Voodoo's Room

A new place for my stuff!

2005-11-18T05:40:00.000-08:00

I am very excited to announce that I have moved my blog to my very own URL!!!!

So please click here for my continued bloggy thoughts.

It's a work in progress but it looks cool (I can take zero credit for that!) and I will no longer post on blogger.com.

Utter Randomness

2005-11-16T08:30:00.000-08:00

(Please click the emotion links when you have finished reading as I wish to spread the joy…)

In a rare display of self-centered behavior (sniff sniff…do you smell sarcasm?) I re-read a couple of my last blog entries to see how interesting I am. I was horrified to discover that I have the occasional missing word or incomplete thought. Who the hell is writing this blog because I’m way too cool for these typographical errors? I suppose that I get ahead of myself sometimes and just fail to see what I have typed because I’m thinking it just fine.

I’m very narcoleptic today. I just want to sleep. However, payroll must be completed.

Tonight the Dallas Stars play the Mighty Ducks at 9:30 p.m. Dallas time. I hate the Ducks. I know that there are probably Duck fans out there that hate the Stars and that’s fine. But Talented Writer Sis-in-Law and our hubbies went to Round 2 Game 2 of the Stanley Cup semi-finals that pitted the Ducks versus the Stars and the calling of penalties was so lopsided it was insane.

Also, Lost is on tonight. I am a little cheesed that they are going to cover the back half of the plane. Don’t get me wrong….I really want to know their story but dang it Sawyer is unconscious. Shannon was shot by that be-otch Anna Lucia (it was an accident sure but still!). Sayid is ticked AND he saw Walt in the jungle. Since the back-halfers have found the mid-sectioners that means Rose and Bernard will be reunited and I am dying to see that (grab some tissues). I am quite interested in Mr. Echo’s story for sure. AND HEY…what happened w/ that numbers guy whose name I can’t remember. He darted off into the woods like a friggin stag and so where did he go and what is he doing? Did the Others get him?

I want to plug TWSIL's poem.....and Rebekah is posting beautiful work for her Art Everyday Month....it is super creative and beautiful stuff with great stories tied to them.

Anyway…back to work…..GO STARS!

Work til you Forget

2005-11-14T18:35:00.000-08:00

I swear I'm so busy sometimes that I completely forget what I'm doing!

I came home tonight all happy because I had all my timesheets and I knew once I got the man and the girl fed and laundry going in the dryer I could prop my feet up and start working payroll while I watch the Cowboy's game. So here I sit...with no way to do work of any kind because my thumb drive is missing. I'm certain I left it plugged into my computer at work, but I simply can't remember. It's not like there is anything highly sensitive on the (TOUCHDOWN COWBOYS!) drive, but there are several spreadsheets that I've been working on for a couple of weeks (a continuously growing budget) and some payroll items I need. But the sheer fact that I truly cannot remember the last time I had it bothers me. Further, I promise I looked to see if it was plugged into the machine today and don't remember it being there. It is supposed to be a keychain but I have the keyring of a high school janitor so that didn't work for me. I shouldn't be so worried about it (Talented Writer Sis-in-Law has reason to freak if her's goes missing since I know she has manuscript parts and pieces on hers....and hubby carries HUGE thumb drives...like a gig of space on them so they are pricey) since mine cost maybe $30 and I could replace the work since I emailed the last revision of the budget to the boss...it's just that I feel old and somewhat panicky that I truly have no idea what happened to it. It further bothers me that I am this worried about it when I haven't verified that it's not at work.

I've decided that I am becoming completely transfixed by Ancient Egyptian artifacts of Anubis. I have not reason for this other than I love the look ... nothing quite says cool like the head of a jackal, eh? haha! Anubis, the Egyptian god of the dead, was the guide of the dead as they made their way through the darkness of the underworld. There's all kinds of little Anubis boxes and pictures etc. on eBay and I keep hinting around regarding a decor change to my hubby (what's wrong with a little Anubis and Isis?) My dear hubby has informed me that Tut's Tomb will not be making an appearance in our living room...(maybe our bath?)....

My dear small bird had her first Art Society meeting tonight. She was very happy and excited about it. They are starting to plan activities for the year and she was pleased to be a charter member of the very first Art Society in her elementary school.

I suppose I will wrap up and watch the Cowboys and fold laundry. I must mention that I was completely depressed with the Redskins loss by lousy point to the Bucs last night. (sob) But it was a super good football game.

Woof. Purr.

2005-11-11T12:41:00.000-08:00

I have this overwhelming duality today. I want to lounge in bed and stretch all the way across it sideways and I want to go for a stroll in the park. I feel like a million bucks but I might be catching a cold. I'm happy that I have a million things to do at work but I detest not being able to leave yet. I want to eat a whole can of pear halves...but only between bites of chips and salsa. It'll make for a remarkably interesting evening for my hubby for sure. I'll want him to pamper me while I wait on him hand and foot! haha!

Talented Writer Sis-in-Law is revamping her blog and it looks really cool. You should check it out and tell her what you think! It's very bright and the fonts are great.

I've officially had no cigarettes for eight weeks today. It's starting to not bother me much any more. I have moments where I'd love to smoke and then there are times where it disgusts me to smell it. Today I had lunch at a place called Addison Point that is really just a bar. (But the food is really pretty good!) Well my hair now smells like smoke. It's grossing me out and making me wish for a pack at the same time (again with the duality).

Aw hell...boss needs me.

