Cold

Cold, cold, cold.
It is very cold here.
And it's bound to get colder, I certainly fear.
This morning, when I got off work, the wind chill was -1.
Weather this cold is absolutely no fun.
But it could be worse, this I know.
I could be Shannon, who has to pee on the snow.
Cold, cold, cold.

Current Non-Events

I wish I had some exciting weekend event to tell you about today, but this past weekend was really pretty uneventful. It snowed off and on all weekend, and although it wasn't nearly as bad as the weather guys were predicting, we did get some rather large flakes that actually stuck to the ground! Shannon absolutely loves the snow, because every time one of us needed to go outside for something, she was practically beating down the door to go out, too. Other than grocery shopping, we all stayed in for most of the weekend, buiding fires, doing schoolwork (me), finshing books (Vic), playing with toys (Shannon), and catching up on nap time (all of us). Oh, we did buy a new TV for the guest room. It's just a 13" TV, but it was on sale for $39, so we couldn't pass it up. The TV we used to have in there was over 20 years old, so I think we probably got all we were going to get out of her. We also got a new vacuum. It's a Hoover and it's red and it has a retractable cord ~ that's all I really know about it. Vic has been whining about the inefficiency of our old silver one for sooo long, that I couldn't take it any more. So now we are the proud parents of a new 13" TV and a red Hoover. See, very uneventful. But toasty inside.

Birdies & School

Wintry Cardinal
Originally uploaded by wahoo1265.

Our backyard is covered in a blanket of fluffy white snow...and Shannon loves it! She's happy to be outside and rolling around on the grass again. And Vic is happy because she really wanted some snow and our backyard is filled with all kinds of birdies. The cardinals are beautiful against the snowy backdrop. And Vic is really good about feeding them year round, so I know they'll be around for a while!

School sucks. I didn't like A&P the first time I took it and I like it even less now. I just don't care about cell meitosis and all that other crap. And I just found out that I have to take A&P II also. This means I won't get all my prerequisites completed by the time the Surg Tech classes start in the Summer, so I'll have to put off the start of the program until NEXT Summer. Well, at least I won't have to worry about taking a lot of difficult classes at the same time. I think I'm going to take a few easy online classes during the Summer quarter, so I can relax a little.

Feast One Hundred & Twenty Eight
Appetizer
If you could take lessons to learn any musical instrument, which would you want to learn?
Guitar and violin.

Soup
Have you ever mistaken a person for someone else?
Often.

Salad
On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being highest, how well do you keep secrets?
I think I'm about a 9 or 10. Most of the time, I really don't care enough about the secret to tell anyone other than Vic.

Main Course
What's the closest you've ever been to a dangerous animal?
The scary polar bears and lions at the zoo. And the stupid dog that attacked Shannon & I on our walk last Summer. (Shannon was very brave!)

Dessert
When was the last time you lost your patience?
Earlier today at work. It's usually a daily event for me.

Say It Ain't So

Justin & Cameron
Originally uploaded by wahoo1265.

Oh. My. God. Did you hear that Justin and Cameron have parted ways?! How could Cam leave the man who brought sexy back? How could JT dump the voice of Shrek's wife? When JT and Cam can't make it work, is there any hope for the rest of us?? So how did you guys hear of this heart-wrenching catastrophe? Me, personally, I was leafing thru Vic's People magazine while taking care of some business in the bathroom and THERE IT WAS. All I can say is that since neither JT's or Cam's reps have issued an official statement, then maybe there is still hope. Maybe these two crazy, lovable, richer than either of them should be kids can find some way to make it all work out. Please, for the love of god and all that's holy, please make it right. Maybe we can get George W. to hold a televised news conference to issue a worldwide plea. Maybe he could do it during "All My Children." I know Vic would certainly appreciate that!

Splitting

Wood Pile
Originally uploaded by wahoo1265.

