My day started off verrrry badly with Nickolas recieving a phone call at 7am. I knew the call would be coming, but it didn't make it any easier. Top off that news with fighting a sinus infection and I am feeling quite pissy.

The only thing keeping me work-worthy is my picture of Nickolas, taken by the waterfall/fountain in front of WoD store. He is wearing his NBC ears and Pirate t-shirt, sporting his big, cheesy Nick Grin.

I was wondering what that smell was.

To give you an idea, a baby could/would easily start out in a 10-gallon tank (with lights). I could loan one to you until he outgrew it in a few months at which time you would need something larger. You could then get a 20 or 40 gallon tank, but those will be quickly outgrown. I suggest just going from the baby tank to permanent housing. You could do a 60 gallon (or larger) tank at that time, or a reptile enclosure - which are easily found on Craig's List.

BTW: one thing that might put a kibosh on the whole Beadie thing for you: food.

So here's a little piece of history that's new to me

I just registered for my fall classes. That's right, I just registered FOR THE LAST TIME!!!! (For this degree, that is...)

Interesting question to hear from one's manager: "Do you have a passport?"

Where do you want to go today?

Anywhere but here. I need to travel, desperately.

I am simply keeping my eye on the brass ring, which for me is DLR. I sososoooo need to go away, if even for 4 small days. The best thing about it is that I will be there with my favorite person.

Four small days are better than not. I must have missed something, Nikolas received a call this morning? If it is what I think it is, did they have to do that to him/you that early in the day?

Me, I am awaiting Gas & Electric to come and check for a gas leak. I smell something but no one else does. My family. They think I am nutty. Well, I am 'zany', perhaps, but not nutty. I have been working all week and no one else noticed it here while I was gone. Today I am here and I actually have felt nauseous in the kitchen. Trouble is, I have to leave to get my Boy...my son in law had better not have any immediate plans....

The Hubster wants to go to Hangtown this Sunday for some race kick off? I told him I wish I coiuld oblidge {he does a lot for my fancies} but it is such short notice.

I would love to hit the road and go somewhere. Oh well. I'll have to wait until the end of June. :(

Oh, did everyone enter the Nemo contest on the Disney site?

So, I've been to busy to log in the past couple days and now I have 875 unread posts - you folks have been busy!

Welcome back Guru of Swank!

How's your Mom doing?

Mom's back home and doing well - though still a bit tired out from the whole ordeal. She's most happy that she can walk around. I still owe her a Champagne Brunch.

Glad to hear she's feeling better.

Bronchitis/Pneumonia really sucks.

Thanks to all of you for keeping me entertained while I'm confined to my bed. :)

You're welcome :)

I am really glad to hear your mom is home and doing better, Chris.
I bet she is worn out from all of that business, testing, etc.

Motorboat Cruiser, sorry to hear how sick you are. That is quite exhausting, isn't it?

MBC!!!!! Why so phlegmie?

I'm glad she's doing better!


Now, MBC- you get better!

:p

I spent 2 extra hours at work today, and will be spending tomorrow and Monday at work desperately attempting to save myself from being sent to the UK to deal with a problem at a customer site. Joy.

There's something wrong with this post. I can't figure out what it is. Hmmm let me think.

OH! It's the "being sent to the UK" part.

On another note:

Put these things in order:

Go grocery shopping
Think about what to make for dinner for the next week
Buy ingredients for dinner
Make up recipe
Make dinner

Rubbing a magic beaver always makes me feel better.

My mommy got accepted to WSU's distance degree program! She's planning to finally finish her BA. My dad doesn't see the point, and I'm not sure my brother does either, so I'm the sole cheering section. Fortunately, I feel pretty damn rahrah about about it.

Send a "rah" her way from me. I think it's awesome.
:)

Hey, if friends don't let let friends go to WSU then I have to think that goes double for family.

I forgot how much I love Orange flavored Hostess CUp Cakes.

Yummy!

