I started this blog. So much has changed in the past two years, I can't begin to think about it. What I do know is that I haven't been as active a blogger in 2009 as I have been in the other years. There are probably several reasons for this and I was thinking about them this morning. Work, kids, life, etc.
However, if I chart my blogging activity over the last 24 months, there is one thing that stands out. When this thing started, my blogging became much more infrequent and random. No, I didn't have a stroke. Or a religious epiphany. Or anything like that. But it was a big thing for me . . . I changed my status from single to "in a relationship."
I think I was using this blog as a substitute for a intimate relationship.
Now stop it, those of you with dirty minds. I wasn't doing anything weird like THAT. Good grief. But the time I otherwise spent with my blog, I now spend with my boyfriend.
BARF.
I can't believe I just said that. I just threw up in my mouth a little. Am I that girl? I've spent a good portion of my life NOT being that girl. But really, how happy was I being that girl?
OK. I was fairly happy, some of the time. Nothing that compares to the happiness I have now, but I was doing fairly well.
Anyway, I'm not going anywhere. I mean, as a blogger. I'll still pop in once and awhile, just like always. I'll probably make a few rude comments here and there. I'm sure I'll hijack someone else's less-than-interesting story with my own much funnier story. (Now back to MY story . . . .)
Oh . . . and here's a thought. If people use their blogs as a substitute for an intimate relationship, what does that say about the bloggers who post multiple times a day?
Do you know you can go blind from that?
Showing posts with label Blogging. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Blogging. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Friday, April 3, 2009
Review of Two25
I was one of the bloggers that was not only invited to take part in the Blogger Dinner at Two25, but one of the few who actually attended. Never to be outdone, I actually ate at Two25 two Thursdays in a row, but this was based primarily on a miscommunication of my usual proportions, in addition to corresponding with people using two different email identities, and the general persistent clutter in my head.
Anyway, I was quite glad to eat twice at Two25 because it provides a better basis for my review. (In case some of you are wondering, I actually paid for my dinner the first time - I did not scam two comped dinners off of the joint.) Initially, I had wanted to eat the first week as an incognito restaurant-goer, but Katie blew my cover. I really liked the idea of comparing the food, service, and atmosphere when I go as a regular person and when I go as an invited potential food critic. However, unlike some bloggers who couldn’t be bothered to attend a free meal because of their "journalistic integrity," I never pass at a chance to eat out, whether I’m paying for it or not. And I’m sure that after you finish reading this review, you will know that I was not inappropriately swayed to gushing praise simply because they paid for one of my meals.
When I was first asked by Shane to come to the dinner, I asked him if he knew what he was getting into by inviting me to this dinner. I meant that in two ways; first because I have what some call a acerbic nitpicky way about me; and second, because I have a very different dining background that the average restaurant goer. I won’t expound too much on either one of those, except to say that the things that I noticed about Two25 that may be construed as criticisms are things that most average diners would not notice or care about.
And away we go . . . .
To make my evaluation complete, I ordered similar items both nights, but most not completely the same. So, at each dinner I had a before dinner drink, appetizer, salad, a glass of wine with dinner, entree, and dessert.
Service. The service was good both nights, but far superior at the "official" blogger dinner. Of course, that night, they had their "best man" Sam on the job and he did his job very well. I was also told that Sam was instrumental in choosing the wine list, which I was very impressed by, particularly because it included three Ridge wines. My only complaint about the service on the first night was that, even though I had ordered a glass of wine to go with my entree when I ordered the entree, the waitress did not bring the glass of wine to me until I was more than halfway done eating my entree. Wine goes with food and really becomes quite pointless if it isn’t there.
Before Dinner Drink. This is actually more a test of the bar than the restaurant and was one of the things I found lacking at Two25. I ordered a Cosmo the first time and a Gin and Tonic the second night. It is pretty hard to screw up at G&T, so that was fine. The Cosmo on the other hand, was not great. It arrived in a stemless glass (the wine was also served in stemless glasses, which is fine for a liquid that is not meant to be cold) and it was barely cool when I received it. Cosmos should be ice cold - the very best of them having a thin layer of ice floating on the top. Of course, the stemless glass didn’t help because the heat from my hand quickly eradicated any cold the drink possessed before it got to the table.
A Cosmo is a fairly common drink and easy to make. The bartender’s failure to make one appropriately speaks to either lack of experience or lack of good training. The next time I eat at Two25, I will probably skip any drinks other than wine.
Appetizers. The first night, the table had sauteed mushrooms and the second night, we had escargot. Both were good, not spectacular, but certainly good. The flavor of the mushrooms was nice but the presentation was lacking - it was really just a pile of mushrooms on a plate. The escargot were not in their shells, which I found odd, but were covered with a good sauce, toasted breadcrumbs, and bread. I thought the sauce was too garlicky (and I like a lot of garlic) and a little heavy-handed on the salt. I tasted another diner’s calamari and it was very, very good . . . not chewy at all and full of flavor. The calamari will be my appetizer next time.
Salad. I actually had the same salad both nights and I was glad I did for the sake of this review because something happened that is one of my pet peeves about salads. I had the Pear Salad, which is mixed greens, blue cheese, sliced pears, walnuts, dried cranberries, and strawberry vinaigrette. The first night, this salad was exceptional. Everything was fresh, the greens were dark and healthy, not a single chunk of iceberg in the bunch (iceberg lettuce should be the death of any restaurant charging more than $10 for an entree). I ordered it again the second night because it was so good.
Ahh . . . the old bait and switch. The same salad was horrible on the second night. The pears were too old, had dark spots, and had gone gritty. The greens were about half "real" greens and the other half emaciated iceberg, as if they had run low on real greens and tried to "pad" the salad with filler. Yuck. In my opinion, if you can’t make something up to the standards you aspire to every time, you should take it off the menu.
Entrees. The first night I had the Pan-Seared Duck Breast with a Lingonberry Chambord reduction, baby carrots, and potatoes au gratin. This was good, I ate the whole thing, but I’ve had much better. The duck breast was a little tough and chewy, although it had a nice crust of fat on it. The Lingonberry reduction was way too sweet, which must be pretty hard to achieve since lingonberries are fairly sour naturally. I like the interplay between sweet and savory, but this was too heavy on the sweet. The carrots were good, not overdone which is very important. The potatoes were also good, but lacking in salt or other flavor.
The second night I had the Rack of Lamb with red wine demi glace, steamed asparagus, and the potatoes au gratin. The lamb had very good flavor, although it was a little fattier than most rack of lamb I’ve had. The potatoes were exactly the same. I love asparagus and this was good asparagus, perfectly cooked so it still had crunch. The demi glace was minimally important to the plate flavor-wise. My biggest complaint was that the meal had clearly been plated for a long time prior to the lamb being added and sat under the heat lamps because the sauce had a faint skin on it. It didn’t destroy the good flavor of the meal, but it did put me off a little knowing my dinner had not been timed appropriately.
One of the best things about both entrees is that I asked for medium rare and I got medium rare. This is the make-it-or-break-it test for me and restaurants. Yes, I mean medium rare and when I get it, I am happy.
Desserts. The first night I had creme brulee, which in its most basic form is pretty hard to screw up. And this was good creme brulee - it had the requisite "break" when I tapped the sugar with my spoon. However, it was an exceedingly small portion made to look larger by placing it in a wide, but very shallow custard dish. I also tasted the chocolate mousse, which was passable. The second night, I had the caramel apple pie which was OK.
I have the following general comments about the experience.
First, the bartender needs to practice. The wine list is wonderful and the beer choices are probably the best in Peoria for this type of restaurant (too often fine dining restaurants eschew beer as some low-class drink. This is not so and I am glad Two25 understands this.)
Second, they need to get a better meat supplier. The duck and the lamb were both only OK, not great cuts of meat. The veal and steak I tried were also just OK. If you are going to charge between $24 and $42 for meat, you’d better back it up with some good meat.
Third, the menu is too long and trying to do too much. It should be considerably shortened and become focused on what the kitchen can do well. (As a side note, I noticed after writing this review that since we were there a week ago, the menu has been changed significantly. I hope a lot of thought went into this change.)
Fourth, they need a real pastry chef. The dessert menu screams "I was created by a professional chef who either can’t make desserts, doesn’t like desserts, or who didn’t take the pastry course in culinary school!!" There are chefs who are good at the dinner experience and completely lacking in the dessert experience. This chef is one of them. All of the desserts offered are things I could buy from the deli counter at the grocery store or make out of a box. Dessert is the last impression most diners get of a restaurant. I would hate to think these desserts are being used as that final message.
In conclusion, I think that most average restaurant-goers will have a good experience at Two25. Most people will not notice the things that I did and will come back again. I will certainly come back again, perhaps when they work out some of the kinks. It takes time to make a quality fine dining restaurant, particularly in a town like Peoria.
Anyway, I was quite glad to eat twice at Two25 because it provides a better basis for my review. (In case some of you are wondering, I actually paid for my dinner the first time - I did not scam two comped dinners off of the joint.) Initially, I had wanted to eat the first week as an incognito restaurant-goer, but Katie blew my cover. I really liked the idea of comparing the food, service, and atmosphere when I go as a regular person and when I go as an invited potential food critic. However, unlike some bloggers who couldn’t be bothered to attend a free meal because of their "journalistic integrity," I never pass at a chance to eat out, whether I’m paying for it or not. And I’m sure that after you finish reading this review, you will know that I was not inappropriately swayed to gushing praise simply because they paid for one of my meals.
When I was first asked by Shane to come to the dinner, I asked him if he knew what he was getting into by inviting me to this dinner. I meant that in two ways; first because I have what some call a acerbic nitpicky way about me; and second, because I have a very different dining background that the average restaurant goer. I won’t expound too much on either one of those, except to say that the things that I noticed about Two25 that may be construed as criticisms are things that most average diners would not notice or care about.
And away we go . . . .
To make my evaluation complete, I ordered similar items both nights, but most not completely the same. So, at each dinner I had a before dinner drink, appetizer, salad, a glass of wine with dinner, entree, and dessert.
Service. The service was good both nights, but far superior at the "official" blogger dinner. Of course, that night, they had their "best man" Sam on the job and he did his job very well. I was also told that Sam was instrumental in choosing the wine list, which I was very impressed by, particularly because it included three Ridge wines. My only complaint about the service on the first night was that, even though I had ordered a glass of wine to go with my entree when I ordered the entree, the waitress did not bring the glass of wine to me until I was more than halfway done eating my entree. Wine goes with food and really becomes quite pointless if it isn’t there.
Before Dinner Drink. This is actually more a test of the bar than the restaurant and was one of the things I found lacking at Two25. I ordered a Cosmo the first time and a Gin and Tonic the second night. It is pretty hard to screw up at G&T, so that was fine. The Cosmo on the other hand, was not great. It arrived in a stemless glass (the wine was also served in stemless glasses, which is fine for a liquid that is not meant to be cold) and it was barely cool when I received it. Cosmos should be ice cold - the very best of them having a thin layer of ice floating on the top. Of course, the stemless glass didn’t help because the heat from my hand quickly eradicated any cold the drink possessed before it got to the table.
A Cosmo is a fairly common drink and easy to make. The bartender’s failure to make one appropriately speaks to either lack of experience or lack of good training. The next time I eat at Two25, I will probably skip any drinks other than wine.
Appetizers. The first night, the table had sauteed mushrooms and the second night, we had escargot. Both were good, not spectacular, but certainly good. The flavor of the mushrooms was nice but the presentation was lacking - it was really just a pile of mushrooms on a plate. The escargot were not in their shells, which I found odd, but were covered with a good sauce, toasted breadcrumbs, and bread. I thought the sauce was too garlicky (and I like a lot of garlic) and a little heavy-handed on the salt. I tasted another diner’s calamari and it was very, very good . . . not chewy at all and full of flavor. The calamari will be my appetizer next time.
Salad. I actually had the same salad both nights and I was glad I did for the sake of this review because something happened that is one of my pet peeves about salads. I had the Pear Salad, which is mixed greens, blue cheese, sliced pears, walnuts, dried cranberries, and strawberry vinaigrette. The first night, this salad was exceptional. Everything was fresh, the greens were dark and healthy, not a single chunk of iceberg in the bunch (iceberg lettuce should be the death of any restaurant charging more than $10 for an entree). I ordered it again the second night because it was so good.
Ahh . . . the old bait and switch. The same salad was horrible on the second night. The pears were too old, had dark spots, and had gone gritty. The greens were about half "real" greens and the other half emaciated iceberg, as if they had run low on real greens and tried to "pad" the salad with filler. Yuck. In my opinion, if you can’t make something up to the standards you aspire to every time, you should take it off the menu.