Pride and Fury

2005-11-09T14:37:00.000-08:00

It never ceases to amaze me how much joy and pride your children can provide. And just one drop of these emotions weighs at least one hundred times the cases of worry and anger they furnish as well. My small bird (aside from being a figure skater) has always been something of an artist. (Again, a trait that must come from my spouse because it’s usually all I can do to write in barely legible English.) She has always been enamored of paints, markers, crayons, and colored pencils. Not so much on clay or sculpting…just put color to paper and go for it. She is always the ‘pet’ of the art teacher and it’s always her favorite “special”. Last week all of the fourth and fifth grade students received an invitation from the art teacher to submit a piece of original art to be judged by the K-3 staff. The selected students would be the 2005-2006 Art Society for the school and have meetings and go on outings and paint and sculpt and draw, etc. The small bird was WAY excited about this and announced that her medium would be watercolors and we needed to go shopping for “proper paper”. The artwork was due Monday and the judging was yesterday with the results announced today.

All of the work had to follow a theme. The theme was “Our School is the Path to Success”. She painted a school bus climbing a steep hill toward a sign that read “success” pointing upward. The rays of the sun beat down on the sign and the path beyond the sign. It is quite remarkable and, again, I’m always amazed at her ability.

Today my bird called me VERY excited and told me that she is, indeed, a member of this year’s Art Society!! I was so proud and happy for her. Her sweet voice announcing, “Momma! I made it! I’m on the Art Society!” will give me a grin and a happy tear for the next few days for sure.

And thank the Lord for that because I’ve spent the greater part of this afternoon in an absolute fit about some mess at work. In order not to slam the innocent, I must say that sometimes people’s attempts to exercise control over others is so downright enraging that I want to flail and punch. Fortunately, all the altercation I was involved in was verbal and the questionable party didn’t make an appearance in our office today. So when I went to the boss and informed him of my conversation and concerns I was told that I had been lied to. So now I’m REALLY pissed. I am not perfect (by far) and I know I make mistakes and I’m swamped (I run this office as well as doing all the payroll, billings, contracts, etc AND support the boss and our sales person) and I know that everyone wants to “help me”…but the path to Hell is paved with good intentions. So if we’re gonna play Devil’s Advocate … BRING IT because I know I can play better than anyone else here.

I also found this picture of Josh Holloway today and, frankly, he’s so beautiful it makes me squirm….so I’m sharing it.

Good God I love Hockey Players

2005-11-08T10:03:00.000-08:00

I try very hard not to be a walking hormone. After all, I'm a responsible married person with a child! But when those hockey players hit the ice I can't help it. I mean...LOOK at them!

The Dallas Stars played one awesome game last night, beating the Edmonton Oilers 4-0. Marty Turco had an amazing game. I love it when he serves up shut outs. It's further amazing with the new rules and everything. The instances of the shut out goalie performance are decreasing rapidly.

The Small Bird made it through the second period and then crashed on the couch. She's impressively picking up the rules and how the game works. She's finally old enough to really sit for a period of time and pay attention to something and since hockey games move so quickly she has no problem watching (until we get to about 9 p.m. haha!) and learning. She did ask for a clarification on what a "delayed penalty" was last night. She was also very concerned about the number of penalties in the first period. "Just let them play!" she yelled. My sentiments exactly. 8-}

Well, I'm about to starve to death so I suppose I'll go get hubby and get some lunch. We have to go buy fish food too which means a trip to Dallas North Aquarium. I love that place. They have awesome fish.

A Sit-Spin

2005-11-05T17:36:00.000-08:00

Hooray! My sweet skater girl can do her sit-spin! This is a very important part of passing her next test. She's really been struggling with it since it takes such a large amount of leg strength to achieve. As the name suggests, you have to be able to sit almost all the way down on the ice while spinning around about 498 times faster than a normal person can stand AND THEN stand back up without falling (and continuing to spin of course). She's been very frustrated lately and seeming discouraged and its been really making me sad. So her ability to finally complete it with some regularity today was a big step forward.

She loves to skate. She's also now at a level where it takes A LOT of work to pass tests to go forward (and it won't get any easier, of course). She is such a small thing that the elements that take strength are hard for her. Most of the difficult spins are strength elements. Jumping is all about alignment and keeping your self tightly together. One of her coaches uses the praise "like you are being sucked through a straw" to describe the in-flight portion of jumps. She has all of her one rotation jumps down and now she's working on stringing them together in combinations. Very exciting!

She's also participating in "Rudolph On Ice" which will be in December. She's super excited about it. It's like our very own Disney on Ice! My Small Bird is going to be a mouse in the "Woodland Creatures" portion of the program. All the girls are working hard on being the best group in the production. Each of the skating rinks is sending a team to 'represent' them...of course it's not a competition, only a show for entertainment. But, anyway, it's going to be really cool and their program is a little over 6 minutes! They will all be gassed when it's over!

My sister has managed to NOT go in to labor or perform any odd childbirth rituals on herself, thank the Lord. Tomorrow we're throwing her baby shower so hopefully we can keep her entertained and still the whole time. I'm a realist and as such the gift I'm giving her is diapers and wipes and a lot of both! Those are always the things that suck up all the money from your budget with a new baby and there's nothing like a stash that was free for the new parents!

Last, my beloved Dallas Stars are showing how awful they can be one day followed by how amazing they can be the next day. The Kings trashed them and then they killed the Blackhawks. They play the Colorado Av's in about a half an hour...GO STARS!

