Yet another late night!

I just finished my portion of my team's paper for class Monday night. It's 2:54 a.m. What is it with this late-night thing I've got going on? Anyway, tomorrow I can REST. :) Our lovely kids are at a friend's house for the night. I don't have to pick them up until 11:00 (but probably will sooner), so I can sleep in. Which is fortunate, because, did I mention...it's 2:56 a.m.! Like I'm some college student or something, keeping hours like that.

Grandpa is still with us, though he is declining quickly. I so hope for his sake that it's over soon. He is ready. He's not doing chemo, so he still has his hair, which is still dark. It's hard to see him so emaciated. The left side of his face droops, so he's probably had a stroke (or more than 1). He doesn't want to go to hospice, he wants to stay at his house. My sis-in-law is an RN, so she's a big help to that situation.

I think that I'll go to bed now (oddly enough!). Have a good evening/morning/afternoon, everyone!

All better!

Happily, the migraine is gone! I was able to stay a whole, entire day at work and go to choir practice as well. It was good.

I'm watching Ghost Hunters now, which is totally easy to get addicted to. It's also thunderstorming outside, which makes it more fun.

I got caught up at work today, and so I don't dread going so much.

My dog is completely upset that it's storming. She keeps going to the door and whining, like I should be able to make the storm stop. Oops. Can't. Poor thing...I made her a bed out of one of my favorite comforters in our bedroom, but she's too worked up to rest.

I think I'm going to concentrate on GH now. 'Cause I'm dopey like that.

Migraine

I hate migraines. I have one today. This past weekend, we had a lovely birthday party for our daughter. I'd post pictures, but my head would explode.

The migraines I get start in my neck, then radiate down to my left shoulder and up to my left eye and across my forehead. It's not a heart thing...they've checked. My doctor actually said it sounds like I need a massage, and he was serious. I've never had one before. This Saturday, I'm having one.

But now, I'm off to (or back to, really) bed.

I ripped this off from Tori's Blog. It is a meme where you try to name something that no one else would have. Welcome to my messed-up, crazy world. Bwahahahahahahaaaaaa!!

CD I Own
Da Yoopers-Yoopy Do Wah

Book I Own
Ice Castles-the book that went with the late 1970's movie about an ice skater who becomes blind.

DVD/VHS/whatever I Own
Somewhere in Time VHS-with the fabulous, gorgeous, sadly late Christopher Reeve.

Place visited
Alden, Michigan. I visited there for my 20 year high school reunion, but since I did grow up there (well, I never really "grew up." I was raised there...yeeeeeaaaaahh...that's the ticket!"), I will also list Leon, Iowa, a very small town near Lamoni, IA, where I went to college for one year.

Piece of technology or any sort of tool I own.
Uhhh...ummm...well...

I do have a Tupperware citrus peeler (two actually; one orange and one yellow).

Just FYI

I am SICK TO DEATH of economics.
I am tired.
It's 1:20 a.m.
If I don't understand it by now, I never will.
My homework is 99% done (Ugh! another number!)
I am off duty.
I am headed to laa laa land, aka sleep.
Because I'm tired.
My head is spinning.
I went into Business Management to get AWAY from numbers.
Economics is about numbers.
And I've learned far more than I ever thought I would by this point.
So...
I'm DONE with it.
So there!
Pfffffffffffffffffft!

:)

Yummy

Superbowl is tomorrow, and if you live where I do, you can't miss that fact-it's being held here. Well, here-ish. In Glendale, not far from Phoenix. Nonetheless, it's coming up fast, and if you don't want to go to a superbowl party, but instead want to watch the new commercials and knit and relax, here are two wonderful recipes that can last all day and make everyone happy.

Penny's Peerless Pizza
1 cup warm water
1 pkg yeast
2 Tbs olive oil
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups flour
1 can diced tomatoes (preferably the ones with italian seasoning)
1/2 bag fresh spinach (the washed kind in the bagged salad section)
5 cloves garlic (or more or less to taste, or you may omit if you're boring)
Additional toppings, if desired
2 cups mozzarella cheese
Parmesan cheese, if desired

Dissolve the yeast in the water, let stand for 5 minutes. Add oil, sugar, salt & flour, mix until just combined (this is where a Kitchen Aid mixer with a dough hook comes in handy). Let stand, covered, in a warm place for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, peel garlic cloves by laying them on a cutting board, covering each with the flat blade of a chef's knife (the blade should be pointing toward a wall, not the ceiling or floor), and smacking the knife blade with your hand (now you see why the blade is sideways!). Pick up the clove, remove the skin that has come off in one piece now, and repeat until all are peeled. Roughly chop the garlic (I love garlic and use a lot).

