Thursday, July 31, 2008

Terms Of Use

Onesome: Terms-- of endearment: do you have any you particularly like to use? How about one others use that just grates on you?
  • "Honey" is the most common form of address in this house. We aren't too mushy in that regard. The one I like the least though, is "baby" or even worse "babe." I know not why except that's what all the frat guys call their less-than-serious girlfriends - ie one-night stands.

Twosome: of-- the several types of access to the Internet, which one do you use? Dialup, DSL, Broadband, WiFi? Just how connected are you?

  • We are more connected than most, not as much as some. We have DSL and just recently have ordered a wireless gateway so all of us can connect to the Internet at the same time. Well, I will be able to once my computer arrives. Never has two weeks seemed SO LONG. Next Tuesday it will ship should all go well.

Threesome: Use--less labels: seen any good ones lately? You know, the ones that were issued by the Department of Redundancy Department. ...or maybe by the Darwin Awards Review Committee. I'm thinking this crowd probably has some real winners...

  • Actually..no.

This is me, waiting.

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Whole Lotta Shakin'

How inconsiderate of me. We totally had an earthquake here yesterday and I forgot to tell you about it! It was my first 'real' quake though I've lived here for almost - dang - 13 years. (There was one a few years ago, but it was at night and I barely woke up, let alone felt it.) This time there was no doubt though about what had happened. I was in the living room watching TV and reading blogs or something when a low rumbling started and I might have considered it a truck on the freeway had Speck not freaked out. He jumped down from the couch but couldn't decide which way to run - the kitty tree was closer, but it might be safer under the bed, but the tree is right there, but the bed is warm and dark - I could see his little brain trying to figure it out as he darted back and forth across the room.
That distracted me for most of the shaking. I started to think about getting concerned when one of the picture frames fell off the shelf. But then it stopped. I looked out the window but nothing was on fire or sprouting water so I figured it wasn't too serious. It was on the Internet in seconds but it was based way out there, nearly forty miles from us. Close to my parents but they apparently didn't notice anything AT ALL. Because I called them and they were all, "there was an earthquake?"

This is me, we're all okay.

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

They Like Me

It's minor, really. Trivial even. But novel and kinda fun now that I know how it works. I received a call a few weeks ago asking if I would like to be on a paid survey and I said sure but thought in my head;
"Yeah, if I buy something they'll 'pay' me for this survey."
Tarzan always worries that I will sign us up for some scam - do I look that gullible? Don't. Answer that - but this guy seemed legit. He volunteered a call back number - which I called - and they didn't want any information that they didn't already have. So I tentatively said yes. I was to go to an office building near the airport and be on a panel of women to talk about local issues. I was a little trepidatious because while I have an opinion on most local issues I don't articulate well on the spot. This is yet another reason why the blog is a good medium for me - I can change my wording if it sounds too dumb the first time around. But I went. Last night. And it wasn't too bad. Everyone on the panel was really nice and even though we didn't all agree, no one got in anyone else's face, each was allowed her opinion about the topic - water conservation and recycling - and after my first direct question where I was all "uh....I don't know?" I actually had some things to say. I'm sure one or two of the ladies thought I was a dumb white girl - I sure did at first - but no one said it or even looked it. And the girl across the table yielded to my explanation once or twice. She is a member of the Sierra Club and really knowledgeable about conservation efforts in the county. It was pretty cool. My guess is the company - an independent research firm - was polling to see if a certain measure would pass, or how it would best be proposed to the public in the future.
And the best part: they paid me $100 dollars to do it! I don't know how I got on their list but I hope they call me again.

This is me, offering my opinion for free - feel lucky peeps!

Sunday, July 27, 2008

Amateurs With Potential

We saw Wicked again this weekend and I will say that though the show was a little different from others we have seen it was so cute! Twelve year olds should not play love scenes though. One of Tarzan's cousin's kids - she and I have a great time trying to figure out how to introduce each other - was in a summer stock production of the show. I for one was surprised at there even being a script out for them to use. What's the deal with copyrights and stuff for live shows that are still in original release? The company was all middle school kids and certainly not up to the caliber of a professional show, but no one expected them to be. They were really talented. A few of them could certainly make in show business in a few years. The boy who played Fiyero - this was definitely NOT his first show - did a really good job. The first girl who was Nessa Rose - interestingly there were two girls for Elphaba, Glinda and Nessa Rose, they traded at the intermission - was really good too. Quiet but strong. The Wizard was well played and Madame Morrible was really emotive. The staging was unique and a few solos became ensemble numbers, probably for more participation and vocal range ability. Parts of the dialogue were removed, and others rearranged for time but all in all, not too shabby.
Shouldn't make them play love scenes at the that age though. It's not like they kiss or anything, or even hug. But the hair stroking and shoulder rubbing. It's not quite right. Just...not.

