summer lovin' - had me a blast....

don't worry. i'm not involved in a remake of 'Grease', nor am i taking up with a T-Bird.

however...if John Travolta IS interested, i volunteer to play Sandy.

and instead of 'Grease', we could name it 'Beano'. after all, we ARE middle-aged now.

i really don't have anything profound to say today...not that i regularly pluck pearls from my brain and transpose them into written word...but there are a few things crossing my mind:

1) to the shopkeepers of America...have you noticed lately? there's a recession going on. people are not spending their money quite as freely. so it might behoove you to instruct your employees to be around in the store - not hiding - and helping the customers that are willing to buy. otherwise, they're gonna walk out...just like i did in three - count 'em - THREE stores today.

man, i AM getting old. and crotchety.

2) it really sucks to have a computer down and out. the power jack is dead in mine, and currently in the hospital. it'll be cut free next week.

3) a co-worker is travelling to India for the company next week...for a month. while i don't relish either a 20 hour flight or the four weeks there, still, it's India. makes me think i could relive my fantasies of 'A Little Princess' - and yes, i know it took place in England, not India. i just like the idea.

4) i seem to be in a bit of a funk...i call it my post-birthday dramatization. seems like the older i get, after my birthday, i kind of feel looking for something...just not sure what.

5) my sweet boy turns 50 in a few weeks. good Lord. whoever thought we'd get to be 50..after all, as kids, 50 was ancient. heck, 30 was almost to the point of no return.

and to reach 99, well...a feat just like his coaching career. RIP Coach.

and once again - i have pitched a perfect game of non-sequential ramblings.
goooooooooooooooooooooo me!!

something's missing.

besides me, that is.

*sigh* i don't know what the deal is. normally, writing for me is right up there with, oh, let's say eating hot bread with lotsa butter.

lately though - not so much.

i'm not sure what's going on with me. but, because i'm fairly sure no one wants to read a diatribe on a pity party that i'm throwing...please byob, by the way...here's the run-down on what's been going on.

you can skip to the end if you want.

• did you know i have a bad attitude? apparently complaining to someone about someone else breaking rules was the wrong thing to do. i'd say more on that later, but who knows who reads this.

• now i'm paranoid. great.

• step-pop healing nicely from the surgery. apparently so much so that he's back to driving my mom to the edge of sanity...which, really is where most of my family is on a day-to-day basis.

• Cutest Kids in Reno, along with their parents come down for A WHOLE WEEK next month. and, in between filling up memory cards with their mugs, getting smothered (and smothering them) in grimy hugs & kisses, chasing the 6 year old (come BACK HERE NOW!!!) and what not, their mother and i will do the Disneyland Deathmarch. and remember at the end of each and every day why it is that the Lord gives children to the young.

• heading to Vegas the weekend of mother's day with the Cutest Kids in Hesperia AND their mother AND their grandmother. conspiring with the mother to go on a pub crawl throughout Vegas and make the teenager be the designated driver. that should make her 'just say no.'
  

• Husband still sort of unemployed. he's currently helping a man who owns a training school by handing out fliers at factories, warehouses and such, then helps him train the students. so at least there's a bit of mad money coming in, but the economy still sucks.

• up side (a small one) to being unemployed most of the year? we become the favorites of Uncle Sam and get a really, REALLY nice refund this year. even from the Great State of Cal-ee-forn-eye-aye, which hasn't happened in years. i always end up paying them.

• working a lot of overtime lately - and while the money's nice, i can tell i'm getting old. i don't bounce back from it like i used to. getting old is wrong.

• since i AM working overtime, i decided to splurge and give myself a present - i signed up for this. what really sold me: i have to turn in photos and have them critiqued. niiiice.