Anybody want any 'Graham Cracker Crust Pie'?

It's got plenty of meringue!

Pru- tell your mommy she rocks!

(Does this mean she's a Coug now?)

I don't work until 4:30pm tomorrow.
Yay!

I'm thinking of eating more brownies before I go to bed.
:D

Ack - my junior high is having a reunion - that was 31 years ago!

Yes, a champagne brunch sounds like a great idea! I'm glad she's doing better!:snap:

~Bob

Did they have junior highs back then?

Oh, it's worse than that - starting next month my brother's going to be faculty with their extension program out here. So that's two cougs in the family.

When did they change them to middle from junior?

So, you are eating brownies? I have been eating little fruit tarts {I forget what they are really called...}, pecan tarts and little brownie bites. Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm. So bad but sooooo good. Pretty, too. :D

You want phlegm stories? I got phlegm stories. Buckets of them.

No? I didn't think so. :)

Thanks for the wishes of wellness everyone. Antibiotics seem to be slowly doing their job.

Is this angst because (1) you will be away from the newly installed HDTV or
(2) there will be no chance for a little fun time in the UK or (3) the area of the UK you'd be sent to is the pit of hell?

What's wrong with me that I'm looking forward to a free trip to DC for a seminar in November? Of course, I'm tying that in with a long weekend so I can visit with friends and former co-workers, too?

My junior high is now housing a school for chiropractors.

Wow, I though junior high "graduations" were pointless. Good to know that's been topped.

#2 mostly. I'll be flown out there, spend hours of boredom at the customer's site, and have little opportunity to do anything other than have dinner with my coworkers.

I'm not entirely sure what part of the UK yet. The company is headquartered in Edinburgh. If that's where I'd end up, that would be a little better as I have a friend living there, so I'm sure that would give me a good excuse to get away from coworkers for a while. But even so, spending 2 or 3 days in a city I've never been without being able to actually VISIT the city is my idea of torture.

Yay! Go Cougs :) I'm a Coug too!

Totally depends on where you lived and when.
case in point, in Linda Vista, Montgomery Middle was Montgomery Junior until about four years ago.
Yet we have others that are still juniors.

Truly I believe it has something to do with what grades the school houses. 7/8 vs 6/7/8 or 7/8/9

I think it's great to finish what you started, especially in terms of education. I meet people at school all the time that waited until their kids were grown and had kids of their own to go back to school. It's good to feel completion in one's own life.

Right now I'm really proud of my cousin, who's been through hell and back. She's getting her GED any second now ;) and she'll be completing some criminology program (that I'm clearly not sure on the specifics of). She wants to work with other rape victims, and is planning on continuing her education. I'm glad that at 36, she realized she's not stuck and can learn to help herself and others.

**yawwwwn** I be very tired today.

On the "plus" side/size of things, I have lost another 6 pounds, bringing my post-Easter pounds lost to 20!!

I just wish my tummy would straighten out. The thought of food is still giving me issues, so I am having to force myself to eat.

Congrats on the weight loss. Just make sure you aren't damaging your health in the process.




Eh... f-it. Who cares about your health if you are looking good ? :evil:

Ponine~yeah, I think that is it. {the grades}

Yes, not a fun way to lose weight, stressing out. I hope that balances out for you soon {yoga? meditation? going for walks? walking helps me relax...}

AofD~ I am glad you picked those pounds back up!!! That is more healthy for you, physically, and, it means you are in a better place emotionally, right?

I got a B in one of the classes I thought for sure I was going to fail!

YAY!

Okay, this is really really funny, but it might only be hilarious to me. I guess the Virginia department of real estate decided to come up with an "entertaining" way of teaching ethics to their members, so they came up with this "Ted Truitt" character to represent every bad agent stereotype that exists, and set up this website as if it was "The Ted" trying to coach other agents. You take "The Tedst" (test) to see if you've "got what it takes" to do things Ted's way, and when you answer the questions or even hover over the answers, he does different things, including (if you pick the ethical answer) getting slime dumped on him - he even wallows in it a bit, haha.

