Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Trying to be considerate of others

This is for my latest blog crush--SurvivingMyself. He hates people who talk too much, so for HIS sake, I'll try to be brief--because y'all KNOW that I want people to LIKE me.

Dog growled alot at me today.

Work sucked weenie.

Grocery shopping sucked BIG weenie.
**they did have good sales, though**

Peeling 2 lbs of shrimp sucked REALLY BIG weenie.

Shrimp cooked fast.

Mr. Perfectly came home and assembled Quesadillas. Woo Hoo.

I drank 2 glasses (tumblers) of Riunite Lambrusco, mixed w/ 7up to make it palatable.

Let grounded teenage son off the hook to go watch Soccer.

Mr. Perfectly got mad.

Watched dvr'd episode of American Idol ONLY to see Paula flub.

Am nearly DESPERATE to watch Ghost Hunters.

Want to wait to fast forward thru commercials.

May need more Lambrusco.

Will try to love on my dog again...at my own risk.

Like the people who respond to my comments on their blogs.

Wish I was funnier.

Wish I was richer.

Wish I knew if I should use was or were in above 2 notations.

Tomorrow will go back to my detailed, ... self...

Am tense that I may be forgetting something IMPORTANT in being terse.

Goodnight.

Monday, April 28, 2008

I’ve gone and done it now

Remember me talking about how my dog, Buster, is often snappy? Yeah, well, what I didn’t mention is that sometimes I egg him on. Well, not exactly ‘egg’ him on, I just keep trying to love on him when he doesn’t want to be loved on to PROVE that he won’t snap at me….that I’m his Mama, and he LUVS me, and would NEVER think of biting me. Guess What? He bites. The little sucker bites HARD sometimes too……but never breaks the skin….the worst I’ve gotten is if he catches a knuckle or something, then skin may get scraped, but overall, he just bites, then looks at me like “I’ve been GROWLING trying to TELL you, but would you LISTEN? NOOOO” Then licks me….as if apologizing. Buster gives fair warning that he doesn’t want to be bothered. It’s at it’s worst when he is sleeping…especially on the bed. He growls, and shows his teeth. It’s funny, because when he’s REALLY riled up, he’ll ‘chew’ on those growls….he moves his tongue around while growling and it sounds like he’s chewing it up…..that’s when we leave him alone….because that’s usually the pre-cursor to BITING. Well, biting me. He doesn’t bite Mr. Perfectly. Mr. Perfectly is the alpha dog….and I’m just his bitch, I guess.

Anyway, as is the norm, this morning after my shower, I went and dug Buster out of the piles of covers he burrows under every morning. I started petting him, and he growled. But he also rolled over and showed his belly---all like “oh, alright…if you HAVE to pet me then pet me HERE”. So, I petted his belly, while baby talking to him. He was growling and chewing……which should have been my SIGN to back away from the pup, but no….I stuck my FACE down into his face cooing and talking to him….and guess what? He bit me…on the LIP. Now, this has never happened (except one time after we first got him, and he had a bath—I tried kissing on him, and he didn’t like it). I always stick my face into his, and when he snaps, he always goes for my hands. Even if my face is RIGHT there….so in my quest to feel worthy of him, I was kissing on him while he was growling and showing his teeth, and my upper lip and his teeth became intimately acquainted. Of course, he broke the skin, and I feel like an absolute idiot. Not to mention, the adorable swelling---I can’t say that the Melanie Griffith look is what I’ve been trying for.

Actually, it isn’t that bad—I certainly notice it, but I am not sure if it is all that obvious to others. It’s certainly sore, though. Here’s my fear. What if I need medical treatment for this bitten lip? I think they have to report all animal bites, and what if they quarantine my dog? I mean, no, it’s not acceptable that he’s snappy in this manner, BUT I KNOW he’s snappy, I know the signs and I should have KNOWN better than to try to rub noses with a teeth showing, growling dog. It wasn’t as if he didn’t give me WARNING. I chose to IGNORE the warning. I sort of feel like it’s not his fault (totally)….So, I’m hoping beyond hope that this doesn’t get infected—that the soreness will go away and I can hang my head in embarrassment without medical intervention.

Oh, and on a total side note….I went to Teenie’s this weekend to spend some quality time with her, and her sister, Marie. It was a lot of fun, and we saw Teenie’s son off to his first prom. She cried. We went to Target to get prints of the photos as soon as he left with his adorable date. I’d had a tad too much wine, so opted not to drive—Teenie drove, and I used the big red balls that adorn Super Target’s front door as exercise balls. I leaned back, with my hands clasped behind my head (I saw it on TV….I’ve NEVER used an exercise ball in my LIFE). Yeah—pretty embarrassing.

Also, my son went to Prom this weekend too. I’m debating whether to post photos or not. What do YOU think? Wanna see my handsome son? I’ve got photos of me helping him dress, but my very large neck/double (triple) chin is quite…..well…..BIG, and I hate it. I know I should just be all like “this is me….”, but I don’t want to lose my internet friends……because of my weight…..

