Gotta Pinyan?

Hula Hooper

2010-02-26T20:15:00.000-05:00

T would like everyone to know she did 135 hula hoops this evening!

AI: Fellas

2010-02-25T09:16:00.002-05:00

Toddrick Hall: Started strong, then he lost me. Nice stage presence (he was in Color Purple, you know). Creative, but just a bit better than meh. Meh +.

Aaron Kelly: I am not looking forward to this kid, he's too young looking, and for some reason that bothers me even though I liked Archuletta. Huh, country. I think guys can't look young and sing country, you have to look like you can haul stuff. He's eventual toast, unless the tweeners lurve him. Well, I totally disagree with the judges.

Jermaine Sellers: Shhh...he's whispering. Now he's yelling. Guess he's never heard, "everything in moderation." Nope. Simon and I are back in sync now.

Just an aside, last night they wanted everyone to be original, tonight, they say the songs worked, that's why they were hits and don't change them.

Tim Urban: I don't like his hair. Uh-oh. I don't think that sounds the way he wants it to. I think I'm beginning to see why Simon thinks a female will win.

Joe Munoz: Is something wrong with the music here at the beginning? Sigh. Don't like him either. Maybe this is why they loved Aaron so much, they knew that everyone else was terrible.

Tyler Grady: I am so not hip, I want to take the young man for a haircut. Yes, I reckon the girlies are gonna call for him.
He's almost as talented as he thinks he is, but not quite. Indulgent. Judges are kind of mean to him.

Lee Dewyze: This sounds nice, oh, spoke too soon, what was that note? Anyway, he probably should've gone last night with the girls, as it is fine, but not special. Sadly, he is the best so far. See, I could take over for Simon.

John Park: This kid has a ton of online fans though he was featured very little during Hollywood week. Sigh. I wish I wasn't even doing this blog post now. These guys are not doing well.

Michael Lynche Did you know he had a baby during Hollywood week? I wonder why they haven't mentioned it. This is pretty decent. On par or slightly better than Lee. He's curious to me, he needs a box.

Next guy I didn't even bother to type about. I'm bored.

Allright, Casey, bring it home: Good song, good look, good sound. He should do "Drinkin me Lonely" by what's his name that I loved on Nashville Star. I think he still sort of doesn't believe his own press, so it wasn't 100% great, but best of the night easily.

Wow, I thought it was over. OK. Andrew Garcia Hitting all the notes, that's a novel approach, Mr Garcia, aren't you clever. Very good.

So, best: Andrew, Casey, Lee, Mike
Worst: everyone else
Leaving: Jermaine and Tim

AI: Ladies Night

2010-02-24T10:23:00.003-05:00

Paige Miles: I think she sounds great in parts, but this is a terrible song choice, and is "pitchy" at times. I'm surprised the judges liked it, I suspect this will be forgotten by the end of the show.

Ashley Rodriguez: The right genre for her, but this song is terrible. I actually like her better than Paige, but the powerful chorus part was flat. She's pretty. Meh.

Janell Wheeler: one of my favs from the early auditions, huh, interesting choice, I wonder if she'll "make this her own" so far it sounds pretty karaoke. I like her singer /songwriter style better, not this. This is not at all what I expected. She shouldn't try to be a belter, she has a nice quality to her voice that stands on its own.

Lilly Scott: Well, if they wanted original, here it is. I like her. It's not knocking it out if the park, water cooler performance, but it's a nice intro to her style, and she'll easily make it through. Jolly good.

Katelyn Epperly: I do not like this girl, she and her Momma need to suck it up, grow some ovaries, and move on. That said, listening to this without watching, she actually sounds quite good. With the visual, it looks like a Star Search clip from 1980. She'll move through, that was a B+ vocal, C performance. And Kara was right, that red lipstick is not doing her any favors.

Haeley Vaughan: OK, getting your nose pierced, stupid. She needs to mature in this competition or she'll be out early. I think she has the chance to be a disney-esque Taylor Swift type, but she needs to control her presentation of who she is right now, and pick a persona. I think she could stand another year of growth before being on this show, and she needs people to mold her - she's too raw. See, Simon agrees with me.

Lacey Brown: Wow, she's from last year, that's cool (I missed the chair episodes.) I like this song, but oh, dear, bad start. Well, she's being original, but I don't like it. She needs to be in a coffee house somewhere. This style could be unique and special but she isn't strong enough. I didn't think it was as bad as the judges did.

Michelle Delamour: Her hair is georgeous, I hope she keeps it curly. She's lovely. Really good start, I'm getting excited for her. Ballsy to choose Alicia Keys. She looks and sings like an adult which is nice. She's my favorite so far, she's going to have to choose songs next week to be more original. Simon concurs again.

Didi Benami: Another one of my audition favorites. I think she is really what the powers-that-be are hoping will win this year. I like it. I do agree with Simon that no one is standing out. I think it is fortunate that this isn't the old format where only 2 go through next week, because no one is doing anything that will get talked about tomorrow.

Siobhan Magnus: She needs different hair. Her hair doesn't match her vibe. I can't decide if this is Miss America talent portion or if it's good. She needs to kick it up a notch. I'm distracted by how young and sweet her face looks, when I want her to be earthy and grounded. Solidly good, but not great. Got it, she looks like Demi Lovato, that's my problem.

Crystal Bowersox: I hope they've done something with her jacked up teeth since the Hollywood round. Yes, they have. I like her version of this song better than Alanis.
She needs some styling, not to make her more mainstream, but to refine her look, but look more like a star. Maybe dark hair? Can you color dreads?
Uh-oh, she talked back to Simon. I feel bad for real musicians on this show. Kara is giving her some very good advice.

OK, last place - whoever this is has a chance to be THE MOMENT of the show...
Katie Stevens: Cute dress. OK song choice, when in the last spot, belting is good, but again, didn't bring the audience to its feet. Nice of Kara to pump her back up after Simon brought her down.

Well, that was not a very exciting show, but no one was really bad either, so beats me who will get the boot.
My best of the night: Lilly Scott
Worst: Lacey Brown

Prediction for the boot: Lacey and Ashley Rodriguez or Paige Miles who are hurt by singing early

Good golly - It's been a long time.

2009-11-23T13:27:00.002-05:00

Wow, it's been a long time since posting here, more than a year, in fact. I've been inspired by my sister Sadie's new template, and went and downloaded one myself from Simply Fabulous Blogger templates/ and maybe I'll come up with some clever posts for the blog. Perhaps.

Collection of Thoughts

2008-03-12T11:29:00.003-04:00

Firstly, my sweet Wrigs is still missing, but I'm going to find him today.

Ms. Dukes had a very expensive vet appointment today. She has flea dermatitis, and the Hartz brand stuff I bought not only didn't work, but the vet said it can cause seizures and neurologic disorders, so please, do not buy Hartz flea products for your cats. There were 3 beautiful Maine Coon kitties there. T could've ridden 2 of them.

