Yada Yada Yada

I Just Need A Real Job

2010-10-12T20:14:00.001-05:00

That's all I have to say. I just NEED a real job...desperately!

I'm going to try...I promise.

2008-09-05T22:58:00.002-05:00

Okay, I know, I never post anymore...but honestly, I don't feel like I have anything good to say. Then again, who says what I say has to be good, right?

Okay, so what's up with me lately? NOTHING! But, I am still working on my masters and that takes more time than I'd like to admit. Oh yeah, I signed up to take the LSAT - we'll see how that goes. Going to law school? It all depends on my LSAT score. Like I said, we'll see. All I do know is that I have wanted to be a lawyer for as long as I can remember, so why the heck not, right? I checked and you can work on your JD and MBA at the same time - I'm thinking I'll do that since I'm a little more than half way done with my MBA.

Oh yeah, remember how Koko used to have seizures? Well, when I took her to University of Missouri Vet School, they diagnosed her with Canine Epilepsy and put her on Potassium Bromide - and guess what!!! She hasn't had a seizure since!!! I've never been happier.

I haven't done anythign significant to the house since I got the siding in January - oh wait, I did a little landscaping makeover (okay, okay, so my parents did most of it). I'm loving the way it looks.

Ummm...honestly, I can't think of anything else to say, so I'll try to be back later.

It's a GIRL!!!!

2007-07-03T10:19:00.000-05:00

Yes, I'm back...I know I've been gone for a long time and that everyone is wondering if I'm still alive - I am! I've just been so busy...with house stuff. For example, I've filled in the hole for the pool with 25 tons of dirt (by wheel barrow - not exactly fun), I've gotten a new furnace, I've planted plants and done some landscaping, and I've bought a patio set, and blah, blah, blah...let me get to the real reason I'm on here this morning!

LINLEE HAD HER BABY GIRL THIS MORNING!!!!! I'm so excited!!!! She was almost a Yankee Doodle Dandy!!!!

Okay, I'm not going to give you any info. on the precious baby girl since Linlee hasn't posted about her on her blog yet, and I don't want to steal their thunder!!! I'm sure Linlee will put it up on her blog as soon as she gets some rest and a few minutes...then again, now that she has a baby, maybe she won't. We'll see!

A Million Thanks

2007-05-23T11:27:00.001-05:00

How I came across this, I'll never know (it may have been during Extreme Makeover: Home Edition - but I'm really not sure). But, there is a young high school student named Shauna Fleming who started a national campaign called A Million Thanks. A Million Thanks collects and distributes letters of appreciation and thanks to our current and past military service members as part of National Military Appreciation Month (NMAM). NMAM is celebrated every May and A Million Thanks hopes to collect at least a million letters each May.

I absolutely HAVE to contribute and I'll be taking my letter to one of the many auto dealerships in St. Louis that has volunteered to collect the letters for Shauna. I urge you to do the same. Check out the website and see how you can send your "thank you" letter or card.

Interviewal

2007-05-22T09:30:00.001-05:00

I asked the Dancing Star to interview me and here's how said interview went:

1. What has been the most important lesson you have learned in the past year?
As selfish as it sounds - to always look out for yourself first - look out for numero uno. I don't enjoy sounding selfish, but if I don't look out for myself, no one else will. This doesn't mean that I am 100% selfish, but I will always take care of myself first and then I will focus on others in my life. I have learned that I give too much of myself with nothing in return. That's over.

2. Where do you see yourself in 1 year? 5 years? 10 years?
1 year: I'll, most likely, be right where I am now. I'll be working full time at the local electric company in a clerk position, working on my house and going to graduate school.
5 years: I'll have my MBA, I'll have a management position at work, I'll be married and I'll be starting my family.
10 years: I'll be a married mother and a career gal enjoying life to the fullest.

3. What do you do as a treat to yourself when you have a bad day?
Nothing too special. I usually get some ice cream, veg out in front of the TV and then give myself a mani/pedi. That's my bad day ritual.

4. Having just gone through a breakup, what advise would you share with someone going through the same thing?
This sort of goes with my answer to number one. The best advice I can share is to worry about YOU. Take care of yourself. Go out and get your hair done. Buy new clothes, makeup or shoes or whatever makes you feel special. Make sure you are happy with yourself. Then, and only then, will you be able to move on. In the end, you're going to be broken up regardless (que sera sera - what will be will be) - why not make the best of it. If things work out and you rekindle the relationship, at least you know that you were always happy and that you can respect yourself after the stormy period.

My mother always taught me to think about how others perceive me. She always told me not to do anything that I wouldn't want my parents or grandparents to know about. So, in order to keep myself on track, I tend to believe my grandma is looking down on me (I want her to be proud of me), so I don't do anything that would make her think ill of me. That ties into the end of a relationship because people tend to do some crazy things during a breakup (I tried not to).

5. What is your most precious memory?
Now that's a tough one...I have so many. As lame as it sounds, I just miss being a kid and sitting around the TV at night with my brother and my parents. We usually made a large bowl of popcorn and watched TV together at night (during the week). I probably hated it then, but I think back and that is one thing that I miss a LOT.

Now, I know that my answers weren't written too well, but get over it! :0)

Love y'all!

Weekend Debriefing

2007-05-21T13:18:00.000-05:00

So, it was another busy weekend. I don't know how much longer I can keep this up. I'm feeling a little worn out now.

So, Friday I came home and watered all of my plants and flowers. Then, I went to bed early because I had a throbbing headache. I woke up around 1:00 in the morning because of said headache and I sincerely considered drilling a hole in my face next to my nose to relieve all of the sinus pressure. But, I figured then I'd have to spend a little while in the ER, so I decided against it. I finally got back to sleep around 5:00 and didn't wake up again unti 11:30 (not good).

My friend, Lisa, called me around 10:00 Saturday morning to see if I wanted to go with her and her son to see Shrek the Third. Obviously, I didn't get the message until after the movie was over and I was bummed! I love her little boy - he's adorable and boy does he have a personality. Plus, I wanted to see the movie. Agh, oh well. Instead, I went outside and mowed the lawn (not so smart when your allergies and sinuses are already bothering you). But, I moved the lawn, weed whacked and cleaned off the driveway. Then, I headed to the backyard where I did pretty much the same thing. Then, I turned my sprinklers on in an effort to persuade my front lawn to turn a bright shade of green - but he's stubbornly resisting. I still see some dead tan grass. Anyway.

Then, I went inside, took a shower and did the dishes. After I cleaned a little, I gave myself a mani/pedi. Fun times!

Sunday, my momma and I went shopping (it's our Sunday ritual). I bought all kinds of goodies at Home Depot (like two hose caddies, tons of accent grasses, a hibiscus tree, a door mat, a beautiful red gerbera daisy and paint for the exterior of the house)! I took momma out to eat at Applebee's (which isn't my favorite restaurant, but it was good). When we got back to her house, she transplanted my daisy into a coco hanging pot and then Koko and I left. Sidenote: any time I go to my parents' house, I take Koko because she loves to play with my parents' dog and run around in the yard. Plus, I don't like to just leave her at home since she's home alone all day everyday during the week.

I got home around 7:00 and I put all my plants outside and I watered everything. Then, I kinda straightened things up and got things ready for work today. Finally, I made myself a snow cone (with my ice shaving machine - I LOVE THIS THING). Before I went to bed, I read a little and then finally fell asleep. And, ta da - I'm here at work! Gotta love life.

See, I've been so busy, but I can't seem to account for my time - straaaaange....

Tagaliciousness

2007-05-21T12:19:00.000-05:00

I saw this nifty little meme at Dancing Star and Not So Everyday Mom and thought it looked like fun. Especially since I turned 18 in different years than these lovely and talented ladies! Even though Lisa thought I'd be the first to post this, I have to shamefully admit, I was not. Durnit!! I feel bad now. See what happens when you neglect your blog???? Oh the humanity!

Here goes:

1. Go to www.popculturemadness.com

2. Pick the year you turned 18

3. Get yourself nostalgic over the songs of the year

4. Write something about how the song(s) affected you

5. Pass it on to 5 more friends

I graduated high school in 1995 (at the ripe old age of 17) and I turned 18 in October of 1995. So, here's what I found for 1995.

Boombastic - Shaggy: I had such a thing for Shaggy's songs. I loved the Jamaican thing he had goin' on. That's hot!

Any Mine of Man - Shania Twain: This was my "I am woman, hear me roar" anthem of 1995. This song helped shape the expectations I set for "any man of mine".

Here Comes the Hotstepper - Ini Kamoze: This wasn't necessarily a good song, but it was a good dance song and it really pumped us up. I remember pumping this song LOUD and just lovin' it!

Waterfalls - TLC: I just loved the message this song sent. It was beautiful.

You Are Not Alone - Michael Jackson: (oh Gawd, what's wrong with me?) Yes, I know, I'm sick. But, this was actually a fairly good song by MJ. I have it on my iPod to this day. But, that's only because I had the CD from 1995 - I didn't pay for it again, seriously.

That's it...there were tons of other songs, but seeing as how I LOVE music, we'd be here all day if I was to list all of the songs and how they affected me.

So, now it's your turn. Go do this now!

Busy Bee

2007-05-18T13:01:00.001-05:00

I've been going crazy lately. I feel like I've been neglecting my little blog. I should be arrested for parental neglect!

But, really, I've been busy at work and at home.

Here are just a few of the things I've done at home in the last month:

Removed my old 10' x 10' aluminum shed
Removed my 18' x 38' above ground pool
Had two guys with a 15 ton truck haul away a truck load of stuff from my house (including the pool, shed and a trampoline). Just know that the truck was completely full when they left.
Renovated my old gas light in the front yard
Shopped A LOT!
Spring cleaned my house
Cleaned out my pantry, linen closet and office
Cleaned out my basement and organized it (getting ready to go get new carpeting)

But, that's not it, I've been doing other stuff too. I can't think of everything right now, but it's been so busy.

I have so much to get caught up on with blogging - I swear I'll be back.

And, Lisa (Dancing Star), I haven't forgotten about your interview questions - I'll get them to ya, I swear it!

Tagorous

2007-05-18T12:29:00.000-05:00

I've been tagged by Brian at This Perfect World for the Seven Things Meme - thank you Brian!

So, here are seven things you may not know about me:

1) I don't, nor will I ever, have wisdom teeth. (yes, I stole this one from you Brian).
Luckily, when I was a teenager, my dentist told me that I don't have roots for wisdom teeth, so I'll never have them! I was more than ecstatic to hear that news seeing as how my mouth is too small for the teeth I do have not to mention that wisdom teeth cause way too many problems and require extraction n' stuff! Woo hoo!

2) I was born two weeks after my actual due date - and my mother was in labor with me for 48 hours.
Apparently, I didn't want anything to do with this wretched world. And, I must admit, my attitude hasn't changed a bit during the 29 years I've been here.

3) I am a horrible swimmer.
My dad taught me to swim at the YMCA pool by our house and he says that I couldn't keep my mouth shut long enough to actually learn to swim. He kept telling me to close my mouth or I'd drown. I just couldn't do it though, I really wanted to talk - it was far more important! I mean, I know how to swim, I'm just not very good at it.

4) I assaulted the dentist with a syringe full of Novocain.
When I was 5, I was in the dentist's chair having a cavity filled (which kinda goes hand in hand with something else you may not know about me - I have horrible teeth because I have very little enamel on them - my dad has the same problem - but don't worry, I don't have nasty teeth, I take very good care of them). Well, when the dentist came at me with the syringe full of Novocain, I flipped out and my arms started flailing around like a fish out of water. During my temper tantrum, I hit the needle and it stuck in the dentist's hand or wrist. The dentist quickly ran from the room while the nurse tried to calm me down. Afterwards, I can remember the nurse saying, "Now see what you did to Dr. Linehan?" I didn't care!

5) I don't cook because it's too messy.
I am obsessive-compulsive about my hands (I wash them about 15 times a day, maybe more). My whole day will be ruined if they get dirty and sticky. Therefore, I don't cook most things because I'm bound to get something on my hands. When I had a barbeque at my house, my mom had to form the hamburger patties because I coudln't bear to do it. I can't wear gloves either because then my hands get sweaty and that defeats the whole purpose of wearing gloves.

6) I am adamant about my daily routines/schedules.
I have a daily routine or schedule if you will and if I get thrown off by just a few minutes, I get very crabby. As long as it's something I've planned, I'm fine, but if something happens and I'm thrown off of my routine/schedule (which is planned out every morning in my head), I go apeshit!

7) I'm an only child.
While, yes, I have an older brother, I am technically an only child. My brother, Sterling, was actually born to my mother and her previous man. She met my dad when my brother was still a baby. My brother has never met his dad and he considers my dad to be his biological dad. My dad also considers him his biological son. They've always been father/son, it's never been any different. He's always been my brother, not my half brother.
I won't even get into the other half brother and half sister I have (from my dad's previous marriage). Let's just say I don't even consider them to be half siblings.

WARNING: Baseball Talk Ahead

2007-05-14T15:17:00.000-05:00

Okay, I have been good and I haven't been writing much about the Cardinals lately and that's only because we aren't doing anything this season. We pretty much collapsed after winning the World Series.

After a LOT of agony in the last couple of months, I finally heard where one of our tenured players is as fed up with our lack of performance as I am. I love this man, I wear his jersey to lots of the games and I love what he has been saying. Read this article and tell me he's not an awesome Vet to have on any team!

Let me take this opportunity to tell the Cards to start from scratch. Start over TODAY. We're in LA playing the Dodgers - let's start playing like I know we can! I know, absolutely KNOW we can do it. Just wake up, pay attention and play ball!

LET'S GO CARDINALS!!!!!!!! It's time to rally, so turn those caps and let's GIT. R. DONE!!!

Musical Phases

2007-05-09T08:22:00.000-05:00

Okay, so I go through little phases where I focus on a few old songs and that's all I listen to for a little while. Well, here's my "tops" list on my iPod right now (meaning the phase I'm going through right now).

Hallelujah - Jeff Buckley
There Goes My Life - Kenny Chesney
Are You Alright? - Lucinda Williams
Bless the Broken Road - Rascal Flatts
Patience - Guns N' Roses
Ain't That a Shame - Fats Domino
I'll Stand by You - Carrie Underwood (I remember when the Pretenders first came out with this song, I absolutely LOVED it, I was so excited when Gina Glocksen did it on Idol this year! Awesome song).
Don't Matter - Akon
One More Try - Timmy T (remember this one Linlee???)
Hide and Seek - Imogen Heap
Ooh Child - Beth Orton
I Tried - Bone Thugs-N-Harmony feat. Akon
Let's Get It On - Marvin Gaye
In My Mind - Heather Headley
Lips of an Angel - Hinder
Unfaithful - Rihanna
It's Your Love - Tim McGraw & Faith Hill
Photograph - Nickelback
Sleepwalk - Santo & Johnny
Far Away - Nickelback

Okay, before you say anything, I know these aren't ALL old songs, but these are the songs I've been listening to the most lately. Has anyone noticed the amount of songs I listen to lately that refer to cheating? Maybe now I just realize what they're about because I'm listening for it. I've never been one that's too much into lyrics, I'm more of a music girl.

I remember one of my music classes in college - the professor said that most people in the world listen to lyrics, while only a few listen to the actual music being played. I have to say - I have always listened to the music being played. That's why I like a lot of classical music - plus one of the songs on the list above doesn't have any lyrics. It was pretty neat - before she mentioned that, she played a series of songs and we had a quiz on what they were about. I honestly couldn't answer one question - I was the only one in the class. I thought I flunked big time. I felt like a complete heal - turns out, I was the only one that got an A.

Music is something I just feel.

Interviewage

2007-05-08T12:25:00.000-05:00

Over at Skittles' Place, she offered to interview folks - so I opted to have her ask me a few questions.

Here are her questions with my answers:

1. Where were you born and raised? How old are you?
I was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri. I was actually born in South St. Louis City on October 30, 1977. When I was five, we moved to South St. Louis County where I lived until I was approximately 24. Then, when I was 24 my parents and I moved to West St. Louis County. Finally, in June of 2006, I bought the house in which I grew up in South St. Louis County. That’s where I am now. I’m 29; I’ll be 30 on October 30, 2007 at exactly 10:11 pm.

2. Tell about a really happy time in your life.
I’d like to think that all of our family vacations were really happy times in my life. We’ve gone to Disney World (two times), Daytona, Destin, Mackinac Island, Wisconsin, Chicago, San Diego, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Carmel, Canada, Boston, Washington D.C., New York, Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard, Nantucket, and a few other places I can’t even remember. They were all awesome vacations and I miss those.

3. Name your favorite animal, then describe how you are similar to it.
I suppose I’d have to go with either the wolf or the white tiger – both my favorite animals – both absolutely beautiful animals. I’m similar to a wolf in that I tend to travel in a pack. I don’t like to go places or do things alone, so I always have someone or a group with me – a pack so to say – as do wolves.

And, I guess I could say that I’m similar to a white tiger in that they are rare and often misunderstood as am I. Now, I know white tigers occur when inbreeding produces offspring – but no, my parents aren’t related that way – so don’t even think it! Just put that out of your mind right this second!

4. What's your favorite thing to wear if you're spending the day at home?
I tend to wear sweat pants or work-out pants and a t-shirt - seeing as how I'm usually doing something around the house if I'm spending an entire day there.

5. What accomplishment are you most proud of and why?
I would have to say that I’m most proud of graduating from college and that I’m continuing my education with graduate studies. The reason I am so proud of this is because I’ve never been too fond of school. I’ve never been the studious type. As a matter of fact, I always hated school. I hated school so much that I skipped over 45 days my senior year of high school. And, I skipped so many classes my freshman year of college that I got kicked out of a very good school. To be honest, no one thought I’d ever graduate and no one ever thought I’d go to graduate school. And, I even graduated with a 3.0 (after messing up my record with tons of F's from skipping).

If you'd like me to ask you some questions, go right ahead and comment here. I'll send you some questions and you can ask answer them on your blog. You can't tag anyone, but I can certainly ask for volunteers - so that's what I'm doing! My questions will be different from the questions asked of me.

Little Miss Sassy, Jr. - Baby Shower

2007-05-08T12:05:00.000-05:00

Saturday, my momma and I went to Little Miss Sassy's baby shower. I will have pictures - but I have to have them developed first. I didn't have any batteries for my digital camera (or enough memory), so I just took my 35 mm. Once I get the pictures developed, I'll post them.

The shower was very nice. Her mom held it at the Pasta House, which was absolutely awesome. The food was awesome, the cake was awesome (which her mom brought), the guests were awesome, the Pasta House staff was awesome, everything was AWESOME! I was very excited for her. She got some lovely gifts that will certainly help her when Little Miss Sassy, Jr. arrives. She even got cool St. Louis Cardinals stuff for the little one - who wouldn't love that?

My mom and I had a fantastic time and I don't think it could have turned out any better.

Congratulations to Little Miss Sassy and Little Mr. Sassy! I can't wait to meet Little Miss Sassy, Jr.! She's going to be so unbelievably adorable.

Josh Hancock

2007-05-08T11:01:00.000-05:00

Hi guys...I actually have a few minutes to post a few things. Go figure. I have been so freakin' busy lately and now that I think about it, I can't figure out what I've been so busy doing. Strange, huh?

Anyway, just a little about Josh Hancock.

Early Sunday morning, April 29th, Josh Hancock (middle relieving Pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals who was a key member of our 2006 World Series Championship bullpen) was instantly killed when his rented 2007 Ford Explorer struck a flat-bed tow truck that was parked on the highway assisting another motorist who had struck the median.

We were to play the Cubs Sunday night, however, the game was postponed. This all brought back painful memories as we just lost another teammate in 2002, Darryl Kile. If you'll recall, Darryl Kile died (of a coronary artery blockage) in his bed at the hotel in Chicago when we were in the midst of a Cardinals-Cubs series. It just strikes me odd that we're always playing the Cubs when one of our active team members dies. Think they're bad luck to us? I do.

