Before The Food

I discovered this song some time ago--love it.  And I wanted to share a video of it this morning, but couldn't find one of the quality I wanted to share, so, you get a lyric instead.

(If you check out the Amazon widget on the right side of the screen, you can hear a bit of it, then go buy your own.)

Back in June, I was fortunate to see Jonny Lang in Mobile, Alabama.  Dude played Stevie Wonder's Ribbon In The Sky, OK?  Ribbon In The Sky...one of the greatest things EVER written.  Ever.  I've seen Jonny play, several times--I saw him when he was a little kid, saw him opening for people, saw people opening for him.  His latest stuff is so rich and incredible.  I do recommend picking it up, or seeing him if you get the chance.  The standout track, in my opinion, is the one called Thankful: 

Someones standing in a welfare line
Or off the freeway with a hungry sign
Someones stressing bout to lose their mind
I gotta be thankful, thankful

Someone just became a single mother
Someone just lost a sister or brother
Its so important that we love each other
And be

Thankful, thankful
I've gotta take the time to say, that I'm
Thankful, thankful
For every single breath that I take
I've gotta be thankful, thankful

Someones sitting in a prison cell
Wasting away in their own personal hell
Everybody's got their own story to tell
I've gotta be thankful, thankful

Man, I used to think I didn't have a lot
Now I realize just how much Ive got
Now every day I'm gonna take the time and stop to be

Thankful, thankful
I've gotta take the time to say, that I'm
Thankful, thankful
For every single breath that I take
I've gotta be thankful, thankful

Any one of these so easily could have been me
But if it had not been for grace and mercy who knows where I'd be

I've been riding on this roller coaster ride
Round and round Ive seen the up and downside
And I'm here to tell you that the secret of life is being

Thankful, thankful
I've gotta take the time to say, that I'm
Thankful, thankful
For every single breath that I take
I've gotta be thankful, thankful

Hope you and yours are safe and cozy over the long weekend and beyond.  Do youself a favor and don't go out shopping in the morning, OK?  :-)

Some Of It Was True

• I hereby ban people from saying "Old School".  No particular reason other than, I'm so done hearing it.  I came to this conclusion today after hearing someone actually say it.  Out loud.  Like they thought it was still sorta cool.
• Listening to The Clash on your headphones while doing mundane stuff at the office?  Recommended.  Steel yourself, if you can, however, against thrashing around like you're enjoying it.  People look at you funny.
• Ahem...that didn't happen, though, because I have nerves of steel.
• The girls were dying to have PIZZA for Thanksgiving dinner, and I really wanted them to have exactly that.  Alas, we were invited over for more traditional fare.  Next year, my pretties...next year...I don't mind whipping up the traditional thing, but to be honest....its a yawner.  I'm a bit more off the beaten path. 
• I'm contributing mashed potatoes to the dinner this year, and you know, I'm so non-traditional that I had to get CLEARANCE from the host for my mashed potatoes!  MASHED EFFING POTATOES.  Like, I'm gonna fuck those up...
• OK, let me tell you how I'm going to fuck up the mashed potatoes...old trick I learned from a friend of mine when we worked together at a school.  Mrs. Jablonski, the coolest....ANYWAY, the night before the meal, or, early in the day, boil yer taters the way you normally do, then put them in a crock pot with massive quantities of BUTTER, CREAM CHEESE AND SOUR CREAM, preferrably the sour cream with the chives and stuff in it.  Use an entire container of sour cream.  Seriously, just do it.  And at least one stick of butter, maybe more.  And a whole block of cream cheese.  Then whip them up with your mixer, so they are mashed, set them on low on the crock pot and....walk away....no need to mess with them while you're trying to make gravy and such.  They are ridiculously good potatoes....thank me later.  And, since they aren't boring and sucky potatoes, probably the host won't be having any, which means more for me.
• Don't forget!  The web address is www.barelycontained.blogspot.com !  If you are reading this on www.catsandyarn.blogspot.com, just be aware that VERY soon, CatsAndYarn will be an archive, and the new stuff will only be posted on Barely Contained.  Got it?  Good.  So change your bookmark, or reader, or whatever you do...

Another Round--Fully Loaded

Just a meme, stupid meme...

I haven't done this in a while, so, with the usual apologies regarding heavy rotation of certain artists (like, I have about 100 Indigo Girls songs, for example...) its time to do The Shuffle!

