Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Boy Fits - Mama Breakdowns
I am drained - completely totally emotionally drained. My son started throwing these massive screaming fits for absolutely no reason this week. We've had one every morning and evening since about Saturday. Oh my God - I am completely and totally wiped out emotionally by the time he's through. The worst part I think is that they make no sense at all. Something sets him off, something small that doesn't go right, or something we've told him to do that he doesn't want to, anything really. I think he's having a hard time realizing that the world does not revolve around him, and he must conform to our rules. He doesn't like following directions and doing something that's not exactly his idea and way. I think initially that's what starts his fits, but then they just get out of control. He gets so wrapped up in screaming and crying that he won't stop and listen and realize that what's going on. For example - yesterday morning he was screaming over and over at the top of his lungs that his head hurt. I tried to tell him that I had Tylenol for him, but he wouldn't stop screaming long enough to hear me. The same thing happened twice tonight. First in the bathtub he was screaming at Daddy that he could wash himself (over and over again), and he wouldn't stop, look, and listen long enough to realize that Dad was trying to give him the washcloth so he COULD do it himself. Then he was standing in the tub screaming (over and over) that he was freezing. But yet he wouldn't step out of the tub to be wrapped up in the towel Daddy was holding and pj's I had that would warm him up. My God the screaming is killing me. I have to scream for him to stop just to be heard over him. I keep picturing the hysterical lady you see in the movies who won't stop screaming and someone ends up slapping her in the face with "snap out of it!". I swear, I just want to smack him upside the head! But of course I would never slap my child. However, spanking on the other hand... well... he has gotten a couple of smacks on the butt. I finally got him calmed down again and tucked in bed this evening. Once we were all settled and calm again I asked him where these fits were coming from. They're new. Is there something going on that I don't know about? Something that's triggering them? He said he didn't know. He couldn't remember. Umm... okay. Then we talked quietly for a few minutes. I reminded him of what a big boy he is and how very smart he is. He's too big and too smart to be throwing tantrums like this. If he's upset he needs to use his words to express himself. He said he'd try. Of course he's six. There's no telling what will happen tomorrow. We could have a wonderful day or it could be WW3 again - who knows. Ugh, motherhood's a bitch sometimes. But he's the love of my life and I wouldn't trade a day with him for all the treasures in the world. He's six - I just need to keep reminding myself that he's six, and he'll outgrow this phase just like any other.
My Car's back - YAY!
Yay - Bessie's all better! I have to give the guys at Munday Chevrolet kudos for the fast service & turn around on my car. I dropped it off Monday to have the a/c repaired. In addition to just that, they found my water pump & some belts needed to be replaced. They did all the work and still had my car ready by Tuesday morning. With the a/c problem I seriously was expecting to be without it all week.
Yay guys! Thanks SO MUCH!
Yay guys! Thanks SO MUCH!
Monday, February 25, 2008
Three Kittens' First Grand Adventure
This is really cute! But mute it. It's just fine without sound... (honestly I haven't heard it with sound yet, so it could be really annoying...)
Academy Awards Wrap Up
I'm completely copying and pasting this article from MSN. I love the author's humor and it really sums up the show last night. BTW, check out Jon Stewart's one-liners -- they're hilarious!
OSCARS BEST, WORST, AND WEIRDEST MOMENTS
Stewart gets edgy, Tilda gets funny, and everyone's got bedhead!
By Kim Morgan Special to MSN Movies
To think that just a couple of weeks ago, this whole Oscar shindig might have been cancelled...
But the three-month-long Writers Guild strike was settled in the nick of time, so the biggest movie awards show in the world -- the American equivalent of a coronation -- could go on, and stars could gather to honor ... other stars. As host Jon Stewart quipped: "Having the Oscars helped end the strike ... before we spend the next four to five hours giving each other golden statues, let's take a moment to congratulate ourselves."
The 80th Annual Academy Awards were not all just pats on the back, writer jokes and fantastic frocks (well, actually, there were a lot of fantastic frocks): Many of the nominated films, actors, writers and directors were (double gasp!) actually deserving, and two of the pictures -- "There Will Be Blood" and "No Country for Old Men" -- are bona-fide masterpieces. If there was any kind of theme this year, it was Oscar getting it almost right -- nominating interesting films and artists from all over the world (England, France, Ireland, Italy, Spain and Austria were all represented). And of the contenders, there was new talent (Ellen Page for "Juno"), older icons (Hal Holbrook for "Into the Wild") and, for heaven's sake, Viggo Mortensen (perhaps one of the coolest men walking the earth) for "Eastern Promises."
Still, maybe it was all this good taste and worthiness that made the show a little ... staid. Don't get me wrong, there were some surprises and spirited highlights, like Stewart's opening monologue, some heartfelt acceptance speeches and one (or should I say "Once"?) musical performance. And there were also some lowlights, like Academy President Sid Ganis' attempts at humor, the uninspired video pieces and three musical performances from "Enchanted."
So we're here to hand out awards for the best, worst and weirdest of the ceremony. The envelope, please:
Most Moving Acceptance Speech: How does he do it? Picking up his Best Supporting Actor award for playing psychopath Anton Chigurh in "No Country For Old Men," Javier Bardem managed to be likable, studly, humble, casual and touching all at once. Ambling on stage with his mussed-up hair and mischievous smile, he said, "I have to speak fast here, man" and then pointed out everything from how amazing the award was to his curious Dutch-boy haircut from the movie. But when he honored his "Mama" (entirely in Spanish) with nary a trace of sappiness, the charming Spaniard caught us off guard. We were positively teary-eyed. And then he all but strutted off-stage. Hmmm... maybe it's not Viggo but Javier who's the coolest man walking the face of the earth.
Best Jon Stewart Joke, Part 1: "Tonight we look beyond the dark days and focus on happier fare. This year's slate of Oscar-nominated psychopathic killer movies. Does this town need a hug? What happened? 'No Country For Old Men,' 'Sweeney Todd,' 'There Will Be Blood.' All I can say is thank God for teen pregnancy."
Funniest Acceptance Speech: Tilda Swinton. She is known for her edgy, serious work in heavy films like "Orlando" and "The Deep End" and as the famed ice queen from "The Chronicles of Narnia" so who knew she was so damn funny? When accepting her Best Supporting Actress win for "Michael Clayton," the red-haired Brit hilariously capped her speech by mercilessly teasing co-star George Clooney: "George Clooney... you know. The seriousness and dedication to your art, seeing you climb into that rubber bat suit from "Batman and Robin," the one with nipples, every morning, under your costume, on the set, off the set, hanging upside at lunch. You rock, man. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" Ever the class act, Clooney took it like, well, like George Clooney -- a man.
Am I Crazy Or... Was seeing acclaimed filmmaker Spike Lee and his "Jungle Fever" star, recent tax evader Wesley Snipes, sitting together as essentially dates kind of heartwarming? And they looked fantastic. Maybe they'll make another movie together? I'm sure Snipes would be happy. The IRS is another story...
Edgiest Jon Stewart Joke: "Julie Christie was absolutely amazing in 'Away From Her.' Brilliant movie. It was a moving story of a woman who forgets her own husband. Hillary Clinton called it the 'feel good movie of the year.' "
Buzz Off: Can Jerry Seinfeld please stop promoting that damn bee movie? We saw you on Oprah. We saw you on Letterman. We saw you on Larry King. We get it. You made freaking "Bee Movie." And yes, we know it will be available on DVD this March. And showing the montage of great stinging film moments didn't make us want to rush out and buy (ugh!) "Bee Movie." Seriously, we'd so rather watch that hilarious Bill Murray bee sequence from "Rushmore" over Jerry's entire animated classic.
Bad in Black: One would think black is basic -- that it flatters all who wear it. But the usually perky and lovely Jennifer Garner appeared downright dour in her dark frock, looking both unhappy and uncomfortable in such a gothic get-up. Helena Bonham Carter (where was she, anyway?) she is not.
Ladies in Red: Perhaps in the spirit of all the violent movies nominated this year, many actresses opted for bold red dresses. Helen Mirren, Anne Hathaway, a stunning Katherine Heigl channeling Marilyn Monroe, Heidi Klum and, uh, Miley Cirus all went primary. Wait, what the hell was Miley Cirus doing there?
Am I Crazy Or... Is Amy Adams becoming really irritating? I don't dislike the lovable star, but her appearance this year left me with conflicted emotions. As she performed "Happy Working Song," one of the three nominated songs for her film "Enchanted," I was both embarrassed and overwhelmingly annoyed by her Betty Boop/Snow White impersonation. Did she even want to perform this? And to make matters worse, little Miss Adams continued her cutesy, goody-goody act while presenting the award for Best Original Score. Typecast much? I hate to say this, but she needs to play a hooker/heroin addict/convicted murderer stat. That cuteness is starting to curdle.
Best Jon Stewart Joke, Part 2: "There is a great variety in the nominated films this year. Even 'Norbit,' got a nomination, which I think is great. Too often the Academy ignores movies that aren't good."
Technically Speaking: Why do Scientific and Technical Achievement Awards always have to be handed out by Hollywood's latest babe-du-jour? I know, I know. I'm sure all those guys slaving over their computers and gadgets and inventions more than enjoy the presence of sexy Jessica Alba (who looks terrific pregnant, by the way), but why not something new next year? How about Philip Seymour Hoffman presenting the award -- preferably as his Ned Beatty/Wilford Brimley-esque character of "Charlie Wilson's War."
Am I Crazy Or... Did the more hysterical of the two winning directors of Best Documentary Short Subject ("Freeheld," which I'm sure is a fine short film) provide the most unintentionally hilarious line of the evening: "It was Lt. Laurel Hester's dying wish that her fight against discrimination would make a difference for all same sex couples that face discrimination every day. Discrimination that I don't face as a married woman." The sentiment was nice, but why did she sound like Sally Struthers?
Ruffled Razz-Ma-Tazz: Aside from an incredibly dapper George Clooney, who looked a cross between Cary Grant and Clark Gable with his slicked-back hair and perfect tux, this year's male attire was decidedly relaxed though strikingly attractive. Most everyone appeared a little unkempt (mussed hair, unshaven face, less-traditional tuxes) and yet not at all slobby. They were in fact elegant and eclectic. Viggo Mortensen looked extraordinary rocking a Vincent Van Gogh beard and knee-length dinner jacket. Daniel Day-Lewis' longer hair and more retro tux was fetching. And Javier Bardem, Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill and Harrison Ford all appeared with a little bed-head ... which was actually very sexy. I'm not even going to start with Johnny Depp.
Least Surprising, Most Deserving Win: I think he's a genius (sorry to all of you out there who think him a ham), so I was ecstatic when the entirely deserving Daniel Day-Lewis picked up his golden boy for his powerful performance as insanely ambitious oil-man Daniel Plainview in Paul Thomas Anderson's masterful "There Will Be Blood." But come on -- everyone knew it was going to happen. As Tony Curtis said in "Sweet Smell of Success," "The cat's in the bag and the bag's in the river." I'd add something about milkshakes but that's getting a little played out...
Best Jon Stewart Joke, Part 3: "Democrats have an historic race going. Hillary Clinton vs. Barack Obama. Normally when you see a black man or woman president, an asteroid is about to hit the Statue of Liberty."
Diablo Disappoints: Diablo Cody, beloved hipster-ex-stripper-screenwriter-goddess, wins Best Original Screenplay for the indie hit "Juno," a movie soaked with quippy one-liners that either delighted or seriously exasperated audiences -- and all she can come up with is, "I especially want to thank my fellow nominees." Or, "This is for the writers!" Diablo! Honest to blog! Where was your arsenal of smarty-pants wisecracks and pop-culture Soupy Sales-isms? This is the Oscars, Home Skillet. This is your time on stage. As you wrote, this is "one doodle that can't be un-did." But hey, you pulled off the leopard dress, tats and your Louise Brooks bob. So at least you looked great. But... another thing. What was with your glum exit offstage? Was Harrison Ford taking you to Oscar detention?
Most Surprising Win: Wow! No Julie Christie for Sarah Polley's lovely, heartbreaking "Away From Her." We thought Christie was a shoe-in. But talented French hottie Marion Cotillard was the spoiler, picking up Best Actress for her performances as iconic French chanteuse Edith Piaf in "La Vie En Rose." I'm thinking all those mixed CDs Academy voters picked up at Starbucks (I'm only guessing these exist -- those International flavor collections) with that strange-voiced French lady actually compelled them to do a little Piaf research. Nevertheless, though we were rooting for Christie, it was tough not to be happy for Cotillard, who appeared definitely shocked and as she said, "speechless." She also looked wonderful in white. Jean Paul Gaultier does a gal good.
The Real Enchanting "Once" Upon a Time: Glen Hansard (he of the Irish band The Frames) and Czech musician Marketa Irglova performed their soulful, beautiful song "Falling Slowly" from their charming, touching, musical indie "Once." She on piano, he strumming a battered old guitar he's had since he was a teenage busker (street singer) in Ireland. It was gorgeous (though why did the camera choose to end on orchestra conductor Bill Conti? It was their moment, not his.) Next to all of those painfully corny "Enchanted" songs, some of which played like ads for Clorox Bleach (I could have sworn someone sang "Mama makes brights, bright like the sunshine ..."), the two channeled the late great Elliott Smith (remember him in his white suit, standing next to Celine Dion ... And losing?!). But the refreshingly independent Hansard and Irglova won! And we cheered when Hansard stated, "Make art! Make art!" Jon Stewart extended their moment by allowing Irglova, who was cut off by the over-anxious orchestra, to movingly extend her gratitude. What a moment.
The Dudes Abide: Though some of us were also rooting for Paul Thomas Anderson's "There Will Be Blood," Joel and Ethan Coen's brilliant "No Country For Old Men" was an entirely deserving winner for both Best Director (in their case Best Directors) and Best Picture. Their bloody, beautifully acted, poetic adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's novel was soulful, inventive, mysterious and truly horrifying. Though this is one of their best pictures, us Coen fans are also taking this as a win for "Blood Simple," "Miller's Crossing," "Barton Fink," "Raising Arizona," "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" and of course, "The Big Lebowski." And you know, had "No Country" lost, don't think we wouldn't see "Lebowski" vet Walter Sobchak storming on stage screaming: "Has the whole world gone crazy! Am I the only one here who gives a sh*t about the rules?" So with that, congratulations to the Coens.
OSCARS BEST, WORST, AND WEIRDEST MOMENTS
Stewart gets edgy, Tilda gets funny, and everyone's got bedhead!
By Kim Morgan Special to MSN Movies
To think that just a couple of weeks ago, this whole Oscar shindig might have been cancelled...
But the three-month-long Writers Guild strike was settled in the nick of time, so the biggest movie awards show in the world -- the American equivalent of a coronation -- could go on, and stars could gather to honor ... other stars. As host Jon Stewart quipped: "Having the Oscars helped end the strike ... before we spend the next four to five hours giving each other golden statues, let's take a moment to congratulate ourselves."
The 80th Annual Academy Awards were not all just pats on the back, writer jokes and fantastic frocks (well, actually, there were a lot of fantastic frocks): Many of the nominated films, actors, writers and directors were (double gasp!) actually deserving, and two of the pictures -- "There Will Be Blood" and "No Country for Old Men" -- are bona-fide masterpieces. If there was any kind of theme this year, it was Oscar getting it almost right -- nominating interesting films and artists from all over the world (England, France, Ireland, Italy, Spain and Austria were all represented). And of the contenders, there was new talent (Ellen Page for "Juno"), older icons (Hal Holbrook for "Into the Wild") and, for heaven's sake, Viggo Mortensen (perhaps one of the coolest men walking the earth) for "Eastern Promises."