• friday @ work, i got a plaque celebrating my 20 years of service with the Company, which is great, except that i've been there 22 years. oh well, better late than never.

and that, Gentle Reader, is why i call this Random Thoughts.

positives and negatives.

i have always been a 'glass is half full' kind of girl. not in a Pollyanna kind of way, but in a things-aren't-as-bad-as-it-seems-so-suck-it-up-sunshine-kind of way.

most days it works. some days not so much.

take for example, this Saturday. i'm taking photos at my hair girl's baby's first birthday party. now, while i'm positive i won't choke too badly, i'm still kind of nervous about the whole thing.

and for every 'what ifs...' my brain comes up with, the glass half full part of my brain counters and tries to slap the what ifs into submission.

not as easy as it seems.

Eeyore brain says: oh, CRAP. what if i run out of battery juice? the battery is rechargeable, so not like you can bring a gazillion Duracells.

better part of my brain says: get over it. you'll charge before you go, and remember? you finally got those additional batteries from eBay. they can be charged and ready to go.

Eeyore: OK, well...what about the memory card? you're gonna run out of memory and THEN what are you gonna do?

better part: i have an 8 gig memory card, and there are still over a 1000 photos that can fit. i'll clear off what's on it now, clear space and have oodles of space for photos.

Eeyore: well...um....what if you take a bunch of photos of your fingers, like you used to?

better part: i was 10 years old. it was a pocket camera (remember those?). this is a bigger camera, it has a lens and it's digital. even if you stick your bum in the pictures, you can see it afterwards and delete it.

Eeyore: yeah? well, what if you get hit with a meteor? whatreya gonna do then, smart girl?

better part: (shakes head) we've not had a rash of meteor strikes here in the OC. i think we're done here.

i think you get the idea...and while most of the time it doesn't happen quite like that, still...i have arguments with myself from time to time.

i just want to do a good job - and have everyone like me.

easy, no?

in other news...

no updates really on the job search. he's been going back and forth with one guy here, and while it looks better and better, there's still no job offer.

we just both want it over. and i want him working.

turning to sports....

last Saturday was our photo classes field trip, out in Norco; a urban/country town about 40 minutes from us. lotsa horses, lotsa houses on large lots.

the farm we went to wasn't. no cows, no chickens, no horses. the owners are friends of my instructor, in their 80s and don't work the land. the missus is currently in the hospital recovering from West Nile Virus. pretty good for 80.

we had some models. i had a model of my own. and some doggies that just wanted to play.

my instructor & his wife.

best looking fella there.

coming up: Paramount Studios and a first birthday party.

maybe i should call it random bitching.

except that i promised
myself that i wouldn't complain about...that place.

for today at least.

i keep thinking about going on vacation. we haven't been on one since my back surgery and dang would it be killer to go on one.

we've been on some fun ones. DisneyWorld. Arizona. Michagan.

we've done road trips, gone to wineries and of course visited friends and family.

and of course, the places i'd like to see grows. call it a bucket list.

*Ireland
(well, duh.)
*England
*Canada (we were going to Victoria, BC for our honeymoon, until someone told me that it rains in October. silly me, i don't want to stay inside all the time for our honeymoon. Sedona it is!)
*Hawaii
*Japan
*Texas (well, at least more than i did see)
*Colorado, Wyoming, Montana (i just so want to be someplace where there's wide open spaces, blue skies and, dare i say, buffalo.)
*Maine
*Georgia (no, not so i can stalk Alton Brown)
*Utah (and no, not so i can stalk Donny)
*Australia (but i think first i'll need to be drugged before the dang flight)

i never traveled as a kid. but now, as an overgrown kid, i just want to go and go and go. but i guess i need money first.

could there be a lotto winning in my immediate future? man i hope so.

ah - the glories of Friday...in one sentence bursts.