Self-Cesarean

2005-11-02T10:16:00.000-08:00

I suppose a small amount of background information would be helpful before I get into this…

I am the oldest of four girls. The two youngest of sisters are pregnant. One is supposed to be due in December the other in February, both with little girls. For some time now, we’ve been quite suspicious that my niece who was predicted to appear in December would probably be pretty early. My sister has looked farther along than her due date suggested from the moment she started getting baby-belly. Combine that with the fact that it’s been a pretty horrible pregnancy (high blood pressure, a terrible allergic reaction to an unfortunate bee incident, etc etc.) we knew it was possible the doctor would schedule this delivery to end the woe and torment.

On Monday my sis started having contractions. Since the doctor still thinks this baby is coming in December, they call her and she says go to the ER. They follow her instructions, get labor stopped and monitor the baby closely all night because her heart rate was a little slow. Finally satisfied that all is well her doctor releases her and puts her on strict bed rest for the remaining duration of the pregnancy.

Now…all of us are high-energy, loud, overly active people. But this particular sister of mine is definitely running on a hemi while the rest of us are V-8s. (I don’t know shit about cars….this may have no meaning …how ‘bout power…this sister is the F-14 while the rest of us are 747s. Hell, they are all jets….I have no idea if any of this makes sense so I’m going to quit.) This is something close to a death sentence for her. Combine this with a 3-year-old son that she is trying to keep up with and a husband who is a lot like her and she’s huge and pregnant and now subjected to bed and she’s pretty unhappy.

My mother informed me last night that she would be attending the follow up appointment today with sister and brother-in-law and that she would call with an update. Fortunately, all is well. Mom and baby are doing fine and (surprise) the baby is turned all the way down and is looking like she’s preparing to make an appearance soon.

Then my mother informs me of the following conversation. My sister, elated to be out of bed, nearly runs into the doctor’s office. The nurses and staffers recognize her and welcome her and her husband. There are also several pregnant women (some with men in tow who, like my brother-in-law, are probably wondering why they wanted children) in the waiting area. My sister has the following conversation with the nurse and one polite fellow preggy:

Sister: “HI!!!”

Nurse: “Hi, sweetie! How are you feeling?”

Sister: “Well, if the doctor doesn’t take me off of this damn bed rest today I am going home and performing a self-cesarean.”

Nurse: (pause) Oh my.

Pregnant Lady: “Oh honey. How long have you been on bed rest?”

Sister: “Since Monday.”

According to my mother, this brought the house down. And I hope its ½ as funny a read and it was to hear the story.

My niece will be here soon and I can’t wait. But I think my sister is close to refusing to wait any longer.

Breeders Cup and an Exploding Cup

2005-11-01T13:10:00.000-08:00

I'm going to bore those who aren't horsie fans with my ponies first....or I suppose you can skip this and move on to the explosion story!

Well, needless to say, I didn't do very well betting wise at the Breeders Cup this year but it's okay. I had a total blast watching the races and I just love the sweet horsies.

Folklore won the Juvenile Fillies. I was very disappointed in Diamond Omi's last place finish. And if Wild Fit had not had such a HORRIFIC trip around the race track she certainly would have won.

Stevie Wonderboy won the Juvenile impressively. He is big, rangy colt and looked gorgeous. I still say First Samurai is next year's Kentucky Derby winner if he stays healthy. But you never know, Wonderboy could break the Juve/Derby jinx.

Intercontinental was amazing going wire to wire in the Fillies & Mares Turf.

I can't say how disappointed I was that Lost in the Fog didn't win the Sprint but Silver Train ran his heart out was definitely the best that day.

Artie Schiller beat Leroidesanimaux in the Mile in what I thought was the best race of the day.

The Distaff turned into a longshot fest with Pleasant Home leading the way home for a price.

The horses came from over the pond to run in the Turf and they finished 1-2-3-4 with Scirocco winning over Ace, Azamour, and Bago.

And St. Liam certainly wrapped up horse of the year by winning the Classic over Flower Alley and Perfect drift.

And now....exploding cups.

Today I had about 24906438634 errands to run for the boss. Everything I did took about 20 minutes longer than it should have and I decided I was going to lunch before I went back to the office. I called my hubby and asked what he felt like for lunch. After deciding that a call in to On The Border was the best choice, I finished running and then stopped off at OTB on my way to hubby's office so we could eat together. I was frustrated and ready to be still and what should have been:

1. Run inside

2. Pay

3. Leave

Turned in to:

1. Run inside

2, 3, 4, 5. Wait

So I finally got our food. Moving quickly from frustrated to downright pissed off, I get me, my keys, my purse, our bag of food, and two large cokes into the car. Now, when OTB says "large cokes" they mean it. These two cups were approximately the size of Big Gulps. (Who needs that much fluid in one sitting, I ask you?) Each cup barely fits into the two cup holders in my husband's Olds.

Certainly the engineers at Olds or whomever is responsible thought that they were saving great space when they put one cup holder in the console and one between the steering wheel and the window for the driver. If you are driving at high rates of speed and have your hands properly situated at ten and two then a simple extension of the pinky finger will allow you to make actual contact with your beverage. And, I dare say, if you have large hands, you could actually grip your cup with your fingers while steering with your thumb. There's only one problem. Cups are either too large or too small to actually fit in the cup holder. (I haven't tried a real live can of beer but that is probably what fits since it's such a good idea to drink beer and drive.)

So (although, my audience I'm sure you are guessing what is about to happen) I begin the 2 mile trek from OTB to OFC of HUB.

I'm beginning to relax and look forward to the meal. I can smell my chicken nachos as I drive and I'm hoping that they remembered my extra jalapenos. I'm also on my cell phone telling hubby I'll be there in 2 and 2. Just then the car in front of me decides that the lane is inappropriate and performs the single worst lane change on the face of the earth. (It wasn't like the way Talented Writer Sis-in-Law changes lanes. When she changes lanes you actually create a small ripple in the space-time continuum and sort of morph from the lane you are in to the lane she wants to be in. It's breathtaking I tell you. No; this moron sort of half changed, changed back and then swerved into the right lane. It sucked.)

