Blogthings Tells Me to Eat More Hot Dogs!

As you may or may not know, I do what the Blogthings tells me to do. It knows me so well. To make my dream for the New Year come true, these are the resolutions I should make. Frankly, they have my original ones beat by a mile, so I'm going to go for it! I'm not sure I can afford to travel to Holland or go whitewater rafting. And my cat might not care for a snake in the house. But, heck, warrior dancing sounds awesome! And I know I could eat more hot dogs, with a little effort!

Your New Year's Resolutions

1) Get a pet snake 2) Eat more hot dogs 3) Travel to Holland 4) Study warrior dancing 5) Get in shape with whitewater rafting

What Should Your New Year's Resoluton Be?

Happy 2008 Bloggers!!!! ♥laura b.

If You're HAPPY and You Know It....

Traveling man MrManuel of Manuel's View chose this weeks word for our Saturday Scavenger Shots...HAPPY! How great is that? It was so easy and fun to find things that make me HAPPY.

My Eric Carle patterned bedspread. Appropriate for a five year old, yes, but it certainly makes my bedroom a HAPPY place.
Candles. The scent and the tiny flickering flames make me HAPPY. I got a couple for Christmas gifts, so that was nice.
Reading makes me HAPPY, even when the stories are dark and/or sad.
I am HAPPY listening to music of all sorts.
Last, but most certainly not least, these guys make me feel HAPPY and lucky 24/7
Looking at this stuff lined up, I can't help but be HAPPY (^.^) Keep your eyes open at Manuel's View for when he tags next week's theme choosing person!

Look, I think I know what this is about and I'm complimented but not interested

Somehow that little Zoolander quote came to mind...although it is not at all relevant. I did receive a compliment though! We have these comment forms at the library, so that people can complain about things and admin. can follow up in writing and the complainers feel that their issues are being dealt with. Sometimes people take it into their head to be NICE on the comment card! This morning, one of my supervisors brought me a copy of a nice comment that I received yesterday. It says: The lovely children's librarian on duty at 4 pm was so-o-o-o helpful & kind & pleasant. Very very wonderful. So, well, it wasn't addressed to me by name, but it would have been me on duty then... I wish I could remember who it was and what I did that was so nice. I haven't a clue, honestly. Still it is nice to be complimented every now and again, isn't it?

Here I am doing my best 'let me ponder your question' face.

Holiday Recap

Here is what our tree looked like on Christmas Eve with all the presents underneath. Sort of ridiculous. Note Sage relaxing on the couch. She never gets stressed...

I have been blog visiting and it sounds to me like there were lots of nice holiday celebrations going on for the past couple of days. I am happy to report that mine went very well also.

Christmas Eve was spent with the extended family at my former MIL's house. She is nice, but gets very tense...yet insists on hosting this thing year after year. Still, it was lovely. Good food, a chance to visit with everyone all at once, and a way to exchange gifts face-to-face with the people we won't actually see on Christmas Day. Everyone made out like bandits and that was just a little taste of what was to come.

I had actually kept up with my wrapping as things came in this year, so unlike some previous years burned into my memory, I was not up all night wrapping frantically. All I had to do was put out hidden things and stuff the stockings (even my own.) With Kick Back Dude and his family coming over, there were 10 stockings lined up this year!

Christmas morning was a bit less early this year. Handsome Lad, at 10.5, is not quite as early rising as he once was, and is the youngest in the house. And we knew the KBD fam would not make it over until 8:30 or so. They did manage to get over in a very timely fashion, as did my mom. Once everyone was assembled we went to work on the mountain of presents. Even with a big group, that was a lot of gifts! Every year, I have to relearn the fact that I am not the only one buying gifts...I don't need to worry so much! Everyone was so happy and it is wonderful to see the kids (even the big ones) opening things they longed to have.

After presents we had a brunch of eggs scrambled up with cheese and corn tortilla bits. That brought the end to the programmed part of the day :-) Christmas Day tends to be calm at my house, with a long afternoon stretching out to organize all the new stuff. Often we fit in a movie and yesterday was no exception. Me, Girlie Girl, Kick Back Dude, Princess Diva, Social Animal, and one of his friends all decided to go see Juno. I loved it. The actors just killed, seriously. And the soundtrack was excellent fun. Two snaps and a twist, yo!
Handsome Lad picked seeing I Am Legend, with his dad. I haven't seen this yet, but people I've talked to seemed to like it. Oh, and I've gotten good in person reviews for Sweeney Todd and I admit to being curious...

I seem to have wandered off topic here...but nevermind. It was a very merry Xmas after all.

Jolly Christmas

To my blog friends: Have a jolly Christmas. Remember the reason for the season and all that. I ♥ U, laura b. @ my boring life

We've Got SPIRIT, Yes We Do!

Since I'm tomorrow, yada, yada, yada...here is my Saturday Scavenger Shots using Tara's intriguing word: SPIRIT. You could, and no doubt will, go so many different way with this word. I happened to have a few shots on hand that made me want to go with a SPIRIT of Competition theme. Unfortunately, these are not great quality shots, but I'm gonna be bold and post 'em on up anyhow!


Here is Kick Back Dude running. He was an excellent, competitive runner in high school. He sort of let it go since he started his family and all, but I always encourage him to take it up again. He has a runner's SPIRIT.


Social Animal played football from the time he was about 9 years old until he graduated from high school. Now he is a gym rat. This is an especially fuzzy picture, but he is Number 53 chatting up the cheerleaders on the sidelines. Athlete, lady killer, now that is SPIRIT!


Girlie Girl may be a girlie girl, but she harbors the SPIRIT of a slugger. She was the only one of my kids who could handle the very spotlighty pressure of baseball (or softball in her case.)

There you go! I don't know what next week's word is or even who is choosing. I guess see Tara for that info and it will get passed around, never fear :-)

Listen!

This post was inspired by MiniJonB, who posted a list over the course of five days of his top five cds released in 2007. I like reading about what people are listening to, so on the off chance that some of you do too I decided to post my top 6 for 2007. MiniJonB bravely does Top 5's, even though he doesn't care for odd numbers or the asymetrical. So, I am doing a Top 6! Well, and also I couldn't narrow it down anymore :-) I am not very adept at talking about why I like the music that I like. I don't know enough about the actual structure of what I am listening to to make intelligent comments on instrumentation or use of various cord structures or how something is derived from some earlier piece. Therefore, I can't really defend my choices or anything. I will just list what I have most enjoyed listening to among this past year's releases. And you can always click on the links if you want to find out more.

1. Arcade Fire - Neon Bible. I love these guys. Their lyrics are fascinating and passionate. They bring so much energy to everything they play! Plus, there live show is not to be missed.

2. Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga. I'm not sure what to say besides this makes me happy when I listen to it. It is beautiful, lively, and seems hopeful somehow.

3. Radiohead - In Rainbows. It seems like with Radiohead you either love them or hate them. I love them. To me, they are musical geniuses. They released this cd themselves and you know the story...digital downloads were made available for absolutely free (you could choose what you wanted to pay for it actually). They will be releasing it as part of a pricey box set and isn't like anyone in Radiohead is ever going to be broke, but still! It was pretty damn cool. Plus, the songs are amazing.

4. Wilco - Sky Blue Sky. I am a huge Wilco fan. I love Jeff Tweedy's voice and they are the closest thing to country that I will ever adore.

5. Bright Eyes - Cassadaga. Folk music for those who don't necessarily think of themselves as folk music fans. Conor Oberst's voice is so rich and expressive. I can't help but fall in love with everything he puts out.

6. The Bird and the Bee - The Bird and the Bee. Light, fun, and surprising. Another one that makes me feel good when I put it on. I like their sense of humor. (You should also check out their recent EP Please Clap Your Hands...have you heard "The Polite Dance Song"? Very funny and fun.

Let me close with a song that, yes, makes me laugh. I don't really like the way "gay" is used by the kids now for someone or something that is just lame. Still this song with all the hipster cliches tickles me. It is the break up song of here and now. Katy Perry may sound like those other girl singers going around, but I think she may be a little different. Listen if you are curious...or if you know it already and dig it, man.

Librarians' Breakfast

This morning was our staff's annual breakfast buffet and holiday party. I don't usually eat breakfast, so it is nice to have it every little once in a while. This year they served some sort of egg souffle dish with cheese and green chilies, along with croissants and several other pastries. So, there wasn't much to it, really, but it was fine. As long as I get some coffee, I am good.
We also did our gift exchange game. You are probably familiar with it. Anyone who wants to participate brings a gift (for us it is supposed to be in the $15-$20 range), then we draw numbers. Number 1 chooses a gift and opens it for everyone to see, then Number 2 can either take that gift or choose an unopened gift, etc. Once a gift has been stolen for the 3rd time it is locked down. Eventually, everyone ends up with something. This year I got a little box of bonbons with a $15 gift card for Target. Yay! I love gift cards and I love Target (as much as I am willing to love a store).
Now, the party is over and I am sitting on the public service desk freezing my butt off...yeah, don't I wish...but there is this cold draft that always seems to blow right on us here! It is dead quiet this morning, so I am doing this, while sitting in my jacket and sniffling. Hottie! haha!
Anyway, let me ask for your guys' opinions on something. When you are getting or giving gifts, do you think gift cards are sort of cheating? Some people don't like to get or give them, as they feel they don't require enough thought or effort or something. Other people, like me, love getting them and going stress free shopping. I know that stores love selling them, because a great number of them are never redeemed, so that sort of sucks. So, what do you think of the gift card option?

What Holiday Am I?

You Are Easter

You are an optimistic, hopeful, and genuinely sweet person. Sensitive and affectionate, you are easily touched. You love nature, animals, and anything cute or cuddly. For you, every day is a new chance - no matter what happened yesterday. What makes you celebrate: Almost anything. You love most holidays and celebrations. At holiday get togethers, you do best as: The peacemaker. You can prevent any squabbles that might break out. On a holiday, you're the one most likely to: Remember to include everyone

What Holiday Are You?

Hm. I don't know how much this sounds like me...well, maybe a bit :-)

3rd Annual Festivus for the Rest of Us Sing Along

This is a song that some message board friends and I made up a few years ago to celebrate the rather bittersweet (or is it just bitter?) alternative to traditional winter holidays. This will be the third year that I have posted it. It is just so terribly special that I can't resist sharing it over and over and over again. One tiny problem...we never actually figured out the tune...feel free to improvise. Enjoy!

The Festivus Song

Now it's time for Festivus
a holiday for the rest of us
no dreidel to spin
or fat guy creepin' in
a season that quickly ends
gather your family and friends
this part is the most fun
tell each and every one
how this last trip round the sun
every wrong thing that they've done
has really let you down
but no need to wear a frown
beeeee--caaaaaause
---- now it's time for Festivus ...

Now it's time for Festivus
A holiday for the rest of us.
No big ticket items
Or games of gelt hide 'ems
Its no festival of unity
But you'll speak with impunity
Call your dad and mother
Invite your sis and brother
Tell 'em what you REALLY think
Bottoms up, lets have a drink
Spread the ugly truth around
Cry, if you must, without a sound
Beeeeeeeee-caaaaaaause
---Now its time for Festivus.....

Now it's time for Festivus
a Holiday for the rest of us
We'll gather round the festive pole
an icon of majestic length
and stretch and flex as we prepare
the challenge of the feats of strength
We'll feast as friends who hate us
are preparing to berate us
we gather for this yearly meal
with family we'd like not to see
why subject ourselves to this ordeal?
because, you putz, the chow is free
Beeeeeeeeeeee-caaaaaaaaaause (gasp)
----- now it's time for Festivus!......

Now is the time for Festivus
a holiday for the rest of us
but keep us far away from mistletoe
because we really don't trust Uncle Joe
and big expensive gifts for kids are poxes
because they end up playing with the boxes
you know that you can count on sweetie's mom
to tell you why your turkey was a bomb
while in the den Ed, Bill and Walter stare
as if a football game were on the air
you're tired of each other -- that much is clear
and so you smile and wave "Same Time Next Year"
beeeeeeeeee-cauuuuuuuuuuse
---- now it's time for Festivus! . . .

And now, it is the time for Festivus,
A holiday made for the rest of us.
Blow out the pilot light and crank up the stove,
Insert your head and reunite with Jove.
Beware the cars carreening to and fro,
don't sin too much, and don't eat yellow snow.
The carolers evoke a thoughtful grin--
One well aimed .22 will damp their din.
The yule log burns, it is a merry light
It's Presto scent's like smoking Samsonite.
The guests are gussied up, so no one knows
that Uncle Fred has cankers on his nose.
And all those joys abound with little fuss
Because it is the time of festivus.

Verse one by Rich W
Verse two by wildblue
Verse three by - Poppaspank -
Verse four by Stephen lyonheart Lewis
Verse Five by John H. Spencer

See if you can figure out which one I am by a process of elimination :-)

Happy Festivus one and all!

Color Me Relieved

I have officially finished my Christmas shopping and this brings me great joy. Of course I am aware that Christmas is not supposed to be about spending great sums of cash and obsessing over the newest and most wanted retail items. I dig the people who bake their gifts or make their gifts...you know who you are and I think you are swell! My people (especially those I birthed) want the retail items and this time of year is the one time I don't want to say no. Check it out...

For Kick Back Dude and Princess Diva a night on the town sans kids (yes, free babysitting is included in this package

For Secret Agent Man, the gift that keeps on giving. It was time for his license to be restored to him. That cost a bit of dough...and the down payment on auto insurance was included.

For Social Animal, who always steals everyone else's DVD players, one of his very own.

For Girlie Girl, the status of being among the first of her la-di-dah friends to possess the Sidekick LX. Yikes.

Handsome Lad had better not lose his very own fabulous iPod Nano. I believe there is a small family pool with loss / breakage dates though....

Fortunately my granddaughters are still tiny and sweet and don't know they need things that cost the big bones.

Miss Personality will be pleased with her role playing toys, such as this My First Purse!

And lastly, young Love Bug just wants things to grab and put into her mouth.

And that, my friends, is that!

How Come You Never Card Me Anymore?

It is once again time for our Saturday Scavenger Shots. Our very own AlienCG chose this week's theme - CARD.
I don't think you'll be surprised by my choice...


This is an old skool CARD catalog. People used to use these cards in these little drawers to find the books that they needed in libraries.


Nowadays, you just press an icon on your computer and you can access the catalog (not CARD, although some people still call it that out of old timey habit).

Okay! Now, check with the very ecelectic Tara for what you will be working with this week! Ready, aim, shoot!

Ode to Ice Cream

Since today is Ice Cream and Violins Day (at least according to Tara...and a few other not as interesting spots on the webs) I thought it would be an appropriate time for me to express my deep appreciation for ice cream. It isn't that I don't also appreciate violins. I guess, just not in that way. Can we just be friends, violins?

Ice cream is my go-to choice if I feel I would like to treat myself in a food-y kind of way. Cake, pie, cookies, meh. Okay, you've seen me, clearly I don't shun these things! But none of them come close to the creamy pleasures of ice cream. Even then, there are a great many flavors that leave me cold, so to speak. If the word "chocolate" appears somewhere in the name, well, then I snap to attention. Chocolate ice cream is where it's at. If it is, say, chocolate chocolate chunk it is even better! Hey, throw some chocolate syrup on there and I am practically weak with desire. Yeah, that is kind of tragic, but that doesn't make it any less true.
Here you go. Have some ice cream on me! Or, no...well, okay, if you want...

Today? Today is Great!

Two simple reasons.

1) Long lunch with Team C. *sighing and swooning*

2) Dinner out with my girls, Milly and Ceku! The Three DMBs ride again!

So, I say again, today is great!

What Color Christmas Tree Should You Erect?

I should let that go? It's played? Okay, sorry....

You Should Have a Blue Christmas Tree

For you, the holidays represent a time of calm, understanding, and peace. You avoid family fights, and you don't get too stressed out - even when things are crazy! You like to make Christmas about making everyone's life a little bit better. You don't get caught up in greed or commercialism. You're too sincere for that. Your blue tree would look great with: Lots of silver tinsel You should spend Christmas Eve watching: It's a Wonderful Life What you should bake for Santa: Chocolate chip cookies

What Color Christmas Tree Should You Have?

Ms. Grinch Becomes a Ho, Ho, Ho!

I loved seeing everyone's LIGHT pictures! Those, along with some unexpected extra cash in my coffers and the erection of our fambly Christmas tree, have helped to put me a bit more into the holiday spirit.

Here is a poor ol' picture that doesn't do this lovely tree justice. Still, you can get the idea. Biggest tree we have ever had. You can kind of see that the angel at the top is a bit smooshed against the ceiling. This magnificent tree is a perk of having Social Animal working at Home Depot. Employee discounts rule!


NOTE: Please look at the link I've added in my top right column. One of our cool fellow bloggers, Not Fainthearted, had the idea to see what sort of donations she could help drum up for a wonderful charity organization called Heifer International. Even a small donation can be put towards providing real help to a real family or village! I know giving helped Ms. Grinch here feel that holiday glow :-)

Don't forget...next week's Saturday Scavenger Shots word, chosen by AlienCG is CARD and the Alien tagged
Tara to choose the next word! Good times, good times....

Weekend Wowsers

Hola, amigos. Since this is my Friday on / Saturday off week I am, as usual, posting my Saturday Scavenger Shots a bit early. Maybe this will even remind some of y'all what the theme is...just in case! When I thought of LIGHT, of course I was imagining the gorgeous Xmas light pictures I could get. That didn't happen. Shocking, I know. So, you will have to just view what I have a like it like that. haha!


Behold! It is a magic path of candy cane LIGHT at the entrance to our staff Holiday Party!


Gaze in wonder at the carving table! The bright LIGHTS help the carvers to avoid cutting off their fingers and at the same time, they lend some eerie shadows to their faces. Ooooooohhhh!


Did I want to dazzle you with a fly photo like this? You bet. This isn't mine though. I stole it off the webs. Still isn't it pretty?


Here is my cheat...the little LIGHTs of old grandmama's life!

Thanks for playing. I can't wait to see YOUR pictures of LIGHT. And, I also can't wait to see what AlienCG chooses for the coming adventure!

Bouncy Baby

Is little Love Bug too cute, or what?

Party On, You City Nerds!

Tonight is our City Employees Holiday Party. The theme this year...I don't remember Gingerbread something or other. I have definitely written about the holiday party before. It isn't too exciting. We have it at the community center, which is rather pedestrian, but they do decorate beautifully. Also, there is a nice catered meal. This is my fifth year here, so I will get a little certificate and pen I believe. Another nice thing is that they give many nice raffle prizes. Last year I won a $25 gift card for Best Buy...which I then re-gifted to Secret Agent Man :-)

Do you guys have work parties? What are they like? Spill!

PS-I just found my "Longetivity Bonus check on my desk. Believe it or not (I can't) I forgot that was one of the perks of being here five years or more. Bonus!!! I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off of my shoulders in getting through the holidays this year. Yay!!!!!

Whoosh! There Goes Another One!

Gosh, I feel like the days are literally, literally (haha!) flying by! There aren't enough hours to get to everything that I need to get to. As for Xmas shopping, all I can say is thank goodness for Amazon.com and expedited shipping...

Now, a rant! How fun, right?

Okay, PSA (that's public service announcement)...if you are a busy parent, you certainly have my sympathy. However, I am not sympathetic enough to take charge of your children every afternoon when school gets out until you wander in to pick them up at 6 or 7 in the evening. I spend more time explaining to parents that the public library is not exactly the child-safe environment that they seem to imagine it to be. Also, when a kid has been sitting in school all day, he / she needs a little time to be active and the library isn't the place for that! I feel bad when I have to ask children to leave, but this place would descend quickly into complete anarchy without some consequences for inappropriate behavior. I am really not an old witch, but sometimes working here makes me feel like one.

An additional stress here at work is that one of the only three full time people that we have in this department is on Family Medical Leave indefinitely. This just means that her work falls mostly to me and the other full time person (my boss). Having been on the other side of this, though, I would much rather be in my position of having some extra work, than in her position of caring for a sick relative. So, I willingly tote that barge and lift that bale. But I still might get a little cranky now and then.

I have been so frazzled that I completely forgot about Team C's birthday. I actually remembered at this exact moment...you are seeing me remember it...oh, I thought it was yesterday, but it is today! I can still redeem myself as a decent indecent friend. *whew!* That's another thing though, I am all confused on my days! I don't know what day of the week it is, let alone the date.

Does anyone have a secret method for slowing things down a bit? If so, send me a letter, drop me a line, stating point of view. Um, spontaneously quoting Beatles songs might be a symptom of my stess. I don't know.

Your Assignment For the Week

For Saturday's Scavenger Shots how about we use the word... LIGHT! See what you can do with that, 'kay? And while I am thinking about it, I will tag AlienCG to come up with the word for the following week.

~~~LIGHT~~~

Baby It's COLD Outside

Well not really. Not here. However, the word this week, chosen by Dmarks @ Throwawayblog is COLD. So here we have a couple of items having to do with the word COLD.
One of my favorite COLD beverages is milk tea. Mmmmmmm.....


If you catch a COLD, and you know you will, you are going to need these and lots of them...

Thanks for joining me in celebrating COLD!