Vic & I actually had a pretty full weekend, even though we only did two things. The first project was to finally get all our wood split. Brian, our wood guy, delivered us some really nice wood, but the pieces are still a little too big for our wood-burning stove. The size we need is probably considered kindling for regular fireplaces. So we rented Brian's wood splitter and cut down what we had stacked in the backyard. We now have almost triple what we had before and it's all burning very nicely! Hopefully this will last us for the rest of the fire-burning season, because splitting wood is really hard work on your back. We were out there ALL DAY. Literally. We spent 8 hours doing nothing but splitting and stacking. When we finally made our way into the house, it was dark and our backs and hands were so sore. I told Vic I needed to just lay down on the couch for a few minutes and woke up 4 hours later! But we got it all done and it looks great!

Sunday we went to see "The Queen" with Helen Mirren. Helen didn't actually go with us ~ she was appearing in the film. This is a pretty significant event for us because we never go to the movies. As a matter of fact, this will probably be the last time we go to a movie theater in 2007! We picked a great movie to go see. The movie shows the point of view of the monarchy takes when Princess Diana died. If the movie portrayed them accurately, what a bunch of snitty, stuck-up shits they all were. We give it 4 thumbs up!

Bouncey

Betty
Originally uploaded by wahoo1265.

I hate the new version of Blogger. It seems like it takes longer to get to my blogger page and I'm always having problems adding photos and I just don't like change, so I think the new Blogger sucks ass. Internet Explorer 7 also sucks. Some fluke with the new version keeps knocking me offline when I try to close a window, so I downgraded back to version 6. I'm up early and Vic has "The View" on, which also sucks. But they have Kathy Griffin on right now and she is the polar opposite of sucks. I love Kathy Griffin. I'm not really sure how she feels about me, but I love her. She's hysterical and she just bounces all over the place. Kinda like my mind ~ it bounces all over the place.

Feast One Hundred & Twenty Seven
Appetizer
Which television shows do you just refuse to miss?
Grey's Anatomy, Men In Trees, and of course Betty!

Soup
Who did you last speak to on the telephone?
Peter, the computer guy.

Salad
How many pillows do you keep on your bed?
A total of 5; 3 for Vic & 2 for me

Main Course
Name one addition to your computer (software, hardware, etc.) that you'd love to have.
A larger monitor and whatever would allow me to watch Betty without occasional signal loss.

Dessert
What is your favorite foreign food?
Pizza.

Sort of Obsession

Snowy Feeder
Originally uploaded by wahoo1265.

Shortly after my last blogging, the snow finally came down. It was snowy & icy all day and night and then it just stopped. No snow, except for a few flurries, since then, but jeez has it been cold!

Tuesday nights are really starting to suck. I have class that night until 9:40 and my teacher feels the need to keep us until at least 9:39. So, I have to rush home and change for work and take Shannon out to potty and then rush to work. Sucky!

Not so sucky is my new obsession. Well, maybe not obsession. I think it's more like a newly discovered coolness. I saw America Ferrera win a Golden Globe for "Ugly Betty" and she seemed like such a genuinely nice person that I figured I'd give her show a shot. So I looked up "Betty" online and discovered you can watch the entire season online at ABC's website. So I have been. I've only watched the first two episodes so far, but I really like that show. I was actually laughing out loud (at work) at parts of it. Betty is my new sort-of-obsession.

Wintry

Southeast Michigan is supposedly on the cusp of a "Wintry blitz", or so the weather people would have us believe. We were supposed to wake up this morning to 6" of ice and snow, but all we got was a whole lot more rain. At least in our backyard, anyway. Apparently others in the area weren't so lucky, because the news reported power outages and tree parts down all over the Detroit area. I guess it just didn't blitz on our street. And why is it "Wintry?" Why not "Wintery?" We don't say "Sumry." I'd like some clarification from the Weather Channel on this.

Saturday Vic & I went to a newly opened Irish pub for dinner. They had good food and the inside looked just like the pubs we went to in Ireland and London. He's only been open for about 3 weeks, so he's still working on expanding for live Irish music. Yea! We also stopped by Dragonmead afterward. They brew all their own beer and pop. The bar has a medieval theme to it, which I loved, and they also had a guy there playing the dulcimer. He wasn't bad. I've heard better, but I've also heard worse. It's not like a regular smoky, jukebox blaring bar ~ there's a nice atmosphere inside. They serve some basic bar-type food, but they also encourage you to bring your own. And the table next to ours had a backgammon game out! It was nice. I'm sure we'll go back.