This is me, loving it still.

Thursday, July 24, 2008

Toys-R-Us

Onesome: Toys--? Any new tech toys at your place? No? What would you like to have that is all sorts of "new and improved" and just hard to live without?

  • OMG! Seriously? Are The Back Porch Peeps stalking me?! I just, just, JUST got off the phone with the computer people because my laptop finally gave up the ghost. I knew that if I mentioned it healing, it wouldn't last. Les sighs. No resurrection is likely because it won't even turn on anymore. Hard drive failure it says. The good news is that I managed to copy all my documents and pictures to the external hard drive we got last month, so it's not horrible, but slightly annoying because I lost all my Internet favorites, so if I don't comment on your blog for a while, send me the link, I might have lost it...

Twosome: 'r-- you ready for school to be in session again? Good grief, it's only July, but the Back to School sales have been in place for a few weeks now. Do you have a trinket you're planning on buying for yourself or the kids for this next year?

  • I think the retailers have to pay a fine of they aren't having "sales" for whatever holiday or event is upcoming. Seriously. When Christmas starts in October there's a flaw in the system. So yeah, I can believe that back to school sales are happening already. And it's not be going back to school this time. We will be moving A out though. She's going across town and into school housing so she can meet young, hot mens. Sad for me, happy for her!

Threesome: Us--? Nah, nothing fancy going on on this blog space. How about you: any changes planned on your site in the upcoming months?

  • Changes to the site? Not really. I like where it settled. Do my readers think it's boring?

This is me, on time for once.

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Books, Books, Books

Totally stolen from RHM who, in turn, stole it from someone else. What are friends for? The instructions as I received (took) them are as follows:
1. Bold the books you've read
2. Italicize the ones you intend to read
3. Underline the ones you LOVE
4. Strikethrough (except blogspot doesn't have or I can't find the strikethrough so I'm making my words pink instead) the ones you hated or have no intention of ever reading.
  1. Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
  2. The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
  3. Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
  4. The Harry Potter Series - JK Rowling
  5. To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
  6. The Bible - various authors
  7. Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
  8. Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell
  9. His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
  10. Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
  11. Little Women - Louisa M Alcott
  12. Tess of the D'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
  13. Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
  14. Complete Works of Shakespeare - does anyone really read all the sonnets?
  15. Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
  16. The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
  17. Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
  18. Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
  19. The Time Traveller's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
  20. Middlemarch - George Eliot
  21. Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
  22. The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
  23. Bleak House - Charles Dickens
  24. War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
  25. The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
  26. Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
  27. Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
  28. Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
  29. Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
  30. The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
  31. Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
  32. David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
  33. Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis
  34. Emma - Jane Austen
  35. Persuasion - Jane Austen
  36. The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis
  37. The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
  38. Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
  39. Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
  40. Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne
  41. Animal Farm - George Orwell
  42. The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
  43. One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
  44. A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving
  45. The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
  46. Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
  47. Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
  48. The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
  49. Lord of the Flies - William Golding
  50. Atonement - Ian McEwan
  51. Life of Pi - Yann Martel
  52. Dune - Frank Herbert
  53. Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
  54. Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
  55. A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
  56. The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
  57. A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
  58. Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
  59. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
  60. Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
  61. Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
  62. Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
  63. The Secret History - Donna Tartt
  64. The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
  65. Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
  66. On The Road - Jack Kerouac
  67. Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
  68. Bridget Jones's Diary - Helen Fielding
  69. Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie
  70. Moby Dick - Herman Melville...in the middle of - still.
  71. Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
  72. Dracula - Bram Stoker
  73. The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
  74. Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
  75. Ulysses - James Joyce
  76. The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
  77. Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
  78. Germinal - Emile Zola
  79. Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
  80. Possession - AS Byatt
  81. A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
  82. Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
  83. The Color Purple - Alice Walker
  84. The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
  85. Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
  86. A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
  87. Charlotte's Web - EB White
  88. The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
  89. Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
  90. The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton...I HAVE read everything ELSE by her.
  91. Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
  92. The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery
  93. The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
  94. Watership Down - Richard Adams
  95. A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
  96. A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
  97. The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
  98. Hamlet - William Shakespeare...what is the deal with the complete vs. individual works?
  99. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
  100. Les Miserables - Victor Hugo
This is me, wondering why there aren't any James Patterson on this list...