Hancock, who just turned 29, was alone in his SUV at 12:35 am when he struck the tow truck. St. Louis Police Chief, Joe Mokwa, stated that Hancock died upon impact. The driver of the tow truck, however was not injured. Chief Mokwa also stated that Hancock was driving at or just above the posted speed limit.

Days later, it was discovered that Hancock had been driving under the influence and was on the phone with a female acquaintance at the time of the crash. Hancock's blood-alcohol level was 0.157 - nearly double the legal limit in Missouri. Police also found 8.55 grams of marijuana along with a glass pipe in the vehicle. An accident reconstruction team determined that Hancock was driving 68 mph in a 55 mph zone.

On May 1, details surrounding another minor drunk-driving accident in his GMC Denali three nights earlier were released. This minor accident was the reason behind Hancock driving a rented Ford Explorer.

Granted, I don't agree with his driving drunk, but I am very upset over losing another active team member and such a promising Pitcher. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family, friends and teammates. My thoughts and prayers also go out to Cardinal Nation as a whole. It's very upsetting to lose an active team member, not to mention one with a bright future ahead of him.

RIP JOSH HANCOCK - WE WILL MISS YOU DEARLY

Coming Soon!

2007-04-30T07:38:00.000-05:00

Sometime today I plan on writing about Josh Hancock - the St. Louis Cardinal Pitcher that passed away in a vehicle accident this weekend. However, I'm uber busy at work today and I'm not sure when I'll get to it.

Just know that I'm very depressed and sad and I'm starting to wonder why we're always playing Chicago when one of our current players passes away!!! I am beginning to hate Chicago more and more every year.

RIP JOHN HANCOCK

Cardinals Baseball Field Illusion

2007-04-17T11:24:00.000-05:00

Reba, the sweetheart that she is, sent me the link to this picture. Is that the coolest thing you've ever seen?

If only I had about 30 acres, I'd do this! Seriously, I would!

And, speaking of the Cardinals, did ya see my man Jose pull out two homers at Sunday's game? Take that Brewers!

Tagalance!

2007-04-16T12:54:00.000-05:00

I've been tagged by the Dancing Star and I love it! I love her! I love taggage! And, I keep finding that the Dancing Star and I have SOOOO much in common, it's kinda crazy! If you read my answers and her answers, they are somewhat similar.

So, here goes:

THE BALANCE MEME

How do you achieve balance in your life?
"Balance"? What in the world is "balance"? Okay, all joking aside; I've never been too good at "balance". Ask Linlee, I've never been good at splitting my life between friends and boyfriends, or even friends and family. I've been known to neglect friends and that is NOT something I'm proud of - I'm actually very ashamed. I wish I would have known better, but I didn't and I am really trying to be better friend to the people who have been so great to me, but I feel stupid. I don't know...I don't feel like I achieve balance in my life. I'm one of those "all or nothing" types. Fortunately, it's a lot easier to work towards balance when you get rid of a bad relationship. I'm trying...

What is your biggest challenge in balancing your life?
Remembering everyone and everything including MYSELF. I think I'm very absent-minded and I tend to focus on one thing or person more than anything/anyone else at a time. Like I said, I'm an "all or nothing" type and it's hard to devote a small piece of myself to everyone and everything in my life. And, the worst part about it is that I always come last. I need to learn to do things for myself once in a while while devoting a small portion of myself to everything and everyone. Basically, my biggest challenge in balancing my life is "balance". I just don't know how to do it. Sometimes I think I need to take a Time Management course.

What are your priorities?
Family (including Koko)/Friends
My House/Finances
Work
Community
Myself

Have your priorities changed over time and why?
I would say, yes, they have. The reason I say, "Yes" is because as a teenager, family really didn't rank too high on my priority chain. I know that's horrible, but friends and partying were my #1 priority (and, I'm not saying that I always treated my friends the way they deserved to be treated, but they were always the most important part of my life). However, as I grew older, I realized that family is always there for you and that they love you unconditionally. I didn't see eye-to-eye with my parents as a teenager, and now I realize that they just wanted the best for me and that they weren't just being "sticks in the mud". So, as the last decade passed, my family (including cousins, aunts, uncles, nephews, etc.) really moved up on the priority chain and surpassed friends slightly. But, I have certain friends who are so very important to me and they are considered family - Linlee and Bethy!

Also, I think I used to be a bit more selfish than I am these days. When I was younger, work definitely came last and "home and finances" weren't even on the radar. Community? Puhlease! I surely didn't do anything for my community.

What advice can you share to help all of us balance our lives?
Remember yourself - you count too!

Okay, I don't tag anyone because, quite honestly, I don't think anyone would answer it for me! But, if you're reading this and think that you'd like to participate, please feel free!

Celebrity Ass Hats

2007-04-16T10:04:00.000-05:00

As per usual, I am showing my utmost support for the coolest online community around - What the BLOG!? Remember how I don't qualify for any awards? Well, I was watching this show last night and I figured I'd write about this tool anyway, so why not turn him into my Celebrity Ass Hat!?!?! Now, before you read any further, JOIN. WHAT. THE. BLOG!? IMMEDIATELY. I'm so serious when I say you're missing out on all of the fun.

Anyway...

I, hereby, nominate wild-child Sean Stewart, son of music legend Rod Stewart and model/actress Alana Stewart, as THE Celebrity Ass Hat. Now, before you say anything, I know he’s not necessarily a “Celebrity” yet, but unfortunately for us, he’s well on his way to becoming one in his own right.

I have been watching Sons of Hollywood on A&E (might I add that I am quickly falling in love with Randy Spelling – I mean, you think he’d marry me???!!). Sean Stewart, Randy Spelling (son of Aaron Spelling and brother of Tori Spelling) and David Weintraub (childhood friend of Stewart and Spelling) all live together in a disgustingly rich bachelor pad. They’re all around 25+ years old and are working on their careers as well as having lots of fun. Stewart is a songwriter, musician (gee whoda thunk?) and model. Spelling is an Actor and Weintraub is a Talent Manager/Producer Extraordinaire.

Spelling and Weintraub are relatively down-to-earth, genuine and loveable…I would actually love to hang out with these guys. Then…then, there’s Stewart.

Stewart, on the other hand, is a whiny biatch. He’s a whiny and spoiled man-whore. I’ve watched all of three episodes and the guy gets on my last nerve…actually it's past that - he gets on my reserve nerve! All he’s done is whine about how his life is so horrible. He whines because he is a recovering alcoholic and drug addict (but it doesn’t stop him from drinking at parties). He whines because he has problems hanging out with friends because his friends are able to drink. He whines because his dad is better looking than he. He whines because he has ADD. He whines because his dad apparently told him he can’t sing. He whines because the music industry has pretty much already told him that he’ll never be as good as his dad. He whines when no one is around to party with him. He whines, whines, whines!!! On top of his incessant whining, he whores himself out for publicity to women - women who obviously have no problem looking like brainless bimbos. In the episode I watched last night, a girl came over (she had never met Stewart - she was a friend of a friend), got in the pool with Stewart, took off her top and started making out with him. And, he acted as if this was sooo cool. Come on! She might as well be a prostitute. Actually, she might have been! And, he thought he was hot stuff because he kept talking about how he was a singer and a musician. Ugh! Seriously? This turns girls on? I mean, seriously?

Now, I may be a little cold-hearted and insensitive to his trials and tribulations, but come on! I sincerely doubt he’s had a rough life. I sincerely doubt he has any reason whatsoever to whine about anything. Fine, so daddy wasn’t around because he was always on tour – GET. OVER. IT!!! Why would you let that ruin the rest of your life?

I’m so serious…he’s an Ass hat in every sense of the word!

Maybe I Should Post Something, Eh?

2007-04-11T11:04:00.000-05:00

I know, I know - I haven't posted in a week. Trust me, I'd love to post more often, but I just can't seem to think of anything to write about lately. I don't know what my deal is...

My Cardinals are giving me heartburn so far this season. I realize we're only 8 games in...but I'm still not real happy with the way things are turning out. We're supposed to be the frickin' Champs and we're playing like we're the Little League Champs. As of last night, we no longer have a losing record, but that doesn't make me feel any better. Now, don't get me wrong, I love those guys with every fiber of my being, but, they're seriously giving me heartburn. I still say it's because I'm not at all of the games this year. They miss me, I know it!

I've, basically, given up on American Idol. After Gina Glocksen got voted off last week, I quit caring. My two favorites are/were Gina Glocksen and Blake Lewis. If Blake gets voted off and Sanjaya stays - I'm going to lose it!

Does anyone know how to clip a prickly pear cactus? I have a cactus that I'd like to give a clipping of to my mom...but I don't want to just cut part off and let it die. Any ideas?

I'm going to be posting all about the breakup in a couple days...it will be pretty detailed so that everyone knows what's going on in my world...I'm working on it. It'll be here soon.

New Favorite Song - For Now

2007-04-04T07:17:00.000-05:00

Okay, I was watching House last night and I immediately fell in love with the song at the very end of the show last night. Right after the show, I went and searched online for it and got it uploaded to my iPod! It's called "Are You Alright?" by Lucinda Williams. I absolutely LOVE it! I'm actually listening to it right now...

That's about all I got to say right now...

Oh, wait, I lost another 2 pounds, so that's 19 pounds total so far!! I still got tons to go though...I'll get there...

Absolute Zero Social Life

2007-04-03T09:59:00.001-05:00

It just dawned on me that I have absolutely NO social life. I mean, my life revolves around fixing up my house (which isn't bad, I guess). I'm not into going out and clubbing or bar-hopping (I did quite enough of that when I was 21 and 22 to last me a lifetime). My point is...I don't know how I'll ever meet another guy...FRICK ON A STICK WITH A BRICK!!!

So, Sunday, quite possibly had to be one of the roughest days for me (regarding the break-up - only because of the Cards!). I know you'll get sick of hearing this, but I'm so bummed over missing the Cards games. I am an AVID Cardinals fan and I miss going to Opening Day and whatnot. I knew once baseball season started that I'd have it rough. THIS BLOWS!!!! I miss those damn season tickets!

I did have a busy weekend though...so, it's nice that I don't have to lay around and sulk. Friday night, my parents came over and we worked on the bathroom (pictured in a previous post). I suppose I finally got to bed around midnight.

Saturday morning, I woke up and got ready for Linlee to pick me up. We headed over to a chinese restaurant to meet up with some other REALLY COOL St. Louis Blogging Chicks. We had lunch and ended up staying for right around 3 hours. Good times were had by all. Again, I'd put a picture up...but I didn't bring a camera - doh! But, I'll list the beautiful and talented ladies that were there:
- Linlee @ Little Miss Sassy (Someone I've been friends with for years)
- Lisa @ Midwestern Mommy (Linlee's cousin)
- Kristie @ Slacker-Moms-R-Us
- Jaelithe @ The State of Discontent (We also got to meet her husband and ADORABLE son!
- Rebecca @ Not So Everyday Mom (Turns out she went to high school with Linlee and me)
- Raquita @ Blaque Pen/ W.O.B.L - in training (We also got to meet her PRECIOUS daughter!
We just HAVE to do that again, I had a great time. But, back to my loser life...
After lunch, Linlee dropped me off and my parents came over to finish the bathroom. They stayed from about 2:30 or 3:00 until 8:30 or so. But, the bathroom was done and a cute little cabinet I bought for my hall had been assembled! Woo hoo!!

Sunday, I went over to my parents' house around noon and we went shopping. I spent too much money AGAIN! We went to Bed Bath & Beyond and got a few things for my house. Then, we ran to Sears where I bought my new lawn mower. Is it sad that I was excited about a new lawn mower? Yeah, I'm fairly certain it is. Anyway, after Sears, we drove out to Washington, MO (my parents live in Wildwood, so it's closer than it sounds). In Washington, we went to Hillerman Nursery (have any of you St. Louisans been there? AWESOME NURSERY!!!). From Hillerman, we went to Wal-mart (I swear the devil created that place) and finally back to my parents' house. We got there around 3:30. I tanned while we were there and then my parents followed me back over to my house to help me get my lawn mower out of the car, etc. So, we ended up cleaning off my patio, hanging a cool picture I bought at BB&B for the bathroom and setting up the lawn mower. My parents left around 6:30, without kisses from Koko. Koko LOVES my parents and always showers them with affection - so it was odd that she didn't want to be held by them or kiss them. But, I didn't think anything of it until about 5 minutes later when I was inside. I was putting some bottled water in the fridge when I looked at Koko and she was trembling. I always know when she's going to have a seizure because she gives me a specific look and she starts to tremble. I was getting that look! So, I got down on the floor with her, laid her on her side and rubbed her. I just kept telling her that everything would be okay and that I was there (that's what they say to do for your dog if they're having a seizure). The entire incident lasted about 10 minutes (actual seizure part was only maybe 5 minutes and the aftershocks were about 5 minutes). Usually, after her seizure, she'll tremble a little more - which is what I call the aftershocks - and then just snap out of it altogether. Once she's up and walking normal, I know it's all over. Once the seizure portion was over and the aftershocks hit, I transferred her to the couch on a nice, plush blanket. When she jumped up and off the couch after 5 minutes, I knew it was all over. She was back to normal. My poor little babeh! She looks so helpless when she has a seizure and I know it scares her. I hate it...

Eventually, I went to bed and it was Monday before I knew it. Ugh! I worked and then went home and worked on the lawn. I mowed the lawn, swept/squirted off the driveway and porch, watered the lawn and then put down my fertilizer. All in all, it only took me 2 hours (that's not too bad if you ask me). Unfortunately, my allergies were thrown into overload and I felt horrible for the rest of the night. I went to bed around 8:30. I woke up this morning to swollen eyes, swollen hands, itchy/watery/red eyes, a stuffy nose and itchy throat. I knew that would happen, I even took Benadryl before I went to bed, but oh well. I gotta mow the lawn...I can't just shut down. So, I'm wearing my glasses and no makeup today. My poor coworkers. It's a shame really.

So, see, NO SOCIAL LIFE! Oh well, what can ya do?

I'm ready to go home, but that's not going to happen...

Alrighty then, I suppose I've rambled for too long already, so I'm off to do some work.

Lates!

All My Xs

2007-04-03T09:15:00.000-05:00

Surprise, Surprise...another survey from the Dancing Star!

YOU ARE
[ ] 5'2 or under
[X] 5'3 -5'6"
[ ] 5'7" - 6'0
[ ] 6'1 and up

NATURALLY
[ ] blonde
[ ] redhead
[X] brunette/brown
[ ] dirty blonde
[ ] dark brown
[ ] black (Black right now, turns brown if I get a lot of sunlight)
[ ] orange
[ ] kind of both blonde and red
[X] kind of both brunette and black
[ ] kind of all brownish blond with red and a little black
[ ] back with blonde highlights
[ ] white

EYES
[ ] blue-eyed
[X] brown-eyed
[ ] green-eyed
[ ] hazel eyed
[ ] dark eyed
[ ] gold/gray-eyed
[ ] silver/gray- eyed
[ ] blue/green-eyed
[ ] blue/gray-eyed
[ ] green/brown-eyed
[ ] they change colors
[X] glasses
[X] contacts

HAIR
[ ] short hair
[X] medium
[ ] long hair

FAVORITE COLORS
[ ] red
[X] pink
[ ] yellow
[ ] black
[ ] green
[ ] neon green
[ ] white
[ ] turquoise
[ ] silver
[X] purple
[ ] brown
[ ] orange
[ ] grey
[ ] maroon
[ ] gold
[X] deep purple
[ ] blood red

THINGS DONE/ATTEMPTED
[X] ice skating
[X] hiking
[ ] kayaking
[X] rafting
[X] water tubing
[X] camping
[X] horseback riding
[X] surfing and skim/wake boarding
[ ] snowboarding
[X] skiing
[X] skateboarding
[X] cheerleading
[ ] lacrosse
[X] street hockey
[ ] ice hockey
[X] gymnastics
[ ] martial arts
[ ] bmx
[X] baton twirling
[X] basketball
[X] football
[X] volleyball
[X] dancing

PETS (u have or have had)
[ ] cat
[X] dog
[ ] lizard
[ ] rat
[ ] ferret
[ ] bunny
[X] fish
[ ] duck
[ ] horse
[ ] bird
[ ] frog
[ ] hermit crab
[ ] prarie dog
[X] turtle
[ ] snake
[X] guinea pig
[ ] pig
[ ] cow/bull
[ ] goat
[ ] chinchilla
[ ] tarantula
[ ] geese
[ ] swan
[ ] chicken/rooster
[ ] hedgehog
[ ] mouse
[X] hamster
[ ] ground hog
[ ] gerbil
[X] big brother/sister or little

STATES VISITED
[X] Alabama
[ ] Alaska
[X] Arizona
[X] Arkansas
[X] California
[X] Colorado
[ ] Connecticut
[ ] Delaware
[X] Florida
[X] Georgia
[X] Hawaii
[ ] Idaho
[X] Illinois
[X] Indiana
[X] Iowa
[X] Kansas
[X] Kentucky
[X] Louisiana
[ ] Maine
[X] Maryland
[X] Massachusetts
[X] Michigan
[ ] Minnesota
[X] Mississippi
[X] Missouri
[ ] Montana
[X] Nebraska
[X] Nevada
[ ] New Hampshire
[X] New Jersey
[X] New Mexico
[X] New York
[ ] North Carolina
[ ] North Dakota
[X] Ohio
[X] Oklahoma
[ ] Oregon
[X] Pennsylvania
[ ] Rhode Island
[ ] South Carolina
[ ] South Dakota
[X] Tennessee
[X] Texas
[X] Utah
[ ] Vermont
[X] Virginia
[ ] Washington
[X] West Virginia
[X] Wisconsin
[ ] Wyoming

CONFESSIONS:
[ ] im afraid of quietness
[X] in certain places I am really ticklish
[ ] I'm afraid of the dark
[ ] I've collected comic books
[X] I shut others out when I'm really sad
[X] I open up to others easily
[X] I don't kill bugs
[ ] I have "x's" in my screen name
[ ] I bake well
[X] I have worn pajamas to class
[ ] I love Martha Stewart
[ ] I am guilty of tYpInG lIkE tHiS
[X] I love to laugh.
[ ] I can't swallow pills
[X] I bite/pick at my nails
[X] I play computer games
[ ] Gotten lost in the city
[X] Gone out in public in your pajamas
[ ] Been skydiving
[ ] Been bungee jumping
[X] Bitten someone
[X] egged a house/car
[X] Crashed into a car
[X] Been firedHAVE YOU EVER
[X] stolen a sign/traffic barrel
[X] danced in the rain
[X] seen a shooting star
[ ] went skinny dipping
[X] Gotten Stitches
[ ] Eaten Sushi
[X] Gotten the chicken pox
[X] Ridden in a taxi
[X] Been on a boat
[X] Driven over 400 miles in one day
[ ] been on a plane by yourself
[X] had surgery
[ ] seen a movie more than 3 times in the theater
[X] been on stage
[X] gotten a black eye
[X] given someone a black eye
[X] memorized all the dialogue in a movie
[X] watched an entire baseball game on tv

YOU LIKE...
[ ] old movies
[ ] musicals
[X] music
[ ] foreign foods
[X] christmas time
[X] donuts
[X] animals
[ ] coffee

The Survey Says: Nombre Trois

2007-04-03T08:47:00.000-05:00

Now, just guess where I got this survey...yep, you guessed it - I got it from the Dancing Star!

1-What's worse - Physical or Mental cheating?
Physical

2- Is it easier to forgive or forget?
Forget

3- Can men and women be "Just Friends"?
I really don’t think so…

4- Dating co-workers...
Nah, they're all too old and/or married...

5- All expenses paid vacation to anywhere?
Ireland or Fiji...

6- On the way to the electric chair - What's your last meal?
Man…that’s a rough one…I really need a while to think on that one...

7- At the water park...
I wouldn’t want to traumatize anyone…so I’d be wearing shorts and a t-shirt

8- When you are "in love" do you notice other people?
Yes...