What happen to David Archuletta last night? Poor kid, just wandering around the stage, singing whatever words he thought might be in the song. Not that he'll go home, but that was unfortunate.

Tomorrow T is having a Spring Egg Hunt at school, and I get to go hide eggs. Then, she's off school until March 25. I would like to go ahead and book her at the farm for several days, or she and I may not be friends by the end of it. She has too many "ideas."

2nd heat guy is coming today - a co-worker of Tommy's, so hopefully we'll know something about our 1909 HVAC system. I need to go ahead and get an estimate of the master bath, so that if I have to replace the duct work, we may want to go ahead and do everything. (with my imaginary money coming in from my imaginary job.)

Umm...how bout...I guess that's it. If everyone will visualize my house as a beacon of light, and think really hard to Wrigley that he needs to go on home, and then visualize him getting his tummy rubs, I'd appreciate it. Pictured above is the tummy in question.

The Wedding Singer

2008-03-09T11:12:00.002-04:00

I went to see "The Wedding Singer" yesterday with Mom. Cute, but really nothing special. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone else. It was very hard for me not to compare the characters to the movie, since really, it was just the characters that made the movie in the first place. It was also a real disappointment that the show didn't incorporate actual 80's music. I guess it would've been quite a feat to get the rights to all the appropriate songs.

The actor was fine in the role of Robbie Hart. He seemed to, for the most part, be channeling Kevin James, though he did have some Sandler moments as well. He had a very nice voice, and did quite well with the lead. The actress playing Julia, however, was completely miscast, or maybe Julia is just mis-written. I wonder if the role was cast with "Disney Princess Julia" on Broadway as well. She did have a lovely clear voice, but played Julia as the overly sweet, dreamy innocent. Maybe that's what they were going for, and I'm looking for more of Drew Barrymore's "real girl" portrayal. I thought the character could be more down to earth and still romantic, such as the character of Pam from "The Office". The actress also did that one arm drop-turn-walk disappointed walk, and the bounce on your toes happy jump straight out of musical theater 101.

I guess criticizing the actors isn't really appropriate when the vehicle was so fluffy, and really, it was a fun little show, but it was like a peep. I like peeps, but I was hoping for something a little more substantial, a piece of wedding cake, perhaps? (see how I did that at the end, there? I'm very clever.)

American Idol - Dudes

2008-03-05T19:50:00.004-05:00

I just watched last night's episode tonight. Love the 80's.

Love David Archuleta. He looks every bit of 17, but really performs so much better than that. I don't want to see the ugly pride fall that may be due before this is all over.

I usually hate David Cook, I want him to go back to Seattle in 1992. I loved his song tonight. Now, baseline, I love that song anyway, so that helped, and I listened to this, but did not watch, so that may have also been in his favor.

I also liked Jason Castro, though I don't see what was so novel about his song. He sounded just like Jeff Buckley, and I'm pretty sure it was found the early 90's.

Best to worst:

Pocket David
David Cook
David Hernandez
Jason Castro
Luke Menard (I know he was terrible, but he's pretty, and he's going home, so he gets an artificial bump here.)
Chikese (good voice, but I don't get it.)
Michael Johns
Danny "Ambiguously Gay Uno" Noreiga

The girls won't be near as good as this.

Separated at Birth?

2007-09-20T20:41:00.001-04:00

Big Green Egg "Low and Slow"

2007-09-01T23:11:00.000-04:00

Tonight I have started my first "low and slow" cook on my BGE. I got a Boston Butt; it's about 6 pounds. I'm worried it won't be enough for tomorrow, but the grocery only had one. I've researched the process on the internet, to make sure I was prepared. BGE fans are, thankfully, an instructional bunch.

I filled the egg with charcoal this afternoon, and rubbed the meat with dry rub. This evening around 9, I started the fire and put the meat on. At this point, the meat has been in the egg for about an hour and a half, and the temp seems to be stable around 225. I know I'm just supposed to leave it alone, but I had to baste it just once tonight, then I may again in the morning. I'll check the temp again a couple times tonight, then go to sleep and hope for the best.

Here's the before pic, I hope to have a delicious after pic tomorrow.

10:00 Sunday: I woke up at 6:15 and went out to the egg. No smoke, and no smell. I panicked in the half a second it took to walk over to check the temp. 240, just where I left it. I went back to bed. At 8:30 I checked it again, temp still stabilized. This time I checked the meat temp (I don't have one of them fancy thermometers you leave in place.) So, meat temp 165. That's OK, I thought, and came in to check the BGE blogs I'd read before. So 10am, recheck temp, still 165. Here's a pic.
Now, don't be alarmed by the black surface of the meat, that's exactly right! I'm very excited. Now, that meat temp just needs to get to 200 in time to go to Mom's.

So Friggin Excited!!

2007-08-09T20:34:00.000-04:00

I finally went ahead and got my "Big Green Egg" which I've been researching, and coveting for a couple months. It is my early birthday present this year, and it came in yesterday. Today, I went to the Fresh Market for the first cook. I got 2 NY strips which were lovely and I hoped wouldn't be ruined.

I was very intimidated. I love to grill, but would still consider myself a novice, except of course when it comes to pork, for which I have some bizarre innate talent. Anyway, when I picked up my grill, the guys at Blackhawk hardware talked about "not having graduated" to the BGE yet. Additionally, the very knowledgeable folks at the egghead forums make me feel I'm not ready for this.

So, armed with a little knowledge from the BGE DVD and what I've gathered from googling, I initiated my BGE tonight. It didn't go without a hitch, I didn't have enough charcoal to start, but had left myself plenty of time for possible adjustments, and the heat came up easily. In fact, everything about this was easy! My downfall in grilling has always been getting steaks, particularly thick ones, as done as we usually like them, without burning the outside. These were perfect. I'd seasoned them liberally with a Kansas City Steak Rub. 2 minutes seared at 600, flip, another 2 minutes, flip, and shut it down. Leave them in the now cooling egg for 10 minutes. Perfect medium well, and perfectly done on the outside, and so tender! If I might compliment myself, they were darn tasty. I am sick that I didn't think about taking a picture until after every bite was long gone.

To top it all off, we sat down to eat, and preseason football was on! Colts and Cowboys. The only thing better is when NCAA kicks off later this month!

No Reservations

2007-08-04T12:00:00.000-04:00

I have got to start looking for further information on films before choosing them. Although, I've probably lost any choosing rights after my past few choices. E and I rarely get to see a movie, and usually there's a blockbuster out that appeals to both of us. Every once in a blue moon, we'll choose something different. Our first date after T was born, we went to see "Million Dollar Baby" hoping to see a Rocky-esque underdog movie. On another occasion, I chose "Legally Blonde II" expecting, well, just expecting it wouldn't suck. Yesterday's choice, "No Reservations."