So, thinking that there may be more idiocy to follow, I tapped my brakes. Not slammed. Not even pushed. I tapped them. At that precise moment, the Big Gulp sized styrofoam cup of coke starts to fall over in slow motion. Every muscle in my body froze as I tried to avoid the non-lanechanger, watch for the light to turn yellow as I drove through a busy intersection and not look away from the road, and not drop my cell phone. The cup sort of rolls off the cup holder and into my lap where it somehow stays intact.

Struggling to grab the cup and still drive it leaves a trail of coke from mid thigh to mid-shin as it continues it's path to the floor where, upon impact, it explodes. I now have a puddle of coke the size of Lake Superior on the floor under my feet being semi-absorbed by my pant leg.

I think I screamed every cuss word I know in about 1.3 seconds. This fit also resulted in hanging up on my hubby.

I have nothing wonderful to report at the end of this story except tonight I get to clean the floor of hubby's car. He did come downstairs with four paper towels in an attempt to help but neither of us had anything remotely absorbent enough to take care of the mess. I'm going to need at least 45 chamois to get it all out.

The nachos were good, by the way and they did remember my extra jalapenos.

New Tag

2005-10-31T14:13:00.000-08:00

Talented Writer Sis-in-Law tagged me so here we go:

1. First name? Nicole

2. Were you named after anyone? My paternal grandfather

3. Do you wish on stars? With my daughter

4. When did you cry last? I'm crying right now because of all these questions (kidding!)

5. Do you like your handwriting? It sucks.

6. What is your favorite lunch meat? Something blonde

7. What is your birth date? A loooooooong time ago

8. What is your most embarrassing CD? My Little Pony sings the blues

9. If you were another person, would YOU be friends with you? I may be afraid of me

10. Do you have a journal? You mean like a tower log?

11. Do you use sarcasm a lot? Yeah..ummm no.

13. Would you bungee jump? Nope.

14. Do you untie your shoes when you take them off? Nope

15. Do you think that you are strong? Do you mean like to kick your ass?

16. What is your favorite ice cream flavor? Jagermeister

17. Shoe Size? 9

18. Red or pink? Red could mean infection so I'll go pink.

19. What is your least favorite thing about yourself? Halting.Rage.

20. Who do you miss most? I'd have to say Thomas Edison.

21. Do you want everyone you send this to, to answer? Only if it makes them feel warm inside.

22. What color pants and shoes are you wearing? I have on black high heels.

23. What are you listening to right now? My typing fingers

24. Last thing you ate? A flipping cupcake gawdamit

25. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Black

26. What is the weather like right now? Wet and cool

27. Last person you talked to on the phone? A rude and pushy sales person

28. The first thing you notice about the opposite sex? Silence

29. Do you like the person who sent this to you? Tremendously

30. Favorite Drink? Jagermeister

31. Favorite sport? To watch? Horseracinghockey

32. Hair Color? Several

33. Eye color? Several

34. Do you wear contacts? Not today

35. Favorite Food? Ummm...dunno

36. Last movie you watched? I watched a part of Monsters, Inc. the other day.

37. Favorite day of the year? They are all great

38. Scary Movies Or Happy Endings? I really prefer the shocking ending

39. Summer or Fall? Winter

40. Hugs OR Kisses? Sex

41. What Is Your Favorite Dessert? Pumpkin Pie

42. Who Is Most Likely To Respond? dunno

43. Who Is Least Likely To Respond? dunno

44. What Books Are You Reading? Turn of the Screw

45. What’s on your mouse pad? Coffee stains because I can't go a week without spilling my damn coffee

46. What Did You Watch Last Night? Nothing

48. Favorite Sounds? I like horsie feet sounds

47. Favorite Smell? Jagermeister and I love the smell of horse stables

50. Favorite animal. My husband

51. What’s the farthest you’ve been from home? Hell

52. Do you have a special talent? Yes.

I suppose I'll tag Sam ... don't know if she'll respond ... I'm not a good tagger. I'm tagging challenged.

Tomorrow I will talk about the Breeders Cup if I have the time! Sheesh work is crazy!

Happy Halloween!!!!

Which one are you?

2005-10-28T14:43:00.000-07:00

Anakin Skywalker: Struggling for self-assurance over hidden angst, you are highly adept and full of surprises. (Am I like that...hell yeah. Click the picture to take the quiz yourself.)

2005 Breeders Cup

2005-10-28T04:58:00.000-07:00

Okay folks....tomorrow is the BREEDERS CUP!!!!! I get excited like this only four times a year...(Triple Crown races and the BC for those who don't follow the ponies) and this year is no exception.

I really think this is going to be a banner Breeders Cup. There are a few amazing, stand-out horses that I can't wait to watch, but for the most part each race is a wide open event in which you can make a case for several horses.

Click here if you are interested in an entire list with owner, trainer, jockey, and post position: 2005 BC Entries.

But I am going to tell you my bets and then on Monday I will post about how bad I am at handicapping horses! haha

In the Juvenile Fillies I have an exacta that has two horses at a price. I'm going to box Diamond Omi (12-1) and Wild Fit (6-1). Both fillies are improving and should have no trouble with the distance. A $2 exacta box = $4 bet.

Then in the Mile I'm betting $2 across the board on Whipper (12-1). $2 win/place/show = $6 bet.