Remove the dough from the bowl and spread onto two baking sheets. Add 1/2 the can of diced tomatoes to each crust, spread evenly. Spread 1/2 the spinach (or as much as desired) onto each crust. Divide garlic in half, and sprinkle on each pizza. If you're adding other toppings, hey, this would be a good time to put them on. Top each pizza with 1 cup of mozzarella cheese (or, if you live in my house, until it looks like it'll turn out really gooey). Sprinkle parmesan on top of the mozzarella.

Bake each pizza at 375 for 20 minutes or so, depending on how thick your pizzas are. Cheese will be happy and bubbly, maybe a little golden or brown at the edges, when the pizza is done.

Cut pizzas, serve, and nap. :)


Penny's Weird Midwestern Chili and Scrumptions Southwestern Cornbread

2 Tbs Olive oil
1 small (or 1/2 regular) yellow onion, chopped
1 pound ground turkey
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
Salt (optional)
Pepper
1 can great northern beans (the white ones)
1 can black beans (a twist I learned after I moved to Phoenix)
1 can kidney beans
1 can whole kernel sweet corn (frozen corn is excellent, too)
1 can Campbell's Cream of Potato Soup (told ya it was weird)
3 Tbs Cumin
1 large can tomato juice (the big one that we used to get Hi-C in, that you open with the pointy church-key thingy)
2 Beef bullion cubes, if you're in the mood for beefy goodness
Sour Cream
Shredded Cheese
Chopped Onions

Add the oil to a skillet, and cook onion in it until a little brown. Add the ground turkey, seasoning it with garlic powder, onion powder, and pepper to taste. Add just a little salt, if using. Brown the mixture.

Put the ground turkey mixture into a crock pot. I always rinse off bean goop, so I put the beans and corn into a colander and rinse the whole works. Drain, add to crock pot. Add the potato soup, undiluted. Add the cumin, the can (or as much as will fit) of tomato juice, and the bullion cubes, if using. Cook on low 4-6 hours, or until you feel like eating. You can't really hurt chili. Serve with sour cream, shredded cheese, chopped onion, and Scrumtious Southwest Corn Bread (see recipe below).

Scrumptious Southwest Cornbread

Cooking spray
1 Batch cornbread batter
1 cup plus a handful shredded low-fat cheese (your favorite)
1 can cream-style corn
1 small (pretty tiny) can of chopped green chiles
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Make a batch of cornbread batter however you like to-use a mix, buy the cornmeal and follow the directions-whatever you like to do.

Add to the batter the shredded cheese, can of cream-style corn, the can of chiles, and the cayenne pepper.

Spray a 13 x 9 x 2 baking pan with cooking spray. Scrape the batter into the sprayed baking dish. Sprinkle the handful of shredded cheese on top. Bake at 375 until sides pull away and the top is golden brown, about 25-30 minutes. Cut into squares, serve with chili.

Hopefully these yummy dishes will add some fun, and some spice, to your life. Enjoy!

John Wolf

I tell ya, I have no idea what I did without the thingy on my computer's home page that tells me about things that happened On This Day.

Today's OTD entry is about Eddie Slovic. Eddie had a much-too-interesting life of crime, but he's remembered more for his death. Eddie was drafted into World War II in 1944, and allegedly deserted his platoon (or whatever you call "group of soldiers who work together") several times, often getting "lost" and sometimes managing to be reassigned to another platoon, especially when going into battle was imminent.

One day, the military had had enough of Mr. Slovic, when he actually deserted, admitted to it, wrote a letter stating what he'd done, and said he'd do it again if given the chance. He was given several opportunities to recant his testimony and rip up the letter with no consequences, but he refused, saying he'd made his choice and that he'd take his court martial. He was court-martialed, sentenced to death, and executed on this day in 1945.