Entrees. The first night I had the Pan-Seared Duck Breast with a Lingonberry Chambord reduction, baby carrots, and potatoes au gratin. This was good, I ate the whole thing, but I’ve had much better. The duck breast was a little tough and chewy, although it had a nice crust of fat on it. The Lingonberry reduction was way too sweet, which must be pretty hard to achieve since lingonberries are fairly sour naturally. I like the interplay between sweet and savory, but this was too heavy on the sweet. The carrots were good, not overdone which is very important. The potatoes were also good, but lacking in salt or other flavor.
The second night I had the Rack of Lamb with red wine demi glace, steamed asparagus, and the potatoes au gratin. The lamb had very good flavor, although it was a little fattier than most rack of lamb I’ve had. The potatoes were exactly the same. I love asparagus and this was good asparagus, perfectly cooked so it still had crunch. The demi glace was minimally important to the plate flavor-wise. My biggest complaint was that the meal had clearly been plated for a long time prior to the lamb being added and sat under the heat lamps because the sauce had a faint skin on it. It didn’t destroy the good flavor of the meal, but it did put me off a little knowing my dinner had not been timed appropriately.
One of the best things about both entrees is that I asked for medium rare and I got medium rare. This is the make-it-or-break-it test for me and restaurants. Yes, I mean medium rare and when I get it, I am happy.
Desserts. The first night I had creme brulee, which in its most basic form is pretty hard to screw up. And this was good creme brulee - it had the requisite "break" when I tapped the sugar with my spoon. However, it was an exceedingly small portion made to look larger by placing it in a wide, but very shallow custard dish. I also tasted the chocolate mousse, which was passable. The second night, I had the caramel apple pie which was OK.
I have the following general comments about the experience.
First, the bartender needs to practice. The wine list is wonderful and the beer choices are probably the best in Peoria for this type of restaurant (too often fine dining restaurants eschew beer as some low-class drink. This is not so and I am glad Two25 understands this.)
Second, they need to get a better meat supplier. The duck and the lamb were both only OK, not great cuts of meat. The veal and steak I tried were also just OK. If you are going to charge between $24 and $42 for meat, you’d better back it up with some good meat.
Third, the menu is too long and trying to do too much. It should be considerably shortened and become focused on what the kitchen can do well. (As a side note, I noticed after writing this review that since we were there a week ago, the menu has been changed significantly. I hope a lot of thought went into this change.)
Fourth, they need a real pastry chef. The dessert menu screams "I was created by a professional chef who either can’t make desserts, doesn’t like desserts, or who didn’t take the pastry course in culinary school!!" There are chefs who are good at the dinner experience and completely lacking in the dessert experience. This chef is one of them. All of the desserts offered are things I could buy from the deli counter at the grocery store or make out of a box. Dessert is the last impression most diners get of a restaurant. I would hate to think these desserts are being used as that final message.
In conclusion, I think that most average restaurant-goers will have a good experience at Two25. Most people will not notice the things that I did and will come back again. I will certainly come back again, perhaps when they work out some of the kinks. It takes time to make a quality fine dining restaurant, particularly in a town like Peoria.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Do You Want to Play a Game? (Updated with hints)
It is a dreary day and I thought we all needed a little humor today. So, see if you can name the movies these quotes came from. I borrowed this from myself on Facebook. If you played my movie game on Facebook, you are only allowed to answer the last five because the first 15 are identical to my Facebook ones. Bonus points if you know where the title came from.
(1) ______________________.
HINT: The men talking are Martin Lawrence and one of the Wilson brothers.
First guy: "Don't you ever get all up on this thing?"
Second guy: "I don't think I've ever gotten all up on anything, sir."
(2) ______________________.
HINT: Shroomin' in Vegas.
First guy: "Did you know there's a guy whose sole job is to find chairs for these hotel rooms?"
Second guy: "Please take the chairs away!"
First guy: "Like this one! It's red with gold stripes and - oh, this one is amazing!"
Second guy: "Please take the chairs away. I don't like them. The big one is staring at me and that short one is being very droll."
(3) ______________________.
HINT: When is it OK for a liberal to kill someone?
"People disappear all the time. Especially in Iowa. We probably saved him from an alien abduction."
(4) _______________________.
HINT: Together they make the perfect woman.
First girl: "If I was a guy, I think women would like . . . line up to go out with me. I'm smart. I have a good sense of humor. I make a great living."
Second girl: "I'd fuck you."
First girl: "Thank you, honey. I know you would."
(5) _______________________.
HINT: Candy bar villians and Leonardo DaVinci
"I feel like a dolphin who's never tasted melted snow. What does the color blue taste like? Bobo knows? Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha! I must speak with the dolphins now. Eeeee-eeee-eee-eeeeeee!"
(6) _______________________.
HINT: Hooters . . . Hooters . . . HOOTERS!
"Did she say we were doing laundry? Because where I come from, it's called 'doing the hibbidy-dibbidy.'"
(7) _______________________.
HINT: Star Trek fans probably have no love for this movie.
"Let's get out of here before one of those things kills Guy!"
(8) Old School (Tom)
HINT: YOU'RE MY BOY, BLUE!
"Alright, let me be the first to say congratulations to you then. You get one vagina for the rest of your life. Real smart Frank. Way to work it through."
(9) Dodgeball (Tom)
HINT: If you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a dodgeball.
Guy: "Are you okay?"
Girl: "I'm fine. I just threw up in my mouth a little bit."
Guy: "In some cultures, they only eat vomit. I never been there, but I read about it . . . in a book."
(10) Men in Black (Christine)
"Gentlemen, congratulations. You're everything we've come to expect from years of government training."
(11) Legally Blonde (Brauner)
"Do you think she woke up one morning and said: I think I'll go to law school today?"
(12) Notting Hill (Diane)
"After all . . . I'm just a girl, standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her. "
(13) Johnny Dangerously (Christine)
"I would like to direct this to the distinguished members of the panel: You lousy cork-soakers. You have violated my farging rights. Dis somanumbatching country was founded so that the liberties of common patriotic citizens like me could not be taken away by a bunch of fargin iceholes . . . like yourselves."
(14) The Princess Bride (Christine)
"Have fun storming the castle!"
(15) The Sound of Music (Vanilla Bean Counter)
HINT: Doe a deer, a female deer . . .
First woman: "And what's worse, I can't seem to stop saying things - anything and everything I think and feel."
Second woman: "Some people would call that honesty."
First woman: "Oh, but it's terrible, Reverend Mother."
(16) In Bruges (Katie)
HINT: Two hitmen hide in a hideaway place and it doesn't go well.
First man: "How'd your date go?"
Second man: "My date involved two instances of extreme violence, one instance of her hand on my cock and my finger up her thing which lasted all too briefly, one instance of me stealing five grams of very high-quality cocaine and one instance of me blinding a poofy little skinhead: so all in all . . . my evening pretty much balanced out fine."
(17) Pretty in Pink (Tom)
HINT: Blaine, Andi, and Ducky.
"We don't have none of this stuff in the boy's room! Wait a minute! We don't got none of this . . . we don't got doors on the stalls in the boy's room, we don't have . . . what is this? What's this? We don't have a candy machine in the boy's room!"
(18) Breakfast at Tiffany's (Katie).
Man: "I love you."
Woman: "So what."
Man: "So what? So plenty! I love you, you belong to me!"
Woman: "No. People don't belong to people."
Man: "Of course they do!"
Woman: "I'll never let ANYBODY put me in a cage."
Man: "I don't want to put you in a cage, I want to love you!"
(19) The Breakfast Club (Christine)
"Hey, how come Andrew gets to get up? If he gets up . . . we'll all get up . . . it'll be anarchy!"
(20) When Harry Met Sally (Katie).
Man: "If you could take him back now, would you?"
Woman: "No. But why didn't he want to marry me? What's the matter with me?"
Man: "Nothing."
Woman: "I'm difficult."
Man: "You're challenging."
Woman: "I'm too structured, I'm completely closed off."
Man: "But in a good way."
Woman: "No, no, no, I drove him away. AND, I'm gonna be forty."
Man: "When?"
Woman: "Someday."
Man: "In eight years!"
Woman: "But it's there. It's just sitting there, like some big dead end."
(1) ______________________.
HINT: The men talking are Martin Lawrence and one of the Wilson brothers.
First guy: "Don't you ever get all up on this thing?"
Second guy: "I don't think I've ever gotten all up on anything, sir."
(2) ______________________.
HINT: Shroomin' in Vegas.
First guy: "Did you know there's a guy whose sole job is to find chairs for these hotel rooms?"
Second guy: "Please take the chairs away!"
First guy: "Like this one! It's red with gold stripes and - oh, this one is amazing!"
Second guy: "Please take the chairs away. I don't like them. The big one is staring at me and that short one is being very droll."
(3) ______________________.
HINT: When is it OK for a liberal to kill someone?
"People disappear all the time. Especially in Iowa. We probably saved him from an alien abduction."
(4) _______________________.
HINT: Together they make the perfect woman.
First girl: "If I was a guy, I think women would like . . . line up to go out with me. I'm smart. I have a good sense of humor. I make a great living."
Second girl: "I'd fuck you."
First girl: "Thank you, honey. I know you would."
(5) _______________________.
HINT: Candy bar villians and Leonardo DaVinci
"I feel like a dolphin who's never tasted melted snow. What does the color blue taste like? Bobo knows? Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha! I must speak with the dolphins now. Eeeee-eeee-eee-eeeeeee!"
(6) _______________________.
HINT: Hooters . . . Hooters . . . HOOTERS!
"Did she say we were doing laundry? Because where I come from, it's called 'doing the hibbidy-dibbidy.'"
(7) _______________________.
HINT: Star Trek fans probably have no love for this movie.
"Let's get out of here before one of those things kills Guy!"
(8) Old School (Tom)
HINT: YOU'RE MY BOY, BLUE!
"Alright, let me be the first to say congratulations to you then. You get one vagina for the rest of your life. Real smart Frank. Way to work it through."
(9) Dodgeball (Tom)
HINT: If you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a dodgeball.
Guy: "Are you okay?"
Girl: "I'm fine. I just threw up in my mouth a little bit."
Guy: "In some cultures, they only eat vomit. I never been there, but I read about it . . . in a book."
(10) Men in Black (Christine)
"Gentlemen, congratulations. You're everything we've come to expect from years of government training."
(11) Legally Blonde (Brauner)
"Do you think she woke up one morning and said: I think I'll go to law school today?"
(12) Notting Hill (Diane)
"After all . . . I'm just a girl, standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her. "
(13) Johnny Dangerously (Christine)
"I would like to direct this to the distinguished members of the panel: You lousy cork-soakers. You have violated my farging rights. Dis somanumbatching country was founded so that the liberties of common patriotic citizens like me could not be taken away by a bunch of fargin iceholes . . . like yourselves."
(14) The Princess Bride (Christine)
"Have fun storming the castle!"
(15) The Sound of Music (Vanilla Bean Counter)
HINT: Doe a deer, a female deer . . .
First woman: "And what's worse, I can't seem to stop saying things - anything and everything I think and feel."
Second woman: "Some people would call that honesty."
First woman: "Oh, but it's terrible, Reverend Mother."
(16) In Bruges (Katie)
HINT: Two hitmen hide in a hideaway place and it doesn't go well.
First man: "How'd your date go?"
Second man: "My date involved two instances of extreme violence, one instance of her hand on my cock and my finger up her thing which lasted all too briefly, one instance of me stealing five grams of very high-quality cocaine and one instance of me blinding a poofy little skinhead: so all in all . . . my evening pretty much balanced out fine."
(17) Pretty in Pink (Tom)
HINT: Blaine, Andi, and Ducky.
"We don't have none of this stuff in the boy's room! Wait a minute! We don't got none of this . . . we don't got doors on the stalls in the boy's room, we don't have . . . what is this? What's this? We don't have a candy machine in the boy's room!"
(18) Breakfast at Tiffany's (Katie).
Man: "I love you."
Woman: "So what."
Man: "So what? So plenty! I love you, you belong to me!"
Woman: "No. People don't belong to people."
Man: "Of course they do!"
Woman: "I'll never let ANYBODY put me in a cage."
Man: "I don't want to put you in a cage, I want to love you!"
(19) The Breakfast Club (Christine)
"Hey, how come Andrew gets to get up? If he gets up . . . we'll all get up . . . it'll be anarchy!"
(20) When Harry Met Sally (Katie).
Man: "If you could take him back now, would you?"
Woman: "No. But why didn't he want to marry me? What's the matter with me?"
Man: "Nothing."
Woman: "I'm difficult."
Man: "You're challenging."
Woman: "I'm too structured, I'm completely closed off."
Man: "But in a good way."
Woman: "No, no, no, I drove him away. AND, I'm gonna be forty."
Man: "When?"
Woman: "Someday."
Man: "In eight years!"
Woman: "But it's there. It's just sitting there, like some big dead end."