Still, maybe it was all this good taste and worthiness that made the show a little ... staid. Don't get me wrong, there were some surprises and spirited highlights, like Stewart's opening monologue, some heartfelt acceptance speeches and one (or should I say "Once"?) musical performance. And there were also some lowlights, like Academy President Sid Ganis' attempts at humor, the uninspired video pieces and three musical performances from "Enchanted."
So we're here to hand out awards for the best, worst and weirdest of the ceremony. The envelope, please:
Most Moving Acceptance Speech: How does he do it? Picking up his Best Supporting Actor award for playing psychopath Anton Chigurh in "No Country For Old Men," Javier Bardem managed to be likable, studly, humble, casual and touching all at once. Ambling on stage with his mussed-up hair and mischievous smile, he said, "I have to speak fast here, man" and then pointed out everything from how amazing the award was to his curious Dutch-boy haircut from the movie. But when he honored his "Mama" (entirely in Spanish) with nary a trace of sappiness, the charming Spaniard caught us off guard. We were positively teary-eyed. And then he all but strutted off-stage. Hmmm... maybe it's not Viggo but Javier who's the coolest man walking the face of the earth.
Best Jon Stewart Joke, Part 1: "Tonight we look beyond the dark days and focus on happier fare. This year's slate of Oscar-nominated psychopathic killer movies. Does this town need a hug? What happened? 'No Country For Old Men,' 'Sweeney Todd,' 'There Will Be Blood.' All I can say is thank God for teen pregnancy."
Funniest Acceptance Speech: Tilda Swinton. She is known for her edgy, serious work in heavy films like "Orlando" and "The Deep End" and as the famed ice queen from "The Chronicles of Narnia" so who knew she was so damn funny? When accepting her Best Supporting Actress win for "Michael Clayton," the red-haired Brit hilariously capped her speech by mercilessly teasing co-star George Clooney: "George Clooney... you know. The seriousness and dedication to your art, seeing you climb into that rubber bat suit from "Batman and Robin," the one with nipples, every morning, under your costume, on the set, off the set, hanging upside at lunch. You rock, man. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" Ever the class act, Clooney took it like, well, like George Clooney -- a man.
Am I Crazy Or... Was seeing acclaimed filmmaker Spike Lee and his "Jungle Fever" star, recent tax evader Wesley Snipes, sitting together as essentially dates kind of heartwarming? And they looked fantastic. Maybe they'll make another movie together? I'm sure Snipes would be happy. The IRS is another story...
Edgiest Jon Stewart Joke: "Julie Christie was absolutely amazing in 'Away From Her.' Brilliant movie. It was a moving story of a woman who forgets her own husband. Hillary Clinton called it the 'feel good movie of the year.' "
Buzz Off: Can Jerry Seinfeld please stop promoting that damn bee movie? We saw you on Oprah. We saw you on Letterman. We saw you on Larry King. We get it. You made freaking "Bee Movie." And yes, we know it will be available on DVD this March. And showing the montage of great stinging film moments didn't make us want to rush out and buy (ugh!) "Bee Movie." Seriously, we'd so rather watch that hilarious Bill Murray bee sequence from "Rushmore" over Jerry's entire animated classic.
Bad in Black: One would think black is basic -- that it flatters all who wear it. But the usually perky and lovely Jennifer Garner appeared downright dour in her dark frock, looking both unhappy and uncomfortable in such a gothic get-up. Helena Bonham Carter (where was she, anyway?) she is not.
Ladies in Red: Perhaps in the spirit of all the violent movies nominated this year, many actresses opted for bold red dresses. Helen Mirren, Anne Hathaway, a stunning Katherine Heigl channeling Marilyn Monroe, Heidi Klum and, uh, Miley Cirus all went primary. Wait, what the hell was Miley Cirus doing there?
Am I Crazy Or... Is Amy Adams becoming really irritating? I don't dislike the lovable star, but her appearance this year left me with conflicted emotions. As she performed "Happy Working Song," one of the three nominated songs for her film "Enchanted," I was both embarrassed and overwhelmingly annoyed by her Betty Boop/Snow White impersonation. Did she even want to perform this? And to make matters worse, little Miss Adams continued her cutesy, goody-goody act while presenting the award for Best Original Score. Typecast much? I hate to say this, but she needs to play a hooker/heroin addict/convicted murderer stat. That cuteness is starting to curdle.
Best Jon Stewart Joke, Part 2: "There is a great variety in the nominated films this year. Even 'Norbit,' got a nomination, which I think is great. Too often the Academy ignores movies that aren't good."
Technically Speaking: Why do Scientific and Technical Achievement Awards always have to be handed out by Hollywood's latest babe-du-jour? I know, I know. I'm sure all those guys slaving over their computers and gadgets and inventions more than enjoy the presence of sexy Jessica Alba (who looks terrific pregnant, by the way), but why not something new next year? How about Philip Seymour Hoffman presenting the award -- preferably as his Ned Beatty/Wilford Brimley-esque character of "Charlie Wilson's War."
Am I Crazy Or... Did the more hysterical of the two winning directors of Best Documentary Short Subject ("Freeheld," which I'm sure is a fine short film) provide the most unintentionally hilarious line of the evening: "It was Lt. Laurel Hester's dying wish that her fight against discrimination would make a difference for all same sex couples that face discrimination every day. Discrimination that I don't face as a married woman." The sentiment was nice, but why did she sound like Sally Struthers?
Ruffled Razz-Ma-Tazz: Aside from an incredibly dapper George Clooney, who looked a cross between Cary Grant and Clark Gable with his slicked-back hair and perfect tux, this year's male attire was decidedly relaxed though strikingly attractive. Most everyone appeared a little unkempt (mussed hair, unshaven face, less-traditional tuxes) and yet not at all slobby. They were in fact elegant and eclectic. Viggo Mortensen looked extraordinary rocking a Vincent Van Gogh beard and knee-length dinner jacket. Daniel Day-Lewis' longer hair and more retro tux was fetching. And Javier Bardem, Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill and Harrison Ford all appeared with a little bed-head ... which was actually very sexy. I'm not even going to start with Johnny Depp.
Least Surprising, Most Deserving Win: I think he's a genius (sorry to all of you out there who think him a ham), so I was ecstatic when the entirely deserving Daniel Day-Lewis picked up his golden boy for his powerful performance as insanely ambitious oil-man Daniel Plainview in Paul Thomas Anderson's masterful "There Will Be Blood." But come on -- everyone knew it was going to happen. As Tony Curtis said in "Sweet Smell of Success," "The cat's in the bag and the bag's in the river." I'd add something about milkshakes but that's getting a little played out...
Best Jon Stewart Joke, Part 3: "Democrats have an historic race going. Hillary Clinton vs. Barack Obama. Normally when you see a black man or woman president, an asteroid is about to hit the Statue of Liberty."
Diablo Disappoints: Diablo Cody, beloved hipster-ex-stripper-screenwriter-goddess, wins Best Original Screenplay for the indie hit "Juno," a movie soaked with quippy one-liners that either delighted or seriously exasperated audiences -- and all she can come up with is, "I especially want to thank my fellow nominees." Or, "This is for the writers!" Diablo! Honest to blog! Where was your arsenal of smarty-pants wisecracks and pop-culture Soupy Sales-isms? This is the Oscars, Home Skillet. This is your time on stage. As you wrote, this is "one doodle that can't be un-did." But hey, you pulled off the leopard dress, tats and your Louise Brooks bob. So at least you looked great. But... another thing. What was with your glum exit offstage? Was Harrison Ford taking you to Oscar detention?
Most Surprising Win: Wow! No Julie Christie for Sarah Polley's lovely, heartbreaking "Away From Her." We thought Christie was a shoe-in. But talented French hottie Marion Cotillard was the spoiler, picking up Best Actress for her performances as iconic French chanteuse Edith Piaf in "La Vie En Rose." I'm thinking all those mixed CDs Academy voters picked up at Starbucks (I'm only guessing these exist -- those International flavor collections) with that strange-voiced French lady actually compelled them to do a little Piaf research. Nevertheless, though we were rooting for Christie, it was tough not to be happy for Cotillard, who appeared definitely shocked and as she said, "speechless." She also looked wonderful in white. Jean Paul Gaultier does a gal good.
The Real Enchanting "Once" Upon a Time: Glen Hansard (he of the Irish band The Frames) and Czech musician Marketa Irglova performed their soulful, beautiful song "Falling Slowly" from their charming, touching, musical indie "Once." She on piano, he strumming a battered old guitar he's had since he was a teenage busker (street singer) in Ireland. It was gorgeous (though why did the camera choose to end on orchestra conductor Bill Conti? It was their moment, not his.) Next to all of those painfully corny "Enchanted" songs, some of which played like ads for Clorox Bleach (I could have sworn someone sang "Mama makes brights, bright like the sunshine ..."), the two channeled the late great Elliott Smith (remember him in his white suit, standing next to Celine Dion ... And losing?!). But the refreshingly independent Hansard and Irglova won! And we cheered when Hansard stated, "Make art! Make art!" Jon Stewart extended their moment by allowing Irglova, who was cut off by the over-anxious orchestra, to movingly extend her gratitude. What a moment.
The Dudes Abide: Though some of us were also rooting for Paul Thomas Anderson's "There Will Be Blood," Joel and Ethan Coen's brilliant "No Country For Old Men" was an entirely deserving winner for both Best Director (in their case Best Directors) and Best Picture. Their bloody, beautifully acted, poetic adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's novel was soulful, inventive, mysterious and truly horrifying. Though this is one of their best pictures, us Coen fans are also taking this as a win for "Blood Simple," "Miller's Crossing," "Barton Fink," "Raising Arizona," "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" and of course, "The Big Lebowski." And you know, had "No Country" lost, don't think we wouldn't see "Lebowski" vet Walter Sobchak storming on stage screaming: "Has the whole world gone crazy! Am I the only one here who gives a sh*t about the rules?" So with that, congratulations to the Coens.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Academy Awards Part 2 - Pre Show
OH MY GOD - I feel so sorry for Lisa Rinna. She's doing the Red Carpet pre-show interviews for TV Guide channel, and she's absolutely bombing! She's forgotten almost everyone's movies and all of their stats - and what she IS saying is completely wrong. More than once she's justs stood there silent staring at the star cause she didn't know what to say. Where are her writers? Don't they know the strike is over??
Academy Awards
Today's the day... it's finally here... the day I wait for all year... the Oscars! I love
Hollywood and the movies so much - I LOVE the Academy Awards.
I'm all set. It's 5pm, I'm sitting here with the house to myself, my big tv tuned to the pre-shows and red carpet countdown, my telephone handy to call my mother, and my best friend on the compt just to dish about who's wearing who and which movies won.
Hollywood and the movies so much - I LOVE the Academy Awards.
I'm all set. It's 5pm, I'm sitting here with the house to myself, my big tv tuned to the pre-shows and red carpet countdown, my telephone handy to call my mother, and my best friend on the compt just to dish about who's wearing who and which movies won.
Friday, February 22, 2008
Pei Wei Tea
Well I just had a good pick me up! The manager at Pei Wei comped me an iced tea. I was jonesing for their chai tea, so I stopped in for just an iced tea to go -- and the manager gave it to me on the house! Yay!
Thursday, February 21, 2008
VDAY - Vagina Monologues in New Orleans 4/11 - 4/12
The Vagina Monologues are 10 years old, and to celebrate 10 years of ending violence against women, they're having a special event in New Orleans:
On Saturday evening, April 12, 2008, V-Day will stage a once in a lifetime event - V TO THE TENTH - featuring international performances of The Vagina Monologues, musical guests, V-Day activists from across the globe including Kenya, Afghanistan, Iraq, The Philippines, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eastern Europe , men standing up for women and much more.
Salma Hayek, Oprah Winfrey, Faith Hill, Jane Fonda, Jessica Alba, Jennifer Hudson, Glenn Close, Julia Stiles, Ali Larter, Sally Field, Marisa Tomei, Calpernia Addams, Rosario Dawson, Kerry Washington, and musicians Common, Eve, and Charmaine Neville have already signed on. The evening will open minds and hearts and raise much needed attention and funds for groups working to end violence against women and girls around the world, and in New Orleans and the Gulf South.
http://v10.vday.org/
http://www.vday.org/
I wanna go! Anyone want to join me?
On Saturday evening, April 12, 2008, V-Day will stage a once in a lifetime event - V TO THE TENTH - featuring international performances of The Vagina Monologues, musical guests, V-Day activists from across the globe including Kenya, Afghanistan, Iraq, The Philippines, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eastern Europe , men standing up for women and much more.
Salma Hayek, Oprah Winfrey, Faith Hill, Jane Fonda, Jessica Alba, Jennifer Hudson, Glenn Close, Julia Stiles, Ali Larter, Sally Field, Marisa Tomei, Calpernia Addams, Rosario Dawson, Kerry Washington, and musicians Common, Eve, and Charmaine Neville have already signed on. The evening will open minds and hearts and raise much needed attention and funds for groups working to end violence against women and girls around the world, and in New Orleans and the Gulf South.
http://v10.vday.org/
http://www.vday.org/
I wanna go! Anyone want to join me?
Irresponsible Drivers
I have to vent a bit about 2 different cars/drivers I saw while out at lunch today:
1) As I parked my car at Half Price Books, I noticed the car parked next to me had 3 or 4 dogs inside. I totally freak out when people leave animals in cars during hot months, but granted the temps weren't TOO bad today and they could handle it. But I was in Half Price Books for an hour and when I came out, the dogs were still there! I really felt sorry for them - all crammed in a little compact car. I don't know how long they were actually stuck there.
2) Now while that's not nice, it's not illegal or anything... but then... I was waiting at a red light heading back to the office, my windows down since Bessie's a/c is broken, and I hear a toddler babbling. The windows are down on the minivan to my right, so I can see straight in and clearly overhear them. I look over and there was a 2 year old little girl sitting in her mama's lap in the front seat - of course neither with seat belts. OH MY GOD! I mean c'mon people!! Set aside the fact that it's totally illegal to do that, don't you realize how dangerous that is?! We were on 1960, a pretty busy road - PLUS it's raining. That baby could have flown into the windshield or (God forbid) out the window -- not to mention the airbag could kill her. I wonder if there's a hotline or something to report things like that. I'm normally not one for being Big Brother's snitch, but some things should be reported.
1) As I parked my car at Half Price Books, I noticed the car parked next to me had 3 or 4 dogs inside. I totally freak out when people leave animals in cars during hot months, but granted the temps weren't TOO bad today and they could handle it. But I was in Half Price Books for an hour and when I came out, the dogs were still there! I really felt sorry for them - all crammed in a little compact car. I don't know how long they were actually stuck there.
