a never ending font of useless information...

that's my job. it's what i do best. retain completely useless info and then pass it on to you. enjoy.

* a woman wearing stilettos exerts 552 lbs of pressure per square inch at the heel. ouch.

* the term "underwear" first came into use in 1879.

* no matter which way Mickey Mouse's head faces, his ears always face the front.

* 59% of women do ten or more hours of housework per week, only 22% of men do the same.

* Ty Cobb had a .22 slug lodged in his shoulder.

* polar bears have been know to swim 100 miles from shore.

* only four days of every year are exactly 24 hours long. no wonder i can't get anything done.

* if it takes a second to vacuum one square foot, it would take 12 years to vacuum Ohio. (yeah, and it would still be 59% of the women doing it)

* the star Sirius, gives off 26x more light than the sun. (yes, and more radio stations, too)

* an alligator can run as fast as a horse. (no wonder no one can catch the one dumped at a park up in Los Angeles. he's too fast for 'em)


...............and...............

more of my favorite bumper stickers:

I'm still hot - it just comes in flashes.

My other vehicle is in orbit.

Remember: it's pillage first, then burn.

It's my cat's world - I'm just here to open cans.

Coffee makes it possible to get out of bed,
chocolate makes it worth it.

Don't Drink & Derive.
Alcohol and Calculus Don't Mix.

and my two personal very favorites...

The only difference between a rut and a grave is the depth.

If I Had a Life, I Wouldn't Need a Bumper Sticker.

Happy Thursday, everyone....the weekend's almost here!

five years ago...

i was pulling into work, hearing that a plane had flown into the Twin Towers in NYC.

it didn't seem real.

it still doesn't.

it didn't seem real watching people jump out of the burning towers.

it still doesn't.

it was hard to believe, two days later, that my entire work location, would be standing outside our buildings, holding flags, tissues, holding back tears and holding each other.

someone said it all seemed surreal - we, the generations that grew up with special effects. it just didn't seem real.

it still doesn't.

but it was. the wound may not be as raw as it was then, but it still is a tender spot. it's still hard to watch. it's hard to believe it happened five years ago.

it never will seem real.

i pray you were not personally affected by the events of the day. i remember the words "those that forget the past are destined to repeat it."

may that never happen again. peace.

feelin' oh, so crafty...

hand painting a mini album...
7 Gypsies gaffer tape, Technique Tueday stamp, book from Aaron Bros.....
painting letters before i put paper to it (a la Donna)...
just feeling the vibe on a Friday night.

never one to back down from a challenge...

i accept the tag from Linda...
get ready to be underwhelmed!

1. Three things that scare me:
freeway flyovers (don't ask)
tomato worms (ewwwwww)
_____________ (fill in the blank)

2. Three people that make me laugh:
Robin Williams
my niece
Dubya

3. Three things I hate the most:
styrofoam egg cartons
algebra
car repairs

4. Three things I don't understand:
math (see answer above)
humans ('nuff said)

5. Three things I'm doing right now:
cheating on WW
watching "While You Were Out" reruns
trying to think of another answer to #1

6. Three things I want to do before I die:
own a beach house
wear a size 12
see more of the world

7. Three things I can do well:
write (debatable, i know)
listen
nap

8. Three ways to describe my personality:
fun
unique
trusting

9. Three things I can't do:
art (NO talent whatsoever)
math (see #4)
dance (i am SO white)

10. Three things I think you should listen to:
your heart
what people are really saying
your mom (me, too Linda!)

11. Three things you should never listen to:
politicians (especially during elections!)
your downstairs neighbors
your mom (just kidding!)

12. Three things I'd like to learn:
Photoshop
crochet
how to grow plants

13. Three favorite foods:
Mexican
any baked goods
Mrs. Knott's fried chicken

14. Three beverages I drink regularly:
Crystal Light Raspberry Ice
caffeine free Diet Coke
Sprite

15. Three shows I watched as a kid:
Carol Burnett
the Donny & Marie Show
Love, American Style (i didn't get it, but i watched it sometimes)

16...Three people I'm tagging:
you
you
and yes, you (just drop me a line so i can see your answers)

the passing of the torch..

Sooner or later it must happen. The older generation must step aside for the new generation's time in the sun.

In this family, that time has come.

If you've been a regular reader, you may remember that my darling Husband, at my girlfriend's house, won himself a trip to the ER by riding two Razor scooters at once, falling, and proceeded to get several stitches in his finger.

Roll over, baby...Baby's taken over.

Oh no. Not me. His 3 1/2 yr. old niece.

She took a digger last night off her trike. Eight stitches in her chin. i think she'll end up with a cleft worthy of Kirk Douglas.

And she didn't even cry.

Is my sister-in-law scared? You betcha. This kid knows no fear. Matter of fact, after they got the stitches in, the kid started pulling on the suture and almost pulled one out.

Oy.