Monday, February 23, 2009
Next Step - That Book Deal
Last week, I got an email from a nice person saying she would like to quote my blog on her blog, Blogtations. I was honored and thrilled. Finally, I thought . . . someone has recognized my genius!
Of course, I can never be completely gracious about accepting a compliment and was just a teeny-weeny bit disappointed she picked one about potty training. Surely, I have been brilliant about something cooler than potty training . . . right?
I mean, I'm sure when Al Capone got busted for tax evasion, he thought to himself, "Of all the brilliant and dastardly criminal acts I have committed, they get me on tax evasion??"
I would also like to give a shout out to Sarah over at Sarah's Blogtastic Adventures, because she got quoted first and her blog directed Blogations to my blog. Thanks Sarah!!
Anyway, I am honored and I am sure the publishing house is my next email, other than the hate-emails I get from anonymous people who think I am a bad mother. Here is the link to my specific quote.
Of course, I can never be completely gracious about accepting a compliment and was just a teeny-weeny bit disappointed she picked one about potty training. Surely, I have been brilliant about something cooler than potty training . . . right?
I mean, I'm sure when Al Capone got busted for tax evasion, he thought to himself, "Of all the brilliant and dastardly criminal acts I have committed, they get me on tax evasion??"
I would also like to give a shout out to Sarah over at Sarah's Blogtastic Adventures, because she got quoted first and her blog directed Blogations to my blog. Thanks Sarah!!
Anyway, I am honored and I am sure the publishing house is my next email, other than the hate-emails I get from anonymous people who think I am a bad mother. Here is the link to my specific quote.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Think
I hate February. I think my lack of posting is a symptom of the hatred I have for February. Granted, for the first time in years, I actually had someone to spend Valentine's Day with, but I still hate the rest of the month. It's cold, grey, dreary, depressing, a let-down after January, boring compared to March, and all around sucks. The only thing good about February in general is that it is usually only 28 days.
As long as I am on the topic, I think whoever made up the modern calendar with the concept of Leap Year should be shot. Why, oh why did we have to add an extra day to THE WORST MONTH OF THE YEAR? Why couldn't we add an extra day to June every four years or so? June is the type of month where I want extra days. But, February? Puhlease. The only thing I want more of in February is sleep, chocolate, and alcohol. Not another day of THIS crap.
So, my posting has been sparse lately and I'm blaming February. I could blame my own laziness, but that would be taking too much responsiblity for my own actions during a month I hate. That's not acceptable.
It's not like I don't have anything to say. I mean, I have entire posts written in my head about high school, a new restaurant review, funny kids stories, prom, books I've read recently, stupid people I've dealt with, family dramas, old people falling down, and everything else. I even have a post about Sweet Ass Degreaser, but I have been told that topic is off limits.
But, because it is February, I have to go the easy route. I stole this post from Katie, who stole it from Pammy. You know who they are. If you don't, go find them. It's February. I don't have to link to them. They are the type of people who will love me no matter what. Well, Katie will for sure. I've never actually met Pammy, but given her fondness for the phrase "Cat-raping Thunder Cunt," I'm sure she's my kind of gal. And look, I just stole more things from other bloggers - Jennifer who first posted about thunder cunts and The Rotund Reader, who coined the phrase. And they like me too so I'm not going to link to them either.
So this is what I stole this week. I really like it.
As long as I am on the topic, I think whoever made up the modern calendar with the concept of Leap Year should be shot. Why, oh why did we have to add an extra day to THE WORST MONTH OF THE YEAR? Why couldn't we add an extra day to June every four years or so? June is the type of month where I want extra days. But, February? Puhlease. The only thing I want more of in February is sleep, chocolate, and alcohol. Not another day of THIS crap.
So, my posting has been sparse lately and I'm blaming February. I could blame my own laziness, but that would be taking too much responsiblity for my own actions during a month I hate. That's not acceptable.
It's not like I don't have anything to say. I mean, I have entire posts written in my head about high school, a new restaurant review, funny kids stories, prom, books I've read recently, stupid people I've dealt with, family dramas, old people falling down, and everything else. I even have a post about Sweet Ass Degreaser, but I have been told that topic is off limits.
But, because it is February, I have to go the easy route. I stole this post from Katie, who stole it from Pammy. You know who they are. If you don't, go find them. It's February. I don't have to link to them. They are the type of people who will love me no matter what. Well, Katie will for sure. I've never actually met Pammy, but given her fondness for the phrase "Cat-raping Thunder Cunt," I'm sure she's my kind of gal. And look, I just stole more things from other bloggers - Jennifer who first posted about thunder cunts and The Rotund Reader, who coined the phrase. And they like me too so I'm not going to link to them either.
So this is what I stole this week. I really like it.
| Your Word is "Think" |
 And sometimes you feel like you don't have enough time to take it all in. You love learning. Whether you're in school or not, you're probably immersed in several subjects right now. When you're not learning, you're busy reflecting. You think a lot about the people you know and the things you've experienced. |
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Live Blogging from My Couch
Well, since this format seems to work so well for another blogger, I thought I would try it. Granted, I'm not covering some important media event or meeting, but I bet my live blogging will be a hell of a lot more fun. Plus, it is too damn cold to go out. Oh, yeah . . . and I'm the only adult here so I should probably stay at home.
7:56 pm - Three year old finally sung herself to sleep. Ugh.
What the fuck is up with Stacy London's gray streak? I thought Jay Leno had the corner on that market. Although, have you noticed that Jay Leno's streak used to be white in front surrounded by black and now it is black in front surrounded by gray?
7:57 pm - excuse me. Important text message
7:59 pm - switch to Tool Academy. I missed it on Sunday because of fab book club meeting. I can't figure out whether the men are really the tools or there will be a surprise ending where it is revealed that the women are really the bigger tools. Because, all of these women should be shot in the head. Or the fake boobs.
8:01 pm - Oh yeah. Right. The tools are holding each other accountable. Whatever. Oh oh - crooked nipples? I might have to pay attention now.
8:02 pm - important text message
8:03 pm - it is fucking cold in my house. Seems to be colder than usual this winter. Why is that?
8:05 pm - I'm sorry, but how can you love someone for who he is when his hair looks like a rooster who had an accident with a bleach bottle. Does that make me shallow? Hmm . . . something to think about.
8:10 pm - UGH! I can't believe Vicki Christina Barcelona won a Golden Globe. That was a shitty movie. Shitty, shitty movie written by a dirty old man about what he fantasizes young intelligent educated women are like. All it shows is that he has absolutely NO CLUE what women are like. Which is probably why he married with his daughter. Clearly, he doesn't really get women. Gross, gross, gross. I mean, when girls travel together, shouldn't they be talking about their hopes and their dreams and not flirting with overly-hairy men in foreign bars? Aside from the overly-hairy thing, I would much rather flirt than talk about my hopes and dreams over and over again while I am in Europe.
8:14 pm - OK - babe. No man can MAKE you feel beautiful. That's not his job. It is YOUR job to feel good about yourself.
8:18 pm - The Ping-Pong Personality Game. They may be tools, but they have a way with words, I'm telling you.
"It deeply upsetted me."
8:23 pm - I just remembered my daughter zipped up my hoodie all the way up while we were reading books an hour ago which is why the zipper keeps poking me in the neck. Mystery solved.
8:25 pm - text message from crazy BFF. I mean, she is always sort of crazy but in the last few weeks she has been walking on the edge of truly batshit crazy. She is obsessed with her sister's impeding divorce. While I know this is very hard for the entire family, my BFF has really taken it upon herself to do most of the freaking out for her sister. It's not healthy, I tell you. I think she needs a hobby. Or four. Or a job.
8:35 pm - I haven't talked to my parents for awhile. I wonder what is going on with them. They were in South Carolina two weekends ago and my brother was at their house this past weekend. I know this because my brother "poked" me using my dad's facebook account. I think he can't figure out how to have his own account. Which is weird because he used to be a computer nerd. But now the last thing he did with his computer was transfer all of his opera CDs to his iPod. So, maybe that still makes him a computer nerd but in a completely different way.
8:36 pm - I think trailers for horror films should only be shown after 10 pm. They freak me the shit out. Yes, even the trailers. I don't like them. Just like that Nike ad during the 2000 Summer Olympics which featured the woman being chased by a crazy masked killer and she was able to outrun him because she was wearing Nikes? I couldn't sleep for a week after that ad. I lived on the third floor and I set up traps in front of all my windows. Well, I mean . . . I set out glasses and pots and pans so I could be scared shitless 1.5 seconds before I was cut into tiny little pieces by a psychokiller.
8:39 pm - Ew ew ew ew ew ew ew!! All of the Tool Academy conjugal visits happen in the same room. There is NO way I would get busy on that bed. Ew. Ew. Eeeeeeewwwwwww.
8:41 pm - Oh no! He started talking about his moms! The shit is on.
8:53 pm - crap. got sucked into shoutbox conversation at PeoriaSpeaks. Hard to live blog in two places at the same time. I might just be woman enough to handle it, though.
8:56 pm - Is she going to go home with the Tool?? She always does. Fucking spineless twits. Oh, Celebrity/Clarence going home. He's just a complete tool.
8:57 pm - PEACE BITCH! She didn't get into the car with her boyfriend. She rocks! I have new respect for her. Wait. She spent 10 years with a guy who calls himself "Celebrity"?? It's about time she left him.
9:00 pm - What to watch next? Housewives? America's Funniest Home Videos? The Housewives are creeeeeepy. Oh, but they are in Chicago. I have to see that.
I hate these women. They are just like the Tool women, just with better boob jobs and more money.
9:05 pm - The day has finally arrived . . . "My mom has finally decided to get a facelift." Those are words I will never utter. Thank god. But I bet my mom is 10 years older than this women and looks 10 times better.
9:07 pm - Another thing they should never show on TV . . . plastic surgery. Ew.
9:08 pm - OK. It is too fucking cold on my couch to type. I need gloves or something.
9:09 pm - low flying airplane. Rattled the windows. Hope it doesn't wake anyone up.
9:12 pm - Now I have my flannel pajamas on and a down blanket over me and I'm still cold. I swear to god, these women get facials every week. What a waste of money. I like a good massage and all, but I have more important things to spend money on.
9:15 pm - I don't know why people find live blogging interesting. If I wanted a blow-by-blow of someone's life, I would hang out with them. I still think this has got to be more interesting than city council meetings, but I could be wrong. I've gotten a good laugh out of a few city council meetings, but it is more like I am laughing at them rather than with them.
9:23 pm - TV is boooooooring tonight. Maybe The Closer episode I missed this week is on On Demand.
9:26 pm - Nope. I wonder if it is online.
Damn, I can't get it to work. Of course, I'm tired and my patience is running down. I give up. It will be on at some point. They always are.
9:30 pm - Blah, blah, blah. I'm going to go read a book.
7:56 pm - Three year old finally sung herself to sleep. Ugh.
What the fuck is up with Stacy London's gray streak? I thought Jay Leno had the corner on that market. Although, have you noticed that Jay Leno's streak used to be white in front surrounded by black and now it is black in front surrounded by gray?
7:57 pm - excuse me. Important text message
7:59 pm - switch to Tool Academy. I missed it on Sunday because of fab book club meeting. I can't figure out whether the men are really the tools or there will be a surprise ending where it is revealed that the women are really the bigger tools. Because, all of these women should be shot in the head. Or the fake boobs.
8:01 pm - Oh yeah. Right. The tools are holding each other accountable. Whatever. Oh oh - crooked nipples? I might have to pay attention now.
8:02 pm - important text message
8:03 pm - it is fucking cold in my house. Seems to be colder than usual this winter. Why is that?
8:05 pm - I'm sorry, but how can you love someone for who he is when his hair looks like a rooster who had an accident with a bleach bottle. Does that make me shallow? Hmm . . . something to think about.
8:10 pm - UGH! I can't believe Vicki Christina Barcelona won a Golden Globe. That was a shitty movie. Shitty, shitty movie written by a dirty old man about what he fantasizes young intelligent educated women are like. All it shows is that he has absolutely NO CLUE what women are like. Which is probably why he married with his daughter. Clearly, he doesn't really get women. Gross, gross, gross. I mean, when girls travel together, shouldn't they be talking about their hopes and their dreams and not flirting with overly-hairy men in foreign bars? Aside from the overly-hairy thing, I would much rather flirt than talk about my hopes and dreams over and over again while I am in Europe.
8:14 pm - OK - babe. No man can MAKE you feel beautiful. That's not his job. It is YOUR job to feel good about yourself.
8:18 pm - The Ping-Pong Personality Game. They may be tools, but they have a way with words, I'm telling you.
"It deeply upsetted me."
8:23 pm - I just remembered my daughter zipped up my hoodie all the way up while we were reading books an hour ago which is why the zipper keeps poking me in the neck. Mystery solved.