Tonight, Thursday, I made dinner for Tony's (my husband's) grandpa. Grandpa is sick; he has mesothelioma, which is a kind of lung cancer caused by asbestos. Grandpa was an electrician and spent most of his working career in Phoenix, building it. Back then, asbestos hadn't been identified as being as harmful as it actually is, and he certainly breathed in his share of it.

Grandpa is quite a man. He had cancer in the 1980s and fought that off. I met him in 1986, when I moved to Phoenix from a tiny town in Michigan after meeting Tony my first year of college. He met me at Tony's house, opened his arms, and said "I'm grandpa!" To this day, I'm his granddaughter, not just Tony's wife. His wife, Grandma, died in 1988, just before Tony and I were married.

But Grandpa put on a burgundy suit (our colors were burgundy and dusty rose--yeah, yeah...it was the 80s!) and had a huge smile on his face when he performed our wedding ceremony. After that, he traveled. He went to Disneyland with us and rode all the rides-even the roller coasters. He drove from Phoenix to Michigan, and to Missouri, and once up to western Canada, across Canada, over to Cape Cod, down to Florida and then back across to Phoenix. He made room for a cat who needed a home, Noel, and he loved her until she died, too.

He welcomed his great-grandchildren when they came, first those of Tony's cousins, driving his camper van back to Missouri, then Michigan, to see them when they were born. Then his sisters children, then ours. He grieved for and with me the best way he knew how when I lost our first baby, a daughter named Emily Claire whose body formed with many massive heart defects and who was stillborn at 28 weeks. He rejoiced when I gave birth to two healthy children, and blessed our son Ben, then our daughter Julie, when they were born. He's been at all the great-grandkids' birthday parties in Phoenix, because as he's gotten older it's harder for him to drive so far. He did fly back, for awhile, for as many trips as he could. He's lived at the other end of our block for the past 14 years, always being a big part of our kids' lives.

But now, he's sick. He's going home to be with Jesus. He's 89 years old, and he has lived every one of his years to its fullest extent. He even fought in World War II. And tonight, when I took spaghetti and veggies and garlic bread to him, I told him that I'd read that today in history was the day that the only man sentenced to death for desertion from WWII was executed. Grandpa said, "I was there."

He proceeded to tell me the whole story, how this man had led a life of crime before the military, was drafted, and kept deserting his platoon. The men that were the firing squad bunked with Grandpa's company the night before the execution, having come from another place and needing a place to stay. All the men in the firing squad were happy to accomodate the government's wishes, he said; they were ready to get rid of this man who caused them so many problems. The day of the execution, Grandpa was on guard duty outside the place where he was executed. He remembers this man being marched into the place, surrounded by armed soldiers. He heard the shots of the firing squad, saw the other troops march out, and saw the ambulance with the man's body inside parade by. He went back to the barracks, he said, and the firing squad soldiers were there. They had been all ready to get rid of this guy, but when he got back, they were all ill and shaking. They'd never had to shoot someone in their own uniform before. They hadn't expected to feel that way, but they did.

"Slovic," said Grandpa. "His name was Slovic." And he was right. Eddie Slovic died in 1945, and Grandpa was there to see it.

I will miss grandpa, when he dies. I know it will be better for him...he's ready to go. He's tired out. He's tired of fighting. He's tired of cancer, and tubes draining his lung, and oxygen prongs. He's tired of catheters, and not being able to drive, and people having to come and make him dinner. I will miss hearing about WWII, about his Dorothy, and about his travels. He has given so much of himself to everyone, and even though he misses his independence, it is truly a blessing to me to be able to give something, even some small pot of spaghetti, or homemade cookies, to him. The world won't be the same without him in it. It will be harder, a little less happy, a little less historic. His house will probably be sold; no one in the family needs it. New people will move in, change the paint, maybe put up a fence. Who knows? It will be different. It will be hard. But this man, who remembers the name of a man he saw executed over 50 years ago, has earned his rest.

I love you, Grandpa.

Is it just me?

My, how times have changed. I know...what an original opening line, eh? Spiffy, isn't it. NOT! :) But I digress...