1. Put your mp3 player on shuffle
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS!

IF SOMEONE SAYS "IS THIS OKAY" YOU SAY?
Steady As She Goes--The Raconteurs

WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY?
When The Day Met The Night--Panic At The Disco

WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?
Crazy Love--Van Morrison

HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY?
Chocolate Cake--Crowded House

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE?
A-Punk--Vampire Weekend

WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?
Try It Again--The Hives

WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
Psycho--Puddle Of Mudd

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?
Add It Up--Violent Femmes (HA!  Yeah, well...)

WHAT IS 2+2?
We're Having A Party--Sam Cooke

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?
Hand In Hand--BoDeans

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Getting Closer--Paul McCartney (Game will pause momentarily while I listen to Getting Closer in its entirety.  Little side note:  When I was in high school, I bought Back To The Egg and wore it out--in particular, there was a spot in the beginning of Getting Closer where the record always skipped, but I still listened to it relentlessly, cuz it was my favorite song.  When I got all grown up and bought the CD, it took me forever to get used to hearing the song without the skip at the beginning...)

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
I Want You--Elvis Costello

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
Lost In The Supermarket--The Clash

WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Mystery--Indigo Girls

WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
Long Black Veil--(this is a Johnny Cash song done by Dave Matthews and Emmylou Harris--quite lovely, and has nothing to do with my parents except for that Johnny Cash story I already told here once...)

WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?
Baby Workout--Jackie Wilson  (Ahem...no more weddings...oh, and the game will pause momentarily while we listen to Baby Workout in its entirety...and dance around the living room....)

WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
Maneater--Nelly Furtado (BAH-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA....Oh, that kills me...)

WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
Paralyzer--Finger Eleven

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?
Go Slow Down--BoDeans (HA!  That's only a secret to some of you...Game will pause momentarily while we listen to Go Slow Down in its entirety...)

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
Little Perennials--Indigo Girls

WHAT'S THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN?
Too Little Too Late--Bare Naked Ladies

WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU REGRET?
Naive--The Kooks

WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH?
Cleveland Rocks--Weezer (Almost moved to Cleveland once...hmmm...)

WHAT MAKES YOU CRY?
Delayed Devotion--Duffy

WILL YOU EVER GET MARRIED?
Yield--Indigo Girls (Ya think???)

WHAT SCARES YOU THE MOST?
Where Did I Go--Justin Curry

DOES ANYONE LIKE YOU?
Walking Contradiction--Green Day

IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE?
Four Horsemen--The Clash (Game will pause momentarily while we, uh, you know....)

WHAT HURTS RIGHT NOW?
Soon Be To Nothing--Indigo Girls

WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS?
Another Round--Enter The Haggis

Of Course You're In Love With A Vampire...

Who wouldn't be?

 

Never mind the fact that in Twilight, Edward is just the hottest thing you've ever seen in your life and you can practically see the steam rising from the screen during all of that mega-hot kissing.

 

 

Dreamy.

 

 

No, I mean it--totally dreamy.

 

 

Why are the books (and now the movie) so damn hot?

 

 

Because every girl wants a bad boy who is actually good.

 

Say it again--you know it is true!  Every girl wants a bad boy who is actually good.

 

 

We want them to be dangerous to everybody but us.  Even though we would never admit it, we'd like a guy to hang out in a freaky stalker fashion. watching us, and not be a total creeper, but, a hero who is protecting us.

 

We WANT a guy who lives for us--and, NEVER SLEEPS!  Just, hangs out, protecting and serving.

 

 

They may have created the perfect man...

Something...Something...A Cowboy?

You know how, when you're all, at work and stuff, and you're thinking about how you haven't written much in the blog lately, but you don't want to say "sorry I haven't written lately" cuz that is sooooo effing lame?

Yeah.....that.

Anyway--pretend I never said that, cuz it's so effing lame...




With any luck, we'll be checking out a sneak peak of a certain vampire movie tonight.


With any luck.


It's one of those Get There Real Early Or You Might Not Get A Seat" things, and, I'm not entirely sure I have a "Real Early" in me at the moment.