• and the wonders of fall, especially when it's 88 freaking degrees out! what the heck is that all about?
• it would be great that it's Friday, except that i gotta work tomorrow.
• still nothing on the job horizon. it sucks to be my boy.
• i feel like my shoulder has been surgically attached to my ears.
• hell begins tonight...literally. the Haunt opens over at Knott's, so for the next four weekends, we will endevor to stay the heck away from this area...which does make for creative ways to get home while avoiding all the traffic of the Haunt attendees.
• man - i SO love movies like 'The Right Stuff' and 'Apollo 13.' i could watch 'em on and on....
• i could use a massage.
• Albertson's makes a dang fine frozen pizza. quite nice for a Friday night.

hope your weekend rocks.

mercy!

i'm home.

i had a faboo time.

but i came home, went back to work and walked right in the middle of a firestorm.

so i'm sorry, but no update today. hang on - tomorrow's coming, and so much to share.

like the pilot that 'forgot' to file a flight plan.

that oughta whet yer appetite.

cheers & jeers

remember that from TV Guide? (or actually they DO still run it, whatever) the reviewer would cheer & jeer (duh) the best and worst of TV that week.

once again, art imitates life.

Cheers:
Mike's is having a 50% off sale on their Cricut cartridges.
Jeers:
they won't have anything i want, just what i do have.

Cheers:
the Cricut.
Jeers:
oooops. i've been calling it a cree-cut. found out it's really cricket. d'oh.

Cheers:
the price of gas is coming down a little here under the Smogberry Trees.
Jeers:
dagnabbit, it's still over $4/gallon

Cheers:
i survived the layoffs at work.
Jeers:
rumor is, there's another one possibly coming down the pike, but this one will be company wide.
hey - we're bleeding money, i guess you gotta do something to stop it. and dang it, the severance package now won't be nearly as generous as this last one. time for me to get my sign made up 'Vietnam Vet, Homeless, God Bless,' and find my space on the freeway's off ramp.

Cheers:
B's new car - sweet.
Jeers:
car payments. less than sweet.

Cheers:
OPI's Russian Navy nail polish. it's blue, it's purple, it's dark.
Jeers:
what they charge for pedicures hereabouts.

Cheers:
got laundry done today - and early, too.
Jeers:
the dang battery in my car died at the laundromat. off to Kragen for a new one. aren't cars fun?

Cheers:
Fudgcicles.
Jeers:
what, are you crazy? even with Weight Watchers, i ain't bagging on the 'cicle.

Cheers:
in 9 days, i'll be off to Reno. oh dang. gotta see people i love and take pictures of them.
Jeers:
besides the joy of airport security, there ARE no jeers.

Cheers:
i still love the camera. and yes, i AM picking photos now that i want to enter in the fair next year.
Jeers:
have you priced a macro lens for one of these babies? geeeeeeeeezzzzz. i'm thinking of selling a kidney to finance it.

Cheers:
BBQing steaks on the patio.
Jeers:
the downstairs neighbor, Dickey McPooPooHead, had a tantrum when we were starting the coals because we had embers popping. and this with Brendan standing there with the lid over the coals, trying to keep the popping down. apparently we were also BBQing the neighbor's cat.
Mr. McPooPooHead was truly like a four year old having a temper tantrum, who yelled at Brendan, then slammed the door to his apartment. he has since avoided us like the plague.

wait...that could really be considered a cheer.

p.s. - the cat is fine.

well then.

dagnabbit.

we went to the fair the other day. Brendan got in the building before i did(see what happens when you stop to talk to people?) and it took me a few minutes to find him...and my photo.

with no ribbon.

that does sound egotistical, doesn't it? oh well.

we have friends coming out later this month, so we'll be going again, but just on the first glance, it seemed to me that the ones that did win, were huge.

some of the biggest prints i've ever seen.

maybe bigger is better. hey - it certainly worked for all the Super-Size Meals.



y'know - i was surprised...not that i didn't get a ribbon, but at my own reaction to not getting a ribbon. i had been so nervous prior to us going that i thought i would fall apart if i didn't win.

could that mean i'm actually more grown up than i thought i was? finally - after 46 years on this planet, i've matured?

naaah. besides - there's always next year.

little bit of this and that...

because i do wander...both physically AND mentally...here's my latest thoughts.

'sides, it's been WAY too hot to write coherently. not only that, but the power cord on our computer is giving us fits, so we ran out of juice. niiiice.

that explanation out of the way, here's some rambling. enjoy.