8:25 pm - text message from crazy BFF. I mean, she is always sort of crazy but in the last few weeks she has been walking on the edge of truly batshit crazy. She is obsessed with her sister's impeding divorce. While I know this is very hard for the entire family, my BFF has really taken it upon herself to do most of the freaking out for her sister. It's not healthy, I tell you. I think she needs a hobby. Or four. Or a job.
8:35 pm - I haven't talked to my parents for awhile. I wonder what is going on with them. They were in South Carolina two weekends ago and my brother was at their house this past weekend. I know this because my brother "poked" me using my dad's facebook account. I think he can't figure out how to have his own account. Which is weird because he used to be a computer nerd. But now the last thing he did with his computer was transfer all of his opera CDs to his iPod. So, maybe that still makes him a computer nerd but in a completely different way.
8:36 pm - I think trailers for horror films should only be shown after 10 pm. They freak me the shit out. Yes, even the trailers. I don't like them. Just like that Nike ad during the 2000 Summer Olympics which featured the woman being chased by a crazy masked killer and she was able to outrun him because she was wearing Nikes? I couldn't sleep for a week after that ad. I lived on the third floor and I set up traps in front of all my windows. Well, I mean . . . I set out glasses and pots and pans so I could be scared shitless 1.5 seconds before I was cut into tiny little pieces by a psychokiller.
8:39 pm - Ew ew ew ew ew ew ew!! All of the Tool Academy conjugal visits happen in the same room. There is NO way I would get busy on that bed. Ew. Ew. Eeeeeeewwwwwww.
8:41 pm - Oh no! He started talking about his moms! The shit is on.
8:53 pm - crap. got sucked into shoutbox conversation at PeoriaSpeaks. Hard to live blog in two places at the same time. I might just be woman enough to handle it, though.
8:56 pm - Is she going to go home with the Tool?? She always does. Fucking spineless twits. Oh, Celebrity/Clarence going home. He's just a complete tool.
8:57 pm - PEACE BITCH! She didn't get into the car with her boyfriend. She rocks! I have new respect for her. Wait. She spent 10 years with a guy who calls himself "Celebrity"?? It's about time she left him.
9:00 pm - What to watch next? Housewives? America's Funniest Home Videos? The Housewives are creeeeeepy. Oh, but they are in Chicago. I have to see that.
I hate these women. They are just like the Tool women, just with better boob jobs and more money.
9:05 pm - The day has finally arrived . . . "My mom has finally decided to get a facelift." Those are words I will never utter. Thank god. But I bet my mom is 10 years older than this women and looks 10 times better.
9:07 pm - Another thing they should never show on TV . . . plastic surgery. Ew.
9:08 pm - OK. It is too fucking cold on my couch to type. I need gloves or something.
9:09 pm - low flying airplane. Rattled the windows. Hope it doesn't wake anyone up.
9:12 pm - Now I have my flannel pajamas on and a down blanket over me and I'm still cold. I swear to god, these women get facials every week. What a waste of money. I like a good massage and all, but I have more important things to spend money on.
9:15 pm - I don't know why people find live blogging interesting. If I wanted a blow-by-blow of someone's life, I would hang out with them. I still think this has got to be more interesting than city council meetings, but I could be wrong. I've gotten a good laugh out of a few city council meetings, but it is more like I am laughing at them rather than with them.
9:23 pm - TV is boooooooring tonight. Maybe The Closer episode I missed this week is on On Demand.
9:26 pm - Nope. I wonder if it is online.
Damn, I can't get it to work. Of course, I'm tired and my patience is running down. I give up. It will be on at some point. They always are.
9:30 pm - Blah, blah, blah. I'm going to go read a book.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Where Oh Where . . .
Has my creativity gone? Maybe it is the cold weather, or the busy season, or the weird sickness I had before Christmas, but my blogging creativity has gone down the drain. I don't think I have an anti-muse like someone else does, but I'm not quite at my top blogging fitness level. Maybe that's what I should have put on my Christmas list instead of a new iPod Nano. Too late . . . and I really like my new iPod.
Anyway, here I am again stealing a blogging idea from another blogger. I figure it is OK since (1) she stole it too, (2) I think she's awesome and probably one of the best additions to the blogosphere this year, and (3) the ethics police don't seem to patrol the blogosphere in Peoria, at least judging from the viral outbreak of anonymous assholes commenting lately. So, I am safe.
I digress. Best get on with my unimaginative blogging, the last one of the year. 2008 is quickly coming to an end. So tell us exactly what happened in this unforgettable year.
How old did you turn? 37. Yikes. But, with that 37, I have to learn not to focus on the number but on how old I feel. I don't feel 37 and, if I do say so myself, I don't think I look 37. Well, maybe in the morning . . . but that doesn't count.
What school did you go to? None, thank god. I'm done with school. Never going to school again. I think the only school I was in this year was my kids' preschool.
Tell us about something good that happened: Oh, so many good things happened this year. My girl came back to live with me, I finally paid off all of my credit card debt left over from law school and before, I gained another nephew, I won a few cases, my grandfather turned 90, my parents celebrated their 40th Anniversary, and too much more to discuss here.
Did you change much? I'm sure I did. Anyone who doesn't experience even the tiniest changes everyday has stopped living a fulfilling life. I'd like to think I changed for the better, but who knows?
Are you happy with who you have become? Absolutely.
Tell us a song you were hooked on: Just in the last two weeks or so, I cannot stop listening to "All I Want Is You" which is the first song on the soundtrack from the movie Juno. It has a folksy sing-a-long quality that makes me smile. Plus, I can listen to it with kids in the car, which has an added benefit.
Did you go to the beach? Not technically, although I was on the beach of Puget Sound, but since it was October, it wasn't really beachy.
Did you get really dressed up for anything? For something special? Probably . . . I don't really remember. Nothing formal or anything.
Tell us a funny thing that happened? I think the highlights of my funny year were probably chronicled on this blog and include: my failures as a mommy, throwing my underwear around in public, being called a crook by my child, making up the song "Bubble Got Back", my son peeing on my head, learning that my nephew sleeps with a rice cooker, and various adventures in cooking, pet ownership, and motherhood.
Tell us the saddest thing that happened? I don't like to dwell on it, but the thing that happened in February, the thing that happened in March, and the thing that happened in October. Those are the three things that made me question my sanity and my happiness this year.
What are your plans for New Year? For the first time, I am having a party at my house. Actually, I should be preparing for it rather than writing this post.
What are you most looking forward to next year? The adventure is not knowing. Something in particular is going very well right now and I'm excited to see what happens next year with it.
Tell us something you plan on changing for next year? My kitchen. It has got to go. I didn't have the financial reserves to do it this year, but I am going to do it next year.
Think back to the beginning of the year and now think of now what’s different: I think the most significant difference between the beginning of the year and now is that I am no longer single. There are other differences, but that one is pretty big for me.
Are you happy with what happened this year? Overall, yes. I would love to be able to change some things, but they are things I can't change, so yes.
Was 2008 your best year? Probably not. It was a really stressful year. I'd like to hope my best year is always in the future. (Good lord . . . when did I become this non-cynical? I used to be such a pissy bitch. Must be the old age.)
Anyway, here I am again stealing a blogging idea from another blogger. I figure it is OK since (1) she stole it too, (2) I think she's awesome and probably one of the best additions to the blogosphere this year, and (3) the ethics police don't seem to patrol the blogosphere in Peoria, at least judging from the viral outbreak of anonymous assholes commenting lately. So, I am safe.
I digress. Best get on with my unimaginative blogging, the last one of the year. 2008 is quickly coming to an end. So tell us exactly what happened in this unforgettable year.
How old did you turn? 37. Yikes. But, with that 37, I have to learn not to focus on the number but on how old I feel. I don't feel 37 and, if I do say so myself, I don't think I look 37. Well, maybe in the morning . . . but that doesn't count.
What school did you go to? None, thank god. I'm done with school. Never going to school again. I think the only school I was in this year was my kids' preschool.
Tell us about something good that happened: Oh, so many good things happened this year. My girl came back to live with me, I finally paid off all of my credit card debt left over from law school and before, I gained another nephew, I won a few cases, my grandfather turned 90, my parents celebrated their 40th Anniversary, and too much more to discuss here.
Did you change much? I'm sure I did. Anyone who doesn't experience even the tiniest changes everyday has stopped living a fulfilling life. I'd like to think I changed for the better, but who knows?
Are you happy with who you have become? Absolutely.
Tell us a song you were hooked on: Just in the last two weeks or so, I cannot stop listening to "All I Want Is You" which is the first song on the soundtrack from the movie Juno. It has a folksy sing-a-long quality that makes me smile. Plus, I can listen to it with kids in the car, which has an added benefit.
Did you go to the beach? Not technically, although I was on the beach of Puget Sound, but since it was October, it wasn't really beachy.
Did you get really dressed up for anything? For something special? Probably . . . I don't really remember. Nothing formal or anything.
Tell us a funny thing that happened? I think the highlights of my funny year were probably chronicled on this blog and include: my failures as a mommy, throwing my underwear around in public, being called a crook by my child, making up the song "Bubble Got Back", my son peeing on my head, learning that my nephew sleeps with a rice cooker, and various adventures in cooking, pet ownership, and motherhood.
Tell us the saddest thing that happened? I don't like to dwell on it, but the thing that happened in February, the thing that happened in March, and the thing that happened in October. Those are the three things that made me question my sanity and my happiness this year.
What are your plans for New Year? For the first time, I am having a party at my house. Actually, I should be preparing for it rather than writing this post.
What are you most looking forward to next year? The adventure is not knowing. Something in particular is going very well right now and I'm excited to see what happens next year with it.
Tell us something you plan on changing for next year? My kitchen. It has got to go. I didn't have the financial reserves to do it this year, but I am going to do it next year.
Think back to the beginning of the year and now think of now what’s different: I think the most significant difference between the beginning of the year and now is that I am no longer single. There are other differences, but that one is pretty big for me.
Are you happy with what happened this year? Overall, yes. I would love to be able to change some things, but they are things I can't change, so yes.
Was 2008 your best year? Probably not. It was a really stressful year. I'd like to hope my best year is always in the future. (Good lord . . . when did I become this non-cynical? I used to be such a pissy bitch. Must be the old age.)
Monday, December 15, 2008
My Christmas List
No - not that kind of list. A Christmas meme I made on my own (by stealing from several different ones I found on the internet - now that just screams Christmas spirit, doesn't it?) For some reason, my creative juices have needed a little sparking lately and I am bound and determined to post more individual posts than I did last year. After all, in 2007, I only blogged for 6 months and posted 117 times. This year, I have blogged all year and I am only just over 100. So, expect a lot more crappy half-assed posting from me in the next 15 days.
(1) Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping paper. I despise gift bags. They create extra waste and show an extreme lack of individuality and creativity. Not that I EVER refuse a gift, but I might appreciate it more if it is gift wrapped.
(2) Real tree or artificial? I would love to have a real tree but I can’t seem to get over my extreme fear of fire and real trees. My parents have always had a real tree and I don’t get worried about it at their house. But, for some reason, I have this feeling I wouldn’t be able to sleep at night worrying about a real tree catching fire in my house. So, I have a fake tree.
(3) When do you put up the tree? Whenever I get the time. We just put it up last night and that’s about normal for my family - about 10 days before Christmas.
(4) When do you take the tree down? Again, whenever I get the time. Sometimes it comes down on Christmas Day because we don’t do much of anything else on Christmas Day. It is always down by New Year’s Day, though.
(5) Do you like egg nog? In small doses, yes.
(6) Favorite gift received as a child? Probably my 1970s split-level doll house. It is fabulous. I still have it, as a matter of fact. It even came with teeny-tiny little silverware and magazines. And all of the appliances were Harvest Gold.
(7) Hardest person to buy for? My sister-in-law. She and I have next to nothing in common and she hates normal every-girl type of gifts like lotion, candles, or accessories. Her hobbies are chess and mathematics. What the hell am I supposed to do with that? Plus, she objects to gift cards because "it is just like giving someone money." And tell me . . . what exactly is wrong with that?
(8) Easiest person to buy for? My kids. It’s not that hard to make kids under 5 happy.
(9) Do you have a nativity scene? Please. No. Everytime I'm even near a nativity scene, I have this strong urge to steal the Baby Jesus.
(10) Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail. Emailed Christmas cards are tacky. Plus . . . how would I make fun of you if you don’t write me those dreadfully boring and unintentionally hilarious family update letters?
(11) Worst Christmas gift you ever received? My brother and sister-in-law gave me a hot pepper plant which was infested with aphids. Not only do I not like hot peppers, the plant gave aphids to the rest of my houseplants and they all died.