Now for my pick six bet:

Filly & Mare Turf = Wend & Megahertz
Sprint = Lost in the Fog
Mile = Leroidesanimaux
Distaff = Society Selection & Happy Ticket
Turf = Shakespeare & Bago
Classic = Rock Hard Ten & Saint Liam & Starcraft

This bet totals $48.

So that's it...my pansy $58 bet on a bazillion dollar day.

LOVE AND KISS THE PONIES!

What a difference

2005-10-26T05:01:00.000-07:00

It is amazing the routines we get into without even really noticing. Creatures of habit we certainly are. I sometimes find myself wondering, "What did I forget to do?" if I have ten idle seconds. Each day packed with my errands and work and family. So, isn't it amazing when one little moment of a regular day becomes something that elates you...or makes you feel like you can breathe easier...or makes you press your hands tightly together and say, "Thank you, God, for helping me."

Yesterday I had one of those moments. A person that I absolutely adore (and who shall remain anonymous) told me what I meant to her as a friend. It was simply a crystalline moment of gratitude that filled me and I couldn't stop myself...I excused myself to the restroom and wept. At the risk of sounding sensitive and soft-hearted, it simply meant the world to have her feelings and it is the only reason that yesterday was wonderful. One second in time made yesterday a special day and I'm so very grateful for it.

Now, on to the Breeders Cup! I have my exacta in the Juvenile Fillies figured out. I can't wait to watch Lost in the Fog in the Sprint; ditto for Leroidesanimaux (pronounced Le-wah-dis-an-e-moe...French for Lord of the Animals) in the Mile....I just need to decide on the rest of the races! Hubby is going to Lone Star Park to place our bets on Friday, so I have 48 hours to wait for the post positions and make my final decision. I.Can't.Wait! (Halting.excitement.)

Mentally Unstable

2005-10-24T05:44:00.000-07:00

I spent the greater portion of this weekend being mentally unstable. I’m thinking I need a vacation from my life. It’s clear that I need some sort of therapy since I love my job, hubby, and kid and I want to get away from all three of them! Isn’t that horrible? It makes me quite certain that I’m the most selfish person I’ve ever met which makes me feel guilty. Aw well….enough with that already!

The wonderful and gorgeous Dallas Stars beat the Calgary Flames 2-1 on Saturday night. (Sorry Leigh! I thought of you when the game ended and it made the victory bittersweet!) I have been Tivo-ing the games so that I can make a personal Dallas Stars highlight reel! Hubby has a DVD burner and some nifty software that will allow him to play back the Tivo-ed items and he can splice them together and then burn them on a DVD. So our plan is to have a bunch of great goals, fights, and saves to throw on a DVD for safe keeping! We didn’t have the DVD burner or Tivo the last time there was a hockey season so we were ready for this one!

This coming Saturday the 28th is the Breeders Cup! I’m so excited about that! I tried to have a blog about horse racing since it’s one of my favorite things, but I discovered that my love for the running horse does not include writing about them! I will probably make a Breeders Cup only post as soon as post positions and fields are locked in later this week. I gotta figure out when I’m going to make it to Lone Star Park to place my bets.

One of my favorite bloggers, Lucky Devil, has a great post today about “7 Things”…ie: 7 things I want to do before I die, etc. It inspired to post the following:

7 Things I Love to Say To People

1. Do whatever makes you feel warm inside.
2. Are you smoking crack?
3. Excuse me, I have to go find a sword to fall on.
4. Go Stars!
5. I didn’t know that they sold cologne at Everything’s $1.00.
6. Go to hell.
7. Bark like a dog.

My first tag!

2005-10-21T12:26:00.000-07:00

I was tagged by The Spinning Pen:

Instructions are:

1. Delve into your blog archives.
2. Find your 23rd post (or closest to).
3. Find the fifth sentence (or closest to).
4. Post the text of the sentence in your blog along with these instructions. Ponder it for meaning, subtext or hidden agendas.
5. Tag five people to do the show.

Well....I've not been blogging long so it's from my first post and here it is:

My boss is out of town for the entire week which is gorgeous and wonderful.

It means I'm lazy and I like to not work. Baahahahaaha

I really don't know five bloggers to "Tag". The only other blogs I read daily are Talented Writer Sis-In-Law and Lucky Devil. Since TWSIL started it I will tag LD but I'm not sure he will comply. I'm sorry I suck. I can tell you that if you want to read a blog that is very well written and keeps me laughing, I do suggest stopping by LD's blog. He's a peach. =)

On a more unhappy note, I attended the WORST hockey game of my life last night. The Dallas Stars were routed by the Kings from LA. The only good thing that came out of it was that I have decided that Phillippe Boucher is hot. You should have seen him down on the ice stretching....with his new pretty spikey hair-do. What is it about hockey players....SMOKIN' hot. Or maybe I have too many hormones. All I can say is that I'm older than 99% of the entire team, including Mr. Boucher. Sad when you realize you are starting to move up the age bracket.

So to sum up...I've completed my 'tag'. I've discussed the horrific 7-2 mangling the Stars suffered. I brought up the fact that hockey players are hot. What else...what else.... nothing I guess. Have a great weekend all!

See...I told you

2005-10-21T05:28:00.000-07:00

You're An Alcoholic

Time to go back to step one.

What Kind of Drunk Are You?

Check the Lingo...

2005-10-20T13:52:00.000-07:00

Tonight we're going to the Dallas Stars game! What an awesome reason to make it through the work day! We play the Los Angeles Kings ... Jeremy Roenick is on their roster...whom I despise. He deserved everything my darling Derian Hatcher dished out. (Derian Hatcher...great defensive hockey player... gigantic specimen of a man ...not the sharpest tool in the shed...but oh well he just needs to skate and look good, eh?)