Somehow, I thought this was a romantic comedy. Not so much with the comedy, turns out.

Catherine Zeta-Jones, Aaron Eckhart, and Abigail Breslin do a very admirable job, especially Breslin, who creates a very sympathetic real character. Unfortunately for them, this movie was too predictable even for someone who usually doesn't usually mind predictable. Unfortunately for me, I didn't start predicting the plot until I'd already paid for my ticket and got a quarter way into my popcorn.

Stuff I didn't expect in a "romantic comedy" (possibly spoilery): A 10 year old girl losing her mother. Well, actually that's it. The control-freak chef falling for the wacky sexy sous chef, predictable from the commercials. A devastated little girl with her whole world pulled out from under her, who needs a hug, but doesn't get one until 3/4 of the way into the movie, not in the trailers.

I'd give it 2 stars. One for the Breslin's performance. One for a couple cute bits that anyone in food service/ or customer service will enjoy. I'd say I wish I caught this on the Lifetime movie channel, instead of shelling out $14 for a matinee.

Portofino's

2007-08-03T22:17:00.000-04:00

We'd heard a lot about Portofino's prior to our going this week. We had T with us, and went on a busy Saturday. The restaurant has a good reputation, primarily for its NY style pizza.

We arrived at about 6:45pm, and had about a 20 minute wait. Service was pleasant, but the food came very slowly, and the turnover should be much better for such a crowded, family-friendly place. Though, maybe I shouldn't say family-friendly, because although there were many children there, there was no children's menu. I did ask if small portions were available, and T ordered a child's portion of tortellini which was $7, and it was a good size portion.

So, T had the tortellini. I ordered the beef ravioli from the "baked dishes" section of the menu, and E ordered a pasta with broccoli, garlic, and olive oil. T ate some of hers, but didn't wish to take the remainder home, said it wasn't good enough to take home. I did taste it, it was unremarkable, though the marinara had a nice flavor. I was disappointed in the ravioli. I was expecting a baked dish, and it was just ravioli with marinara. And it was fine, but I really wanted "darn tasty." E's was just "fine" as well, but admittedly, he didn't order a very exciting dish.

So, for "bessert" the server recommended cannoli, which, though she's never had it, T immediately wanted, because it is Curious George's favorite. I ordered Stracciatella and E ordered the featured dessert, a pear tart with vanilla gelato.
T didn't care for the cannoli, but really enjoyed my ice cream. I liked the filling of her cannoli, but the pastry tasted frozen, and wasn't crisp at all. E thought the tart was bland, but the gelato was very good.

We got in the car at 9:00, as an indication of how long it took for the food to be served. Though T is often a dawdler when it comes to eating, on this particular occasion, I can't say she was to blame.

So, we are not likely to return, although I will certainly pick up a pizza from there, as it comes highly recommended, and we don't have our Charlotte pizza parlor yet.

Random shows

2007-07-30T23:36:00.000-04:00

So, just a note on a couple cute shows that are sort of off the beaten path.

My Boys - My DVR remembered this, which is nice, because the new season just started. A pretty cute show about a female sports writer named PJ and her group of best guy friends. It's got some actors that you'll recognize, and a couple cuties. I caught this last summer during a marathon and am very excited it's having a second season.

Side Order of Life - What could've been a saccharine disaster on the Lifetime channel is genuinely good. Livy, who is the main character's best friend, really brings substance to the show. Could go very awry with the identity of the "wrong number," but so far, very engaging, while still very Lifetime (read "chick show".)

Burn Notice - I'm very irritated that I forgot to catch this when it started. I'd DVR'd the pilot, and then caught last week's ep, but missed 2 in the middle. I doubt it will last, but I like Jeffrey Donovan, and I like really cool spy-type guys. Sad is that Gabrielle Anwar isn't sweet and young and happy anymore. Sadder still is that Bruce Campbell, previously hot and campy, now pretty much just campy. Jury is still out on this show.

Psych - This one isn't really unknown, but I continue to love it.

SYTYCD

2007-06-27T23:31:00.000-04:00

Sara and Jesus: Ok, I usu hate Krumping, but I really like these 2, and they were good. I actually think Jesus was a lot better than Sara, well, not a lot, but better. She seems a little flat footed. I think her endurance level isn’t quite there.

I wonder if Debbie is just going to love everything, we’ll see.

Cedric and Shawna: I don’t get it. But I guess they did it Ok? Yes, the judges are telling me it was good. Oops, nope, just Debbie. How am I supposed to know what to think if they don’t agree? Ah, so they dumped Jimmy and just kept Cedric long enough to get him into Debbie’s school. Of course, America won’t put him in the bottom 3 this time.

Cameron and Lacey: Wow, that dress is amazing! This is really, really good. I like it.

Uh-oh, Danny and Anya have Dan, who sucks in my non-dancer opinion. Well, they sort of look like they’re doing 2 different styles. And though I think Danny’s probably doing more what Dan wanted, I like Anya’s crisper version much better.

Dominic (a.k.a. the chosen one) and Sabra: I love the rumba. Sabra is lovely. And I love this. This really showcased Sabra, but I thought they both did really well. My favorite so far. Smokin’.

Neil and Lauren: She just outed him as a slacker. Lauren, don’t smile in a tango, dear. Nope, not good enough. So, we’ll definitely see how powerful Neil’s reported tweener vote bloc is, cause that was bottom 3 material. Debbie didn’t like it either, but she’s not telling.

Hok and Jamie : Jamie suffers from like, upspeak? That’s where you like, finish every sentence, like, on a higher note than the rest of the sentence, like, a question? More bird dancing, what’s the deal with that? Huh, I didn’t want to like it, but I think it was good.

(side note: I think it was very nice the way Wade was very earnestly listening for the judges comments, with his friend’s hand on his shoulder. It was a very nice moment I wouldn’t expect.)

Pasha and Melanie: I’m so amused by the assistant, I can’t focus on the dance.

Best: Dominic and Sabra
Worst: Neil and Lauren by FAR

America’s Bottom 3: Neil and Lauren, Danny and Anya, Pasha and Jessie

Going home: Jessie (She won’t get a doc’s OK by tomorrow, not a chance)
Neil, possibly Pasha

Restaurant Meme

2007-05-26T21:01:00.001-04:00

So, I really like to get tagged for memes, since it gives me something to write about, though I always feel bad that I have no one to tag, since I have no blogging friends. Today, I'm responding to the restaurant meme sent to me by Sadie. I've been out of town for a week, thus the delay in my response, but here it is.

One further caveat, I've only lived in Charlotte since September, so we haven't really found all the local favorites yet, but there are a bunch of good restaurants here.

1. The Penguin Drive-In- a local favorite. An old school diner in Midwood with great burgers and wonderful fried pickles. The hot dog I had was fine, but not exciting. Next time, I want to try the bologna sandwich, though part of me just wants to stick to the burger, since I know it's delish.

