Photo Challenge

I was tagged by Helena for this, I thought it sounded fun. This is what you do and this is who I'm tagging.

1. Open the fourth photo folder of your computer.
2. Choose the fourth photo in that folder and publish it in your blog.
3. Explain the photo.
4. Challenge four bloggers to do the same.

I will challenge Ashlee, Kspin, Saint Seester and Jen-have fun!


This is Kiki around 2 1/2 (wow, the same age Boogs is now)-unfortunately its a fairly boring shot, but he is sitting in our entryway wearing a sweater with a polar bear and his boots. I'm guessing he was putting them on thinking he'd go outside, not sure. You can see our carpet is actually clean and white in this shot. This was taken the first winter after we moved back to Northern Michigan from Chicago. We are now in our third, and coldest winter since being back. Looking forward to seeing what everyone else puts up!

Its too bad the picture to pick wasn't the third, because Boogs breaking into the box of Smirnoff is a much funnier shot!



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So...Yeah...

I guess someone likes us so we were just informed we were in the running for the best mommy blogger award at this site So go vote. A coffee cup and link love depend upon it.

Aside from that, I got very angry today at a driver. And because Sister Big told me we need to blog more, I'm going to rant for a second.

First, yes, I admit I was on my phone. But I was driving slowly through a parking lot. I had just driven up a row and had begun turning left. While I was turning left a guy in the next row over turned very quickly right and drives quickly toward me.

I think for a moment and figure-hey, if I stop and wait for him I'm going to be blocking him and traffic and force him to pass me on his left, in the lane that goes in front of the store. So I continue my turn. However, car continues to drive quickly at me, going very fast and with no intention of stopping. He does stop as I complete my turn, and yes I was driving slowing. When its snowy in Northern MI I drive very slow-even in a parking lot. But I wasn't crawling. Just not speeding around.

So I look him like "Uhh! What the heck are you doing??" and he mocks me, he pretends to be a ditzy girl on a phone. I was sooo mad! I wanted to scream "Buddy, my talking on the cell has nothing to do with you tearing around a parking lot! Clearly I shouldn't be on the phone, but dude, its no reason to sherk responsibilty for being an A-HOLE. I would have gone after him but his passenger was an old lady and I had this thing about old poeople. So just stewed about it.

And had I not been on the phone, I would have done the same thing. I had the right of way since he was not there when I turned.

Jerk.

And there is your blog for 2009. Enjoy lol :)

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Apparently I Cannot Be Trusted

I cannot blog about all the crazy things I can't be trusted about. Just that through my infinity thoughtlessness, I accidentally spill secrets.

For instance, person number 1, we'll call him Martin, tells me that he has gotten a moonlighting job at the local Dunkin Donuts making donuts. He doesn't want anyone to know because he's embarrassed that he has to stoop to such a place as Dunking donuts. I say, "no biggie, I won't say anything" and go on my merry way.

Weeks pass and I'm walking past Dunkin Donuts with my friends Louise, we're chit chatting about how we love their ooey gooey special chocolate donut and wondering how many Weight Watcher points it would be. I exclaim in a moment of short sighted brilliance that Martin can tell us!

Louise looks oddly at me and asks, "why would Martin know?".

My eyes widen and suck in my breath sharply, realizing I just told Louise that Martin is making donuts on the graveyard shift. I swear Louise to secrecy, even though she thinks donut making is a perfectly respectable side job, or main job even.

Then, to make it worse, Martin has this big meeting, Martin is uber nervous about it, pacing hallways and mumbling to himself- nervous. While Martin is at his meeting Louise walks in and asks if I know how it went. Just then I get a text from Martin.

"Lets See!' I say reading the text aloud.

"It didn't go well. I'm really upset. Feel like I'm having a panic attack. I'm heading to the hospital. Please keep this between us-"... I look up at Louise wide eyed...

"...Oops" I stutter.

Louise looks at me and shakes her head. Again, I find myself swearing her to secrecy. How do I get myself into things like this?

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Finding What Was Lost

I used to see everything as a potential picture. While I was in High School and College, it was like I saw the world through the lens of my camera. If there was something there that looked interesting, I'd snap a picture. Back then, with film, I'd be careful to not waste.

And on the occasions that I forgot my camera, or Sister 7 was in possession and refused to give it to me, I have memories of lost pictures that I was never able to take. Like the everglades reflected off the murky Floria water, or the woman holding her baby and walking along the train tracks with a toddler following close behind. Lost photos.

So you'd think I'd know enough to carry my camera with me where ever I went. Not so. You see, as life goes on and you go through the motions of your life, you leave your passions behind sometimes. They seem silly, wasteful or not worthy of the effort or money. I'm not sure what happened to mine, mine was probably more about money involved in film purchase and development. But I stopped looking for photographs in the world around me.

Until now. However I've not gotten back in the practice of taking my camera wherever I go. But I refuse to have missed appointments with potentially great pictures. Or not great pictures even. I don't care since I have my new Digital SLR.

This is one picture that I nearly missed. Its not totally amazing or anything, but I'm still glad I snatched it. I saw this on the way to Daycare, the sun was rising and the area was filled with a smoky haze that covered the ground.
It looked particularly striking over the water. So after I dropped my boys off, I ran home for my camera. That day I had forgotten my cell phone or I probably would have taken the shot with my phone and been satisfied.