Its also one of those annoying sneak peak things where you have to leave your phone and stuff in the car, and you will be there Real Early and standing in line with nothing to do, and you'll really REALLY want to do the thing you do when you are waiting around with nothing to do, which is.....? Call people. *sigh*

Don't laugh--my sister and I built our entire relationship on phone calls we made to each other while stuck in traffic (she's in New Jersey--happens a lot) or waiting for a table (I apparently only eat at lame restaurants where you have to wait around for a table). One time, I was on 494 at 5 in the afternoon, and was kind of excited to be stuck in traffic, so I could call my sister.


Anyway--Hopefully I will make it through without wanting to kill anyone. Wish me luck. I'll tell you all about it tomorrow........PSYCH! No I won't...

************************

Well, maybe a little... :-)

Awesome movie, and, I didn't kill anyone. Yay!

More Something/Nothing

Why are memes so much fun?  Curse you Cursing Mama!  And your super-fun Meme-ness!

 

OK, not really...

 

 

1. Do you like blue cheese? I have some rather specific conditions regarding the blue cheese, but I will eat it if certain parameters are in place.  LIke, its on one of those salads with walnuts and roasted grapes, for example...

2. Have you ever drank alcohol?  Uh, no....never... (insert desk-pounding guffaw...)

3. Do you own a gun?  I don't particularly like them, so, no.

4. What flavor Kool Aid was your favorite? Tropical Punch!

5. Do you get nervous before doctor appointment? No--I've been to so many doctor appointments that its kinda like going to work at this point.

6. What do you think of hot dogs? Um...don't love them.  Brats are better.  No Polish, though...

7. Favorite Christmas movie? Scrooged

8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning? Ahem...there is only one thing to drink in the morning, and that would be black coffee, preferably in bed.

9. Can you do push ups? Maybe one or two

10. What's your favorite piece of jewelry? I don't wear a lot of jewelry, though I did buy myself a neat ring for Mother's Day, and I wear that every day.

11. Favorite hobby? Deep thinking

12. Do you have A.D.D.? Decidedly not, although it may appear so...

13. What's your weight? HA!  You're very funny...

14. Middle name? My middle name is my maiden name, legally, and, I'm just going to leave it as-is, cuz I like it.

 

15. Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment? 1) Its so cool that work is so slow today!  2)  But I'm sure there is something I could be doing, other than this stupid meme! and 3)  How come every time I put my mp3 player on random, it plays Willin'?  500 songs, and that one comes on within the first 5 every time?  This is the kind of shit that keeps me up at night...

16. Name 3 drinks you regularly drink? Coffee, diet soda of some variety, and whatever grown-up thing is handy.

17. Briefs or Boxers? On who?  Me? 

18. Current hate right now? The weird thing at my work where 6 people tell me to do a thing a certain way and it turns out to be the wrong way and the 7th person yells at me.  Nice.

19. Favorite place to be? I'm looking forward to the Alone and Quiet aspect of my own place, which will be happening soon--doesn't matter where it is, as long as I can shut a door behind me and it's not noisy and full of people all the time.

20. How did you bring in the New Year? I'm sure I was at the Duhblinn.  I think.  Was I?

21. Where would you like to go?  See item number 19.

22. Name three people who will complete this? Not a clue!

23. Do you own slippers? Barb just bought me some slippers!  They are giant and pink and fuzzy.  Hilarious!!!

24. What color shirt are you wearing right now? Would you believe multi-colored stripes?  Blue, green, burgundy and a kind of a mustard-yellow, and white.

25. Do you like sleeping on satin sheets? Not a big fan

26. Can you whistle? Yes!

27. Favorite color? Red

28. Would you be a pirate? I have a feeling they don't bathe much, do they?  Hmmm...

29. What songs do you sing in the shower? I do not sing in the shower.  As far as you know.

30. Favorite Girls name? I like my daughter's names a lot, but of course, we just call them Sis and Mads, so their real names are seldom used.  How that ended up happening, I may never know.

 

31. Favorite boys name?  I was going to name one of my daughters Mason if they were boys, but, instead I got to use the super-awesome girl names I picked out.

32. What's in your pocket? Paper clips.  Don't ask.  Oh, and two dollars bills and 63 cents in change.  I'm RICH, Bee-Yatch!

33. Last thing that made you laugh? That picture of Barack Obama in the FDR pose, with the hat and the cigarette-holder bit.  VERY well done, whoever did that!

35. Worst injury you've ever had as a child? I had no physical injuries as a child, that I recall.

36. Do you love where you live? No...do not love.  I'm living with friends, and we're all underfoot, and it's a pain for everyone.