2. Fuel Pizza - a pizza joint, "famous" in Charlotte, the pizza's fine, but the wings are excellent. Several locations. Darn tasty.

3. Maria Bonita - Having lived in 3 towns prior to this that had no decent Mexican or Tex-mex options, we're very excited to have so many to try here in Charlotte. This is our favorite so far. They don't have a website, but it's at 7741 Colony Road.

4. Thai Taste - Eric really likes Thai food, I'm not usually a big fan, but once we went here, I craved it for a week. We went with vegetarian friends one night, and they loved it too, so lots of good choices.

5. OK, I know it's a chain, but I love Mama Fu's. The General Fu's is crispy under the sauce, the chicken fried rice is addictive, and the beef curry rolls are delicious. They also have options for the folks who don't have a typically American palette, in case you are a bit more adventurous than I.

I'm tempted, since I don't have friends to tag, to tag myself for options in other cities where I've lived, and I may do that tomorrow.

On Imus

2007-04-16T13:29:00.000-04:00

So, here's my 2 cents on the Imus thing, as if enough people aren't talking about it already.

First of all, what a jerk. It's not like these women were in the news for acting a fool off the court, or on the court for that matter. There was absolutely no reason for them to be critized. If a basketball player is in the news for getting arrested, picking fights, driving an expensive car from a booster, or not showing up in class, go for it - criticize away, call him (since it is usually a him) a punk, a jerk, a dumbass. When a group of women work hard as a team to get to the championship in their sport, and act with class in the process on and off the court, there is no reason to comment on what you perceive to be a flaw in their appearance. There's sure as hell no reason to call them a bunch of ho's. I'm not even going to address the comment by the other idiot on the Imus show.

Secondly, to the people who seem to defend not what he said, but his right to say it. You are absolutely right, he had the right to say it. Listeners had the right to stop listening daily. Activists had the right to draw attention to the ridiculousness of the comment. Advertsers had th eright to pull their money, AND NBC AND CBS had the RIGHT TO FIRE HIS ASS. This is not a freedom of speech problem. He can continue to say whatever the heck he wants, he'll just have to find somewhere else to do it.

Music Meme

2007-03-27T13:53:00.000-04:00

Well, sister shouldn't have tagged me with this, because she knows I don't listen to much music, unless "Kindermusik" counts, but I'll give it a shot.
The theme of the meme = you list seven songs/CDs that you've listened to recently and then tag seven people.
The first 3 are mostly all low-key, because it's usually stuff T and I listen to when I'm putting her to bed.

1. Amos Lee, Amos Lee and Supply and Demand

2. Rosie Thomas, If Songs could be Held
T's usually asleep by the 4th track on this CD

3. Michelle Featherstone, Fallen Down
T likes "Sweet, sweet baby" best from this

4. Zac Hacker, "Lady"
Runner-up of this season of Nashville Star. I loved his rendition of this song, and downloaded it from iTunes, but you can see the performance here

5. Justin Timberlake, "What goes around...comes around"
I don't consider myself cool enough for Justin Timberlake, but I really like this song. Catch the video here.

6. Enrique Iglesias, "Not in Love"
I know, cheesy, right? But, though I bought the whole album (Seven), I just like that one song, "Not in Love." Favorite "happy-in-the-car" song.

7. Rent, original Broadway Cast Recording
This is the best long distance driving album (when alone.) I sing along with the entire soundtrack (thus the alone part.) Favorite songs: "Finale B" and "I'll Cover you"

Wow, so I came up with 7, and that's not even stretching. Of course, I'll be a meme killer, because I don't have any blogging friends.

2007-03-26T12:02:00.001-04:00

Iraq Coalition Casualties

Snippet

2007-02-07T00:03:00.000-05:00

This is a stolen snippet from Rosie ODonnell's blog. I laughed out loud at this comment from a reader, then I sighed.

Karla writes:

They keep talking about drafting a Constitution for Iraq. Why don’t we just give them ours? It was written by a lot of really smart guys, it’s worked for over 200 years and we’re not using it anymore.

Thoughts

2007-01-25T15:00:00.000-05:00

So, haven't written anything in a long time. Hi Sister! So, stuff I've learned recently and other thoughts.

1. If not cooked properly, the taro leaf will cause an itching, prickly sensation in the mouth and throat.

2. Despite the fact that I am a professional woman, who frowns upon sexism or stereotypical assumptions, the minute I drove my car into the back of another car today, I wished my husband was there to tell me what to do next. Not that he, had he been there, would've been any help at all, but I felt sort of at a loss.

3. Turns out NC law pretty much makes everyone responsible for their own damages, so I didn't need to be at a loss. If a driver is at even 1% fault, then you each are responsible for your own damages.

4. Ensure will antagonize coumadin, and decrease the "blood thinning" properties. This was news to me.

5. I watched the first episode of 30 Rock, and decided immediately it sucked. So what's the deal, did it rally? Does it still suck and people just have a different sense of humor? Hmmm. I like Tina Fey, I love Alec Baldwin. Do I give it another shot? I think it's opposite something else anyway.

6. I'm really sort of sad I wasted time watching this season of Top Chef. Not same as the first season.

7. I may have to create a cash only policy with myself and Target. That store is scary. T and I went in for a pair of toddler jeans today, left with 2 pair, 4 dresses, sunglasses for each of us, a bicycle helmet, dog biscuits, pajamas, 2 pair of shoes, a red cafeteria-type tray, and a red bowl to match. (yeah, I don't know what the tray is for, but evidently we needed it.)

8. "Clandig" is taterese for someone who likes to look out the window. This morning, our cat was a clandig.

Sacrifice

2007-01-03T15:16:00.000-05:00

My first blog entry of the new year is yesterday's "special comment" by Keith Olbermann. Forgive the length, but I think the message is important enough for a full page.

Special comment about ‘sacrifice’

If in your presence an individual tried to sacrifice an American serviceman or woman, would you intervene?

Would you at least protest?

What if he had already sacrificed 3,003 of them?

What if he had already sacrificed 3,003 of them — and was then to announce his intention to sacrifice hundreds, maybe thousands, more?

This is where we stand tonight with the BBC report of President Bush’s “new Iraq strategy,” and his impending speech to the nation, which, according to a quoted senior American official, will be about troop increases and “sacrifice.”

The president has delayed, dawdled and deferred for the month since the release of the Iraq Study Group.

He has seemingly heard out everybody, and listened to none of them.

If the BBC is right — and we can only pray it is not — he has settled on the only solution all the true experts agree cannot possibly work: more American personnel in Iraq, not as trainers for Iraqi troops, but as part of some flabby plan for “sacrifice.”

Sacrifice!

More American servicemen and women will have their lives risked.

More American servicemen and women will have their lives ended.