Tell me what YOU want to see. Pics of me and handsome son? Handsome son alone or Handsome son and date. Whatever gets the most comments wins. My goal is 5 comments from people other than Jakki. Or Teenie. Or Ph.D. In other words, I’m gunning for 5 ‘stranger friend’ comments.

COMMENT…PUHLLLEEEEZZZZ!!

Friday, April 25, 2008

Vagina Bread

I skipped out on Son #2's track meet due to rain (and the fact I didn't want to stand in it) and opted instead for a 2:00 lunch with Teenie. And let me tell you, as is the norm, it was certainly entertaining.

We went to a local cafe that is relatively new called 'The Daily Grind Cafe'. It's a coffee/wine bar. Yeah....kind of weird, but it seems to work. It's a cute little place that has wireless internet access as well as 3 or 4 computers for patrons to use while having that cup-a-joe.....or wine.........he's got a small, but nice menu, that varies from breakfast items, sandwich-ish stuff, to crab cakes and an AWESOME homemade macaroni and cheese. He's got 3 varieties of Mac-n-Cheese...Teenie and I decided to share an order of crab cakes, and Mac-n-Cheese. We each ordered a glass of Vignoles from a Missouri winery (probably Stone Hill, but I can't be certain), and began the wait for the Mac-n-Cheese, which takes a while.....while we visited, the owner kept coming to talk to us. He was a grungy guy in Pajama bottoms, t-shirt and a Nike baseball hat. He apologized for being 'covered in flour', and proceeded to tell us about his baking---he was making a mushroom/bleu cheese bread, and oatmeal/honey bread and goat cheese/balsamic. What unusual, yet PLEASING combinations!! We got to hear about him making the mushroom bread the day before and patrons going WILD for it, so he thought he'd try out some other varieties to see if they went over. He left, brought us our food---which was QUITE good....the crab cakes were too spicy for my taste, but I'm a spicy wuss, so I'm not a good judge....they TASTED awesome, though....we did ask for water as it may have been inappropriate to GUZZLE the wine to ease the spice....and the Mac-n-Cheese? Holy Crap was it good. His menu title for it was "not your mama's mac-n-cheese" and let me tell you...there was no orange powder here......it was creamy, and with a mild garlic flavor----the cheese blend was awesome.....very TRENDY for our neck of the woods where people were raised on the 'BLUE BOX'

He kept visiting with us, especially about the bread. He mentioned that we could have a sample, and we were all like "okay...cool...we LOVE bread" not knowing that he hadn't even put it in the OVEN yet......he told us that he braids it, and makes the top thicker and the bottom narrower....he said he'd ordered some Cabernet powder made from the skins of Cabernet grapes, and was going to try THAT in bread when it came in.....well.....that sounded pretty awesome to us, and we expressed our interest in that idea, and he went so far as to say his FIRST Cabernet powder project was going to be (hold your hats, folks) a Cabernet Chocolate muffin...............I'll let it sink in a sec....a CABERNET CHOCOLATE MUFFIN.......can we hear a collective 'Hell Yeah'? We joked with him telling him at Teenie's birthday in May, we'd be in with the girls to start our day with THAT muffin and some wine....he tootled off to the kitchen after taking the order of another late day patron, needing to web surf......and as we were nearly done with our AWESOME Mac-n-Cheese, he came with the news that the bread was in the oven. Huh?? It's like 3:00 by now......how the heck long does it take bread to BAKE? At my house it takes those frozen things at least 15 -20 minutes and they are already COOKED........so we try to slowly finish our lunch.

Some time later, (but not as long as I thought it SHOULD have taken), I saw him pulling something brown from the oven.......BREAD....WOO HOO......I nod my head towards the kitchen and mumble to Tina "he's taking the bread out" and she's all like..."really? Already?" So we happily awaited our taste. He comes out and chats with the other patron about how fresh and tender the greens for her salad are, and they talk gardening, and stuff...as we sit there, no check, and more importantly, NO BREAD samples. He comes by to offer us another glass of wine, which we decline, since it is, after all, only mid-afternoon.

He leaves us and promptly comes back with a cooling rack, a hot pad and BREAD. He PROUDLY shows off his braided wonder.......which is long, thick at the top, and narrower at the end. Teenie promptly pipes up "It looks a little phallic". He laughed, and said that yes, he could see that and he'd cut some after it 'firmed up'...then he got embarrassed and we, of course, were giggling.......so he tried to backpedal, but it was too late....the words couldn't be taken back. He took the bread back to cool and showed us some little dishes that were shaped like beans....he said something about soup bowls, and explained that he'd ordered some just like it only BIGGER. Teenie told him "good, otherwise, that would be a SMALL bowl of soup'..and we continued to laugh...sort of...wondering where our check was and if we REALLY were going to taste the bread. He leaves with the bean bowl, and returns with two samples of his hot, oatmeal/honey bread. It looked BEAUTIFUL...with swirls in it....it was very salty. Hmmmm...we were expecting sweet......ahhhh, there's the sweet at the end. The salt was a little much, but there were spices and honey rolled all in it..I personally thought it was quite good....Teenie very honestly told Mr. Pajama bottom that she thought the bread was too salty and it reminded her of a pretzel. He seemed a little down about the fact that she didn't LOVE the bread. He told us again about the mushroom/bleu cheese bread and how he was deglazing balsamic vinegar at that moment to make the goat cheese/balsamic bread.