Okay, maybe I'm the only one that finds it hilarious. But good on Virginia. If only boring subjects in school were taught that amusingly!

So this question just was sent firmwide, in all seriousness,

but the wag in me could not resist a silly a$$ response. :evil:

GO DUCKS GO!

Congrats on the win last night!

Thank you! It was a great game, a huge win and a huge statement.

We got lucky and had some really awesome Detroit fans sitting directly behind us. Our section is full of season ticket holders (upper level, center ice) so it's rare that we have the enemy sitting amongst us. These folks were so nice and so respectful. They were aware of their audience and could talk smack and at the same time have respect for where they were. The Red Wings have a legacy that is to be respected - no matter who *your* team is and some fans think that means they own hockey.

So, Susan just called me:
Now, to me, this is not what I would call good news. I don't like the idea of someone chopping into my wife. I subscribe to the "No surgery is minor" school of thought. Sure, if the surgery is on me, it isn't a big deal, but not my beloved (I'm weird that way).

Seems the reason for her extreme cramps and probably a major contributor to our lack of success in the conception department is Endometriosis (Firefox doesn't think that is a real word). She went to the stirrups doctor this morning and was officially diagnosed.

I guess it is just a small incision below her belly button. I suspect that it is arthroscopic, but I am not sure. It should just be an outpatient procedure, but we'll know more later.

Susan is actually happy about this as she is looking forward to getting rid of the pain. I am looking foward to her being pain free and happy. I just wish she could get it without surgery.

Hey, what is it with the whole "throw a dead octopus on the ice" thing? I heard there were a couple of them last night. Is that a Detroit thing or a hockey thing? And WTF is that all about?

Which is why you're the wonderful husband you are. Not weird.

Sending good mojo for the procedure and I hope you're both pain free and conceiving soon! ;)

Actually, that is going to have to be a whole other discussion. I'm 42 and she's 40. I am not sure I am willing to go down the "high risk pregnancy" route.

It's a Detroit thing - generally reserved for "hat tricks" (when the same player scores 3 goals in a game). Normally people throw hats. They throw octopus. Not sure why they threw them last night. I guess they didn't want sushi.

Pos mojo for the surgery.

The origin

Well, there are always more pets to adopt, if not children!

Best of luck on the surgery! And I hope Kevy doesn't worry too much. :)

Kevy - how strange that I mentioned my cousin earlier. She has actually battled with Endometriosis over the past 15 years or so. It's finally to the point that this next week she goes in for a hystorectomy. (I guess these things come back... she's done the other surgery before.) (And yes, she's going through soooo much this year. But it's all good... she's finally looking to the future. A pain-free future, both physically and emotionally.)

Like I will for my cousin, I will keep good thoughts in my heart for Susan. The best of luck to the both of you, and I hope she starts feeling better soon. Endometriosis is something I wouldn't wish upon anyone.

Not sure what I want to say to this... but I will say... been there, done that.
You're both otherwise healthy, and plenty of women over 40, (and a great many of us under40) have high risk pregancies without issue.

Thinking good thoughts for GusGus. Hugs.

Why why WHY did they put me in charge of this project? We have a guy in our company who USED to head up our in-house marketing department. They did these booklets for us, which we now need more of. But our in-house marketing department was dissolved, and that guy was given a new role in the company. WHY, I ask you, was he not put in charge of getting more done? I know f*ck-all about print production, and just made a $60 mistake because of it. How was I to know that you cut paper after printing, instead of before? How was I to know that a printer that can handle 12x18" can't handle 12x17.75"?

And every time we hit a snag, they tell me to call this guy (who never sounds terribly happy to hear from me). Why not have him do it? The project probably would've been COMPLETED by now!

Thank you! I totally thought it was for a hat trick.



They don't go out and kill one for it. They go to the store and buy an already dead one.