More American families will have to bear the unbearable and rationalize the unforgivable —“sacrifice” — sacrifice now, sacrifice tomorrow, sacrifice forever.

And more Americans — more even than the two-thirds who already believe we need fewer troops in Iraq, not more — will have to conclude the president does not have any idea what he’s doing — and that other Americans will have to die for that reason.

It must now be branded as propaganda — for even the president cannot truly feel that very many people still believe him to be competent in this area, let alone “the decider.”

But from our impeccable reporter at the Pentagon, Jim Miklaszewski, tonight comes confirmation of something called “surge and accelerate” — as many as 20,000 additional troops —f or “political purposes” ...

This, in line with what we had previously heard, that this will be proclaimed a short-term measure, for the stated purpose of increasing security in and around Baghdad, and giving an Iraqi government a chance to establish some kind of order.

This is palpable nonsense, Mr. Bush.

If this is your intention — if the centerpiece of your announcement next week will be “sacrifice” — sacrifice your intention, not more American lives!

As Sen. Joseph Biden has pointed out, the new troops might improve the ratio our forces face relative to those living in Baghdad (friend and foe), from 200 to 1, to just 100 to 1.

“Sacrifice?”

No.

A drop in the bucket.

The additional men and women you have sentenced to go there, sir, will serve only as targets.

They will not be there “short-term,” Mr. Bush; for many it will mean a year or more in death’s shadow.

This is not temporary, Mr. Bush.

For the Americans who will die because of you, it will be as permanent as it gets.

The various rationales for what Mr. Bush will reportedly re-christen “sacrifice” constitute a very thin gruel, indeed.

The former labor secretary, Robert Reich, says Sen. John McCain told him that the “surge” would help the “morale” of the troops already in Iraq.

If Mr. McCain truly said that, and truly believes it, he has either forgotten completely his own experience in Vietnam ... or he is unaware of the recent Military Times poll indicating only 38 percent of our active military want to see more troops sent ... or Mr. McCain has departed from reality.

Then there is the argument that to take any steps toward reducing troop numbers would show weakness to the enemy in Iraq, or to the terrorists around the world.

This simplistic logic ignores the inescapable fact that we have indeed already showed weakness to the enemy, and to the terrorists.

We have shown them that we will let our own people be killed for no good reason.

We have now shown them that we will continue to do so.

We have shown them our stupidity.

Mr. Bush, your judgment about Iraq — and now about “sacrifice” — is at variance with your people’s, to the point of delusion.

Your most respected generals see no value in a “surge” — they could not possibly see it in this madness of “sacrifice.”

The Iraq Study Group told you it would be a mistake.

Perhaps dozens more have told you it would be a mistake.

And you threw their wisdom back, until you finally heard what you wanted to hear, like some child drawing straws and then saying “best two out of three … best three out of five … hundredth one counts.”

Your citizens, the people for whom you work, have told you they do not want this, and moreover, they do not want you to do this.

Yet once again, sir, you have ignored all of us.

Mr. Bush, you do not own this country!

To those Republicans who have not broken free from the slavery of partisanship — those bonded still, to this president and this administration, and now bonded to this “sacrifice” —proceed at your own peril.

John McCain may still hear the applause of small crowds — he has somehow inured himself to the hypocrisy, and the tragedy, of a man who considers himself the ultimate realist, courting the votes of those who support the government telling visitors to the Grand Canyon that it was caused by the Great Flood.

That Mr. McCain is selling himself off to the irrational right, parcel by parcel, like some great landowner facing bankruptcy, seems to be obvious to everybody but himself.

Or, maybe it is obvious to him and he simply no longer cares.

But to the rest of you in the Republican Party:

We need you to speak up, right now, in defense of your country’s most precious assets — the lives of its citizens who are in harm’s way.

If you do not, you are not serving this nation’s interests — nor your own.

November should have told you this.

The opening of the new Congress on Wednesday and Thursday should tell you this.

Next time, those missing Republicans will be you.

And to the Democrats now yoked to the helm of this sinking ship, you proceed at your own peril, as well.

President Bush may not be very good at reality, but he and Mr. Cheney and Mr. Rove are still gifted at letting American troops be killed, and then turning their deaths to their own political advantage.

The equation is simple. This country does not want more troops in Iraq.

It wants fewer.

Go and make it happen, or go and look for other work.

Yet you Democrats must assume that even if you take the most obvious of courses, and cut off funding for the war, Mr. Bush will ignore you as long as possible, or will find the money elsewhere, or will spend the money meant to protect the troops, and re-purpose it to keep as many troops there as long as he can keep them there.

Because that’s what this is all about, is it not, Mr. Bush?

That is what this “sacrifice” has been for.

To continue this senseless, endless war.

You have dressed it up in the clothing, first of a hunt for weapons of mass destruction, then of liberation ... then of regional imperative ... then of oil prices ... and now in these new terms of “sacrifice” — it’s like a damned game of Colorforms, isn’t it, sir?

This senseless, endless war.

But — it has not been senseless in two ways.

It has succeeded, Mr. Bush, in enabling you to deaden the collective mind of this country to the pointlessness of endless war, against the wrong people, in the wrong place, at the wrong time.

It has gotten many of us used to the idea — the virtual “white noise” — of conflict far away, of the deaths of young Americans, of vague “sacrifice” for some fluid cause, too complicated to be interpreted except in terms of the very important-sounding but ultimately meaningless phrase “the war on terror.”

And the war’s second accomplishment — your second accomplishment, sir — is to have taken money out of the pockets of every American, even out of the pockets of the dead soldiers on the battlefield, and their families, and to have given that money to the war profiteers.

Because if you sell the Army a thousand Humvees, you can’t sell them any more until the first thousand have been destroyed.

The service men and women are ancillary to the equation.

This is about the planned obsolescence of ordnance, isn’t, Mr. Bush? And the building of detention centers? And the design of a $125 million courtroom complex at Gitmo, complete with restaurants.

At least the war profiteers have made their money, sir.

And we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain.

You have insisted, Mr. Bush, that we must not lose in Iraq, that if we don’t fight them there we will fight them here — as if the corollary were somehow true, that if by fighting them there we will not have to fight them here.

And yet you have re-made our country, and not re-made it for the better, on the premise that we need to be ready to “fight them here,” anyway, and always.

In point of fact even if the civil war in Iraq somehow ended tomorrow, and the risk to Americans there ended with it, we would have already suffered a defeat — not fatal, not world-changing, not, but for the lives lost, of enduring consequence.

But this country has already lost in Iraq, sir.

Your policy in Iraq has already had its crushing impact on our safety here.

You have already fomented new terrorism and new terrorists.

You have already stoked paranoia.

You have already pitted Americans, one against the other.

We ... will have to live with it.

We ... will have to live with what — of the fabric of our nation — you have already “sacrificed.”

The only object still admissible in this debate is the quickest and safest exit for our people there.