So tonight is Wednesday, and we were coming back from church, where we have dinner (if we get there on time, which we did not tonight), choir practice for me and Pioneer clubs for the kids (kind of like the Baptist's AWANA, but not AWANA). So I'm driving home, listening to Chumbawamba's Tubthumper CD, which my kids love, and my son Ben was talking about drums. He wants to play drums more than anything...this week. He "practices" at school, sometimes causing him to get in trouble if he keeps at it too long. And Chumbawamba uses PLENTY of drums...there's no question where the beat is in their music. Ben was telling me about his band teacher talking about practicing drums, maybe getting a book and reading ahead for next year (they aren't allowed to play drums in 5th grade, much to the huge relief of the neighborhood!). At one point I asked him when his band class was.

Now I don't know about when you were in school, but when I was in school, we had classes from, say, 8:30 until 9:25, then 9:30 until 10:25, and on and on until afternoon, when we switched to 1:15 until 2:10, and 2:15 until 3:10. Sort of round, easy-to-work-with numbers. When I asked Ben when his band class was, you know what he said? He said, without stopping even a moment to think, "12:03 to 12:49." HUH??????? 12:03 until 12:49?? Could they be a little more exact? What's next- 12:03:15 until 12:49:57? I just thought it was a little odd, and then I though...hey...Blogging Material!!! :)

My "This Day in History" thingy says that today, in 1933, was the day that Hitler was appointed Chancellor of Germany. Boy, I keep looking on the days that are really uplifting, don't I? On the upside, the Bart Simpson quote of the day is "Global warming did not eat my homework!" Not that Bart could ever counteract Hitler, I'm just sayin...

And, I just had a thought...whatever happened to Geritol? Remember that vitamin for those more full of life experience? I haven't heard a good Geritol commercial in years.

TTFN. Have a pleasant tomorrow. And a fairly happy evening, as well.

Today in History

I have a new thingie on my home page that tells me things that happened on "this day in history." Now, I'm writing this on Sunday where I live, but on the east coast it is already Monday morning (sorry, folks in the east). This day in 1986 marks the day that the space shuttle Challenger broke apart and exploded after launch.

That was my first "big world-scale crisis," and I was in my first year of college. I had gone back to my dorm room either after or between classes (couldn't tell ya really, too long ago), and I turned on my little brown, wood-grain-like, square radio. The announcement came on and, like they do, told us what had happened. I remember my first thought was "No! Things like that don't happen!"

It was a very sad day. Christa MacAuliffe was on board; she was an elementary school teacher (which I had aspired to be until just a few weeks ago). The kids in her classroom were watching the launch on TV. Her parents, husband and children were there, not to mention the families of all the other astronauts. It was horrible.

But afterward was worse. That was the first launch ever made with a civilian. Afterward, NASA stopped all launches for two or three years, until they could fix the problem (O rings, I think), and there was no possibility of a civilian flying again.

In 1988 or 1989 (I was married by then), the tried a launch again. I remember sitting on our bed with my husband, watching the 19-inch black & white TV, watching the space shuttle climb higher and higher, crying and praying it would all be OK. It flew higher and higher, did its little 1/4 turn, kept going...

It all worked okay.

Which reminds me of the Ron Howard movie, Apollo 13. In that movie, of course, three astronauts are aboard a spacecraft that explosively malfunctions, requiring superhuman feats to get the astronauts back to Earth safely. There are problems upon problems in this situation, yet we (or more specifically, Gene Kranz) did not give up. He pushed his fellow NASA workers and pushed and pushed them, not accepting any "we can't do that" answer. He didn't permit anyone to give up. He refused to acknowledge defeat. He would not even consider defeat. At times it seemed that his will alone got those men back to Earth safely. It was amazing to see, that kind of drive, that kind of will, even that kind of power.

Why do I walk with Jesus? Because if you take that kind of tenacity, that will that would only allow success, that would not let go of the idea of success, if you take that and substitute love, then you can begin to understand how much Jesus loves his creation, you and me. He won't let go. He won't give up. No matter what I have done wrong (and there has been plenty), no matter what tragedy I have gone through, He is there with me. Always. He won't give up. He won't leave.

Even more tenacious than Gene Kranz. Just thought I'd share.

Fantastic, favorite food

Food is one of my favorite things, so I thought it would be appropriate, since I just finished grocery shopping, to write about it. Sometimes, in the stress of daily life, nothing is ever so good as one of the following things, depending on the situation.