2) Now while that's not nice, it's not illegal or anything... but then... I was waiting at a red light heading back to the office, my windows down since Bessie's a/c is broken, and I hear a toddler babbling. The windows are down on the minivan to my right, so I can see straight in and clearly overhear them. I look over and there was a 2 year old little girl sitting in her mama's lap in the front seat - of course neither with seat belts. OH MY GOD! I mean c'mon people!! Set aside the fact that it's totally illegal to do that, don't you realize how dangerous that is?! We were on 1960, a pretty busy road - PLUS it's raining. That baby could have flown into the windshield or (God forbid) out the window -- not to mention the airbag could kill her. I wonder if there's a hotline or something to report things like that. I'm normally not one for being Big Brother's snitch, but some things should be reported.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Bessie's Sick
Uh-oh... Bessie, my beloved car, isn't doing well. The air conditioner compressor wouldn't kick on just now. I almost went into panic mode. That's always been the kiss of death for my cars in the past. This is the first really nice car - brand new car - I've had. Always before if the a/c went out, it would have cost more than the car was worth to have it fixed. I immediately thought, crap - the last thing I want right now is another car payment. I love having this car paid for. But - we're at the level now that I don't have to give up on Bessie, I can have the a/c fixed. I can invest a few hundred or a thousand (gulp!) into my car if that means it will continue to run well for another year or so. I can't complain either. My car's a 2000 Chevy Malibu LS - I bought it brand new in May 2000 (7 miles on the odometer!) - and from what I can think of, this is the first major incident we've had with it. 8 years with no major breakdowns? That's great! Isn't it??
Be Careful What You Write
Whenever writing a post, I always keep in mind that either 1) my mother or 2) my boss could be reading it, and so I'm careful what I say in those respects. Never say anything to embarass or get you disowned -- and never say anything that could get you fired. But last night hubby was kind enough to remind me that I should always write with the expectation that ANYONE could be reading and to always be careful what I say. Oops! I tend to forget about that. I know of my small circle of friends and family who follow my ramblings, but I forget that by posting this on the web, I'm opening myself and my thoughts to people everywhere. I always wonder (and have asked several times) if I'm boring you with my ramblings - most of the time I wonder why would anyone even care about the crap I write - but you've said no, you like checking in with your friend and her life. So I'll keep it up. I'll just watch what I say a bit more from now on...
Thursday, February 14, 2008
ProFlowers.com
Since I'm in a princess mood today, I want to get on my little princess soap box for a minute. I can't stand getting flower deliveries from Pro Flowers.com. They arrive in a box, with a plastic vase, and you have to arrange them yourself. Uh-huh, no way. Hubby sent me flowers from there once. To top it all off that once, the flowers themselves were old & wilted. He confessed how much he spent for them, and I called Pro Flowers with a screaming hissy fit that we did NOT get our money's worth. I know - I can be such a bitch sometimes. In hubby's defense, he was new at the whole married guy thing and didn't know to order flowers from a local florist. I explained to him that they're just as cheap and it's a lot easier most times. I'm sorry, but if someone is going to pay $75 on flowers for me, I damn well want them in a glass vase and I DON'T want to arrange them myself. I mean c'mon people! That's why florists only hire trained floral arrangers - they know how to do it, I don't! Plus - part of the fun of getting flowers is the look on all of your coworkers' faces when this big beautiful flower arrangement is delivered with your name on it. Everyone notices. The same arrangement can arrive in a box and no one will give it a second glance.
So... guys... remember... Yes for floral arrangements... no for flowers in a box... (unless that's what she wants...)
So... guys... remember... Yes for floral arrangements... no for flowers in a box... (unless that's what she wants...)
NEW BRA - WOOHOOOOOOOOOO!!
I am SO excited I can barely sit still!! I am SO HAPPY!! My female readers may understand my excitement - guys, I'm sorry, I don't know if there's anything in your world that equates to this...
I finally got fed up with my bra not fitting correctly & being uncomfortable, so I went to get a new one at lunch. Now, being the princess that I am, I don't just go to a department or discount store and shop off the racks for a bra. I discovered specialty lingerie shops about 11 years ago. I'm digressing, but actually my ob/gyn suggested I go to one. I used to have serious breast pain, and he said that a properly fitting bra would make all the difference in the world - and boy was he right! My first experience shopping in a lingerie shop was a little frightening. I was 22 at the time and still a bit modest. The sales lady greeted me, and escorted me straight through the store to the dressing room where she told me to strip. Umm what?? She wanted me topless so she could judge my size. Umm... I don't think so, I don't even undress in front of my mother anymore. She then looked me straight in the eye and said "Honey, this is what I do for a living. There isn't a boobie or a booty in this city I haven't seen, now STRIP". YES MAMM!! Oh yikes! I don't think I'll ever forget that! But it was absolutely amazing. The woman didn't even take a measuring tape to me, she just looked at me and guessed my perfect size -- stepped away & came back with 3 bras for me to choose from -- and all three fit perfectly. She even showed me the proper way to put on a bra (who knew!).
So... I've been shopping at my current store, The Bra Specialist on 1960, for about 5 years now, and I've only worn two different styles of bra for 5 years. My first trip to the store, Erlinda walked into the dressing room with IT - the bra of my dreams. It's not the fanciest looking bra in the world, but MY GOD it fits wonderfully. It's just a plain stretchy satin type material with wide straps - no frills. But I swear, the instant I slipped it on, I was in love. It fit me like a second skin. It held me up and in, in the correct places without pinching or rolling or poking anywhere. HALLELUJAH!! It's the bra from heaven!! I took the tags off, threw my old bra away, and wore it out the door - after buying 1 in every color of course! And for the next 4 years or so, that was my bra. As soon as one would wear out, I'd buy a replacement. Until last summer... when the unspeakable happened... My bras were getting too tight so I went to get a larger size --- and found out that they don't make anything larger than that current size and I would have to change bras. WHAT?!?! NO!! This can NOT be happening!! NOT MY BRA!! Anything but that!! But yes, it was true... I'd gotten so fat, I couldn't wear my bra from heaven anymore. So, I bought a different style. I have to give Erlinda credit, the new bra was very pretty and it did fit very well, but it wasn't THE bra. My bra from heaven.
But! This story has a wonderful happy ending... I've lost 30 pounds so far since my surgery, and my bras have been getting loose and uncomfortable lately. I'd finally had it and went to see Erlinda for a new one. She was just leaving for lunch when I got there - oh no! She's the only one who's ever helped me - she knows what I like! Never fear, Angela can help me too... I was a little hesitant, but ok... so she ushers me to the dressing room and I explain how I've lost 30 lbs and my current bra is too loose. She asked if I wanted to stay with my current style - I said no, I didn't really care. Making small talk she mentioned that my current bra was her favorite style. I told her that while I liked that one, there's another I just adore. And unfortunately I'm now too large for it. She leaves and when she comes back with a bra for me to try on... you're reading ahead & know already don't you... yep! it's THE bra. MY bra - My wonderful favorite comfortable bra. (am I a bit too attached to this?? I don't know...) I said THAT'S IT! That's my favorite bra!! "But I don't understand, do they make larger sizes now?" No - I've just lost enough weight that I fit back into them again. WOOHOO!! At this point I am nearly jumping up & down with joy. I get the bra on and it fits - IT FITS! To be completely honest about it, it's a tad tiny bit tight, but I don't care. I'm not complaining - it'll stretch or I'll shrink a bit. I told her to take the tag off please, I'm wearing it out!
I left that place walking on cloud 9 - I'm really starting to see results with my weight loss. My pants are VERY loose and my bra was too big. Woohoo!!
Oh and P.S. I bought one in every color they make... of course!
I finally got fed up with my bra not fitting correctly & being uncomfortable, so I went to get a new one at lunch. Now, being the princess that I am, I don't just go to a department or discount store and shop off the racks for a bra. I discovered specialty lingerie shops about 11 years ago. I'm digressing, but actually my ob/gyn suggested I go to one. I used to have serious breast pain, and he said that a properly fitting bra would make all the difference in the world - and boy was he right! My first experience shopping in a lingerie shop was a little frightening. I was 22 at the time and still a bit modest. The sales lady greeted me, and escorted me straight through the store to the dressing room where she told me to strip. Umm what?? She wanted me topless so she could judge my size. Umm... I don't think so, I don't even undress in front of my mother anymore. She then looked me straight in the eye and said "Honey, this is what I do for a living. There isn't a boobie or a booty in this city I haven't seen, now STRIP". YES MAMM!! Oh yikes! I don't think I'll ever forget that! But it was absolutely amazing. The woman didn't even take a measuring tape to me, she just looked at me and guessed my perfect size -- stepped away & came back with 3 bras for me to choose from -- and all three fit perfectly. She even showed me the proper way to put on a bra (who knew!).
So... I've been shopping at my current store, The Bra Specialist on 1960, for about 5 years now, and I've only worn two different styles of bra for 5 years. My first trip to the store, Erlinda walked into the dressing room with IT - the bra of my dreams. It's not the fanciest looking bra in the world, but MY GOD it fits wonderfully. It's just a plain stretchy satin type material with wide straps - no frills. But I swear, the instant I slipped it on, I was in love. It fit me like a second skin. It held me up and in, in the correct places without pinching or rolling or poking anywhere. HALLELUJAH!! It's the bra from heaven!! I took the tags off, threw my old bra away, and wore it out the door - after buying 1 in every color of course! And for the next 4 years or so, that was my bra. As soon as one would wear out, I'd buy a replacement. Until last summer... when the unspeakable happened... My bras were getting too tight so I went to get a larger size --- and found out that they don't make anything larger than that current size and I would have to change bras. WHAT?!?! NO!! This can NOT be happening!! NOT MY BRA!! Anything but that!! But yes, it was true... I'd gotten so fat, I couldn't wear my bra from heaven anymore. So, I bought a different style. I have to give Erlinda credit, the new bra was very pretty and it did fit very well, but it wasn't THE bra. My bra from heaven.
But! This story has a wonderful happy ending... I've lost 30 pounds so far since my surgery, and my bras have been getting loose and uncomfortable lately. I'd finally had it and went to see Erlinda for a new one. She was just leaving for lunch when I got there - oh no! She's the only one who's ever helped me - she knows what I like! Never fear, Angela can help me too... I was a little hesitant, but ok... so she ushers me to the dressing room and I explain how I've lost 30 lbs and my current bra is too loose. She asked if I wanted to stay with my current style - I said no, I didn't really care. Making small talk she mentioned that my current bra was her favorite style. I told her that while I liked that one, there's another I just adore. And unfortunately I'm now too large for it. She leaves and when she comes back with a bra for me to try on... you're reading ahead & know already don't you... yep! it's THE bra. MY bra - My wonderful favorite comfortable bra. (am I a bit too attached to this?? I don't know...) I said THAT'S IT! That's my favorite bra!! "But I don't understand, do they make larger sizes now?" No - I've just lost enough weight that I fit back into them again. WOOHOO!! At this point I am nearly jumping up & down with joy. I get the bra on and it fits - IT FITS! To be completely honest about it, it's a tad tiny bit tight, but I don't care. I'm not complaining - it'll stretch or I'll shrink a bit. I told her to take the tag off please, I'm wearing it out!
I left that place walking on cloud 9 - I'm really starting to see results with my weight loss. My pants are VERY loose and my bra was too big. Woohoo!!
Oh and P.S. I bought one in every color they make... of course!
Monday, February 11, 2008
Old Bad Habits
Dance with the Devil, the Devil doesn't change... the Devil changes you...
That's the quote I think of when I think of myself and how I led my life from December 2005 to August 2007... Almost 2 years of losing my sanity... and almost my family...
It blows me away how easy it is to fall back in to old habits - you don't even think about it, but there you are...
An old friend contacted me last week... We hadn't spoken in 6 months... but the instant we spoke online, I was instantly back into the routine. My old habits of lies, half-truths, etc (to my family & friends) came back immediately. I wasn't even aware of it until later. I had no reason to hide things or twist the truth, but I did just because I could.
Even though others disagree - I still don't think my old friends are bad people, that they set out to be that way deliberately. But just for some reason, when I'm with either one, I don't think before I act. The little signal that everyone has in her brain, the one that tells you something is a bad idea, your little Jiminy Cricket I guess - doesn't kick in for me. I don't look before I leap per se - and I've ended up in a few places and situations I should not have been.
Last week, I had to tell my friend goodbye - again. This time permanently. It really was just so easy to pick back up where I'd left off. The only way I can describe it is an alcoholic falling off the wagon. You have to stay away from the temptation all together, and that means I have to cut all contact with my old friends. I am not going back there again. I was able to fix things before I crossed the point of no return last time, and I'm not going near it again.
I do miss my friends - terribly sometimes. But I don't miss the heartache, headaches, and drama that seemed to be constant when I was around them. Sometimes it's best to just close the book on one chapter in your life & move on to the next. This is one of those times. If they read this, I hope they know that I wish them both the best in whatever the future holds, and I'll never forget them.
That's the quote I think of when I think of myself and how I led my life from December 2005 to August 2007... Almost 2 years of losing my sanity... and almost my family...
It blows me away how easy it is to fall back in to old habits - you don't even think about it, but there you are...
An old friend contacted me last week... We hadn't spoken in 6 months... but the instant we spoke online, I was instantly back into the routine. My old habits of lies, half-truths, etc (to my family & friends) came back immediately. I wasn't even aware of it until later. I had no reason to hide things or twist the truth, but I did just because I could.
Even though others disagree - I still don't think my old friends are bad people, that they set out to be that way deliberately. But just for some reason, when I'm with either one, I don't think before I act. The little signal that everyone has in her brain, the one that tells you something is a bad idea, your little Jiminy Cricket I guess - doesn't kick in for me. I don't look before I leap per se - and I've ended up in a few places and situations I should not have been.
Last week, I had to tell my friend goodbye - again. This time permanently. It really was just so easy to pick back up where I'd left off. The only way I can describe it is an alcoholic falling off the wagon. You have to stay away from the temptation all together, and that means I have to cut all contact with my old friends. I am not going back there again. I was able to fix things before I crossed the point of no return last time, and I'm not going near it again.
I do miss my friends - terribly sometimes. But I don't miss the heartache, headaches, and drama that seemed to be constant when I was around them. Sometimes it's best to just close the book on one chapter in your life & move on to the next. This is one of those times. If they read this, I hope they know that I wish them both the best in whatever the future holds, and I'll never forget them.
Saturday, February 9, 2008
Wonderful Lighting
Don't you love the deep thoughts you get when you're awake in the middle of the night? I love the lighting in my downstairs bathroom. It always makes me look pretty. I can be having the worst "I feel fat & ugly" bad hair day, and I'll still look good in my downstairs bathroom mirror. It's a combination of the light fixture, the window behind me, and the shadows created by the room. It doesnt matter if I'm all done up for a night out, in no-nonsense wear for work, grunged out - dressed for house cleaning, or in my nightshirt with bedhead at 3am. I think I always look pretty when looking at my reflection in there.
I think everyone needs a magic mirror like that to uplift their moods now & then...
I think everyone needs a magic mirror like that to uplift their moods now & then...
Friday, February 8, 2008
I want a Smart Car!
I want one! Aren't they just the cutest things? I mean, I'd never have it as my ONLY means of transportation. It's way too small to be a family wagon, but it's perfect for the drive to work! Plus its very "green".
A SMART CAR! I can totally see myself cruising around town in it!
Okay, I admit it... I'm a moron... Locked my keys in my car...
So I have to tell on myself again... I locked my keys in my car last night... I was rushing out the door this morning, trying not to be late for my doctor's appt, but I couldn't find my keys ANYWHERE. Ugh, I looked all over the place! Luckily my husband was still home today (he took the boy to school since I had the doc's appt), so I snatched up his keys and ran outside. Yep - just as I feared, there were my keys hanging from the ignition in my locked car. I haven't done that in over 6 years! But thinking back - last night I was trying to get myself, my purse, my books, my son, his backpack, his lunchbox, his water bottle, a kalidescope, a Happy Meal toy, a large pepperoni pizza, a medium Dr. Pepper, and my keys out of the car... No wonder the keys were left behind!