(12) Favorite Christmas movie? Scrooged. Or The Sound of Music, even though it isn’t really a Christmas movie, but they always show it at Christmas.
(13) When do you start shopping? Whenever. I refuse to shop the day after Thanksgiving, so I usually start around now.
(14) Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Well, I recycled that pepper plant right into the garbage . . . . Seriously, though. I have recycled many a Christmas present.
(15) Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Cookies. I love Christmas cookies.
(16) Lights on the tree? My tree lights are white. My parents’ tree lights are multi-colored, however, and I would be really offended if they changed them to all white.
(17) Favorite Christmas song? Non-religious - Santa Baby, preferably by Eartha Kitt, and Happy Christmas (war is over) by John Lennon. Religious - The Little Drummer Boy, What Child is This, and Silent Night.
(18) Travel at Christmas or stay home? It just depends on the year. We mostly travel to my parents’ house.
(19) Can you name all of Santa’s reindeer? Not without cheating.
(20) Angel on the tree top or a star? Neither. Our family trees have Santa Lucia on the top of them. The Lucy on top of my tree was made by my mother the first year my parents were married. When I bought my own house, my mother gave me that one and we made a new one together that currently sits on top of my parents’ tree. When my daughter has her first house, I hope to give her the old one so we can make a new one together. Every year, my dad has to make a comment about shoving the tree up Lucy’s ass. Every year. It never gets old.
(21) Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Christmas Eve. Christmas Day is for sitting around watching movies (marathons of Star Wars, Indiana Jones, or James Bond), playing with your Christmas toys, and doing jigsaw puzzles.
(22) Most annoying thing about this time of year? Asshole shoppers. My one Christmas season working in retail, a woman threw a stack of books at me on Christmas Eve. Christmas spirit my ass.
(23) Favorite for Christmas dinner? We have a standing rib roast every year on Christmas Eve.
(24) Favorite ornament theme or color? All of my ornaments have a special story or meaning to them. I like to buy at least one new ornament every year and I particularly like Santa Claus ornaments.
(25) What do you want for Christmas this year? Well, that would make it too easy for you, wouldn’t it?
(26) Do you hang mistletoe? No. The way I figure it . . . if you want to kiss someone, just do it.
(27) Favorite holiday memory as a child? As a child, we always spent Christmas with my dad’s parents because he’s an only child. I can’t remember one memory in particular, but I remember loving the feeling of Christmas time - everyone sitting around the living room talking and having fun, singing songs, playing with their new toys. It is the most overwhelming feeling of warmth and happiness I remember as a child.
(28) When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? Never. I always knew the truth about Santa since we didn’t believe he was real. Just like all other fictional stories, it was a nice story but we didn’t believe it was true.
(29) What’s the most important thing about the holidays? Giving gifts to people you love and spending time with family.
(30) Favorite Holiday tradition? I have so many, so it is hard to pick one. I love Advent calendars, I love all of the baking with my mother, I love wrapping presents, I love singing Christmas songs, I love celebrating Santa Lucia (and, yes, I do wear a crown of real candles on my head. Nothing says "Christmas" better than hot wax in your hair) . . . . Probably the best one we have as a family is that everyone has to open gifts one at a time and everyone else has to watch them. It was torture as a child, but I like the focus it puts on the giving part of Christmas, rather than on the receiving.
(1) Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping paper. I despise gift bags. They create extra waste and show an extreme lack of individuality and creativity. Not that I EVER refuse a gift, but I might appreciate it more if it is gift wrapped.
(2) Real tree or artificial? I would love to have a real tree but I can’t seem to get over my extreme fear of fire and real trees. My parents have always had a real tree and I don’t get worried about it at their house. But, for some reason, I have this feeling I wouldn’t be able to sleep at night worrying about a real tree catching fire in my house. So, I have a fake tree.
(3) When do you put up the tree? Whenever I get the time. We just put it up last night and that’s about normal for my family - about 10 days before Christmas.
(4) When do you take the tree down? Again, whenever I get the time. Sometimes it comes down on Christmas Day because we don’t do much of anything else on Christmas Day. It is always down by New Year’s Day, though.
(5) Do you like egg nog? In small doses, yes.
(6) Favorite gift received as a child? Probably my 1970s split-level doll house. It is fabulous. I still have it, as a matter of fact. It even came with teeny-tiny little silverware and magazines. And all of the appliances were Harvest Gold.
(7) Hardest person to buy for? My sister-in-law. She and I have next to nothing in common and she hates normal every-girl type of gifts like lotion, candles, or accessories. Her hobbies are chess and mathematics. What the hell am I supposed to do with that? Plus, she objects to gift cards because "it is just like giving someone money." And tell me . . . what exactly is wrong with that?
(8) Easiest person to buy for? My kids. It’s not that hard to make kids under 5 happy.
(9) Do you have a nativity scene? Please. No. Everytime I'm even near a nativity scene, I have this strong urge to steal the Baby Jesus.
(10) Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail. Emailed Christmas cards are tacky. Plus . . . how would I make fun of you if you don’t write me those dreadfully boring and unintentionally hilarious family update letters?
(11) Worst Christmas gift you ever received? My brother and sister-in-law gave me a hot pepper plant which was infested with aphids. Not only do I not like hot peppers, the plant gave aphids to the rest of my houseplants and they all died.
(12) Favorite Christmas movie? Scrooged. Or The Sound of Music, even though it isn’t really a Christmas movie, but they always show it at Christmas.
(13) When do you start shopping? Whenever. I refuse to shop the day after Thanksgiving, so I usually start around now.
(14) Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Well, I recycled that pepper plant right into the garbage . . . . Seriously, though. I have recycled many a Christmas present.
(15) Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Cookies. I love Christmas cookies.
(16) Lights on the tree? My tree lights are white. My parents’ tree lights are multi-colored, however, and I would be really offended if they changed them to all white.
(17) Favorite Christmas song? Non-religious - Santa Baby, preferably by Eartha Kitt, and Happy Christmas (war is over) by John Lennon. Religious - The Little Drummer Boy, What Child is This, and Silent Night.
(18) Travel at Christmas or stay home? It just depends on the year. We mostly travel to my parents’ house.
(19) Can you name all of Santa’s reindeer? Not without cheating.
(20) Angel on the tree top or a star? Neither. Our family trees have Santa Lucia on the top of them. The Lucy on top of my tree was made by my mother the first year my parents were married. When I bought my own house, my mother gave me that one and we made a new one together that currently sits on top of my parents’ tree. When my daughter has her first house, I hope to give her the old one so we can make a new one together. Every year, my dad has to make a comment about shoving the tree up Lucy’s ass. Every year. It never gets old.
(21) Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Christmas Eve. Christmas Day is for sitting around watching movies (marathons of Star Wars, Indiana Jones, or James Bond), playing with your Christmas toys, and doing jigsaw puzzles.
(22) Most annoying thing about this time of year? Asshole shoppers. My one Christmas season working in retail, a woman threw a stack of books at me on Christmas Eve. Christmas spirit my ass.
(23) Favorite for Christmas dinner? We have a standing rib roast every year on Christmas Eve.
(24) Favorite ornament theme or color? All of my ornaments have a special story or meaning to them. I like to buy at least one new ornament every year and I particularly like Santa Claus ornaments.
(25) What do you want for Christmas this year? Well, that would make it too easy for you, wouldn’t it?
(26) Do you hang mistletoe? No. The way I figure it . . . if you want to kiss someone, just do it.
(27) Favorite holiday memory as a child? As a child, we always spent Christmas with my dad’s parents because he’s an only child. I can’t remember one memory in particular, but I remember loving the feeling of Christmas time - everyone sitting around the living room talking and having fun, singing songs, playing with their new toys. It is the most overwhelming feeling of warmth and happiness I remember as a child.
(28) When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? Never. I always knew the truth about Santa since we didn’t believe he was real. Just like all other fictional stories, it was a nice story but we didn’t believe it was true.
(29) What’s the most important thing about the holidays? Giving gifts to people you love and spending time with family.
(30) Favorite Holiday tradition? I have so many, so it is hard to pick one. I love Advent calendars, I love all of the baking with my mother, I love wrapping presents, I love singing Christmas songs, I love celebrating Santa Lucia (and, yes, I do wear a crown of real candles on my head. Nothing says "Christmas" better than hot wax in your hair) . . . . Probably the best one we have as a family is that everyone has to open gifts one at a time and everyone else has to watch them. It was torture as a child, but I like the focus it puts on the giving part of Christmas, rather than on the receiving.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Late In the Evening
I stole this meme from Sarah and Katie. I see that Katie was motivated enough to actually link to the videos of the songs. I'm not that motivated. I thought about including the artist's name, but then I thought it would be more fun to make you guess.
So here are the rules:
1. Put your iTunes or MP3 player on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS!
1. IF SOMEONE SAYS “IS THIS OKAY” YOU SAY? Eight Days a Week (so, I guess it is really OK)
2.WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY? Chasing Cars (Kind of true, actually)
3.WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL? Where to Now
4.WHAT IS YOUR LIFE’S PURPOSE? What Can You Lose
5.WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO? Redemption Day
6.WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU? Stolen
7.WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN? A Love That Will Never Grow Old (also kind of true)
8.WHAT IS 2+2? Do You Love Me Now?
9.WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND? Who Knew
10.WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE? Bitch (this is probably true too, but I mean it in the nicest possible way.)
11.WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY? Heaven Must Be Missing an Angel (HA HA HA)
12.WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP? Something's Gotta Give
13.WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE? Why Do Birds Sing? (barf)
14.WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU? Tennessee Plates
15.WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING? Don't Know How
16.WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL? Could Be Anything (no, that's the name of the song, really.)
17.WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST? You Can Close Your Eyes (now that just sounds dirty, doesn't it?)
18.WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS? Inside Emotion
19.WHAT’S THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN? He was a Friend of Mine
20.HOW WILL YOU DIE? Didn't Leave Nobody but the Baby (Yikes)
21.WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU REGRET? Typical Situation (yeah . . . no kidding)
22.WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH? Penny Lane
23.WHAT MAKES YOU CRY? Rich Girl
24.WILL YOU EVER GET MARRIED? Angel's Eye
25.WHAT SCARES YOU THE MOST? Honey Bee (actually, Tom Petty does scare me a little bit, but I love that song.)
26. IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE? I've Got You Under My Skin
27.WHAT HURTS RIGHT NOW? Wait
28.WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS? Late in the Evening
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Have You Ever?
Okay. I admit it. I've been lacking in blogging material that's coming out from the drafting stage the way I want it to. I have about six half-cooked posts sitting around that I just don't like well enough to publish. So, I'm stealing from someone. I read Lollygaggin's blog today and decided, "Hey! I want to play too!"
Plus . . . it is an easy way to write a post and I really want to beat my post number from last year.
Things I've Done
1. Started your own blog -Duh! You're reading it, silly.
2. Slept under the stars - Many times.
3. Played in a band - I played in many an orchestra and sort of in one band, but it was a bad idea from the get-go and I think my hip friends just felt sorry for the girl who could only play the violin.
4. Visited Hawaii - No, which is sad because my grandparents always wanted to take us but didn't get around to it before my grandmother died.
5. Watched a meteor shower - Yes.
6. Given more than you can afford to charity - Yes, both time and money.
7. Been to Disneyland - Yes.
8. Climbed a mountain - Well, not with like ropes and stuff, but hiked on trails, sure.
9. Held a praying mantis - No. Ew.
10. Sang a solo - Yes.
11. Bungee jumped - No.
12. Visited Paris - Yes, on my 17th birthday.
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea - The storm was at sea, I wasn't. That's dangerous.
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch - Sure, but I have no idea what this means. The art of sarcasm? Ya, you betcha!
15. Adopted a child - Not yet.
16. Had food poisoning - Yes, thank you Bennigans.
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty - Yes.
18. Grown your own vegetables - If herbs count, yes.
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France - Yes. Booooring.
20. Slept on an overnight train - Yes.
21. Had a pillow fight - Yes. Of course. That's what girls do when they hang out together, right?
22. Hitch hiked - No.
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill - Well, never at my current job!
24. Built a snow fort - Yes. And I plan to again if we ever get enough snow and I have children who can actually walk in the snow.
25. Held a lamb - Like a real one? Why would I want to do that?
26. Gone skinny dipping - Yes . . . and got pulled out of the lake by the Minneapolis Police. Good times.
27. Run a Marathon - Puhlease . . . no.
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice - No.
29. Seen a total eclipse - Yes. It was when I was in second grade.
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset - Of course.
31. Hit a home run - Yeah right. I consider it a home run if I actually hit the ball.
32. Been on a cruise - Not really, unless you count ferry rides, which I don't think you do.
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person - Yes.
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors - Yes. I was actually in the room where my mother was born (she was born at home in Sweden).