This is the same shot with a Infrared Film effect applied. Infrared is one of my favorite effects to use.
And here was another shot I nearly missed. But luckily I at least had my phone. I ran through the water and had Aunt Honey stay near them in case they toppled off. I really wanted to capture this moment since JimmyEW was working and I knew he'd really want to see this.

What are some things you loved that you let get lost? Perhaps you can find your way back to them? What is life if you don't have something that you love that is yours alone?


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Perfection!

Me, Jim, fire, beach and a good book. What more could I ask for on a birthday?

Sorry for being so MIA, I haven't had much to say and didn't want to clog your reader with needless junk. Thats what email is for, lol.

But let me remind you, summer is almost over! Did it get away from you before you had time to do something you significantly enjoyed? If so, you have a little time left. Go do something wonderful special and fun with someone you love. Even if its just for a few hours.
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Yeah... I didn't feel like folding laundry

So I did this instead. It's Kspin's fault though :) ...too good of a reason to put off folding. Couldn't pass it up. I mean, who could deny a perfectly good reason to waste time??


Not sure if this is coming out right, but here is the list of questions. Just go to Big Huge Labs and choose Individual URLS.

Then go to www.flickr.com and type in the answers to the questions below. Viola!

1. What is your first name?
2. What is your favorite food?
3. What high school did you go to?
4. What is your favorite color?
5. Who is your celebrity crush?
6. Favorite drink?
7. Dream vacation?
8. Favorite dessert?
9. What you want to be when you grow up?
10. What do you love most in life?
11. One Word to describe you.
12. Your flickr name. (kid version: favorite animal?)


below are the links to the photos I used, to give credit.

1. Some of Me, 2. My Pico de Gallo, 3. Ouch! This Can't Be Good!, 4. Meeting the pregnant princess of the forest, 5. montage_eric-schweig_uncas.jpg, 6. June 24, 2008 - Water Fountain, 7. Rossbeigh Strand (HDR Test #1), 8. 4-in-1 Pie!, 9. Angels Pilot, 10. Friends silhouetted, 11. IMG_8118, 12. Y2D074: I'm Done.

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Deafening Quiet::Painful to Read Poem

My beautiful Kiki is visiting grandma
and I miss that bugger like crazy.
Boogs went for a little bit
long enough for Jimmy and I to get lazy

sun, fun eating
sleeping and other things

and now I just miss the noise he brings
The constant questions
the nonsense sounds emitting from his mouth
Nugget...noodle, poop and whatever comes into his head.

And now you've reached the end of my drunk poem...
hope it didn't make your eyes bleed.
It's all fun and games until someone gets a bloody eye

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Where the Hell is Matt?

And who the hell is Matt? Not sure, but they showed this little piece before the free outdoor movie (Back to the Future) in our little town's Film Festival. I really found this piece moving, people are people where ever they are. And many of them don't know how to dance, lol. But look at the fun and joy they have! It makes you really see, we're really not all that different. In the root of it... I just wish... sigh.

So here, enjoy and smile.


Go read more about Matt here.

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Horny Nuns?

Are you kidding? This was a nice little search term that let someone to our blog.

1

3.03%

honry nuns

Since I made Sister HB change her category Making of a M(i)L f (i'm spacing it out so people won't find it in a search) to something else, we stopped getting the dirty sisters hits. Usually we just have a lot of "hairy sister" searches, but the nun one made me laugh out loud.

Also a lot of dieters looking for the nutritional content of an Elephant Ear.

What has been your weirdest search term?
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Slacker Sunday

Holy Cow, two posts in one day? Especially when we haven't been putting much effort in to post. I know, I know. I'm breaking my own rule about not wasting posts. Not to mention its a Sunday and not many people even read Sunday. But I just thought I'd share that I'm a total slacker today.

I have a lot of laundry I could be doing, and a dishwasher I could unload, but right now its nap time and instead I'm going to lay on the couch listening to my Pandora station inspired by the soundtrack from the motion picture Juno (great flick! not just for chicks, Jim LOVED it. He is my Paulie Bleeker!) So I'm just going to lay back, read and chill with some tunes.

This is the book I'm reading. Well, I can't say I've spent much time reading it. But I'm ready to hunker down and spend a few hours doing nothing but. Its called Dreamhunter and its a Young Adult book I picked because I was in a hurry and we had to leave the library. Plus my kids are loud. I really wanted to read the Uglies. I heard about this series on NPR, where you know I get most of my information, and it sound really great. All the books in this series were out so I grabbed Dreamhunter instead because it was in the same section and close at hand. Plus I do like the title.

I'll let you know how it is. So far its interesting enough, but I'm not in deep enough to have a real idea of what its going to be like.

Happy Sunday again, what are you doing today?

I'm a bad business decision

When JimmyEW and I lived in Chicago we got our cell phones. We went with a company that had a good price and gave us Nationwide coverage since I was going back to Michigan a lot.

We liked them so when we moved from Chicago we kept our same cell company even though they didn't have a local service provider in Northern Michigan.

I also liked keeping the old phones and numbers for another reason, which was that having a number with a Chicago area code helped me in my job.