But you — and soon, Mr. Bush, it will be you and you alone — still insist otherwise.

And our sons and daughters and fathers and mothers will be sacrificed there tonight, sir, so that you can say you did not “lose in Iraq.”

Our policy in Iraq has been criticized for being indescribable, for being inscrutable, for being ineffable.

But it is all too easily understood now.

First we sent Americans to their deaths for your lie, Mr. Bush.

Now we are sending them to their deaths for your ego.

If what is reported is true — if your decision is made and the “sacrifice” is ordered — take a page instead from the man at whose funeral you so eloquently spoke this morning — Gerald Ford:

Put pragmatism and the healing of a nation ahead of some kind of misguided vision.

Atone.

Sacrifice, Mr. Bush?

No, sir, this is not “sacrifice.” This has now become “human sacrifice.”

And it must stop.

And you can stop it.

Next week, make us all look wrong.

Our meaningless sacrifice in Iraq must stop.

And you must stop it.

2006-12-12T14:50:00.000-05:00

Ok, I love my child. I do not love children. When I take my child to the library, or the park, or the Chick-fil-A play structure, I do not wish to entertain your child. Please be certain, before leaving your child to his or her own devices, that they are not so starved for adult companionship, that they latch on to any adult in the area. My sweet girl makes attachments with ease, and befriends other children in minutes. For some reason, these other children then think that I am interested in reading to them , watching them climb, pushing them on the swing, or listening to the story about their cat. I am not interested. Were it not for T, I would avoid contact with children at all costs. This said, I do feel sorry for the little buggers who I'm certain would prefer their own parent entertain them. That is all.

2006-12-08T21:52:00.000-05:00

You Are Dancer

Carefree and fun, you always find reasons to do a happy dance.

Why You're Naughty: That dark stint you had as Santa's private dancer.

Why You're Nice: You're friendly. Very friendly.

Which of Santa's Reindeer Are You?

BCS

2006-12-04T12:14:00.000-05:00

Here's my take on the BCS this year. Michigan did not get hosed. They may very well be the second best team in the country. They have proven, however, that they are not the best team in the country. They lost, to the number one team, already. Florida doesn't look like a National Champion, but they performed on the field when USC didn't, and they deserve the same chance Michigan already had.

What really irritates me about the BCS, though, is that Jan 1 is not Football Day anymore. It was my favorite day of the year, now the bowls are stretched out over several days. Not fun. Not an event anymore. People have to go back to work that week, school starts back, regular schedules resume. A football game on a weeknight just isn't as exiting.

Now the first 2 days of March Madness are my favorite sports days.

Good Grief

2006-12-03T12:33:00.000-05:00

I just finished writing such a charming post. Then my mac and firefox got together to totally screw me, and it's gone. Crap.

Chicken Artichoke Salad Crostini

2006-11-30T18:10:00.000-05:00

My blog sucks. It's not "blogger's block" because I don't consider myself a blogger. I'm trying to think of stuff I like to maybe get a series going. So I thought I'd go with a favorite recipe today, and maybe I'll do that every now and then. Please keep in mind, I am not a foodie, but I am a fat girl (a fat southern girl, in fact.) I like comfort foods. Today's recipe has been altered from one appearing in Southern Living.

Chicken-and-Artichoke Salad original recipe.

My Version
4 cups chopped cooked chicken breasts
1(14-ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1/4 cup Dijon Mustard
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 stalk celery, chopped
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Other Seasoning to taste (I use Emeril's Essence)
Shredded Colby-Jack cheese
1 loaf French or Italian bread

Stir together all ingredients except cheese. Slice bread and spoon mixture onto slices. Top with cheese. Cook in 425 degree oven for about 10 minutes, until cheese is melted and bread is crunchy.

Deelicious. I use whatever cheese I have, and often the ingredients change depending what I have on hand. This is wonderful with leftover grilled or baked chicken, since that already has a lot of flavor. The mustard I think is the key ingredient to my version.

A Holiday Recommendation

2006-11-19T20:11:00.000-05:00

Growing up, we did the same thing for every holiday. My sister, Mom and I went to Helen and Bud's (our great aunt and uncle). We ate a huge delicious meal, wallowed around full, then went home. It was drama free, and always wonderful. Now that we are adults, we've been in various places for the holidays. Our holidays still are generally drama free, which is nice, but seemed to be a bit more stressful as we merge spouses and in-laws into the mix. 3 years ago, my sister, her husband, and our parents made a very long trip to my house for Christmas. Because of the distance, and the fact that the Tater was supposed to make an appearance any day, it was a long visit. Despite the fact that we all have always been as comfortable in each other's homes as our own, I got a little stressed out trying to make everyone happy. Thus, one of my "life mottos" was created. On one afternoon, as we all were trying to decide what to do that day, and who wanted to do what, and who was making a pissy face, and who was taking too freakin long to get ready, the pregnant lady decided that "everyone was responsible for their own happiness."

Talk about a relief for the hostess. Now, of course, as a good southern woman, I don't mean you leave the guests to totally fend for themselves; you still have to have fresh clean linens and plenty of snacks. You simply make them even more comfortable by giving them options, room to breathe, and the chance to do as they please. You won't have stress trying to organize a series of group events, your guests won't have stress over filling their trip with things they felt they "had" to do.

So this is my advice for the coming holiday season, be responsible for your own happiness.

Thursday Thirteen, #2

2006-11-16T11:36:00.000-05:00

Thirteen Good Smells
1. Freshly bathed Baby Head
2. Baking cookies
3. Anything on the Grill
4. Mowed grass
5. Towels fresh from the dryer
6. Fall
7. A wood fire
8. Colognes that put you in the way back machine (for me, this would be Polo and Drakkar, but everyone has their own of this, I’m sure)
9. Clear blue sky
10. Lilacs
11. Vanilla
12. Puppy
13. Basil

Links to other Thursday Thirteens!

Taterism

2006-11-13T15:41:00.000-05:00

I've tried to avoid stories about my daughter (age almost 3), because I know the majority of people don't want to hear about other people's children, but I'm trying to post more, and what I know, is Tater, so...a quick T story.

People in my family are often "crankypants." The other day, I did something to irritate my girl, and she told me "You cranked my pants!" Ahh, motherhood.

Birthday thoughts

2006-11-10T13:08:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow is my birthday. I will be 36. I don’t really have a problem with getting older, I just don’t believe it. For about 4 years after I turned 30, people would ask me how old I am and I would reply ”30.” Not trying to be coy, just honestly answering. I don’t guess I feel 30 anymore, but 36? I think part of my problem is the time warp that med school and residency can create. You are sort of frozen in time for 8 years, then you get to pick up your life. This isn’t the case with everyone, I suppose. Many people are successful at “living” at the same time, but many are not. I’m just waiting to feel “grown up.” Any day now, I guess.