Thanks from the Tooth Fairy!
My son lost his first tooth last night. Yay! He's so excited! It's just in time too for school picture day today. Unfortunately it's a bottom front tooth, and I don't think you'll be able to see it like you would've if it had been a top tooth - but I'm not going to spoil his fun by saying that!
THANK YOU SO MUCH - to whomever left the comment about putting the teeth in envelopes. That was a great idea! I'd forgotten how tiny the teeth are! We folded the tooth in a tissue and sealed it in an envelope with his name and the date on the front. Perfect! It made it so easy for the Tooth Fairy to sneak in later & slide the envelope out from under the pillow.
P.S. for anyone's future reference, always keep at least one $1 bill around if your child has a loose tooth. Otherwise the Tooth Fairy could be stuck leaving a $5 bill under the pillow because it's all she had! Mama & Daddy had to explain that since this was his first tooth and a special occasion, the Tooth Fairy left more than she normally would...
Oh - and P.P.S. He'd secretly been wishing she'd leave a Star Wars light saber instead of cash... I told him, no way - ain't gonna happen. She's cash only!
THANK YOU SO MUCH - to whomever left the comment about putting the teeth in envelopes. That was a great idea! I'd forgotten how tiny the teeth are! We folded the tooth in a tissue and sealed it in an envelope with his name and the date on the front. Perfect! It made it so easy for the Tooth Fairy to sneak in later & slide the envelope out from under the pillow.
P.S. for anyone's future reference, always keep at least one $1 bill around if your child has a loose tooth. Otherwise the Tooth Fairy could be stuck leaving a $5 bill under the pillow because it's all she had! Mama & Daddy had to explain that since this was his first tooth and a special occasion, the Tooth Fairy left more than she normally would...
Oh - and P.P.S. He'd secretly been wishing she'd leave a Star Wars light saber instead of cash... I told him, no way - ain't gonna happen. She's cash only!
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Redneck Neighbors part three...
They are still hauling in furniture and decor... the space is not that big, where are they going to put everything?! They're also - get this - painting metal file cabinets with a faux finish to look like wood - geez... the fumes are making me high... oohhhh bad headache...
I saw one of the head honchos again this morning. He pulled up in his huge Ram truck - bright red. As he does everyday, he was wearing a black cowboy hat (I've never seen him without it), starched Wranglers, starched brushpopper shirt, boots, and his big ol' country boy belt buckle - oh and he has a big bush dark mustache. I swear, he looks like a bad guy on Road House... or a George Strait look alike...
I saw one of the head honchos again this morning. He pulled up in his huge Ram truck - bright red. As he does everyday, he was wearing a black cowboy hat (I've never seen him without it), starched Wranglers, starched brushpopper shirt, boots, and his big ol' country boy belt buckle - oh and he has a big bush dark mustache. I swear, he looks like a bad guy on Road House... or a George Strait look alike...
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Redneck Good Ole Boy Neighbors - Part 2
So the new office neighbors are moving their furniture in now. Wow! They have tacky tastes! My coworkers got the nerve to peek into their office this morning - the walls are a peachy terracotta color. Apparently, they're horrific! I haven't had the opportunity to directly snoop, but I've seen every piece of furniture and decor as they're wheeling it all past my glass doors. Wow - T A C K Y!! It's so over the top Texan and Western. My coworker described it as Mae West meets Willie Nelson - now THAT'll put a frightening picture in your head! It's every Texas cliche' and stereotype in the books. Ever watch Will & Grace? There's one episode where Grace decorates Will's Texan boss's office/apt and it's beyond gaudy with all of the Texas crap all over everywhere? Well that's what they've been wheeling past me for the past week. Ack! WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE?!
Axis Camo Electric Razor
WHY? What on earth is the purpose of having a camouflage electric razor? When is this ever useful? Are the commandos in the jungles in dire need of shaves? And if so, wouldn't the humming/vibrating noise from the razor tip you off to their location? These are the things that keep me awake nights...Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Tooth on the Loose
WARNING - Tooth Fairy Spoiler ahead!!
So I was talking to a friend of mine about why I bought the sterling silver pill box in the first place...
I want something nice to keep my son's baby teeth in after the tooth fairy collects them. My son just got his first loose tooth, and we're so excited! So I got to thinking, where do I keep his teeth? It was never a debate I think of whether to keep them or not, just where to keep them. My mother has a tiny trinket box in her old jewelry box with a few of my teeth - and the poodle's teeth. (ok, that explains SO MUCH about my present mental state I think...) So my friend replied "You keep those?!" Honestly, up to that point I thought everyone kept their children's teeth, but apparently not. Every baby store it seems has keepsake boxes for "Baby's First Tooth and Baby's First Haircut", so of course we keep the teeth. And so - here comes the idea for the sterling pill box. It's small enough to fit in my jewelry box, and nice enough to be a keepsake to keep his teeth in forever....
P.S. here's the bigger pill-box. It's plain jane, but it's perfectly sized:
4 more pounds!
I went to the doc this morning for one of my quarterly check ups - this one for my thyroid and high blood pressure. Everything's fine btw - labs came back normal...
but I LOVE his weight scale - it showed me as 4 lbs lighter than my scale at home this morning. It showed me as 221 - that's 29 pounds down, yay me!
My next adjustment is scheduled for this Friday. I need to get back on track with the diet & exercise program - hopefully that will help (well with the diet anyway). I may be 29 pounds down, but I still have plenty to go before bathing suit season
but I LOVE his weight scale - it showed me as 4 lbs lighter than my scale at home this morning. It showed me as 221 - that's 29 pounds down, yay me!
My next adjustment is scheduled for this Friday. I need to get back on track with the diet & exercise program - hopefully that will help (well with the diet anyway). I may be 29 pounds down, but I still have plenty to go before bathing suit season
Monday, February 4, 2008
Always Read The Fine Print
I hate it when I make stupid mistakes... especially if they end up costing me money... I ordered a sterling silver pill box from a shop online last week. Well dummy me didn't look at the fine print of the listing that said the one I picked out was TINY and could only hold about 2 aspirin. (No wonder it was the cheapest one listed) I was all excited when the package arrived this morning, but then couldn't believe it when I finally got the box opened... it's the smallest thing I've ever seen! I measured it, it's the size of a quarter. What on earth could you use that for? I mean c'mon, pill boxes themselves are tiny enough as it is but what is a quarter size box for? Ugh... now I have to return it for a larger one, pay for shipping, wait for the new one... blah blah blah... dammit...
Nip/Tuck
I can't believe I'm actually saying this... I've lost interest in Nip/Tuck. What's happening to me?! I have been a devoted Nip/Tuck fan since day 1 and have seen every single episode in all 5 seasons... until now. I don't know, this current season just doesn't appeal to me. I personally think it "jumped the shark" when they moved everyone to Los Angeles. That's when they started to lose me. Hubby's never liked it. He's always said how can he watch a show where he hates every single character? There are no good guys, every single adult character is a complete and total asshole. (my words, not his) Yikes - I think I'm starting to see his point. I have the last 4 new episodes recorded, but I really have no desire to watch them. I hate to say this, but I think they've lost me. I just can't take it anymore. I can't stand the stupidity of watching everyone screw everyone else and then screw them over too. Yep... Fonzie's jumped the shark... game over for me...
Scary Redneck Office Neighbors
We have new neighbors moving into the suite next to ours. We've been the only tenants here on the 4th floor of our office building since we moved in 5 years ago - but not any longer! Rumor has it that the newbies are a couple of attorneys. I don't know about that, but I do know they are hard core redneck good ole boys. I'm not talking about the sweet, country bubba-type rednecks, I'm talking the skoal chewing, cowboy dressing, jacked up truck driving, bimbo dating, racist, phobic, hard-core klan partying rednecks. Now looks can be deceiving and never judge a book by its cover and all that, so I really shouldn't judge... but I will... and going by how they look and walk and talk as they pass my glass office doors they're some big time asshole good ole boys. Great...
Sunday, February 3, 2008
Big Dream Bed
I just bought a new bed and I swear it's the biggest & most comfortable bed in existance...
A few weeks ago, my husband & I decided that it was time to get a new mattress & box springs. AND even though we were still really attached to our black iron bed - being a queen frame, we finally admitted that it was just too small & we needed to finally upgrade to a king bed. Man, I hate that! I LOVE our queen iron bed. We've had it forever and it's solid, so it'll last for decades to come. It's also a fun story to explain where we bought it. We bought it from a guy on the side of the road at the Westheimer Art/Street Festival when we were dating back in 1995. This guy told us that he had a shop in Mexico - he'd find patterns etc in the higher end furniture catalogs and take the pictures to the guys in Mexico to make for about half of the price. Then he'd bring the furniture back here & sell at festivals etc. Our bed cost us a whopping $400 - which back then was a HUGE amount (since we were still young & broke). We bought a queen because 1) it's all the guy had and 2) we were still living in apartments with smaller bedrooms.
While we upgraded the rest of our bedroom furniture to this really nice Thomasville set a couple of years ago, we were still hanging on to the iron bed and matched all the new furniture to it. Neither of us wanted to suggest getting rid of the bed. But we finally faced the truth a few weeks ago and admitted that we're completely cramped in that bed, and we really do have the room in the bedroom for a king bed.
So, we went to Star Furniture where we bought the rest of our bedroom suite to see if they had a matching or complimentary bed. We ended up with a GORGEOUS king sleigh bed frame and the most comfortable mattress in the world. I felt so sorry for the delivery guys though - this bed is freaking HUGE! We were honestly scared there for a bit that it wouldn't fit up the staircase & through the door. We almost had to remove the upstairs bannister rail, but luckily they were able to squeeze it in without needing to demo anything. It's PERFECT for our room. It matches our other bedroom furniture perfectly and is exactly our style. I LOVE going to bed at night... just sinking into it and snuggling in for the night. I can't wait to spend my first Lazy Hazy Sunday in bed - sleeping in until whenever and spending the whole day in bed reading, watching tv, dozing or whatever else comes to mind ;-). We don't get many of those anymore - not with a 6 year old running around the house...
P.S. I forgot to mention that 5 of us sleep in the bed every night. Hubby & me, plus 3 cats. They are SO excited about the new bed. They keep staring at it in awe - their little furry brains can barely comprehend! Anyway in the old bed, it was hubby on his side and Lily, Shelby, Willow & me on our side. The girls learned early on that "daddy" doesn't like to share his side of the bed. He has a technique we call "kitty express elevator" where he doesn't even wake up, he just shoves with all of his might and the cat goes flying off of the bed. I on the otherhand am a total pushover in my sleep, literally! I was trained early on as a kid (by my poodle) that if you push or kick me, I roll or scoot over in my sleep. I've woken up more times than I'd like to count in bizarre pretzel-like positions, with 3 cats sprawled out taking over my whole side of the bed. In the new bed, they can all 3 take their preferred spots and not impede us in the slightest! Lily has her corner up near my pillow (and sometimes ON my pillow), Willow's at the foot of the bed, and Shelby's decided she loves to sleep right in the middle between us. She and "daddy" have reached an understanding that he's ok with her there, as long as she keeps her tail off of his face at night.
A few weeks ago, my husband & I decided that it was time to get a new mattress & box springs. AND even though we were still really attached to our black iron bed - being a queen frame, we finally admitted that it was just too small & we needed to finally upgrade to a king bed. Man, I hate that! I LOVE our queen iron bed. We've had it forever and it's solid, so it'll last for decades to come. It's also a fun story to explain where we bought it. We bought it from a guy on the side of the road at the Westheimer Art/Street Festival when we were dating back in 1995. This guy told us that he had a shop in Mexico - he'd find patterns etc in the higher end furniture catalogs and take the pictures to the guys in Mexico to make for about half of the price. Then he'd bring the furniture back here & sell at festivals etc. Our bed cost us a whopping $400 - which back then was a HUGE amount (since we were still young & broke). We bought a queen because 1) it's all the guy had and 2) we were still living in apartments with smaller bedrooms.
While we upgraded the rest of our bedroom furniture to this really nice Thomasville set a couple of years ago, we were still hanging on to the iron bed and matched all the new furniture to it. Neither of us wanted to suggest getting rid of the bed. But we finally faced the truth a few weeks ago and admitted that we're completely cramped in that bed, and we really do have the room in the bedroom for a king bed.
So, we went to Star Furniture where we bought the rest of our bedroom suite to see if they had a matching or complimentary bed. We ended up with a GORGEOUS king sleigh bed frame and the most comfortable mattress in the world. I felt so sorry for the delivery guys though - this bed is freaking HUGE! We were honestly scared there for a bit that it wouldn't fit up the staircase & through the door. We almost had to remove the upstairs bannister rail, but luckily they were able to squeeze it in without needing to demo anything. It's PERFECT for our room. It matches our other bedroom furniture perfectly and is exactly our style. I LOVE going to bed at night... just sinking into it and snuggling in for the night. I can't wait to spend my first Lazy Hazy Sunday in bed - sleeping in until whenever and spending the whole day in bed reading, watching tv, dozing or whatever else comes to mind ;-). We don't get many of those anymore - not with a 6 year old running around the house...
P.S. I forgot to mention that 5 of us sleep in the bed every night. Hubby & me, plus 3 cats. They are SO excited about the new bed. They keep staring at it in awe - their little furry brains can barely comprehend! Anyway in the old bed, it was hubby on his side and Lily, Shelby, Willow & me on our side. The girls learned early on that "daddy" doesn't like to share his side of the bed. He has a technique we call "kitty express elevator" where he doesn't even wake up, he just shoves with all of his might and the cat goes flying off of the bed. I on the otherhand am a total pushover in my sleep, literally! I was trained early on as a kid (by my poodle) that if you push or kick me, I roll or scoot over in my sleep. I've woken up more times than I'd like to count in bizarre pretzel-like positions, with 3 cats sprawled out taking over my whole side of the bed. In the new bed, they can all 3 take their preferred spots and not impede us in the slightest! Lily has her corner up near my pillow (and sometimes ON my pillow), Willow's at the foot of the bed, and Shelby's decided she loves to sleep right in the middle between us. She and "daddy" have reached an understanding that he's ok with her there, as long as she keeps her tail off of his face at night.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
TAMPAX in Africa - eeewwwwww
So I'm watching music videos on Yahoo last night, and as usual before the one of the actual videos came on, I had to sit through a 30 second commercial -- that's always annoyed me, but I deal - anyway... So, I see an African girl on the screen and the announcer starts talking about how she has to stay home from school one week of every month... huh?? Okay now I'm intrigued... the announcer continues with the below message:
For some girls in Southern Africa, getting their period means missing school for several days each month. That's because they don't have access to something many of us take for granted: feminine protection.
What?? Whoa! I don't want to know that!
It All Starts With A Pad: For many of the girls, this will be the first time they receive pads on a regular basis. They will learn how to use pads properly and have the opportunity to ask questions and talk openly about their bodies' changing needs.