See, every now and then I get photographers who flake out on me, don't return my calls and deliver half the work. Of course having such a great work ethic comes with a keen ability to dodge phone calls from area codes you do business with. So the Chicago area code helped me trap those dodgers and ask them uncomfortable questions.

Recently, however, I have had to change companies. See, suddenly my service stopped working. I checked to see if I owed money, but I didn't. It was quite odd. So I called them and what they told me was that Cell Company had made a business decision to drop me because I'd been roaming for two years. I replied that I had a Nationwide plan and that roaming charges didn't apply. Their reply was that although I wasn't charged roaming, they were sent a monthly bill by Local Company who's towers I used. Apparently I was costing them a lot of money, hadn't I recieved a letter in the mail?

Well duh, I pretty much ignore my mail, so I have no idea. I told the lady they could have at least sent me a text message telling me I was being cut off. I would have gotten that.

Life without a cell phone has been interesting. Before, the only time I'd call friends to chat was while I was driving to and from work. I know, bad me, but I used my ear piece. So I barely talk to friends right now.

Also, I had to hold anxiety at bay when I was away from phone contact for about 5 hours while the kids were at daycare. What if there was an emergency??

Then, the SNAFU's of all SNAFU's. Poor Jiller and Frankenstein got locked out of HB's house without their cell phones. (Really they weren't locked out, HB just has the door from hell that you have to kick down swat team style to get in. I am NOT exagerating either, you have to kick the door in. But they didn't know this).

After waiting for 2 hours for HB to come home, poor Jiller and Frankenstein went to the local grocery store and called Sister Big who called me and I had JimmyEW take my keys to let them in on his way to a dinner date. About 45 minutes later I get another call that they are still locked out. I then had to call the restaurant where Jimmy was with his friend and have the waitress go hunt him down.

"really tall, really thin guy. I mean he's really tall and really thin" apparently they went right up to him and said "Jim?".

He came to the phone and I screeched at him for not letting them in. He proclaimed the deadbolt was locked and we only have a key for the knob. I said fine, bye, hung up. Wished we had our cell phones, wished Jill and Frankenstein had had their cell phones so they could have called us earlier. Called Sister Big, talked smack about HB's door and hunted down the number of Tom's in-town friend.

I called to get Tom's cell number since HB wasn't answering her phone. I knew Tom would. I get his friend and they start repeating Tom's number to me...then it occurred to someone that perhaps they should hand the phone to HB who was AT THEIR HOUSE! I guess the HB family just happened to be there. So I had her call Sister Big and then Sister Big called and told me that the door was NOT locked and it was just really stuck. Could I go over and get them in?

It was about 7:00 and time for the boys to go to bed but I only live 3 miles away so I got the boys ready and headed to the door...only to realized I'd given JimmyEW my keys!!

I call restaurant again, explain they need to find really tall, really thin guy and get him on the phone. Again, would have liked a cell phone. He reminded me we had a spare car for the van so I hustled the kids out and went to HB's house.

When I got there I tried opening the door, I threw my shoulder into even. I tried three times to open the darn thing. I was certain it was locked. HB told me the spot of her hidden key, but before I went to search I tried one last time. Took my foot and kicked as if I were a cop kicking in the door of meth lab...except meth labs are prone to explosions so maybe they don't kick those down. Crack then, a crack house door.

And the sucker opened! Sister Sassy saves the day!

I took some sidewalk chalk and left a message for Jiller that everything was all good, wished I had a cell phone again so I could call them and not have to scratch a hasty vague message on the driveway, and went home. Wow, how did society survive without cell phones? Actually...I did survive without one. But I still like them and want them.

Fast forward two weeks. JimmyEW and I sign up for local service and order our phones.











I chose the Samsung Muse with a 2.0 megapixel camera and mp3 player.

Jimmy wanted the LG Glimmer but no way we're paying $200 for a cell phone, so he ordered the orange LG Scoop. He hates flip phones.




The phones came in the mail on his birthday and guess what. They sent his scoop, but instead of sending me my Muse, they sent this.


Thats right, the Glimmer. I glared at him, handed him the Glimmer and said "Happy birthday". I took his stupid Scoop But I kind of hate it and it has a crappier camera so I've sent it back and am having them send another Muse.

I know, that was a totally long boring story, but its Sunday and I'm trying to put off housework. It worked! I've done NO laundry so far today, lol!

Tune in tomorrow or sometimes this week...(its summer so I'm not adhering to schedules) for my lunch date with a fellow blogger. I've been putting this one off because I want it to be good and I want to spend real time on it.

Happy Sunday!

Eat Your Own DAMN CAKE!

Monday I was really grouchy...extra bitchy, but not in a finger licking good way. Ok, that is a KFC reference so try not to think beyond that.

Being grouchy and being a girl who eats her feelings doesn't make for good decision making around food. Working is a great way to get far away from my refrigerator and exercise some control over what goes in my mouth.

However, the boss man brought in PLATES AND PLATES of CAKE! I walked in, saw it, groaned and tried to hide it across the room near the coffee pot (a place I never go). Stupid cake. I'd walk by and hear, "Sassy...oh Sassy, you know cake makes everything better."
and, "Sassy, did you know I'm chocolate?"

Bastard cake!