35. Seen an Amish community - Yes.
36. Taught yourself a new language - Not unless you count translating for my children when no one else can understand them.
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied - Yeah, right. No.
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person - No.
39. Gone rock climbing - Yes. I sucked at it.
40. Seen Michelangelo's David - Not in person.
41. Sung karaoke - Yes.
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt - Yes.
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant - Um, no. Why would I do that?
44. Visited Africa - No.
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight - Yes. Slept on the beach by moonlight as well.
46. Been transported in an ambulance - No.
47. Had your portrait painted - By someone other than my three year old? No.
48. Gone deep sea fishing - No.
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person - Not yet.
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris - Yes.
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling - No.
52. Kissed in the rain - Yes. Wonderful.
53. Played in the mud - Yes.
54. Gone to a drive-in theater - To see a movie? No.
55. Been in a movie - Yes. And not just home movies, either. A real, wide-release movie.
56. Visited the Great Wall of China - Not yet.
57. Started a business - No.
58. Studied a martial art - If kickboxing counts, then yes.
59. Visited Russia - No.
60. Served at a soup kitchen - Yes.
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies - Yes. I sucked at it.
62. Gone whale watching - Yes.
63. Got flowers for no reason - Yes.
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma - Yes.
65. Gone sky diving - No.
66. Visited a Nazi concentration camp - No.
67. Bounced a check - Hasn't everyone?
68. Flown in a helicopter - Yes.
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy - Tons of them. And I won't let my kids play with some of them either.
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial - Yes.
71. Eaten caviar - Of course. I probably will on Friday as well.
72. Pieced a quilt - Yes.
73. Stood in Times Square - No.
74. Toured the Everglades - No.
75. Been fired from a job - No.
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London - No.
77. Broken a bone - Yes. Well, technically, my brother broke it by pushing me backwards off a ledge, but it was my bone that was broken.
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle - No.
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person - No.
80. Published a book - Sort of. Not by myself, but I have co-authored two books.
81. Visited the Vatican - No.
82. Bought a brand new car - Yes.
83. Walked in Jerusalem - No.
84. Had your picture in the newspaper - Yes.
85. Read the entire Bible - Not the entire bible - but I read a good portion of it for religion classes in college. It is essential reading to understanding much of the world's literature and other arts.
86. Visited the White House - No.
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating - Ugh . . . not unless you count fish.
88. Had chickenpox - No.
89. Saved someone’s life - Literally? No.
90. Sat on a jury - No.
91. Met someone famous - Several people.
92. Joined a book club - A couple of them.
93. Lost a loved one - Yes.
94. Had a baby - Depends on your definition of "having a baby"
95. Seen the Alamo in person - Yes. Waste. Of. Fucking. Time.
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake - No. I've seen it, never swam in it. Do they let you?
97. Been involved in a law suit - Um . . . duh. Everyday.
98. Owned a cell phone - Yes.
99. Been stung by a bee - Yes.
100. Read an entire book in one day - Yes. That was before kids.
Plus . . . it is an easy way to write a post and I really want to beat my post number from last year.
Things I've Done
1. Started your own blog -Duh! You're reading it, silly.
2. Slept under the stars - Many times.
3. Played in a band - I played in many an orchestra and sort of in one band, but it was a bad idea from the get-go and I think my hip friends just felt sorry for the girl who could only play the violin.
4. Visited Hawaii - No, which is sad because my grandparents always wanted to take us but didn't get around to it before my grandmother died.
5. Watched a meteor shower - Yes.
6. Given more than you can afford to charity - Yes, both time and money.
7. Been to Disneyland - Yes.
8. Climbed a mountain - Well, not with like ropes and stuff, but hiked on trails, sure.
9. Held a praying mantis - No. Ew.
10. Sang a solo - Yes.
11. Bungee jumped - No.
12. Visited Paris - Yes, on my 17th birthday.
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea - The storm was at sea, I wasn't. That's dangerous.
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch - Sure, but I have no idea what this means. The art of sarcasm? Ya, you betcha!
15. Adopted a child - Not yet.
16. Had food poisoning - Yes, thank you Bennigans.
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty - Yes.
18. Grown your own vegetables - If herbs count, yes.
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France - Yes. Booooring.
20. Slept on an overnight train - Yes.
21. Had a pillow fight - Yes. Of course. That's what girls do when they hang out together, right?
22. Hitch hiked - No.
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill - Well, never at my current job!
24. Built a snow fort - Yes. And I plan to again if we ever get enough snow and I have children who can actually walk in the snow.
25. Held a lamb - Like a real one? Why would I want to do that?
26. Gone skinny dipping - Yes . . . and got pulled out of the lake by the Minneapolis Police. Good times.
27. Run a Marathon - Puhlease . . . no.
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice - No.
29. Seen a total eclipse - Yes. It was when I was in second grade.
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset - Of course.
31. Hit a home run - Yeah right. I consider it a home run if I actually hit the ball.
32. Been on a cruise - Not really, unless you count ferry rides, which I don't think you do.
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person - Yes.
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors - Yes. I was actually in the room where my mother was born (she was born at home in Sweden).
35. Seen an Amish community - Yes.
36. Taught yourself a new language - Not unless you count translating for my children when no one else can understand them.
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied - Yeah, right. No.
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person - No.
39. Gone rock climbing - Yes. I sucked at it.
40. Seen Michelangelo's David - Not in person.
41. Sung karaoke - Yes.
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt - Yes.
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant - Um, no. Why would I do that?
44. Visited Africa - No.
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight - Yes. Slept on the beach by moonlight as well.
46. Been transported in an ambulance - No.
47. Had your portrait painted - By someone other than my three year old? No.
48. Gone deep sea fishing - No.
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person - Not yet.
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris - Yes.
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling - No.
52. Kissed in the rain - Yes. Wonderful.
53. Played in the mud - Yes.
54. Gone to a drive-in theater - To see a movie? No.
55. Been in a movie - Yes. And not just home movies, either. A real, wide-release movie.
56. Visited the Great Wall of China - Not yet.
57. Started a business - No.
58. Studied a martial art - If kickboxing counts, then yes.
59. Visited Russia - No.
60. Served at a soup kitchen - Yes.
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies - Yes. I sucked at it.
62. Gone whale watching - Yes.
63. Got flowers for no reason - Yes.
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma - Yes.
65. Gone sky diving - No.
66. Visited a Nazi concentration camp - No.
67. Bounced a check - Hasn't everyone?
68. Flown in a helicopter - Yes.
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy - Tons of them. And I won't let my kids play with some of them either.
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial - Yes.
71. Eaten caviar - Of course. I probably will on Friday as well.
72. Pieced a quilt - Yes.
73. Stood in Times Square - No.
74. Toured the Everglades - No.
75. Been fired from a job - No.
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London - No.
77. Broken a bone - Yes. Well, technically, my brother broke it by pushing me backwards off a ledge, but it was my bone that was broken.
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle - No.
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person - No.
80. Published a book - Sort of. Not by myself, but I have co-authored two books.
81. Visited the Vatican - No.
82. Bought a brand new car - Yes.
83. Walked in Jerusalem - No.
84. Had your picture in the newspaper - Yes.
85. Read the entire Bible - Not the entire bible - but I read a good portion of it for religion classes in college. It is essential reading to understanding much of the world's literature and other arts.
86. Visited the White House - No.
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating - Ugh . . . not unless you count fish.
88. Had chickenpox - No.
89. Saved someone’s life - Literally? No.
90. Sat on a jury - No.
91. Met someone famous - Several people.
92. Joined a book club - A couple of them.
93. Lost a loved one - Yes.
94. Had a baby - Depends on your definition of "having a baby"
95. Seen the Alamo in person - Yes. Waste. Of. Fucking. Time.
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake - No. I've seen it, never swam in it. Do they let you?
97. Been involved in a law suit - Um . . . duh. Everyday.
98. Owned a cell phone - Yes.
99. Been stung by a bee - Yes.
100. Read an entire book in one day - Yes. That was before kids.
Monday, November 10, 2008
You Know What? BITE ME.
I just learned something fairly interesting and completely childish. Today, I published a post on my blog. It was a simple little post, an answer to one of those little memes that goes around the blogging world. Nothing too serious . . . just a little laugh to start off a Monday.
Just like many of my posts, I created several links to other bloggers or other sites that might explain my posts. To some people, my posts can be a little confusing or overly intellectual or contain too many big words and some of those words may need further information. Or sometimes, I create links to be funny. You know, because sometimes I try to be funny.
You know, sometimes people don't agree with me. Sometimes they think my use of the word fuck is too liberal. Sometimes they don't like my politics. Some people like to comment on what I do or don't do with my breasts. Or sometimes they might call me mean. But NOT ONCE has anything on my blog been censored or deleted or completely removed from the online forum that I list as "One of My Favorite Things" on said blog.
But today it was.
Apparently, someone finds one particular link so disturbing, so over the top, so . . . wrong, that my post was deliberately removed from a local blog roll on a local forum.
No, seriously. Really.
What in the sam hell did you link to, Ms. PH? What could be SOOOOO offensive to the good people of Peoria that such a harmless little post was removed? What was it? A snuff film? Baby seal clubbing videos? A picture of that big ball of twine in Minnesota?
No, no. It was worse. I linked to the other Peoria forum. I know - the horror.
So, therefore, you know what dear so-and-so? Get over yourself. Grow the fuck up. Take your head out of your ass. Censorship for moral or political reasons is wrong. Censorship because of local forum wars? That's just stupid.
And, oh yeah . . . bite me.
Just like many of my posts, I created several links to other bloggers or other sites that might explain my posts. To some people, my posts can be a little confusing or overly intellectual or contain too many big words and some of those words may need further information. Or sometimes, I create links to be funny. You know, because sometimes I try to be funny.
You know, sometimes people don't agree with me. Sometimes they think my use of the word fuck is too liberal. Sometimes they don't like my politics. Some people like to comment on what I do or don't do with my breasts. Or sometimes they might call me mean. But NOT ONCE has anything on my blog been censored or deleted or completely removed from the online forum that I list as "One of My Favorite Things" on said blog.
But today it was.
Apparently, someone finds one particular link so disturbing, so over the top, so . . . wrong, that my post was deliberately removed from a local blog roll on a local forum.
No, seriously. Really.
What in the sam hell did you link to, Ms. PH? What could be SOOOOO offensive to the good people of Peoria that such a harmless little post was removed? What was it? A snuff film? Baby seal clubbing videos? A picture of that big ball of twine in Minnesota?
No, no. It was worse. I linked to the other Peoria forum. I know - the horror.
So, therefore, you know what dear so-and-so? Get over yourself. Grow the fuck up. Take your head out of your ass. Censorship for moral or political reasons is wrong. Censorship because of local forum wars? That's just stupid.
And, oh yeah . . . bite me.
Wow - I've Been Blinged
This has never happened to me before . . . Cameron from over at Get the Stink Off gave me some bling, which I was really excited about until I realized it was just some kinda girly square misspelled bannery thing. (I guess, unlike Cameron, I have not forfeited my man card.) But then he called me really smart and I forgave him and decided to play his game.
So, apparently, here are the rules:
(1) List six things that make you happy
(2) Pass the award on to 6 more kreativ bloggers
(3) Link back to the person who gave you the award
(4) Link to the people you are passing it on to and leave them a comment to let them know.
(5) Request scantily clad photos of your blogger friends of the opposite sex.
(Hmmm . . . I'm thinking I might not play part 5 of this game.)
But here are six things that make me happy, in no particular order:
(1) Veteran's Day. Since it's tomorrow, this is really timely happiness. I explained my reasons for loving Veteran's Day some time ago in this post, so I will not elaborate again. Let's just say: Day Off + Day Care Open + No Family Obligations = Happy Day.
(2) Laughing with my children. There is nothing better than raising children who have good senses of humor. I love laughing with them when they say something funny and know they've said something funny, and they are laughing because I am laughing and I am laughing because they are laughing. I just want to squeeze them and cover them with kisses when that happens.
(3) Office Supplies. I love office supplies. Everything from fancy paperclips to every shape of Post-It note, I love them. Particularly pens. And my favorite pens (Pilot V Ball Extra Fine in black) are very hard to come by, so they are usually on my Christmas list. Oh, and stickers and markers and calendars and three-hole-punches and white-out and staple removers and those rubber thumb thingys. I don't really know what those rubber thumb thingys are for, but I have one in my desk drawer. Just in case.
(4) Coffee, Chocolate, Wine, and Pastries. To be more specific, strong coffee, dark chocolate, good wine, and cream-filled pastries.
(5) Mail. Getting real mail makes me happy. Not bills or junk mail or catalogs or reminder notices. Real mail that someone handwrote, hand addressed, and put a stamp on. Makes me feel really special.