37. How many TVs are in your house? 2 functioning TV's and one in the garage.

38. Who is your loudest friend? Well...we are friends because we are equally loud, but, I'll have to say Barb.

39. How many dogs do you have? I have no dogs of my own, but currently live with one.

40. Does someone have a crush on you?  Wouldn't that be great? ;-)

41. What is your favorite book? Life 101 by Peter McWilliams.

42. What is your favorite candy? Oh Dear God...I like it all.  Resers soft chews are like crack, though.

43. Favorite Sports Team? Don't really have one.

44. What song do you want played at your funeral? I don't really want songs played at my funeral--I know I am about to step on some toes, here, but, I think it is kinda lame, EXCEPT, one time, on an episode of Six Feet Under, a lady had 'And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going' (from Dreamgirls) and I thought that was pretty funny.  I haven't really found THE song that says it all--thank God they are still people writing them...

Concerned About Sin

My employer sends out lots of mail of the promotional variety.  Some of you might refer to it as "junk" mail.  We're just trying to help.  You need us.

Anyway, since a lot of promotional mailers go out with pre-paid reply envelopes (See?  Helping!) we get a lot of them back. 

Some people send them back, saying, "Hey!  That thing you're selling!  Love it!  I want me some of that!"  Of course, we love those people right back.

Some people send them back with a little note saying, "Thanks, but no thanks...take me off your mailing list."  I appreciate those people.  One less thing to mail, right?

Some people were taught that the best way to deal with junk mail that includes a postage paid envelope is to mess with the sender, because something in their sh*t-free day tells them that we should know better than to try to talk to them about anything they don't already know about.

Once, many years ago, I was watching the Oprah show, and they advised, on Oprah, that when you get "junk" mail with a postage paid return envelope that you should stuff that postage paid envelope with a bunch of crap you have sitting around the house (specifically other "junk" mail) and send it back.

After all, how dare they interrupt your sh*t-free day?

And if you stuff the envelope to capacity and send it back, the sender has to pay for it, and gosh, isn't that funny?  Won't that teach 'em?

Funny, yes. 


Doesn't teach us anything, though.  You'd think it would, but, alas, it does not.  Sales departments are notoriously thick...skinned.

Enjoying the contents of the pre-paid mailers that come back to my department is one of the highlights of my job.  Seriously!  This is some funny stuff!

Once, somebody sent back a picture of Al Franken with a caption about a lobotomy.  That was funny!  Way to go, bored-person-freaked-out-by-junk-mail!  Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha....OK, it's no longer funny.  But you had me for a second, there!

I got a copy of somebody's death certificate the other day.  They had been dead for a couple of years.  Nice mailing list.  Anyway, a simple, "He's dead" scribbled on the reply would have generated the appropriate action on my part--I'm a quick study--but the point was made.  Strongly.  So strongly, in fact, that If I could, I would take that person off of every mailing list, ever.  Alas, that is not my job.  I'm just some schmoh working for a company that sent the dead guy some stuff.  I mean, we're not bright enough to know where to buy mailing lists without dead people, what makes you think we can solve your junk mail problem?

Come to think of it, there are a fair amount of dead people on our mailing list.  Every once in a while, you get a note from a grieving widower--"My dear wife passed in February of 2007.  We raised four wonderful children.  I miss her every day.  I hope you rot in hell for sending this."

Or some variation thereof.

I got some of my favorite stuff today--soul-savin' stuff!  Lord knows I need it!  I got an envelope stuffed to the brim with pamphlets about how I needed God.  I'm not sure if the Jo-Ho's left these at the guy's house, or if I was really worried about my immortal soul, but the one that caught my eye was simply titled, "Concerned About Sin?"

Why, yes....yes I am. 

I'm concerned that there isn't nearly enough sin in my evening routine.  I'm just sayin'.  If you could please send booze and sex slaves, I'm sure I would have less to worry about.  Or, I'd be too busy having fun to be concerned.  Either/Or

If you are bothered by junk mail--perhaps you are one of the dead people on our mailing list--feel free to have your survivors make the necesarry arrangements to stop that mail from coming.  Here's an eHow about it.  You can also go the Mail Preference Service method.  Or, one of my personal faves, 41pounds.org.