I did resist thankyouverymuch! However, I wanted to go into his office and yell "EAT YOUR OWN DAMN CAKE!"
...however... I am a hypocrite. I have been known to pawn off the unwanted sweets on my helpless co-workers. Like the time I walked into my co-workers office with a brick sized rice crispy treat and declared if he cared about me at all he'd eat half of it for me. Does that make me bad?

UPDATE

On Wednesday my boss brought in cookies. He came into the main area and someone asked him who brought them in, Co-worker chick says, "I don't know but I'm getting tired of looking at them." (did I mention she is the one doing WW with me?). My boss looked sheepish and talked about how good they were and how they had so many sweets at his house.

"Eat your own cookies, we're not eating them for you!" I said to him, pointing angrily and scowling. He looked at me kind of funny but didn't take the cookies back.

Stupid cookies.

Later I took a bite of one, big cherry chocolate chunk cookie and then cried for help.

[14:27]Sassy: HELP
[14:28] Sassy: I took a bite
[14:28] Sassy: I have a big cookie here and I took a bite .
[14:28] Sassy: but I need to not eat anymore
[14:28] Sassy: throw it away!! I must throw it away. I want something sweet and I grabbed a cookie!
[14:28] Sassy: shit
[14:29] Sassy: I should throw it away right now
[14:29] Sassy: it is calling my name
[14:29] Sassy: I might take another bite
[14:29] Sassy: should I...??
[14:29] Sassy: oh....Cookie, lovely cookie... ohhhhh....cookie.... drool
[14:31] Sassy: ...you want half?
[14:32] Co-worker chick: ok, calm down
[14:32] Co-worker chick: you took a tiny bite
[14:32] Sassy: I know. But I don't want to WASTE IT
[14:32] Sassy: lol

Just after, co-worker chick came in, took the cookie and threw it in the garbage. Sure, I wanted a cookie and I felt slightly deprived. I took a bite of a completely different cookie at home then discovered that it didn’t taste very good. So I spit it in the sink and wondered if those calories counted.

Finally, after everything was finished that I needed to finish for the day, I sat down with a WW Mocha Fudge Sundae, only 3 points and OH SO GOOD! Finally Satisfied!

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The Gift of Delusion

Forgive me if this post is less than eloquent, I wrote it in the time it took to cook my microwave dinner. But hopefully you'll find it interesting.

I was trying to fall asleep late one night, and as I often do, I turned the radio on to my local NPR station. The show I encountered actually ended up keeping me awake because I found it so interesting.

It was all about liars. They studied people who they thought would be compulsive liars, they actually decided that temp agencies would be the place they would go to find these people figuring these people would turn up there at some point. Probably not having been able to keep their lies right and having gotten fired I guess.

So they found a handful of people who answered the questions in a way that suggested compulsive liar. Then they got these people to submit to a brain scan to see what was wrong with their brain. Often people with other ...disorders, have some malady in their brain that shows.

What they found was quite a bit different than they expected. They didn't have a malady, but they actually had more connections, more "white stuff". They were able to think on their feet better, come up with stories more easily.

That was pretty interesting, as was the story of the con woman, but what I found most interesting was the piece on people who lie to themselves. They looked at people who are able to weave a little veil in front of whatever is going on so they don't have to acknowledge it. Like the person who ignores the sign of a cheating spouse.

But the interesting part was that they found that people who lie to themselves more are happier people. It works as a buffer, its an inoculation against reality and depression. So it should not be surprising that people who are more realistic are also more often depressed. They see the things they've done, things not working out, the pain and suffering in the world...and it makes them sad. Delusion is a gift of sorts.

I was telling this tid bit to a friend of mine and she said she had heard something similar, but that it was regarding specific unnamed political parties. The one party was more depressed than the other and it was explained that the happier political party was happier because they failed to see injustice as injustice...and I guess their responsibility to fight injustice? I didn't really have the gumption to read this entire article, I don't even know if it was the one my friend read, but it was interesting all the same.

But if you're going to waste your time clicking on the link, click the Radio Lab link instead, you'll probably enjoy it more. Its about as good as This American Life!

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Mish Mash

I hadn't planned to post anything today. I was supposed to be sleeping in and having a nice day off with my family. But work has gotten crazy and deadlines need to be adhered to so I came in to do one small thing.

...unfortunately that one small thing isn't here for me to do! Oh, you don't know how mad I am about that. I was counting on this person to get their stuff in, talked to them right before I left. I had such confidence that I didn't check from home before I came in to take care it, because, I was certain it would be here.

....wrong. So I'm wasting time waiting for him to call me back, I'm giving him 15 minutes.

Aside from that its Feeling Fit Friday...or something like that. I lost another lb and then had a very large dinner, well, not large for me a few months ago, but large for me now. It was interesting to see how I felt after eating the amount of food I used to eat. I decided that I wasn't going to do that again. So I'm almost at 10 lbs, I'm hoping next week will be my 10 lb loss to say.

Also, you know you're in trouble when blogland makes its way into your dreams. Last night I was chilling with Valerie and Ashlee. And although I know what Ashlee looks like, in my dream she looked like one of the other daycare moms. We were in Alabama and since when I lived there I didn't enjoy it much, Alabama was made up of nothing but rock quarries.