Ice cream-at least twice a week, at night before bed. Takes the edge off a long day like you wouldn't believe

Oranges-wow! what can I say? One of the true "happy fruits." Great for lifting a mood or for munching on at work when the day is slow and I'm about to nod off.

Pineapple-the other happy fruit. Same properties as oranges, but with a more tropical flavor.

Maruchan Chicken Flavored Ramen-I know. 950,000,000 grams of sodium. But it tastes so good when I'm hungry late at night. To make it even yummier, I drain the noodles, put a little butter on them, and sprinkle just part of the seasoning packet on it-no more than half. Then I try to eat one noodle at a time, winding it around my fork. Yes, I know...weird. But effective!

Spear-O-Mint Life Savers-They have these in the little card shop in the building I work in. These are fabulous, low fat crunchy things that help immensely when I'm stressed at work. I have been known to go through 2 packs a day. Oh, no! I'm a 2-pack-a-day lifesaver addict!!

Tazo Awake Tea-Ummmmmmm....

Good Earth Tea with Caffeine-Ummmmmmmmm...first thing in the morning.

M & Ms-Plain, chocolate ones. Sometimes I eat a few at a time, others I let one melt in my mouth until the inner, thin layer of coating is really soft, then bite in and get all the chocolatey, gooey goodness.

Cranberry Juice and Sprite-when I'm feeling decadent, yet thirsty.

My homemade pizza-with plenty of fresh spinach, tomatoes, LOTS of garlic, and lots of mozzarella. This is perfect for when I want to tuck in for the evening with my husband, and there's a game on, or something else we want to watch.

Applesauce and saltine crackers-when I'm nauseous. Also works with saltine crackers and Sprite.

I didn't buy any M & Ms at the store. If I keep them around the house, I end up putting them in the refrigerator and eating them cold, which is even better than having them at room temperature.

Any foods that make you feel better?

Award, Part Deux

I learned something else this week that is absolutely fascinating. Get this...if you don't want to wait until whatever time the postal worker arrives at your business location, you do have an option. You have the option to pay...yes, PAY $700 every six months to be able to go pick up your own mail at the post office.

That's right, you PAY $1400.00 per year to PICK UP YOUR OWN mail and for this outrageous fee, the Postal Service gets to process LESS work (they already have to sort it in order to deliver it, so all that remains is putting it aside for you to pick up). Wow...that must be a long walk to the "put aside" area in order to cost $1400 per year!

The Government Operation Award!

Howdy Doody, there, folks!

Today I introduce the Government Operation Award! The idea of an award has been shamelessly pilfered from Tori :)'s blog, with apologies and the hope that she will understand that sometimes, stupidity and incompetence is so pervasive, so blatant, that it must be highlighted. Today, I present just such a situation.

The first recipient of the award is The United States Postal Service!

I live and work in a large city, in the central part of the city, really quite near the post office building which is responsible (and I use that term very loosely!) for bringing the mail to its customers, which is pretty much everyone.

Now, silly me, I had always thought that it was the express purpose of the Postal Service to deliver the mail. Since they do this every day, one could possibly assume that some sort of routine would eventually be developed, so that the recipient of the mail could reasonably expect the mail to arrive about the same time each day. HA! NOT!

I have worked at my current company for over a year and a half. When I first began working there, Carl delivered the mail, and he did so at about 2:00 every day. Every day, Carl called me, and I went downstairs to pick up the mail (we get tubs and buckets of mail, so it won't fit into a mailbox and needs to be picked up. We have a note over the Post Office desk in our building, asking the delivery person to call our suite when the mail arrives). Life was good. Then, Carl moved, or changed routes, or something. He had fill-ins for over a year. These fill-ins would last a few weeks, and the mail arrival time would almost fall into a routine, and then BAM! The delivery person would change, and we would start getting mail at 5:45 p.m. Then it would come at 6:00 p.m. Then at 6:15 p.m. I would call the Post Office every day, and every day I'd hear the same story. There was a new person on our route. They didn't know they were supposed to call us (remember the note?) . Or they had had to split up the route and were still delivering. I would point out the ridiculously late hour, and the dork on the phone would apologize, and the delivery person would eventually show up, and then I could go home to my kids.