Shawn came over Sunday night for dinner and family fun. He just wanted relax after his plane ride, so that's what we did. Vic made a delicious roast and then we all just plopped down in front of the fire for some knitting/cross-stitching/book reading. It was a nice, relaxing evening and I'm glad I got to spend at least a little time with my good friend.

Dulcimer

I had my first A&P lab class last night, and thanfully it was only 2 hours long. Since I started my internet computer class, I've become spoiled. I'd much rather just learn on my own, in my own living room, wearing big floppy sweats and listening to jazz than having to traipse out to the campus and learn with...others. Blechhh!

This weekend Vic and I are going Celtic. We are planning on checking out a new Irish restaurant we discovered and then heading out to a microbrewery afterward for a few beers and dulcimer playing. (Dulcimer is a fun word to say.) And on Sunday, Shawn is coming for a visit. Yea! Unfortunately he's going to be quite busy while he's in town, so I'll probably get to see him only once. Boo. But, Sunday night he's going to spend the evening with me & Vic, so we'll have him for a little while. Yea again.

Friday, January 12, 2007
Feast One Hundred & Twenty Six
Appetizer
What comes to mind when you see the color orange?
Oranges.

Soup
Did you ever get in trouble while you were in school? If so, what was it for?
All the time and for stupid stuff like talking or passing notes. It wasn't like I was smoking joints in the bathroom for god's sake!

Salad
Which topping(s) make up your perfect pizza?
Lots of pepperoni & lots of cheese.

Main Course
Do you believe in UFOs/aliens/etc.? Why or why not?
I believe there are intelligent lifeforms out there, and because they are intelligent, I also believe that they aren't going to come to Bubba's pig farm in Alabama to make crop circles.

Dessert
What color is your bedspread/comforter/quilt?
Seafoam green.

School

I started my A&P class last night and I don't think it's going to be as bad as I was planning for. The class is packed, though, and I don't really like that too much. Classrooms tend to get a little stuffy when they're jammed full with too many bodies. The lab for this class in on Thursday nights ~ I was really hoping that I could get away with having to traipse out to the college only 1 night a week, but it was not to be. I really hate driving in the snow and even though we haven't had any of it yet, I know it's coming. I also signed up to test out of 2 classes; wordprocessing and Intro to Windows. I figure that I know enough about both that I shouldn't have any trouble with either, especially since they're multiple choice and free. I still probably check out a few books from the library just as a refresher.

Weekend Update

I've come to realize that in non-festival months (usually Winter) Vic & I don't do a whole heck of a lot on Saturdays. I guess it's our day of rest. Since I work the night before, I usually roll out of bed some time aroun 3pm on Saturday afternoon and then we'll go get something to eat and hurry home to build a fire and camp out in the living room the rest of the night. Hey, everybody needs a day of rest during the week and this is ours. I do try to get on the treadmill so the day won't be a total loungefest.

Sunday, we finally got the new screen door put up. Vic said it wouldn't take long. "Just 8 screws," she assured me. About 50 screws and 2 hours later we finally had a new door hung! It looks great and Vic did a nice job installing it. I was in charge of holding the screws, handing her the hammer and reading the directions. I did an equally fabulous job! Afterward, I made nachos for dinner and then set about working on homework for my online class. My Anatomy & Physiology (A&P) class starts tomorrow. I'll miss having all my nights free. Shawn is coming to Detroit on business next week, so hopefully we can work something out in both of our schedules to see each other at least one night. I miss him and would really like to spend at least an evening together. Even if it's just sitting and watching "Friends" reruns together!

Perfectly Grand

Wow, this week really flew by! Only one more night of work. Speaking of work, I had a great night last night. Let me tell you what I consider a great night. During my 8-hour shift I took maybe a dozen phone calls and only about half of those turned out to be actual dispatchable calls. I spent about 3 working on schoolwork, 2 hours just sitting around chatting with whomever happened to be hanging around the front desk and the rest of the time watching TV. That is a perfectly grand night at work for me!