Quote:

The hats I'm kind of ok with. Florida (?) throws rats. Not so much ok with that.

Hats are fun. AndyMac got a Hat Trick early on in the playoffs. There was less than a minute left in the game and we were going to win no matter what. Besides hats the towels were being thrown out. Over and over again. The Ducks were helping the ice girls clean up the ice. And the announcer finally said "It's a hat trick, not a towel trick! Can we please finish the game!?" Hillarious.

Well, here's one for the annals of "Stuff I Never Thought I'd See". I'm still trying to wrap my brain around the logic of creating a website for Amish clothing.

Uhhh........ what?

I notice that the one set of customer photo's they have is a school who bought the clothes for a play.

But.. they do have a great deal of informative type pages.
but yes, the whole, buy your clothes online thing isnt working so well.

yeah, freaky shots, werent they?

I definitely got the impression that those supplying the clothing werent at all thrilled with the photos

OK, so...

A WEB SITE targeted for people who DON'T USE COMPUTERS?

Yeah, I don't get it.

The clothes are targeted to Amish people. Nor are they exclusively Amish. There are quite a few "conservative dress" Christian groups that don't have the same prohibitions on technology.

I survived today. I was up at 4am, couldn't sleep, tummy issues, ect...

I only had a "few" run-ins with Bridezillas and demanding customers. Luckily most of my orders were problem free. A couple of my co-workers were not so lucky. Now if only I survive tomorrow I will be a happy camper.

Right now I am waiting for Nick to get home. He is off meeting his baby brother. Lovely.

I was arguing about this with someone at work a few days ago (even in a bank I'm amazed by the number of people that don't understand the concept of present value).

But this guy sums it up pretty well. Why you'll never come out ahead with the "forever stamps" now being offered the post office.

Meh, I don't think it's smart to "stock up" on a forever stamp. On the other hand, since it's extremely rare for me to actually mail something out, if I had to go buy stamps I'd buy the forever ones. It saves the cost of my sanity. I hate buying 1 and 2-cent stamps to cover the difference, and usually, I'll just slap two stamps on.

In that sense, someone like me would benefit. But not in the sense that its an investment of any sort. I'd buy a sheet of 20 and it would probably last 5 years for me. And for those five years, I wouldn't have to go back to the post office for a new stamp.

I'm trying to figure out why they still sell a First Class stamp with a postage amount on it.

Excepting for philatelists, this makes no sense.

Why wouldn't they?

How could anyone consider this anything but a convenience?

I'm still working on a roll of 37-cent stamps. I bought about 18 more 2-cent stamps a couple of months ago but didn't manage to use everything up before this week. So now I'll have to double up on the 2-cents and buy a few more. I rarely use snail mail. A roll of 100 "forever" stamps would probably last me just about forever.

Maybe the 'Forever Stamp' was an after thought?

Mousey Girl, strenghth to you in handling Nickolas tonight. This is a very delicate situation, not to mention what you yourself are going through. This is hard. Who can resist a baby?

Fvckers. They cheated. {in more ways than one, this is sneaky, bringing a baby in to the mix...forcing the issue, etc.}

Stay strong.

I managed to clean off my desk at work today. I tend to keep everything that I'm working on in little piles close at hand but when my two visitor chairs were full and I couldn't find a place to sort my mail I knew something had to change. I know I think more clearly without so much clutter but I rarely let myself take the time to get organized.

I'll forget about it over the weekend and surprise myself when I get in on Monday. (Who took my stuff?!)

Wait, that was the phone call? They announced the baby? (I've been wondering ever since she posted about getting it)

In case you didn't get the memo - today was bring as many obnoxious kids as you can to Targe and Vons and just let them run rampant day.

If it is purely a convenience purchase then by all means get the forever stamps. But a lot of people are thinking of them as an eventual cost savings. As the article mentioned one guy went in and bought $8000 worth, presumably to use over the course of his lifetime.

Me, stamps are always a money loser. I use them rarely and always buy a book of 15 when I do. Then I use a few and lose the rest. And then buy another book of 15.

ha, I always lose them too....

sadly...yes, they seem to have called a little boy at 7 a.m. in the morning with such news....

katiesue, do tell!

It was just madness. At Target there was a group of youngins sitting on chairs in the isles chatting on cells, anther mom with say 6-8 kids all running rampant. That was just in one isle - it went on and on.

Then I went to Vons. Three different bigger kids with the mini-carts running rampant in the isle. Goodness. Madzer would be departing the store immediately for that kind of behavior.

Ugh, and it isn't even a school break right now???

From a logical standpoint, they serve no purpose not covered by the Forever stamp. If you want to have different versions (different artwork), you can do so without putting a denomination on them.

I need June 22nd to hurry up and get here. I truly need a vacation.

Here's to sending a time warp your way MG. :)

Yesterday was a really slow day at work, today I got extended 2 hours.

I needed stamps. I got tired of going to the post office whenever I needed to mail something. So I bought 1 book of forever stamps. It made more sense then buying a book of stamps and then more 2 cent stamps. I think the last time I knew how much stamps cost I was working at Longs.

again? didnt they do like 4 of those last week?

298 posts since last night! Don't you people have things to do??? ;)

This is what i got - surgery for GG, baby brother for Nick, cupcakes for Ally, madness at Target and Vons, Ducks who quack and throw octopus, going postal forever, new issue of Amish Vogue. Did I get it all? I won't be back until tomorrow evening. Keep being amusing,folks. ;)

I was going to point out that you forgot to mention me, my aching feet (from working too damn much the past two days) and my insomnia. Oh, and it's fifty-thousand degrees in our house right now because no one turned on the air today and now it's too late because it takes hours to cool this behemoth of a house down. Then, I remembered that I'd forgotten to post that.

Not that I'm whining or anything.

aaaaarggghhh! I ended up falling asleep way too early last night.. and now I woke up wide awake feeling way rested. Its the middle of the night. what am i going to do?
oh, log onto the LOT of course...

My new job is really cool, I'm loving the freedoms I have gained.:cool:

Since I haven't killed the lemon tree yet - and it's actually making lemons - today I bought a Seville orange tree.

Does anyone know anyone who wants to rent a room in a swanky west hollywood apartment? My roomate is moving out. The room will be ready July or sooner if need be..

Hopefully the person will have a sense of humor, be queer friendly, dont mind have a cat around the house, can get rent on time and is at least entertaining to talk to from time to time....

I have already used the forever stamps. We sent our wedding invitations out when the postage was lower, and the RSVPs were due after the postage increased. And the other, higher postage was not yet available at that time. So instead of using multiple stamps (unsightly!) we just bought the forever stamps and put them on there. It was nice not to have to worry about it.

God, if my eye infection doesn't heal soon, I'm going to be stuck wearing glasses on 6/9!

Today I repotted the orange tree and 6 pepper plants. (We do actually get peppers, oddly enough. Hopefully it's getting warmer...) But it's raining now so I had to stop gardening. Still have some cucumber plants and a bunch of flowers to plant.

I just had to comment~

How sweet. Forever stamps on your RSVP envelopes. Quite fitting. I wonder if anyone caught that when they received theirs?

Damnit Ducks... you gotta win this one!

Ya they do or there is going to be one very unhappy BarTopDancer.

Slow open house, only one person so far. Luckily, that one person was just the sort of one person one wants coming to an open house :) So it's all good!

If not another soul walked through that door all afternoon, it's already been worth my time to sit this open house. Oh, and the property's pretty nice too (for a 1-bedroom place).

I do wish I'd been able to pick up some lunch though. All I have till 4pm is a telera roll (and not a very good one, at that, more like dull white bread in the form of telera bread) and a Coke. Didn't eat breakfast either. Somehow I never manage to eat on open house days. Always running around dealing with flyers and putting up signs and junk.