Recently, though, we were blessed with Sam. Sam brings the mail by 12:30 p.m., even on Monday when it's busy. He's quick and efficient and courteous. His uniform is clean and pressed (which is more than I can say for many of the delivery people we get). Sonny got all the backed-up mail delivered in one week, and then they were caught up (backed-up mail?? Wha?? They can let it just sit there and be, well, backed-up????? Fabulous). But I didn't complain. Every time I see Sam, I tell him what a wonderful delivery person he is, and how we appreciate him so much because now we get our mail on time!

Well, today, Sam was on vacation. I'm supposed to be off work at 4:30 p.m. At 5:00 p.m. I called the Post Office, where the phone-answerer-person said that they'd had to split the route up and the carriers were still out. I waited. And waited. I went downstairs, and outside. And waited in the wind. Finally I went into the other building, because the mail truck was in the parking lot, and he obviously wasn't in our building. I tracked him down in the mailroom for the other building. He had already finished our building. He didn't know he was supposed to call us when our mail was here. I asked if I could get the mail, since I was still waiting for it. He said yes, but to give him 15 minutes. So, I waited. Outside, by his truck, with my cart, because I knew we'd have a lot of mail since they also didn't call anyone to let us know the mail was here on Monday.
He finally emerges from the building, gets my mail, I take it upstairs, and finally get to leave at 6:00 p.m., an hour and a half late. I missed choir practice. My kids didn't get dinner until 7:30.

I don't know how this particular Post Office manages to do such a lousy, inconsistent job. I am ticked off that their ineptitude forces me to leave late and ruins my schedule. But their supreme effort toward this goal earns them the very first "Government Operation Award!"

Sometime before our office closes at 5:00. P.M. But today, and on many occasions

Remember me?

It's been awhile. Lots has happened, and I wasn't blogging because not only was Christmas coming, I was also having a personal crisis (nothing really serious, but definitely a big change) and needed time to just take a step back and see what I needed to do.

It all started when I did a report on zero tolerance policies in schools. I did a lot of research and suddenly became completely unsure about my future as an elementary school teacher. I am not the type of person who can blindly follow a bad decision, and while I understand the reasoning for some zero-tolerance policies, many people abuse them, much to the detriment of students.

This led to my thinking about the things I would have to do to become a teacher. The 100 hours of my own time I'd have to find to complete the required observation time; studying for, paying for, and passing the teacher's exam; quitting my job so that I could student teach part-time (for no pay), and finally completing my degree, only to find that I make less than I make now. I have 2 kids to put through school, and who would like to continue spending time with me. Once I became a teacher, I would have work to bring home every night (papers to grade, lessons to plan) and continue to go to classes regularly, to keep my certificate active.

And then I thought about the job I have now, with the really great 401K and very impressive pension plan, the great benefits, and most importantly the fact that I love what I do now. Since I moved to Arizona 20 years ago, I have been desperate to go back to Michigan, where I came from. But I realized that I have a lovely home here, great kids, a husband who loves me and with whom I have lots of fun, and we are blessed beyond reason. So I decided that this is my home. If at some point, God decides to move us back to Michigan or somewhere else, then so be it. But until then, I'm going to practice being content where I am.

With all that in mind, I changed my major (and am still completing a degree, just a different one than I originally planned). I am now a Business Management major, and with all that's gone on, I feel like I haven't, in fact, wasted half my life in the wrong career. I feel like I've been getting experience in my chosen field, and somehow, that makes me really happy. I can relax, not having to figure out how I'm going to move us to Michigan. I can continue in the job I have, learning more about the business world as I earn my degree, and have a good life.

It's a relief!

I Knew It! I was right!

Wouldn't this make a fabulous dining/living room color??

You Should Paint Your Room Red

Dramatic and bold, a red room brings energy. Your red room will inspire you to try a new activity... And bring out even more passion for the things you love.

What Color Should You Paint Your Room?

Tori :) Will Be So Proud!!

Your Christmas is Most Like: A Very Brady Christmas

For you, it's all about sharing times with family. Even if you all get a bit cheesy at times.

What Movie Is Your Christmas Most Like?

What Kind of Crappy Christmas Gift are YOU?

You Are Socks!

Cozy and warm... but easily lost. You make a good puppet.