(6)
Now I have to link to six more creative bloggers. Hmmmm . . . . After careful consideration, I have decided to only link to female bloggers, because I think Cameron pretty much covered all of the male bloggers when he said his real favorite things were "family, friends, boobs, beer, food, and boobs." I could be wrong, but I don't think so. So, here are the six newest recipients of some blogger "bling."
Notes from the Trailerhood
It Was Only a Dream
Vanilla Bean Counter
Keep Passing the Open Windows
Cjay . . . What?
My Flock Rocks
*You may all think number six is blank. It isn't. It is written in invisible ink. A girl's entitled to have some secrets, isn't she? Well, some sort-of secrets, anyway, since number six was discussed in great length over here last night.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Neither the High Road nor the Low Road
Sometimes, you read something or you hear something and you get pissed off. If you’re me, that happens fairly frequently. I have a very low tolerance for things I think are stupid or wrong or discriminatory or just plain ass-backwards. Sometimes, in response to these things, you want to write nasty emails, post nasty blog entries, or throw mud in the offending person’s general direction. Sometimes, it feels good to let it all out, to make your voice heard, to one-up the person who has offended you so.
And then there are times for being nice. My mother always used to say to me, "You know, you’ll catch more flies with honey than with vinegar." Well sure you will, but who wants to catch flies anyway? I really prefer to stalk flies with a rolled up magazine and smash them into teeny-tiny little bits while yelling, "Take that, sucka!!" And yes, it does make me feel powerful to kill something 1/100th of my size with overly-zealous force. So much so that sometimes, I do a little victory dance after I kill a fly. I’m not ashamed to admit it.
For about six months when I was 14 years old, my mother decided it was time to get involved in the Unitarian Church. We’re not a family of church-goers generally, and I was suspicious of this decision. She and my father attended the services and my brother and I went to Sunday School. As it turns out, she wanted to enroll me in Sunday School at this particular church because they had a very progressive sex education program. And when I say very progressive I mean that some of the things we talked about and viewed were my first experience with pornography.
Anyway, my mother didn’t last long in this type of organized religion. This is probably a clue as to how our family views religion in general. If my mother couldn’t stomach the Unitarians, she probably will never be able to be a member of any organized religion. She tried to belong, but she was too realistic for the granola-crunchy members, too smart for the new-age members, and too bossy for the church leadership.
Every service ended with members sharing some piece of good news about their families or anything, really. Our last Sunday in church, one of the other mothers of teenagers in the church stood up to expound on the virtues of her children. At great length. Little Tommy had scored a touchdown in football. Little Suzy was on the honor roll again. They had both won awards for creative writing, or art, or music or some shit like that. Everybody politely clapped (and rolled their eyes). Except my mother.
My mother blew a gasket. She marched up to the lectern and grabbed the microphone. She said, "I would just like to tell everyone about my children. They did absolutely nothing spectacular this week. They were completely normal. They haven’t won any awards and haven’t done exceptionally well in school. But I’m still proud of them. Thank you." She dropped the microphone and walked out.
Like I said, that was our last Sunday in church.
But I learned something from her behavior that day. Sometimes, you need to take a few breaths, count to 10 and NOT say the first thing that comes to your mind. Into a microphone. In front of a large audience.
But sometimes you do.
Bottom line . . . sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don’t.
The question is, do I feel nutty today? Well? Do I?
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Nope. I still don’t know. But I'll tell you one thing. I don’t like being classified as a Mommy Blogger. I may be a mommy and a blogger. However, calling me a Mommy Blogger is like making cake using only flour and eggs. And it takes a whole lot more to make a cake. Particularly a Pointlessly Hypertechnical cake. Those are some damn complicated pastries.
And then there are times for being nice. My mother always used to say to me, "You know, you’ll catch more flies with honey than with vinegar." Well sure you will, but who wants to catch flies anyway? I really prefer to stalk flies with a rolled up magazine and smash them into teeny-tiny little bits while yelling, "Take that, sucka!!" And yes, it does make me feel powerful to kill something 1/100th of my size with overly-zealous force. So much so that sometimes, I do a little victory dance after I kill a fly. I’m not ashamed to admit it.
For about six months when I was 14 years old, my mother decided it was time to get involved in the Unitarian Church. We’re not a family of church-goers generally, and I was suspicious of this decision. She and my father attended the services and my brother and I went to Sunday School. As it turns out, she wanted to enroll me in Sunday School at this particular church because they had a very progressive sex education program. And when I say very progressive I mean that some of the things we talked about and viewed were my first experience with pornography.
Anyway, my mother didn’t last long in this type of organized religion. This is probably a clue as to how our family views religion in general. If my mother couldn’t stomach the Unitarians, she probably will never be able to be a member of any organized religion. She tried to belong, but she was too realistic for the granola-crunchy members, too smart for the new-age members, and too bossy for the church leadership.
Every service ended with members sharing some piece of good news about their families or anything, really. Our last Sunday in church, one of the other mothers of teenagers in the church stood up to expound on the virtues of her children. At great length. Little Tommy had scored a touchdown in football. Little Suzy was on the honor roll again. They had both won awards for creative writing, or art, or music or some shit like that. Everybody politely clapped (and rolled their eyes). Except my mother.
My mother blew a gasket. She marched up to the lectern and grabbed the microphone. She said, "I would just like to tell everyone about my children. They did absolutely nothing spectacular this week. They were completely normal. They haven’t won any awards and haven’t done exceptionally well in school. But I’m still proud of them. Thank you." She dropped the microphone and walked out.
Like I said, that was our last Sunday in church.
But I learned something from her behavior that day. Sometimes, you need to take a few breaths, count to 10 and NOT say the first thing that comes to your mind. Into a microphone. In front of a large audience.
But sometimes you do.
Bottom line . . . sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don’t.
The question is, do I feel nutty today? Well? Do I?
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Nope. I still don’t know. But I'll tell you one thing. I don’t like being classified as a Mommy Blogger. I may be a mommy and a blogger. However, calling me a Mommy Blogger is like making cake using only flour and eggs. And it takes a whole lot more to make a cake. Particularly a Pointlessly Hypertechnical cake. Those are some damn complicated pastries.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Updated Blogroll
Seeing that I have not updated my blogroll since I started this blog in May of 2007, I thought it was about time. I deleted some dead links and some blogs I never read anymore. Most importantly, I added many people whom I should have added months ago. My apologies for not adding you sooner. I've been busy. (I mean, I was too busy to vaccinate my cat for two years, what made you think I would be able to perform secretarial blog work in a timely manner?)
I'm sure I have forgotten someone and, as a result, someone is going to get their undies in a bunch. Rest assured, if you are not on my blogroll, there are two possible explanations: (1) I simply forgot because I am an overworked, overtired, professional single mom who would rather write a blog than maintain it, and things slip through the cracks sometimes; or (2) I don't like you.
If you think you fall under the first category, feel free to email me at hypertechnical@gmail.com and I will add you to the roll . . . sometime in the next 18 months or so.
If you think you fall under the second category, you can also email me to discuss the matter, if you really feel it necessary. But beware . . . I've been told I'm mean.
OH - and anyone who posts a picture of my knee taken on Saturday, August 23, 2008, might risk being banned from my blogroll. Yeah, that's how I roll. I know who you are! But I will take cash payments for the use of my knee's likeness on your blog.
I'm sure I have forgotten someone and, as a result, someone is going to get their undies in a bunch. Rest assured, if you are not on my blogroll, there are two possible explanations: (1) I simply forgot because I am an overworked, overtired, professional single mom who would rather write a blog than maintain it, and things slip through the cracks sometimes; or (2) I don't like you.
If you think you fall under the first category, feel free to email me at hypertechnical@gmail.com and I will add you to the roll . . . sometime in the next 18 months or so.
If you think you fall under the second category, you can also email me to discuss the matter, if you really feel it necessary. But beware . . . I've been told I'm mean.
OH - and anyone who posts a picture of my knee taken on Saturday, August 23, 2008, might risk being banned from my blogroll. Yeah, that's how I roll. I know who you are! But I will take cash payments for the use of my knee's likeness on your blog.
Friday, August 1, 2008
I've Been Tagged!
Rixblix tagged me to disclose six random things about myself. Here it is, Rix!
Tag Rules:
(1) Link to the person who tagged you.
(2) Post the rules on the blog.
(3) Write six random things about yourself.
(4) Tag six people at the end of your post.
(5) Let each person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.
(6) Let the tagger know when your entry is up.
My six random things:
(1) I have been to every state in the United States except Florida, Alaska, and Hawaii.
(2) I took a year off between high school and college and it was one of the best decisions I have ever made.
(3) When I was a freshman in high school, I wanted to be an architect. My school counselor suggested I take a mechanical drafting class, so I signed up for it. The first day of class, I walked in and I was the only girl in the class. The teacher pulled me aside and said, "We have never had a girl take this class. Wouldn't you be happier if you took art?" I was 14 years old and I was totally intimidated so I dropped the class and took art. I'd love to go back and smack that teacher in the head.
(4) On my mother's side, I am the first generation born in the United States.
(5) When I was 9, my grandfather built for me (at my request) a set of bunk beds just like the one Arnold and Willis shared on Diff'rent Strokes, except mine had white posts instead of brown posts. (I would totally link to an episode that shows the bed, except for the fact that I can't figure out how to do it and am getting really frustrated and pissed off. If you really want to see it, go to YouTube and search for Diff'rent Strokes Movin' In Part 2.) That bed is still in my parents' basement.
(6) In 1987, my brother and I both appeared on the front page of our small town newspaper. He had won an art contest and I had been selected for the All-State Orchestra.
I'm tagging Eyebrows, Peoria Illinoisan, Reno (because he bitched on Rix's blog), Mistress of the Post, Morton Malaise, and East Bluff Barbie (because she needs a reason to post - please?).
Tag Rules:
(1) Link to the person who tagged you.
(2) Post the rules on the blog.
(3) Write six random things about yourself.
(4) Tag six people at the end of your post.
(5) Let each person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.
(6) Let the tagger know when your entry is up.
My six random things:
(1) I have been to every state in the United States except Florida, Alaska, and Hawaii.
(2) I took a year off between high school and college and it was one of the best decisions I have ever made.
(3) When I was a freshman in high school, I wanted to be an architect. My school counselor suggested I take a mechanical drafting class, so I signed up for it. The first day of class, I walked in and I was the only girl in the class. The teacher pulled me aside and said, "We have never had a girl take this class. Wouldn't you be happier if you took art?" I was 14 years old and I was totally intimidated so I dropped the class and took art. I'd love to go back and smack that teacher in the head.
(4) On my mother's side, I am the first generation born in the United States.
(5) When I was 9, my grandfather built for me (at my request) a set of bunk beds just like the one Arnold and Willis shared on Diff'rent Strokes, except mine had white posts instead of brown posts. (I would totally link to an episode that shows the bed, except for the fact that I can't figure out how to do it and am getting really frustrated and pissed off. If you really want to see it, go to YouTube and search for Diff'rent Strokes Movin' In Part 2.) That bed is still in my parents' basement.
(6) In 1987, my brother and I both appeared on the front page of our small town newspaper. He had won an art contest and I had been selected for the All-State Orchestra.
I'm tagging Eyebrows, Peoria Illinoisan, Reno (because he bitched on Rix's blog), Mistress of the Post, Morton Malaise, and East Bluff Barbie (because she needs a reason to post - please?).
Monday, May 12, 2008
Pointlessly Hypertechnical is One Year Old!
Today is my first anniversary as Ms. PH. While blogging has not turned me into the amazing superhero I thought it would, it has been a great year.
Incidentally, May 12th last year was one day before Mother's Day. My Mother's Day post the next day was almost shocking to read because it was so serene and calm. I long for the baby days . . . .
This year's Mother's Day was not a celebration at all. I really had one of the worst days as a mother . . . ever. The screaming and fit-throwing started as soon as they woke up and continued all day. After their naps and another fight about whose toys were whose, I had finally lost it and said, "The next time either one of you screams or cries, you are BOTH going back in your beds and I'm going in my bed for the REST OF THE DAY!!!!"
For reasons no one knows, that actually worked and they were pretty good for the rest of the day. What didn't work was telling them it was Mother's Day and they needed to be nice to me. Surprise, surprise.
Incidentally, May 12th last year was one day before Mother's Day. My Mother's Day post the next day was almost shocking to read because it was so serene and calm. I long for the baby days . . . .
This year's Mother's Day was not a celebration at all. I really had one of the worst days as a mother . . . ever. The screaming and fit-throwing started as soon as they woke up and continued all day. After their naps and another fight about whose toys were whose, I had finally lost it and said, "The next time either one of you screams or cries, you are BOTH going back in your beds and I'm going in my bed for the REST OF THE DAY!!!!"