Teenie pipes up..."are you going to make it into the shape of a VAGINA??" The salad eating, web surfing patron nearly pulled a muscle turning her head to look at us........I nearly died. Here's this poor man HAPPILY discussing his food and bread, and he's reduced to Penises and Vagina's. Luckily, he took it all in stride, and told us off color stories about former kitchen help.

I'm ready to go back for dessert!! Not so sure he's ready for us, though.

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Musings de jour

I settled last night. The tasty leftover wine from the St. James winery was a bust...I couldn't get the plastic stopper out.....it wasn't a cork...it was a stopper..like in champagne bottles, only this is sparkling blush--for $8.98 a bottle. My 14 yr old SON even tried to pop it open for his ole' mom, but to no avail. I had to drink gin, diet 7up and White CranStrawberry as a fakeout cosmo. I also ate Trix cereal for dinner.

WhiskeyMarie GOT it.....yeah!! I post these silly things on others sites ......and I often wonder (worry) if other people 'get' me. WHOOO HOOOO.....she did! I hope--maybe she just likes ass.

I buy all this stuff for my kids--sports drinks, peanuts, pretzels and granola bars for snacks and quick energy---and they leave them around the house with one drink out of a bottle, or with the peanut jar wide open for DOGGIE faces to feed on....then have the nerve to complain NEXT time when I don't buy the stuff for them to waste.

I'm fervently awaiting Big Brother tonight...I've been heavily trolling the spoiler websites and have tried to eek ANY info that I can from them.........but it's still nearly 3 hours away.....oh...a new GHOST HUNTERS tonight as well.......maybe Mr. Perfectly will get home from his crazy work early enough to manhandle that Sparkling Blush bottle for me.........he may not, though....ghosts and wine may cause him to be on FORCED lookout duty until I'm in a DEEEPPPP sleep.

I need and want a good edemame recipe....Dooce, can you hear me?

Jakki's cat peed in her tennis shoes. That would SUCK.

I've tossed around the idea in my head (hear the rattling?) about a comment-athon. I want traffic here so badly, and I'm sure others do too.....so maybe if there was a huge comment-athon, we could generate traffic to our own sites as well as sites of others.....hmmmmmm....rattle, rattle, rattle.

Sheila from Big Brother 9 was a Penthouse Playmate from the 80's. I found a site that posted her nude shots. I just don't get it....the nudie pics...I've got what she's got (in larger proportions), and it's not all that interesting. Maybe my animals 'get it'...and thats why they won't leave me ALONE in the bathroom.

Mr. Perfectly just sent me a text saying he'll be late AGAIN tonight. The poor guy...he's been working on a huge project for DAYS. Damn....I guess this means no sparkling wine with my ghosts.

I'm off to read---and watch the weather...it's supposed to storm here tonight and tomorrow. I'm afraid of storms. I keep (and make my kids do the same) a pair of shoes handy when storms are called for. That way, when walking through glass and the rubble of a tornado ravaged house, we will have protection for our feet. I also sleep in my undies..only. My mom mentioned once that I'll be in the middle of our street after a storm in shoes and underpants...maybe appropriate sleep attire should be looked into since Missouri has a long storm season.

Happy Administrative Assistant Day!

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

To short or not to short and Social Faux Pas...comments most welcomed

What do you think of women wearing shorts? According to Oprah's fashion-in-the-know guests and thanks to shows such as "What Not To Wear", women, regardless of size or shape shouldn't wear shorts. That they aren't stylish or becoming.

Ok, now what do you think about heavy women wearing shorts? Not just the "Oh, I need to loose 20 lbs" set, but truly heavy, obese women (and people) wearing them? And obese is not being used as a slam, but as a true medical term to reference and diagnose weight.

Now, what do you think of when you see truly obese people wearing shorts and tops that are too small? That don't fit well? That show the rolls? I mean distinctly--when heavy it's hard to camouflage it...so I mean terribly ill fitting items? You know who I mean....the stereotypical 'wal-martians'--the ones that look unwashed? That look just---well---gross?

Ok, that leads me to my question...I'm seriously overweight. I wear shorts--and sometimes they may not be very flattering. I don't wear too tight shorts, but I wear the nylon 'swishy' type shorts, denim shorts or khaki shorts (the green or tan variety) I shower daily, and my hair is clean--on weekends I don't always wear makeup (hence the eyelash tinting of a week ago Saturday). I run around town looking like a slob--my swishy shorts and a t-shirt. Flip flops or tennies.....In the winter I wear sweats and t-shirts and tennies....I call it my UNIFORM. Now, to go to work, I wear pants and a shirt (yes, they match) and flat shoes..(I cannot do heels)...to go out, I try to put a semblance of 'cuteness' to my outfit. If you ran into me at the grocery in my 'uniform', would you think I was gross, smelly and out of place?