I'd see a lake and run to it only to find it was just a mirage on a rock quarry. Valerie kept disappearing when I'd try to find her and poor Ashlee was having major ...women-type problems. That was weird.

JimmyEW was with me and we were staying in a Hospital for some reason. I was trying to take some photographs of these ancient Mexican American families but he kept taking my camera from me. It was making me so mad.

So anyway- the hospital came from watching the movie Bucket List last night. Really good flick about finding joy, friendship and deserving/undeserving/faith sort of things.

Alabama- came from a comment I made on another blog last night, and because Valerie lives there. So does Seester, right?, but I guess she was ditching us in my dream

and meeting bloggy friends came from the fact that I might be meeting one of you next week, I'm not saying who right now because I will of course blog about it...and I'm not certain it will happen. But I'm hoping it will

So, happy Friday. Cross your fingers that the little slacker gets his stuff in. GRRRRRR!

JimmyEW, I'll be home soon-promise.
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This is Stupid and it Makes ME MAD!

Ok, this really bothered me. Maybe I'm being premenstrual, but come on! ...And, I don't usually have P.M.S. so it must just be stupid.

Read below, I came across this on Yahoo News.


WASHINGTON (AFP) - The heat is on, and the stakes are high, with the potential first ladies' bake-off underway and organizer Family Circle magazine looking to see which way the cookie is going to crumble.

In the past four presidential elections, readers of the magazine have successfully predicted who would be America's next first lady by favoring her recipe in the magazine's competition.

Something with chocolate has melted the hearts of readers in the last four elections. So both Michelle Obama and Cindy McCain might be taking a risk by eschewing everyone's favorite treat.

Instead, Michelle Obama, wife of Democratic Illinois Senator Barack Obama, has put forward a recipe for shortbread cookies with zest of lemon and orange, and a cheeky kick of almond liqueur Amaretto.

The recipe comes courtesy of Mama Kaye, the godmother of both her daughters, Sasha and Malia.

Cindy McCain, who earlier this year had to apologize for plagiarizing a recipe for passion fruit mousse from Food Network, went for oatmeal butterscotch cookies.

They are "an absolute must whenever the whole family gets together," says the multi-millionaire heiress to a large beer distribution firm, married to Republican presidential hopeful John McCain.

Readers can vote online at the magazine's website with the results to be published in mid-October, just ahead of the November 4 elections.

At the end of the week, Cindy McCain's recipe seemed to be slicing through the competition, with one online reader complaining that he had had to go out specially to buy Amaretto so his wife could bake Michelle Obama's treats.

If history is anything to go by, Obama might be in for a rough ride. In 2004, Teresa Heinz Kerry's pumpkin spice cookies failed to beat off the competition from Laura Bush's oatmeal chocolate chunk cookies.

(Side note, apparently she's never made Pumkin Spice Cookies in her life. She was on NPR awhile ago and said that some random staffer had submitted that recipe on behalf of her. I'm sure if she had realized the weight of the election hung in balance and her crappy recipe was going to tip the scale in favor of Bush, she may have been on top of it.)

Four years earlier the first lady had already set the bar high with her Texas Governor's Mansion Cowboy cookies made with chocolate chips and coconut, which proved more popular than Tipper Gore's ginger snaps.

Hillary Clinton won in 1992 and in 1996 with the same recipe for chocolate chip cookies, whipping the competition from Barbara Bush and then Elizabeth Dole.

This year former president Bill Clinton got a chance to show off his culinary talents, choosing a recipe for oatmeal cookies from long time Clinton cook, Oscar Flores.


I find it irritating that they are reduced to cookie making for one thing. I guess they hold Bill Clinton to the same standards as the rest, I'll give them that at least.

This article acting like people actually put merit in someones electability based on the cookie recipe of their spouse is stupid, dumb and makes me mad. I sure hope people are paying more attention to the issues than they are to who makes a better cookie. If not, I'm moving.


Last Minute Disclaimer: Of course I know this is just fun tradition. But the tone of the article just really irked me as if this stupid contest is like a Fortune Cookie about who would win. Seriously.

Perhaps its because I'm really ready for some real problem solving and the cookie thing just makes too much light of all the issues we're dealing with. Didn't sit well with me at all.

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QOTD: Sandwich Gen

Today's Quote:

"Always be nice to your children because they are the ones who will choose your rest home." - Phyllis Diller

What are your plans in old age? Who will take care of you. I know HB often worries about this, since Logan is an only child. I think she has this belief that Kiki and Boogs will be helping Logan whipe her senile butt. They might, but most likely they'll just meet him at the bar and buy him a beer afterwards.

What about your parents? Have you been faced with this decision? If you recall from this post, I got to be the child (of 8, mind you) that signed the paperwork to put my father in a home. Nice, huh. Turns out he seems to like it there, although we'd much rather have him home. But he's on a stubborn streak now and doesn't seem to want to come. What's a kid to do?

Ah...the sandwich generation.
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Potty Humor

My dream is to have a job where I have a bathroom of my very own. One that doesn't have anyone else's butt cooties on the seat, where I don't see morsels floating around, where I can go and eliminate in peace.

I work on the third floor of a building...ok, really its the basement, but if you turned it upside-down, it'd be the third floor.. Almost no one else works on this floor, just me and a handful of people. There are only 4 girls on this floor so would could deduce that there would only be 4 females that use the girls bathroom. Not so.