So sorry, honey, you're out. The kid is taking over.

confessions of an obsessive, or vice versa

consider this: it's 3 a.m. (which i realize sounds like a country song. it isn't) and i'm fully awake.
have been since midnight, when i was rudely shaken awake by the Husband, convinced that the crashing he heard was someone breaking in.

crashing? breaking in? on a 2nd story apartment? whatev.

so Big Brave Boy got up to face the enemy. i, disgusted with the fact that i was awakened (my opinion: take the damn stuff & let me alone), rolled over. i would've gone back to sleep except that lately BBB seems unable to go quietly to bed. no, there must be heavy thumping & loud settling.

so, to make a long story even longer, after about 30 minutes of laying there, i did what all experts say you should do when you can't sleep. get out of bed.

now, at this point, i could take a sleeping aid, but then i won't get up in time to make it to work. besides, i can't seem to turn off my brain and it's current list of obsessions. such as:

• the tight, tenseness at the base of my head, just at the beginning of my neck. stress? you betcha.
• the $ light that came on in my car yesterday (aka Check Engine light-it always means money). Husband surmises it's a valve in my transmission. bye-bye bonus!
• our friend's son being deployed to Iraq today.
• the potential sale or spin-off of my company.
• the Husband and crap that's going on for him at his work.
• a dear friend having serious issues at home.
• another friend who's marriage has crumbled.
• and so on, and so on...

now i realize that the majority of these things are beyond my control. the majority are fixable and the rest needs to be handled with prayer. but that kind of reason and the prayer just ain't cutting it at 3:30 on a school day.

what do i do? how can i release this stress so i don't die an early death - or worse?

my grandmother used to say, "take it to the Lord in prayer." but right now, i feel far removed from His presence. and i don't know how to find my way back.

perhaps a little too heavy, especially considering the early hour. but, the old saw says that a burden shared is a burden halved.

halved might get me some sleep. and some peace.

it's kinda like a wreck -

you don't want to look, but you gotta.

you're grossed out and facinated, all at the same time.

you may have already seen this.

or eaten it.

wow.

nothing much to say..

'cept it's HOT. probably been about 90-100 the last few days. same for today.

and, in an apartment that has crappy A/C, there just isn't much allure to staying in - even though there's a bunch of stuff we should get done around here.

wait - isn't it Labor Day? should we not honor the work we do other days by not doing any work today?

'nuff said.

so...there's a water park (where half of the population will be), a movie, or hit all the stores we like going to, just to stay in their A/C that they pay for.

what i'd really like, is to find a water park that shows a movie. even better: a lazy river at a water park showing a movie.

oh - and it should serve margaritas. peace out.

hey, Ma! Lookit what i got in school today!

Today was our team building event at Dave & Buster's, a restaurant-slash-bar-slash-arcade for grown-ups. Did our little songs about the other supervisors, got a few laughs...actually more than i expected - and i think they weren't all about our singing.

But then....the Big Boss calls me up on the stage, along with my fellow leads, and my singing partner - one of the supervisors.

We each got one of these, along with a nice cash donation, taxed to the hilt by my Uncle (but that's another post. no bitterness here for now.)

And as hokey as it sounds, this bloody little piece of paper is more important to me than even the cash.

For me, that's saying something.

This is totally cool. And i was speechless.

Again, that's saying something. Or nothing.

Looks like the nephew ain't the only one who made Citizen of the Month.

Move over, kid. There's room enough on this pedestal for both of us.

on dreaming & sleeplessness....

First - let me go on record as saying where the bloody hell did the summer go? Cannot believe it's Labor Day weekend. And today is also our work group's team building activity - and i and a supervisor will be doing a cheesy karaoke act to boot.

That should be interesting. But on to the subject at hand.

Keep waking up early...like 4-4:30. Way too early for me, but even earlier for Hubbs. He's not sleeping, either. Sleepytime tea isn't helping. This a.m. i made him take some drugs, so we'll see how he does.

He gets home, and can't seem to wind down. So he sits up till 4 (hmmm!) then comes to bed - where he tosses & turns. Other than drugs, i got nothing in the way of advice.

Now this a.m., just before i got up, i had a dream. i was traveling with the Big Boss and a supervisor..but this time we were in Washington State (at least in my dream it was. Having never been there, i got nothing), checking out a cascade waterfall that in the 50's, you could drive through (not directly - but run-off from the waterfall covered the road, and you would drive on that), but has now been closed to traffic.

So here we are, the three of us, schlepping around the walk, enjoying the view. And someone slips, heading straight for the edge of the cliff.

Guess who?

Amazingly, i manage to regain my footing, and stump back to the road.

So what does that mean, all you out there that can interpret dreams?

And if you can translate that one, how about this one i used to have as a kid: in this dream, i am tiny...Polly Pocket tiny. And i'm tied up to a bowling pin in a bowling alley, with a ball coming at me. R-e-a-l-l-y s-l-o-w.

i always wake up before it hits me. and i wake up crying.

See if you can figure that one out.

And if you have any sure-fire cures for Hubbs, please let me know.