As usual, I'm careening off course. I'll try not to be so wheels-off. Anyhoo; today hubby and I go to lunch together. I wore my Hatcher jersey to work since I didn't want to have to change and I wouldn't have time to go home prior to the game. We walked into one of our favorite restaurants

and we are greeted by a very nice young lady who smiles at me and says, "Go Stars!" I return the sentiment. As we are being walked to our table the manager is standing near the bar area and he sees me. He says, "Hey, I like your Stars outfit."

SCREEEEEEEEEECH. Stars outfit??? Ummmm.....it's a Stars JERSEY and if you are a real old school hockey fan it's a Stars SWEATER. I stared at him dumbfounded for a moment and said, "Thanks." Outfit? Am I dressed for Halloween without my knowledge?

He proceeds, "Are the Stars playing tonight?" As if your previous comment didn't make it completely obvious that you aren't a fan. "Yes, indeed," I retort.

He looks stymied. "Are they home?" he inquires.

"Yes," I retort.

I forgive him for not being a fan. But "I like your Stars outfit?" It made me feel like perhaps he was talking to a dressed up kid. Check the lingo, baby.

I think sometimes people talk thinking that it makes the atmosphere nice. Maybe they just can't stand silence. But some people need to just say, "Welcome!" and move on. It reminded me of a story Talented Writer Sis-in-Law told me long ago. She was working on a Friday in a remote office that was frequented by the occasional dope. She wore jeans with a Harley Davidson t-shirt (great casual Friday gear). The Occasional Dope came in. Upon seeing TWSIL, he clearly needed to have a conversation with a cute red-head. Tolerating him politely, TWSIL spoke briefly with him at which point he blurted, "Do you ride Harleys??" TWSIL said, "My fiancee and I ride together." (Not that he needed to know but in the good name of being polite.) At which point the OD looks very proud and announces, "I thought so cos it says it on your shirt."

Wow. Thanks, Bright Star.

Anyway... I'm just complaining for no reason I guess. People try to be nice. But it's mostly annoying.

GO STARS!!!!!!!!!!!!

Gecko Saving

2005-10-19T13:24:00.000-07:00

I am not an environmentalist. I don’t recycle. I am not a big fan of PETA or pro-lifers that kill people who work at abortion clinics. But I am not a monster. I love the little animals and the places that the live in. I respect that most animals should be in the wild and don’t need our help to get by. But sometimes, just sometimes, I feel the need to intervene.

There is a large gecko population around my house. Either they’ve always been around and I haven’t noticed until just a few years ago or it is a current boom in gecko-ism. Either way, I appreciate the gecko. They eat bugs. I’d much rather have geckos than bugs. Plus they are cute - especially the babies. I also love the way they move with their slinky, clingy way.

So…deciding I needed to get away from my desk, I grabbed my mailbox key so I could check our mail. This building is small; not a lot of tenants; and the elevator is extremely slow. Getting out of here is something you’ll never do in a hurry unless maybe you careen down the staircase. So while I’m waiting I notice a small thing on the overlook ledge. (The entire building is like an atrium…each floor has an overlook ledge that looks into the foyer and garden area. It’s very pretty with marble flooring and the works.) I stroll over and to my surprise it’s a baby gecko! Very small. Very cute. Very ALONE! Suddenly I was concerned for the welfare of this tiny creature. CERTAINLY it is lost. CERTAINLY it will starve to death. There’s NO WAY this little guy meant to be here. It was up to me to save him. I put my left hand in front of him while gently prodding with my right hand hoping he didn’t shed his tail in the process.

I may have failed to mention but geckos are freaking FAST little buggers…and this one stayed true to form and moved across to my hand in .000001 seconds. The rest happened in slow motion. He ran into my left hand and prior to this information actually traveling from my eyes to my brain he ran OFF my left hand …. Thus beginning to plummet three stories to the ground. In my mind I heard the ultra-theatrical, “NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!” as my outstretched left hand tried in vain to become Mr. Stretchfingers and grab the now doomed gecko. I could see all four of his little legs and his tiny tail flailing as he proved that gravity was working just fine.

At that moment the elevator “dinged”. I raced for it almost in tears knowing that when I got to the ground floor I would find a splattered gecko and would have to have a gecko funeral (after I found something to wipe him off the marble floor).

The trip to the ground floor was agonizing. I wanted to weep. I HAD MURDERED A GECKO! Oh the horror.

I got off the elevator and timidly tiptoed to where the little carcass should be and there it was….a perfect little gecko body. I reached down and it RAN RIGHT INTO MY HAND AND UP MY ARM!

Oh baby! Oh honey! You are okay! (I actually said these words out loud. I’m so hoping no one heard me.)

I rushed outdoors and put him in the bushes. I’m sure he was glad to get away from me.

I have sworn off any future conservation of anything.

List of things to do

2005-10-18T14:15:00.000-07:00

I got to talking with Talented Writer Sis-in-Law about things that we did in 1994. We were crazy back then. No real responsibility. No kids. No predictability (beyond going to the bar). It grew into a "before I die I want to...." Vein of conversation.

Everyone pretty much ignores their mortality unless they are in a mortal struggle. I try to avoid mortal struggles. They give me heartburn. So when I really started to think about it, I came up with quite a list of things that I'd like to do before I die. To avoid eternal boredom in this post, I'm only going to put five things....but anyone else out there please feel free to comment or post your own...I'm always looking for other ideas!