Turns out Always and Tampax have a foundation that donates pads & tampons to poor girls in Africa. Really now - do we need a separate charity for that? I don't want to know about that! Just the same as I don't want to know about their rampant hemorrhoid problems or diarrhea. Can't that just fall under a bigger charity's domain? I donate to several charities and foundations, including (RED) and ONE - both African charities - and UNICEF. Can't UNICEF handle the feminine protection issues? Okay, okay, fine... if there has to be a separate foundation - and yay for Always & Tampax for taking the initiative -- do they HAVE to advertise with pop-up commercials on Yahoo? Can't they put ads in product boxes, women's magazines, and other websites? Maybe run a commercial during The View or Ellen Degeneres Show? I don't know, just a thought...
P.S.
Just to show my support... here's the website: http://www.protectingfutures.com/
For some girls in Southern Africa, getting their period means missing school for several days each month. That's because they don't have access to something many of us take for granted: feminine protection.
What?? Whoa! I don't want to know that!
It All Starts With A Pad: For many of the girls, this will be the first time they receive pads on a regular basis. They will learn how to use pads properly and have the opportunity to ask questions and talk openly about their bodies' changing needs.
Turns out Always and Tampax have a foundation that donates pads & tampons to poor girls in Africa. Really now - do we need a separate charity for that? I don't want to know about that! Just the same as I don't want to know about their rampant hemorrhoid problems or diarrhea. Can't that just fall under a bigger charity's domain? I donate to several charities and foundations, including (RED) and ONE - both African charities - and UNICEF. Can't UNICEF handle the feminine protection issues? Okay, okay, fine... if there has to be a separate foundation - and yay for Always & Tampax for taking the initiative -- do they HAVE to advertise with pop-up commercials on Yahoo? Can't they put ads in product boxes, women's magazines, and other websites? Maybe run a commercial during The View or Ellen Degeneres Show? I don't know, just a thought...
P.S.
Just to show my support... here's the website: http://www.protectingfutures.com/
Monday, January 28, 2008
Gained Weight - ugh
I gained 3 pounds... Ugh...
I really don't want to go to my surgeon in a couple of weeks and confess that I gained 3 pounds... I used to lie to my Jenny Craig counselor about what I ate and the amount I was exercising -- I'd lie to my doc, but he's going to make me get on the scale. ugh... I had lost a total of 25 pounds so far. That's pretty good for 3 months! But then the holidays hit and then I went on vacation, and all ideas of eating healthy went right out the window. I know I can only eat about 6 ounces at a time, but 6 ounces of southern cooking, fast foods, or desserts add up! I LOVE food - and I wanted freedom to eat whatever I wanted during the holidays and on vacation. Well, I got that freedom - but I also got an extra 3 pounds. How's it go, you reap what you sow? I'm going to have to buckle down, cut out the crap & sweets, and start eating healthy again asap!
I really don't want to go to my surgeon in a couple of weeks and confess that I gained 3 pounds... I used to lie to my Jenny Craig counselor about what I ate and the amount I was exercising -- I'd lie to my doc, but he's going to make me get on the scale. ugh... I had lost a total of 25 pounds so far. That's pretty good for 3 months! But then the holidays hit and then I went on vacation, and all ideas of eating healthy went right out the window. I know I can only eat about 6 ounces at a time, but 6 ounces of southern cooking, fast foods, or desserts add up! I LOVE food - and I wanted freedom to eat whatever I wanted during the holidays and on vacation. Well, I got that freedom - but I also got an extra 3 pounds. How's it go, you reap what you sow? I'm going to have to buckle down, cut out the crap & sweets, and start eating healthy again asap!
Hannah Montana Concert
I did it! I got tickets to the hottest show out there! HANNAH MONTANA!
These tickets are worth gold - GOLD I tell ya! But my baby boy's worth it! (He's so spoiled!) Okay, let me just start off by clarifying that I did NOT go overboard and spend thousands or even hundreds of dollars on Hannah Montana tickets. My son may be spoiled, but I'm not crazy! LOL The Hannah Montana "phenomenon" as I'll call it, is crazy! It's absolutely insane! I know we've all had our teenage superstars (Tiffany and New Kids on the Block anyone?) with their faces plastered on the covers of Teen Beat & Bop! magazines, but the madness and marketing surrounding Hannah Montana is truly insane! I was walking through Walmart yesterday and saw EVERYTHING Hannah Montana - eyeglasses, blue jeans with her pic on the hems, underwear, clothes of all sorts, bedding, toys, even snacks! I swear, there will be a Hannah Montana breakfast cereal before it's over. But I can't complain too much, because I've spent my hard earned money on several Hannah Montana items, so I'm just contributing to the madness...
But anyway - back to the tickets! I tried for Hannah Montana Rodeo tickets last year - nuh-huh, no way. The concert (at Reliant Stadium I might add) sold out in less than 10 minutes. This year, with the stories of parents camping out for days waiting for tickets, Rodeo Houston didn't even put them on sale to the general public. They held a random raffle drawing to select who was eligible to purchase the tickets once they went on sale. Even if you were selected, that didn't guarantee you'd get the tickets - just guaranteed you'd have a shot to buy them. I refused to be one of those crazy mothers who entered radio contests or did goofy stunts - or made up a bogus Army Dad in Iraq story to get tickets, but hey entering my email address in a lottery wasn't too bad. and lucky me - I won! So I was online at 8:00am sharp on Wednesday January 16th when the tickets went on sale and bought my max 4 tickets. The best part about it all is that they're Rodeo Tickets, so they're only $16 each! I LOVE Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo tickets - they're always super cheap like that - cause it's an abbreviated show only about an hour's worth I'd say. Plus we get into the Livestock Show and Carnival - always fun - and get to see the Rodeo! I absolutely LOVE the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo! YEEHAW!
These tickets are worth gold - GOLD I tell ya! But my baby boy's worth it! (He's so spoiled!) Okay, let me just start off by clarifying that I did NOT go overboard and spend thousands or even hundreds of dollars on Hannah Montana tickets. My son may be spoiled, but I'm not crazy! LOL The Hannah Montana "phenomenon" as I'll call it, is crazy! It's absolutely insane! I know we've all had our teenage superstars (Tiffany and New Kids on the Block anyone?) with their faces plastered on the covers of Teen Beat & Bop! magazines, but the madness and marketing surrounding Hannah Montana is truly insane! I was walking through Walmart yesterday and saw EVERYTHING Hannah Montana - eyeglasses, blue jeans with her pic on the hems, underwear, clothes of all sorts, bedding, toys, even snacks! I swear, there will be a Hannah Montana breakfast cereal before it's over. But I can't complain too much, because I've spent my hard earned money on several Hannah Montana items, so I'm just contributing to the madness...
But anyway - back to the tickets! I tried for Hannah Montana Rodeo tickets last year - nuh-huh, no way. The concert (at Reliant Stadium I might add) sold out in less than 10 minutes. This year, with the stories of parents camping out for days waiting for tickets, Rodeo Houston didn't even put them on sale to the general public. They held a random raffle drawing to select who was eligible to purchase the tickets once they went on sale. Even if you were selected, that didn't guarantee you'd get the tickets - just guaranteed you'd have a shot to buy them. I refused to be one of those crazy mothers who entered radio contests or did goofy stunts - or made up a bogus Army Dad in Iraq story to get tickets, but hey entering my email address in a lottery wasn't too bad. and lucky me - I won! So I was online at 8:00am sharp on Wednesday January 16th when the tickets went on sale and bought my max 4 tickets. The best part about it all is that they're Rodeo Tickets, so they're only $16 each! I LOVE Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo tickets - they're always super cheap like that - cause it's an abbreviated show only about an hour's worth I'd say. Plus we get into the Livestock Show and Carnival - always fun - and get to see the Rodeo! I absolutely LOVE the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo! YEEHAW!
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Disney World Recap
Okay, I've been home for a week now... I've finally recovered enough to blog about my trip - and I've mostly caught up on my sleep! So... about Disney World...
Our plane left Houston at 9:00am on Sunday Jan 13th. We of course woke up late and had to rush to get to the airport on time. Thank God there was no traffic, we were actually a bit early. I swear I always feel like the mom on Home Alone, rushing through the airport and then freaking out on the plane because I know I forgot something! Gaither & I are both so tempted to sit up & scream KEVIN! just once on a plane. But of course I don't really want to meet the air marshals & federal agents at the airport, so I'll just keep that little urge to myself. The flight to Orlando was pretty uneventful thankfully - I read, Gaither slept, and Benjamin watched DVD's. We landed in Orlando & headed to baggage claim. I told Benjamin his job was to find the man holding a sign with our name on it. LOL Backing up a little - as you all know, I'm a completely pampered princess. My old travel agent automatically booked Town Car transfers from the airport to my hotel on about 3 vacations we went on, and I'm completely spoiled now and require it every time if I can. My new travel agent tried to explain that Disney now offers a free shuttle bus service from the airport to resort hotels, uh-huh no way. I told her that there's just something about walking into baggage claim & seeing a man holding a sign with your name on it. He takes our luggage, loads it into the car & off we go - no waiting, no extra stopping, no crammed into a van with 20 complete strangers - it's the only way to go! So... we walk outside to the line of waiting Town Cars, and I'm hanging back to see which one is ours -- we walk right past the Town Cars and go to the LIMO! Woohoo! I wasn't expecting that! I'm riding in style this time! We even had a flat screen tv playing Pirates of the Caribbean - cool!
The trip started out really well for us... My parents were waiting for us as we pulled up to the hotel -- they don't fly, so they left 2 days earlier & drove to Florida. We decided to stay at Disney's Old Key West Resort. It was a bit more expensive than the hotels we'd stayed in in the past, but it was totally worth it. We had a 2 bedroom "villa" - basically a 2 bedroom apartment. Two bedrooms - one king, one with 2 queens, two baths - including a separate corner jacuzzi garden tub, full kitchen with all of the amenities, an island & kitchen table, full size washer & dryer, and a living room with a sleeper sofa & a tv with dvd. If you've ever been to Disney World before, you'll know that they charge ungodly amounts for food. For most meals, you pay about airport prices for airport or hospital quality food. Don't get me wrong, I've had some VERY good meals at Disney, but I've paid about twice what I normally would for them. So, we figured the extra money we spent on the villa, we'd make back in savings on meals - and I think we did. We woke up every morning around 7am, and Gaither and Cindy would make breakfast while my mom & I got ready. We started out each morning with a full breakfast of eggs, bacon, etc that held us a lot longer than donuts or muffins would have. We ate lunch in the parks every day, and then were back at the hotel to eat dinner there. We saved TONS of money that way - and we were able to eat exactly what we wanted!
Anyway... So Sunday we just vegged around the hotel. We were all worn out from the trip, plus we were still coming off of the stress from the funeral the day before. We woke up bright & early Monday morning & headed for the Magic Kingdom. I swear, that place really is magical! I love the commercial where the family goes to Disney and either the mom or the dad turns back into a little kid when they enter the park - do you know it? Anyway... that's me. I swear, I hear the music and walk on to Main Street and suddenly I'm a kid again. I took Benjamin's hand and started SKIPPING down the road. I couldn't wait to see & do everything! He wasn't too keen on having his mom skipping next to him, but I didn't care. I was in heaven! My mom's the same way too - we both turned into the biggest kids all week.
So the schedule went - Magic Kingdom on Monday, Epcot on Tuesday, Animal Kingdom on Wednesday, shopping at Downtown Disney on Thursday (they were expecting rain), MGM/Hollywood Studios on Friday, and breakfast with Lilo & Stitch on Saturday before we checked out & headed home. Oh, and I have to say - I LOVE going to Disney in January. There are hardly any people there at all! It was a bit busier this time than last - they had the Disney Marathon on Sunday the 13th, so we had leftover crowd from that, but generally the crowds were next to nothing.
We did all of the classic rides that are a required part of visiting Disney, though Gaither & I refused to set foot on "It's a Small World". I'd rather gouge my eyes out with a fork than go on that ride again. But Yay - that's what Grandma & Grammy are for! They couldn't wait to take Benjamin on Dumbo and It's a Small World. He attempted to do Pirates of the Caribbean, but he's going through a big 'scared of the dark' phase right now, and it was just too creepy for him. I had to give him credit though, he did try! I could go on for hours about all of the rides & shows etc. Needless to say, we had a BLAST!
The week was great until Wednesday night. Cindy started puking. We thought she had food poisoning from some bad brie (damn cheese!), but then Benjamin & I got sick Friday night. Poor Cindy, she hated being sick in the middle of vacation. She had to stay in bed in the hotel all Thursday and almost didn't make it with us on Friday. Just when she was starting to get better, Benjamin & I got sick. So obviously it was a bug & not food poisoning. Luckily Benjamin only puked a few times and then passed out asleep. I wasn't so lucky. I don't think I've EVER been that sick! Afterwards while talking to my doc this week, he asked me about how many times I puked -- I said I stopped counting at 20. (TMI?? oops! sorry!) It was so bad, I asked Gaither to call an ambulance for me. Maybe it was worse because of my new stomach. I don't know, all I know is that I felt like I was dying. Gaither & I were up all night -- poor thing, he couldn't sleep while I was so sick. We got an hour of sleep maybe two tops all night. Needless to say we cancelled our breakfast with Lilo & Stitch on Saturday (there was just no way). There was also no way I was going to make it back to Houston on Saturday either. I couldn't go 30 minutes without being sick, and I was sooooo weak with dehydration. Gaither took me to an urgent care clinic down the road as soon as they opened. Yep - the doc confirmed, I had a stomach virus. Big surprise huh? But he then became my bestest friend on the planet --- he gave me a shot of phenergen. Yay doc! In case you don't know, phenergen is the best medicine out there for nausea & vomiting. It also makes you feel like you've been clubbed over the head when you take it though. Makes NyQuil seem like speed in comparison. Once dose of that stuff, and I'm out for 12 hours! I always joke that of course it stops the vomiting - it puts you in a coma! He sent me home with a prescription for more phenergen - enough to get me home to Houston. So, now we had to do just that though - figure out how to get us home to Houston - since we missed our flight. We'd purchased our airfare in the beginning of 2007, so we had the super cheap inflexible (can't change, can't cancel) airfare. It would have cost us $300 each - $900 total - to change our flight. NO WAY! Thank God my parents were there and they'd driven. We basically had no other choice but to load up in the minivan with them and drive back home. Oh wonderful! My mom called the front desk and even though the hotel was booked, managed to sweet talk them into letting us stay another night (paid of course) and check out on Sunday. So Sunday morning we had the wonderful experience of trying to fit 3 extra people, plus luggage, and gifts etc into an already packed Ford Windstar. Oh wow was that fun! Luckily Gaither's a whiz at packing, so we managed to fit almost everything. We pulled out the things we could live without & left them for the housekeeping staff. Mainly - our umbrella stroller (Benjamin's WAY too big for that now), a big Igloo cooler, and bags & bags of leftover food & kitchen paper goods. Then we all climbed in and headed out on a 19 hour car trip across the South. BTW, have I mentioned that I HATE car trips?! I mean I HATE HATE HATE them! I can't stand being in a car for more than about 2 hours, and here we were looking at 19 hours - oh joy. Luckily for me, they'd stuck me in the very back. I had my 'little cave' as I called it - I was surrounded by suitcases, pillows, hang up clothes, and God knew whatever else. Fine by me! I plugged my ipod in, popped a phenergen, and passed out for most of the drive on Sunday. We ended up being in the car for 11 hours that day - spent the night in Gulfport MS. Then up again and on the road for another 8 hours on Monday -- until HOME finally! We'd originally planned on being home Saturday, to give us Sunday to recoup & rest before heading back to work & school on Monday. No such luck. So... that's why this is so late and not as detailed as I'd like. It took me a week to recover and get back on my feet. Oh and I'll be adding pics probably tonight -- we just downloaded them off of the camera last night!