I often wonder as I watch these 'style' shows....do people in other places really 'dress' like the 'What not to Wear' people? It concerns me on several levels. First, my shorts/sweats and t-shirt are COMFY; Second, they are generally inexpensive; Third, it's hard to find that combo of not slutty, not grungy, not MATRONLY and fitting; and lastly what I wear is COMFY......

I'm intimidated by so called 'style'. I can't afford high dollar brands, and comfort, multi-use and ease of washing are important to me.....Why do the style shows say that we will be JUDGED for the swishy shorts and t-shirts? That we won't garner RESPECT of others looking like a mess? And most importantly, why, if it's 95 degrees and 100% humidity, shouldn't I be cool in shorts? They are my size, and the fit fine...do my thighs offend THAT much?

Another thing about 'style'.....it's kind of, well.....sweaty......I mean, if one is heavy, then one may have the rubbing together of thighs, and breasts......a flirty skirt is NOT what I have in mind to remain cool as a cucumber....how does one combat THAT issue in an effort to be CUTE? I am not opposed to skirts, but for me....well....I prefer dry and leg holes to moist and skirts. Can anyone else relate? Do thinner people have the same issues but are better at hiding it? Is there a SECRET?? If so, PLEASE let me know. Skirts are inexpensive, versatile and CUTE....

My BFF's don't wear shorts, and they are both smaller than me. I feel sort of self-conscious when they relate how they look so 'terrible' in shorts.....UMMMM...Hello....I'm bigger and I'm in shorts....is this a TEST? Is it a gentle reminder? I just don't know how to manage my comfort, and being cute. And heavy CAN be cute...I've SEEN it......I just don't know how to DO it.

I'm sorry for dumping a plethora of style issues on you, but I just don't know what to do......try for cute and the risks involved, or stick with what I know, and what has been working and be judged by Others?

I'm looking forward to the evening....the fam is on their OWN for dinner (leftovers) and I'm reading, watching Big Brother, and drinking the rest of a bottle of cheap, but tasty sparkling wine from a Missouri winery. It's 80 degrees, sunny, the windows are open (ACHOOOO) and life is good.

Oh, did I commit a social sin? I have fretted about this for the last 24 hours. While at a track meet last evening, I was sitting with 2 other mothers that I know, but not well. One of them lives in my town, but works in another community 30 miles away. I began making plans with one mother to possibly car-pool to another track meet on Wednesday. I took her number and we chatted about who likes to drive and who doesn't and why. I neglected to INCLUDE the third mother in the car-pool plans....because MY mind was telling me she'd probably leave from work in the other town....I wasn't trying to be RUDE, but HOW often have I been on the 'outside' wishing others would include me in their plans? How do I make amends? Do I just pretend I didn't realize I may have been RUDE and INSENSITIVE? Oh my....this worries me.

Alright, Internet, I'm looking for advice from the wise...HEELLPPPP!!!!

Monday, April 21, 2008

Insecurity (now with updates!)

I’ve been dealing with a highly emotional 14 yr old son and his girlfriend. Oy. Parenting is such a fly by the seat of your pants undertaking! No amount of planning, worrying, or reading can train you to deal with SITUATIONS. Now, mind you, I’m not claiming that this is as bad as it can be…..I KNOW there are many people dealing with major issues with their teens, and as grateful as I am to not be dealing with them (at least not for the moment), it’s still exhausting. I guess since the world hasn’t realized, yet, that it’s all about ME….I’ll have to succumb to the needs of others.

My poor baby was reduced to TEARS yesterday because I wouldn’t let him go to St. Louis with his girlfriend and her family. He’s very aggressive when trying to beg or argue his point, and he WOULD not stop hounding me—It all ended up with text messages from the girlfriend, professing her ‘LOVE’ for son #2, and did I MIND that she was ‘in love’ with my son………and did I think her outfit was ‘CUTE’ Saturday night….and she sure hoped we ‘luv’d’ her----

There was no real reason he couldn’t go with them to St. Louis—except he’d been with her from 9 am to 10 pm on Saturday---her parents took them out to eat, and to the mall---and really, does a 14 yr old need to be with their significant ‘other’ THAT much? Even with parental supervision? He needed to mow Perfectly’s Dad’s large yard and do some things that kids DO…….like detach themselves from a permanent lip lock……….sheesh. Nobody prepared me for the EMOTIONAL stuff that boys have…everyone complains about girls and how emotional they are, and I’m sure it’s a different sort of thing, but BOTH of my boys are highly emotional---my Oldest is just surly and won’t talk (unless he want’s something, then he’s a wealth of information—all sweetness and nice)…my youngest has a FIERY temper----he’s very even keel and easy going unless he doesn’t get something he wants, and then all HELL breaks loose. Luckily for us, his temper goes away as quickly as it came on.