9- Is flirting cheating?
Yes...

10- Would you rather have 1 great friend or 5 pals?
1 great friend

11- If someone called you a bitch, would you be offended?
Ummm…depends on who calls me it...

12- Are you ok with your significant other being friends with an ex?
No

13- Would you live with someone without marrying them?
Yep, already did…

14- Favorite sport?
Baseball…obviously.

15- Is toilet paper hung over or under?
At my house, it’s over…

16 - Do you squeeze toothpaste from the middle or end of the tube?
Sometimes from the middle – but I put one of those slidy things on it…

17- How do you feel about tanning booths?
LOL I own one!

18- Friends with benefits?
I don't like it...

19- Do you believe in angels?
Yes…

20- Would you rather take pictures or be in pictures?
Take – I can’t stand the way I look in pictures, I’m not photogenic AT ALL.

21- Have you ever flirted with someone you had no interest in?
Yes…

22- Ever kissed a random person and then walked away?
No…

23- Would you buy bootleg merchandise?
Ummm…I don’t like to…

24- What color looks best on you?
Red…

25- If you could play any sport professionally what would it be?
Baseball…

26- Ever break up with someone and regret it?
Yes…definitely.

27- Are you a jealous person?
Oh man, too jealous.

28- Would you ever have plastic surgery?
Probably not…my facial features aren’t all that bad, but my weight is and I can lose that without surgery…so no…

29- Who has the sexiest accents?
Irish or British…

30- Which do you prefer in a companion - Blue collar or white collar?
I prefer white collar (only because the hours are closer to mine), but it really doesn’t matter.

31- What's your occupation?
Sr. Clerk Steno…

32- What is your astrological sign?
Scorpio

33- Are you a beach, country or city person?
To live - City
To vacation - Beach

34- Have you ever seen or called anyone you met on MySpace?
Nope…never been on MySpace…

35- Have you ever had a "secret affair"?
Nope

36- If you could own a non-traditional pet, which would it be?
Snow Tiger

37- Favorite show as a child?
You seriously want me to list them? That’s not gonna happen, sorry. But, I’ll go with a few of my favorites…Punky Brewster, Growing Pains and Jem…

38- Where do you spend most of your money?
Everywhere, but right now mostly on the house…

39- Are you currently working at a job that you hate?
Ummm…I plead the fifth…I’m not into the whole self incrimination thing…

40- Have you ever been so heart broken that you called in sick to work?
Yes sirree…

41- Favorite summer drink?
Lemonade

42- Can you change a car tire?
Yep…

43 - Favorite cologne/perfume?
Right now, I’m diggin’ Juicy Couture…or that's what I've been wearing lately.

44- Favorite candle scent?
Mulberry…

45- Would you consider yourself adventurous?
Yes, and unfortunately, it gets me into trouble…

46- What is your MySpace profile song?
Again, I’ve never been on MySpace…

47- Favorite concert attended?
I would have to say the Nine Inch Nails concert I went to in high school…but my other favorites include Lenny Kravitz/Pink, Aerosmith, Lynyrd Skynrd, The Eagles and The Black Eyed Peas

48- Would you date an already attached man/woman?
No – I’m all about the monogamy…for everyone!

49- Would you sing Karaoke in front of co-workers?
Sure, why not?

50- Can you shoot pool?
Of course, I have a pool table in my basement (grew up with it there).

51- Do you like your siblings' significant others?
Ummm...no…not even a little bit…

52- Can you drive a stick?
For the most part, yes, I taught myself when I stole my brother’s car…

53- When you marry will you wear white?
Yes – but the question is…will I get married? Ugh!

54- Have you ever sat and hoped for a phone call?
Yes

55- Ever skip school and spend the day at the beach?
Ummm…seeing as how I live in St. Louis, skipping school and going to the beach isn’t quite possible, but I did skip school a lot. I found out after I graduated from high school that I skipped 46 days my senior year. And, did I mention that I skipped so many classes in college that I got kicked out of one of the best universities in St. Louis? Yeah, I wasn’t very smart.

56- Favorite TV show?
LOL There’s no way I could list just one…but, here I’ll list my weekly TV Schedule for you (it’s changed a tad since the break up).

Monday night - Cops, How I Met Your Mother, The New Adventures of Old Christine, Two and a Half Men, and The Black Donnellys

Tuesday night - Cops, American Idol, House, The Unit (TiVo), and Law & Order: SVU

Wednesday night - Cops, America's Next Top Model, American Idol (TiVo), Pussycat Dolls Present: The Search for the Next Doll, and The Hills

Thursday night - Cops, Ugly Betty, Scrubs and Andy Barker P.I.

Friday night - Cops and The Wedding Bells

Saturday night - Cops (if I'm home, I won't TiVo it or anything)

Sunday night - Extreme Makover: Home Edition and Cold Case
I'm thinking I'll check out Sons of Hollywood too.

So, there ya go...my TV schedule...sad huh?

57- Are you single or taken?
Single and hating it…

The Survey Says: Nombre Deux

2007-04-02T08:46:00.000-05:00

Yet again, I flat out copied this from Lisa at “Life is a Dance You Learn as You Go”. I won't lie to you all, I just don't have much to write about. I mean, I could tell you all how I bought a new lawn mower yesterday, but I'm fairly certain that won't entertain anyone.

1. Where is your cell phone? On my desk...

2. Your Vehicle? A dirty 2003 GMC Envoy...

3. Your hair? Dark brown with blond highlights...

4. Your father? Set up my new lawn mower last night... :O)

5. Your favorite thing? Animals...

6. Your dream last night? Don’t recall having one, so I suppose I don’t remember it...

7. Your favorite drink? Ice water or White Zinfandel...

8. The room you’re in? My office at work...

9. Your ex? Selfish coward...

10. You are? At work...

11. What do you want to be in 10 years? Married with children, oh yeah and rich!

12. Who did you hang out with today? So far, the ladies here at work, it's only 9:00 am...

13. What you’re not? Thin...

14. Muffin? I'll take a blueberry muffin please...thank you.

15. One of your wish list items? Patio furniture...

16. Where is the ______ ? Love...

17. The last thing you did? Looked out the window at people coming into the building...

18. What are you wearing? Gray slacks, black wedge heals and a black, ribbed shirt...

19. Your favorite TV show? Sorry, that'd be a whole Meme all by itself...too many to list...

20. Your pet(s)? Koko, my Shih Tzu/Terrier mix doggeh!

21. Your computer? In front of me...

22. Your life? Boring and meaningless...

23. Your mood? Lonely and tired...

24. Missing? Lots of people and pets...

25. What are you thinking about right now? How my throat itches...

26. Your Shoes? I already told you, black wedge heals...

27. Your work? Overwhelming today...

28. Your summer? Busy with yard work...

29. Your favorite color? Purple...

So feel free to answer this yourself...

The Survey Says...

2007-04-01T09:58:00.000-05:00

So, I was reading Lisa's blog over at "Life's a Dance You Learn as You Go". She had this nifty little survey up there and since I'm at a loss for words, I figured I'd give you all a little insight into the inner workings of my warped mind. So, here it is:

First thing you wash in the shower? My arms
What color is your favortie hoodie? It's red, because it's a Cardinals hoodie of course.
Do you like coffee? Nope
How are you feeling RIGHT now? Stuffy - all allergy infested
What are you listening to? GLAMOROUS by Fergie w/ Luda...
Do you say AIM or A-I-M? I say AIM - because that's what my 14 year old nephew calls it.
Tell me about the last dream you remember having. Don't remember
Could you eat your favorite food everyday for a month and not get sick of it? Probably
What are you craving? Nothing really...
Do you floss? Okay, don't tell my dentist, but I only floss maybe 3 times a week
Have you ever drove while having a hangover? Yeah...why? Ss that against the law? Could I get a DWH? Driving While Hungover...
What color do you wear the most of? That's a hard one...I wear lots of colors...but maybe red. Especially during the baseball season. Go Cards!!!
How old is your dad? 59
Would you dance right now? Sure, why not? I probably will when I get ready to go shopping here in a few minutes.
Have you ever counted to 1,000? I don't know...I may have when I was younger and trying to fall asleep.
Do you bite into your ice cream or just lick it? Ewww...lick...definitely lick. I have sensitive front teeth.
Do you use smileys? Almost hourly.
How many bedrooms are in your house? 3
Have you ever met a celebrity? Yep
Do you like cottage cheese? Gawd No! I have a problem with the texture or consistency of lots of foods. Cottage cheese is definitely one of those.
What's the last song you had stuck in your head? Don't Matter by Akon
How many countries have you visited? 6
Are your parents strict? Not really, no.
Would you go sky diving? Depends on the situation, if someone pushed me into it, I might.
Would you go out to eat with George W. Bush? Hell yeah, I can always use a stiff drink - and I'm pretty sure he'd be drinking at his meals.
Would you throw potatoes at him? Why would I waste my favorite food on the man? Come on!
Is there anything blue in the room you're in? Lots of books, a ruler, some file folders, a couple scrapbooks, post-its, boxes of checks, a clip board, 3 magazine racks...and I suppose that's about it.
Have you ever tried to get inside the refrigerator? Nope, I was always afraid I'd get stuck (as a kid - now I'd DEFINITELY GET STUCK).
Do you rent movies often? Sure...
Who sits in front of you in math class? LOL I can't even remember my last math class - it was probably a statistics class I had in college - and I didn't know the person in front of me...so you're out of luck here. And, seriously, is this the kind of stuff kids want to know about other kids? Puhlease.
What color is your razor/shaver? Pink
What state are you from? Confusion...oh wait, never mind, I'm from Misery. That's Missouri for those of you that don't live here...The Mighty MO!
Can you count backwards from 74? I'm sure I could, but I wouldn't.
Where were you Thursday night? At home...where were you?
Brown or white eggs? How about neither?
Like rap music? Yep
Ever taken a train? I think...
Experienced the twin towers falling in New York? Very strange question, but yes, I did on TV - didn't we all?
Do you know who Skye Sweetnam is? No, and I'm fairly certain I couldn't care less.
What day of the week is it? Sunday
What was your lunch? I haven't had lunch yet, but yesterday I had Hot Braised Chicken from Sesame Chinese Restaurant (for our St. Louis Bloggers' Lunch).
What is your best friend doing tomorrow? I couldn't tell you...
Ever have cream puffs? Nope
Have you ever seen "The Butterfly Effect"? Yep, it was alright.
Mets or Yankees? Mets - I'm sure the Yankees have enough fans...
When was the last time you went to the movies? About a month ago - I saw Hannibal Rising
When was the last time you went to the mall? A couple weeks ago.
What is your bus number for school? LOL Puhlease...
Is your hair curly? Nah, naturally wavy, but not curly.
Last time you cried? The other day.
Ever walked into a wall Pole? Don't think so, I'm not too certain about what a wall Pole is...
Favorite character in Scooby Doo? Shaggy, of course.
Have you ever bought anything from Pac Sun? Yep
Are you currently wearing socks? Nope
Favorite time of the year? Autumn/Fall
Do you enjoy the sound of violins? Very much so...
Are you a generally happy person? Honestly, nope. Can't you tell?
Are you wearing jeans? Nope, but I will be shortly.

I've Decided To Be Bitter

2007-03-31T20:32:00.000-05:00

So, a few of us St. Louis Bloggers went to lunch today and I had a REALLY nice time (I'd put up a picture, but I'm fairly certain I'm the only one that didn't bring a camera).

But, good ole Reba (at Not So Everyday Mom) mentioned that she has tickets to the opening day game for the Cardinals tomorrow and well, now I've decided to be bitter towards Jason! (at no fault of Reba's - seriously). I love the Cardinals so frickin' much that it's not fair that I got jipped out of season tickets because HE cheated on ME! So, yes, you're reading this correctly - I wasn't so bitter about him cheating on me, but I'm severely bitter over missing all of the Cardinals games! Bastard!

Reba, you're so frickin' lucky - but, I hereby announce that I don't want to hear about your day at the game tomorrow! :0) I really hope you have a good time - and I REALLY hope we whoop the Mets yet again (but we didn't do too well against them in Spring Training). But, seriously, don't tell me about it. :O) JK I'm just flat out jealous - I won't lie.

Okay...that's it, that's all I wanted to say. I'm now bitter about the breakup (2 months later).

Here Is Zee New Pee-Pee Room!

2007-03-31T20:14:00.000-05:00

Okay, so I have a couple more things to do to the bathroom (like touch up paint and painting the moulding outside the bathroom door) - but here are the pictures as previously promised. Remember - my house is VERY tiny, so when you see my bathroom, try not to be thrown into a claustrophobic tailspin.

Ta Da!!!

I would like to get a picture or a collage of stuff for above the toilet - I'm doing that tomorrow. See the blue painter's tape around the moulding outside the door! I painted the moulding once, but I need to do another coat of KILZ and then the regular white paint.

Oh, and that vanity was too tall - the faucet ended up interfering with the medicine cabinet - so we cut the legs off and used TRAILER HITCHES as legs. My mom and I went to Home Depot looking for little round, silver legs for a table. They didn't have ANYFRICKINTHING. So, we walked by trailer hitches and I looked at my mom and said, "These will work". She immediately said, "No, that'll never work". But, I persisted and we came home, cut the legs off of the vanity and screwed the trailer hitches into the bottom. My dad even ended up liking the outcome. My parents thought I was nuts, but it turned out REALLY cute.

I painted the picture above to match my bathroom...

So, there, that's it! That's what took us 3 weekends to accomplish. However, everything you see is BRAND SPANKIN' NEW except for the tub and the toilet. We installed new sub floor and tile, we installed and painted all new drywall. New shower curtain, new vanity (with faucet), new medicine cabinet, newly painted door, new base boards, new moulding around the door. What else, I guess that's it. Oh, new towel bars and hooks. I love it - I'm not 100% sure about the toilet seat, but that can be changed (with a lot of work).

Ass Hats Part 3: Ass Hats at Work

2007-03-30T08:50:00.000-05:00

First and foremost, get over to what the blog!? and join the coolest community online! Then, once you join, you will be able to participate in the coolest community activity online - Ass Hat Awards!

As usual, I'm not eligible to win any nifty awards, but I'm certainly eligible to write about Ass Hats and that's what I'm doing!

This week's theme is Ass Hats at Work. I have so many stories to tell, but since I can't really think of any of them right now, I'll write about the one thing that has bothered me the most in the 6 years I've worked here.

One rainy morning I was walking from the parking lot to the main entrance of our complex of buildings- this is about half a mile (no kidding). Well, it's not unusual for the men that work here to run full force towards the doors so that they can avoid holding it for any women. I'm so not lying...they truly do this. And, they don't just do it to ugly girls, they do it to ALL women. Now, I'll be honest and admit that there are a FEW men that will hold the door for women - and when I say, "FEW", I really mean about 3 or so. That's 3 men out of a company with 7000 employees! Anyway...on this particularly rainy morning, I'm walking in with umbrella in tow. As I'm walking, I see this guy look at me, looks at another girl and almost runs full speed to the doors.

As I look over at the other girl, I quickly notice that she has her hands and arms full. She was carrying a crock pot in her left arm, a box and umbrella in her right arm and she had a tote bag and purse hanging off of her left shoulder. This poor girl was struggling. He finally passes her up and opens the door for himself. This girl starts to try to speed up so that she won't have to open the door and she can just get in right after this guy. Well, he noticed her and he went through the door and didn't hold it for her. And, naturally it closed right in front of her - she was within 2 feet of the door when it closed. She had been defeated. But, it wasn't over.

I thought, "fine, maybe he was in a hurry". But, once he gets in the front door, he stops at the guard's desk and starts talking to the guards! This guy ran to chit chat - actually, he ran so he wouldn't have to open or hold the door for this girl! So, since I was headed toward another door at about the same time this girl was, I yelled over to her to hang on and I'll get the door for her. So, I ran over and opened the door for her. She was so grateful and I felt so bad for her. So, I offered to shake her umbrella out and close it. She was so sweet and really appreciated the help. So, we pass the guard's desk, show our badges in which she had to pull out of a pocket and I hear something small hit the ground. I look over at her and you can just see the flustered look on her face. She had lost a button! So, I quickly find the button and pick it up. She didn't have any open hands, so she asked me to shove it in her purse - I quickly obliged. Finally, I was on my way to my office as was she. The Ass Hat of a man was where, you ask? He was still at the guard's desk chit chatting!

So, I hereby nominate JERKHOLE as the biggest Ass Hat at Work ever!

Ass Hats Part 2: Ass Hats In The News

2007-03-28T11:06:00.000-05:00

If you aren't a member of what the blog!? yet, you really need to hop on over there and register. Because when you register, you get to participate in really cool contests like the Ass Hat Awards! And the kicker? If you win, you get cool little awards and buttons and what not.

what the blog!? and Ass Hat Awards are run by Jen, Tiffany and myself. So, I think both blogs are pretty damn cool if I say so myself! Now that you know the dealy oh - GET. OVER. TO. WTB!?. AND. REGISTER! Or, if I haven't been able to persuade you into joining, go to the Ass Hats Awards blog and check out the previous winners. I guarantee that you'll join what the blog!? and participate in the Ass Hats Awards after you read a little about it.

Now, to show my undeniable support of what the blog!? and the Ass Hat Awards, I am posting my Ass Hat In The News story. But, before you freak out - I am not eligible to win any cool awards or buttons. So calm yo-self! It's too fun to pass up, so I'm participating! So, here it goes. I copied and pasted the article below or you could just follow this link.

P&G not in league with the Devil: court

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Procter and Gamble Co. does not worship Satan, according to a US court ruling that revolves around a decades-old urban myth targeting the world's biggest consumer goods company.

P&G said late Monday it had won 19.25 million dollars in a civil suit brought against four former distributors of direct-selling company Amway who were accused of spreading false rumors.

Last Friday's jury award in Salt Lake City represents the latest in a long line of court battles between P&G and Amway over the devil-worshipping claim, which has taken on new currency in the Internet era.

"This is about protecting our reputation," Jim Johnson, P&G's chief legal officer, said in a statement.

"We will take appropriate legal measures when competitors unfairly undermine the reputation of our brands or our company," he said.

The former distributors were accused of rehashing a rumor that dates from at least 1981, to the effect that P&G is in league with the Devil.

According to the false urban legend, the global company's logo contains a "666" symbol, its bosses have appeared on television talk shows to declare their love of Beelzebub, and part of its profits go to the Church of Satan.

Amway, part of the Alticor Inc. group of companies, direct retails products like consumer goods through independent sellers in more than 80 countries.

Amway has itself been forced to debunk accusations that its business model amounts to little more than a "get rich quick" pyramid-selling scheme.

Okay...are these people serious? I mean, have you guys ever heard this urban legend? And - P&G gets $19.25 million over a "rumor"!?!?!?! Y'all need to start spreading rumors that I worship satan. I prefer a billion dollar company start spreading the rumor about me so that I can bank a cool $19.25 million! I'm just amazed that the rumor actually spread...I mean, come on! What would make someone believe that Procter & Gamble truly worshipped satan?

I wanna see the "666" in the logo - anyone have a picture of it?

I'm not too sure who the real Ass Hat In The News is with this story. I mean, ya got Amway for spreading a retarded rumor, then you have the courts for awarding $19.25 million to P&G, and finally you got P&G whining because people actually spread a "RUMOR" about them. I say they all are pretty Ass Hatted, but y'all can decide for yourself.

Now - go to what the blog!? and join so you can participate in this really cool contest!

Et Tu Tony?

2007-03-22T08:06:00.000-05:00

So, early this morning, good ole Tony LaRussa was arrested on Drunk Driving charges. Go ahead and read this short, short article. The moron fell asleep at the stop light - that's not good. Doesn't the man have a limo that can take him out if he plans on drinking that much? I guess it's a good thing the man's a lawyer, he's gonna need the expertise. Once again, the Cardinals will get a bad rap for this...