I have a theory that every woman in this building on all floors who has to poop comes to our bathroom. After all, its away from the offices, you have to walk through the workout room to get to it, you can have relative privacy, so I don't blame them. But I'm getting sick of going to relieve myself and finding that there is a haze of someone else's "leftovers" hanging in the air. ALL.THE.TIME.

Its become kind of a game between the girls on my floor. Guessing which person is coming down to destroy the sanctity of our restroom. We always seem to decide its the poor tech guy who works on the third floor, but we don't have proof.

Last week someone left something so terrible that I screamed and ran out with my eyes watering. I'm not kidding. I made my co-worker come back with me so I wouldn't be alone when I flushed it with my foot. Just in case there was something alive in there.

Other odd things happen in our bathroom. The tank top suddenly cracked and was broken, then would move around from sink to toilet to sink upside down holding soap like a dispenser to disappearing all together. Then returning with some glue. The heater in the bathroom (yes there is one, probably because of the shower), is almost ALWAYS on. The ladies down here complain constantly of turning that heater off a gazillion times a day. Yet, each time we go in...its on. Then there was the day I went in to find the shower just randomly on. That was weird.

My favorite part of our bathroom is running out of toilet paper, having to dance the pee dance while begging the guy with the key to get up RIGHT NOW and unlock the TP closet. Guys just don't understand how much tp girls use.

I wonder if there are potty poltergeists. Little angry spirits that run around bathrooms and steal our toilet paper, create stench and put the chair in the shower during times of the year where I feel particularly frazzled. A suggestion, I'm sure.

Actually, I'm pretty sure that one was my boss, he referenced me hanging myself and I figure he thought he was being helpful. Bastard.

above photo credited to this guy

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Night Kitchen

This is one of our favorite things to watch and read. Its so weird...and funny. And Kiki really likes it. Once, at dinner, JimmyEW told him to drink his milk. Kiki replied very ho-hum
"I'm not the milk and the milk's not me."
It made us laugh hard.

Enjoy


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Word: Part DUH

In case we didn't bore you enough yesterday and you're coming back for more, here we are with answers to more of your burning questions. However, none of them will be who was in the big house. Mums the word on that.

Semi-charmed Jen said...

These are for both of you...

Biggest learning experience of your life?
Sassy in Red here :)

Hmmm, good questions. Biggest learning experience of my life is that it is better to be open and honest regardless of my fear it might hurt someone. I kept my true thoughts and feelings inside for so long that they started spilling out. It was stupid really, especially since I'm a believer in being very honest. And even with criticism of my photographers. If I like them I'm so afraid I'll hurt their feelings when I tell them I need something better, but if I wasn't honest with them about their work that means I've given up on them. I'm not giving them the opportunity to get better or learn. So its unfair for me to keep silent.

Honey Bunch: I think I'm in the midst of it. It began when Sister Big had the Come to Jesus with me. I'm learning a lot about myself now. It ain't always pretty.

Optimist or pessimist?

Optimist...or realist...or pessimist. lol. I used to be realist leaning toward pessimist so I could be pleasantly surprised when things work out right. But as things kept working out in my life...I just turned into an optimist. Even when things go badly I feel pretty certain that it will get better.

Honey Bunch: Optimist. Unless you ask Tom. He thinks I tend to be pessimistic.

Something HUGE you want to achieve in 2008?

Something HUGE. Well...I would like to discover my real purpose. And I know some people don't believe you have some great huge important thing you're supposed to do in life, and maybe for those people that is true. But not for me. I'm pretty sure I'm supposed to do something...just not sure what yet. I have an inkling, but I'm still pretty unsure.

Honey Bunch: I really want to launch my Christian Working Moms group.

kspin said...

1) If you won the lottery, what would you do/buy?

Kspin, Lol, this question is out of bounds according to our Sage. JimmyEW and I played this all the time but it helped keep us distracted from life, oddly. But really, what would I do? If I won the lottery I think I would buy a house and a new/used car that doesn't need $1000 of work done. Then I JimmyEW and I would become professional students, write stories and poetry and maybe buy an RV to tour around the country. We'd also start some sort of non-profit, something we're both passionate about.

Honey Bunch: I would by Tom's dream house, dream car, dream boat. I would pay for the college education for my nieces and nephews. I would give my brothers and sisters a chunk of change. I would make sure my parents were set. And then I would spend a lot of time doing work for places like Compassion International.

2) ultimate dream vacation

Dream vacation would have to be Ireland. I've always wanted to go. But there are tons of places that would be a dream.

I don't think I have an ultimate dream destination. I would just want beautiful weather, beautiful scenery and amazing experiences. And lots of laughter.

3) plastic surgery? for or against?

Plastic Surgery can go either way with me. I think its about balance and when people go crazy cutting their body up trying to make it perfect, well, I think they need to figure out what might be wrong inside. But I'm def not against it. Extreme Makeover, those people's lives were changed so much by having stuff done. For myself, I don't know, I used to think I wouldn't but then I had kids and everything got really saggy. So I'm neither Yay or Nay.

Honey Bunch: I don't have an issue with plastic surgery. Except for when people do weird crap to make themselves look like a lioness.

mindicherry said...