Our plane left Houston at 9:00am on Sunday Jan 13th. We of course woke up late and had to rush to get to the airport on time. Thank God there was no traffic, we were actually a bit early. I swear I always feel like the mom on Home Alone, rushing through the airport and then freaking out on the plane because I know I forgot something! Gaither & I are both so tempted to sit up & scream KEVIN! just once on a plane. But of course I don't really want to meet the air marshals & federal agents at the airport, so I'll just keep that little urge to myself. The flight to Orlando was pretty uneventful thankfully - I read, Gaither slept, and Benjamin watched DVD's. We landed in Orlando & headed to baggage claim. I told Benjamin his job was to find the man holding a sign with our name on it. LOL Backing up a little - as you all know, I'm a completely pampered princess. My old travel agent automatically booked Town Car transfers from the airport to my hotel on about 3 vacations we went on, and I'm completely spoiled now and require it every time if I can. My new travel agent tried to explain that Disney now offers a free shuttle bus service from the airport to resort hotels, uh-huh no way. I told her that there's just something about walking into baggage claim & seeing a man holding a sign with your name on it. He takes our luggage, loads it into the car & off we go - no waiting, no extra stopping, no crammed into a van with 20 complete strangers - it's the only way to go! So... we walk outside to the line of waiting Town Cars, and I'm hanging back to see which one is ours -- we walk right past the Town Cars and go to the LIMO! Woohoo! I wasn't expecting that! I'm riding in style this time! We even had a flat screen tv playing Pirates of the Caribbean - cool!
The trip started out really well for us... My parents were waiting for us as we pulled up to the hotel -- they don't fly, so they left 2 days earlier & drove to Florida. We decided to stay at Disney's Old Key West Resort. It was a bit more expensive than the hotels we'd stayed in in the past, but it was totally worth it. We had a 2 bedroom "villa" - basically a 2 bedroom apartment. Two bedrooms - one king, one with 2 queens, two baths - including a separate corner jacuzzi garden tub, full kitchen with all of the amenities, an island & kitchen table, full size washer & dryer, and a living room with a sleeper sofa & a tv with dvd. If you've ever been to Disney World before, you'll know that they charge ungodly amounts for food. For most meals, you pay about airport prices for airport or hospital quality food. Don't get me wrong, I've had some VERY good meals at Disney, but I've paid about twice what I normally would for them. So, we figured the extra money we spent on the villa, we'd make back in savings on meals - and I think we did. We woke up every morning around 7am, and Gaither and Cindy would make breakfast while my mom & I got ready. We started out each morning with a full breakfast of eggs, bacon, etc that held us a lot longer than donuts or muffins would have. We ate lunch in the parks every day, and then were back at the hotel to eat dinner there. We saved TONS of money that way - and we were able to eat exactly what we wanted!
Anyway... So Sunday we just vegged around the hotel. We were all worn out from the trip, plus we were still coming off of the stress from the funeral the day before. We woke up bright & early Monday morning & headed for the Magic Kingdom. I swear, that place really is magical! I love the commercial where the family goes to Disney and either the mom or the dad turns back into a little kid when they enter the park - do you know it? Anyway... that's me. I swear, I hear the music and walk on to Main Street and suddenly I'm a kid again. I took Benjamin's hand and started SKIPPING down the road. I couldn't wait to see & do everything! He wasn't too keen on having his mom skipping next to him, but I didn't care. I was in heaven! My mom's the same way too - we both turned into the biggest kids all week.
So the schedule went - Magic Kingdom on Monday, Epcot on Tuesday, Animal Kingdom on Wednesday, shopping at Downtown Disney on Thursday (they were expecting rain), MGM/Hollywood Studios on Friday, and breakfast with Lilo & Stitch on Saturday before we checked out & headed home. Oh, and I have to say - I LOVE going to Disney in January. There are hardly any people there at all! It was a bit busier this time than last - they had the Disney Marathon on Sunday the 13th, so we had leftover crowd from that, but generally the crowds were next to nothing.
We did all of the classic rides that are a required part of visiting Disney, though Gaither & I refused to set foot on "It's a Small World". I'd rather gouge my eyes out with a fork than go on that ride again. But Yay - that's what Grandma & Grammy are for! They couldn't wait to take Benjamin on Dumbo and It's a Small World. He attempted to do Pirates of the Caribbean, but he's going through a big 'scared of the dark' phase right now, and it was just too creepy for him. I had to give him credit though, he did try! I could go on for hours about all of the rides & shows etc. Needless to say, we had a BLAST!
The week was great until Wednesday night. Cindy started puking. We thought she had food poisoning from some bad brie (damn cheese!), but then Benjamin & I got sick Friday night. Poor Cindy, she hated being sick in the middle of vacation. She had to stay in bed in the hotel all Thursday and almost didn't make it with us on Friday. Just when she was starting to get better, Benjamin & I got sick. So obviously it was a bug & not food poisoning. Luckily Benjamin only puked a few times and then passed out asleep. I wasn't so lucky. I don't think I've EVER been that sick! Afterwards while talking to my doc this week, he asked me about how many times I puked -- I said I stopped counting at 20. (TMI?? oops! sorry!) It was so bad, I asked Gaither to call an ambulance for me. Maybe it was worse because of my new stomach. I don't know, all I know is that I felt like I was dying. Gaither & I were up all night -- poor thing, he couldn't sleep while I was so sick. We got an hour of sleep maybe two tops all night. Needless to say we cancelled our breakfast with Lilo & Stitch on Saturday (there was just no way). There was also no way I was going to make it back to Houston on Saturday either. I couldn't go 30 minutes without being sick, and I was sooooo weak with dehydration. Gaither took me to an urgent care clinic down the road as soon as they opened. Yep - the doc confirmed, I had a stomach virus. Big surprise huh? But he then became my bestest friend on the planet --- he gave me a shot of phenergen. Yay doc! In case you don't know, phenergen is the best medicine out there for nausea & vomiting. It also makes you feel like you've been clubbed over the head when you take it though. Makes NyQuil seem like speed in comparison. Once dose of that stuff, and I'm out for 12 hours! I always joke that of course it stops the vomiting - it puts you in a coma! He sent me home with a prescription for more phenergen - enough to get me home to Houston. So, now we had to do just that though - figure out how to get us home to Houston - since we missed our flight. We'd purchased our airfare in the beginning of 2007, so we had the super cheap inflexible (can't change, can't cancel) airfare. It would have cost us $300 each - $900 total - to change our flight. NO WAY! Thank God my parents were there and they'd driven. We basically had no other choice but to load up in the minivan with them and drive back home. Oh wonderful! My mom called the front desk and even though the hotel was booked, managed to sweet talk them into letting us stay another night (paid of course) and check out on Sunday. So Sunday morning we had the wonderful experience of trying to fit 3 extra people, plus luggage, and gifts etc into an already packed Ford Windstar. Oh wow was that fun! Luckily Gaither's a whiz at packing, so we managed to fit almost everything. We pulled out the things we could live without & left them for the housekeeping staff. Mainly - our umbrella stroller (Benjamin's WAY too big for that now), a big Igloo cooler, and bags & bags of leftover food & kitchen paper goods. Then we all climbed in and headed out on a 19 hour car trip across the South. BTW, have I mentioned that I HATE car trips?! I mean I HATE HATE HATE them! I can't stand being in a car for more than about 2 hours, and here we were looking at 19 hours - oh joy. Luckily for me, they'd stuck me in the very back. I had my 'little cave' as I called it - I was surrounded by suitcases, pillows, hang up clothes, and God knew whatever else. Fine by me! I plugged my ipod in, popped a phenergen, and passed out for most of the drive on Sunday. We ended up being in the car for 11 hours that day - spent the night in Gulfport MS. Then up again and on the road for another 8 hours on Monday -- until HOME finally! We'd originally planned on being home Saturday, to give us Sunday to recoup & rest before heading back to work & school on Monday. No such luck. So... that's why this is so late and not as detailed as I'd like. It took me a week to recover and get back on my feet. Oh and I'll be adding pics probably tonight -- we just downloaded them off of the camera last night!
Blah blah blah...
I thought about blogging every day on my trip, giving you the break down of all the fun stuff we did that day - but I'm still insecure about writing too much on here. I still worry and think that no one wants to read every little detail about my life and times - especially my vacation. So, instead of the day by day blow by blow, I'm doing an abridged recap of the highlights... and lowlights...
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Still Here
I'm here... still alive and kicking... sorry I haven't written in a while, but as most of you know, I've been out of town. I'm trying to get settled in and back to my regular routine - then I'll post all my stories from the last two weeks...
xoxo,
Wendy
xoxo,
Wendy
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Busy...
Sorry I haven't posted lately. I have 1,001 stories to tell, but just not enough time to tell them. Everything's been super busy and crazy this past week, when I finally get home in the evenings I just zone out on the couch or pour myself straight into bed. My aunt died this week, we just had the funeral yesterday and this morning. Plus, we're leaving at 7am tomorrow morning for a week at Disney World - yay! I'm leaving my compt at home, so no posts next week. I'm sure I'll have plenty more to write about when I get back - plus I'll fill you in on the stories from this week.
Oh - and just FYI... Friday's my anniversary! Friday January 18, 2008 makes 11 years of wedded bliss!
TTYS...
Oh - and just FYI... Friday's my anniversary! Friday January 18, 2008 makes 11 years of wedded bliss!
TTYS...
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Migraine gone bye-bye
All Hail Ray - the conqueror of all migraines!
Ray, my massage therapist, is the best! I frantically called him yesterday for an appointment this week. I didn't care what day or time, just whenever he could see me. I was going insane from my migraine and the acupuncture didn't help that much. Well he's the best and squeezed me in yesterday at 6:00pm. 70 minutes later I left with just a little bit of a headache... and woke up this morning with it gone completely! I swear, I could just kiss that man! Yay for Ray!
Ray, my massage therapist, is the best! I frantically called him yesterday for an appointment this week. I didn't care what day or time, just whenever he could see me. I was going insane from my migraine and the acupuncture didn't help that much. Well he's the best and squeezed me in yesterday at 6:00pm. 70 minutes later I left with just a little bit of a headache... and woke up this morning with it gone completely! I swear, I could just kiss that man! Yay for Ray!
Monday, January 7, 2008
Migraine Part 2 - The Cat Came Back
The migraine's still here... dammit...
I had an acupuncture session at lunch. The headache's better, but not gone all the way. I AM much more relaxed though, so that's a good thing. I have an appt with my massage therapist after work. Let's see if that works...
Do you know the cartoon & song "The Cat Came Back"? That's what I feel like... I keep trying everything to get rid of this damn headache, but it keeps coming back no matter what. Let's just hope I don't end up blowing up my head...
I had an acupuncture session at lunch. The headache's better, but not gone all the way. I AM much more relaxed though, so that's a good thing. I have an appt with my massage therapist after work. Let's see if that works...
Do you know the cartoon & song "The Cat Came Back"? That's what I feel like... I keep trying everything to get rid of this damn headache, but it keeps coming back no matter what. Let's just hope I don't end up blowing up my head...
Sunday, January 6, 2008
Migraine
Ugh... I have a migraine... I've had it for two days now - this sucks...
I ended up in the hospital for a week in January / February both last year and the year before because of an out of control migraine. I can NOT do that this year. We're leaving for Disney World in 7 days --- I HAVE to be better by then! I caved & took Tylenol with codeine Friday & yesterday, but had to stay strong & not take any today. Even though narcotics are really good at immediate pain relief, they tend to cause severe "rebound" headaches - the headache comes back in full force or even worse once the medication wears off. So, today I've fudged through with 4 Advil at a time. It doesn't take the headache completely today, but it does dull the pain so that's at least some improvement. I'm calling my massage therapist tomorrow and begging him for an appointment. He's wonderful with trigger points and acupressure for relieving pain. I'm also going to make an acupuncture appointment. I haven't done that in a couple of years, but it did work in the past. And honestly, I'll try just about anything if there's a chance it'll get rid of the headache in time for vacation! Wish me luck!
I ended up in the hospital for a week in January / February both last year and the year before because of an out of control migraine. I can NOT do that this year. We're leaving for Disney World in 7 days --- I HAVE to be better by then! I caved & took Tylenol with codeine Friday & yesterday, but had to stay strong & not take any today. Even though narcotics are really good at immediate pain relief, they tend to cause severe "rebound" headaches - the headache comes back in full force or even worse once the medication wears off. So, today I've fudged through with 4 Advil at a time. It doesn't take the headache completely today, but it does dull the pain so that's at least some improvement. I'm calling my massage therapist tomorrow and begging him for an appointment. He's wonderful with trigger points and acupressure for relieving pain. I'm also going to make an acupuncture appointment. I haven't done that in a couple of years, but it did work in the past. And honestly, I'll try just about anything if there's a chance it'll get rid of the headache in time for vacation! Wish me luck!
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Stomach Problems
I'm doing so well with my new stomach that I forget I can have issues/problems with it - such as my new inability to "stomach" liquor. I had another problem tonight at McDonald's. I've been able to eat a 4 piece Chicken McNugget Happy Meal & child's size Dr. Pepper since I've had my surgery --- I don't know what my problem was tonight. I'm thinking either I didn't chew my food enough - I've had to start chewing my food into total mush before I swallow, if not it gets stuck and essentially "blocks the drain". Or I took too big of a swallow of Dr. Pepper - know what happens when you pour soda into a glass too quickly? Well that's what happens with my new stomach - the carbonation expands causing serious pain. Either way, I started having SERIOUS pains at McDonald's. It hurt so bad and made me so nauseous I couldn't talk, could barely move. I HATE to throw up, always have, and I've taught myself breathing techniques to calm my stomach. I managed to control the nausea tonight so luckily no yacking, but HOLY CRAP was I in pain. It took me almost an hour at McDonald's and then another hour afterwards at home, but I'm finally just enough better to get up & moving again. Yeesh... I really feel for the people who go through hard recovery and adjustment times with new lap-bands...
Goals for 2008
Each year I start out saying "This year, I'm not going to make any resolutions - or at least not any of the 'classic' ones." Because it never fails, you always end up breaking them within the first 30 days. THIS YEAR, I'm going to do something slightly different -- I'm making a list of goals for myself for the year. Yeah yeah, I know - resolutions/goals, same thing. I don't care... let's see how many I'm still heading towards come June.
Goals for 2008:
1. (Okay, this might be just setting myself up for failure but I don't care...) Work out - I pay for a gym membership every month, I might as well use it!
2. COOK - home cooked meals at least 4 days a week!
3. Three Parter:
Become a better practicing Buddhist - follow the 8 fold path, integrate it into my daily living
Attend my weekly meetings
Meditate daily - preferably every morning
4. Take dance lessons after I lose my weight - either finish tap or take ballroom dancing.
5. Start a family games/dinner night with my parents & family. Once a week have family & friends over for dinner & socializing.
6. Along with #5, invite people over more often - family and friends. Don't worry about the condition of the house, just have fun hanging out!
7. Make the most of my Pure Romance business. Make it a success!!
Goals for 2008:
1. (Okay, this might be just setting myself up for failure but I don't care...) Work out - I pay for a gym membership every month, I might as well use it!