I Didn't Forget

2007-03-20T13:17:00.000-05:00

I also have some memes and surveys to answer, but I haven't had time (I don't want to do them at work). So, I'm gonna try to get that taken care of some night this week. That might actually interest a few of you.

New Pee-Pee Room

2007-03-20T13:01:00.000-05:00

So my dad, mom, nephew and I all worked all weekend (Friday, Saturday and Sunday) and we're almost done with the bathroom. I don't have any pictures yet, but I promise I'll have some by this weekend (when we plan on finishing the bathroom altogether). It's going to be sooo nice when it's done. I can't frickin' wait.

On Sunday, I got my hair cut and highlighted too - yes, it was a busy weekend. It looks cute, but I've been so tired that I haven't gotten up early to fix it for the last two days, so I'm bummin'.

My poor little puppeh has been sick. For the last two nights, I've been awaken by her gagging and throwing up - at about 2:30 in the morning! So, I stay up for a while and rub her belly and make sure she feels better before I go back to sleep. Finally, this morning she threw up some huge chunk-a-crap! I didn't know what it was; all I know is that I cleaned it up with one of my old St. Louis Cardinals towels and threw the towel away! I didn't even want to bother washing it. :0) I will just guess that it's either something she grabbed from out in the yard or part of a Dingo.

Oh yeah, she eats those little bones (called Dingos) and I've discovered that she does what I call the "Dingo Dance" every time she gets a new one. She hops around it in circles while it's laying on the floor, she lunges at it and she barks and growls at it. It's too frickin' cute. I wish I could get it on video and put it up here for you guys to see. Maybe I'll try that some day.

Ummm...I suppose that's all I got for now...

It's really depressing that I have absolutely nothing to talk about - I gotta start coming up with something interesting or you guys will leave me!

You See...

2007-03-14T12:59:00.000-05:00

I haven't posted because I've been so very busy...yeah right!

Let's see, I've lost another 6 pounds, so I'm going on 16 pounds so far. But, for some odd reason I feel like a beached whale today! I don't feel like you can tell I lost 16 pounds. Then again, I guess that's because I have about 100 to lose and 16 isn't even a dent! Ugh! Weight blows!

I took off work Friday because my mom and dad are coming over this weekend to redo my bathroom. I'm thinking I might actually have some photos for you guys soon. Oh happy days, right? :0) I know.

I've come to the conclusion that I'm sincerely bored with American Idol this season. I don't know if it's the contestants or if it's because it's the 6th frickin' season. I'm just bored with it. But, I will tell you this - I love Blake Lewis! I want him to win - although, I'm sure he won't. I'm guessing LaKisha and Melinda have that all sewn up already. But, still, I think he's awesome!!!

Ummm...I get my hair highlighted and cut again on Sunday! I can't wait because it's getting too long. I mean, my hair has grown about 1/2 an inch since I got it cut last time (trust me, the black roots tell me so)! It's starting to look awfully dark again. Ugh!

So, last week I went shopping with my momma and we went to Sephora (yes, for makeup). Can you guys believe I spent $500 on makeup and brushes, etc.?????? Yeah, you read that correctly - $500! Now I know that Sephora is expensive anydamnway, but when she read the total to me (no, I do NOT keep a running total of crap I throw in my basket) I about gagged. Oh well, I needed to spend some money on ME! And, oh do I love that frickin' store! AWESOME. I'm like a kid in a candy store there. Oh, just thinking about it makes me want to go back for the things I saw and figured I'd wait to get. And, I know I'll sound like some prejudiced hillbilly here...but why is it odd to me that men work at Sephora? I just can't help myself from staring at them trying to figure out what kind of makeup they could be using. I realize they could use the hair products, lotions and tanning stuff, but it still baffles me.

Okay, let's see, what else is running through my trivial little mind today...
To tell you the truth, not much.

Work has been crazy lately, very crazy. I don't want to get into why here...but let's just say that Deregulation isn't working out quite like Congress planned. :0) Duh!

I'm Back

2007-03-02T14:10:00.000-06:00

I decided to get rid of the Invitation Only thing...it dawned on me that J never read my blog anyway and seeing as how we aren't even on speaking terms, I'm guessing he certainly isn't reading it now. So...I'm back!

Music Tagglemeister!

2007-03-02T10:12:00.000-06:00

So, my gurl, Tiffany, tagged me and is MAKING me list my top 10 (well, I'll just do the top 25 most played) songs in my iTunes library. Oh, we all know how much I love music...but I think my top 25 are pretty generic and no one will think they are all that odd. But, here it goes...in "song - artist - album" order.

Far Away - Nickelback - All the Right Reasons (I love every song that Nickelback sings)
Perfect - Simple Plan - No Pads, No Helmets...Just Balls
These Arms of Mine - Otis Redding - Pain in My Heart
Irreplaceable - Beyonce - B'Day
The Tracks of My Tears - The Miracles - Going to a Go-Go
Lips of an Angel - Hinder - Extreme Behavior
Love Hurts - Nazareth - Dazed and Confused Soundtrack
Good Day - Jewel - Goodbye Alice In Wonderland
I Want You To Want Me - Cheap Trick - In Color
Just One More - George Jones - Tin Cup Soundtrack
Crazy - Gnarls Barkley - St. Elsewhere
N Dey Say - Nelly - Suit (Gotta have the hometown boy on there)
Ooh Child - Beth Orton - The Other Side of Daybreak
Breakdown - Jack Johnson - In Between Dreams (I am in love with Jack Johnson and listen to him daily)
Call Me When You're Sober - Evanescence - The Open Door
Do You Remember - Jackson Johnson - In Between Dreams
Chasing Cars - Snow Patrol - Eyes Open (I have a serious thing for Irish guys)
C'mon C'mon - The Von Bondies - Rescue Me Soundtrack
Dirty Little Secret - The All-American Rejects - Move Along
What Goes Around - Justin Timberlake - FutureSex/LoveSounds
Good People - Jack Johnson - In Between Dreams
Down In It - Nine Inch Nails - Pretty Hate Machine (old school huh?)
I Walk the Line - Johnny Cash - 16 Biggest Hits
Blister in the Sun - Violent Femmes - Add It Up
Dance, Dance - Fall Out Boy - From Under the Cork Tree

So, see, Tiffany, if it makes you feel any better a lot of my songs are pretty old too. But, I do keep up on the new songs - I am a music whore though! I'm not going to tag anyone...because I only have like 10 people that read my blog and one of those people tagged me!

Now...the 10 of you that do read my blog...get your booties over to WtB! and see what's going on!! You'll be so excited to see what kind of craziness Jen, Tiffany and I have come up with (okay, fine, Jen and Tiffany did all the work, but I like to claim other peoples' glory).

New Squirrel Guard

2007-03-02T08:26:00.000-06:00

Okay, so most of you know that I work at the local Electric Company. Well, we have pieces of equipment called "Squirrel Guards" that prevent squirrel's from running through or into the fuses on our poles and lines. Otherwise, squirrels get stuck in the fuses and they get fried. It's very sad and gory. So, I'm a big proponent of the Squirrel Guards. This morning I was working away when I got an e-mail and the subject said, "New Squirrel Guard". So, I was all excited waiting to see what kind of new Squirrel Guards we got (thinking we'd prevent even MORE squirrels from being fried). So...I open the picture in the e-mail and this is what I saw:

Is that the cutest thing you've ever seen?

World Champions Return!

2007-02-27T13:42:00.000-06:00

Okay, so you guys won't care for this, but my baseball posts are going to start up soon. The Cardinals are down in Jupiter, FL. for Spring Training and they're in Exhibition Play now. Now, I'm not normally too big on Spring Training because the guys really don't give it their all in Spring Training...so the REAL baseball posts might not start to heat up until April 1 - when we open our season with the frickin' Mets!

Here's our Spring Training Schedule if you're interested:

On a related note, I'm sort of bummed that we have Eli Marrerro back (we had him a few years ago too and now he's back with us this season) - I met him and wasn't too fond of him. Now, J tried to make me understand that it was because the guy couldn't speak English, but I still think he was a jerk (but, I gladly took his autograph anyway).

Let's see what else, oh, they're trying to turn my little man, Wainwright, into an opener and that makes me nervous. I really, REALLY liked him as a Closing Pitcher. But, I GUESS I'll let LaRussa manage his team...I'm pretty certain he knows more about baseball than I do, but I sure do like to chime in.

Alright, so Jen...just ignore any posts that have the "The Cards" label.

Sunday Night Already?

2007-02-11T20:12:00.000-06:00

So, I really didn't do much this weekend - I didn't do anything that I had planned on doing. For one, I didn't really clean as much as I wanted to. Then, mom and I didn't go to the movies today - I was tired.

We did clear out the storage side of my basement (the whole driveway is full of stuff that I'm giving to a charity). The American Kidney Foundation is supposed to come tomorrow and pick everything up. That'll be nice - then I can start to clean up my basement so that I can get new carpet (or whatever kind of flooring I want down there) soon. I have so much to do around this house, yet I haven't felt like doing anything. I have a 3-day weekend next weekend and I sincerely plan to get off my ass and get some stuff around the house done...

Alright, well, I gotta go let Koko in and watch some of the Grammy's - I'll be around tomorrow because my boss in on vacation all week this coming week. So...

Til tomorrow!

I Love Cars!

2007-02-09T07:10:00.000-06:00

What kind of muscle car are you?
1972 Chevrolet Chevelle SS 454 You are a 1972 Chevrolet Chevelle SS 454. You car has a huge ass engine....and thats all you care about! You know you can whoop on anyone at the dragstrip...and you love it! You really don't care about gas mileage...but you sure do go to the gas station alot!
Take The Quiz Now!	Quizzes by myYearbook.com

Nada

2007-02-07T15:58:00.001-06:00

Not too much going on guys...I sent J a certified letter today telling him that he has until February 22 to contact me regarding his car and his belongings or I'm donating it all.

I went out to eat with Linlee last night - we had a nice time.

Ummm....I guess that's all I have to say as of now...boring huh?

My Tenth Thursday Thirteen

2007-02-01T01:40:00.000-06:00

Thirteen Reasons I'm Ecstatic to be Single Again
1. I can do what I want without checking with someone else first (like watching what I want on TV, eating what I want all the time, going where I want to go and listening to what I want to listen to on the car stereo).
2. I can decorate my house any damn way I want.
3. I don't have to clean up after a grown man.
4. I don't have to worry about someone 24/7.
5. Now, I have the perfect reason as to why I'm not married yet.
6. I don't have to worry about being stuck in a relationship with a cheater or worse.
7. I won't get woken up by someone jumping around in the bed.
8. I don't have to deal with someone else's morning breath.
9. No more sharing the holidays with someone else's family.
10. I can look at and flirt with as many men as I want without any consequences.
11. More bathroom space for my health and beauty products (no more shaving cream, men's razor, men's deoderant, hair gel, hair cementy stuff, and separate soap).
12. I don't have to pour any of my time and emotions into someone else, I can focus on myself.
13. Less presents to buy (no Valentine's Day, no other birthdays, no extra Christmas presents).

Now, don't get me wrong, I miss my ex and these things certainly weren't a deal-breaker (I loved the guy and these things didn't really even bother me - it's all about compromise, right?), but why not look on the bright side? Unfortunately, I have to force myeslf to focus on these things right now.

Happy Thursday Thirteen!

Links to other Thursday Thirteens!
(leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

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American Idol

2007-01-30T19:07:00.000-06:00

So, I'm sittin' here watching Idol and I've just been wondering if we've seen the Idol yet this year. Do you guys think we've seen him/her yet?

Okay, so do you guys agree with the press, are the judges being outright mean this year? I can't see where they're being any different. I know everyone's up in arms over the whole "bush baby" comment, but come on, ya had to laugh, right? I laughed, then I felt bad. For one, the guy didn't remind me of a "bush baby" (what exactly is a "bush baby"?), he reminded me of that half human/half sheep? creature on Narnia. Apparently, I'm just as bad as the judges. Seriously though, am I the only one that laughs at their ignorant arse comments?

UPDATE: HOLY HAIR!! I say that girl belonged on Broadway instead of AI. I think she could do very well on Broadway.

Well, I have a busy week this week. I've been walking still (losing weight) and tomorrow night, Koko has an appointment with the Vet (her yearly checkup). Then, Thursday, I have to go back to the eye doctor and then I get my hair cut and highlighted. And, Friday, I guess Koko and I will just walk. Then, Saturday, Koko has an appointment with the Groomer (she needs it soooo bad). That evening, if I get my Beanie back in time, I'm supposed to go out to eat and to Bingo with my friend from work (and some of her friends). Yes, I know, younger folks aren't supposed to go to Bingo, but I'm strange because I like that kind of stuff. Alright, fine, I'll admit, I've never actually been to a Bingo session, but it sounds fun to me and what can it hurt? I could win some frickin' money here people. Just think...single girl with baby dog, house and bills...do you know what that means? It means I have to take the chance to get some money any time I can. Right? Finally, I may just be free Sunday, which means I can clean and do laundry. With the breakup I have to keep myself busy or I'll overanalyze the situation and I'll drive myself crazy.

Alright, I gotta focus all of my attention on Idol and then on House (is that man sexy or is it just me - maybe it's his voice, or his arrogance, or his limp?)

Talk to ya lata!

How Bizarre - Episode 14

2007-01-22T18:04:00.000-06:00

Child Stars:

Twenty thousand people on the island of Bali in Indonesia once gathered on a hill to pray for the recovery of child movie star Shirley Temple when she had fallen ill!

Ummm...allI can think to say is "oooookay". That must be back when people actually cared about other people. Ya think?

On an unrelated note, I will be working on another "Gangs of St. Louis" post this week. I know I kinda fell off and stopped, so I'm going to try to write up a few of them so I can just post them a day apart or whatever.

Alrighty then, I'm off to watch TV - because, yes, my life is pathetic and revolves around TV.

Most Pathetic, Boring Life

2007-01-22T17:06:00.000-06:00

I have been so pathetically bored lately and I can't even think of things to talk about. I've been completely engrossed in the whole Ben Ownby/Shawn Hornbeck/Michael Devlin case. I've been reading every article and I've been talking about it nonstop at work. What is my problem? Why I am so nosey regarding this case? I'm one of those pathetic people that wants to know exactly what happened. Does that make me just as sick as the alleged kidnapper, Devlin? Please say, "No". Ugh.

J comes home from New York tomorrow and I have another appointment with the eye doctor. I have to drive all the way back out there to tell the doctor if I like the new contacts or not - isn't that a little crappy? Why can't I just call the guy? I guess I should be happy that he's concerned enough to want to see me.

Do you guys watch Ugly Betty? I LOVE Ugly Betty and I've been watching it since Day 1. My point you ask? Betty Suarez (America Ferrera's character - the title character) has her own website where you can learn about Betty, see her resume, she can give you career advice and you can see and learn about her friends and family. I just found it and I kinda like it! It's cute and her resume is actually a very nice resume. Check it out - and if you don't watch the show, check that out too. It's on Thursday nights at 7:00.

Okay...I promise to come up with something more interesting soon and I think I might take some pictures this weekend...I need to take more pictures. I'm going to remodel our bathroom (it's a total wreck) within the next month or so (or I'm going to try to) and I'll take some before and afters.

Oh What a Year - 1977

2007-01-19T15:03:00.000-06:00

I saw this at my favorite site, Skittles' Place and thought it was too cool. I absolutely LOVE hearing about things that happened the year I was born, the month I was born or the day I was born. The weird thing is...Skits and I had a few things in common the years we were born (2 different years). Both years, the Yankmes won the World Series, the Montreal Canadiens won the Stanley Cup and Elvis was present on both lists. Straaange.

In 1977 (the year you were born)

Jimmy Carter becomes president of the US

Most of the 10,000 Vietnam War draft evaders are pardoned by President Carter

Singer Anita Bryant starts her "Save Our Children" crusade against gay rights

Elvis Presley dies in his Graceland bathroom

Congress creates a Department of Energy

Anwar Sadat flies to Jerusalem in a dramatic gesture of willingness to discuss peace

Orlando Bloom, Shakira, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Liv Tyler, and Ludacris are born

New York Yankees win the World Series

Oakland Raiders win Superbowl XI

Montreal Canadiens win the Stanley Cup

Swedish music group ABBA passes The Beatles as having most records sold

Star Wars is the top grossing film

The Shining by Stephen King is published

"You Light Up My Life" by Debby Boone spends the most time at the top of the US charts

Three's Company premieres

What Happened the Year You Were Born?

Noo Yawk

2007-01-18T19:45:00.000-06:00

Okay, what's been up with you all? J left for New York this morning, for work yet again. He'll be there until Tuesday. I can handle it...I swear I can.

Guess what...I got a new window in the Envoy today. So, as of now, most of the work involved in getting things back to normal after your car is broken into is done. I'm happy...very happy. Plus, I'm starting to think the "new car" smell comes from glass because my car has that "new car" smell. I loved it all the way home. Oh, that is a wonderful smell, isn't it?

What else...I have to work this Saturday. I was part of a team that implemented a new system and they are uploading all of the data into the system Saturday. I have to oversee that process. Aren't I lucky?

Alright, I just realized that I have one of the most boring lives...so I'm going to put you all out of your misery right now.

My Ninth Thursday Thirteen

2007-01-18T06:06:00.000-06:00

My Thirteen Favorite TV Shows

First off, I know it's sad that I have 13 favorite TV shows, but what can I say? I'm a couch potato. As usual, these are in no particular order.

1. Cold Case

2. Entourage

3. House

4. Laguna Beach

5. The Hills

6. Lost

7. Prison Break

8. Rescue Me

9. The Unit

10. Ugly Betty

11. American Idol

12. Law and Order: SVU

13. Justice

These are all shows that we have to TiVo if we're not home. Luckily, most of these shows have different seasons, so we aren't bogged down with watching TV all week.

Links to other Thursday Thirteens!

(leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Dark Phoenix? Never Heard Of

2007-01-15T23:46:00.000-06:00

I saw this at This Perfect World and liked it...so I tried it out too.

Your Results: Dark Phoenix

A prime example of emotional extremes: Passion and fury incarnate.

Click here to take the Super Villain Quiz

2007-01-15T14:49:00.000-06:00

As seen on Mike's Place (and he saw it on Skittles' Place). So, naturally, I had to try it out. Who wouldn't, right? I haven't decided if it fits me yet or not. From reading my blog, what do you all think?

Your Rising Sign is Leo

You are confident, self-assured, and more than a little vain.
And you have a flair for the dramatic - whether you're on stage or causing trouble.

Your spirit can't stay in one place very long.
You like to live in new places and travel the world.

Cultured and sophisticated, you pride yourself on having good taste.
You are an expert in art, music, food, and film.

What's Your Rising Sign?

Most Recent Victim of Most Dangerous City in U.S.

2007-01-15T04:05:00.000-06:00

Yeah, so I'm the latest victim of the Most Dangerous City in the U.S., St. Louis. While J was at work tonight at the Scottrade Center (formerly Savvis Center, which is downtown), my car was broken into and his wallet was stolen (I know, why would he keep his wallet in the car - but it's because he works a physical job and runs around on the grids of arenas and can lose his wallet). His wallet wasn't in plain sight, so I don't know what the stupid ass criminal saw that made him think he should throw a fucking (sorry for the f-bomb, I'm just really frickin' pissed) rock through my window! His wallet was in the glove compartment and that means this stupid ass loser rifled through my damn car. Which means his disgusting, crime-riddened hands touched things that I own. One of my coats was in the car, now I don't ever want to wear it again. I'm so disgusted I can't even think straight. I don't even care to be in my car ever again. But, since this mother effin' bastard is already costing me the money to replace my window, I refuse to let him affect me even further financially (by buying a new car - my car is completely paid for and I like it).