But I'll miss you.  You wacky, amusing, bored, paranoid freaks....I'll miss you...

But I'm Not The Only One

I called my husband to ask him a question about some mundane thing (like, "What year was this car made?  I can never remember...") and one of the first things he said to me (after answering the question) was how hard things were now that we weren't together anymore.

I didn't disagree.  It is hard.  It has been difficult.  I miss my friend, which is very much what he was--a good friend.

But it was a guilt trip, pure and simple.  He wanted me to feel bad, like he feels bad.  Well, I felt bad for a long time--then I left, and now, I don't feel like it anymore.    Screw feeling bad...I don't want to.

To snap myself out of it, I rationalized that he couldn't have been that good of a friend, considering I never felt like he "got" me and a lot of the time, I felt like he didn't care about me or my feelings, which is one of the main reasons I left in the first place.  I mean...I think if you make your girl cry, often, you should say you're sorry, often.  But that's just me.

But let's be honest:  I don't think I actually know anybody who truly "gets" me, the way I would like them to "get" me.  Jim is just one in a long line.  I actually have fantasies about having someone in my life who "gets" me--friends, co-workers, and especially, lovers.  Fantasies.   Little, hopeful dreams of understanding.  Is that wrong?  And every once in a while, like today, I get bummed out, when it feels as if they will never come true.  *sigh*  Like, being treated like crap by someone who doesn't get me will be the best I can do.  Pretty pathetic...

The whole "somebody has to 'get' me" fantasy--we're just going to go right ahead and call it a fantasy--seems selfish in the telling.  I don't feel like it is.  I spend an extra-ordinary amount of my waking hours kicking ass for others, and sometimes, the doing for others is a bit of a hassle for me, but, I do it anyway, because I can--I'm physically able, so, I feel like I should.  And I don't do things just to stand around and wait for applause, but I can't help but wonder...when is somebody going stand up and kick some ass for ME?  Cuz I could use that about now.  And I'd totally applaud.

Sometimes, the people you do stuff for are neutral, sometimes grateful, and sometimes, they're just downright UN-grateful...at which time I really want to stick a fork in their eye.  Of course, I don't actually stick a fork in their eye, cuz, I'm a nice person.  But I do allow myself to engage in the fantasy--you know, the fantasy that, if people paid attention, they would know that there are times in life where you should be saying "thank you" and if they don't say "thank you," it should be punishable by, say, a fork in the eye?

If I had to describe my personality in any particular way, I would say that I am a chronic and pathological "thank you" sayer.  And when I'm not saying it, I'm thinking it.  I'm just a damned grateful person.  One who thinks that ungrateful people need a fork in the eye, especially when they try to make you feel guilty for leaving, when staying was killing you.  And I'm looking for some other chronic and pathological "thank you" sayers to hang out with.  Other people, like me, who are nice and, as a result, maybe end up being taken for granted because of it.  Yeah...where are my people?

And, if you're hot and charming and killer good in bed, you get to go to the front of the line.



(Did I just say that?  Better go read it again...)



I didn't say the words to my husband...I didn't say, "Well, if you'd just been nicer to me, I wouldn't have left."  I thought about it, but I didn't say it.  See, I'm a nice person.  And, I have this fantasy...

You Have Been Granted A Third Date. Do Not Screw It Up.

I would classify myself as an intolerable bum in the blogging world so far this month, and wouldn't be wrong, but that's only because I've been Queen of Productivity in every other department.

 

There is one sure tactic in being the Queen of Productivity, and that is the dreaded "avoid the television".  That, and being left with a stack of stuff that has to get done, plus the incredible freedom to tackle it in my own way, for approximately 9 truly focused hours every day. 

 

You'd be a productive freak, too, if it was you.

 

I remember back in the olden times...the ancient days, when I was a youngster in my 20's, the thought of turning off the television seemed absurd to me.  WHY would I do such a thing?  I mean, didn't these people dishing advice on my viewing habits realize that I had SHOWS to watch?  IMPORTANT shows?

 

I no longer have shows.  I haven't had shows in a long time.  Sure, there are programs that I like to watch on occasion, but for the life of me, I couldn't tell you when they come on, or what day they air.  I watch them only if I happen to turn on the TV and they are on.  You know...geek stuff like Modern Marvels, or any of those "This freak thing will cause the complete destruction of the planet" shows on the Weather Channel.  That's right...talk to me about tectonic plates and volcanoes under a particular national park and how not a one of us will survive the shit--that is the kind of perspective a person needs, lest they start thinking they are important in some way.