What Crappy Christmas Gift Are You?

Socks! I'm socks! I love socks!

I completely ripped this off from Nancy. It looked fun. If you want to rip it off from me (or Nancy ), feel free.

MOUTHOLOGY
Q-What is your favorite fast food restaurant?

A-Del Taco. Try the strawberry shake...really!

Q-What food could you eat every day for two weeks and not get sick of it?

A-Tomatoes. Or ice cream. But not together.

Q-What are your favorite pizza toppings?

A-Ground beef, green peppers, and onions (preferably red onions)

TECHNOLOGY
Q-How many televisions are in your house?
A-Three, but one is in our son's room and used for games and DVDs (which are, of course, all approved by his over-protective mother.)

Q-What is your wallpaper on your computer?
A-Ummm...some stock photo that came with the computer, a picture of the Northern Lights (or Aurora Borealis) over a lake in Alaska.


CURRENTOLOGY
Q-Current mood?
A-Tired of school, tired of work; just tired. It is 10:21 p.m., after all!

Q-Currently listening to?
A-Billy Crystal accepting a comedy award on PBS.

FAVORITOLOGY
Q-Favorite number?
A-8. It's fun to write.

Q-Favorite season?
A-Fall.

BIOLOGY
Q-Are you right-handed or left-handed?
A-Right-handed.

Q-Have you ever been knocked unconscious?
A-No, but I fainted my junior year of high school. I'd been sick and was trying to go to school anyway.

Q-When was the last time you had a cavity?
A-Right at this very moment. Who said blogs aren't fabulous-you're experiencing history right now!

RANDOMOLOGY
Q-Is Napoleon Dynamite actually a good movie?
A-Of course! Gosh!


Q-What color do you think looks best on you?
A-Red.

Q-What is in your left pocket?
A-I'm not wearing a pocket. I'm in my nightie. Remember, It's 10: 25! Keep up!

Q-Have you ever saved someone's life?
A-Umm...no. Not that I'm aware of. Maybe my winning personality gave someone a reason to hang on one more day?

Q-Has anyone saved your life?
A-Jesus


Q-What do you want to be when you grow up?
A-I don't want to grow up. But I do want to be a teacher...I think.


Q-Could you live with roommates?
A-I have, but prefer not to. Too bad about that husband and those kids, eh? (KIDDING!!)

Q-What can you not wait to do?
A-Finish school. But I don't think I ever will.

Q-What's the last movie you saw?
A- The Cutting Edge


DAREOLOGY
Q-Would you never blog again for $50,ooo?
A-Ummm...YES! Where do I sign?

Q-Would you allow one of your pinky fingers to be chopped off for a million bucks?
A-No...what kind of sicko questionnaire is this?

LASTOLOGY
Q-Last time you had a run-in with the cops?
A-When yet another uninsured Arizona driver smashed into my car while it was parked outside my house.

Q-Last person who called you?
A-My friend Wendy!

Q-Last person you hugged?
A-My sweet husband.

Random Wednesday

"Animal Crackers and Cocoa to drink,
This is the finest of breakfasts, I think.

Animal crackers are okay, but those cinnamon-y alphabet cookies are even better with cocoa. I learned that poem in the first grade, I think.

Why does it feel so easy and natural to walk straight past another human being and not acknowledge them, both people keeping their eyes straight forward as though the other person isn't there? That doesn't seem natural to me, and I'm going to quit letting it happen. Just so you know.

I have slowly become a coffee snob. If it isn't "really good" coffee, I don't want any. How in the world did this happen? I'm a Michigan-raised, store-brand, generic prescription type of gal. I've found that I also like Earl Grey tea. It makes me feel content. I have no idea why.

My kids are fabulous. My son is becoming a brilliant musician and artist, while also being incredibly intelligent. My daughter sat at the table tonight adding and subtracting three-digit numbers (in the form of currency, like $8.32) in. her. head. Without the use of fingers, calculators, or paper to write a problem on.

My husband and I celebrate our 19th wedding anniversary on the 19th of this month. We are celebrating by going to Prescott, AZ for this coming weekend. I am excited!

I have started losing track of the many, many projects I have at work. I am interrupted at least 15-20 times per hour. I sit at the front desk, and act as the receptionist for our two companies, plus the administrative assistant for the accounting, scheduling, HR departments, as well as my boss, who is the practice manager. I feel like my head is going to spin around so much some day, it will just fall off and land gracefully on the carpet.