Top 5 Things To Do Before I Die (in no particular order)

1. Attend the Kentucky Derby

2. Go on a vacation with "just the girls"

3. Watch my little girl get married

4. Go to a Broadway show

5. Go on a week-long camp-out that requires you to be on horseback the whole time.

I'm pretty dull, eh? hehe

Lazy Drunk

2005-10-17T11:47:00.000-07:00

I am a lazy drunk. I'm serious. It's really a horrible affliction.

Each day I leave the office and I think, "Mmmmm time to get a drink on..." There are about 439068 liquor stores all within walking distance from my office (well, maybe not walking....but close) and I think of yummy Jagermeister and delicious beer and wonderful whiskey. I get so excited thinking, "What to buy, what to buy...it's all so good!"

And there's so much traffic...and stop lights....and idiots on the road. And I think, "Ugh..I can't stop or I'll NEVER get home." Too lazy to stop and then have to fight to get back out into traffic. So I drive on.

Once on the freeway I start to look for liquor stores. Once I get to where they can be seen from the freeway I realize that if I actually exited the freeway I would be #1: in danger and #2: be lost. I can't stand the thought of snaking around the dingy part of downtown Dallas just for a bottle of liquor. I also hate the thought of being shot.

So I drive on.

The town I live in is small and it's dry. But there is a town only 15 minutes from where I live that does sell wine and beer. I think to myself, "Well, forget the hard stuff. But a six-pack would be delightful. I can stop and get some beer." Since I live so far from work, by the time I get home my backside and legs are asleep from being in the car so long...the thought of getting out of the car is wonderful. The thought of getting out of the car to buy beer is bliss. But, alas, there's always a traffic jam right where the beer 7-Eleven is and I am so focused on NOT going 10 mph that I forget all about the beer. Finally, traffic picks back up and there's one more exit where I can stop for the nectar of the Gods....and I look at the clock. Sheesh. I've been on the road for almost 45 minutes.

So I drive on. I just want to go home.

So here I am. A drunk. Too lazy to drink.

Pumpkin Stars

2005-10-14T08:09:00.000-07:00

Talented writer sis-in-law told me that I really needed to go to Starbucks and get a Pumpkin Spice Latte. I’ve always been a big Starbucks Coffee fan (mmmmm….Café Americano) but I hadn’t tried a latte. Knowing that pumpkin pie is my favorite-ist dessert ever, TWSIL told me that this was like drinking a nice warm piece of pumpkin pie. Well, I talked hubby into stopping last night and I had one. Let me tell you…I think I actually heard angels’ wings flapping when the delightful fluid touched my lips and tongue. It is a divine drink and I’m going to have one for lunch today.

The Wonderful and Mighty Dallas Stars were on last night and we were actually able to watch the game since it wasn’t on OLN. (Fortunately, they won’t be on that poor boycotted station until December so hopefully they will resolve the Dish Network greed by then.) The game was tied at 2 after regulation. I was deeply concerned that there was going to be a shoot out. It made me squirmy. I think it is a huge disservice to the sport to have a shoot out if the game is still tied after a five-minute overtime. How dumb. Two goalies play to a tie and the NHL rewards them with the best shooters from the opposing bench charging down on them with the puck. Beyond.Stupid. They should let teams play until someone wins and if that means we watch 6 periods of hockey then so be it. Anyway….I digress. So with one minute left in the overtime Philippe Boucher takes a pass from Mike Modano and flips the puck over the shoulder of the Flames’ net minder, Mikka Kiprusoff (doesn’t that sound like a type of foreign candy? Or a weird dog breed?) and STARS WIN!

Lost Last Night

2005-10-13T07:11:00.000-07:00

WOW! What a great episode of Lost! I can't believe the twists and turns in this show! If 23 people survived from the tail section of the plane, where did the rest of them go? Did the "Others" kill them? Did they get sick and die? Where did Desmond go? Why has the Dharma Initiative not returned to the island yet (or have they!??!) ... anyway....as usual the show was awesome and Josh Holloway is unbelievable eye candy....those dimples... (swoon)

My small bird is really becoming quite the figure skater. I'm so proud of her. When I arrived at the rink last night at about 5:50 there was only about 10 minutes of freestyle ice time left. When she saw me she made sure I was watching and she hurried to center ice, turned around backward, built up some speed and did a loop jump w/ a full rotation in it and landed it beautifully! Then she did three other jumps w/ a full rotation and pretty landing! I was so proud! I hugged her and told her how wonderful she was. She's worked so hard (and we've spent a fortune) so after all the $$$, sweat, and bruises she's preparing to pass her next test and move up a level.

2005-10-12T11:26:00.000-07:00

Talented Writer Sis-in-Law asked me to complete this....so:

Three Names You Go By:
1. Nickie
2. Nik
3. Snickie (my favorite)

Three Parts of Your Heritage:
1. Italian
2. Russian
3. English

Three Things That Scare You:
1. Losing my parents (tho it will someday happen)
2. Something bad happening to my child
3. A painful death

Three of Your Everyday Essentials:
1. My Hubby
2. My Small Bird
3. Something to make me laugh out loud

Three Things You Are Wearing Right Now:
1. Socks
2. Bra
3. Panties (beaming)

Three of Your Favorite Bands or Musical Artists (at the moment):
1. Metallica
2. The Hives
3. Andrea Bocelli

Three of Your Favorite Songs - at the moment:
1. You Gotta Fight (for your right to party) - Beastie Boys
2. Con Te Partiro - Andrea Bocelli
3. Walk Away - Dokken