I am a very happy BarTopDancer!

WOOHOO!!!!

OT Victory - beautiful!

Go Ducks!

Do Gucks!

Too much wine coolers..................

THE GROCERY STORE HAD VANILLA COKE!!!!!

This is a major development in my life. For quite some time it had been replaced with that black cherry vanilla crap. Now my sweet nectar of life has come back to me! But, this doesn't help my quest to reduce my soda intake at all.

In other news - I finally boxed up and put away the Christmas lights today! Now the pile o' lights is gone from the upstairs hallway and the rubbermaid tubs are no longer taking up real estate in the middle of the spare bedroom.

But it's almost June, you're just going to have to pull them back out again.

Freebird!!!

I had an interesting Saturday afternoon. Nick and I picked up a friend and went in search of a clean, nice place to get my tattoo. I have always wanted a small tattoo on the back of my shoulder. I have been telling myself I would get it when A) I turned 40 or B) if something else happened. The something else is happening, so I am getting my tattoo next Saturday. We only ended up in 2 shops. I made an appointment at the first. It was verrrry clean and welcoming. The artists' portfolios showed some really nice stuff, very clean lines and great colors. The guy I will be seeing also does portrait tattoos. I couldn't help but to compare his work to the bad one that was posted here last week. They even has a pool table in the waiting area. One of the guys aksed Nick to play for him so that he could sit for a while.

Then we went to one downtown. I was there 16 years ago, right after it opened. OMG! It has gone soooo downhill. The first thing you notice when you walk in is the smell. It smelled like a mixture of pee, burned flesh and pot. Then there were the customers. It felt like we had just stepped into a skinhead rally. The music was loud and obnoxious. Nickolas asked me for my keys so that he could go sit in the car. Even the art work sucked, and it wasn't even a true portfolio, so I would hate to see how it came out on someone's skin.

Now, I just need to make sure my mother never sees the back of my shoulder.

This is actually new thing. There were actually advertisments for the *NEW* vanilla coke at Shrek this weekend.

I was quite pleased as well.

I noticed this the other day. I always thought vanilla Coke was too sweet. However, its return makes me think that maybe Lime Coke will come back one day.

We saw the ad at the theater when we saw Shrek this weekend. My daughter kept a 12 pack of Vanilla Coke when we heard it was going away, she was very glad to see it back too :)

Then Pumpernickel Coke shouldn't be too far behind.

Is that coming out before or after Horseradish Coke?

All Cokes other than Coke and Coke Zero should be retired so that I'll know what kinds of Coke Safeway will have from day to day (it's insane, half the time I go the selection is different from the last time). And by limiting it to those two it'll cover the two I am willing to drink.

I take it you're not excited about the new Tomato Basil Coke, Alex?

Wegmans stil sells their version of lime cola.

I wish we had Pepsi Max Cappuccino here. I only saw it in France. It was yummier than I was expecting.

Don't forget about bacon coke

I stick with TAB - easier than figuring out all the rest.

Sucrose Coke. I know I've posted about it recently, but as of now, it's the only Coca-Cola I can stand. I'm going to have to find a supplier when we move...

So, a coworker who knows I follow baseball asked me last Friday if I collect Dodger memorabilia. I started to say no, but it occurred to me that that answer didn't really jive with the existence of a pair of Dodger Stadium seats sitting on my porch, so I said, "kinda".

Well, he pointed me to a charity auction being run by the LA Times. There were a handful of Dodger items signed by Eric Gagne. One was a cap. It had no bids and a minimum bid of $65.

So on a whim I bid. And I won. No one else bid, so $65 it is.

Now I've got to decide what to do with it. It'll be a little awkward to display because for some reason he signed on the underside of the bill. If anybody has any ideas, I'm listening.

On the shelf?

Um, yep. Pretty much like it is shown in the photo.

Wear it Gomer Pyle style?

Soooo....