So, anyway, apparently, in the city of St. Louis, when your car is broken into, they don't send a cop out. Um...I got a clue for you, when you get the Most Dangerous City nod, maybe you should hire more cops and actually do some work. I understand they have murders out the wazoo here, but I'm sorry if I'm selfish enough to think my car being vandalized and J's wallet being stolen is a big fucking deal! Again, sorry for the f-bomb but that is the word I use most when outrageously pissed. The Chief of Police, Mokwa, sure does have time to get his little 5 foot 2 ass on TV every possible chance and he has time to hang out at local fairs, but he doesn't have time to actually do something about the damn crime in this city.

You know, I was all for defending St. Louis for being named the Most Dangerous City, but now I'm just so fucking pissed that I don't care to ever do anything in the city again (which will be hard seeing as how Busch Stadium is downtown and we have season tickets). Why should I waste money in a city that doesn't care when a crime is committed against me. The cops haven't even called J back from when he called them at the scene. I say take fingerprints and get the bastard that did this (I guarantee he has a record). Can we maybe work towards prosecuting the criminals in this city so that we can move closer toward the goal of less crime??? I mean, am I just being stupid or should criminals be held accountable for their actions?? No one had any problems throwing 3 years of probation and 80 hours of community service at my ass for less (meaning we didn't inflict any financial hardship on our victim!!!! (read this post to understand what I'm talking about) The more I think about it, the more pissed I get. I expect something to be done and I will make sure something is done.

Okay, I'll calm down, I know I'm throwing this all out of proportion, but I'm so angry I am spitting fire. I try to live my life right, I don't do anything to anyone and I keep getting screwed over. It doesn't help that I'm in physical pain every day, all day from debilitating headaches either.

I guess I'm going to try to go to sleep, which I know will be a fruitless effort because I'm so angry there's no way I can sleep.

Trump's Letter to Rosie

2007-01-13T02:22:00.000-06:00

Go ahead, read this article in the New York Post and the letter Trump wrote to Rosie.

Can you believe famous people get all crazy like this and actually write letters to each other? The one word that stuck out to me was "retaliate". What is this, 4th grade?

Trump and Rosie both need to get over themselves and move on. My Gawd! And celebrities wonder why "celebrity gossip" is such a big deal to us Americans. Because it's funny to watch a bunch of rich grown-ups act like 10 year olds.

Brat Pack Member Spews N-Word!?

2007-01-13T01:42:00.000-06:00

So, brat packer, Anthony Michael Hall, was signing some autographs and posing for some pictures outside Laugh Factory (the comedy club in which good old Michael Richards went on his tirade) and was overheard using the N-word twice.

For more of the story and to see the video, go to TMZ.com.

When? When are people going to learn? Didn't he learn anything from the Michael Richards fiasco? Granted, Hall, was using the word a little more light-heartedly than Richards, but do you think we should be expecting a public apology?

Maybe he CAN touch people and see the future afterall...

I know this may be an uncalled for question, but what do you all think of ANYONE using the N-word?

James King

2007-01-13T00:58:00.000-06:00

On January 3rd, a friend of the family (an elderly woman) was robbed in her own home. She lives in South St. Louis City (yes, this can attribute to the Most Dangerous City nod we recently acquired) and a man knocked on her door and asked to use her phone. Then, I don't remember what else happened, but eventually he asked for her purse and she gave it to him. I believe he shoved her and left. She, being the sweetheart she is, said he was actually polite.

Well, they caught the man (to the left - James King) that did this to her and it turns out he was wanted for four separate attacks on elderly women all in their homes. He was charged with rape, attempted rape, sodomy, kidnapping and stealing. All of the victims lived within a few blocks of each other in south St. Louis.

I'm just so happy that this man didn't assault, rape or harm our family friend. She was very lucky. I happen to think it was because she didn't give him any trouble, she just gave him her purse and was nice to him. I think fighting him may have made him angry and that may have been what led to the other sexual assaults.

For more information in this case, please read this or this.

Ben Ownby & Shawn Hornbeck

2007-01-12T20:50:00.000-06:00

I am in complete shock right now. This young kid, Ben Ownby, went missing Monday and it's been all over the news in St. Louis. Then, 4 1/2 years ago, a boy named Shawn Hornbeck went missing. Shawn Hornbeck's family went through hell and even created the Shawn Hornbeck Foundation to help find their son and other missing children. Both boys are from rural towns in Missouri.

Well, last night they found both boys in an apartment in Kirkwood, a suburb of St. Louis (about 10 or 15 minutes from my house).

Read this.

Now, I realize they may be completely messed up mentally (the guy had to brainwash them, drug them or something), but I am just so happy for Hornbeck's and Ownby's families.

The man that rented the apartment was a documented sex offender in Utah and failed to register here in Missouri. The guy's name is Michael Delvin and he deserves to fry.

Okay, I just wanted to get that out...I'm in shock and I can't really think of anything else to say.

How Bizarre - Episode 13

2007-01-11T21:04:00.000-06:00

After Death:

Two-year-old Christopher Falcon, son of David Falcon and Beatriz Templa of Cebu, Philippines, was pronounced dead on the morning of Good Friday, March 26, 1948. He had "died of whooping cough. Family, friends and neighbors gathered to hold vigil over his tiny white coffin. Six hours had passed when, to the amazement of those gathered around him, Christopher suddenly "awoke"! The incident created wide-spread sensation, and young Christopher went on to live a normal, healthy life.

Okay, that's fine and dandy, but how many people did little Christopher kill with heart attacks? Seriously.

On another note, it definitely must not have been his time. What do you think happened, St. Peter was sitting up there and when Christopher arrived, he said, "What in the 'hell' are you doing here, you're not sceduled for another 100 years?" All he could do was send him back. I wonder if God scolded good ole Pete and Pete never made that mistake again?

Hmmm..."how bizarre".

Mikala Almost Saved

2007-01-11T20:48:00.000-06:00

Remember my Save Mikala confession a while ago? My confession of ridiculous credit card debt that snowballed after I bought the house? I have been stressing out over this debt for quite a while now.

As most of you know, I'm somewhat obsessive-compulsive and I can't stand to know that I have unpaid bills sitting out there. I can't stand to owe people money (which it's NEVER been easy for me to borrow money from people - if I ever have). Credit card debt is very cumbersome and a portion of that stress has been lifted from my shoulders.

My total credit card debt as of 8:00 this evening was $7600! I've never, in my life, been that far buried by credit card debt and I promised myself I never would. I always made fun of those people with a ton of debt that takes every cent they earn. Little did I know that it adds up fast and it is even worse when you buy your very first home. You never think of all the things you need to have your own home (since I haven't had a wedding yet, I had to buy EVERYTHING). Well, J gave me $4000 tonight to pay on credit cards. Now, I only have $3600 left to pay until I'm a free woman. After going over my finances, I've determined that I can have that $3600 paid off by August.

Can you believe it, I may be debt-free by August 31? I am so excited, I can hardly stand it.

Thank you Bubby, I love you more than anything and I love that we're able to work together to eliminate our debt.

What the BLOG!?

2007-01-11T08:57:00.000-06:00

I'm proud to announce that I've been selected as a Moderator on What the BLOG!? along with Tiffany, Queen of the World. We are searching for ways to attract new members and for ways to entertain and include our current members.

ATTENTION!!!

Please visit my Suggestions/Ideas? post on WtB!? and help us out a little. And, if you haven't joined What the BLOG!? yet, take the time to join. It's completely free and we don't require any strenuous qualifications. Just check out the What is this? post that tells a little bit about the community and why you should join. So, quit lurking and join already! What can it hurt?

My Eighth Thursday Thirteen

2007-01-10T18:38:00.000-06:00

THIRTEEN OF MY FAVORITE RESTAURANTS

1. Pizzeria della Piazza in St. Louis, Missouri - this place has the BEST pizza in St. Louis. It's on the Hill (our Italian neighborhood). If you ever visit St. Louis, you can't miss this place.

2. Gino's East in Chicago, Illinois - J and I never miss Gino's when we go to Chicago.

3. Cite in Chicago, Illinois - this is the fanciest place J and I have been in Chicago and we loved it. You eat looking out over the Lake and it's just awesome.

4. Bahama Breeze in St. Louis, Missouri - they make one of my most absolute favorite sandwiches ever - the Cuban. Yummeh!

5. Bartolino's in St. Louis, Missouri - just a very special place to J and me.

6. Chris's Pancake House in St. Louis, Missouri - the absolute BEST breakfast around. J and I adore this place. It's like an old-time diner, so it doesn't have a website (I don't think).

7. Duke's Canoe Club in Waikiki, Hawaii - best place to get a Lava Flow and best breakfast buffett on the entire island of Oahu!

8. Hula Grill in Waikiki, Hawaii - great dinner food and spectacular seating and views (beautiful).

9. Eat-Rite in St. Louis, Missouri - it's a hole in the wall, but if you've ever been out partying in St. Louis and need something to eat at 3:00 in the morning, you can't pass up an Eat-Rite Slinger. One of the best places to go after bar-hopping AFTER baseball games.

10. Some little Mexican restaurant on the North Shore, Oahu - this was the best Mexican food J and I have ever had. We can't for the life of us, remember the name of the place, but it was soo good. mmmm

11. Chevy's in St. Louis, Missouri - three words: Taste. Of. Chevy's.

12. O.T. Hodge Chili Parlor in St. Louis, Missouri - all I can say is that this is where J and I went together the night we met. A large group of us had gone out all night (to the landing and strip clubs) and J and I were the only ones that were still up to hanging out afterwards. So, we went to breakfast at O.T. Hodge. A very special place to J and me.

13. Ed Debevic's in Chicago, Illinois - just a all-out fun place to eat. If you're into smart-arse remarks and dancing and singing while you eat, then Ed's is the place for you. We had the best time here (we go to Ed's every time we go to Chicago).

Guys, I'm aware that half of these restaurants are in other locations as well, but I am only choosing the ones that I have, personally, experienced. There are so many other restaurants that belong on this list, but I'd be here all night if I listed them all. As a matter of fact, I could probably come up with 13 favorite restaurants in Europe alone. Maybe next time.

Links to other Thursday Thirteens!
(leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)

How Ironic

2007-01-10T10:26:00.000-06:00

Your Blog Should Be Purple

You're an expressive, offbeat blogger who tends to write about anything and everything.You tend to set blogging trends, and you're the most likely to write your own meme or survey.You are a bit distant though. Your blog is all about you - not what anyone else has to say.

What Color Should Your Blog or Journal Be?

I found this over at my buddy Skittles' place and I just HAD to do it. And, look, I'm already pretty close. I'll have to learn how to change templates without losing everything (I really want a change, but I'm scared to do it). We'll see.

BO-RING

2007-01-09T19:13:00.000-06:00

Yes, my life has been ridiculously boring lately. I've been uber busy at work lately, so there's no time to blog or blurf there (plus one of my NY's resolutions was to stop surfing the net at work). So...I'm left to blog at night after I've worked all day, walked my 2 miles, eaten dinner and cleaned. By that time, I am so tired that I can barely think to blog or read other blogs.

As some of you may know, J came home last Thursday. I've just been hanging out with him and spending as much time with him as possible - so that may also explain my lack of interesting posts or visits lately. I apologize to my "Daily Fix" list of folks. I usually try to visit and comment as often as possible, but I just haven't had time. I swear I'll be back soon. I absolutely promise.

But, to keep you all interested, take a look below. My initials are "MM" - now look closely on the palms of my hands. Do you see a huge M (in the wrinkles of my palms) on each palm? Now, it didn't show up as well on my left hand which is odd because it has the "stronger M", but I guess it's the angle. Sorry. But, yes, my initials are in my palms. Cool, huh?

Alright, I'm off to watch House and hang out with da Bubby (J's nickname). We're trying to decide where to go on vacation this year. I'd be happy going back to Hawaii again. But, we might try something different, ya never know. We're also trying to plan our trip to Jupiter, Florida (for Cardinals Spring Training).

Oh yeah - surprise, surprise, Mark McGwire didn't get the nod into the HOF. Like we didn't see that coming. What did I tell you guys?

How Bizarre - Episode 12

2007-01-09T18:33:00.000-06:00

Hands:

Every male in the Colombiere family of Nancy, France, was born with two left hands: both their hands had thumbs on the right side. They were perfectly normal in every other way. This trait only appeared in Colombiere males; females of the Colombiere family had normal hands.

So, my only question is, are they predominantly right-handed or left-handed? Because technically, they still have a right and left hand. Unfortunately for them, they just happened to both look exactly the same. I really wanna know. Do any of you know more about these guys?

McGwire Ball Juiced!

2007-01-04T09:55:00.000-06:00

I'm sorry guys, I know I said no baseball talk until April, but I'm about fed up with people.

In this article, some morons in the medical field are saying that the ball that Mark McGwire hit his 70th homer with was juiced (or rubber, meaning it would travel further with less force).

Okay, now, I'm not getting into the whole "Did Big Mac use steriods or not" argument because I think it's a moot point. Barry Bonds surpassed his record (yes, I know, he's been accused of using steriods too), so who the heck cares now? Granted, the man probably did take steriods, but I'd be willing to bet, several baseball players did. Anyway, my point is...when are they going to give up? When are they going to leave Mark McGwire alone?

And, which is it, was he juiced or was the ball juiced (or were they both juiced)? Why does there have to be a reason as to why he broke Roger Maris's Homerun record? Why couldn't he just have been talented enough to do so?

Let's just leave it alone already. I know he's up for HOF for the first time this year, but I'm going to assume he won't make it. His whole career has been tarnished by the Steriods scandal (which might I say that Jose Canseco annoys me - I can see writing a book about himself, but why bring other people into it? Arse!), so I can't imagine they'd vote him in on the first try. We'll see.

And, did it ever occur to anyone that homeruns aren't just about strength. It's about skill. A batter can't hit a homer if he doesn't have the hand-to-eye coordination or the skill to read the balls coming at him.

Now, I don't care to hear anyone's opinion on the Mark McGwire Steriods scandal (unless it's positive for him - jk), so keep those comments to yourself. I'm just posting because it irritates me that no one can leave this man alone. It's over, it's been said and done. Move on already.

My Seventh Thursday Thirteen

2007-01-03T20:36:00.000-06:00

Thirteen Breeds of Dogs I Love (in no order)

1. Doberman and Mini Pinscher

2. Wheaten Terrier

3. Rottweiler

4. Jack Russell Terrier

5. Leonberger

6. Maltese

7. Old English Sheepdog
8. Pit Bull

9. Alaskan Husky

10. Australian Shepherd
11. Bichon Frise

12. Chinese Crested
13. Koko, my dog (she's a mixed breed and I don't know what mixture)

Unfortunately, I missed last week's Thursday Thirteen because I had the flu, but I'm back! And, I just had the worst night with Blogger. It took me an hour to do this post because it kept getting all jacked up. Ugh! Talk about frustration. It's still not the way I want it, but I will have to deal. I am usually early and I have to wait for the TT to open up, but tonight it was early and I was late. I'm frustrated and I'm going to bed. I don't even have the energy to surf the TTs and that's the best part of my week. :0(

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

He He, I Won An Award!

2007-01-03T20:26:00.000-06:00

I know, I haven't been around too terribly much lately. I've been depressed and feeling sorry for myself...but, I've gotten sick of being like that. So, I'm done. Plus, Skittles gave me an award! How could that NOT cheer me up? I even got a trophy! Look at it on my sidebar, I'm so proud.

Let's see, what else is going on in Mikala's boring arse life? Oh, how could I forget, J comes home tomorrow! Can you believe it? Tomorrow? Two months flew by (well, not really, but still) and he's coming home tomorrow! I can't wait, I can't wait to show him all of our Christmas decorations. I can't wait to watch him open his Christmas presents, I can't wait to see his face, I can't wait to hug him, I can't wait to kiss him...I just can't wait.

I can't believe I can't think of anything else to say right now...it's so sad considering I'm one of the most talkative people in the world. Oh well...I'll come up with something!

Telemarketers

2006-12-31T07:18:00.000-06:00

I wish I had the brains and guts to do this to a telemarketer! You gotta listen, it's hilarious!

Okay, what's the craziest thing you've done or said to a telemarketer?

I think the worst thing I've done to one was to speak Spanish the entire time (which the guy should have known I was full of crap since I only knew a few lines - I only took Spanish for 1 semester in college). Don't ask me why I didn't choose French since I took 5 years of that. I think that's all I've done. Oh yeah, one time a telemarketer called while I was watching CSI: Miami and it was during the actual murder, so I played that into the phone and then said, "Oh crap, I think someone's on the phone". I'm sure they knew it was the TV, but it was still better than having to talk to the morons.

My nephew answers the phone and pretends he's mentally challenged (leave it to a 14 year old - I know that's mean and I never said it was right - matter of fact my mom and I told him not to do that, but it IS funny to hear them stammer on the phone).

So, go ahead, tell me the worst you've done.

2006-12-31T06:51:00.000-06:00

YEAR-END SURVEY found at Under the Sea

I rather liked this survey so I thought I'd post mine.

1.) Where did you bring in 2006? At my parents' house - just like every year.
2.) What was your status by Valentine's Day? With J, living in sin.
3.) Were you in school anytime this year? Yes - graduate school.
4.) How did you earn your keep? Working, school and housework.
5.) Did you ever have to go to the hospital? Not that I can recall.
6.) Did you have an encounter with the police? Sadly, yes, but not for anything I did.
7.) Where did you go on vacation? Vacation, what vacation? I had to use all of my vacation time to move into our house!
8.) What did you purchase that was over $500? Uhhh, my house, my appliances, my TV, my furniture...shall I go on?
9.) Did you know anybody who got married? This year? Yes, my third cousin.
10.) Did you know anybody who passed away? Um, my friend's dad passed away and a few people at work (one girl was a good friend).
11.) Have you run into anybody you graduated high school with? Nope.
12.) Did you move anywhere? Yep, I moved from my parents' house to the house I grew up in.
13.) What sporting events did you go to? Tons of St. Louis Cardinals games, including the World Series games and the night we became the WS Champions!
14.) What concerts did you go to? Um...nada.
15.) Are you registered to vote? Yes.
16.) If so, did you do your patriotic duty on Nov. 7? Sorry guys, no, not this year.
17.) Where do you live now? St. Louis, same city, different house.
18.) Describe your birthday. I went out to eat with my parents and nephew because my boyfriend left town for work - he hasn't returned yet.
19.) What's the one thing you thought you would never do but did in 2006? Buy a house.
20.) What is one thing you regretted this year? That my relationship with J is deteriorating and needs some serious work.
21.) What's something you learned about yourself? I can't let go of the past, I don't forgive and forget.
22.) Any new additions to your family? Yep, my babygirl, Beanie! See her on the sidebar?
23.) What was your best month? Probably January because that was the month of hope; hope that things could be great in 2006. It didn't work out that way, but oh well.
24.) What from pop culture will you remember 2006 by? That the Crocodile Hunter was killed (that was so sad and still bothers me).
25.) How would you rate this year with a scale from 1 (crappy) to10 (the best)? In all honesty? A 1, a lowly 1.

Weird Night

2006-12-31T06:20:00.000-06:00

I woke up with a pounding headache and aching knees. Yes, it's approximately 6:00 a.m. and I'm wide awake. You see, I have arthritis in my knees and I've had problems with my left knee since I was about 15. My mom, two cousins and my grandma all had/have severe problems with their knees, so I suppose I get it genetically - lucky me. But, there is a silver lining to this dark, dark cloud - I can now tell when it's going to rain. Seriously, I'm not lying. My knees were KILLING me earlier today and yesterday, so I told J that it was going to pour in the next 24 hours. Lo and behold, I wake up to a severe thunderstorm. It's funny, at work they ask me about rain instead of consulting the forecast, I'm usually better at telling if it's going to rain or not. If any of you live in St. Louis, you know that it's a 50/50 chance of rain here everyday and that's about all the information the weather forecasters give you - it's fun, really.

So, Saddam's dead. His hanging occurred at 6:05 a.m. local time (there). It's just weird to me. That man has been a thorn in the international society's side for twenty years or so and now he's dead. I don't know if any of you followed his trial, but I sort of did. The crimes he was convicted of committing were heinous and the man deserves to be dead. NBC reported cheers around Saddam's dead body after the hanging and more celebrations later.