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Kitty #7

I was on the phone with my father last Sunday, when Tarzan came to me, heaved a huge sigh and said
"Go look at the front walk."
Puzzled and distracted I wandered out and found this tiny little bundle of fluff that was so cute:
Once I have a baby though, I can't not keep it:
He's (we think it's a he) so sweet. So tiny:
I'm a little worried that he isn't eating enough or he might have a parasite or something because he's not gaining much weight yet. Maybe he just needs time?:
My favorite thing is how he needs these enclosed spaces to relax in:
I know I have discussed Tarzan's deal with cats previously but before you start to pity the boy, consider that HE came to get me - chances are I wouldn't even have seen it in the front yard - and he is very active and particular about naming our animals. We (He) thought long and hard about this one as well. Bacon - which in German is Speck which is highly appropriate with the weight thing and we think he's related to one of our other cats:
There can't be too many mothers in the alley with a tail like that.

This is me, with Speck

Monday, July 21, 2008

Burn Notice

My new favorite thing this summer is Burn Notice. We watched it last summer too, and it was awesome then, but somehow we missed the first three episodes and seeing them all again from the beginning this last month as they replayed before the second season premiere explained SO MANY THINGS, that I am struck anew at just how cool this show is. Really. It's about a guy who was a spy and he gets burned. In trying to find out who had him "fired" from the spy business he takes on 'jobs' wherein he explains to us - the viewer - how the spy business works. Jeffrey Donovan is really good as the lead. And I love Fiona. Sam is a good foil but not too stupid. The dialogue is funny without being cheesy or over dramatic or overplayed. The characters are just the right amount of cool and vulnerable. I know I sound like I am getting paid to write this and I wish I was, but it is just that good. Maybe I just like Irish chicks who get to shoot a lot of stuff...Check it out.

This is me, loving the Burn Notice.

Thursday, July 17, 2008

Guys And Dolls

I know, not enough posts, loser, loser, busy, mundane, laundry, bills, family, very little that's interesting happens in my life, don't want to bore the readers - all three of you - yadda, yadda, yadda...
Here we are with another thought inspiring meme from the people at The Back Porch.
::Onesome: Guys-- do the darnedest things, -right? What's the darnedest thing you've had a male acquaintance do that you just know a gal would never even think of? (Okay, girls, toilet seats do not count on this one!)

  • I'm going to pretend this said "darnedest ungross thing" because it's just better that way. And I have to go with putting on the same pants worn the day before, with the same underwear, over the new underwear of today...and NOT REALIZING it for almost half an hour in the car on the way to wherever. Would never happen to a girl.

::Twosome: and-- to turn it around, what's the darnedest thing you've had a female acquaintance do that you just know a guy would never even think of? (Okay, guys, that hair-flip move doesn't count either...)

  • Besides being catty and getting mad for no reason? Yes, well, I'm going to go with putting on make up while driving to the beach.

::Threesome: Doll--ing yourself up? What is your idea of dress-up? Hmmm... Let's go with Summer wear for now!

  • I am not a dressing up person really. Even my fancy clothes are comfortable and not too one-event-only. Probably my summer dress up clothes involve black skirt and green slinky cross over top because we always see Wicked in the summer and this summer is the last one (they say) for the sit down show in The Jungle.

This is me, with the reason you get at least one post a week from me.

Friday, July 11, 2008

Barn Door, Horse Gone

I find it quite amusing that I've been occupied with cleaning the house ever since Tarzan's family left. Amused not because they messed it up or anything but because I didn't bother cleaning beFORE they got here. And now they've left I must get it done? Nice, Jane. But there it is. Vacuuming, dusting even - and that is rare - cleaning, even the bathroom. Maybe they should visit more often!

This is me, cleaning up a storm.

Thursday, July 10, 2008

Filling Out Forms

::Onesome: Filling-- the ol' fuel tank is getting to be real interesting lately... What are gas prices doing in your area this Summer?
  • Same thing they're doing everywhere else; going up and up. Tarzan is talking about a scooter or an electric bike for getting around.

::Twosome: Out- and about and you're out of cash: the ATM or the store for a few bucks over on the check? Oh! ...and debit or credit? ...or are you a 'cash economy' person?