• as cool as the Beatles are, have you ever listened to some of their later stuff? i mean, what the heck does 'Polythene Pam' about anyway?
• some mornings, i look at myself in the mirror and i think, man - i really look good, especially for a broad my age. then i wake up.
• nothing new on the layoffs at work. most of the time, i think i'll really be OK and will survive this. then, the demons inside my brain wake up and start trashing the place.
• would you call this a block? i wanna play with my Cricut and all the new toys, but dagnabbit, i can't think of anything i want to do or play with.
• i'm learning to play guitar...on Guitar Hero for my DS. good grief. see, as a kid, i sold Christmas cards and earned prizes. naturally, this being the 70s, i got a guitar. and tried to learn to play. i sucked at it then, i still suck now.
• went to the Irish Fair over the weekend, and got a coin with a four leaf clover on one side, and 'a lucky 4 leaf clover for you.' it was made in China. does that mean i get the luck or it was lucky for the person who made it?
• photo judging for my photo in the OC Fair is Wednesday. if i get 1st, i will get a phone call, probably next week. my fingernails should be nubs by then. oh, but if i get 2nd, 3rd or nothing at all...well, i gotta wait until the bloody fair starts. in.July. on the 11th. good grief.
• speaking of, i think i'm gonna drive the people in the photo section crazy, with all my questions. perhaps i should've warned 'em that i'm anal and like to know every.freaking.detail. of everything that's gonna happen. drives Brendan crazy, especially when, before we got married, i was asking him how we were gonna sign our Christmas cards.
• no i am not kidding.
• i've been taking glucosamine and drinking joint juice a lot lately, hoping to get my 46 year old joints looser, but, instead of looking and feeling like the Scarecrow in the Wizard of Oz, i'm more like the Tin Man before he got introduced to the oil can. maybe i need to introduce myself to a can of STP?
• and to top it off, i got an email on, well, ass rimming. whatever that it.

remember - it's my world. y'all are invited for the ride.

dodging bullets.

jury duty today.

oh joy.

i don't know what it is about jury duty that turns every dang one of us into a bunch of crybabies. myself included.

now, if it came down to me needing a jury of my peers, well, all i can say is i want the system to work, as it usually does every day in America.

but i also know that there's a lot of idiots out there. a lot. and i'm not sure i want them as a jury of my peers.

of course, there's the fact that if i was stupid enough to get arrested and put on trial for something, then apparently i get what i deserve.

on the bright side, since i had my service rescheduled from last November, to April to now, i got to go to Fullerton, not too far from our casa, and much nicer than driving to the county seat of Santa Ana.

downtown Santa Ana.

with the occasional gang problem. that i have to drive the 5 freeway to. (ed. note: the 5, is a main artery going from San Diego in the South all the way up to the California state line, and beyond. it gets crowded. a lot. especially since it goes by most of the major Mostly Smoggy Southern California attractions)
so i gladly will take Fullerton. 'sides, they have a totally cool Old Town and some bad ass vintage and antique stores. a good vibe it has.

and i got to drive the Buick. why, where is your car, you ask? oh, it would be at the radiator ship, getting pressure flushed and all new hoses put in.

nice.

yesterday, B decided to replace my air filter and check the oil. then, on a whim, he checked my radiator, which apparently had more sludge than Washington DC.

so this place came recommended to us, and as they flushed, they told B that my hoses needed replacing.

see - everything falls apart after 45.

anywhoooo - they are keeping my car until tomorrow afternoon, and lucky Brendan, he gets to get up early when i do, so he can take me to work.

ah, the Luck of the Irish indeed.

while at jury duty, i was busy attending a pity party in my honor, when smack in the middle of it, one of my Voices in my Head (the smarter, more sensible one, as you will see) walked over to me and smacked me in the back of my head.

'um, hello?! do you not realize how lucky you are?'

lucky? me?? have you not noticed that half of our household is unemployed, i may bloody well be as well and my freaking car is being repaired for the tune of $300?