I wanna know more about the cult...was it a "prairie dresses and inbreeding" one or was it just a seriously overzealous preacher?

Some "weirdos" in our church wore prairie dresses, but most didn't. We did wear dresses/skirts to church. There was no inbreeding but the ministers practiced a stern control over everyone. It was a lot of hellfire, brimstone and pounding of the fists. Women were certainly subservient and you were shunned if you married someone not in the cult. So most married within the cult, and some of those cult guys were downright strange. But HB will have better stuff to say on this, unless she wants to save it for a post. It really is her turn to tell a cult story.

Honey Bunch: No virgin sacrifices or storing of guns. Serious mental/emotional/financial control.

I want to know why you chose to be Catholic (I did too...at the age of 21)

Honey Bunch: I married a Catholic man and had no intention of converting. Ever. I went to my protestant church every week as well as to Mass with my husband. Five years after we were married, I found I was getting so much more out of the Mass. There was so much more meaning in the receiving of the Eucharist (not that I received at Mass), and the homily and I just really wanted to learn more.

I started doing my own research in private. I didn't want anyone to try to talk me into or out of whatever I was going to decide to do. I finally decided to take the RCIA classes and was confirmed within a few short months. This should actually be a post all by itself. Maybe one day.

I want to know if you think that Kelly was a stuck-up hypocritical bitch who had no business ragging on Val & Gina when she was just as big a tramp...and if you hope that 5 minutes after she and Dylan kissed at David & Donna's wedding, Dylan pushed her to the floor and said "That's for jerking me around for 6 years!"
(ok - I may have watched too much 90210...just don't get me started on Melrose Place!

I don't really have much to say on that. I was more concerned about whether Mulder would ever kiss Scully and if the Cigarette Smoking Man was something more than he appeared. What was the black oil and OMG did Mulder even have a sister?

Honey Bunch: Oh Mindi. Don't hate on Kelly. She was a tramp for awhile, I agree. But I still love her. And although having Dylan dump her at the wedding would have been interesting, I would have been devestated if that was the final scene. You have no idea how excited I am about the new spin off.

Jen of A2eatwrite said...

For you both...
Three fave books of all time

I cheated because many are series books. Harry Potter Books, but the last one is my favorite I think. Time Travelers Wife (I think this is the best loves story ever), The Fountainhead (however, I'm not a crazy pro capitalist or all about the virtues of selfishness. I more read the Fountainhead as a declaration about how you should think for yourself and not follow the masses, not believe what the popular society/culture tells you. As a semi-outcast teenager, this book spoke to me. It was to thine ownself be true. I'm sure Ayn Rand would be very disappointed in me lol).

Honey Bunch: I don't know if I can really choose three favorite books. I love to read and I am so so sad when a book ends. It really feels like a loss sometimes. To have to choose three seems unfair to the others. I just can't play favorites.

For HB - yes, I want to know about the Catholicism choice

For Sassy and/or HB - who's the Sookie Stackhouse fan? And why? (I love her, too).

I'm the Sookie fan! I tell HB to read them but she'd rather chew on glass than read something that is sci-fi/fantasy. Time Travelers Wife was pushing it for her. Right now we're (JimmyEW and I read out loud to each other from these books) reading the one where Eric loses his memory. This one is my favorite one, but I haven't read her most recent yet.

For Sassy - what would you retain about your social work career if you could?

I've been thinking about this question a lot. I think what I'd most like to retain is more eloquently said by Margaret Mead, "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." If I can remember it IS my responsibility to try to make the world a better place in any way I can, then I think I would be satisfied. I don't ever want to fall into the ignorance is bliss camp.

Meg said...

A few questions:

1.How do you feel about the banning of books/censorship in general? I noticed you have Harry Potter as a recommended book, as well as the bible and sometimes, people that read one, have a hard time reading the other.

Oh, don't get me started! I think its short sighted when people ban and censor stuff, especially stuff they haven't even read. I think people should be allowed to read for themselves and make up their minds. Of course I thinking in terms of Harry Potter. But right now I'm just too yucky feeling and tired to think of more to say on the subject.

Honey Bunch: I have never read a Harry Potter book in my life. (Ducking under my desk) I have the Bible in our sidebar because it's such a great version. It's Max Lucado's and it's written in an easy to read and understand format with little "helps" on each page.

I think book banning is silly. If a book is age/maturity/values appropriate, let the kid read it. But it should be the parents decision and no one else's.

2.If you had unlimited funds to go on a shopping spree where would you get your perfect outfit?

Probably something Hippy/flower child-ish. But I'd want to be skinnier because those styles would probably just make me look pregnant.

Honey Bunch: I love fun, sassy skirts. If money was no object, I would probably choose something from Boden. I also love J. Crew. I'm a simple girl. Here's some stuff I dig.

3.You're stranded on a desert island what are your five a.books b.movies c.foods and d.people?

Just 5? For books I'd take Howard Zinn's People's History, Stranger in a Strange Land (because I've had it for years and not read it), Harry Potters Order of the Phoenix, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and the Chronicles of Narnia (in one big volume so it is within the rules.