  • I hate, hate, HATE to go to the ATM and have to pay a fee, so I try to only go places that take credit just in case, and I am way paranoid about having cash when I go somewhere to park. We pay the credit card off every month but we like it because it earns miles which is handy.

::Threesome: Forms-- can be a real pain! Do you have a 'favorite' you dislike even to think about? (...and no, the income tax forms are 'exempt' from this question)

  • I hate to have to fill out medical forms. It's odd because I have to do it so often but it's annoying to consider I am not practically perfect in every way. :-)

This is me, again.

Wednesday, July 09, 2008

Wave Of The Future

I feel sure if I talk about this it will never happen again, but it has occurred too often to be a coincidence. Or maybe I am just not smart enough to figure out why it's happening. In either case, it seems fairly uncommon.
The electrical devices in our house can heal themselves.
I know, right? But my laptop, right before the ASKR decided to have fits, and develop a bad case of The Blue Screen Of Death, and it wouldn't do anything else. It even Blue Screened from Safe mode once. That's why we bought the portable hard drive, so we could boot it up once in Safe mode and move all the pictures and documents over and then I'd need a new laptop. So we left it alone until everyone went home and then booted it up one last time. I missed the key to start it in Safe mode so I assumed it'd Blue Screen out and I would start again.

But it didn't.
It started all the way and asked for updates and installed a bunch of things and rebooted itself twice, but it's fixed. It's been great for the last two weeks.
Same thing with the garbage disposal. We stopped putting vegetables down the drain long ago but then it started grinding and making whirring noises and then the sink wouldn't drain and just when we were about to call a plumber - it healed itself. It works perfectly now, including vegetable matter.
Crazy baby.

This is me, sure the streak is over now.

Monday, July 07, 2008

Not Cool

Let me preface this by saying I am in no way leaving the Church over this incident and it surely doesn't make the gospel any less true. I suppose I should not even bring it up because there is certainly enough bad press about the LDS Church and people are too easily hyped up to listen to logical explanations. But it's been weighing on my mind and I might feel more like blogging fun things if I talk this out.
I got bawled out at church yesterday. By the bishop's wife. She's also one of my counselors in the Primary. I could understand why she might want to discuss the specific situation with me and it was my fault for forgetting but it wasn't a huge deal and in no way required the dressing down I got. I still can't believe she was SO upset. I can't even feel anything other than shock still that she felt the need to yell at me over this tiny thing.
There must be something bothering her outside of this but I can't figure out how to talk to her about it because she was so mad and she told me she didn't want to work with me or the children anymore.
"We're done!" was the way she put it. What do I do now? We've worked well together over the last almost two years. Does she really want out or was she just mad? I talked briefly with the bishop, which was a touchy thing since it's his wife, and I didn't tell him any of the screaming part, just that she wanted not to be my counselor anymore and he was sort of stunned too. We didn't decide anything then but I sort of hope he will talk to her this week and see what's up.
Is it wrong of me to want an apology?

This is me, unsure.

Thursday, July 03, 2008

Summer In The City

::Onesome: "Summer--time and the living is easy"... Are you taking it easy at all this Summer? ...or are you grinding along day by day with no "days off" planned?
  • The most fun of the summer is already over, so I guess it's working like a dog for the rest of the summer.

::Twosome: in the- Onesome is the first line from a song that was taken from a lullaby. Yeah, how about that, Laurie! Do you recognize it or the play it is taken from?

  • That was a lullaby? Huh, I suppose it was. Porgy & Bess would be the show though.

::Threesome: City-- lights? Fireworks tomorrow for you? Do you have a local show to attend? ...or do you kick back with sparklers and and a fountain or two? Have a safe and fun 4th, gang!

  • We are lucky enough to be able to see all the (illegal) neighborhood shows from our front porch and if we wanted, all the legal shows are visible from the freeway. It's one of the perks of The Jungle.

This is me, with the weekly meme.