For reasons no one knows, that actually worked and they were pretty good for the rest of the day. What didn't work was telling them it was Mother's Day and they needed to be nice to me. Surprise, surprise.
Monday, April 14, 2008
Who's Next?
Katie's latest post about her boyfriend joining the blogging world got me thinking: Which one of my household members will be the next one to start a blog?
I'm sure my two year and a half year old daughter's blog would be called "Tales of a Misunderstood Drama Queen." She would post daily, of course, to maximize the number of hits and the amount of attention. Her posts would include:
Monday Fun: how to convince your preschool teachers and mother you have fractured your knee and can no longer walk and must be carried around school and home for 24 hours.
Tuesday Follow-up: how to be extra cute and charming after doctor's appointment for said knee "injury" to avoid punishment for Monday Fun.
Princess Debate: Who's better - Cinderella or Belle?
IT'S CIRCLE TIME, DAMN IT!
My TOY, MINE!!
My 16 month old son's blog would be entitled, "Balls, Buses, and Bubbles" because those are his three favorite words. His posts would include:
My Favorite Things - Balls, Buses, and Bubbles
Why it is so Funny when I Stick My Finger Up My Mama's Nose!
Admit it, I'm Cute!
Ode to Goldfish Crackers
BUUUUUBBBBLE! BUUUUUBBLE!
The dog's blog would be called, "Because I Can and You Would if You Could." She wouldn't post that often because it would interfere with her nap schedule, but here are a few:
The Squirrel Conspiracy
What the Hell Did I Eat Last Night?
Out!
Principles of Strategic Shedding
Why the Postman is Evil and Must Be Destroyed
The cat probably wouldn't lower himself to blogging, but if he did, it would be called, ". . . And Your Little Dog Too!" His posts would be full of swear words and rants against "the establishment" and include:
Who are These People and Why are They Touching Me?
Why I am Better than the Rest of You
How Hard is It to Keep My Food Bowl FULL!?!?!
Wow. It is probably a good thing I have a laptop that is on a high shelf. Of course, since none of them can type, all of the entries would look like this:
s DUH;W8Q NAe f;o234q
sakjdf 23489 sdflgmj awer:oGT DFHP0ERU9QT
SDM,C WE4R9 ERGDK ;F VMWE R9-2 TNFGS
hklsdf 394t sdakl erg12=4 daf; a)tre xbg
qw[ kpSDF ;94T'KDAFGq912-]94813
RSDFAGsdf w3rt9hn ;sdf awrfolwet n'ujio
I think I am safe for now.
I'm sure my two year and a half year old daughter's blog would be called "Tales of a Misunderstood Drama Queen." She would post daily, of course, to maximize the number of hits and the amount of attention. Her posts would include:
Monday Fun: how to convince your preschool teachers and mother you have fractured your knee and can no longer walk and must be carried around school and home for 24 hours.
Tuesday Follow-up: how to be extra cute and charming after doctor's appointment for said knee "injury" to avoid punishment for Monday Fun.
Princess Debate: Who's better - Cinderella or Belle?
IT'S CIRCLE TIME, DAMN IT!
My TOY, MINE!!
My 16 month old son's blog would be entitled, "Balls, Buses, and Bubbles" because those are his three favorite words. His posts would include:
My Favorite Things - Balls, Buses, and Bubbles
Why it is so Funny when I Stick My Finger Up My Mama's Nose!
Admit it, I'm Cute!
Ode to Goldfish Crackers
BUUUUUBBBBLE! BUUUUUBBLE!
The dog's blog would be called, "Because I Can and You Would if You Could." She wouldn't post that often because it would interfere with her nap schedule, but here are a few:
The Squirrel Conspiracy
What the Hell Did I Eat Last Night?
Out!
Principles of Strategic Shedding
Why the Postman is Evil and Must Be Destroyed
The cat probably wouldn't lower himself to blogging, but if he did, it would be called, ". . . And Your Little Dog Too!" His posts would be full of swear words and rants against "the establishment" and include:
Who are These People and Why are They Touching Me?
Why I am Better than the Rest of You
How Hard is It to Keep My Food Bowl FULL!?!?!
Wow. It is probably a good thing I have a laptop that is on a high shelf. Of course, since none of them can type, all of the entries would look like this:
s DUH;W8Q NAe f;o234q
sakjdf 23489 sdflgmj awer:oGT DFHP0ERU9QT
SDM,C WE4R9 ERGDK ;F VMWE R9-2 TNFGS
hklsdf 394t sdakl erg12=4 daf; a)tre xbg
qw[ kpSDF ;94T'KDAFGq912-]94813
RSDFAGsdf w3rt9hn ;sdf awrfolwet n'ujio
I think I am safe for now.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Well, I Would NEVER Write a Blog
My mother was in town this weekend, having fun while my dad was snowshoeing in the UP of Michigan. (That's a lie - since it was 23 below in the UP, without considering the windchill, they just sat around and drank, but anyway . . . .) So, my mom was in town for the long weekend helping me around the house, bonding with the kids, etc.
While fixing dinner on Saturday night, we got to talking about the books my book club is reading. I was really disappointed I had to miss our last book club meeting because I had a lot to say about the book. I was telling my mom that our next book is called Drunk, Divorced, and Covered with Cat Hair. We were laughing because I was kind of embarrassed to go to the store and buy it. Plus, when I went to Borders, I couldn't find it and I was too embarrassed to ask.
My mom was laughing with (at) me about this and asked why I was so embarrassed. Well, it just hits a little too close to home . . . you know . . . drunk . . . divorced . . . covered with cat (and dog) hair . . . still single after all these years . . . not getting any younger . . . or thinner . . . etc. My loving mother said, "Well, at least you're not divorced." Thanks, mom.
I admitted I didn't know much about the book but I did know that the author was a blogger and the book is substantially based on her blog entries. I also said I think a few book club members picked it because they have blogs.
As an aside, my parents are not aware that I write this blog. The only reason they don't know is that they would not approve of the way I talk about my sister-in-law. They agree with me, but they would not like that I talk semi-publicly about her in such an honest way. I find it therapeutic to bitch about my sister-in-law, so, my parents don't know about the blog.
Anyway, my mother says, emphatically, "OH, I would NEVER write a blog! Having all of that personal stuff out there in my profession? I mean, just like you, I feel it is not very professional to expose yourself to all of your clients and the public in such a way. Oh, I can't imagine all of those people reading all of that stuff about me."
Ummmm . . . so, I guess it was not the appropriate moment to come out of the closet about the blog. I guess I will wait until my book deal includes an nice big advance and then tell them about the blog.
While fixing dinner on Saturday night, we got to talking about the books my book club is reading. I was really disappointed I had to miss our last book club meeting because I had a lot to say about the book. I was telling my mom that our next book is called Drunk, Divorced, and Covered with Cat Hair. We were laughing because I was kind of embarrassed to go to the store and buy it. Plus, when I went to Borders, I couldn't find it and I was too embarrassed to ask.
My mom was laughing with (at) me about this and asked why I was so embarrassed. Well, it just hits a little too close to home . . . you know . . . drunk . . . divorced . . . covered with cat (and dog) hair . . . still single after all these years . . . not getting any younger . . . or thinner . . . etc. My loving mother said, "Well, at least you're not divorced." Thanks, mom.
I admitted I didn't know much about the book but I did know that the author was a blogger and the book is substantially based on her blog entries. I also said I think a few book club members picked it because they have blogs.
As an aside, my parents are not aware that I write this blog. The only reason they don't know is that they would not approve of the way I talk about my sister-in-law. They agree with me, but they would not like that I talk semi-publicly about her in such an honest way. I find it therapeutic to bitch about my sister-in-law, so, my parents don't know about the blog.
Anyway, my mother says, emphatically, "OH, I would NEVER write a blog! Having all of that personal stuff out there in my profession? I mean, just like you, I feel it is not very professional to expose yourself to all of your clients and the public in such a way. Oh, I can't imagine all of those people reading all of that stuff about me."
Ummmm . . . so, I guess it was not the appropriate moment to come out of the closet about the blog. I guess I will wait until my book deal includes an nice big advance and then tell them about the blog.
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Snubbed at the Blogger Bash
So, last night was the blogger bash. It was the second since I entered the world of blogging and the second I have attended. A good time was had by all, although there was this weird junior-high type divide between the men and women. Except for Diane, who managed to break the barrier. Before I left, I did manage to sit at the boys' table for a few minutes.
As mentioned on several other blogs, there were a few "special guests." One of them was so special that he could not be bothered to talk to the women's table at the bash. Matt Bisbee, a member of Jim McConoughey's campaign, showed up shortly after the bash started. Frankly, when he entered, I thought he was lost. He was dressed like your classic young Republican - very clean cut, not a hair out of place, very straight teeth. He walked in and talked to the men's table for awhile and left without even glancing at the women's table. Before I knew who he was, I thought, well . . . whatever, maybe he just isn't into women.
But as he was leaving, someone said who he was and that he was from McConoughey's campaign. Well, I am certainly not going to vote for McConoughey now. Admittedly, I am as likely to vote for McConoughey as Howard Dean would be, but still . . . it was just not good form. A good life lesson (an even better lesson for pols, or their wannabes) is - talk to every one in a room when you are representing a candidate. You never know who you may snub.
And for those of you who are wondering, I did vote for a Republican once. He was a friend of the family running for the House and he was pro-choice. Well, he won the election, but it didn't turn out well after that. I learned my lesson.
Actually, the best part of the bash was that several people at our table thought Matt Jones was the manager from Bar Louie. Matt's great (well . . . for a Republican) but thank god his chosen profession is law.
As mentioned on several other blogs, there were a few "special guests." One of them was so special that he could not be bothered to talk to the women's table at the bash. Matt Bisbee, a member of Jim McConoughey's campaign, showed up shortly after the bash started. Frankly, when he entered, I thought he was lost. He was dressed like your classic young Republican - very clean cut, not a hair out of place, very straight teeth. He walked in and talked to the men's table for awhile and left without even glancing at the women's table. Before I knew who he was, I thought, well . . . whatever, maybe he just isn't into women.
But as he was leaving, someone said who he was and that he was from McConoughey's campaign. Well, I am certainly not going to vote for McConoughey now. Admittedly, I am as likely to vote for McConoughey as Howard Dean would be, but still . . . it was just not good form. A good life lesson (an even better lesson for pols, or their wannabes) is - talk to every one in a room when you are representing a candidate. You never know who you may snub.
And for those of you who are wondering, I did vote for a Republican once. He was a friend of the family running for the House and he was pro-choice. Well, he won the election, but it didn't turn out well after that. I learned my lesson.
Actually, the best part of the bash was that several people at our table thought Matt Jones was the manager from Bar Louie. Matt's great (well . . . for a Republican) but thank god his chosen profession is law.
Monday, October 15, 2007
I'm a Winner!!
After months of trying, I finally got the correct answer on Name This Peoria Landmark. I got this one right (the Methodist smokestack) probably because I stare at it every day from my office window.
This win came at a good time for me and NTPL - I was on the edge. I was about to give up. I only know about one out of every 20 photos posted. It is just no fun to play if you know you are not likely to win. (How's about that for some insight into my psyche?) But, I am back on good terms with NTPL. For now.
Anyway, I am on the edge of my seat wondering what my white elephant prize will be?? White elephants can vary widely. Once, I got a three-pack of plastic beehive wigs as a white elephant gift. On the other hand, I also got a bottle of rum once. It wasn't a great bottle of rum, but it did the trick. Another time, I got a food dehydrator, which I was really excited about. However, I used it once and it wasn't so much a food dehydrator as a food rubberizor. It made really, really chewy dried tomatoes and bananas. My dentist wouldn't approve. I haven't used it since.
With my rediscovered zeal for NTPL, I encourage all of you to play. It is more fun that way. Except for Chef Kevin. He always beats me to the punch on the ones I actually know.
This win came at a good time for me and NTPL - I was on the edge. I was about to give up. I only know about one out of every 20 photos posted. It is just no fun to play if you know you are not likely to win. (How's about that for some insight into my psyche?) But, I am back on good terms with NTPL. For now.
Anyway, I am on the edge of my seat wondering what my white elephant prize will be?? White elephants can vary widely. Once, I got a three-pack of plastic beehive wigs as a white elephant gift. On the other hand, I also got a bottle of rum once. It wasn't a great bottle of rum, but it did the trick. Another time, I got a food dehydrator, which I was really excited about. However, I used it once and it wasn't so much a food dehydrator as a food rubberizor. It made really, really chewy dried tomatoes and bananas. My dentist wouldn't approve. I haven't used it since.
With my rediscovered zeal for NTPL, I encourage all of you to play. It is more fun that way. Except for Chef Kevin. He always beats me to the punch on the ones I actually know.
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