Movies: Practical magic, A Far off Place, Last of the Mohicans, Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion and Smoke Signals. All movies I've seen a bazillion times. Foods: part of me wants to be practical and have live chickens and cows for milk and eggs. But I know that isn't what you mean. So I'd say Tortilla chips and Pico de Gallo (is that one, or two?), an Asian Chicken wrap from Olga's kitchen, Cookies and Cream ice cream and a big salad with some chicken breast, garbanzo beans, sunflower seeds, croutons and full fat ranch. I'll burn that all off building shelter and fishing for food. People: Well, I'd have to say my two boys and JimmyEW, my sister HB because we are pretty funny when we're together and because I'm afraid of her, and my best friend Danielle.

Honey Bunch: Oh, this is funny. I was dreading this question all set to have my feelings hurt and left off the island.

Books: I would take four newly released books by any of my favorite authors and the Bible because it's so dang interesting.

Movies: Best in Show, Fargo, Baby Boom, Dirty Dancing, Castaway.

Foods: Southwest Salad, Southwest Egg rolls, A yummy sandwich with lots of meats and cheeses and veggies, Carrot Cake and Diet Coke.

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The Great Geo Cache Adventure!: Putting the X in excitement

After JimmyEW and I had our marriage meltdown we were asked by our Sage what we did for fun. We stared at him blankly. I stammered. JimmyEW stuttered. The answer of watching TV and pretending to win the lottery were just really lame answers. But truthfully, it was all we had. We had nothin else. Nothing.

That really bothered us. So we canceled cable, began talking a heck of a lot more, read aloud to each other at night and even began writing together. It was wonderful. One day I mentioned to JimmyEW that I'd like to look into Geocaching.

Main Entry:	geocaching
Part of Speech:	n
Definition:	a type of scavenger hunt for waterproof containers bearing treasure using the containers' exact geographic coordinates and Global Positioning System devices
Example:	Geocaching can be a lot of work, especially in a remote urban areas

Above from Dictionary.com... and uh... isn't "remote urban" kind of an oxymoron?

You can go out looking for caches or go out hiding them. When you find it, sometimes its nothing more than a log book and sometimes its an ammo box filled with Treasure. If you take something, you leave something, its the rule.

It reeks of adventure and if there is one thing JimmyEW and I like, it's adventure. We also like photography and what a great way to find a new destination to shoot, while working to together to uncover treasure (if you call treasure lip gloss, nail polish, lighters, stickers and whatever else people throw in there treasure).

The best thing about Geocaching is that it refers to non-cachers as "Muggles" so you get an actual reason to be a non-Muggle and to refer as other people as Muggles. As in, "There were too many Muggles around for JimmyEW and I to find the cache in Lay Park." You must beware of Muggles, if they see you find the cache they may go back and loot it. Darned Muggles.

Like a lot of things, Geocaching was just an idea that I thought we'd get to one day, but then my totally awesome church challenged everyone to take a loan of $25 and see what we could make of it to bring back.

After much thinking, JimmyEW and I decided to make a Geocachers Calendar for our general area, taking pictures of 12 already cached locations and only putting the Waypoint names on the first day of that month so if someone wants to go there, they have to log into http://www.geocachers.com/ for the coordinates to find out where it is. From there they could just go and enjoy or they could get adventurous, by a devise and go on a hunt!

We only have 6 weeks to finish this gig, so we bought a GPS lickedy split and started doing some research. Then on Friday JimmyEW and I went on a cache hunt that took us through three counties, down two or three perilous seasonal roads in our Chevy Aveo (ack! Off roading in an Aveo is scary!), and snooping around an old ancient 1866 Graveyard.

It took the entire day and we didn't find every cache but we had fun. We found some of the harder ones, but some of the easy ones we didn't find and are suspicious the Muggles got to them. But it didn't matter. What mattered was that we were joined in a great adventure together.

And that is what brings me to my real point. Yes, I have one. I just want you to think about what you do with your partner for fun? If your answer was as pathetic as ours, you might want to sit down and come up with some good ideas, because if there is one thing I know, if you don't work at it then you lose that connection and become strangers.

You see this a lot with empty nesters and new retirees who are sick to death of the stranger in their house. They've poured themselves into their job or children for so many years that they've lost touch and forgotten about each other. At least that is what I've read in Reader's Digest at the dentist office.

So let me ask you, what are some things you do to have fun with your spouse. If you're single, sorry this post didn't really apply, maybe just take notes for later.

For pictures of our adventure, scroll down. And for more tips for WFMW, go see Shannon!

JimmyEW and I at our first successful find... of course we just had to go into the visitors center and ask for it. We did take something, we found a Life is Good sticker and traded with a pretty cool lighter. I don't smoke but I thought anyone could find themselves in need of fire one day, and maybe my contribution would help.

This is JimmyEW at a looted site. Nothing there, and logging on later proved that Muggles, in fact, had gotten to this one first.

Below is near the site of the hardest cache we found.

And here are two of my favorite shots. One is while lost in a forest (but are we ever really lost?) near that graveyard. I laid on my back and took a picture looking up at the trees. I love it.

This other is very close to where I live, you have to go down some trails and then you find yourself here. I never knew it was there. Beautiful isn't it?
If you're interested in buying a calendar for $15 let me know, these four pictures are featured. Of course it wouldn't make much sense for you to buy one unless you happen to live in or visit Michigan.... but I happen to know some Michigan Geobloggers out there. ;)

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