THEN, yesterday, I colored my hair. I’m 42 and the grays are THICK..and, well, GRAY. I hate them. I got my hair cut (in the same fashion I ALWAYS DO), and went to wal-mart to find me some home hair color! I went with the $13.94 box instead of the $8.97 one because this had 2 steps….a color then HIGHLIGHTS. I went with the usual dark blond color—this one called BISCOTTI—and let me tell you---it’s brown. That mousy light brown. Now, mind you, I got the cheapo hair color last time, and after 10 days or so, it faded and turned really LIGHT…..so I went from blond (not platininum—but blond nonetheless) to light brown. It’s quite different. I like it, sort of…..I prefer it a little lighter, though. Somewhere between the brassy-ish blond and what it is now. My niece, Heather, came to help with the highlights….and it did lighten it some around the crown and on top, but overall it didn’t do much—probably because I chickened out and rinsed it a couple of minutes early---I didn’t want STRIPES or anything….so, now of course, I’ll be subjected to “oh….you did something different with your HAIR’ remarks all day—I HATE that. I don’t like to call attention to myself (unless it’s something really important or cool), and nothing sets off the office like something NEW to check out. I must say, with my cheap (ahem, free hand me down) purple shirt and the darker hair, my eyes seem to be bright today---the change between blue and green-ish—and even I notice them today…..maybe it’s my highlighted eyelashes? Do you think?

Happy Monday—more track meets this week---at least the weather is warmer, and I don’t have to take blankets to watch my kids run……

Oh, I spent the better part of yesterday (between hair coloring and food preparation) watching 'Deliver Me' on some cable channel in the 200's. I am not sure what was more interesting...the women having babies and their 'issues' or the doctor who is newly single, 38 and is having her ex husband (who's a doctor, too) freeze her eggs for future use should she feel the need.....wow..

Saturday, April 19, 2008

Grill Season (Updated X 2)

It is supposed to be 63 here today---time for our first grilled meal of the year. In years past, Mr. Perfectly grilled in nearly ALL weather---but in recent history, we've gotten lazy. I've been on a soup and pasta kick, and those have been my 'go to' meals of late. We hardly grilled at all last year......I'm not sure why. We get our beef fresh from Perfectly's dad, who raises cows.....and we reap the benefits of a freezer full of lean, fresh, hormone/antibiotic free beef. But, believe it or not, I'm not a huge beef eater.....steak isn't my thought of a nice dinner out--I'll take seafood for that. But a juicy, TENDER steak is fine----steak sandwiches are great--but again TENDER is the key--I hate tough beef---ugh. He's low on beef, so we'll probably go with chicken today---I may buy a tri-tip steak to grill up very rare and put it up for sandwiches later--but one runs the risk of re-heating the steak too much and it's TOUGH. The goal would be to keep it pink, keep it hot, and tender--re-heating does not lend itself well to tender and pink....maybe I'll re-think the beef---I think he's totally out of hamburger---his burger is so good--and I don't like hamburger--it's lean and flavorful......he better hurry to get more!!

I'll be making a roasted vegetable cous cous for a side......I roast zucchini, tomatoes, onion, red/yellow peppers and mushrooms in a hot (450 or so) oven until they are roasty and cooked down....I make a box of cous cous with chicken broth instead of water---I add the roasted veg to the cous cous, and can you say FABULOUS??

What will YOU be doing on this pretty Saturday? Son #1 is working, and Son #2 is headed to his girlfriend's house--he'll go with her and her folks to her riding lesson and they'll hang out with her parents. I'll be cooking and cleaning, I am guessing........Happy Saturday Morning!!

UPDATE

New recipe from the Hy-Vee lady! I like to go to Hy Vee on the weekends just to see what she's got cooking.......she's different than the sample ladies---I mean she gives samples, and it is products I'm sure they want sold, BUT, she makes home-made dishes to sample--I don't know if they are her own creations, or if she has help, but so far, every one has been REALLY good (see Chicken Scallopini--that I now make weekly) This one is very easy and very little effort......

1 Pkg Hormel smoked center cut pork chops (very much like ham/canadian bacon)
1 yellow onion sliced
1 pkg button mushrooms sliced
garlic olive oil (or olive oil w/ garlic sauteed)

Brown the onions and mushrooms in garlic olive oil. Add the pre-cooked pork chops and saute just til hot. Serve.

HHEELLOOOOO?? Could that be any easier? Don't want pork? Buy a smoked chicken and use large meaty pieces instead of the pork. Don't want smoked? Use a regular boneless pork chop and brown it too........Cut up the pork and fork a mushroom and onion....mmmmm....that's what my sample was, and it was really good. And really easy. She even suggested to apply the same recipe at BREAKFAST and add eggs or pancakes. Now, since I'm not to big on breakfast, that didn't appeal to me as much, but for the breakfast lovers in the world, I can totally see how this would be awesome...for am breakfast, OR breakfast for dinner!