Feast One Hundred & Twenty-Five
Appetizer
Which celebrity (or celebrities) do you think will make headlines this year?
I don't care in the least.

Soup
They say that good things come in small packages? What is something little that you think is great?
The little portable jump drive. I can work on my homework at workwork and save stuff on the drive to polish up at home.

Salad
Name a song that makes you want to dance.
"A Little Less Conversation" by Elvis. It's the song Robert & Amy danced to on Raymond. It's a very perky little tune.

Main Course
What is your favorite font?
Celtic and Garamond.

Dessert
If you were to write a do-it-yourself article, what would it be about?
How to start scrapbooking.

Thwarted

I actually had big (well, biggish) plans for today, since my days with no school are dwindling. I planned to chop some wood, jog, cross-stitch and work on the scrapbook for at least one hour. I woke up late, the rain kept me from my chopping and I spent about 2 hours trying to decipher my new online class which started today. In other words, I was thwarted! I managed to get in some treadmill time and I cross-stitched a bit, but I ran out of the scrapbook allotted time. Drat & nerts! Now I have homework and my other class, which starts next week, to look forward to for the next 10 weeks. I liked it better when I was under no obligation to do anything more than pamper myself. Now, I have no time for pampering. I need a pamperer. And a new red pen ~ I can't find the one that goes on the desk.

Adventures in Caseyland

Tuesday's adventures in Caseyland included gouging my finger while chopping wood and a trip to Jabbar the Tailor to drop off some alteration-needy items. Habib the Tailor is located just up the road from Jabbar. (It's unknown at this time whether or not they are kin.) Also included in my day of excitement was a little light housekeeping, putting the garbage out for tomorrow's garbage day and purchasing some Christmas supplies at 75% off. I also managed to finish my James Patterson book & am going to try to fit in another one before classes start next week. Whew, what a busy day! I almost called out sick tonight for work!

First Day

Our first day of 2007 was spent doing pretty much what a lot of the days of 2006 were spent doing. After sleeping in, Vic & I did a little light shopping, a little laundry and then I did some scrapbooking, some treadmilling and now we're going to relax in front of a toasty fire while I cross-stitch and she fights with the kitties. Speaking of kitties, how do you like our new headgear? I'm sure they'll not only keep our heads warm during the most blizzardy of snowstorms, but they'll also help in defining our incredible sense of fashion. We haven't had any actual big-time stick to the ground type snow so far this season, but I suspect it's just around the corner. And when it gets here, we'll be ready for it!

Happy New Year Everyone!

This upcoming weekend is going to be the end of one year & the beginning of another...and Vic & I are going to try to finish up one last house project before 2006 is up! Our plan is to finally install the screen door on the back door and finish the "finishing" part of the door frame. Both of these little tasks are cosmetic, which accounts for them taking almost a year to complete. I guess since there was really no rush to finish, we didn't rush. I'm also hoping for some pleasant non-rainy weather so I can chop some more firewood. And of course there's the trip to Windsor on Sunday, so I think our weekend dance card is going to be pretty full. For some reason this week really dragged, so I'm looking forward to this weekend. And I took off on Monday, so it'll be a three day weekend. Yea!

Feast One Hundred & Twenty Four
Appetizer
How do you usually celebrate on New Year's Eve?
Either sitting at home with the girlfriend or working. I'll be with the girlfriend this year.

Soup
Name one thing unexpected that happened to you in 2006.
I tripped over a patio chair and fell face first on the pavement. It was my first black eye!

Salad
Where was your favorite place that you visited in 2006?
We went to a really cool Scottish festival this Summer. They had some good music and lots of Scottish games (the caber toss & haggis hurl were my faves).

Main Course
What resolution is your top priority for 2007?
To take a trip to the Upper Peninsula.

Dessert
Using just three words, describe 2006.
Happy in Michigan.

3 Dozen Things

For today's blog, I'd like to share with you some of the reflections that randomly drift thru the waters of my mind. My internal canoe tips over from time to time due to the raging thought rapids of my inner psyche, but like a well-balanced kayak, my canoe eventually rights itself again. So, a little insight into me...