I have a vivid memory of watching "One Day at a time" way back when, and Bonnie Franklin's character was depressed because it was her 36th birthday. Barbara was trying to cheer her up and said something about the life expectancy being 72 so she really wasn't "middle-aged" until...(oops) 36. Thank God the life expectancy has increased, beside the fact that I look much younger than Bonnie Franklin. I think it's all the estrogen in fat cells keeping me young.

Jennifer Aniston is 36. That’s a 36 I can get behind. I’ll be her when I grow up. Except without the man problems. She looks fabulous.

Thursday Thirteen

2006-11-08T19:44:00.000-05:00

Sister Sadie is having a rough time lately, as you guys may know, so I thought I’d try to cheer her up by doing a Thursday Thirteen of some of my favorite memories that involve her.

1. When she was born, I was watching Villa Alegre! at my aunt’s house when they called. I remember she was shriveled and pruny.

2. When she was still really little I pulled her feet up beside her ears and she screamed. I can’t remember if I got in trouble for that.

3. She had a plastic frog toy box that she would hide in.

4. When she was about 6, she tied her big toes to her nightgown with the strings at the collar. We were supposed to be sleeping, and she was afraid she’d get in trouble if she told our dad, so we had to wait until my mom got home from her night class. Her legs started to get heavy, and the knots got tighter and there wasn’t anything I could do. It was very funny.

5. When we were visiting grandparents or our great aunt, we would always tell stories after we were in the bed. One funny story was about a cat who drove (or rode in?) an ambulance and he was the siren. (Roooowwwwwrrrrrr)

6. Other times we would tell stories with the flashlight. The light on the ceiling was named “Sunny,” but I don’t remember what he would do.

7. Sometimes when we would try to sleep in the same bed, she would get mad at me, and tell I had to stay on my side of “The Line.” So I would pretend to be asleep and let my arm flop over onto her, and she’d move it, then I’d flop again. She’d get really mad. Ah, good times.

Fast forward to more grown up memories,

8. She makes the best nachos. I guess that's not a memory, but it's true.

9. Miss Sadie used to be quite the Karaoke diva. I would sometimes go with her to Crazy Larry’s when she was “performing.” If I got liquored up enough, I’d want to sing too. She’d join me to sing “Fancy,” but only if it didn’t count as her turn.

10. For a short time when she was in law school, and I was finishing med school, we lived in the same house. I wasn’t there very often, because I did a lot of away rotations, but sometimes when I was there we would eat Tombstone Rising Crust Pizza together and watch TV.

11. One of my favorite days ever was when she and I went to see Rent in Memphis just before Christmas. Then, because an ice storm was coming, we had to drive to our Mom’s in Asheville that night instead of waiting until morning. It was very exciting and we tried to make it as dramatic as we could. We got to Asheville early the next morning and went to sleep with the weather channel on.

12. Sister went with my husband when he went to buy my engagement ring. That is one of my favorite memories, though I wasn’t even there.

13. She gave my daughter her first present. It is a very soft light green bear. It was addressed to “Cluster.”

Please leave a comment-- go to the top right corner of the post for the link... Thanks!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Halloween Grinches

2006-11-01T13:09:00.000-05:00

Ok, so I understand moms who want the best for their children, making good food choices, limiting sugar and fats, encouraging fruits and vegetables, whole grains, organic foods, etc. Excellent. But can we talk about Halloween for a minute. On one of the morning shows, one of the rail-thin-really-needs-a-sandwich anchors stated that her kids get to choose one piece on Halloween. ONE PIECE! Ok, Seriously? Seriously?

I have an acquaintance who fits the aforementioned “organic mom” mold. She lets her child eat as much candy as she wants (or can) on Halloween, then she can choose a piece a day for about a week, then the rest goes to the office or the garbage. This makes sense to me. It keeps the holiday special for the child, but doesn’t teach her that crap is OK for a daily thing.

One piece. Good grief. Let your kid have a life.

Fall Stuff I like

2006-10-30T10:53:00.000-05:00

I thought I'd get away from the negative today.
Thus, "Fall stuff I like."

1. The sound of leaves rustling when you walk through them
2. Fall jacket weather (and by this I must specify Southern Fall) with bright blue skies.
3. Roasted corn
4. Football
5. Candy Corn
6. Cornbread dressing
7. Sweaters and jeans
8. Open windows
9. Jammie time (Always love jammie time, but fall is best because the jammies are warmer.)
10. Chili and cornbread

Irritation

2006-10-29T10:03:00.000-05:00

I cannot stand when sports reporters say "a So-and-so." For example, " It was hard to imagine a true leader at quarterback, a Brett Favre or a Dan Marino, a Joe Namath, a Joe Montana, or even a Joe Pisarcik, being treated with such blatant disrespect by a teammate, especially one on the same unit."

Who else is "a Dan Marino"? That sentence would be perfectly fine if you dropped all the "a's."
I once heard the same regarding "a Martina Navratilova." Who else is Martina? Is Stefi Graf? She's "a Stefi Graf," I think.

I'm not weird

2006-10-21T14:06:00.000-04:00

My sister Sadie tagged me with this meme, from It's a Blog Eat Blog World. I'm supposed to write 9 weird things about myself. I'm quite certain I won't be able to come up with 9, but here goes.

1. I read words backwards. I mean, if I'm driving down the street, I'll look at a sign and say the word backwards. I have no reason for this.

2. At the grocery, everything must come out of my cart, and onto the checkout conveyor in an orderly fashion. All the boxes, all the cans, the non-foods, the cold stuff, the frozen stuff, the produce, etc. This has been totally thrown by our new grocery, where you just pull up your cart, and the cashier does all the unloading.

3. I put sugar on my rice, and sometimes, though not as often as I'd like, I will eat a bread, butter, and sugar sandwich.

4. One of my cats has only a formal surname; Mrs. Dukes has not told us her proper name yet.

5. Earl

6. As a young person, I would stand with my knee bent (like a quadriceps stretch,) then I'd pull my foot past my hip, and tuck it under my ribs, where it would stay. (And I wonder why my knees pop and creak now.) I know this isn't a good description, and unfortunately, I do not have a picture of this to better show you.

7. I sleep with one leg under the covers, and one leg out.

8. I suppose it is weird that I can only come up with 7 things?

9. Is it weird that my life's dream is to be a TV court judge?

So that's my list, maybe it will be interesting enough to add to my one person readership.

Traffic rule #11

2006-10-16T12:30:00.000-04:00

Ok, here's the thing - when the person who made a bonehead move in traffic apologizes, and no harm has actually been done, you have to move on. Sorry, but you do. You can't sit and glare, or flip the person off, or curse them aloud; you can't, the moment is over. You can mutter under your breath, bitch to a friend later, but right then, your outward appearance must convey forgiveness; they said they were sorry and you have to move on. It's the rule.