Enjoy! I can't wait each week to see what she has to offer! She always has wine samples too.....which is GREAT... I like my wine, but at 9:30 in the morning? That seems a little odd.....I mean maybe there are LOTS of people who start drinking wine at 9:30--who am I to judge? But it seems a LIIITTTLLLLEE early. Or at least too early to do it in PUBLIC!

Eat up--and thank the Hy-Vee lady!

Update....again...

Ok, in watching Food TV, one of the cooking shows had ROASTED VEG cous cous. I wish someone would give ME a show!!

Friday, April 18, 2008

Won’t you be my friend?

There was an earthquake in Illinois early this morning. Supposedly, it was felt here…..230 miles away……people in my community claim to have windows, china cabinets and beds rattling. If my bed rattled, it didn’t awaken me from my deep, allergy laced sleep………or my dogs, or my kids. Now, I don’t want to sound SKEPTICAL or anything, but c’mon……did people really feel the trembling or is it wishful trembling? I hate to be the negative nelly, but I just have a hard time thinking that people aren’t just trying to jump on the bandwagon. Although, the folks at our local tv station claim to have felt it……..if you live in the Midwest area---Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana…did YOU feel it? **Okay, Okay….I’ve been obsessively reading news articles, and apparently people as far away as 900 miles, felt the quake.**

I’ve been lazy with my blogging. I spent the day at home yesterday with my remote, my allergies and not much else. I kept thinking “I need to blog”, and would get involved in my DVR’D ‘Ghost Hunters’ or ‘High School Reunion’ and think to myself….”nahhhhhhhh”. I hate allergy season. Well, my allergy season is year round, but spring and fall are the worst……I took a Zyrtec a couple of Saturdays ago, and whooee……let me tell you, if you are easily sedated by medication. DON’T TAKE ZYRTEC.

See, the whole thing started when a co-worker of mine was telling me how an allergy doctor told HER that Zyrtec should not be an over-the-counter medication. That it is too sedating. That people were going to DIE from the use of Zyrtec (driving, etc). He’d worked on clinical trials of the medication at the Mayo Clinic, and apparently he and the Mayo Clinic is TERRIBLY opposed to it being on the OTC market. I’ve taken Zyrtec before……before it went off of the formulary list of acceptable medications that were paid for by insurance……but haven’t taken it in YEARS due to the higher prescription cost. I do not RECALL a sedative effect, but man, let me tell you…..I had purchased the OTC stuff and took it around 6:30 am on a Saturday. Went out garage ‘sale-ing’ with Teenie and Jakki, and got home around 1pm. I putzed around and sat down to watch TruTv around 2pm. I asked Mr. Perfectly, who was in the kitchen to pop me up a MINI bag of popcorn. Now how long does that take? 3 minutes TOPS? By the time he brought me the popcorn, I was asleep. I took the popcorn from him, and set it in my lap, and was asleep AGAIN, in a matter of seconds….he came back into the living room to tell me something no more than 3 minutes later and found me sleeping…..sleeping so soundly (in a matter of those 3 minutes) that he had to try 3 different times to wake me up. As I awakened, I tried to fling the popcorn from my lap----luckily he caught it…..I did eat some of the popcorn then, and before I knew it, I could not keep my eyes open. I ended up sleeping most of the rest of the day---literally slack jawed in my reclining chair. I stayed awake from 5 to 7 or so….Mr. Perfectly catered to me and went and got Taco Bell for our dinner…I ate it, and decided that continuing to watch TruTv was a fabulous idea, and couldn’t WAIT for ‘Investigators’…and that getting pillows and watching from the COUCH was a good idea. I rarely lay on the couch. Before I knew it, it was 9:00, and whatever episode I’d been wanting to watch was long over---I hit the bed, and didn’t wake up again til morning…..it was bizarre, and a bit unsettling. I react this way to antihistamines…..Benedryl especially---but when the sedative effect wears off, I’m good to go….I use NY-Quil for head colds and such, and pass out with it, too, but again, once the medication wears off…..it’s gone. This Zyrtec had me out like a light from 2pm in the afternoon until the next morning. Kind of creepy. Now, it may have been the power of suggestion, since my co-worker had just filled me in on the Zyrtec Scoop, but sheesh….If I’m THAT impressionable, I need professional help…..

Also, is it WRONG to be earnest and hopeful when looking for and making new friends? I get so excited when I find someone that I have a kinship with that I want to hang out with them….alot…..and somehow, I don’t feel like this is normal…..at least until I read Jonniker today…..she is SO able to put emotion into words…..how I wish I had that talent. Anyway, I love to meet people, and make friends, but I have this paranoia that they don’t like me because of my weight. C’mon, you KNOW it’s true…..that heavy people just don’t attract others like normal sized people. I’m heavy and I have the same reaction…..it’s not a GOOD reaction, but I completely understand….well, I’m hurt when I feel like it’s ME being rejected, but yet, I’d bet a dollar that if picking on looks alone, I’d pick a new ‘friend’ that was thin and interesting looking…..I’ve been BURNED by this multiple times…….and I know better, but I guess things are hard wired into our brains. I’ve met MANY people that I personally have sought out thinking they’d make ‘cool’ friends and they turn out to be snobbish, standoffish, and fickle. The friends that I’ve made that I may not have been attracted to to begin with are generally AWESOME. How can I be so shallow? ME???? The fat girl?