Stuff I wouldn't buy even if I had all the money in the world:
- That dumb Sleep Number bed that the Bionic Woman tries to sell me every day on late night TV
- Anything by John Basedow, fitness celebrity
- Any of the Girls Gone Wild videos
- Rogaine
- Cialis
- That goofy looking Bowflex Treadclimber thing
- A Volvo
- Jessica Simpson cds
- Cans of deer pee ~ the guys at work actually had an in-depth conversation on which particular brands were the best & how to properly spray them to attract deers
- Tongue piercings
- Stilletto heels

Traveling
- Thailand, Cambodia, Viet Nam, Iraq, Iran or any of the -stan countries of the Middle East are just a few of the countries I have no desire to ever visit
- Of all the states I've lived in, I think Michigan is the prettiest overall
- Of all the states I've lived in, I think Mississippi sucks ass
- The very first foreign city I ever went to was Frankfurt, Germany
- The last foreign city I've been to was Windsor, Canada
- Now having to pay for the crappy airplane meals just plain sucks
- I thought British flight attendants would be friendlier than US flight attendants ~ geez, was I ever wrong
- The first time I ever flew, I was 12 and I sat in first class ~ I didn't know enough to appreciate it

Entertainment
- I miss the blonde DA on Law & Order ~ I wish she'd come back
- I really like Judi Dench & Helen Mirren in everything they've ever acted in
- Kathy Griffin is hysterical
- Rosie O'Donnell is annoying
- Cate Blanchett could do a 2-hour movie of nothing but her reading the phone book and get nominated for an Academy Award ~ and she'd still be better than any of her competition!
- Billy Bob Thornton is under-appreciated
- Inside The Actors Studio is a sell-out ~ the Actor's Studio teaches the Method form of acting, but yet about 85% of the "actors" on their show are either not Method actors or aren't actors at all (this pisses me off)
- Drew Barrymore seems like a very nice person & a lot of fun to work with
- Justin Timberlake leaves me with a dumbfounded look on my face
- Although I don't really care for Anne Hache, I really like her new TV show, Men In Trees ~ it's kind of a quirky Northern Exposure ripoff
- I hate reality shows about dancers, models, chefs, people wanting to lose weight, people wanting to find a date, people who eat bugs or people opening luggage
- What the hell happened to Howie Mandell?
- I really like Grey's Anatomy not so much for the typical soap opera storyline, but more for the actors ~ I especially like Sandra Oh & the woman who plays Addison. And, coincidentally, Sandra Oh & Addison played lezzbian lovers in Under the Tuscan Sun
- There aren't a whole lot of male actors I like ~ the exception to this is Kevin Kline, Philip Seymour Hoffman and William H. Macy
- I really like the happy California cow commercial where they're playing Marco Polo
- Cameron Diaz & Gwyneth Paltrow need to gain weight
- I like Megan Mullally when she was Karen on Will & Grace, but not so much now

Happy Boxing Day! (Unless you're a Welsh servant girl)

I hate to sound bah-humbugish, but I'm kinda glad Christmas is over. I always get nice stuff and I love the lights and the songs, but Vic & I always spend way tooo much money and then I stress about it for months afterward. We finally got in a position where all our credit cards were paid off and then stupid-head Christmas rolls around again! My goal is to have them all paid off again by the start of Spring. Other than the whole money thing, Christmas seems to have gone pretty well. We spent the weekend with Vic's mom opening presents and having two dinners (Sunday & Monday), the puppy & kitty we were babysitting went home Sunday (much to Shannon's relief!) and now our house is starting to get back to normal again. We have one more holiday trip planned ~ this weekend we are going to Canada celebrate with Vic's aunt. We had a great time the last time we were there ~ she's got lots of cows & chickens!