'you are lucky. you are working. you have the money to fix, and things could be worse. you are not only lucky, you're blessed and you should hit the ground and thank God for your blessings.'

man. i hate it when she's right.

it's all a matter of prospective. the forest vs. the trees. it reminds me of one of my favorite 'Far Side' cartoon about the four types of personalities. the first one joyfully sees the glass as half full, the second as, naturally, half empty. the third is confused about the glass and what was that question again?

the last one says, irritated, 'hey! i ordered a cheeseburger!'

that one is me. occasionally missing the point altogether.

so i am blessed. we have the money to fix the car, the timing just sucks.

and to add to my blessings, i got excused from jury duty around 11:45, no more cases that needed juries that day.

i felt like i did on the last day of school.

blessed beyond reason. i just need smacked around sometimes to realize that.

meme-mo-mah.

courtesy of Linda and Melissa. momma likey. momma also likes the fact that Husband is working on something and i get not only the computer to myself BUT i also get what chick flick i wanna see on the t.v. life, as they say, is gooooood.



Favorite person (outside family)?
one? can't be done. there's Maureen - and i dont' care if she is my sister-in-law. and of course, Kristie, who's seen me in some of the uggiest times...and yes, that does include first thing in the morning. and let's not forget my girlie Mellie...without whom Wicked Wednesday would just be...Wednesday.
Favorite food?
um. several. you don't get a bum my size and a wattle to boot without having several favorite foods. but it's gotta be fresh baked warm cookies. or bread. or orange rolls. or....
Quirks about you?
besides the egg carton thing? there's more than just a little OCD going on here. i need instructions. i crave instructions. don't always follow 'em but dagnabbit, i love 'em.
How would the person who loves you most describe you in ten words or less?
hold on. let me ask.
'beats the hell outta me.'
well, if that doesn't make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
Any regrets in life?
that, my friend, would warrant its own post.
let's keep it short and say kids and leave it at that.
Favorite Charity/ Cause?
anything that benefits kids. 'nuff said.
Favorite Blog recently?
loving me some Tara. wishing i had 1/10th of her talent.
Something you can't get enough of?
hugs. don't care from who, but little grubby fingers do give the best hugs
Worst job you’ve ever had?
working for a pizzeria when i was in college. gah, but the owner was a total ass. gave me a menu on my first day and told me i had to have it memorized by my next shift. the next day. it didn't happen. he was cranky, mean and just a butt. don't miss him one bit.
What job would you pay NOT to have?
being a waitress. and i've done it. i never liked clearing plates, even when i was in Rainbow Girls and we were cleaning tables after a function. something about half eaten food on plates makes me want to hurl.
If you could be a fly on the wall, where?
In the daily lives of some of the bloggers I read. I'm just nosy that way. (me, too Melissa!)Favorite Bible verse right now?
I Cor. 13. yes, the whole chapter.
Guilty Pleasure?
Donny Osmond. i know it seems weird, but it seems to detract from my *ahem* ultra-cool and hip image.
Got any confessions? I
what are you, my mother?
If you HAD to spend $1,000 on YOURSELF, how would you spend it?
new clothes. new makeup. yum, yum, yum.
Favorite thing about your house?
two bathrooms. again, 'nuff said.
Least favorite thing about your house?
the kitchen is too.dang.small.
One thing you are bad at?
only one? come on. i'm bad at too many things.
One thing you’re good at?
forgetting all the things i'm bad at.
If you could change something about your circumstances, what?
i get the Husband a faboo ridiculously paying job that would never ever be effected by the economy. ever.
Who would you like to meet someday?
my friends in bloggerland.
What makes you feel sexy?
black heels.
Who is your real life hero?
my mom, even though i never say it.
What is the hardest part of your job?
people. we've got so many different personalities and they clash.
When are you most relaxed?
when i'm playing. doesn't matter if it's with my camera, or in my paper stash. or even in an inner tube on a lazy river with float-up margarita bars.
What stresses you out?
too many things. i need to learn to let go. but that's hard to do when you're OCD.
What can you not live without?
God. I don't know how other folks do.
Do you agree or disagree with the recent article that reported that blogs are authored by narcissists?
what? i'm sorry, i was too busy freshening up my makeup and admiring my cute top.
Why do you blog?
i love writing. plain & simple.