I have a cousin who is with YWAM, a youth ministry-missionary group. I only hear from him when they have financial problems. I don't have much to give, but I told him I'd pray for him and his family. They're adopting a little boy from Guatemala, and in the red tape involved, have gone through what they had saved. I doubt I'll hear from him again for at least a year. Maybe I'll be wrong. I'd like that, too.

I learned this evening (while typing this entry, in fact) that I prefer Wal-Mart brand Hot Chocolate to Swiss Miss. See-I'm still a Michigan girl! Whew!

I hope you've enjoyed this little trek through my thought processes. Have a pleasant tomorrow!

The Sound of Music

I was thinking the other day, while I was doing something mindless at work like stuffing envelopes, about music. There are some songs that immediately take me back to a particular time and place. Here are a few...

1. Tie a Yellow Ribbon by Tony Orlando & Dawn. I was 8 or 9 years old, maybe younger. I was in our family room/dining room (depending on what year it was) and I had my little portable, orange record player. I would play a little bit of the song, then pick up the needle and stop it, and write the words I remembered. I did this until I had all the lyrics written down.

2. Daybreak by Barry Manilow. My mom would get up with us in the morning, wake us up and fix our breakfast. Generally, this song was playing on the radio on the counter in the kitchen, on WTCM Radio from Traverse City, Michigan.

3. Brothers and Sisters of Mine, a hymn. I was at Senior High church camp, and Lester Ford was drawing the cover page for our camp log (kind of like a yearbook, only for camp). He was a great artist. We were sitting on the picnic table, under the big pine tree in the middle of the campground, with a bunch of other people.

4. America by Neil Diamond. In my friend Laura's living room, playing it over and over on her parents' big stereo, because we thought it was a cool song.

5. Forever in Blue Jeans, also by Neil Diamond. The sixth grade, at some class party or another. I thought he was singing Reverend Blue Jeans, and so did Tony Buffman. He was a kid who always tried to make everyone feel important and valued, even at his age.

6. Afternoon Delight, by someone whose name I can't recall. We were in our camper, in a campground somewhere in southern Michigan, near Ann Arbor. My sister drank lye when she was 3 years old, and for over a year we had to take her to Mott Children's Hospital at the University of Michigan every other week to dilate her throat, which had to be replaced. During the winter we stayed with my aunt who lived near Ann Arbor; in the summer we camped. That was the campground where I learned to swim (there was a lake).

7. Kiss You All Over by Exile. There were a group of us who made it into the spelling bee, and we were in the back of the principal's van, headed back to school after the bee, when this came on the radio.

That's all I can think of now; though I know there are more. I'll share others in a different post.

The ABC's of Me

A-Attached or single: Married...19 years next month! And people thought it wouldn't work out!

B-Best friend: Tony, Rhonda
C-Cake or pie: Pie. Blueberry, please.

D-Day of choice: Friday

E-Essential item: My laptop...what did we ever do without these things?

F-Favorite color: Depending on for what, Red, Pink, Burgundy, Blue, or Green.

G-Gummi bears or worms: neither...Kit Kat, please!

H-Hometown: Alden, Michigan

I-Indulgences: Ice cream and sleep.

J-January or July: January...but I live in Phoenix. If I move, probably July.

K-Kids: Two absolutely fabulous ones.

L-Life is incomplete without: the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

M-Marriage date: November 19th, 1988.

N-Number of siblings: two-a sister, Heidi; and a brother, Terry.

O-Oranges or apples: Oranges! One of the "happy fruits (pineapple is the other)!

P-Phobias or fears: Ferris Wheels.

Q-Quote I love: "Pull your pants up, turn your hat around, and get a job!"

R-Reason to smile: counting my blessings!

S-Season: Fall-no matter where I live.

T-Tag: anyone who wants to play!

U-Unknown fact about me: I love my flannel sheets!

V-Vegetarian or meat eater: Yes.

W-Worst habit: Stress.

X-X-rays or ultrasounds: Ultrasounds.

Y-Your favorite foods: Greek

Z-Zodiac: I don't do zodiac. I like giraffes.