So I noticed today is Boxing Day and I realized that although I've heard of it all my life, I really didn't know much about it. So I looked it up! Just as I suspected, there are several different views on how Boxing Day got its name, most of them centering around boxes. The one I ran across most often was the belief that servants long ago had to work on Christmas day and the day after were allowed to "box" up the leftovers and take them home to their families. How very decent of the rich people. I also came across the very odd Welsh custom..."As in most of the rest of the UK and Ireland, the day after Christmas Day was always most significant in the day-to-day events of Wales. Some activities that took place on this day seem peculiarly Welsh, including that of "holly-beating" or "holming." In this, it was customary for young men and boys to slash the unprotected arms of female domestic servants with holly branches until they bled." We've come a long way, baby.

I had to put off my scrapbooking for the last couple of days in order to concentrate on gift wrapping and puppy babysitting, but I'm hoping to dive back into it again today or tomorrow. Also, I've been working on the same cross-stitch project since about September. I'm hoping to complete that before starting back to school next week. And I just finished "The 5th Horseman" by James Patterson this morning. I think it's the best book yet in his Women's Murder Club series. I'm hoping I can squeeze in another short book in the next week. I've really been enjoying this little break from school. I miss reading for pleasure. I used to start a new book about every 3 weeks or so and the one I just finished is the first book I've picked up since the start of September! Sometimes being scholastic sucks. Oh well. I think I'm going to go hit the treadmill for a few miles. I've watched a ton of movies while getting buff; usually in 30-45 minute blocks. I'm currently watching "Pride & Prejudice" with Colin Firth. He's just rebuffed Lizzie and pissed off her mom by not dancing with any of the Bennett girls at the big shindig. What will happen next?? (I've seen the movie several times and recently re-read the book, so I know what's going to happen ~ I was just trying to be cryptic. Did it work?)

Mildly Interesting Me

Have you ever watched "Charmed?" It's on TNT every day for two hours ~ the first two hours that I'm awake. My day usually starts around 4ish, just before Vic leaves for work. After she's gone, I spend the first few hours of my day catching up on bills or other house-related stuff that needs to get done and while I'm doing this "Charmed" is on the TV. I've seen about 15 or 20 mins. of just about every episode, but never actually sat down and watched a full complete show. I mention this because I find it interesting that I can follow an entire series of a show by only watching snippets of each lame episode. And not even really watching, it's more like absorbing background noise. It's also somewhat interesting that there are heaps of shows I've only ever seen (or mostly seen) in syndication; Friends, Raymond, Law & Order. Just something mildly interesting about me I wanted to share. Oh, and I really like that Holly Marie Combs on "Charmed." She's the smart one ~ kinda like Kate Jackson used to be on "Charlies Angels."

Feast One Hundred & Twenty Three
Appetizer
What is one of your Christmas traditions?
Listening to Vic ask if we can "just open one" for the entire month of December.

Soup
Who is the easiest person on your list to buy presents for?
That would be Vic. She always gives me a list with dozens of ideas on it. Usually in October.

Salad
What is your favorite Christmas scent?
Christmas tree scented candles.

Main Course
If you could give a fellow blogger a Christmas gift, who would it be and what would you give them?
I'd give Shawn a new job.

Dessert
What's something on your Christmas wish list this year that you need (not just want)?
I'm with Shawn, I really need a new job. One that I not only like, but that pays well, has great benefits and, most importantly, one where my coworkers and I get along famously.

Good News

I went to the hospital today for what I assumed would be my biopsy, but turned out to be more xrays. The radiologist determined that what was showing up on the films was some scar tissue and that a biopsy wouldn't be necessary after all. Yea! What a relief for both me & Vic.

Some friends went to Chicago for the Christmas weekend and we are babysitting while they are away. They left us their kitty, a perfect little ball of white fluff that loves to be held and snuggle with you during naptime...and they also left us their puppy. Abbie is a chocolate Lab, about 5 months old and loves to bark loudly at every fucking thing. She also inhales food, has to drag out every toy in the house, circle your feet when you walk and bounces off the walls. She won't give poor Shannon a peaceful moment. Our house isn't used to having a puppy in it. We operate more along the speed of "lay in front of the TV and don't move for hours." It's only for the weekend and we really don't mind having her, but I've gotten no sleep and I'm very cranky and right now I'd like to lock her in the basement. Lucky for Abbie, we don't have a basement. I miss my quiet solitude.