2. COOK - home cooked meals at least 4 days a week!
3. Three Parter:
Become a better practicing Buddhist - follow the 8 fold path, integrate it into my daily living
Attend my weekly meetings
Meditate daily - preferably every morning
4. Take dance lessons after I lose my weight - either finish tap or take ballroom dancing.
5. Start a family games/dinner night with my parents & family. Once a week have family & friends over for dinner & socializing.
6. Along with #5, invite people over more often - family and friends. Don't worry about the condition of the house, just have fun hanging out!
7. Make the most of my Pure Romance business. Make it a success!!
New Years Eve Recap... very disappointing
I am so sad... here I was planning on getting totally FUBARed with my friends New Year's Eve and I barely got tipsy!
The evening started out with me making a last minute dash to HEB. Never send me to a grocery store in a rush, planning a party, and hungry - it never ends well. I ended up leaving the store with $100 in chips & dips, snacks, marshmallows for roasting, and a cake! After loading the car with my 1,000 bags of groceries and about half of my liquor cabinet, I texted Jene' at 5pm saying we were on our way and would be there in an hour. She replies back with a "great! btw, I bought snacks!" Uh-oh... I thought we'd worked that out, but unfortunately not and she stocked up on food too. So, for four people we had 5 kinds of dip, 4 kinds of chips and crackers, celery & carrots for dipping, several kinds of cheeses, sausage & 3 kinds of lunch meat, the cake, the marshmallows, and probably several other things I can't remember... Needless to say, we didn't worry about getting hungry the whole night!
We kicked off the night at 6-ish or 7-ish with a buttery nipple shot (Buttershots & Bailey's), and I made a chocolate martini. That's when my new tiny stomach YELLED at me and told me that it doesn't like liquor - especially shots. So, my first shot ended up being my last too. I finished my martini, had a Bailey's & cream, and then switched to water for the rest of the night. Ugh... it was just enough liquor to make me sleepy, but not enough to get me drunk.
We spent most of the evening watching 2 Suzanne Westenhoefer comedy specials on tv - she's one of my absolute FAVORITE comedians. I'd planned a whole night of drinking games (quarters or asshole anyone?), board games, and/or maybe marathon spades. But nope nuh-huh, none of that! My mellowness from my tiny bit of alcohol must've been contagious because we just sat around talking after that. Don't get me wrong, we had a great time and TONS of fun, but my God it was so different from the NYE parties of my 'youth'! We counted down the clock at midnight, watched fireworks from the front porch, got our traditional smooches, and I talked to my mom - also tradition. Then off to bed for night night time!
I was awake by 6am and up & moving by 7:30am - about the time everyone else got up. We sat around drinking coffee and watching Good Morning America until it was time to go home. Wow... no hangovers, no queasy tummies, no sleeping until noon... When did I grow up?
The evening started out with me making a last minute dash to HEB. Never send me to a grocery store in a rush, planning a party, and hungry - it never ends well. I ended up leaving the store with $100 in chips & dips, snacks, marshmallows for roasting, and a cake! After loading the car with my 1,000 bags of groceries and about half of my liquor cabinet, I texted Jene' at 5pm saying we were on our way and would be there in an hour. She replies back with a "great! btw, I bought snacks!" Uh-oh... I thought we'd worked that out, but unfortunately not and she stocked up on food too. So, for four people we had 5 kinds of dip, 4 kinds of chips and crackers, celery & carrots for dipping, several kinds of cheeses, sausage & 3 kinds of lunch meat, the cake, the marshmallows, and probably several other things I can't remember... Needless to say, we didn't worry about getting hungry the whole night!
We kicked off the night at 6-ish or 7-ish with a buttery nipple shot (Buttershots & Bailey's), and I made a chocolate martini. That's when my new tiny stomach YELLED at me and told me that it doesn't like liquor - especially shots. So, my first shot ended up being my last too. I finished my martini, had a Bailey's & cream, and then switched to water for the rest of the night. Ugh... it was just enough liquor to make me sleepy, but not enough to get me drunk.
We spent most of the evening watching 2 Suzanne Westenhoefer comedy specials on tv - she's one of my absolute FAVORITE comedians. I'd planned a whole night of drinking games (quarters or asshole anyone?), board games, and/or maybe marathon spades. But nope nuh-huh, none of that! My mellowness from my tiny bit of alcohol must've been contagious because we just sat around talking after that. Don't get me wrong, we had a great time and TONS of fun, but my God it was so different from the NYE parties of my 'youth'! We counted down the clock at midnight, watched fireworks from the front porch, got our traditional smooches, and I talked to my mom - also tradition. Then off to bed for night night time!
I was awake by 6am and up & moving by 7:30am - about the time everyone else got up. We sat around drinking coffee and watching Good Morning America until it was time to go home. Wow... no hangovers, no queasy tummies, no sleeping until noon... When did I grow up?
Monday, December 31, 2007
HAPPY NEW YEAR
HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!
Please be safe tonight - the drunks and crazy people will be out in full force.
I plan on getting fubared at my best friend's house (or is it BFF these days?) in Baytown - yeehaw! I allow myself a time or two each year to get absolutely plastered... and almost always I'm with Jene' - go figure!
I'll try to check in tomorrow... it depends on how much my head is pounding and the size of my hangover... I'm not as young and don't bounce back like I used to...
Please be safe tonight - the drunks and crazy people will be out in full force.
I plan on getting fubared at my best friend's house (or is it BFF these days?) in Baytown - yeehaw! I allow myself a time or two each year to get absolutely plastered... and almost always I'm with Jene' - go figure!
I'll try to check in tomorrow... it depends on how much my head is pounding and the size of my hangover... I'm not as young and don't bounce back like I used to...
Friday, December 28, 2007
Creepy Wendy's Guy
I stopped by Wendy's yesterday to pick up lunch for the office... Have you seen their new cups? I'm sorry, but this spokes-guy is just WAY too creepy for me. I don't think I could drink out of a cup with this picture on it. I wish Dave was still here. I swear, I think a picture of Dave's corpse in its current condition in the grave still wouldn't be as scary as this guy!
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Christmas Presents
I have to brag about my husband. He really did good picking out my Christmas presents this year. I really didn't give anyone much of a wish list, so he was on his own for finding presents for me. And I'll admit it to anyone who asks - I'm a princess and VERY hard to shop for. But I always tell people if you're ever stuck with needing a present for me, you can't go wrong with 1) teapots, 2) Alice in Wonderland stuff, or 3) Pocket Dragons. I collect all three and can't have too many.
Apparently he was wandering the mall & stumbled across Teavana. Oooohhhhhh Teavana... I am SO dangerous in that place, I love it! They sell bulk loose teas (and will custom blend one for you), teapots & kettles, tea cups of course, lots of Buddhist statues & items, and various other new age stuff. I could spend all day and thousands of dollars in there I think...
Anyway... he bought me a decorative hand-made teapot to add to my collection. I love it - the design is called 'Buddha's Hand'. He said it looked like something I'd pick out. It reminded him of garden fairies and gnomes etc - I totally agree.
He also bought me a clear glass tea pot with a 'basket' inside to steep the loose tea - and tea cups. The cups are adorable with little fat cats painted on them. They match my kitchen decor perfectly in color, and they're unusual as they don't have handles. I love that! I hardly use the handles anyway, I always hold my cups/mugs from the other side.
Oh - and he found the most wonderful mix of chai tea. It's sooooo smooth and I swear tastes like melted candies... yum... I've had a cup every night since Christmas - it's wonderful...
Good job Hubby!!
Apparently he was wandering the mall & stumbled across Teavana. Oooohhhhhh Teavana... I am SO dangerous in that place, I love it! They sell bulk loose teas (and will custom blend one for you), teapots & kettles, tea cups of course, lots of Buddhist statues & items, and various other new age stuff. I could spend all day and thousands of dollars in there I think...
Anyway... he bought me a decorative hand-made teapot to add to my collection. I love it - the design is called 'Buddha's Hand'. He said it looked like something I'd pick out. It reminded him of garden fairies and gnomes etc - I totally agree.
He also bought me a clear glass tea pot with a 'basket' inside to steep the loose tea - and tea cups. The cups are adorable with little fat cats painted on them. They match my kitchen decor perfectly in color, and they're unusual as they don't have handles. I love that! I hardly use the handles anyway, I always hold my cups/mugs from the other side.Oh - and he found the most wonderful mix of chai tea. It's sooooo smooth and I swear tastes like melted candies... yum... I've had a cup every night since Christmas - it's wonderful...
Good job Hubby!!
Phantasmagoria: The Visions of Lewis Carroll
I'm so torn... I just heard about this movie and my first reaction to it was 'oh wow - that is going to be SO COOL!' (Everyone who knows me knows my obsession with anything Alice in Wonderland...) But then I noticed that it was written and produced by Marilyn Manson - dammit! I really hate that guy! I think I'm going to have to see it anyway, just to know... who knows - it could be surprisingly good!
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0758775/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phantasmagoria:_The_Visions_of_Lewis_Carroll
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0758775/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phantasmagoria:_The_Visions_of_Lewis_Carroll
Monday, December 24, 2007
Southern girl at heart
I'm the first to admit that I'm a seriously pampered princess. My husband has thoroughly spoiled me. Sometimes I think I was born for valet parking, room service, massages, & pedicures. But really, deep down inside where it counts, I'm still a southern girl at heart. You can take the girl out of the country, but you can't take the country out of the girl. I grew up as southern and country as they come, and as much as I LOVE the Ritz Carlton, I'm just as happy barefoot swinging on a porch swing, drinking iced tea, and staring at the forest - or watching the hounds wrestle in the yard. My mind went down that road as I was driving home from the store this morning - all the windows rolled down, the cool wind messing my hair, and Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama" cranked on the radio...
HEB on Christmas Eve
I've always wondered what hell would look like - often imagined it like Dante did with several levels and environments getting worse and worse as you get deeper and your sins larger. I think I found an example of it this morning, maybe not quite a level of hell - maybe just a limbo of sorts - but whatever it was, I was trapped in it this morning with all sorts of lost souls. That's the only way to explain HEB this morning... I wasn't in a grocery store - I somehow stepped through a portal into an alternate dimension... a twilight zone of free sample girls and cranky stock boys -- end caps of mushroom soups, cranberry sauces, and Velveeta -- and the weirdest combination of customers ever put together. Plenty of us looked like me and who I am sure got up, brushed teeth and hair, and went straight to the store - stopping on the way for the necessary caffeine kick to keep us going. I saw plenty of people with bed head hair wandering the aisles in flip flops & pajamas (myself included). There were the creepy people who were already dressed for Christmas, glowing with holiday cheer and disgustingly bright & cheery. And then there were the unexplainable - the goth guy in full goth get up head to toe black leather with piercings & chains all over - and the guy in motorcycle gear, including a full face helmet, pushing a basket of groceries. Now that one I wouldn't have believed myself if I hadn't seen him first hand. For two hours I was trapped in Holiday Hell with these people, fighting for the last pecan pie & jug of egg nog, listening to Clay Aiken Christmas carols, praying to get out alive...
Friday, December 21, 2007
1st Pure Romance Party
Oh my God - I still can barely believe I'm doing this! WARNING - if you don't want to read anything about my sex toy parties, STOP RIGHT HERE. Do not read further! So... I had my first party last friday. Remember, I'm going into this new venture completely blind. I've never been to a party myself, so I have no idea what to expect! All I can say is WOW. These women are nuts! LOL Don't get me wrong, I had a blast and I know they had fun too, but WOW! So, I'm planning for this party, getting everything ready - selecting which games I want to play, etc. PR (Pure Romance) has tons of examples of different games to play, but I didn't think the ladies would want to do any of those wild & crazy games. Boy was I wrong! The first thing my hostess asked when I got there was "do you have that 18 inch double ended dildo thing? We played a game with it last time where we had to hold it between our legs & pass it around the room without using our hands. It was great!" Ummm... yeah, I brought it, but I wasn't planning on THAT game -- but you're the hostess, you want it - you got it! Oh! back up a little... The night before, I opened up all of my shipping boxes, pulled all my stock out to take inventory & set aside 'demo' items. Hubby was designated as the battery guy - I pulled the toys out & he put batteries in and turned them on. I was dying laughing by the end of the evening. I couldn't believe I was sitting in the middle of my kitchen floor surrounded by vibrators and other sex toys. 'OMG - am I really doing this?' I guess so, I just bought all of this stock, so unless I wants about $500 worth of sex toys, I'm really doing it! One thing the manual told us was to always store & transport the product in individual Ziploc bags without batteries. Got the Ziploc part, but I decided to leave the batteries in Thursday night, since I was going to demo everything the next day. Ok, now I know why they specified without the batteries -- as soon as I backed out of my driveway heading to the party on Friday, something in the locked trunk in my backseat started vibrating, and continued until I got to my hostess's house and was able to unload the car & search the boxes. It drove me bonkers! So, I get to the house, set up & everyone starts showing up. I was so nervous! I know I like to talk about this kind of stuff, but these were strangers to me - and there are just some lines you don't cross with people you don't know. But wow, it was so much fun! and WOW, I really know what I'm doing & talking about! I studied all of the sex education materials and product specs the corporate office gave me. (plus I just happen to know some of this stuff ahead of time of course!) It really made me feel good to educate these women, several of them had never owned a toy before and had no idea what to get or how anything worked. I swear, Pure Romance has really thought of everything to make parties run smoothly --- one thing is they insist on a private ordering room so I can talk one-on-one with each woman and figure out her individual needs. I was able to talk shop, find out what the women wanted & needed, and set them up with the right tools to get it! I ended up selling $800 - can you believe that?! My FIRST party, and I went into it blindly, and I sold $800! WOW! And of course, $320 of that is my profit. It cost me about $1100 to start this business up, with buying my initial stock, office supplies, paperwork, etc -- but hell, 3 more parties like this and I'll have made back that initial cost plus some! Woohoo! Okay - so reading back on this, I didn't go into as much detail about the toys etc as I originally thought I might... that's a good thing I guess... leave some of the mystery for my parties - you'll just have to come to one to learn all of the details!
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Cloverfield Movie
I just saw a preview for this movie. It looks like the stupidest thing I have seen in a long time! It's almost the urban catastrophe version of Blair Witch Project. I actually kept thinking (hoping maybe) it was a Geico commercial or something up until the end...
Ugh...
http://www.cloverfieldmovie.com/
Ugh...
http://www.cloverfieldmovie.com/
I'm sick again
I should have known I'd get sick this week. I've been sick at Christmas for the past 2 years.
I started losing my voice on Monday. It wasn't too bad, just a little squeek or two - a little crack. Tuesday morning I woke up with my Kathleen Turner voice - that deep husky sexy voice. It always makes me think of the Friends episode when Phoebe got sick & got a smoky sexy singing voice. Yesterday I woke up & nothing came out. I tried talking to the cats & nothing came out! I had a cup of hot chocolate & my voice came back somewhat. I sounded like Froggy from the Little Rascals. I attempted to go to work and lasted a whole 2 hours. No one recognized me on the phone - not even my VP! More than once I tried talking on the phone and nothing came out - the callers couldn't understand me. So I gave up & went home. I saw the doc yesterday afternoon - she said I have a sinus infection AGAIN. Luckily the strep test & flu test both came back negative. She gave me a shot of cortisone to help my throat & voice. That usually helps. Unfortunately not this time. I woke up worse than before believe it or not. When I say I had no voice this morning, I mean I had NO VOICE. I tried talking this morning and absolutely nothing came out, just a whisper. Well shit! So much for going to work today! While I love having a few days off, I really hate having no voice. So here I am sitting around, drinking hot tea, and watching daytime tv.