 

Speaking of people feeling important, let me explain the main reason I've been avoiding the television for the last several days.  Can you guess?

 

If you said, "The Election", treat yourself to your choice of a hunk of fabulous chocolate or...I dunno, whatever it is that guys like--the chocolate is for the girls.

 

It isn't a case of sour grapes keeping me from watching the Woot!  Woot!  Obama! coverage--I voted for him, after all.  I wanted him to win, am glad he did, and knew, weeks ago, that he would.  But watching election night coverage, the media started to bother me for real.  All the days leading up to the election, they were there with their barely contained candidate lust, which was kind of annoying, but when he won the thing, the top popped on the champagne and the gushing commenced.

 

Since I like to (obviously vainly) imagine that I might have something to offer, perspective-wise, to this situation, I'm gonna say something that I think needs to be said, so, here we go:

 

"Elected" does not mean the same thing as "crowned".  "Elected" means that the American people are giving a person a shot--giving him a chance.  It means that a majority of people who voted thought one might do a better job than the other, and please never, ever forget that the presidency is just that--a job.

 

Now, sadly, this particular job doesn't have the standard 90 day probational period.  Barring extraordinary circumstance, the presidential probational period is a long-ass four years--a hell of a long time to be stuck with someone if you happen to find out within the first several months that they suck at their job.

 

That is part of the reason why electing a president is so hard...they are notoriously difficult to ditch after the second date, if you find out that they still live with their mother/chew with their mouth open/etc.  (Cuz nobody ever talks about that stuff while they are campaigning....)  No, the just keep showing up.  You're kinda stuck with them.  *sigh*

 

I suppose my avoiding the TV this week is about the same as me plugging my ears and doing the "La-La-La-not listening!" thing.  It's not that I don't want to know, I just don't want to know EVERYTHING.  And also--I don't really care.  There are a dozen networks that do nothing 24 hours a day except dig out minutia and obscure facts and try to make them significant--significant to a campaign, or to a presidency.  They are not.

 

What matters?  How about, what kinds of thing does a guy do when he actually starts DOING THE JOB? 

 

 

Cuz that's all I really care about.

 

 

I don't care what color he is, if he likes pancakes, once disobeyed his 4th grade teacher, needs a haircut, grabs his wife's ass in public, picks his toenails in bed, doesn't rinse his milk glass--none of that.  Doesn't matter one iota.  My judgement will be based entirely on if he does, or does not, royally suck at his job. 

 

Is that strange of me?

 

Anyway...if you should happen to ask, "hey, did you watch that thing about Obama last night?", understand that if it isn't yet mid-January 2009, the answer will likely be "No, I was busy".  (Bummer that we can't get things rolling with the two-week notice like in the real world, but, oh well...)

Invent Your Own Title Post! Wooot!!

From Irb at Click... Click... Click... BANG!!!

 

 

(There are reasons why I have declared him one of the most funny people on the internet...this post was one of them, and here is a sample:)

 

Obama's speech was far more unifying than anything I've heard from Democrats or Republicans in the last 30 years. Seriously, it was stirring and moving and eloquent. If you managed to sit through it without getting just a little choked up and hopeful for the future, then all I can say is thanks for reading my blog, Vice President Cheney.

 

 

 

Hey!  I just realized!  We can make Irb the "Most Envied Person Of The Week," thereby making it look as I'm actually planning to continue the Most Envied Person of the Week thing!  Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha....Aaaah, never mind...if I declare him, he'll be wondering why there are no cash or prized to go with that...I love you, Irb, but I don't Love-Love you...

Oh, And That, Too.

I think I will be dropping in occasionally when I find good stuff to read today....Linky McLink Link....sure beats "writing", huh?

 

Smiles

Yep

It feels pretty damn good to be an American this morning.

Release From Bummer-ness

At the start of the day, I sat down to work, hit "Shuffle" on the mp3 player...

 

And was drenched in a succession of really depressing songs.

 

What the hell?  Where were the uptempo songs?  Just sad, slow, acoustic songs today? 

 

By the time Hope Alone came on, I was ready to ditch the whole "Random" mode entirely.  After all, it is difficult to explain open weeping at your desk..

