It's amazing how I have managed to post 500 times with nothing interesting to say.

Zoo Pictures

Here are some pictures of my trip to the zoo yesterday. Because my computer is so old and slow I can't use Elements any more, so I can't clean these pictures up at all.

I can't remember what these animals were called. I think they look like whippets with an extra long neck. They are very elegant.


I have 10,000 pictures of Samudra the baby elephant. Here he is laying on his side, showing off.


Here's Samudra by his mom's legs.


Samudra walking.


A monkey. Don't remember what kind, but I like his face.


All the lorikeets were molting, so they didn't look all that pretty. This one posed nicely for me in the tree so I couldn't see his ratty feathers.


A giraffe eating. They are very elegant looking animals, too.


Some kind of duck. Should do better at remembering the names, huh?


Here's a red lorikeet.


This Zebra was lounging in the sun. He looked so comfortable. When I looked closer I saw that you could see his teeth!



I have lots more pictures, mostly of Samudra. But you can watch the video on the post before this one if you want to see how cute he is!

Look at the Baby!

The baby elephant will be a year old on Sunday, but I finally got to the zoo to see him. I got a little video of him playing in the water. It's not great, but it is cute. Ignore the stupid talking in the background. I haven't figured out how to turn the sound off yet.

Meetings Suck

I hate night meetings. Once a month I am the administrative support for the finance committee and have a meeting that starts at 7 p.m. and goes until around 9 p.m. My alarm goes off at 5:00 a.m. and I generally leave the house about 6:00 - 6:15 a.m. I start work at 7.

If you can do math at all, you can tell this makes for a very, very long day. I usually take an hour or so before the meeting to eat and have a break, but it still ends up being at least a 12 hour day.

I have to say though, that the comp time is appreciated!

P.S. If you look at the time on this post you might wonder how I managed to get this post done when I was supposed to be in a meeting. Two words: Boring meeting!

Five Questions I Need Answers To

1. What is fun about “fun sized” candy bars? They are tiny. What is fun about that? Wouldn’t the giant sized candy bars be a lot more fun?

2. If Bruce Lee movies weren’t so badly dubbed, would they still be stupid? (although the fighting is totally kick a$$)

3. Why do all the movies they play on “Movies That Don’t Suck” actually suck? Is this supposed to be irony?

4. Why do all firemen seem to have mustaches?

5. Why does it always rain right after you wash your car?

Zinger is Such A Treat Snob

After we ran out of kitty Greenies, I tried to find them at several stores with no luck. So I had to buy some cheap knock off treats...Pounce or something. Cleo will eat them just fine, but Zinger would rather go without treats than to eat such plebian fare.

Tonight I forgot and grabbed the old treats, and sure enough, he wouldn't eat them. I brought out the Greenies (same flavor...beef) and he was more than happy to nibble on a few.

He's such a weird cat sometimes.

Dishwasher

I love my dishwasher. I can put dirty dishes in it and they come out clean. I know. You are wondering why that is such a revelation since that is what dishwashers are supposed to do. That's not how it worked at my house until recently.

When we built our house 11 years ago, we didn't really think much about the dishwasher when we chose our appliances. Wherever they could this home builder put in cheap crap. We were too stupid to realize that included the appliances, so we just got the basic old dishwasher. Right from the start you had to wash the dishes before putting them in the dishwasher. As time went on, you had to make sure they were a little bit cleaner. Then they had to practically be clean before putting them in the dishwasher. Then finally, a few months ago the dishwasher died.

Those of you who know me, know that I am really lazy and hate doing dishes. I'll let them all pile up on the counter until we have no clean dishes before I'll haul my butt in there and do it. I know, if you do a little at a time it doesn't take as long. But if you have to wash the dishes before putting them in the dishwasher to get clean it's really annoying, so I just didn't like to do it.

After the old dishwasher died, we bought one that said you could just put the dishes in it without pre-washing. Yeah, right. I wasn't going to believe that. It took me a few loads to get it. You CAN put dirty dishes in the dishwasher and have them come out clean! It's a total miracle!

You can put a week old bowl that was used for oatmeal in the dishwasher without pre-cleaning it and have it come out sparkling clean!

I know. I need to get out more since a dishwasher can make my day. Sad, isn't it?

From My Inbox

Some of the artists of the 60's are revising their hits with new lyrics to accommodate aging baby boomers. They include:

Bobby Darin ---
Splish, Splash, I Was Havin' a Flash.