Of course, on the flip side, violence followed the execution. What's frickin' new? Within hours of Hussein's death, bombings killed at least 68 people in Iraq (ya gotta wonder if that was because of his death, or just a normal day over there in Iraq). Of course, Saddam's supporters in the mostly Sunni city of Tikrit have been claiming Saddam a martyr. They ask other supporters not to be sad because he died the death of a holy warrior. Give me a break. That's all I'll say about that.

I'm pretty pumped after learning that my man, Chuck Liddell, beat J's man, Tito Ortiz in UFC 66. I have liked Chuck Liddell for the longest time and J has liked Ortiz for the longest time. We always seem to argue about a fight between these two and I'm just happy that I won! Thanks Iceman! I won't get too specific about the fight, because a lot of people don't like UFC, but just know that it was brutal and Chuck Liddell put a beat down on Ortiz! I love Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell!!

It's been a long, tumultuous year and truth be told, I'm glad it'll be over in less than 24 hours. I know, 2007 will probably be no different, but I'm ready to find out. Actually, I have a feeling 2007 is going to be a rough year for me, and I'm ready to fight it out. So, let's go.

Okay, I'm gonna try to get some sleep, I don't know if that'll be possible, but we'll see.

If I'm not back before tonight, Happy New Year!

New Years' Resolutions

2006-12-31T04:54:00.000-06:00

Okay, I know I've been neglecting my little blog and I feel terrible about it. But, I've been sick, with the flu, and I've done nothing but lay on the couch and feel horrible for the last 3 or 4 days. So, I've neglected my blog, my work and my family. Sorry! That explains why I missed last weeks' Thursday Thirteen and I've felt guilty about this since Thursday. But, what can a girl do?

I had planned on doing 13 New Years' Resolutions for this last Thursday Thirteen, so I'm going to go ahead and do that now. What do you think? Ah, it doesn't matter, I'm gonna do it anyway. :O) Yes, I know, I'm a doll.

Mikala's 2007 New Years' Resolutions:

Lose weight (who doesn't have this on their list?)
Learn German so that I don't feel horrible the next time I visit Germany
Exercise daily ( I guess this kind of goes with number 1, but not really)
Finish the upstairs of my house (meaning refinish both bathrooms, finish painting the doors, finish the touch-up paint in the kitchen and paint the spare bedroom)
Clean out the backyard and get rid of anything that is old and rusty
Get a new fence
Clean out the basement and sell or throw away anything that hasn't been used in the last year
Paint the exterior of the house
Go the entire year without a sick day at work (I feel ridiculously guilty about being sick this past week)
No more internet at work (I feel incredibly guilty about that as well - I spend way too much time on the internet at work - so that means I won't be around during the day anymore)
Pay off all of my credit cards and cut up all but one to use for emergencies
Get more serious about my blog (don't just post for the sake of posting - actually journalize my life)
Get my home office organized

Now, those are in no particular order, but I really want to get all of those things done. So, any help that can be thrown my way would be greatly appreciated. Now, I know there's not much any of you could do to help me other than just support me, so that's more than sufficient.

NOT!!

2006-12-29T08:45:00.000-06:00

You Are Likely a First Born

At your darkest moments, you feel guilty.
At work and school, you do best when you're researching.
When you love someone, you tend to agree with them often.

In friendship, you are considerate and compromising.
Your ideal careers are: business, research, counseling, promotion, and speaking.
You will leave your mark on the world with discoveries, new information, and teaching people to dream.

The Birth Order Predictor

As a matter of fact, I'm the baby of the family. I am NOT the first-born. Can you believe it? Blogthings was wrong? Oh the humanity! I'm just kidding, I am not that deranged that I live by these little quizzes, but they sure are fun. I suppose, I don't follow the typical birth order model. Sorry to all the Psychologists and Psychiatrists out there. I didn't mean to mess things up.

Oh, I found this one at Skittles'.

Post Christmas Catchup

2006-12-26T16:17:00.000-06:00

Okay, I know I haven't been around for a while. But, I was really worn down from all that Christmas work, and then I caught then damn virus I got. I've been home sick from work since Wednesday. I feel really guilty about missing work during the last week of the year, but I just didn't think I could get out of bed. Today is the first day I can even stand up without being so dizzy I fall back down. Plus, I still have a fever. I'll have to give the doctor a call when her office opens. But, anyway. It's been an absolutely horrible week so far...I hope the weekend goes a little better.

Anyway, let's catch up from Christmas...I hope your Christmas was nice.

On Christmas Eve, Beanie and I got to my parents' house around 4:00. When I got there my older nephew, my brother and my parents were there. My younger nephew wouldn't be over until around 7:00, so we decided to open presents around 4:30 without The Snake (younger nephew) and then we would all watch The Snake open his when he got there.

So, we opened gifts - it was a scaled down gift-giving year for us. We each only got one gift (which is odd for us). So, I got my perfume with a frame. My mom got her lotion, bath gel and some other lotiony stuff. My dad got gift cards to Darden Restaurants (Olive Garden, Bahama Breeze, Red Lobster, and Smokey Bones) and my brother got money. That's it, that's the kind of stuff we like.

The boys, on the other hand, got more. We all bought for the boys. So, Z (my older nephew) got some snowboarding pants and a snowboarding coat (unbelieveably expensive crap), a digital camera, an iTunes giftcard, and some money. That didn't include what his parents got him. That was just from my parents and me.

After we opened gifts, we ate - YUMMEH!! We had ham, roast beef, hash brown casserole, pasta salad and a few other little things. It was good stuff. Eventually, my uncle and my cousin came over and we sat around and chatted. THEN, The Snake came over and we all gathered in the living room to watch him open his presents. From J and me, he got a digital camera and a RC Monster Truck that turns into a race car. From my parents he got one of those 20 Questions game, and some other games and toys that I had never heard of. Sorry, I couldn't specify.

Anyway, that was a Christmas Eve - we all sat around and chatted. My cousin got my mom, my uncle and me stuck on this one song from the 80's and none of could figure out who sang it. You know that song, "Nobody's gonna break my stride, nobody's gonna slow me down, oh no, I got to keep on movin'"? Yeah, that was the song and none of could remember who sang it. After a few searches on the internet, we found it - it was Matthew Wilder (oh my - who's ever heard of him?). Oh well, we were relieved to figure out who it was so that my cousin could get it for his iPod (he got an iPod for Christmas and brought it over for me to help him figure it out since I've had mine for quite a while now).

Finally, on Christmas Day, I stayed home and rested (I had been feeling like I was getting sick for a while and I thought rest would do me well). Oh well, I got sick anyway!

Tell me about your Christmas!

'Twas The Night Before Christmas

2006-12-24T11:51:00.000-06:00

How could I not post this?

'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house

Not a creature was stirring, except Papa's mouse.

The computer was humming, the icons were hopping,

As Papa did last minute Internet shopping.

The stockings were hung by the modem with care,

In hope that St. Nicholas would bring new software.

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,

While visions of computer games danced in their heads.

PageMaker for Billy, and Quicken for Dan,

And Carmen Sandiego for Pamela Ann.

The letters to Santa had been sent out by Mom,

To santaclaus@toyshop.northpole.com -
Which has now been re-routed to Washington State

Because Santa's workshop has been bought by Bill Gates.

All the elves and reindeer have had to skedaddle

To flashy new quarters in suburban Seattle.

After centuries of a life that was simple and spare,

St. Nicholas is suddenly a new billionaire,

With a shiny red Porsche in the place of his sleigh,

And a house on Lake Washington that's just down the way.

From where Bill has his mansion, the old fellow preens

In black Gucci boots and red Calvin Klein jeans.

The elves have stock options and desks with a view,

Where they write computer code for Johnny and Sue.

No more dolls or tin soldiers or little toy drums

Will be under the tree, only compact disk ROMS

With the Microsoft label. So spin up your drive,

From now on Christmas runs only on Windows ME.
More rapid than eagles the competitors came,

And Bill whistled, and shouted, and called them by name.

"Now, ADOBE! Now, CLARIS! Now, INTUIT! too,

Now, APPLE! and NETSCAPE! you are all of you through,

It is Microsoft's SANTA that the kids can't resist,

It's the ultimate software with a traditional twist -

Recommended by no less than the jolly old elf,

And on the package, a picture of Santa himself.
Get 'em young, keep 'em long, is Microsoft's scheme,

And a merger with Santa is a marketer's dream.

To the top of the NASDAQ! to the top of the Dow!

Now dash away! dash away! dash away - WOW!"

And Mama in her 'kerchief and I in my cap,

Had just settled down for a long winter's nap,

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,

The whir and the hum of our satellite platter,
As it turned toward that new Christmas star in the sky,

The SANTALITE owned by the Microsoft guy.

As I sprang from my bed and was turning around,

My computer turned on with a Jingle-Bells sound.

And there on the screen was a smiling Bill Gates

Next to jolly old Santa, two arm-in-arm mates.

And I heard them exclaim in voice so bright,

Have a Microsoft Christmas, and to all a good night

The Good News Is...

2006-12-23T23:21:00.000-06:00

I was able to get my Christmas shoppping done. Granted, mom was still with me, but I got it done. I started fresh today and we were able to get everything taken care of without any tears shed or high blood pressure - thanks MOM!

Here's who drew whose name:

Mikala - Dad

J - Mom

Dad - J

Mom - Bro

Bro - Mikala

First off, I got to mom's around 1:00 pm. I was running late because my neighbor finally came over and asked if he could get in my backyard to cut and get rid of all the tree limbs from his tree (the ones that fell during that ice storm - he's such a nice guy). Then, we headed out to Crestwood Plaza (which was unusally empty considering the date). We parked by Dillard's, the one at which I worked (and Linlee too). Since J had drawn my mom's name, I had to do the shopping for him so mom wouldn't be left without a gift to open while we were all opening ours tomorrow night. So, we had to head to Victoria's Secret (remember, it was just for lotion, nothing sexy - wouldn't that be awkward?). So, we hit Victoria's Secret and I buy mom's lotions for her. Yes, she was with me. Yes, she actually carried the stuff to the checkout and yes, I still plan to keep it in a pretty bag for her to open tomorrow night.

Since my brother picked my name and my dad picked J's name, mom had to do the shopping for them, as well. Yes, my brother is 35 and my mom has to do his shopping for him (dad has a legitimate excuse - he's never actually Christmas shopped on his own - I usually do it when he buys mom something, he'll just give me the AmEx or the cash). Mind you (about my brother) this is the same guy that graduated, with honors, from St. Louis University. Anyway, I told my mom that we could go ahead and get my gift now. That way I'd know what I was getting too. So, we walk the entire 2 miles to the other end of the mall to hit Macy's. We get all the way down to Macy's and that particular Macy's didn't carry the perfume I wanted. The only one that carried that perfume was the Galleria Mall Macy's. So, mom and I walked another 2 miles back to my car (a 4 mile walk for nothing - but it felt good).

We get back in the car to leave Crestwood Plaza and decide to head down to the Galleria. This was really easy...we parked about 4 cars from the Macy's door and ran inside. They had my perfume - YES, I'm getting my Juicy Couture perfurm. We paid for it and immediately turned around and left.

By this time I was so happy that things were turning out so well that I was pumped and ready for anything. After the Galleria, we had to head to Walgreen's to get the Cardinals Monopoly game for my youngest nephew, The Snake. He saw that we had bought it for someone else, and he made it very clear that he wanted one too. So, we run into Walgreen's, buy the game and look around for a few minutes (because mom still needed some ingredients for baking). We were in Walgreens all of 10 minutes when we were ready to leave.

After Walgreens, we headed over to Wally World to see if they had mom's baking ingredients and dad's favorite store-popped popcorn. We walk in and go get the popcorn (which hangs on a rack at the Blimpie inside Wal-mart). As we walk away to check for our baking ingredients, the guy sweeing yelled at us and said we had to pay for the popcorn at the Blimpie Checkout. My mom corrected him and said that she could pay at the regular checkout and that she does it all the time. Unfortunately, the guy insists, so we walk over to the Blimpie checkout. We pay for the popcorn and asked them if we could have paid at the regular Wal-mart checkout and they said, "of course". Go figure, but oh well, what can you do?

We finally head over to the baking ingredients aisle and they don't have what mom needs. It's official, we have to go to a grocery store (do you know how crazy grocery stores are this weekend?)!!

We head back to the Schnuck's (a local grocery store) by my mom's house and we get what she needs with relative easy, I might add. Both of us even bought a few Powerball tickets (no, I didn't win - y'all would be the fourth and beyond to know - there'd be me, J, my parents and all of you). Anyway...we are finally headed back home and it is only 5:00! Can you believe it? We got everything done today that we wanted to get done yesterday. I was so happy and so relieved (and less depressed). Plus, I get my perfume tomorrow!

So, mom and I headed back to her house to bake. Okay, fine, I took a nap because I'm getting sick and she baked. When I woke up I decorated the sugar cookies with icing and that was that. At 9:00, Beanie and I were headed home.

Now, tomorrow is Christmas Eve and I will have to be at my parents' house by 3:30 or 4:00. That means, I'll get up early tomorrow, straighten my house, wrap presents (I still have to wrap my dad's gifts and I told mom I'd wrap all of the gifts that she bought so she wouldn't have to worry about that while she was worried about baking and cooking tomorrow's delicious Christmas dinner), get ready and take off. Then, it's Christmas Eve celebration time!!! Woo HOO!!!!!

I'm so happy and THANK YOU FOR BEARING WITH ME MOM!!!!

Oh, and you want more good news? J got his box today. I had three Christmas gifts, a card and some cookies in his package. I immediately asked him to open one particular gift. He opened it and loved it. It was a mini replica of the World Series Trophy. Remember, he wanted one to rub it into the Houston guys' faces (since he's working down in Houston right now). Too funny.

Since this was one big ramble post, please excuse any typos, grammatical errors or spelling errors. I'm too tired to worry about it.

Can y'all believe tomorrow is Christmas Eve, 2006? My Gawd, where does the time go?

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays?

2006-12-23T21:40:00.000-06:00

I got this e-mail the other day and thought it was fitting since we just had our "Holiday" parties at work.

T’was the month before Christmas When all through our land,
Not a Christian was praying Nor taking a stand.
Why the Politically Correct Police had taken away,
The reason for Christmas - no one could say.

The children were told by their schools not to sing,
About Shepherds and Wise Men and Angels and things.
It might hurt people’s feelings, the teachers would say
December 25th is just a “Holiday”.

Yet the shoppers were ready with cash, checks and credit
Pushing folks down to the floor just to get it!
CDs from Madonna, an X BOX, an I-pod
Something was changing, something quite odd!

Retailers promoted Ramadan and Kwanzaa
In hopes to sell books by Franken & Fonda.
As Targets were hanging their trees upside down
At Lowe’s the word Christmas - was no where to be found.

At K-Mart and Staples and Penny’s and Sears
You won’t hear the word Christmas;
it won’t touch your ears. Inclusive, sensitive, Di-ver-si-ty
Are words that were used to intimidate me.

Now Daschle, Now Darden, Now Sharpton, Wolf Blitzen
On Boxer, on Rather, on Kerry, on Clinton!
At the top of the Senate, there arose such a clatter
To eliminate Jesus, in all public matter.

And we spoke not a word, as they took away our faith
Forbidden to speak of salvation and grace.
The true Gift of Christmas was exchanged and discarded
The reason for the season, stopped before it started.

So as you celebrate “Winter Break” under your “Dream Tree”
Sipping your Starbucks, listen to me.
Choose your words carefully, choose what you say
Shout MERRY CHRISTMAS, not Happy Holiday!

What you do guys think of this "poem"? I get the gist of it, but is it a little harsh or am I just feeling a little sensitive today? I am Christian, Catholic to be exact, so I am saddened by the degradation the usual Christmas celebration (not the toys, etc.), but is this just going to be something else we're going to have to fight about? I mean, they made CHRISTMAS a national holiday, why is it hurting people's feelings to say Merry Christmas? I, certainly, don't mind hearing "Happy Cinco de Mayo" on May 5th. I just get sick of political correctness. But, I don't know if this poem makes me feel better or not. Can't we all be a little less sensitive?

Defeated by Christmas Shopping

2006-12-23T10:03:00.000-06:00

Yesterday, mom and I thought we'd get up around 8:00 and get out shopping by 9:00. Well, first, I didn't get to her house until 10:00. Then, we had to drive my nephew to a friend's house. Then, we drove out by my house to go to the bank and by my insurance company. By that time it was already 11:45, so we figured we'd eat before we get started on the crazy shopping.

Well, we got to Macaroni Grill around noon and ate (the food was awesome by the way). Right when we finished eating, my brother call and wanted to be picked up.

He's an over-the-road truck driver (with a degree in Geology from a prestigious university - go figure) and his co-driver had dropped him off in St. Peters. So, mom and I jet out to St. Peters to get him and we get there around 2:00.

From there we went back towards my parents' house and stopped at Wal-greens to get the gift cards I wanted for my dad. Finally, we dropped my brother off and stayed at the house for a few minutes. Around 3:00, we hoppped back in the car and tried to get to Wal-mart and the mall.

Well, we went through Wal-mart real quick because I needed a few things like milk, bread and face lotion. Finally, we get to the mall where everything that was left still to get would be there for me. We run through Macy's and mom picks up a present for J. Then, we run to Victoria's Secret for my mom's gift (just lotion, guys, don't get all hyper). Well, this is when I get depressed because 1) my mom knows her gift and 2) she's standing right beside me buying it. And, she doesn't care. But, I've always been more of a gift-giving person and I've always been happy to see the recipient's face when they open my gift. So, this got me all upset, to the point of almost crying. But, we grab the lotion she wants, etc. and we walk towards the ONE checkout desk. Well, there were 2 people checking people out and I'm not lying when I say there was a line with about 35 people in (that's not exaggerating or anything). So, mom and I looked at each and shook our heads "no". That was it, I had been defeated.

By this time, I'm super upset because I have no one else to shop with, I hate going by myself because I get too impatient and my mom (the one person that deserves a great Christmas gift) doesn't have one yet and will know what it is when I do get it for her. So, this whole time I'm on the verge of tears and then my dad calls and wonders what we're having for dinner! So, mom and I head back to their house around 5:30 and order Chinese food.

We eat our food and then I have my mom check on a box I had shipped to J on Monday (to see if he had gotten it yet). Well, there's no information on the package to even track it, they give us a tracking number and that it was processed into their system but that's it. Now, I don't know if he'll get his package by Christmas or not! I was livid considering the Post Office promised his package would get there in 2-3 days. So, I asked my mom to call this morning and then I left - I was in the worst mood ever. I grabbed Beanie (whom I always take to mom's when I go so she can play with Baxter aka JD short for Junkyard Dog while we're out shopping and doesn't have to stay cooped up in the house). I cried the whole way home. Then my mom calls and says not to be upset and that we'll go shopping today (I don't want to, the point was to get it done yesterday so I could work around the house today).

And, in case you're wondering why I waited so long to buy these last two gifts was because my family just decided last Sunday to draw names! I'm an online Christmas Shopper and you can't do that with one week to buy things.

How Bizarre - Episode 11

2006-12-22T09:02:00.000-06:00

Castles and Palaces:

The odd-shaped castle tower of Oxford, England, was built in accordance with instructions that it could not be round, square, oval, or oblong.

Unfortunately, I couldn't find any pictures of this tower, but I believe it's fan-shaped. I could be wrong, but I'm off to go Christmas shopping with the crazy masses.

Have a great Friday!

How Bizarre - Episode 10

2006-12-21T21:52:00.000-06:00

Artists:

A woman bought a book for one dollar at a flea market in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, that turned out to be a sketch book containing original drawings by Rembrandt worth over $50,000!

Now, why don't we have any friggin' flea markets like that here? I only find JUNK!