Three Things You Want in a Relationship (other than Real Love):
1. A maid
2. Liquor
3. Lots of trips to Vegas

Two Truths and a Lie (can you guess which is the lie???):
1. I adore snakes
2. I adore horses
3. I adore cheese

Three PHYSICAL Things about the Opposite Sex that Appeal to You:
1. Silence
2. Dimples
3. Chest

Three of Your Favorite Hobbies:
1. Hockey/Football/Sports
2. Smoking (even tho I quit...it WAS my favorite hobby!)
3. Jagermeister

Three Things You want to do really badly right now:
1. Drink Jagermeister
2. Smoke
3. Compose rap music

Three Places You Want to go on Vacation:
1. Vegas
2. Vegas
3. Belmont Park

Three Things You Want to Do Before You Die:
1. Attend the Kentucky Derby
2. Smoke
3. Watch my little girl get married

Three Ways that you are stereotypically a Chick/Guy:
1. B*tchy
2. I drive like there's no one around but me
3. Get mad when others are b*tchy around me

Three things you do daily:
1. Drink coffee
2. Breathe
3. Kiss my hubby & small bird

Three people I would like to see take this quiz:
1. Derian Hatcher
2. President Bush
3. Josh Holloway

Halting.Rage.

2005-10-12T06:05:00.000-07:00

I cannot take credit for creating the title of this post. Halting rage was developed by talented writer sis-in-law. If you can't figure it out by looking at it then you won't get it if I give a lame attempt to describe it.

Last night was SUPPOSED to be a televised Dallas Stars hockey game. I don't care what kind of deal the NHL or the players union or anyone else pens with any network...as long as I can punch in a series of numbers and **poof** beatutiful hockey men with Stars jerseys on kicking some butt. Dish Network, however, has clearly dropped the ball. The Stars game was supposed to be on Outdoor Life Network (does anyone in the US play hockey outside in October??? ah well.) Instead there was a bunch of dip-sh*ts shooting bears on OLN and no hockey.

I get on the phone w/ Dish Network. I was on hold for so long that the first intermission was underway when I got a human individual on the phone. The broad I spoke with couldn't help me so I was placed on hold again. I passed the phone to my hubby at this point knowing that he'd be able to do a much better job than I would (especially since the "F" word would have probably come out of my mouth resulting in a hang-up and a waste of my 45 minutes) and I jumped into homework with the Small Bird.

Hubby finally gets someone on the phone (10 mins into the 2nd period) and is told, "The Stars must have blacked the game out in your area."

"WHAT???? Are.You.SMOKING.CRACK??", my hubby inquires. (giggles from me and bird)

After pointedly explaning that would NEVER occur he is walked through some steps (what model dish to you have, what model DVR do you have blah blah blah) it's determined that.....(drum roll) The Dish Network rep has no idea what's going on.

Surprise.

Soooo...now I am going to email Dish Network, The Dallas Stars, and OLN and let them know how disappointing this is.......and if this is how it's going to be I guess we'll just have to switch to cable or Direct TV (even tho I don't even want to do that....)

Go Stars....even if we can't watch.

My Small Bird

2005-10-11T07:04:00.000-07:00

Last night was, simply put, lovely. My daughter (my small bird), who is 9, lights up my entire world. I still don't know what I did to deserve such a glorious creature. I thank God Almighty for her each day.

After a boring day at work and a semi-amusing trip to the store with my hubby and my small bird I broiled some outstanding steaks with baked potatoes (fully loaded) and garlic rolls. Tasty.

After dinner was cleaned up and the Monday Night Football hit the screen, I collapsed on the couch to cheer the Steelers on. I'm a HUGE football fan....and on MNF I just pick a team....my heart and soul lies with the Washington Redskins (making me an outcast in my home of Native Texans...). I am also a Cowboys fan...having been in D/FW since 1980 how could I not be...but I was born and bred to bleed Red & Gold!

The small bird wandered in looking for something to do and I told her to go get a book and we'd read together. She picked one of my favorites from when I was a little girl...."A Pony For Linda" by C.W. Anderson. (The most amazing equine artist I've ever seen.)

So I read it to her...and then she read it to me. She is so sweet and small...she would show me the pictures and throw in a comment or two of her own (for instance, there is a page where the pony is peeking over it's stall door. In the picture is a rooster perched on the door. My bird points at the rooster and says in a very deadpan manner, "Quack." I died laughing. She knew I would) and suddenly I can't stop tickling her. After Daddy used his big-dad-voice to tell us to hush she kissed my cheek and told me, "I love you. This is my favorite thing to do."

My world screeched to a halt for a moment and I stared at her face...cheeks ruddy from laughing so hard...eyes glistening with laugh-tears....and I welled up with tears with the knowledge that this is so fleeting and that one day she'd be an adult.

I just hope I don't fail her. My beautiful small bird.

And now.... Gratuitous beauty...

To Begin...

2005-10-10T12:37:00.000-07:00

After completely enjoying several people's blogs, I decided to start one that I could just vent thoughts into. I hope that actually having a place to blab my mouth will be helpful to well, me!

Actually, I must be honest.....I have an extremely talented writer Sis~in~Law who inspired me to start by sharing her hysterical friends blogs and so...here I am. If I can discipline myself enough this may be therapeutic (perish the thought).

My boss is out of town for the entire week which is gorgeous and wonderful. This office is small so it's going to be mainly me all week. How will I concentrate? I have actually done about four things today, which is good.

I'm really WAY too old for this but I'm obsessed with Josh Holloway and the tv show Lost. Today's picture of Josh Holloway makes me need some personal alone time: