Come to Me, My Pretties

I decided to take a quick look at my stat counter thingy to see how things are going. Meh. As always though, the most interesting thing is seeing how people stumble upon me with random word searches. As I've mentioned before, the most obvious and predominate words are "boring life" and variations thereof. One I especially liked was "boring wankers with high IQs". Yeah, you may just have come to the right place. Another one that seems to come up are variations on "clearing my mind". Perhaps reading one of my less interesting posts (like this one, perhaps?) could just leave the whole slate blissfully blank. It is like some sort of zen therapy and it is absolutely free! One of the more unusual searches was "home simpson donut drool". I know I have talked about each of those elements here at some point...maybe just not all in one post. Well, consider it done! Then there was one that was just baffling..."he his i my girls". Wow, I'd like to help, but I don't even know how to start. Okay, now I will finish off with a little "how to dance like jagger" and I think we can call this post a wrap! Thanks for stopping by, however you got here!

Many Posts Wrapped in a Single Sloppy Package

Welcome back to the working week, my free-yends! I've been checking around and it seems like everyone had a pretty good to effin' awesome weekend. Mine was on the pretty good part of the scale, but no complaints believe me.

When I was over at Eclectic Spaghetti earlier trying to think up October Taradays, I realized I hadn't actually done any in awhile. So, I looked at September and saw that there were a whole bunch of very cool ones right here at the end of the month. Sooo, then I decided, why not just do a few at once? Why not pump up the jam and all that?

I give you my Super Taraday Edition Blog Post. Yay!

9/26 - List Your Hobbies
1. Reading
2. Blogging
3. Playing Brickbreaker on my phone
4. Giving birth (ret.)
5. Collecting take out menus
6. Updating my tivo
7. Seeing how long a single pair of comfortable shoes can last before falling apart

9/27 - Watch a New Show on Television
Okay, I didn't watch anything new on Saturday. I did, however, watch a new show on Sunday. I can slip it in here, under my new by-laws. I decided to give Little Britain USA a look-see. It was quite funny, I thought...very over the top and crude, so if you enjoy that sort of thing and have HBO, check it out.

9/28 - AlienCG is Six Months Smoke Free!
Dude. Alien. You rock. Way to go!!!!

9/29 - Interpretive Dance Appreciation Day
Hm...Well, here! This blog could use a LOLCAT, right?

9/30 - Silverware Appreciation Day
It is actually still the 29th as I write and prepare to post this. But I figure, meh, it will the tomorrow soon enough. Let us celebrate the utensils that allow us to eat without dirtying our lovely phalanges! Good cheer, noble Sir Fork! Huzzah, dear Lady Spoon! Oh, courtly Knife, we applaud thee! How's that for some fancy appreciatin'?

Ah, I enjoyed this. Good times, good times. Thanks again for gathering all of our demented thoughts together each month, Tara! You make blogging more fun than it already just naturally is :-)

You Say Yes, I Say...

NO, NO, NO! The word for this week's Saturday Scavenger Shots is all negatory, good buddy. It makes sense though, when you consider that it was chosen by NoRegrets. In her case, NO is a very positive thing!

This was kind of a tough one to render in photographs, for me. But I love a challenge! It was great fun. So, here is what I came up with...

Here is a Public Works guy putting up a banner. I am afraid of heights (it's true), so NO, I will not trade jobs with you, Public Works guy.

Aw, sorry, but NO, you may not go outside Mr. Library Tiger!

Here are some Tongva Indians who came to our Museum for the opening of a special Tongva exhibit. NO, I am not all enamored of "the Indian way". Try marrying into a family of Creeks and see if you don't agree with me. haha! I am joking of course. I don't dislike all Native Americans based on one icky family. NO way.

NO, NO, don't go! Well, okay then...you did stay long enough to get to the end of my Saturday Scavenger Shots post. You are excused. Can't wait to see who and what is next!

One Paragraph At a Time

In a weak attempt at hilarity and self-amusement, my pal Milly and I have given each day of the week it’s own special super h.o.t. name. Today is Thrustday. Thexthy, right? Maybe not, but desperate boredom calls for desperate measures. It is pretty busy patron-wise here at work, but I am still feeling unchallenged at the moment. I suppose it is just a mood and something will soon happen to get me fired up once again. Given my general fondness for my job, I am certain of it.

In better news, I am getting my car back today. I have at long last been getting my brakes and other bad stuff taken care of. Unfortunately, my little auto had reached the point where it couldn’t wait for me to get my shizznit together anymore. Fortunately, my mom really generously offered to help me out with the expense. I don’t know what I’d do without her support, seriously.

In boring, old, bitter news, WTG attempted parental involvement by picking up Handsome Lad after school yesterday. Based on their beautiful ten minute interaction before he dropped him off at the skatepark, he called me up this morning to tell me (again) that I am clearly unable to handle things (since I cannot pick Handsome Lad up) and hadn’t I better just wise up and tell him to go “home”. I am trying not to fall into a pit of self despair by the fact that I am forever tied to this sack of crap.

Let's end on a positive note though, shall we? Um. I have my health! I have a job! Awesome kids! A supportive mom and sister! New brakes on my Chevy! I can make up funny names for the days of the week! I get to watch a new Office tonight! Wow, that is pretty alright, alright, alright…

Talent to Spare!

Time for Choose and Defend Wednesday, yet again. It just keeps coming round, doesn't it? This week, I am giving away talent! Most of you probably already have some talent of your own. Still, suppose you had to choose from these two types...one or the other...sorry, you can't have both. Greedy! haha!

Will you Choose...

Dancing

or will you Choose...

Singing

Ready? Okay then...Choose and Defend! Thanks for playing, you funky fresh members of the talent pool!

What's Cooler Than Being Cool? Ice Cold!

Quizzes are fun and I gots nothin'! Play on, playahs!

You're a Penguin!

You like the dapper life, replete with elegant walks, lavish fish
dinners, and of course dressing up, preferably in tuxedos. But when not walking
out on the town, you actually have a fun side as well, sledding down mountainsides
and frolicking in ice-cold water! How do you manage to keep these dual lives going,
a veritable play-hard play-hard existence? People seem to love you, and where you
live, you don't have much competition. After all, living in an inhospitable
neighborhood at least means cheap land. What's cooler than being cool? Ice
cold!


Take the Animal Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.

How Am I? Frustrated, Thank You Very Much.

Here is Miss Personality, right on the end there, in her first sack race. I sort of relate to that feeling of having to work so hard to get somewhere!

I know I have mentioned, a couple of times at least, my little Onion Personals experiment. At the moment there is one person there I am interested in. We have written back and forth quite a bit and spoken on the phone a couple of times. On Friday night we actually talked for three hours and it really only ended when my phone battery died. Now we are nudging around the idea of actually meeting, but it is harder than it should be.

1. He lives about 30 miles away, which isn't so ridiculous, but it is on the other side of LA from me, so traffic and time is a huge factor.

2. He is an activist/environmentalist...a real one. He doesn't own a car anymore. He bikes and takes buses and trains. He is single, no kids, so he can get away with it. While I admire this in theory, it makes things difficult.

3. When I really stop to try and plan something, I realize how difficult it is for me to find time. I work until 9 two nights per week. So other evenings I feel pretty guilty if I'm not there for the kids. And on weekends, same thing. I am expected to be handy.

3a. I am trying hard to get WTG more involved. For example, couldn't he be in charge a couple days a week? But he is playing games with me. He wants Handsome Lad back at his house, but insists the only way to achieve this is if I tell HL he HAS to go. That I haven't the room for him, am not set up for him, and he has to go "home". I told WTG I cannot do that. If HL decides to spend all or at least more of his time at the house, so be it. However, I absolutely cannot tell my 11 year old that he CANNOT live with me. I can't. And at that point, WTG just throws up his hands...nothing he can do to help in that case. Guh.

So, yeah, I am feeling a bit frustrated. I feel like I should be able to have a life outside of work and home, but part of me knows that for the next few years chances are slim that I am actually going to live the dream.

Old RED Eyes is Back

It is Saturday, and I am looking at the world through rose colored glasses. This is because the lovely Mistress of Eclectic Spaghetti, Tara has chosen the word RED for this week's Saturday Scavenger Shots!

I am following along with my old favorite color word thing...I looked around my desk and said to myself, "What do I spy, with my little eye, that is RED?" Ah ha!
Here we have a couple of candles that I got from a patron eons ago, both RED fruits...meet tomato and apple. I also found a strawberry Nutri-grain bar, a RED colored pencil, and little RED handled scissors. And, no, you aren't losing your vision, I just take some craptastic pictues with my phone camera :-)

Here are two good sized tokens of affection that also live on my desk. The RED lobster and the RED toad both love me and aren't shy about saying so. They were both gifts from my friend DR in NC. But don't get any ideas, he is getting ready to move to UT to be with his new lady love. Still, they are nice to have around.

I hope you enjoyed what you READ (close enough?) here! Who will be next? Who? Who? Damn, man, I think I need a glass of RED, RED wine....

International Talk Like a Pirate Day! Oh Boy!

You are The Quartermaster

You, me hearty, are a man or woman of action! And what action it is! Gruesome,
awful, delightful action. You mete out punishment to friend and foe alike
– well, mostly to foe, because your burning inner rage isn’t
likely to draw you a whole lot of the former. Still, though you may be
what today is called “high maintenance” and in the past was
called “bat-shit crazy,” the crew likes to have you around
because in a pinch your maniacal combat prowess may be the only thing
that saves them from Jack Ketch. When not in a pinch, the rest of the
crew will goad you into berserker mode because it’s just kind of
fun to watch. So you provide a double service – doling out discipline
AND entertainment.

What's Yer Inner Pirate?
brought to you by The Official Talk Like A Pirate Web Site. Arrrrr!

What kind of pirate are you? If this quiz is any indication, you better run if you see me coming today! Arrrrrgghhhhh!!!!! Ye scurvy scum!!!!!!

Give Me Patience. Now!

I am once again going to expound on a subject that comes up here from time to time. It's been on my mind lately, again, and you all know how writing something down can help! Here goes...indulge me if you can...I have been alone for a good long while now. Not ALL alone in the world, but you know...alone. Even before my marriage actually ended I was rather alone. Honestly, sometimes months (or at least weeks) go by when I don't even give it a thought. I am pretty busy, as we tend to get with our lives. On the days I work I am gone from the house a good ten hours. I have my kids who need my time and attention, some more than others. Still...every so often I get to feeling so melancholy and at the same time hopeful. I think to myself that it doesn't have to be like this...why couldn't I meet a nice man? Other people, some more hideous than me, seem to do it! haha! It seems so hard though. Especially since I don't get out much...I mean where am I going to meet anyone, really? I know that ideally I would be participating in events or classes or something where like minded people would be likely to meet, but even if I could find the time to do these things I am so stupidly shy. Then I do things like joining a personals site and nothing really happens. I tend to get these, like, penpals who don't seem interested in actually getting together and doing something. I'm not sure if that is about them or about me truthfully. Maybe they are meeting all kinds of people who just aren't me! I have no way to know.
Well, I have no real conclusion to this little ramble. I guess you can just consider it a peek into my current state of preoccupation. Any advice is, of course, welcome. *sigh*

Baby, You Can Drive My Car

Hola amigos! It is, once again, time for Choose and Defend Wednesday. This question was inspired by my endless kid related driving duties. So today we are going on a roadtrip. Yay! But of course, as always, you have a choice to make. On our roadtrip would you prefer to be....

A Passenger?

Or

A Driver?

You are now invited to Choose and then to Defend your choice. What's it gonna be?

Let's Go Through the List, Just to Make Sure

I guess this will have to be one of those clearinghouse posts. All I have a little dribs and drabs floating around my brain right now, so that is what you get!

1. WTG had the nerve to call me Thursday evening when I was trying to eat my dinner to tell me that I am neglecting Girlie Girl and Handsome Lad. He dislikes the fact that I work 8 hours a day. We can't all have those loser jobs like him where you set your own hours, but don't really make much money or have benefits or anything. Since he has pretty much written himself out of the picture at this point, I don't see that he has a say in the matter. When I suggested he might help out by picking them up from school and doing things with them in the afternoon when I'm not there he suddenly lost service on his phone. Um right.

2. I saw Team C on Friday. What can I tell you? It was great to see him, as far as that goes...and that is as far as that goes.

3. Saturday was a very peaceful day. I mentioned in the comments over at Churlita's how I feel like a chauffeur so much of the time nowadays. My kids are now at a stage where my best use for them is simply to feed them and get them where they need to go. So, make that cook and chauffeur. Some days all that is required of me is that I be on standby for assignments. I try not to begrudge them that when I am available, since there are all those after-school hours when I am not available to them. Still, sometimes I can't help but feel sorry for myself sitting around waiting for someone to want to go somewhere. Boo hoo hoo. Poor mom!

4. Sunday we went to the park with Kick Back Dude and the gang. Little Prince slept the whole time, but the girls kept me busy wanting endless time on the swings. Good Grandma pushed while everyone else lolled about at the picnic table waiting for the ice cream man to come by. Oh well, at least Miss Personality and Love Bug enjoy talking with me. I know now how brief this time is :-)

5. Came in to work today to find that the substitute Librarian had called in sick. So, all of our schedules had to be rearranged. That's okay, people get sick. But I am looking at my week ahead and I am not smiling...the bright side of this? I am getting pretty darn indispensable! haha! Well, at least I can tell myself that.

Thanks for bearing with me as I cleared out my tiny brain. You are appreciated.

Shining, Gleaming, Streaming, Flaxen, Waxen....

Welcome to my Saturday Scavenger Shots post. This week's word comes to us courtesy of Mrs. HAIRY Woman over at The Northern Sky Chronicles. Did you catch that word? Yes, that's right! It is HAIRY.

I have posted this picture before, but I think it works well. Check it out.

Here is Mittle Kitty, who is quite HAIRY. One could more properly call him furry, but it is almost the same, right?

Thanks for stopping by the anti-barber shop today. Stay as HAIRY as you wanna be!

What Family Role Do I Play?

I haven't posted a Blogthings quiz in a while and you know how I love them.

You Are the Daughter

You very keyed in to emotions. You care deeply and are quick to forgive others. You often get lost in your own thoughts and daydreams. You find it difficult to stay focused. At your best, you are sweet, sensitive, and innocent. You bring joy to people's lives. You are open and expressive. You love sharing your optimistic, dreamy vision of the world. At your worst, you feel powerless and like a victim. Your fear can paralyze you. You tend to complain and whine. Whether your complaints are legitimate or not, you're not one to solve your own problems.

What Family Role Do You Play?

This one happens to be right on, I'd have to say! Come on, you play too!

Happy Rememberies

This is a sober sort of day, of course. Still, I have decided to post a few of the nicer things that happened on this day in history:

1875: 1st newspaper cartoon strip
1923: ZR-1 (biggest active dirigible) flies over New York's tallest skyscraper, Woolworth Tower
1927: Babe Ruth hits 50th of 60 homers
1946: 1st mobile long-distance car-to-car telephone conversation
1961: Bob Dylan's 1st New York performance
1988: Sports Aid - jogging to feed the world

And some interesting people were born:

1862: O. Henry
1885: David Herbert "DH" Lawrence
1913: Paul "Bear" Bryant
1962: Kristy McNichol
1976: Ludacris


We will always remember THE 9/11, but it is okay to think about the good stuff too.

Cartoonies for You Loonies

Today is Wednesday and you know what that means. It is time to Choose and Defend. Our topic this week? Cartoons! They aren't just for kids anymore. Some of them aren't even remotely appropriate for kids, come to think of it :-) I got the idea from yesterday's post and now I ask you....

The Simpsons?

or

Family Guy?

Choose one or the other...you can do it! Then, Defend your choice using persuasive language...you can do that too!

Aaaannnnddddd.....GO!

99% Perspiration 1% Inspiration

Today, I seem to have even less inspiration than advertised in the title! I am trying little "get started" tricks and cues. I have written and then erased a couple of false starts. Then I said to myself, "Thank goodness for Tara and her Eclectic Taraday Calendars! And look! Today is "Eat My Shorts" Day! Celebrate The Simpsons! Well, I can do that. I used to love The Simpsons. I still do, in theory, although I haven't watched it regularly for the past couple of years. No particular reason.

Here are some random Simpson quotes:

Homer: D’oh.

Ralph: Me fail English? That’s unpossible.

Lionel Hutz: This is the greatest case of false advertising I’ve seen since I sued the movie “The Never Ending Story.”

Troy McClure: Don’t kid yourself, Jimmy. If a cow ever got the chance, he’d eat you and everyone you care about!

Chief Wiggum: Uh, no, you got the wrong number. This is 9-1…2.

Sideshow Bob: I’ll be back. You can’t keep the Democrats out of the White House forever, and when they get in, I’m back on the streets, with all my criminal buddies.

Homer: When I held that gun in my hand, I felt a surge of power…like God must feel when he’s holding a gun.

Milhouse: Remember the time he ate my goldfish? And you lied and said I never had goldfish. Then why did I have the bowl, Bart? *Why did I have the bowl?*

Lionel Hutz: Well, he’s kind of had it in for me ever since I accidentally ran over his dog. Actually, replace “accidentally” with “repeatedly” and replace “dog” with “son.”

Comic Book Guy: Last night’s “Itchy and Scratchy Show” was, without a doubt, the worst episode *ever.* Rest assured, I was on the Internet within minutes, registering my disgust throughout the world.

Homer: I’m normally not a praying man, but if you’re up there, please save me, Superman.

Homer: Save me, Jeebus.

Comic Book Guy: Oh, loneliness and cheeseburgers are a dangerous mix.

Homer: You don’t like your job, you don’t strike. You go in every day and do it really half-assed. That’s the American way.

I actually found these here and just pulled out a few very choice ones...there are many, many more.

So, yay for The Simpsons and all the frosty choco-late hilarity!

Here be some Old Skool Simpsons!

And On the Seventh Day.....

...she watched tv, and was quite slothful. No, I didn't drink any Tru Blood, but I did watch the new HBO series True Blood. It is about a time in the near future, when thanks to the Japanese invention of perfect synthetic blood, vampires have decided to "come out of the coffin" and take their place among mortals. It was as graphically sexual and violent as we expect our HBO shows to be, but looking beyond that I did find it kind of interesting. One of the main ideas was that with the introduction of what basically amounts to a new race of people there are also new prejudices and crimes perpetrated either by or against vampires. In addition, there is that element of romance associated with hot young vampire men and mortal women. Teenage girls would know what I'm talking about. I will have to watch further to decide if it is a keeper for me, but I am intrigued enough to at least watch the next couple of shows to see where they are headed with it.

Otherwise, I didn't have much going on this weekend. I worked on Saturday and it was mondo busy. The day went quickly and when I went home dinner was all ready and waiting for me. Kick Back Dude and his growing clan had stopped by on their way home from Costco with a big package of steaks which they decided to share with us. Princess Diva cooked and it was all ready when I got there. Right after we ate they left, as the kids were tired. All that was left for me was the clean up, which is quite alright with me.

Yesterday, Sunday, I really didn't do much. Some laundry, some driving Girlie Girl and Handsome Lad around, a mini marketing trip...and me on the couch in front of the television with the air blasting. It has been incredibly hot here, but I was cool as a cucumber. Yes, that cool. In addition to True Blood I watched:
1. The Jazz Singer starring Neil Diamond. Just as fabulous as I remembered! ;-p
2. Big Love (a rerun)
3. Breaking Bad (another rerun)
4. Mad Men. Love this AMC series about Madison Avenue in the early 60's. It has a very authentic feeling and they try very hard to depict office and home life in that time accurately. It's rather horrifying in some ways.... Love it.

And that, my friends, is that! I hope you all had a good weekend and are ready to face the week with fortitude and courage! Go Team!

~/o ONE Voice, Singing in the Darkness...~/o

Yes, that's right. I am singing a Barry Manilow song. What of it? Defensive? No, of course not, I'm just saying...
hahaha! Ah. Today's word, chosen by cool new playah, K-sra, is ONE. Let's see what I have to offer, shall we?

When it is 11:11, a time made up entirely of ONEs, you are supposed to make a wish. Couldn't hurt!

I have three grandkids, but only ONE grandson. For now. By next year things could be entirely different. Ai-yuh.

I have five kids, but only ONE daughter. That won't change. Final score 4-1.

Alright! Saturday Scavenger Shooters are number ONE! Thanks for stopping by my life...it may be boring, but it's the only ONE I have....

Do I Dare to Hope?

Maybe I shouldn't say anything, but I don't really believe in jinxing good things by talking about them. In this case, too, I am not speaking of anything specific. More just the feeling that things are on the upswing in my life, in a general sort of way.

I am starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel financially. Not that I am suddenly going to be what I think of as "comfortable", but the worst of the adjustments brought on by my move are falling into place. I can feel things easing up and smaller money worries is always a good thing. Within a couple of weeks, hopefully I can fix my brakes and that will be a HUGE load off my mind

The kids are all back to school happily and they, too, are all adjusting. I admit I feel a lot better at work all day when they are in school at least part of the time. I know their time is being used productively and that they aren't just sleeping the day away and snacking :-)

There isn't too much happening on the Online dating scene that I mentioned a while back. I have done the back and forth emailing with a couple people, but I don't see much point to that. If you actually want to meet people then you need to be actually willing to MEET them... am I right? I am in touch with one guy who I am rather intrigued by. He is an environmental activist and he has all these really eclectic interests. He isn't that close by, though, and that kind of sucks. I mean, not THAT far, but not that close either. Actually I think we are more friendly than trying to get 'into' each other...but at this point in my life I have no problem with that. I can always find use for another friend! And who knows what the future will bring? Good things! Because this is an optimistic post!

Whats your mood?

For Your Amusement

Today I am going to post pictures of my two commercial spokesperson crushes. Yes, it is true. I get crushes on commercial spokespersons. Sometimes. I mean, they are hired because they are personable after all, right? That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.

Crush #1Yes, it's the "Can you hear me now? Good!" guy from the Verizon commercials. I liked the old commercials when he said that over and over, because he always looked so pleased when he said, "Good!" Now, in a lot of the commercials he is just standing there, backed by his giant crew. Or sometimes they simulate family scenarios and when things are at their worst, he can say his line. In any case, he is clearly a man who likes his job making sure the reception for Verizon is Good! I like a man who likes his job :-)

Crush #2No, no, not Drew's ex. I like the PC guy! He is never going to be as cool as the Mac. He is rather desperate most of the time. He's not fond of change. I don't know what it is, but I like that in a man too, apparently! You go, uncool guy!

Do you have any odd crushes on commercial spokespersons or any other sorts of persons? Let's hear it. I won't laugh at you, if you don't laugh at me!

Can You Smell-ell-ell-ell-ell-ell....

It is Wednesday, time to Choose and Defend! This one comes to you inspired by Daffy's comment on my previous post. Imagine a smell...a wonderful smell! Actually, there are two wonderful smells and you get to Choose your favorite. After you Choose, kindly Defend your choice so that we all sort of wish we'd thought of that! haha!

The smells you have to choose from are....

New car smell

and...

New baby smell.

Choose and Defend, my friends. Choose and Defend.

Searching for Caleb

Meet Caleb James, born August 29, 2008. He was 6 lbs. 10 oz. and 18 inches. Code name: Little Prince.

What a crazy weekend! Well, maybe not so much crazy as just rather exhausting. It was all about da bebe. I was in charge of the little girls, as I think I mentioned. I ended up having them from Thursday evening until Monday afternoon. I am an old lady, so that many days with two toddlers and two teens (or close) was quite a wacky ride. Everything was sort of a mess too. Princess Diva was released from the hospital on Sunday morning, but they didn't release Little Prince because he'd had a little feeding problem and as that resolved he got jaundice. Nothing too bad, but they didn't want him out of the nursery...and with the long weekend it was harder to get the pediatrician and an O.T. specialist in to see him. He was finally released this morning, but I assure you that Princess Diva was about to lose her mind. New mommies don't do well when they are kept away from their new babies.

I wasn't so much worried about the baby...it seemed his problems were minimal and the hospital was being extra cautious. I understood it from their point, but also from the point of his parents who just wanted to have their son. Meanwhile, the little girls couldn't begin to fathom what was going on. They just knew they somehow had a pretty long visit at Grandma's house. I felt like I'd moved back in time to when my car was stuffed with car seats and every little outing or chore was a special challenge. Girlie Girl and Handsome Lad helped a bit, but they also wanted to be taken here and there. It was their long weekend too, after all. And mysteriously, there was not another grandparent in sight for the entire four days and nights. Hm.

But now, all is well. Baby is safely home, as are the new big sisters. I am safely back at work. All that's left to do is wait and see what happens next.