your turn. if you play, let me know so i can spy on your answers.

well, isn't THAT special.

so i came home from Vegas with either a) a cold or b) a bad allergy to all the smoke in the casino.

when i got home, my mom told me that while i was gone, my step-pop fell off a stair at one of her quilting cronie's home. there was lots of blood.

of course, my mom sometimes gets hysterical and doesn't see things totally in perspective. my stepfather, is by nature, a good bleeder. but believe me when i tell you that he did NOT need stitches and the CT scan saw no additional injuries to his brain.

in other words, they scanned his brain and didn't find nuttin. HA! i've always wanted to use that joke.

again, i don't understand why someone couldn't have told me while i was there. i know there was nothing i could do, but still i like to know these things.

then...

after we got home, my friend (the one i went to Vegas with) had her mom take a tumble.

parents. what are ya gonna do?


furthermore...

we had a potluck today for our work group's May birthdays. that would be Jeff and Patrick. notice someone was missing? oh yeah. me.

when my boss set this up, he said it would be for Jeff & Patrick. i'm not about to tell him that it's also MY birthday at the end of the month. oh well.

he's a ding-dong anyway.

moving on...

we came home from dinner tonight to the melodic strains of a drunk arguing.

'listen to ME!!!' she says.

'shut yer mouth.' he says.

ah. be it ever so humble, there's no place like the drunk tank.


happy weekend, y'all.

800 blabberings.

whoda thunk it?

well, me for one.
my husband for another.
and well, pretty dang much everyone who knows me.

i can ramble on and on about things that well...probably don't need me rambling on and on about.

but what the heck.

so post away. i've got a little acrylic frame i'll send to you, if my Husband chooses you.

have fun!

because i'm too tired to be funny.

or witty.
or tender.
or thought-provoking.

wait. i rarely AM, anyway. so i guess it's not much of a stretch.

i am, however, tired.

week of work makes me weak.

so. what's been going on? B's still a stay-at-home dad. he's contacted both the latest interviews; one isn't ready to make a decision and the other is doing his usual 'i'm very busy and cannot talk to you but call me next week' thing.

whatever.

at work, things are starting to actually slow down. a little. then a brushfire takes off and i consider quitting/retiring/winning the lotto all over again.

(speaking of, did you read about the man in Michigan who won the lotto? usually plays w/ fellow co-workers, but this time his son bought him some tix. $126MILLION. and he's planning on giving $1 million each to some of his co-workers that he usually played with. i just am not sure i could be that generous to some of the schmoes i work with.)

so.

stole this from Linda. enjoy. i'm going to bed.

Each question needs to be answered with a 5 word answer
1. What did you have for breakfast? a uggy sausage breakfast burrito
2 What are you doing now? trying to keep eyes open
3. What is your weather like? cool. cloudy. breezy. possible rain.
4. What’s bugging you now? politics nationally and at work.
5. What’s going on this weekend? swap meet. weigh-in. creating!

feel free to play, let me know so i can spy your answers.

again with the aliens?

naaah.

it's been crazy busy as usual.

but that's not why i haven't been around.

he's been hogging, er...using the computer non-stop for the last four days because he had a mid-term.

big whoop. does he not realize my blogging is far more important than a freaking grade?

riiiiiight.

more to come.

random nuttiness - now with 45% more nutz!

strap in. i'm going all over the place this a.m.