Herman's Hermits ---
Mrs. Brown, You've Got a Lovely Walker .

Ringo Starr ---
I Get By With a Little Help From Depends.

The Bee Gees -- -
How Can You Mend a Broken Hip.

Roberta Flack---
The First Time Ever I Forgot Your Face.

Johnny Nash ---
I Can't See Clearly Now.

Paul Simon---
Fifty Ways to Lose Your Liver

The Commodores ---
Once, Twice, Three Times to the Bathroom.

Marvin Gaye ---
I Heard It Through the Grape Nuts.

Procol Harem---
A Whiter Shade of Hair.

Leo Sayer ---
You Make Me Feel Like Napping.

The Temptations ---
Papa's Got a Brand New Kidney Stone.
Abba---
Denture Queen.

Tony Orlando ---
Knock 3 Times On The Ceiling If You Hear Me Fall.

Helen Reddy ---
I Am Woman, Hear Me Snore.

Leslie Gore ---
It's My Procedure, and I'll Cry If I Want To.

And Last but NOT least

Willie Nelson ---
On the Commode Again

Lucy The Slut

For all my musical friends out there. I found this "interview" with Avenue Q's star, Lucy the Slut and thought I'd share! The rest of you won't get this, but that's okay.

Lucy The Slut — star of Broadway's long-running musical Avenue Q — fills out Playbill.com's questionnaire with random facts, backstage trivia and pop culture tidbits.




Full given name:
Lucy The Slut

Hometown:
None of your f#@%ing business

Zodiac sign:
What's the one with the crabs? That one.

Audition song:
Oh, sugar, I don't audition. I get offered gigs outright. Though sometimes I do hafta seal the deal by dancing one of my specialties: the Backseat Samba, the Horizontal Hula, or the Mattress Mambo.

Special skills:
Ball juggling, cigar smoking, pony riding, muffin buttering, carpet cleaning, candlewick dipping, nut cracking, rock climbing, tool grinding, pipe laying, clock winding, pearl diving, and basket weaving.

First Broadway show ever saw:
Does the peep show at 42nd and 8th count? Changed my life…

If you could go back in time and catch any Broadway show, what would it be?
I'd rather meet my Broadway boys after they're done for the night and slam dollar shots at the Port Authority bowling alley. That's Broadway for me.

Current show you have been recommending to friends:
I WAS recommending In the Heights as a favor to Lin-Manuel, cuz he and I had our own little weekly matinee in his dressing room, but ever since he left the show, that [Spanish expletive] doesn't return my calls.

Favorite show tune:
Is "Superfreak" from a musical?

Most played song on your iPod:
"%#@$ the Pain Away" by Peaches

Web obsession:
I don't obsess about the internet, men on the internet obsess about me.

Last book you read:
"The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet" — why are you looking at me like that? I read. Motherf#@%er.

Must-see TV show:
"Hung"

Last good movie you saw:
"Harry Potter and the Half-Pierced Prince Albert"

Favorite board/card game:
Take your pick: Strip Poker, Strip Go Fish, Strip Twister, Strip Boggle

Performer you would drop everything to go see:
Lover, I did drop everything to see Justin Timberlake, if you know what I mean. And believe you me, the view was tasty.

Pop culture guilty pleasure:
I'm only admittin' this cuz I'm on my third Long Island Iced Tea, but I love that "Tori and Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood." Their disgustingly sweet relationship almost makes me want to get hitched myself someday. Then it goes to commercial and I come back to my senses.

First stage kiss:
Does it count as a kiss if it wasn't my lips? Or his?

Worst onstage mishap:
I'm a professional. Whenever something goes wrong on stage, I know how to handle it so no one ever remembers. I flash my %#$&.

Who have you played on "Law & Order"? Which edition?
I've come so close to playing almost every dead hooker you've ever seen on those shows, but they always decide to go with someone "less fuschia and less felty."

Pets' names?
I have a snake named Pleasure and a gerbil named Richard. I keep them separated.

Favorite junk food:
Hot dogs and popsicles.

Who would play you in the movie?
Chelsea Handler

Leading lady role you've been dying to play:
Hedda Gabler. Don't look at me like that. I have range! Motherf%$#ing…

Shuffle Part 2

I did this post back in May 2008, but I thought it would be fun to do it again, especially now that I have uploaded my entire library on my iPod.