But anyway, I get very excited when I meet someone that I like….that I feel a kinship with…..and so often I don’t feel that my excitement is reciprocated. Is it because of my weight? Is it because I’m over-zealous? Is it because the ‘others’ in the world just don’t care? Or are THEY just as earnest as I am, but too afraid to look like a stalker (like I do)? So, please, Internet world. Don’t find me off putting if I comment happily on your blog, or send you a quick e-mail to express my adoration. It’s not MEANT in a stalkerish way---just that I find you terribly interesting, and want to be friends!!

Speaking of friends, here's one of the best!
Check out her new blog!

Saturday, April 12, 2008

I cheated

on my dog....hahaha....did I have you wondering about my morals? My niece's mom got a new dog--a Pomeranian mix--I ran by their house to see the new dog. He is SO sweet. Friendly, too. He sits (kind of) on command and stands on his hind legs and dances when they ask. They adopted him from a shelter, so maybe some family is missing him...he certainly doesn't look neglected. I think he'll be happy in a busy house with kids of all ages to love and play with.

Anyway, after loving on the new pup, I came home and Buster proceeded to carefully sniff my hands....and GROWLED....he growled and showed his teeth....it's funny. He gets really hurt and annoyed when Mr. Perfectly or I pet another dog......he gives us the aggressive treatment when he smells 'others' on us. I've never had a dog do this...they are always INTERESTED in the smell, but no other dog I've had actually acts aggressive and growls upon smelling the other dog.......

Oh....I did something WILD today......I got my EYELASHES tinted. Yeah!! Eyelashes. How COOL is that? I went to get my caterpillars eyebrows waxed. I decided at the last minute to get a manicure too....at the beauty school...it was $7.00 for the wax, and $7.50 for the manicure.......while waiting my turn, I read the 'menu' of esthetic services....and they have brown and eyelash tinting.......now my brows are thick and dark enough without enhancement, but my lashes, although relatively long, are light at the ends....I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my mascara, but on weekends I rarely use it....I'm lazy. So on a whim, I spent the extra $7.50 and got my eyelashes tinted. It doesn't give the fullness or texture to lashes that mascara does, but it does darken them so they aren't so blah looking when mascara isn't applied. It's supposed to last a couple of weeks or longer......so I'm really excited. At first I was mildly disappointed--not really 'disappointed', but I thought it would be more like mascara......it's just my fine (as in texture, not fine as in lovely) lashes are darker--so they look not so puny without makeup.

Ok, we're off to wal-mart to look for new pillows for the Perfectly Family----happy Saturday!

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Child or Adult?

I want your HONEST opinion. What do you think of the proposals in Missouri and other states to allow people to drink at age 18 instead of 21. The ONLY valid argument I've heard so far to this is "if they can defend their country, they should be able to have a drink'. Maybe so, but that leads me to the feeling that CHILDREN should not be allowed to defend our country.

I was commenting on another post about my 17 yr old son. I was HOPING his one brain cell would multiply exponentially in the VERY near future, so he can manage to get through life alright.

I can't IMAGINE if he were allowed to drink. IN HIGH SCHOOL. I know, I know.....many kids DO drink in high school. I DRANK IN HIGH SCHOOL. My point is that he doesn't have the ability to think beyond the next minute, let alone how this would/could affect his future.

18 yr olds can join our armed forces, sign a contract and vote. But they can't drink or run for federal office (I don't think). This is for a REASON. They are still KIDS. Their brains don't fully mature for many more years. Give them the ability to purchase and consume alcohol, it just adds to a whole host of other things that they need to CONCENTRATE on...instead of growing up to be a reasonable adult, getting an education or a decent job...learning to manage money...learning to be a responsible citizen.........

I don't know...I'm pretty liberal in much of my thinking, but I also know my child, and he's not capable of reason right now. He's a great kid, has a job, gets ok grades, the adults love him......he's a great person...BUT not one that is ready for adult decisions or the adult world.

Monday, April 7, 2008

Follicle Follies

Teenie got professional advice on her hair situation. She was told that to get her hair to a more manageable color situation would take several steps. The first of which is to go to a color close to her 'real' color and try to blend the hair to match a little better......her ends were SIGNIFICANTLY darker than the top of her hair....when she tried her box color Monday night, it worsened the issue. Now, let me say, honestly, I didn't think it was nearly as horrifying as she did. Teenie always looks good, and even something that isn't quite perfect, she pulls off seamlessly.