I started losing my voice on Monday. It wasn't too bad, just a little squeek or two - a little crack. Tuesday morning I woke up with my Kathleen Turner voice - that deep husky sexy voice. It always makes me think of the Friends episode when Phoebe got sick & got a smoky sexy singing voice. Yesterday I woke up & nothing came out. I tried talking to the cats & nothing came out! I had a cup of hot chocolate & my voice came back somewhat. I sounded like Froggy from the Little Rascals. I attempted to go to work and lasted a whole 2 hours. No one recognized me on the phone - not even my VP! More than once I tried talking on the phone and nothing came out - the callers couldn't understand me. So I gave up & went home. I saw the doc yesterday afternoon - she said I have a sinus infection AGAIN. Luckily the strep test & flu test both came back negative. She gave me a shot of cortisone to help my throat & voice. That usually helps. Unfortunately not this time. I woke up worse than before believe it or not. When I say I had no voice this morning, I mean I had NO VOICE. I tried talking this morning and absolutely nothing came out, just a whisper. Well shit! So much for going to work today! While I love having a few days off, I really hate having no voice. So here I am sitting around, drinking hot tea, and watching daytime tv.
Friday, December 14, 2007
I can eat again!
I ate a scrambled egg last night... OH MY GOD - I've never been so excited about eating a scrambled egg in my life! LOL
So Tuesday you know I went back to liquids only. Basically I was getting all of my protein & nutrition from Yoplait or Dannon bottled yogurt. I splurged and ate half a cup of pureed potato soup both nights at dinner, and it did ok too. BTW - I love HEB's baked potato soup that you get in their Cafe on the Run or whatever it's called. It's chunky with bits of bacon, cheese, and green onions in it, so I just popped it in the blender for a sec or two. Anyway... yogurt drinks and pureed potato soup were all I dared Tuesday and Wednesday. I talked to the doctor's office on Wednesday and she said the problem was either 1) my body was just cranky about the fill and needed time to adjust, or 2) they'd put too much saline in the band making the ring too tight and solid food was clogging the drain (so to speak). If it was 1) I just needed to back off solids for a day or two and slowly walk myself up to soft foods and then to regular solids. If it was 2) I wouldn't see any improvement and still wouldn't be able to eat solids a few days later. Luckily, I think it was 1). I started with cottage cheese Wednesday night - it took me an hour to eat 4 oz, but YAY I did it without pain! I was a complete moron yesterday morning - I stopped by my favorite little cafe' & coffee bar for a mocha latte, and they had freshly baked choc chip cookies. I rationalized it to myself that the cookies were soft, but I didn't think about them being all carbs - and exactly the kind I can't have. I nibbled at work and made it through half of one cookie before the pain hit, and OMG did it hit. Same as with the cottage cheese, severe chest pain and nauseau. My coworkers were so worried about me, I was sweaty & clammy and just looked awful. Luckily it passed in about 10 minutes and I threw the damn cookies away. No way Jose, not again! So I went back to my yogurts and cottage cheese for the rest of the day. I decided to go out on a limb when I got home last night and scrambled an egg... YAY - it went down with no prob at all! I was so happy I was almost giddy! Again, it took me most of an hour to eat one scrambled egg, but I don't care - I ATE AN EGG! Woohoo! So now I've moved up my list of soft foods to oatmeal. I can have oatmeal as long as it's really watery. That's not the most appetizing thing in the world, but I don't care. I'M EATING OATMEAL! LOL Go me! I'm so excited!
So Tuesday you know I went back to liquids only. Basically I was getting all of my protein & nutrition from Yoplait or Dannon bottled yogurt. I splurged and ate half a cup of pureed potato soup both nights at dinner, and it did ok too. BTW - I love HEB's baked potato soup that you get in their Cafe on the Run or whatever it's called. It's chunky with bits of bacon, cheese, and green onions in it, so I just popped it in the blender for a sec or two. Anyway... yogurt drinks and pureed potato soup were all I dared Tuesday and Wednesday. I talked to the doctor's office on Wednesday and she said the problem was either 1) my body was just cranky about the fill and needed time to adjust, or 2) they'd put too much saline in the band making the ring too tight and solid food was clogging the drain (so to speak). If it was 1) I just needed to back off solids for a day or two and slowly walk myself up to soft foods and then to regular solids. If it was 2) I wouldn't see any improvement and still wouldn't be able to eat solids a few days later. Luckily, I think it was 1). I started with cottage cheese Wednesday night - it took me an hour to eat 4 oz, but YAY I did it without pain! I was a complete moron yesterday morning - I stopped by my favorite little cafe' & coffee bar for a mocha latte, and they had freshly baked choc chip cookies. I rationalized it to myself that the cookies were soft, but I didn't think about them being all carbs - and exactly the kind I can't have. I nibbled at work and made it through half of one cookie before the pain hit, and OMG did it hit. Same as with the cottage cheese, severe chest pain and nauseau. My coworkers were so worried about me, I was sweaty & clammy and just looked awful. Luckily it passed in about 10 minutes and I threw the damn cookies away. No way Jose, not again! So I went back to my yogurts and cottage cheese for the rest of the day. I decided to go out on a limb when I got home last night and scrambled an egg... YAY - it went down with no prob at all! I was so happy I was almost giddy! Again, it took me most of an hour to eat one scrambled egg, but I don't care - I ATE AN EGG! Woohoo! So now I've moved up my list of soft foods to oatmeal. I can have oatmeal as long as it's really watery. That's not the most appetizing thing in the world, but I don't care. I'M EATING OATMEAL! LOL Go me! I'm so excited!
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Lap-Band Issues
Warning... TMI ahead...
The tech told me yesterday when she did my fill that I'd really be able to feel a restriction this time. She said that for some reason, everyone's first fill doesn't really do anything. I think your body is still trying to get used to it, plus the band's never been filled before -- I don't know, whatever. That explains A LOT though because I have been able to eat way more than I expected to. I was able to eat whole McD's Happy Meals and such -- WAY more than I should have been. I even gained 3 lbs - not good!
Anyway, she said I could feel the restriction and HOLY CRAP was she right! Per her instructions, I stuck with liquids only yesterday - liquid yogurt, milk, and potato soup put in the blender. I could move up to soft foods today, so I tried a little cup of cottage cheese this morning. OH NO - bad idea! I don't know if I was taking too big of bites (I thought I was just nibbling), the amount in general (half of an individual serving cup), or it was just too much food for me right now. Another possibility is that she filled my band TOO much and it's too tight for anything more than liquids to pass.
Whatever happened, the cottage cheese made me deathly ill. OMG did I hurt! So now I can officially say that I've been sick from my lap-band. I was so unique that I hadn't puked so far - apparently it's common until you get everything adjusted correctly & your body settles. This is NOT fun - I'm scared to eat now! Of course I know I have to, but yeesh! So, I've taken a step back and am on just liquids again for the day, and I have a call in to my doc to talk about it.
Just forewarning for all of you... I get VERY cranky & bitchy when I can't eat, so watch out!
The tech told me yesterday when she did my fill that I'd really be able to feel a restriction this time. She said that for some reason, everyone's first fill doesn't really do anything. I think your body is still trying to get used to it, plus the band's never been filled before -- I don't know, whatever. That explains A LOT though because I have been able to eat way more than I expected to. I was able to eat whole McD's Happy Meals and such -- WAY more than I should have been. I even gained 3 lbs - not good!
Anyway, she said I could feel the restriction and HOLY CRAP was she right! Per her instructions, I stuck with liquids only yesterday - liquid yogurt, milk, and potato soup put in the blender. I could move up to soft foods today, so I tried a little cup of cottage cheese this morning. OH NO - bad idea! I don't know if I was taking too big of bites (I thought I was just nibbling), the amount in general (half of an individual serving cup), or it was just too much food for me right now. Another possibility is that she filled my band TOO much and it's too tight for anything more than liquids to pass.
Whatever happened, the cottage cheese made me deathly ill. OMG did I hurt! So now I can officially say that I've been sick from my lap-band. I was so unique that I hadn't puked so far - apparently it's common until you get everything adjusted correctly & your body settles. This is NOT fun - I'm scared to eat now! Of course I know I have to, but yeesh! So, I've taken a step back and am on just liquids again for the day, and I have a call in to my doc to talk about it.
Just forewarning for all of you... I get VERY cranky & bitchy when I can't eat, so watch out!
Burger King Coffee
Why... why... WHY...
I've been stopping at Burger King for a large coffee most mornings recently on my way to work. They offer "turbo coffee" - my kind of coffee, it could practically walk away on its own! (anyway... ) So, I go through the drive-thru and order a large black turbo coffee - no cream or sugar packets please. Every day they put the coffee cup in a bag & hand it to me. Why on earth would they do that?! I practically spill the stuff EVERY time I grab it. Plus I immediately take it out of the bag & put it in my cup holder, wad up the bag & throw it on the floorboard. I know I know -- I'm way too anal and think way too much about these things, but it just makes me wonder WHY every single time!
I've been stopping at Burger King for a large coffee most mornings recently on my way to work. They offer "turbo coffee" - my kind of coffee, it could practically walk away on its own! (anyway... ) So, I go through the drive-thru and order a large black turbo coffee - no cream or sugar packets please. Every day they put the coffee cup in a bag & hand it to me. Why on earth would they do that?! I practically spill the stuff EVERY time I grab it. Plus I immediately take it out of the bag & put it in my cup holder, wad up the bag & throw it on the floorboard. I know I know -- I'm way too anal and think way too much about these things, but it just makes me wonder WHY every single time!
Monday, December 10, 2007
Old LSU Picture 1992
I HAD to post this picture! My friend Nissa found this old pic of us while at LSU. OH MY GOD! I don’t remember even taking this pic, but isn’t it just the best?! LOL It was taken at the Christmas dance hosted by our dorm – East Leville and our brother dorm – West Leville. All I really remember about that night was dancing to Achy Breaky Heart and Boot Scoot Boogie with this guy – Bob. The funny thing is that I just ran into Bob in November at a friend’s wedding – actually Liz’s wedding (back right in the pic). We’re all three all grown up now… but isn’t just a blast to look back sometimes and “remember when”?
In picture: Sitting on Santa’s lap – Wendy on left, Nissa on the right. Back row – Heather, Chantal, & Liz.
In picture: Sitting on Santa’s lap – Wendy on left, Nissa on the right. Back row – Heather, Chantal, & Liz.
Weight Loss Update - 2nd Fill
I had my second Lap-Band fill/adjustment this morning. They did it at the surgical center instead of the doc's office this time, and I swear I'm never having it done at the doc's again! Don't get me wrong, he's really good at what he does, but he doesn't tell you anything. It's just wham bam & it's over - you're out the door! Did I explain all this before? Oh well - if so, you're going to get it again... I went in & laid down on the table - he told me to do half of a crunch & hold it - he pushed around on my belly until he found the port - once he found that, he inserted the needle (here's the gross part) and fished around inside until he pierced the port - then he added some saline, pulled the needle out & I was done! I swear it was 5 - 10 minutes tops! He gave me a cup of water to drink before I left & then I was free to go home!
Today was totally different... First off, two techs do it. I laid on the table & the first one pushed around until she found the port - she inserted an external port/tube, so she wouldn't have to poke me more than once - I stood up & walked over to a fluoroscope machine (kind of like a rapid picture xray machine) and they positioned me so we could see my abdomen/lap band on a computer screen (this was REALLY cool btw) - the 2nd tech gave me a wonderful shot glass of barium to drink and we watched on the screen as it went down & through my stomach (oh so cool!) - the 2nd tech took a series of pics showing the barium - the 1st tech was able to tell by looking at the xray pic and by the speed the barium went through my lap band ring, how much saline she needed to add - after injecting some saline, they gave me another wonderful shot of barium (which tastes like really chalky pina colada blech) and we watched that go down - apparently everything was right on track then so I was done! She took the port out, slapped a band-aid on me and I was on my way!
She told me how much saline she added and how much total I have now, but of course I'd forgotten before I'd even left the center! Oh well. She said that I should be really able to tell a difference this time. The first adjustments almost do nothing at all - you really don't feel a difference, and you can still eat A LOT. I know - I've been eating everything these days it seems. I actually managed to gain about 3 lbs the last few weeks. Luckily now I'll be back on track, and losing 2 lbs a week again. The worst part about it all is that she said I probably won't be able to handle bread anymore. Aw man! I've been eating just about all the bread and any kind I want! This is going to suck! But, again oh well... we do what we must to be healthy & pretty!
Today was totally different... First off, two techs do it. I laid on the table & the first one pushed around until she found the port - she inserted an external port/tube, so she wouldn't have to poke me more than once - I stood up & walked over to a fluoroscope machine (kind of like a rapid picture xray machine) and they positioned me so we could see my abdomen/lap band on a computer screen (this was REALLY cool btw) - the 2nd tech gave me a wonderful shot glass of barium to drink and we watched on the screen as it went down & through my stomach (oh so cool!) - the 2nd tech took a series of pics showing the barium - the 1st tech was able to tell by looking at the xray pic and by the speed the barium went through my lap band ring, how much saline she needed to add - after injecting some saline, they gave me another wonderful shot of barium (which tastes like really chalky pina colada blech) and we watched that go down - apparently everything was right on track then so I was done! She took the port out, slapped a band-aid on me and I was on my way!
She told me how much saline she added and how much total I have now, but of course I'd forgotten before I'd even left the center! Oh well. She said that I should be really able to tell a difference this time. The first adjustments almost do nothing at all - you really don't feel a difference, and you can still eat A LOT. I know - I've been eating everything these days it seems. I actually managed to gain about 3 lbs the last few weeks. Luckily now I'll be back on track, and losing 2 lbs a week again. The worst part about it all is that she said I probably won't be able to handle bread anymore. Aw man! I've been eating just about all the bread and any kind I want! This is going to suck! But, again oh well... we do what we must to be healthy & pretty!
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Christmas Decorations Part 4
I swear - my neighbors are the biggest bunch of bah-humbugs in the world! Our house is the only house on our street (out of about 20) that has outside Christmas decor. A couple of years ago the whole street was decorated. There were lights on the houses, big bows on the gas lamps, and signs or figures in the yards. Well about half of the houses were sold this past year, and I guess the newbies just aren't that festive. Oh well - it makes me feel good that when you turn the corner on my street, you see my house all lit up with Santa in his airplane out front. It's like a beacon in the dark night! Fa la la! Merry Christmas!
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Christmas Madness
I'm sorry I haven't posted in a few days, things are beyond chaotic around my house. I'm going nuts trying to decorate & get ready for Christmas. Plus we're having a garage sale on Saturday, so I have boxes and boxes of Christmas crap from the attic & garage sale crap spread all over my house. I spent all last weekend sorting through it all. I asked my husband how could my grandmother make it look so easy -- it seemed that you woke up one morning and the house had been magically turned into a fantasy winter wonderland. He said she was a GRANDMOTHER - taking care of the house & family were her full-time job. She had the time to spend hours putting things together & decorating. She wasn't working 40 hours a week at an office, taking care of a family & household, AND trying to start a new business all at the same time. Oh yeah - that IS what I'm doing isn't it? Well that makes more sense now. So, I scale back on the Christmas decorations and do a little more shopping online instead of in the mall... every little bit helps. I just need to breathe and remember this is time for family & friends.. It's still completely magical when seen through my son's eyes. I just need to take a step back and look at it all from his perspective.
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