Lito Bita Dis, Lito Bita Dat

2006-12-21T21:05:00.000-06:00

Believe it or not, I'm going to brave the Christmas Shopping Masses tomorrow and go shopping with my mom. You see, I was lucky enough to get Friday off of work, so mom and I had a few odds and ends to finish up. I told her I'd take her out to eat too - so she was very happy to accept my invitation.

I still gotta get my Beanie some toys for Christmas (my dog loves any type of furry chew toy you throw in her vicinity)!

I hate to sound like a grinch, but I'm so glad Christmas (the shopping and getting ready part) is almost over. I'll be so relieved on Christmas Eve when it's finally time to just chill out with the family.

I'm kinda bummed because my cousin's son (Alex, he's not even 2 yet) is in the hospital hooked up to IVs right now. Apparently, his eye is swelling shut and they're afraid it will damage the optic nerve which would blind him. It's so sad that the little guy is in the hospital and I hope everything goes well. The doctors did say he'd be home in time for Christmas so that's awesome. I have a picture of the little guy hooked up to the IVs in my e-mail, but I'd rather not post it. I haven't talked to my cousin or his wife in a while and I don't know that they'd appreciate that.

But, there is some good news in the land of Mikala. I lived with my parents up until June, 2006. They live in a suburb of St. Louis called Wildwood. Their subdivision is gorgeous with a 30,000 gallon lake, trails, tennis courts, pools (yes, 3 of them) and a huge club house. Well, I don't know if any of you have heard of the "incredible disappearing lake", but that's my parents' subdivision. The entire 30,000 gallon of water seeped into caverns through a caved in portion of the lakebed. Well, guess what! The lake is full again - I'll have to see if I can get some before and after and after pictures! It may take me a day or so...so just keep watching for them.

Horse Heroes Successful!

2006-12-21T14:53:00.000-06:00

Remember back in September when I posted about the horses that were in an auto accident on their way to the slaughterhouse?

Guess what! Dozens of the horses are improving so well that they could soon be adopted! I'm so happy and so excited. It broke my heart when I heard about these horses and I even donated as much money as I could to this cause. Read this! Isn't that fantastic? I'm so friggin' happy!!

Merry Christmas to the horsies! I wish I could adopt one...man...

My Sixth Thursday Thirteen

2006-12-20T18:10:00.000-06:00

In keeping with a Christmas theme for this last Thursday Thirteen before Christmas, I decided to do the Christmas movie thing.

MY THIRTEEN FAVORITE CHRISTMAS MOVIES

White Christmas (1954) - I loved THE MUSIC!!!

A Chipmunk Christmas (1981) - again, what kid that grew up in the 80's and didn't like A Chipmunk Christmas?

Christmas With the Kranks (2004) - even though Tim Allen drives me nuts, I loved this movie.

Home Alone (1990) - I always wished my parents would go on a vacation and forget me, so I could harrass some criminals.

Meet Me In St. Louis (1945) - obviously because I love Judy Garland AND St. Louis!

Prancer (1989) - I loved the story!

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964) - I've always loved Rudolph, I adore that darn reindeer.

A Christmas Carol (1951) - what a story!

The Bells of St. Mary's (1945) - just a pretty movie!

A Christmas Story (1983) - what kid that grew up in the 80's didn't love this movie? "You'll shoot your eye out kid"!

Christmas Vacation (1989) - that poor cat!

Elf (2003) - "he's an angry elf" - maybe he's a south pole elf!

How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966) - he he, that was a funny one.

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

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How Bizarre - Episode 9

2006-12-20T16:54:00.000-06:00
Dying:

On his deathbed, the venerable Bede (673-735), an English monk, carefully divided up his most prized possession - a handful of pepper.

Can you say "cuckoo, cuckoo"? I wonder if there was something ground up in that pepper? What is it about pepper that would make it his prized possession. Maybe ground up diamonds? Gold? What? I wanna know. And, did he divide it up grain by grain? How would you feel if you got a call from Lawyer saying that an English monk left you something in his will - wo, you rush over to the monastery and they hand you a grain of pepper? I want some pepper now.
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Reporting Bad Drivers

2006-12-20T09:24:00.000-06:00

So, I found this website called Platewire that allows you to report bad drivers or morons that drive under the speed limit in the passing lane!

You all know how much I hate slow drivers - but I sincerely doubt I'll even remember that someone pissed me off by the time I get home (so I doubt I'll use this website). But, the fun part is reading all the whiners on the website whine about people whipping around them, yada yada yada. But, I'm almost certain my license plate may be on this website eventually - I do tend to cut off slow drivers in the passing lane (I do it on purpose). I'm sorry, I'm flat out of patience.

But anyway, one individual described a woman as "sawed off". I thought that was hilarious - mean - but hilarious.

Take a look at the website - heck, make sure your license plate isn't listed. There's one PD in a small town that prints this report off every morning to watch the cars of the individuals listed.

Watchout!
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GPS Panties?

2006-12-19T21:48:00.000-06:00

Seriously? We can't find Osama Bin Laden, but we can figure out how to put GPS chips in panties to keep tabs on cheating girlfriends? Really, GPS Panties?

Come on!

Okay, ladies would you wear these? And, secondly, you'd have to be a real retard to wear these GPS panties to a secret rendezvous with the guy you're cheating with.

Then again, this could put a spin on the whole "breaking up with a cheating girlfriend" thing. I mean, you wanna get rid of your boyfriend? Take your panties and stuff them somewhere inconspicuous at his best friend's house. I guarantee he'll break up with you!

And, is it sexist or do they have GPS Boxers or Briefs for guys?

Watch out teenage girls, your dads are buying you all GPS Panties so they can keep tabs on your - it's a new-age chastity belt! Man, being the brat of a teenager I was, I would have taken those panties and put them in my teachers' mailbox, or my parents' best friend's house - something to teach them for keeping track of me through my frickin' underwear! Too much for me, just way too much.

Why can't I come up with some ridiculous product to make money off of? I'll learn one of these days.
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Tetris?

2006-12-19T20:35:00.000-06:00
Have you seen the Tetris game on my sidebar? Linlee remember Tetris? God, that was such a great and addictive game. I love it!

I hope you enjoy!
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How Bizarre - Episode 8

2006-12-19T20:32:00.000-06:00
Death:

Every ten seconds, sixteen people die on earth - and 45 are born!

I guess that goes to prove our population is constantly growing.
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The Gangs of St. Louis - Chapter 1: The Mad Irishmen cont.

2006-12-19T19:46:00.000-06:00

I apologize...but I had this entire thing typed and then received a friggin' error!

So here goes:

No one's sure how it happened or even why, but Dinty Colbeck moved his whole operation to the county, St. Louis County that is, the suburbs. No historical data has been found in reference to the Rats movement, but it is rumored that Police Lieutenant Duley McDonald "convinced" Dinty to move. Again, no one is sure exactly what happened, but the move did take place.

The Egan Rats converted an old 11-room home on the 9400 block o f Olive into their own, personal hangout. Soon, the hangout would be called the Maxwellton Club.

As the Rats settled into their new digs, they began to terrorize their new neighborhood little by little until they took over the Maxwellton Race Track. The race track was an abandoned, defunct horse and motorcycle track located at St. Charles Rock Road and Pennsylvania Avenue.

The Rats used their defunct track as training grounds, so to say. They would shoot at tin cans, bottles and other assorted targets set on the old grandstand, while driving around the track. This was to improve their marksmanship (which I might add they needed, have there been in battles involving bloodshed yet?). All was well and good.

Unfortunately, the fun was cut short when the envious Hogans dynamited and leveled the Maxwellton. In the following two years, there were 20 or more murders that could be attributed to the rival gangs with neither gang having any intentions of conceding.

The turncoat, Greenberg, was being questioned outside Police Headquarters when Dinty Colbeck and Red Smith were arrested. Apparently, Greenberg gave just enough information for Colbeck's and Smith's arrests, and was let out the back door. As soon as Greenberg's feet hit the concrete outside the Police HQ, he was headed to New York to avoid his inevitable death of retaliation.

Since Greenberg was all the way up in New York by the time Dinty and Red were released, the Rats focused their attention on Jellyroll Hogan. In another bloodless battle, Hogan and his buddy, Humbert Costello, were driving along South Grand when three men shot at them from a passing car. Even though Hogan was able to fire back a shot or two, the fiasco ended with no bloodshed.

After the shooting incident on South Grand, Hogan informed the police of his suspected attackers. Shortly thereafter, police arrested Rats members Elmer Runge and Isodore "Izzy" Londe. Hogan was brought in to identify his attackers which is when he was known to have said, "Yeah, I'll identify them alright, next time I see them I'll identify them with my shotgun".

In 1923, the community begged the two gangs to call a truce for the sake of the city. The two rival gangs oliged for two whole months.

Sadly, the truce was ended when three Rats fired into a crowd trying to kill James Hogan (Jellyroll's brother). Ironically, Hogan wasn't even hit, but two other men were fatally wounded. In an unusual turn of events, Dinty announced his responsibility in the shooting and apologized for the outcome. Dinty was quoted as saying it was just "boyish spirits" at play.

Finally, in April 1923, the two gangs shifted to more lucrative criminal activity like robbing mail trucks full of negotiable bonds. Some of their criminal activity even ventured over to the "East Side". That's east of the Mississippi River in Illinois. But, plenty of activity still remained in St. Louis - we'll get to the East Side soon.

It was said that the Rats alone were responsible for 23 robberies from 1919 to 1924 (that's almost 5 robberies a year). A canary, by the name of Ray Renard, mentioned that the Rats obtained a grand total of something to the tune of $44,685,770! Can you believe it? That's a lot of money now, can you imagine what it would have been like almost 100 years ago? Amazing.

However, Renard's loose lips caused the cops to issue warrants for Dinty Colbeck, Chippy Robinson, Red Smith and six other Rats. All were convicted and sentenced to 25-year prison terms.

Dinty was sent to the federal penitentiary in Atlanta to cohabitate with a well-known gangster named Al Capone. They were, in fact, cell mates.

Mrs. Colbeck, who was taking Catholic Instructions from Monsignor Joseph O'Toole of Our Lady, Queen of Peach in Webster Groves, was having horrible nightmares about Dinty - seeing him shot. She subsequently asked the Monsignor to go visit Dinty since she was so worried. You see, she was so worried about him returning to the criminal lifestyle that landed him in prison in the first place and she was concerned he'd end up dead, another gang statistic.

The tough Monsignor agreed to help Mrs. Colbeck and traveled to Atlanta to visit with Dinty. Once the Monsignor arrived in Atlanta and met Al Capone, he made a point to tell Capone that he and Dinty weren't to form any partnerships. In reply to the Monsignor's orders, Capone quipped, "The hell we're not! We'll both be sprung in six months and I'm the one giving the orders around here."

Passively, the Monsignor turned his attention to Dinty. He remembers telling Dinty, "You should be grateful that in a few months you'll be a free man. You know that if you proceed with this foolish partnership your freedom will be of short duration. Forget it, Dinty. That's my advice to you." Then Monsignor turned to Capone and said, "The goes for you too, Al".

Apparently, the Monsignor's advice fell upon deaf ears. Dinty was released after serving 16 years and quickly tried to reinvent his business. He began to muscle in on the "East Side" gaming action. Although, to his detriment, he only became a nuisance.

At 10:30 pm on February 17, 1943, a dark sedan appeared from no where and started following Dinty's car across the McKinley Bridge. At Ninth Street and Destrehan, they overtook Dinty and retired the Rats' leader. He wasn't addorned with medals, a plaque or a gold watch, he was only given six .45 caliber submachine gun slugs. He was put to rest at St. Catherine's Church in 1943. Now, that's the type of party I'd like to skip when I retire. I'll take my plaque, thank you.

****I'll take this time to point you in the direction of some great information on "Kerry Patch", the neighborhood.

"Kerry Patch", known to its inhabitants as "The Patch" is the neighborhood that produced the first gangs in St. Louis. "The Patch" was named for Kerry county in southwestern Ireland and was the Irish Mecca of St. Louis. Unfortunately, at the expense of a rich and colorful history, "The Patch" was bulldozed in the late 1940's. A couple housing projects - Carr Square Village and Pruitt-Igoe - were razed on the old land of "The Patch".

For further, more detailed information on "The Patch, read this awesome and extremely informational website.

On to Chapter 2 next!
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How Bizarre - Episode 7

2006-12-18T19:17:00.000-06:00
Flowers:

In 1991, botanists in New Zealand accidentally discovered "Corybas carseii", a rare orchid that blooms only two days a year, after they sat on the flower while eating lunch.

Sounds like something I'd do. I'd discover something spectacular by destroying it. "How bizarre".
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Crazy Weekend

2006-12-18T19:01:00.000-06:00
So, I had a busy weekend - I mean, it wasn't rush around busy, just didn't have time to lay around. Saturday, I woke up and had breakfast. Then, I had already decided to paint the doors in our house. So, from about noon to 7:00 pm, I painted doors (and I'm not done yet). Then, I did some Christmas stuff - wrapping, cards for the girls at work, etc. I finally got to sleep.

Then, Sunday, I woke up and had to be at my parents' house by 1:00. My mom, uncle and I went shopping for my uncle's girlfriend. I also shopped for J so I had some stuff to send him to open on Christmas morning (since he won't be home). I kept the original presents I bought for him here so that he has stuff to open when he gets home too. I miss him and I'm starting to have a really hard time with it. But, I digress.

My uncle treated my mom and I to this awesome Mexican restaurant in St. Louis called Hacienda. I love, love, love this restaurant. We ate and then headed to the Devil's Playhouse (aka Wal-mart). I bought a few things and we headed back to my mom's. I stayed there until about 7:00 so that we could pack J's box up to send. We got it sent off.

I ran home, put my stuff away from out in the car and started getting ready for work this morning. You know, laundry, lunch, etc.

But, that was my boring arse weekend. Kind of a useless post, huh? Sorry I couldn't be more interesting guys.

I've been kinda depressed lately (most likely because J's been gone so long) and I haven't really had much to say. I regret that, but what can I do?

I know I've been promising you my next installment of "The Gangs of St. Louis", but it probably won't be until later this week or this weekend. I'm sorry, the holidays have started to monopolize my time. Damn holidays! JK I love the holidays!

Talk to you peeps later!
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More About My Favorite City - St. Louis

2006-12-14T22:20:00.000-06:00

After my Thursday Thirteen on 12/7, I realized that very few people know very much about St. Louis. Yes, I love this city. I was born and raised here and will always love it. The only other city in America that I'd move to would be Honolulu. And, that's not very likely to happen.

But, I was sitting here thinking of all of the things that people don't know, that I could tell them. So, here are some more facts about St. Louis:
St. Louis is known for its French and German heritage and Victorian past.

St. Louis has several nicknames including, "Gateway to the West", "Gateway City", and "Mound City".

Other nicknames include, "The S-T-L", "St. Louie", "The Lou", or "River City".

St. Louis was purchased from France by the United States under President Thomas Jefferson in 1803 - as part of the Louisiana Purchase.

French continued, along with English, to be one of the major spoken languages in St. Louis until the 1820s.

Both Lewis and Clark lived in St. Louis after their Lewis and Clark Expedition.

The steamboat era began in St. Louis on July 27, 1817.

By the 1850s, St. Louis had become the largest U.S. city west of Pittsburgh and the second largest port in the country, with a commercial tonnage exceeded only by New York.

Civil War battles barely touched St. Louis - the area only saw a few skirmishes in which Union forces prevailed.

St. Louis was the home to several notable businesses including: Ralston-Purina, Anheuser-Busch, International Shoe Company and Brown Shoe Company.

Several notable people in the literary field were produced in St. Louis. Like Sara Teasdale, Marianne Moore, T.S. Eliot, William Burroughs, and Kate Chopin. Tennessee Williams also hailed from St. Louis.

St. Louis is one of the several cities that claims to have the world's first skyscraper - the Wainwright Building ( a 10-story structure built in 1892 and still standing).

Nikola Tesla made the first public demonstration of radio communications here in 1893.

In 1896, one of the deadliest and most destructive tornadoes in U.S. history struck St. Louis, MO. and East St. Louis, IL. The confirmed death toll is 255 (with some estimates above 400) and injuries over 1000. Damages adjusted for inflation (in 1997 USD) make it the costliest tornado in U.S. history at an estimated $2.9 billion.

Several other tornadoes have hit the city making it the worst tornado afflicted large city in the nation - the most recent occuring in 1959 (killing 21 and injuring 345).

In 1904, St. Louis hosted the World's Fair and the Olympic games (making the United States the first English-speaking country to host the Olympics). 2004 marked the centennial of these events and St. Louis celebrated the entire year.

St. Louis developed a lively immigrant gang culture by the Early 20th century (of which I'm telling you about in my "The Gangs of St. Louis" posts). You've heard me mention Jelly Roll Hogan - well his gang was mentioned in Tennessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie.

The Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis (a large Roman-Catholic cathedral known as the New Cathedral to St. Louisans) houses the largest mosaic collection in the world.

The Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis, King of France (known as the Old Cathedral) is the oldest Roman Catholic cathedral west of the Mississippi River.

The Lemp Mansion in St. Louis is considered one of the most haunted places in the nation.
St. Louis is the home of the world-reknowned Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra - the second oldest orchestra in the nation - which has been honored with six Grammy Awards and 56 nominations. They play out of Powell Symphony Hall.

St. Louis City operates 105 parks. Forest Park is one of the largest urban parks in the world, outsizing Central Park in New York City by 500 acres.

Forest Park offers several of St. Louis' most popular attractions: the Saint Louis Zoo, the Muny (the largest and oldest outdoor musical theatre in the U.S.), the St. Louis Science Center, Saint Louis Art Museum, the Missouri History Museum and several lakes.

The Missouri Botanical Garden (known to most St. Louisans as Shaw's Garden) is one of the world's leading botanical research centers.

The Gateway Arch in St. Louis is the tallest man-made monument standing at 630 feet.

Fair St. Louis (known to most St. Louisans as the VP Fair), held every 4th of July is sometimes called "America's Largest Birthday Party".

The Sporting News rated St. Louis the nation's "Best Sports City".
The St. Louis Cardinals (EASILY THE BEST BASEBALL TEAM IN THE WORLD!!!!), one of the oldest franchises in MLB have won 10 World Series Titles (most recently this year!!!!), second only to the New York Yank-mes, ooops - sorry, Yankees. I won't post a pic since you're probably sick of my Cardinals pictures.

The St. Louis Rams have won one Superbowl Championship (January, 2000).

The St. Louis Blues hold the record for most consecutive playoff appearances in all of sports with 26 straight. They have also made three trips to the Stanley Cup Finals, but have never won.

St. Louis was also home to two prominent 20th century boxers, brothers Leon and Michael Spinks. The two are the only brothers in boxing history to have both captured the Heavyweight boxing title. Cory Spinks, Leon's son, has also held a world title (broke my heart when he lost to Zab Judah here in St. Louis).

St. Louis is arguably the biggest hotbed of Soccer in the nation.

Professional Wrestling also has roots in St. Louis. Wrestling at the Chase was a popular weekly event for hundreds of thousands of fans for several decades. WATC was held at a prestigious St. Louis hotel called The Chase Park Plaza. St. Louis is also home to WWE Champion Randy Orton.

Soulard, a neighbor in St. Louis, is home of the nation's second largest (only to New Orleans) annual Mardi Gras Festival and Parade.

Washington University's School of Law is the oldest continuously operating private law school west of the Mississippi.

"Escape From New York", the movie, was filmed almost entirely in St. Louis. Mostly at what was the defunct Union Station (now rehabbed and a gorgeous mall).

Ringo Starr, a former Beatle, sang a song called "Missouri Loves Company" which had references to St. Louis.

The Mercury, Gemini and Apollo space capsules were built in St. Louis by McDonnell Douglas - now Boeing.