Her friend, and licensed hair stylist, went to the hair stylist place and got the 'professional' color stuff....and the stuff to activate it.....explained that she needed to get help and to BRUSH the roots and reddish color with the NEW color, then let it set for 30 minutes. Once set, we were to dampen the rest of her hair, and COMB the color through the ends, so as not to process the ends even more than they had been recently. Of course, I got pictures!!


Here is the damage of our dinner, prior to the hair coloring session:



I tried to get pictures of the color differences in her hair, and it didn't work...it looks to be a lovely shade of reddish/brown...trust me....the ends were nearly black--well, not black, but very dark brown.


Here I am mixing the activator, and color together:





Whew, got THAT done successfully.


Very shortly, we called the EX down to memorialize the occasion.



Man, this hairdressing stuff is HARD!!!!











We managed to complete the coloring steps and her hair is much nicer. It still has darker ends, but it's all blended much more naturally. We'll have to get the low down on what the NEXT step to the color repair steps are.

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

I fought the bed

And the bed won. I went to bed last night wound tighter than a top, I guess. At one point, I found my NECK muscles clenched in some sort of war with my jaw. I didn’t even KNOW I was so tense until stabbing pain forced me to try to relax all my muscles from head to toe……..

SOMEONE, although I won’t mention suspects (Buster) puked in the bed at some point yesterday and we couldn’t find our spare king sized sheet. How can you LOSE a sheet? A KING sheet? The blankets and fitted sheet were spared, and since I’m lazy (albeit NOT tired), I decided to not totally strip the bed….we just removed the offending sheet and replaced it with two full size sheets that Mr. Perfectly dug up from somewhere.

I proceeded to watch INVESTIGATORS on TruTV, and was bored out of my mind. I decided to just go on to sleep. As I lay there, under a strange sheet, one of the dogs, that shall remain unnamed (Buster) was obsessively licking his butt. LICK, LICK, LICK, JIGGLE BED, JIGGLE BED, JIGGLE BED….SNAP AT HUMAN WHEN SHE TRIES TO STOP THE BUTT LICKING….LICK, LICK, LICK…….rinse and repeat. I hollered at Mr. Perfectly to call Buster—which he kindly did. Buster took off like the wind to see what fun awaited him in the LIVING ROOM…..and proceeded to come right back and hang out in the bed with me. My neck clenched, and him butt licking.

Oh, on a side note, I saw that my other dog, Copper isn’t as stupid as he pretends to be. Buster is a ‘delicate’ (translates into spoiled) little guy. When we got our new bed last May, it’s much taller than the one it replaced. Buster has a hard time jumping up on the bed, and since he thinks the bed is HIS, his ability to get up there is quite important to him. We decided that the ‘doggy steps’ that you can buy were too over the top, so we just inverted a laundry basket, and draped a blanket over it and call it a step…….Buster uses it faithfully. He whines when he thinks Copper is on the bed…….and we all have to go in and re-assure him that Copper is no where to be seen. Yesterday, however, I realized that Copper may be using strong arm intimidation on Buster when we aren’t there. I went to change my clothes after work and found Copper quietly laying on the LAUNDRY BASKET STEP. Just laying there. Like, ‘I DARE you to jump while I am here…..nah nah nah nah nah nah.” I didn’t ask the shelter if he had any mob connections when we picked him………maybe I should have.

So, anyway, last night I tossed and turned and could not get relaxed all night. By the time I woke up this morning, my misfit sheet was all bunched up around my neck and upper body, and one of the two blankets I use was all twisted up to my side. Buster was still snoozing at my side—at least the butt licking stopped at some point.

I have no idea what had me so pumped…I went out for dinner with Teenie, and we went to Sally Beauty to try to find that pretty gold nail polish I liked….with no luck, but she managed to find some hair shine stuff, and some fake hair that she thought would be fun to use. She got it in slightly a different hair color than her own and decided to color her hair to match the fake piece. According to her woeful e-mail first thing this morning, it didn’t work. I told her to take her fake hair to the salon and tell them “this is what I was going for” and then to point at her head and say “this is what I got…….please help”. I think they’ll take pity on her.

Oh, did you KNOW that they sell stuff at Sally Beauty that says it’s a PLACENTA hair treatment? Is it REALLY placenta? Because, there would be NO WAY, I’d condition my hair with my OWN placenta, let alone ones that once belonged to other people…..or animals..or whatever……….I wonder if people get paid to donate placenta….kind of like platelets? It makes me shudder to think of it.

Anyway, I drank Pepsi for dinner…..2 pepsi’s for dinner, so maybe the extra caffeine got me wired…I don’t know……but hopefully tonight I’ll sleep….. hopefully I’ll be totally unaware of any butt licking or weird sheets…….

Today is son #2’s first track meet……..he runs some sprints and the hurdles……..son #1 has an out of town meet, that we won’t attend since we’ve got the conflict….I’m excited to see how it goes. I’ll post pictures another time………Mr. Perfectly takes awesome action shots.