• yesterday at work was much better. although i did find out that i'm gonna have to train a real (pardon the expression) numbnutz to help with my job. he's a schmo, we don't get along and he has no motivation to go above and beyond what is required of him. you know, like half of America.
• Carrie Underwood is just the cutest thing, dang it.
• we are switching Weight Watchers meetings to Saturday, neither of us like the new leader on Sundays, way too perky. not only that, but i get irritated at leaders who have lost only 25 pounds and are now at their goal weight. i don't begrudge any weight loss, but i feel more affinity with someone who, like me, has a buttload of weight to lose.
• pun intended.
• George Clooney is also pretty yummy.
• ditto Keith. like i had to say that.
• nerve wracking is making this mini brag necklace for my mom. it uses the index prints from your Costco photos. yep. that small. the Husband even says 'is it supposed to be that small?' shaddup. you know nothing about art.
• Girl Scout cookies rock. especially Thin Mints in the freezer, a nasty habit i got from my Grandma Dodie.
• Brendan's Adventures in Unemployment may be coming to an end as soon as Monday. he interviewed at a printhouse about five minutes from our casa, and this owner really like Brendan and what he had to say, suggestions, etc. they're meeting to talk about money, benefits and all that fun stuff. prayers, por favor.
• a job would be nice, since we have yet to get any money from the Great State of California. see, at first, they were 'concerned' about Brendan attending school, they seemed to think that would keep him from accepting a position. so, when he recontacted them, they said they were still 'evaluating' his case.
• yesterday he got another form from them.
• oh and he got hit yesterday. had pulled out of his parking spot, and was driving in the parking lot, when a retired cop backed out of his spot and whacked him good. no damage to Husband, a nice whack on the truck. we already have the body shop selected and he's taking it Monday.
• have you been to Tara's home? she is so beyond talented as a photographer, i just wanna be like her. her photos of her kiddos just amaze me.
• been tagged by my SusieQ - look for it on the next installment of *random thoughts.

i'm OLD.

almost forgot.

on our many errands today, we stopped @ an electronics store that had a Nintendo DS out with the Brain Age game loaded on it.

seen that yet? it's a game for us adults, to keep our brains nimble & quick.

so the sample game we get? math.

SO the bad choice.

this game starts with the number 74.

now subtract 7 from that total. now subtract 7 again from the new total.

and so on.

guess what? my brain age is 70.

Geritol. yep. it's time for Geritol and Lawrence Welk reruns and blue hair and dining @ 5:30 so we can avoid them whippersnappers.

dadgumit.

this is getting old.

i'm going through serious withdrawals.

this no computer crap is for da birds.

the Husband has been taking the laptop to work with him for the last few weeks. but man. i didn't realize how much time after work i spend reading, perusing and researching (read: goofing off) on the 'net until my toy is gone from me.

and all these great ideas i have for posts...until i get home and remember that i don't have the laptop and so can't write 'em down.

yet another good argument for ginkgo whatever.

so - let me work on the Readers' Digest version of where and what for me.

• temporarily reassigned to yet another supervisor. this should only be until January and i should be going back to my current supervisor. maybe.
• took today off - did a buttload of laundry, including all our bedding.
• Christmas shopping. and no, i cannot share. he reads here, y'know.
• made a present for a friend.
• napped. naps are goooood.
• cleaned my stove. it was gross.
• embarrassed myself at the laundromat. let me explain how:

at my laundromat - when one of the machines is out, there's a note taped over the card reader (this one uses a card like an ATM, no change needed). i'm loading, loading, loading..

and loaded right into the broken one. and shut the door. and locked it.

dork.

i went off to find the manager, and after telling her my silliness, she laughs and walks away. i'm thinking that perhaps the language barrier snuck up and i scamper (yes, i occasionally DO scamper) after her and ask if she can unlock the door for me.

she walks over and turns the handle.

yep. that was it. the door opened like magic.

New Rule for Valerie #1,648, 287 - DO NOT go to the laundromat UNTIL YOU'VE HAD CAFFEINE OF SOME SORT.

reasonable request, dontcha think?

and for those of you who do enjoy a good Starbucks - let me share my new fave, if you haven't tried it already - the Peppermint White Chocolate Mocha.

and no, i do not want to know how many calories it has.

in other news...

we had our Bunco Christmas party on Tuesday. our tradition is to go out to dinner, then to the hostesses' home for a gift exchange (where we steal presents and it can get vicious)where i went from having a Wedgewood blue tablecloth with matching napkins and some cheesy looking glass Irish Coffee mugs (don't drink that, thankyouverymuch, but would've loved the tablecloth. then i remembered i have a cat who loves to pull things off other things AND to claw things and got over it. the sting was made easier when i stole the $25 Cheesecake Factory gift card. come on over, girls, dessert's on me!).

longest run on sentence ever just now. wow.

next week - at work and at a friend's home - we're having White Elephant gift exchanges.

now that's fun. and, yes i found the most obnoxious white elephant ever.

ev-er.

when at the swap meet last week, i found this cheesy plastic bird cage with horribly ugly birds in 'em.

it has a motion sensor.

oh yeah. it chirps, moves around and is just horrible. hor-ri-ble.

cannot wait.

because nothing says Christmas like a motion sensor bird cage.

it's just too dang early for this crap.

i've always been a sensitive sleeper. not one that can sleep through anything, unlike the Husband, i can wake up when the living room light goes on. (and just to clarify, the Husband has our lights on a remote/timer program. so if we go on vay-cay, the lights will go on, off on timers and it looks like someone's home)

and at 3:30 a.m. today, the living room light went on. couple that with some chick carrying on a conversation in the complex behind us by telling them to shut UP!

dang. my sentiments exactly.

let me paint you a pretty picture, Gentle Reader. Husband is in the middle of the bed. the cat is between my legs. my forehead is squashed on the pillow. my mouth is open, my tongue is sticking out and i'm drooling.

lovely, no?

back to the yeller.

thankfully, they got into a car and left after several "shut up!" "no, you shut up!"

i love witnessing a verbal exchange with the more intelligent members of our community.
so intriguing.

so here we are. watching infomercials for the Cricut (so wanting one), feeling sleepy, but i want to do some laundry this a.m. and be there when it opens @ 6am. no napping right now.

not that i really have a burning desire to do laundry, but i cannot seem to get the cat to do his fair share of housework.

lazy ass.

i actually don't mind doing laundry, and going to the laundromat is a chance to get caught up on either DVDs or read.

but for once, i would love it if the laundry fairies would take care of it for me, as well as make me sleep through idiots yelling and lights going on.

too much to ask?

begged. borrowed.

from my April. something different! feel free to borrow!



What were you doing ten years ago?
getting fitted for my wedding dress. hammering out last minute details.
trying not to be a Bridezilla.



What were you doing five years ago?
hammering out last minute details for our DisneyWorld trip. working a buttload of overtime, which paid for said trip. finding out about this great restaurant 'Albert & Victoria's' at the resort. we were welcomed, personally. our names were on our copy of the menu we got. i got a red rose. (one of these days, i'll scan the layout. i'll warn you - it's pretty crappy. i had just started scrapping and it was total stickerama.

What were you doing one year ago?
finding it hard to believe it had been a year since my back surgery. hard to believe it worked out so well. so easily. and that it continues (knock wood) to do so.

What did you do yesterday?
talked to two wonderful friends. made some cards. enjoyed the solitude while the Husband helped a friend move. belted out over and over and over Michael Buble's "Everything."
(i'm thinking this will be the cornerstone of a card/layout i've got in mind in honor of the upcoming 10th anniversary)



Six places you'd rather be:
Catalina Island...Disneyland and/or DisneyWorld...the cabins @ Crystal Cove (even though i've never been there...it just seems so cool)...any island anywhere...Reno



Five treats you love:
Hagaan-Daas vanilla ice cream....Coldstone's Birthday Cake Remix...mexican brownies...the margaritas @ Joe's Crab Shack....pedicures



What would you do with a million dollars?
hmmmmm. probably buy a house, but let's face it, here in Mostly Smoggy So. Cal., a million bucks will buy a home, but not give you much left over. if we did have leftovers, it would be off to the baby store for one. or two.



Five favorite TV shows:
CSI...Dexter...Good Eats...Family Guy...the Simpsons


Your most memorable things right now:
going to bed at night and a certain Furboy snuggering between my legs. (i won't tell you what the Husband says. i'm sure you can put it together, though)
the cool nights and mornings. Fall is SO here.
thinking about going to Reno for Thanksgiving and reading "I Spy" with my nephew, while my niece runs around in her chonies.
Sunday mornings here.



what say you?