Tuesday, July 01, 2008

Picture This (#10) - ASKR #2

We actually pulled off the second sibling reunion. And in my humble opinion - as the planner and co-host of the event - I think we done good. I was so worried that what with last year being almost an afterthought and MQ's death at Christmas and everything, people might not come or not have a good time or there'd be tension or anger or that the activities would flop or...if you ever need someone to worry for you, I am a CHAMP! But despite of, or because of, my worrying, it was great. A lot of fetching people to and fro...there were a lot of trains, planes and automobiles but it went off without (very many) hitches.
Here is the reason for the whole excursion, from left to right, PFiddle, Rocketgirl, QC and Tarzan:Rocketgirl and Sunshine came in on Tuesday for an extended stay - yay! - and I have to say, this is one adorable baby. Five+ hours on a plane and she still turns the charm on for pictures:
We had lunch to catch up and Tarzan gave me a fair approximation of the kind of father he will be. Attentive, kind, watchful, humorous, protective, loving, all of the above. And a wee bit evil too. I am sure Gamma was SO happy to hear her only granddaughter chanting "Beer! Beer! Beer!" all week long:Thanks Tarzan! Good thing she's his mother:
We were not able to attend the backyard jam session of Thursday night so these pictures are totally stolen, still, the sexy hair must be documented. Plus she's way talented too:QC arrived Thursday night as well, seemingly much taller than the last time I saw him. It's not likely that he grew much but I was distinctly aware of my talking into his navel rather than to his face:Friday morning saw the arrival of the last sibling, PFiddle, and we began the party with breakfast: We then became aware of our cousin CRC's amazing musical talents when we stopped by the electronics store for some more digital storage space. (Love the portable hard drive!) On the guitar: We moseyed on over to the miniature golf park after that and much fun was had:Putting:Showboating:
Dancing:Kissing:Fishing Jane's ball out of the drink:
This place has got it all:Check out the super parking spot we got for lunch:
Lunch:
We spent the afternoon relaxing, hanging out, catching up, bonding if you will. Bonding with the Wii mostly: Apparently, CRC is master of this devilish machine because he whooped us all, except in the shooting where QC took him down. My favorite was when Rocketgirl almost dislocated her spine gyrating wildly in imitation of CRC's boxing style. He still whooped her:
She decided against getting one of her own: The girls finally decided to ditch the dudes and do some shopping. The first place we went had totally cute clothes and with our arms full we went to the dressing room to find that they expected us to get naked with all the other chicks in the same room. Whassat now? Yeah. One big room, no panels, no curtains even, just one big room with lots of girls taking of their clothes. We're not exactly prudes but there was no way I was exposing this body to that many chicks I had never met before. Jeepers. So we went for shoes instead where we can try them on in the aisle. Much better. Then for dinner we had sushi out:Some standards, like spicy tuna:Some, more extravagant, like the lobster, which was a-MAZ-ing:I love that Tarzan doesn't even know there's green stuff in his teeth in this one:Chopstick fun:Then, these generous, busy - and sneaky - people:Wouldn't even let us pay for dinner, so we had to kiss them afterwards. I seriously look like I'm going in for the full on smooch there - good thing he's Tarzan's uncle. My hair was totally rocking though:De-lish:That was Friday.
Saturday, after a bit of breakfast:And some horsing around:Pretty, pretty girls:We tried out the Aquarium, which, while not the largest one in the nation, was pretty good:Sunshine decided that Tarzan, and only Tarzan, would do for chauffeuring: Fishies:More fishies:Fishies everywhere:Arrgh:Run Tarzan, run:Touch the squishy things:Are you serious?:Apparently they were:Cheese:The afternoon found us at the beach. It was a tad crowded but I think we brought a large enough group to match them man for man. There were much edibles and a talented man with a grill:The supervisors:The sun shade that should have looked like this:Looked like this instead...that's what that bag of random connectors is for!:Sunshine's first steps in the ocean:
She got into it after that:Buff mens:Vogue:How a person can go from this sexy:To this with just the addition of a hat, I know not, but it has surely got to be a talent. Not one of my most photogenic afternoons:Tarzan, on he other hand...take it off baby, take it all off!! Sexy thing: Today was PFiddle's turn for the Sunshine love:I like how today *I* had the green stuff in my teeth and didn't even know it:Sisters:Talent like no other:S'mores are a classic:And that was the gist. PFiddle came home with us that night since his plane departed early Sunday morning. QC left Sunday night and Rocketgirl and Sunshine came up to see us once more before they left Monday.

**This has been a long post, both length and in time coming - for though I began it on July 1st, Blogger's time/date thingy would indicate I finished it that day too. Not so. There were a LARGE number of pictures to sort through and numerous funny captions to create - this blogging thing is tough to get just right - and while it's not an excuse I think you will be pleased with the final product. I promised myself I would not look at other posts of this event until I was done here, so whew. Done. And now to check out the sexy video awesome-ness of Rocketgirl.**

This is me, with the final draft.

From Whence You Cometh