RULES:
1. Put Your iTunes, Windows Media Player, ETC on Shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS. (I’m going to make one exception here because I have so many books on tape on my iPod, I’ll press next until I hit an actual song.)
4. Put any comments in brackets after the song name.
5. Put this on your journal.


1. If someone says, "Is this okay?" You say?

Under Separate Cover from the musical A Class Act

2. How would you describe yourself?

Careless Whispers by WHAM!

3. What do you like in a guy?

Romancin’ the Blues by Linda Eder

4. How do you feel today?

Let Me Finish! From the musical Song and Dance

5. What is your life's purpose?

Streak of Madness from the musical Jekyll & Hyde

6. What is your motto?

Roam by the B52’s.

7. What do your friends think of you?

Jerusalem by Charlotte CHurch

8. What do you think of your parents?

Let’s Stay Together by Pat Benatar

9. What do you think about very often?

Last Night of the World from the musical Miss Saigon

10. What is 2 + 2?

The Lord of the Dance from Michael Flatley’s Lord of the Dance soundtrack

11. What do you think of your best friend?

Oh, Mein Papa, by Eddie Calvert (I have no idea who this even is!)

12. What do you think of the person you like?

The Noisy Curlew, Farewell to Erin from A Taste of Ireland (collection of Irish songs)

13. What is your life story?

Damned for All Time/Blood Money from the musical Jesus Christ Superstar

14. What do you want to be when you grow up?

T-E-A-M from the musical You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown

15. What do you think of when you see the person you like?

Judas’ Death from the musical Jesus Christ Superstar

16. What will you dance to at your wedding?

Tonight It’s You by Cheap Trick

17. What will they play at your funeral?

Lio by Rick Springfield

18. What is your hobby/interest?

Tomorrow Night by Elvis Presley

19. What is your biggest fear?

All About Ruprecht from the musical Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
I think this one is really funny. This is from a famous scene in the 1988 movie that inspired the musical had Michael Caine passing himself off as a Prince and introducing a clingy, rich, would-be wife to his ape-like, mentally unstable "brother," named Ruprecht, whose appalling behavior included relieving himself at the dinner table.

The horror that is Ruprecht remains in the new musical re-imagining of the story, created by composer-lyricist David Yazbek, librettist Jeffrey Lane, director Jack O'Brien and choreographer Jerry Mitchell. On stage, John Lithgow is suave con man Lawrence Jameson and Norbert Leo Butz is his partner in crime, Freddy, who masquerades as addled Ruprecht.

Creating a Ruprecht sequence to rival the film, the musical has the brothers singing a child-like laundry-list song called "All About Ruprecht" that keeps topping itself, all in an effort to unhook a vulgar Oklahoma heiress. (Showing off Yazbek's dexterity, the song's verse rivals Noel Coward and includes topical references to modern royals).


20. What is your biggest secret?

Evening Primrose by Bernadette Peters

21. What do you think of your friends?

Tempted by Squeeze

Xtra Sharp

My good friend Rinda got me started on this energy tonic called Xtra Sharp. It’s an all-natural blend of herbs and minerals that acts as an energy booster. It is the foulest tasting thing you will ever put in your mouth. One review I read on the web described it as a “having a deathly ill monkey shitting into your mouth.” While I’ve never had the pleasure of meeting a deathly ill monkey, I think that about sums it up. But this stuff is amazing. It helps clear the fuzzies from my head and keeps me alert and going for hours. And there is no crash when it starts to wear off.

So here’s what’s in it…

Ingredients:

Xtra Sharp contains a proprietary blend of concentrated herbal extracts (525 mg per 30 ml).

* Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) herb aids absorbtion of nutrients, cellular detoxifier.
* Angelica (Angelica archangelica L.) root used as an invigorating tonic.
* Celery (Apium graveolens L.) seed cleansing properties and antiseptic action, diuretic and blood cleanser
* Chamomile (Matricaria recutita L.) flower sedative, pain killer, anti-inflammatory.
* Damiana (Turnera diffusa W.) leaf helps to regenerate hormones.
* Dandelion (Taraxacum off. W.) root has a significant cleansing action on liver and pancreas.
* Echinacea (Ech. Angustifolia DC.) root stimulating immune system, anti-cold remedy.
* Gentian (Gentiana lutea L.) root increases the absorption of nutrients, aphrodisiac, digestive acid.
* Ginkgo Biloba (Ginkgo Biloba L.) leaf improves circulation, memory enhancer.
* Ginseng (Panax ginseng C Meyer) root improves athletic performance.
* Grape (Vitis vinifera L.) seed detoxifier.
* Guarana (Paullina cupana H.B.K.) seed used for boosting energy levels.
* Horehound (Marrubium vulgare L.) herb acts to normalize heart rhythm, cough remedy.
* Licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra L.) root anti-inflammatory, cough suppressant, good for asthma.
* Milk Thistle (Silybum marianum L.) fruit improves liver function, glactagogue.
* Passion Flower (Passiflora incarnata L.) herb can reduce anxiety, calming effect on central nervous system, dilates blood vessels.
* Polygala (Polygala senega L.) root fever and inflammation reducing substance.
* Sarsaparilla (Smilax aristoloch M.) root tonic with aphrodisiac properties.
* Saw Palmetto (Serenoa repens Bart.) fruit tonic that can strengthen bladder, antiseptic.
* Spirulina (Spirulina pratensis) algae immune system enhancer.
* Thyme (Thymus vulgaris L.) leaf tonic for the immune system, laryngitis, fatigue, colds, and flu.

Other ingredients:

Spring water, maltitol, glycerin, caramel color, potassium hydroxide, natural flavors, potassium hydroxide, methylparaben and propylparaben as preservatives.

I like the “natural flavors” part of the other ingredients list.

So if you need a great energy booster and feel like you can handle the taste, I highly recommend it. You can order it here.

BTW, it comes in a fruit flavored version, but I think that tastes even worse.

End of my commercial.

Superpowers

As some of my faithful readers may have noticed, I am attempting to post on my blog every day for a month. I’m not entirely sure I remember why I wanted to do this, but I put it on my 101 in 1001 list (found at my WYSIWYG Girl site) so therefore it must be done! I have been sadly lacking in any posts of substance for the past week. I’ve lamely posted stuff but nothing too interesting…mostly because I’ve run out of ideas. You guys have heard about my opinions on stuff and I can’t think of anything new to opine on. I could tell you more about my Farm Town addiction, or whine about my floors, or talk about how great my pets are, or how tired I am of being overweight, or how tired I am of being broke, but even I am bored with those topics, so I can’t imagine that you want to hear about them…again. The official theme according to NaBloPoMo is “tomorrow” but I think that is boring as well. I haven’t done anything remotely interesting lately that I could blog about. Work is boring, so I can’t blog about that. The pets haven’t even done anything interesting.

So I went online and did a search of blog topics (I’m such an internet nerd). Wow, there are some really boring ideas out there. But I ran across this site that I thought had some promising topics.

I thought I might write about “My Worst Injury Ever.” Then I realized this one has been done to death also, since my worst injury ever was when I broke my ankle. (if you’d like to revisit it, here’s the link) That is pretty well chronicled on this blog already. So that won’t work.

Then I thought about “My Favorite Vacation.” Well, this one was hard because I’ve loved all my vacations. The month I spent in New Zealand, the trip to Canada with my parents, grandmother and cousin Deb, and the first trip Greg & I took together are among my favorite favorites. I have lots of happy memories of all my trips, but not too many pictures I can post about them here because the pictures are from back when we used film to take pictures (remember that?). And if you will notice on my WYSIWYG Girl site, number 81 is still there as untouched: “81. Scan all negatives into the computer and store on some kind of lasting media.” So I should really save that idea until I can show you pictures with my descriptions.

Now I’ve finally decided to go with the “If I Had a Superpower” topic. I may have mentioned this one before, but I can’t remember. So I’ll do it now.

I’ve never been very good at just picking one thing. I don’t have one favorite movie or one favorite book or even one favorite food, so it’s kind of hard for me to limit myself to choosing just one superpower. I’ve always thought it would be great to be able to be invisible. Who wouldn’t want that as a superpower? And it would be nice to be able to see through things. I can think of a lot of practical applications for that one. If I was invisible I wouldn’t need super hearing because I could just go wherever and eavesdrop. And super hearing is Greg’s superpower and it’s a pain. If a fly fs down the street he can hear it and it wakes him up, so that one is out. Then I looked up “superpowers” in Google (see above internet nerd comment) to get some more ideas and found this whole big list to chose from.

So now I REALLY can’t choose just one.

But here’s one not on the list that I like. I’ve decided I want to be able to have the power to give and take away weight from people. If someone is sick and underweight, I’d be happy to give them some extra. Those that are packing around a few extra pounds, if they are nice to me, just might wake up to find they lost 20 pounds overnight! And those people that annoy me better watch out…I could use my powers for evil! If you are a meanie to me or mine you just might wake up to find you gained 50 pounds inexplicably. That’ll teach you!

Boy, I need to get a life.

Almost...

I almost blew the whole NoBloPoMo thing tonight by forgetting to post. I don't have anything important to say, but I have to post something. I really need to search out some good blog topics. Anyone have any ideas?

Evita

I went and saw Evita at the Broadway Rose last night. It was a lot of fun because Julie's mom, sister, and niece came with us. We had a great dinner at Gustov's before hand.

I really enjoyed it. Great costumes, great singers, great performance. It got five thumbs up from our group!

This review of the play is amusing. I'm not sure, but I think the author doesn't like the musical itself, although he seemed to like the perfomance.

Am I the Only One?

All right, people. Some of you have totally dropped the ball when it comes to blogging. Look down at my list of blogs I follow! Six out of the thirteen listed there haven’t posted in more than 6 months! And only two of you have posted in the last month! I know you people are out doing interesting things…post!

Of course, while I am trying to do the NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month) this month I can’t brag about the substance of my posts. They’ve been pretty weak the last couple of days. But I am posting!

So get a move on people! Post! And Leah, when are you going to start your blog???? Or get on Facebook???? Or join the 21st century??? Okay that last one was a joke since you are an expert texter. And what happened to Mom's blog? And Greg's? I liked reading those!

And America Looses Another Great One

Did you see that John Hughes died? I’m devastated. There would have been no movies in the 80s worth watching without this man. Look at this list of movies he’s been involved with (thank you Wikipedia).

Writer

Delta House (1979) (TV Series)
National Lampoon's Class Reunion (1982)
At Ease (1983) (TV Series)
Mr. Mom (1983)
National Lampoon's Vacation (1983)
Nate and Hayes (1983) (with David Odell)
Sixteen Candles (1984)
The Breakfast Club (1985)
National Lampoon's European Vacation (1985; characters)
Weird Science (1985)
Pretty in Pink (1986)
Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)
Some Kind of Wonderful (1987)
Planes, Trains & Automobiles (1987)
She's Having a Baby (1988)
The Great Outdoors (1988)
Uncle Buck (1989)
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989)
Home Alone (1990)
Career Opportunities (1991)
Dutch (1991)
Curly Sue (1991)
Beethoven (1992) (as Edmond Dantes)
Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992)
Dennis the Menace (1993)
Baby's Day Out (1994)
Miracle on 34th Street (1994)
101 Dalmatians (1996)
Flubber (1997)
Home Alone 3 (1997)
Reach The Rock (1998)
Just Visiting (2001) (with Jean-Marie Poire & Christian Clavier)
Maid in Manhattan (2002; story) (originally titled The Chambermaid) (as Edmond Dantes)
Drillbit Taylor (2008; story) (as Edmond Dantes)

Director

Sixteen Candles (1984)
The Breakfast Club (1985)
Weird Science (1985)
Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)
Planes, Trains & Automobiles (1987)
She's Having a Baby (1988)
Uncle Buck (1989)
Curly Sue (1991)

Producer

The Breakfast Club (1985)
Pretty in Pink (1986; executive producer)
Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)
Some Kind of Wonderful (1987)
Planes, Trains & Automobiles (1987)
She's Having a Baby (1988)
The Great Outdoors (1988; executive producer)
Uncle Buck (1989)
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989)
Home Alone (1990)
Career Opportunities (1991)
Only the Lonely (1991)
Dutch (1991)
Curly Sue (1991)
Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992)
Dennis the Menace (1993)
Baby's Day Out (1994)
Miracle on 34th Street (1994)
101 Dalmatians (1996)
Flubber (1997)
Home Alone 3 (1997)
Reach the Rock (1998)
New Port South (2001; executive producer)

So what’s your favorite John Hughes film? There are so many classics here, I just don’t know which one to pick! Ferris Bueller is a big one, but so is Vacation. And Planes, Trains. And Some Kind of Wonderful. Oh, forget it. I can’t pick one!

Almost...

Oops. I almost forgot to post today. Thank goodness the dogs woke me up to go outside before midnight, huh?

And since I don't have anything to say...that's it for this post. Cheating? Maybe. Oh well!

Like a Turtle

Could my internet be any slower? I know I have an old computer, but where is the lightning fast internet connection I'm supposed to have with Comcast? It's so freaking annoying to have to wait 5 minutes for everything to happen. Grrr.