"Texas Land and Cattle" Review

2006-10-13T22:05:00.000-04:00

Today's opinion is a brief review of TXLC restaurant in Charlotte, NC. We ended up there last night after driving up to Northlake Mall to get Daddy Bear repaired at the Build-a-Bear workshop. We were pretty hungry by the time we got there.

The service was excellent. Queso Dip tasty. Salads good; E got the spicy Ceasar and really enjoyed it. For my entree, I got the "Signature smoked sirloin" which might've gotten a "darn tasty" were it not for a very tough top layer which I basically ate around. The flavor was quite good. The accompanying garlic mashed potatos were fine, as was E's ribeye.

So, overall, it was pretty good. We wouldn't mind going back, but wouldn't make a special trip. As far as chain-type steakhouses go, I probably prefer Outback.

Just FYI, our Family's trademarked "Tasty Scale" is as follows: Not Tasty, "Eh" (or fine), Tasty, Pretty Tasty, Darn Tasty, and the elusive Damn Tasty.

Quick post

2006-10-12T15:08:00.000-04:00

Turns out, though I have a lot of opinions, I don't have much time/skill/gumption to get them into a blog shape, so I'm changing it up. Starting today, I will just post a quick opinion or two, if I have more time, then I'll expand on the topic.

So today's opinions are these:

30 Rock was really disappointing. I expected more from Tina Fey.

One should not go to the movies on amazingly beautiful afternoons like today.

Dave got the shaft on season 1 of Top Chef; he should've been kept over Tiffany in the finals.

Seven

2006-09-13T08:25:00.000-04:00

Seven is the number of children who could have easily been lured away at the park today.

Tate and I went to the neighborhood park today to check out the playground. There was a kids’ baseball game going on, and there were a few of the players’ younger siblings playing on the equipment. When we walked up, there were 7 children under the age of 6, and no parents. The ballgame (and parents) were probably about 75 yards away. Now, since Tater is 2, I certainly have to be more “eyes on” than if she were older, and I was thinking I likely was judging based on that mindset. But the longer we were there, the more surprised I was. The playground was closer to the street than the ball field, and though it is a nice area of town, I just can’t imagine feeling that secure.

Yes, it's likely the parents were watching the kids from the bleachers; I’m just not sure they could’ve gotten to their children before they were gone. I kept imagining one of those security experts from Oprah coming up with a puppy scenario and just walking away with one or more of those kids. At one point, I had to take Tater to the bathroom, which was about 3 ball fields away, when we came out 3 of the little girls from the playground area were walking towards us, in search of the concession stand. The mother of 2 of them was about 2 minutes behind them, and scolded them for walking so far. It’s that 2 minutes that makes me twitchy. I don’t want to be overprotective and I’d love to feel secure that my daughter would be OK playing on her own in that situation, but I have to say, I'm pretty sure that won’t happen before age 6, if then. I did feel a little less paranoid when an older child came to the playground structure with his dad right behind him. So at least then I wasn’t alone in my hovering.

So as to be helpful as opposed to just “ranty” I would like to recommend the following:

Protecting the Gift by Gavin DeBecker
Kidpower for helpful tips, and a non-fear-based approach to kids safety
the National Sex Offender Registry

Cat Story, part 2

2006-09-12T22:10:00.000-04:00

So, cat under the floorboard, what now? I had visions of the local news filming a cat rescue. But really, after many hours of sweet talking, petting him through the insulation, eventual removal of the insulation, and finally, just giving up, he somehow managed to get out. The ridiculous thing was, the rest of the night, he meowed, begging to get back into that closet. He didn't have anywhere to hide. I let him get under the covers of our air mattress bed, and he was quiet and happy until the next afternoon, when we had to go.

The end.

The Cat Story

2006-09-12T01:37:00.000-04:00

Ok, so this is the long awaited Cat Story (for my one blog reader - Hi, Sister!)

We have 3 cats. Yes, we know 3 is too many. So, the morning of our move, we didn't crate the kitties. 2 of them are usually pretty easy to find; they have a hiding spot inside our oversized chair. They have torn a small hole in the fabric on the bottom of the chair in order to climb up and hide inside. Anyway, the moving crew was completing the top floor, and before I went to work, I went to extract the cats from the chair to put them in their carriers. One was captured as he moved from chair to the matching hole underneath the ottoman. The other, Wrigley, lost his mind, ran up the box slide placed on the stairs by the movers, and hid in an unfinished closet in the bonus room. As I was late to work, I let my husband know where he was and left.

An hour later, I get a phone call from my mom. She'd arrived to pick up my daughter, and went to check on Wrigley. He wasn't in the closet. As the day went on, no one saw him. The house was empty, no cat. When I got home, we searched the outside and again searched the house. I could not understand why he would've left the closet where he was safe. This cat is our "scarediest" according to Tater. We were staying the night in the house, so we hoped he would be found before we had to leave the following day. I kept going back to the closet. I noticed that I could put my hand down along the insulation to a space underneath the floor. I sat on the floor calling the cat. My husband thought I was crazy. I just knew that Wrigs wouldn't leave that safe closet. What I needed was an endoscope, what I had was a cell phone with a camera.

I slid my hand through that space hoping I wouldn't drop that camera, and hoping that nothing was living under that floor except my cat. There was indeed a pretty big space in there, couldn't see a cat. We went to dinner, and came back. I sat back in the closet calling for Wrigley, and heard imaginary noises under the floor. I took some more pictures and finally got the one above.

Oh, good gravy, this story is way too long, I'll stop it here, and finish it tomorrow. Thanks for reading if you made it this far!

Reunited and it feels so good

2006-09-07T00:47:00.000-04:00

Whew, after 2 weeks without internet or cable TV, I'm reconnected to the world!

Many things to tell, but I'll just keep it to a quick tidbit, since it's almost 1am.

If you ever find yourself without cable for an extended amount of time, you can create an adequate antenna with a piece of coax cable and a 12V AC adapter, just attach the coax to your TV, then put the plug part of the AC adapter over the little wire sticking out on the other end of coax. Worked much better than any sort of coat hanger rigging I could come up with. It's still our solution to our bedroom TV, since the cable guy arrived at 7:30 for our 1-5 appt, but didn't have time to run a new outlet for us.

Tune in tomorrow when I shall post the cat under the floor story, which was one of the highlights of our move.

First Post

2006-08-20T17:10:00.000-04:00

There's a lot of pressure upon making a first post. There's alot going on that I could talk about - moving, new job, etc., but instead I will just share a little tidbit I learned today. We've been watching a bit of the Little League world series this week, and I wondered if girls could play little league. Turns out, yes, they can, and though most girls play on Little League softball teams, many do play baseball, and a few have made it to the LLWS. So in doing this bit of research, I read about Kathryn Massar, a Little Leager in 1950, and the first documented female Little League player. Her story is here.
Of course, my Tater (age 2.5) wants to be "a football man" when she "is big." Maybe I can talk her into baseball instead.