 

I have to have headphones on at work.  I must.  Why?  Well, you know how when you call customer service and the person you end up talking to is a complete ass and they treat you like you are retarded?  I sit within earshot of the person who answers those calls.  I don't do customer service myself, and, I dont need to call customer service at this particular company, but I must tell you--every time this person answers the phone, I cringe...like they're talking to me, personally.  

 

 

So, headphones.

 

 

But then, lunch came.  I went outside.  It was 70 degrees....gorgeous.

 

 

And all around this country today, people are doing it...finally.

 

 

No, not doing THAT!  I mean voting.

 

 

Doesn't it feel good today?  Really good?  Like you just know something WILD is going to happen?  I love that.

 

 

(Besides, if I had to see another political ad, I was going to strangle someone.)

 

 

So, here's to a Sure-Thing Crazy Tuesday, everybody--it you haven't already, get out and join the fun.  Then we'll all sit around our TV's tonight as a nation, watching things unfold, getting ready for a whole new tomorrow.  What's not to love about that?

Gentlemen Prefer...

I just read an interesting article about how, when it comes to girlfriends and fun, a guy would rather have a blonde woman, but when it is time to get married, he's all about the brunettes.

Read it for yourself, here.

My favorite part of the article was when they pointed out that around 50% of men surveyed (a group of 3000) stated that they thought that brunettes made better home organizers, mothers, and cooks!  They also think that brunettes are "more reliable" and "most loving".  The survey goes on to say that only 18% of men think that blondes make good wives.

Hmmm....where, oh where, shall I begin?

I was born a blonde.  In fact, I had the lightest hair of anybody in my family.  Still do.  My father and two of my brothers have jet-black hair.  Um...jet black, and grey, I mean.  (We're all old and sh*t.)  My mother, and two of my other brothers, have brown hair--actually, the boys' hair is more brown-leaning-red.  My sister's hair is light brown. 

I was the weird one in my family with the shockingly blonde hair--until my teen years, I was VERY blonde, then, I faded to something a bit less mega-watt.  I like to avoid terms like "dishwater blonde", so, we'll stick with "Less Shockingly Bright Blonde" for the moment. 

And "Dirty Blonde" just means something entirely different to me, so don't even bring it up.

I don't recall thinking of myself as different from anybody in my family growing up, and nobody really told any blonde jokes at our house, and they barely acknowledged my hair color.  Amazing.  The fact that I was a middle child, AND had the only shockingly blonde head in the household makes it seem incredible that I didn't stand up in the middle of every meal and declare that the family must now  Pay.  Attention.  To.  Me. 

I guess I knew I was outnumbered--it would have been futile.

So, maybe I'm an unusual blonde.  I'm incredibly organized, reliable, loving, a great cook and a pretty damn good mom.  I'm also here to tell you that those things don't necessarily qualify me as good "wife" material.  I've been a wife before, and I kinda think I suck at it, even though I kick ass in all the brunette categories.

These 3000 men and their "wife" qualities....Cook?  Really?  Why don't you go live with your mama?  I'm just sayin'...who feeds you when there isn't a woman around?  Specifically, a brunette woman?

Yay Me!

Cursing Mama always pulls me in with these quizzes, and she had such a lovely result--her's was "Humility". Well, you can see by my result that I have none.


I mean....No humility.



How can you have NO humility? That's just so weird! But I suppose if anyone were to be afflicted with such a deficiency, it would be me. If you take this quiz and have the same problem, please drop me a line and let me know, so I don't feel like such an ass...

Your result for The Best Thing About You Test...

Passion

Hot! Passion is your greatest virtue

Passion is an intense emotion that compels feeling, enthusiasm, or desire for anything, and that often requires action. Get that? Requires action. It's very likely you submit to your deepest needs and live life with a flair few others achieve, but many envy. All 7 virtues are a part of you, but your passion runs deepest.

Passionate types: artists, writers, composers, athletes, and heroine addicts.

Your raw relative scores follow. 0% is low, and 100% is perfect, nearly impossible. Note that I pitted the virtues against each other, so in some way these are relative scores. It's impossible to score high on all of them, and a low score on one is just relatively low compared to the other virtues.

YOUR VIRTUES

30% Compassion

56% Intelligence

0% Humility

56% Honesty

50% Discipline

29% Courage

58% Passion

Take The Best Thing About You Test at HelloQuizzy