Okay, that's my gripe for the day.

Stupid Facebook

I am spending far to much time on Facebook these days. There are all these great games and people to talk to! It's so much fun. Maiden got me started playing Farm Town and I'm spending all my time begging for people to hire me to work on their farms. I feel like one of those homeless people you see on the off-ramps of the freeway. "Will plow for coins!"

Sad.

I'm Meeellltttiiinnnggg

When I was at the Relay, the Gresham Police were selling these cool little doll pins. You could pick the color of their swoosh and everything. I just fell in love with them. They were little plastic pins that the gal said they put in the oven to melt it all together.

Just a tip...don't leave these things in your car when it is in the 90s outside or they end up like this:




I have no idea how I will get this part off, since it seems to have become one with the seat upholstery.


See how the side of her dress just melted off?


If anyone has any ideas how to get this crap off the seat, I'm all ears. I don't think Goo Gone is up to the job!

August 2009 Bizarre and Unique Holidays

I found these fun holidays on the web and thought I'd share.

August, 2009 Bizarre and Unique Holidays
Month:
• Admit You're Happy Month
• Family Fun Month
• National Catfish Month
• National Eye Exam Month
• National Golf Month
• Peach Month
• Romance Awareness Month
• Water Quality Month
• National Picnic Month
Weekly Events:
• Week 1 National Simplify your Life Week
• Week 2 National Smile Week
• Week 3 Friendship Week
• Week 4 Be Kind to Humankind Week
Daily:
1 National Mustard Day first Saturday
1 National Raspberry Cream Pie Day
2 National Ice Cream Sandwich Day
2 Friendship Day - First Sunday in August
2 International Forgiveness Day - First Sunday in August
2 Sisters Day - First Sunday in August
3 National Watermelon Day
4 U.S. Coast Guard Day
5 Work Like a Dog Day
6 Wiggle Your Toes Day
7 National Lighthouse Day
8 Sneak Some Zucchini onto Your Neighbor's Porch Day - now that's nasty!
9 Book Lover's Day
10 Lazy Day
10 National S'mores Day
11 Presidential Joke Day
11 Son and Daughter Day
12 Middle Child's Day
13 Left Hander's Day
14 National Creamsicle Day
14/15 V-J Day - which dare do you mark the end of WWII?
15 Relaxation Day - now this one's for me!
16 National Tell a Joke Day
17 National Thriftshop Day
18 Bad Poetry Day
19 Aviation Day
20 Chinese Valentine's Day/Daughter's Day - 7th day of 7th Lunar Month
20 National Radio Day
21 Senior Citizen's Day
22 Be an Angel Day
22 National Tooth Fairy Day - and/or February 28
23 Ride the Wind Day
24 Vesuvius Day
25 Kiss and Make Up Day
26 National Dog Day
26 Women's Equality Day
27 Global Forgiveness Day
27 Just Because Day
28 Race Your Mouse Day -but we are not sure what kind of "mouse"
29 More Herbs, Less Salt Day
30 Frankenstein Day
30 Toasted Marshmallow Day
31 National Trail Mix Day

Relay

Well, I did the Relay for Life on Friday night. It wasn't quite what I expected, but it was fun, anyway. But, man, it was HOT!

Here is the majority of the team. People came and went a lot, so I was never entirely sure who was on the team and who was just visiting. I do know that Maiden is missing from this picture. She came later.


Here is the sign for our team. We are the Warrior Women!


Cancer survivers doing their survivor lap.


Pam our Warrior Women team captain.


Shannon.


The survivor on our team, Charlene. She fought breast cancer and won. She's been "clean" for FIVE years now.


I did two luminaria and somehow only ended up with the picture of my grandmothers. I did one for my neighbor Bonnie across the street because she has fought and won several times. I can't believe I didn't get a picture of it!



I liked this one that someone did.


My mom and dad and Dee came out to visit me and Ann, Wendy, Dakota, and Greg came out for a while too. They all walked some laps with me and we had a great time talking. Maiden came about 9:00 or so and we walked a lot together. All in all I think I did about 5 miles. I kind of lost track.

I'm still kind of sore today. I need to stop eating donuts and start exercising!

Anyone There?

Hellllllooooo? Anyone there?

Is anyone even reading my blog? I never get comments any more. This tells me that either I am so boring that you all fall asleep reading my posts, or I’m so uninteresting you can’t come up with anything to say.