Disney World was to be opened in St. Louis, however, Walt Disney wouldn't let the park serve beer so Anheuser-Busch rallied against the park in St. Louis (big mistake).
Most of this information was found through Wikipedia. For more trivial facts about St. Louis, see my Thursday Thirteen from December 7.
Finally, here is a small portion of our Walk of Fame (excluding those already mentioned above)
Music
Chuck Berry (If you're ever here, don't go to the bathroom at his restaurant)
Ike Turner
Tina Turner
Johnnie Johnson
Scott Joplin
Nelly
Michael McDonald
Fontella Bass
Miles Davis
John Hartford
Robert McFerrin, Sr. (Bobby McFerrin's - Don't Worry, Be Happy - dad)
Nikko Smith (American Idol, son of Ozzie Smith - St. Louis Cardinal)
Akon (Check out his name - I dare you to pronounce it correctly & say it three times)
Chingy
J-Kwon
Murphy Lee
Acting/Entertainment

Vincent Price
John Goodman
Redd Foxx
Josephine Baker
Phyllis Diller
Buddy Ebsen
Betty Grable
Dick Gregory
Robert Guillaume
Charles Guggenheim
Kevin Kline
Virginia Mayo
Shelley Winters
Scott Bakula
Kate Capshaw
Nell Carter
Randy & Jason Sklar
Literature

Maya Angelou
Eugene Field
Howard Nemerov
Sports

James "Cool Papa" Bell (Baseball)
Yogi Berra (Baseball - Yo-gi)
Bob Gibson (Baseball)
Lou Brock (Baseball)
Dizzy Dean (Baseball - my favorite Cardinal of all time)
Jimmy Connors (Tennis)
Dwight Davis (Tennis)
Dan Dierdorf (Football)
Joe Garagiola (Baseball)
Rogers Hornsby (Baseball)
Jackie Joyner-Kersee (Track & Field)
Stan Musial (Baseball)
Red Schoendienst (Baseball)
Jackie Smith (Football)
Ozzie Smith (Baseball)
Bryan Cox (Football)
Ryan Howard (Baseball - current NL MVP - plays with the Phillies)
Now you can see why I love St. Louis Baseball so much!

Broadcasting

Jack Buck (I miss him so much)
Harry Caray
Bob Costas
Stone Phillips
Art/Architecture

Mary Engelbreit
Al Hirschfeld
Military/Politics

John Danforth
William Danforth
Ulysses S. Grant
Harriett Woods
Science/Education

Masters and Johnson
Civil Rights

Dred and Harriet Scott
Missouri Hall of Fame

Brad Pitt (Acting/Entertainment)
Sheryl Crow (Music)
Sara Evans (Music)
Harry S. Truman (Politics)
Daniel Boone
Samuel Langhorne Clemens aka Mark Twain (Literature)
Walter Cronkite (Broadcasting)
George Washington Carver (Educator)
Bill Bradley (Sports & Politics)
Jean Harlow (Acting/Entertainment)
Rush Limbaugh (Broadcasting - do I have to claim him as a Missourian?)
Jesse James (The actual Outlaw)
Ginger Rogers (Acting/Entertainment)
Dick Van Dyke (Acting/Entertainment)
Walt Disney (Art)
"Unsinkable" Molly Brown (Socialite of RMS Titanic fame)
I'm 100% sure I missed someone and I know I missed a lot of people (I skipped the lesser unknowns).
And, Blogger REALLY needs an "Undo" button added to the format toolbox.
I hope you enjoy my "Did You Know" about St. Louis. Now, since my eyes are crossed from all of this work, I'm going to bed! G-nite!
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Female Brain vs. Male Brain

2006-12-14T18:53:00.000-06:00

I got this e-mail and thought it was pretty nifty.

Have you ever wondered how a woman's brain works? Well, here it's explained in one, easy-to-understand illustration:

Everyone of those little blue balls (he he, I said "blue balls") is a thought about something that needs to be done, a decision or a problem that needs to be solved.

Good thing a man's brain only requires two ball (two "blue balls", that is).

Those little blue balls are supposed to be moving through the course, but they're not for some reason - sorry guys.
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My Fifth Thursday Thirteen

2006-12-13T22:00:00.000-06:00

Thirteen Reason Why I Love J, My Boyfriend
His voice soothes me, he can calm me down, at my craziest, with seven words
He's very laidback, which is completely opposite from me - I admire that
He's uber intelligent - sometimes I swear he knows EVERYTHING
He's so athletic and makes everything seem so simple
He is tolerant of my mood swings and never gets upset by them
He bought us Cardinals season tickets
He's patient, okay too patient, but it's nice every now and then
He doesn't think I'm an idiot for all of our stupid little inside jokes (he enjoys them)
He takes me to gorgeous places like Hawaii and Europe
He makes me feel safe and secure at all times
He always supports any hard decision I have to make
He makes me feel special and I can be myself with him (as goofy as that may be)
His laugh makes me laugh, it's very funny (I've never heard anyone laugh like him)

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

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I'm a Product of the 80's

2006-12-13T20:23:00.000-06:00
Okay, so after I did that Christmas Taggleton, I got a little nostalgic. Especially after seeing that picture of the Barbie Dream House. So, here is a little sumpin, sumpin for those kids of the 80's, early 90's - like me!

These really brought back some memories - oh how I miss being a kid. Go ahead admit it, they all ring a bell, don't they? My comments are in parentheses

You knew you grew up in the 80's (or early 90's) if...

1. You've ever ended a sentence with the word "SIKE".

2. You watched the Pound Puppies (Oh I loved my Pound Puppy)

3. You can sing the rap to the "Fresh Prince of Belair"

4. You wore biker shorts under your skirts and felt stylish.

5. You yearned to be a member of the Baby-sitters club and tried to start a club of your own.

6. You owned those lil Strawberry Shortcake pals scented dolls. (Strawberry Shortcake was my favorite - I even had a Strawberry Shortcake kitchen set - ooh, and my sleeping bag was Strawberry Shortcake).

7. You know that "WOAH" comes from Joey on Blossom.

8. Two words: M.C. Hammer (I can't touch that)

9. If you ever watched "Fraggle Rock". (I remember watching Fraggle Rock one time when I was sick with Strep Throat. I had just finished some of that Lipton's Chicken Soup; I was watching it and basking in the glory of making my brother watch it when all of a sudden I had to rush to the bathroom to vomit. I didn't make it. And, my brother changed the channel by the time I came back)!

10. You had plastic streamers on your handle bars. (what about those little ball-type things you put on your spokes that clicked - and glowed in the dark?)

11. You can sing the entire theme song to "Duck Tales". (Oo oo)

12. When it was actually worth getting up early on a Saturday to watchcartoons. (Oh, those were the days - admit it, you watched Pee-Wee's Playhouse, who didn't?)

13. You wore a ponytail on the side of your head. (My neighbor, an older boy about 8 or 9 years older than me used to always pick on me about that)

14. You saw the original "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" on the big screen (most definitely, with my two boy cousins)

15. You got super-excited when it was Oregon Trail day in computer class atschool. (Oh Gawd, do you remember that? That was the best game ever - sick huh?)

16. You made your mom buy one of those clips that would hold your shirt in a knot on the side. (Or banana clips)

17. You played the game "MASH" (Mansion, Apartment, Shelter, House) (How could you not? )

18. You wore Jordache jean jacket and you were proud of it.

19. L.A. Gear...(What about "Get In Shape Girl"? I told you! Look at the leg warmers!!!)

20. You wanted to change your name to "JEM" in Kindergarten. (I also wanted pink hair because of her - I think I had a wig like hers - I might have been her for Halloween)

21. You remember reading "Tales of a fourth grade nothing" and all the Ramona books. Ramona completed in 1st grade. (he he - too funny)

22. You know the profound meaning of "WAX ON, WAX OFF" (You know it, would you believe that I still use that to this day when I'm washing my car - Gawd was Ralph Machio the cutest then?)
23. You wanted to be a Goonie. (Hell yeah!)

24. You ever wore fluorescent clothing. (Of course, we did)

25. You can remember what Michael Jackson looked like before his nose felloff... (Oh, I was addicted to the Thriller video as a kid)

26. You have ever pondered why Smurfette was the only female smurf (Poor girl)

27. You took Lunch Pails to school.

28. You remember the CRAZE, then the BANNING of slap bracelets.

29. You still get the urge to say "NOT" after every sentence. (I just did this the other day)

30. You remember Hypercolor t-shirts. (Yep, mine was pink and purple)

31. Barbie and the Rockers was your favorite band. (Um...I remember this, but no, they weren't my favorite band)

32. You thought Sheera and He-Man should hook up. (I thought they were supposed to, damnit...he was Master of the Universe for God's sake)

33. You thought your childhood friends would never leave because you exchanged friendship bracelets (yeah, that never worked)

34. You ever owned a pair of Jelly-Shoes. (Guess what color! Yep, purple)

35. After you saw Pee-Wee's Big Adventure you kept saying "I know you are, but what am I?" (I was more fond of "I meant to do that").

36. You remember "I've fallen and I can't get up" (At work we were just talking about that commercial - what about, "Where's the Beef??")

37. You remember going to the skating rink before there were in-line skates (AAGHH - ROLLERCADE!!!)

38. You ever got seriously injured on a Slip and Slide (not seriously injured, but I surely got the wind knocked out of me a few times - and my dad never wanted us to play this in our yard because it ruined the grass :0( He was a grumpster!

39. You have ever played with a Skip-It (Nope)

40. You had or attended a birthday party at McDonalds (You betcha - you weren't right if you didn't)

41. You've gone through this nodding your head in agreement (Obviously - read all of my comments)

42. You remember Popples.

43. "Don't worry, be happy" - (Tom Cruise had to be at his hottest in this movie - okay, so maybe he was his hottest in Top Gun, but Cocktail is right behind Top Gun. I had a pair of hot pink earrings that said "Don't Worry" on one and "Be Happy" on the other)

44. You wore like, EIGHT pairs of socks over tights with high top Reeboks. (LOL What was wrong with us?)

45. You wore socks scrunched down (yeah, and we had leg warmers too)

46. "Miss MARY MACK MACK MACK, all dressed in BLACK BLACK BLACK" (Don't know this one)

47. You remember boom boxes vs. cd players (Just guess, I had a purple boom box)

48. You remember watching both "Gremlins" movies. (I so wanted a Gizmo of my own, shoot, I even wanted a gremlin, the bad ones - I thought they were funny)

49. You know what it meant to say "Care Bear Stare!!" (Oh, I miss my Care Bear - he's up in my attic though - this is the one I had)

50. You remember watching Rainbow Bright and My Little Pony Tales (OOoohhh...I still have my Rainbow Bright doll and I remember playing My Little Pony in my bedroom because I had an ugly green carpet in my room that we pretended was grass for the ponies)

51. You thought Doogie Howser was hot (I did and I thought Vinnie was putrid)

52. You remember Alf, the lil furry brown alien from Melmac (I always wanted him to come live with me)

53. You remember New Kids on the Block when they were cool (Oh my...I remember going to their concert - UgH!! I can't believe I just admitted that. Oh, yeah, and you knew them as NKOTB)

54. You knew all the characters names and their life stories on "Saved Bythe Bell", the ORIGINAL class. (Zach, Kelly, Lisa, Slater, Jesse and Screech - oh don't forget Mr. Belding)

55. You know all the words to Bon Jovi - SHOT THRU THE HEART. ("And you're to blame")

56. You just sang those words to yourself. (you know you did... I did!!!)

57.You remember watching Magic vs. Bird. (Well, not really, but I know who they are)

58.You cut your t-shirts in half and wore it with your homemade Levi shorts...(the shorter the better)

59. You remember when mullets were cool! (I'm sorry, mullets were NEVER cool!!!)

60. You had a mullet! (NO WAY, damn,okay fine, I had one once - well, crap, even Brad Pitt had one)

61. You still sing "We are the World" (Who doesn't?)

62. You had a glowworm that you had to sleep with (oddly enough, I can't find a picture of one - at least one like I had)

63. You collected Garbage Pail Kids (collector cards)
64. You have more than one Cabbage Patch Kid

Ha Ha Ha - SIIIKE! Just joshin' (Oh yeah, remember saying that instead of "just kidding" or "just joking"?)
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Christmas Taggleton

2006-12-13T18:38:00.000-06:00

I wasn’t tagged, but I saw this at Mike’s Place and I liked it. So, I’m doing it.

1. Hot Chocolate or Egg Nog? Hot Chocolate

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? Um, no, the elves make and wrap them, don’t they? He’s just the delivery guy, right?

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? White, white, white...white on everything

4. Do you hang mistletoe? Nope…

5. When do you put your decorations up? The weekend after Thanksgiving

6. What is your favorite holiday dish? Hashbrown Casserole

7. Favorite Holiday memory? Well, it's not one particular event, more of a tradition, but my cousin and I used to beg our parents (my mom and her brother) to spend the night at each other's house. They had to explain to us that it was Christmas Eve and that whoever spent the night at the other house wouldn't get any gifts on Christmas morning because Santa wouldn't be able to find her. The first year, we decided that didn't matter - so we made plans to switch off every other year. The first year, she'd spend the night at my house and the next I'd spend the night at her house. Then, each year we'd share our gifts so one of us wouldn't be left out. We had it all planned out - but our parents still wouldn't give in. We seriously tried every year for a good 7 years.

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? I learned when I was about 5 (my older brother and my older cousin told my cousin and me – in a not so nice manner).

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? We open all of our gifts on Christmas Eve now (when I was a kid, we did it all on Christmas morning).

10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree? White Lights and red, white and silver ornaments - oh yeah, and candy canes.

11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? Love it.

12. Can you ice skate? You betcha.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? Sure...it was the Barbie Dream House and Furniture pictured here:

14. What's the most important thing? Spending time with family.

15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? I don’t think I have one – I’m not a big dessert person.

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? Spending time with family on Christmas Eve (extended family included).

17. What tops your tree? A big white star.

18. Which do you prefer giving or Receiving? I really enjoy giving more

19. What is your favorite Christmas Song? Little Drummer Boy

20. Candy canes, Yuck or Yum? Yummeh! Eating one now!
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Letters To Santa

2006-12-13T18:13:00.000-06:00
Deer Santa,

I wud like a kool toy space ranjur fer Xmas. I'v ben a gud boy all yeer.

Yer Friend, Billy
**********
Dear Billy,

Nice spelling. You're on your way to a career in lawncare. How about I send you a book so you can learn to read and spell? I'm giving your older brother the space ranger. At least HE can spell.

Santa
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Santa,

I have been a good girl all year, and the only thing I ask for is peace and joy in the world for everybody!

Love, Sarah
**********
Dear Sarah,

Your parents smoked pot when they had you, didn't they?

Santa
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Santa,

I don't know if you can do this, but for Christmas, I'd like for my mommy and daddy to get back together. Please see what you can do.

Love, Teddy
**********
Dear Teddy,

Look, your dad's banging the babysitter like a screen door in a hurricane. Do you think he's gonna give that up to come back to your frigid mom, who rides his ass constantly? It's time to give up that dream. Let me send you some Legos instead.

Santa
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Santa,

I want a new bike, a Playstation 2, a train, some G.I. Joes, a dog, a drum kit, a pony and a tuba.

Love, Francis
**********
Dear Francis,

Who names their kid "Francis" nowadays? I bet you're gay. I'll set you up with a Barbie.

Santa
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Santa,

I left milk and cookies for you under the tree, and I left carrots for your reindeer outside the back door.

Love, Susan
**********
Dear Susan,

Milk gives me the shits and carrots make the deer fart in my face when riding in the
sleigh. You want to do me a favor? Leave me a bottle of Scotch.

Santa
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Santa,

What do you do the other 364 days of the year? Are you busy making toys?

Your friend, Thomas
**********
Dear Thomas,

All the toys are made in China . I have a condo in Vegas where I spend most of my time making low-budget porno films. I unwind by drinking myself silly and squeezing the asses of cocktail waitresses while losing money at the craps table. Hey, you wanted to know.

Santa
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Santa,

Do you see us when we're sleeping, do you really know when we're awake, like in the song?

Love, Jessica
**********
Dear Jessica,

Are you really that gullible? Good luck in whatever you do. I'm skipping your house.

Santa
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Santa,

I really want a puppy this year. Please, please, please, PLEASE, PLEASE could I have one?

Love, Timmy
**********
Dear Timmy,

That whiney begging shit may work with your folks, but that crap doesn't work with me. You're getting a sweater again.

Santa
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dearest Santa,

We don't have a chimney in our house. How do you get into our home?

Love,
Marky
**********
Dear Mark,
First stop calling yourself "Marky", that's why you're getting your ass whipped at school. Second, you don't live in a house, you live in a low-rent apartment complex. Third, I get inside your pad just like the boogeyman does, through your bedroom window.

Sweet dreams,
Santa
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I don't know about you guys, but when reading these letters and responses from Santa, I picture Billy Bob Thornton in a dirty, old Santa suit over a bottle of Wild Turkey. Most likely with a cigarette in one hand and a pen in the other. He's definitely not guilty of Political correctness, huh?
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All I Can Say Is...

2006-12-12T18:34:00.000-06:00
WOW!!!

Read this and you'll know exactly what I'm talking about. Read and laugh.
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Ireland's Kitty

2006-12-11T13:58:00.000-06:00
I just read one of the blogs that I usually read - one of my fixes - and I am infuriated, ready to travel to Southern California to hurt someone!

Read the post entitled "My Kitty" on Ireland's blog.

If, indeed, someone did this to her kitty, I am seriously pushing for jail time. If someone can do this to a kitty, who's to say they'll stop there? I mean, what in the hell can a cat do to deserve that kind of treatment? Man, I'm so frickin' angry that I can't see straight.

Okay, I'm going to calm down now.

Ireland, I am sooo very sorry for Little Man. I hope he gets better and let me know if you need anything whatsoever.
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I'm a Tree?

2006-12-11T13:34:00.000-06:00

You Are a Tree

You love every part of the holidays, down to the candy canes and stockings. And you're goofy enough to put a Christmas tree ornament on your tree!
What Christmas Ornament Are You?

I found this at Mike's Place and figured I had to do it. You gotta watch out for me, I'll do any quiz that ever wanders in my direct line of sight. What can I say?

Okay, did this thing seriously just call me "goofy"?
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Some Christmas Trivia

2006-12-11T07:42:00.000-06:00

The idea for using electric Christmas lights came from an American named Ralph E. Morris in 1895. The new lights proved safer than the traditional candles, which often started fires by falling in the dry Christmas trees.
The use of a Christmas wreath as a decoration on your front door, mantel or bay window symbolizes a sign of welcome and long life to all who enter.
Due to the time zones, Santa has 31 hours to deliver gifts? This means that he would have to visit 832 homes each second!
In North America, children put stockings out at Christmas time. Their Dutch counterparts use shoes.
In 1836, Alabama was the first state in the USA to declare Christmas a legal holiday.
In 1856, President Franklin Pierce decorates the first White House Christmas tree.
In 1907, Oklahoma became the last USA state to declare Christmas a legal holiday.
The biggest selling Christmas single of all time is Bing Crosby's White Christmas.
The first Christmas card was created in England on December 9, 1842. Hallmark introduced its first Christmas cards in 1915, five years after the founding of the company. An average household in America will mail out 28 Christmas cards each year and see 28 eight cards return in their place. More than three billion Christmas cards are sent annually in the United States.
In America in 1822, the postmaster of Washington, DC, complained that he had to add 16 mailmen at Christmas to deal with cards alone. He wanted the number of cards a person could send limited by law. "I don't know what we'll do if this keeps on," he wrote.
During the Christmas buying season, Visa cards alone are used an average of 5,340 times every minute in the United States.
In North America, children put stockings out at Christmas time. Their Dutch counterparts use shoes.
The Santa Claus' suit was developed in the 1930s. The Coca-Cola Company hired American artist Haddon Sundblom in 1931, to redesign Santa Claus. Sundblom chose the official colors of Coca-Cola, red and white.
Source: Twinkle Bulbs
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