I wonder how it will take Nirvanaman to realize that his title has been changed from

to



And for the record, I had NOTHING to do with any such alteration. I am not smart enough to know how to hack. I simply noticed it just now.

surprisingly, so very, very gay

But it's kinda ugly that way. Can't see the team logo. It'll take some pondering.

Oh goodness, what a horrible act of cyber vandalism. I'll look into it immediately.




Firefox's spell check doesn't recognize "cyber"? Then again, it doesn't recognize "Firefox", so I shouldn't be surprised

Hahaha, I just noticed that a little while ago, and simply assumed that NM was tired of living the lie.

By "on the shelf" I was alluding to Gagne's having spent the last two years signing cap brims and not doing much else.

Hahaha, *whoosh* missed that first time around. Yes, it definitely looks like the Dodgers dodged Darren Dreifort the Sequel by letting Gagne go. But even if he never finishes another season, his short stint at the top was spectacular enough to keep his name worth something for a while.

I'd say... oh... as soon as he reads your post.

Good thing he's never on and rarely reads this thread.


Errr, I mean, I sure hope he gets informed soon to clear things up. Darn shame it is.

GD, is there a way to put a mirror under it to reflect the sig?

Yeah, that's more or less the direction I was thinking. I may end up constructing my own display case as nothing I've found will quite fit the bill...so to speak.

What about getting one of those wooden hat stands or blank mannequin heads and putting it in a plexiglass box? That way it can be seen 360, and if the box is up on a shelf above the eyeline a little bit, then the signature is easily viewed from below, and the logo is easily viewed from a distance.

Why don't you make a papier maché Gagne head? Or better yet, have some local kids make one?

Nothing like the collision of outsider art and pop culture.

Soooo....
 

I wanna run away too...CM was trying to hold the doggies inside screen door only while i bring in the groceries and Jovi kitty got out. I am so pissed at him right now. I told him that doggies know their names while a cat doesn't. She ran off and is declawed as well...so i put out food and water on the porch. She has an id tag and her chip tag as well. I'm just hoping she comes back if she doesn't he OWES me another GIRL Cat....

At least until Huston Street came along, Billy Beane made a killing using the closer position as an ATM machine. There's almost nothing easier than making an ok (and cheap) pitcher look like a fantastic (and expensive closer). Pump up a cheap pitcher and sell him the next season. Instant profit. Isringhausen, Koch, whoever was before Isringhausen.

Anyway, that is apropo of dodging a bullet by letting Gagne go. That's generally the best practice with a closing pitcher.

Soooo....
 

Ok update i found Jovi kitty and got her safely back inside. She was hiding underneath the house. It wasn't til i went out there with a can of cat treats and shaking the can and callin her name out did i hear a tiny faint "meow" so i started to meow and continue to call her and shake the can. I noticed her on the side of the house (my back was turned away from her towards some bushes i thought she was hiding in). She came running over to me and i picked her up at that point and carried her inside. :)

YAY for finding kitties!

I am really quite angry with newegg. They have received an angry - but not abusive - email from me that uses the word "unacceptable." Next stop: BBB. Not that it will fix the situation, of course.

I am happy with this new graphics card, and I can just about cook eggs on it's cooler, too.

Pru: what did they do?

Short version:

I bought an item that had a rebate. (I know, I know...) The item didn't work. I returned it for replacement. They confirmed receipt of the return, and then lost it within their own facility. And it's that week it was lost in their facility that is the reason I won't be able to send the rebate in on time. (I should get the replacement the day after the rebate deadline.)

I wouldn't necessarily fault them if it didn't work and they replaced it promptly and still it was too late - but for them to lose it and refuse to do anything to remedy what it will cost me (credit me the rebate amount on a future order, express mail me a replacement so I get it in time, agree to take a return on a non-returnable item, etc...) really bastes my brisket.

I'm kinda surprised. They are usually quite good. I've had excellent success with them (although I've never had to deal with a return with them).

"Brilliant! Genius, I say!"
~ Yzma, The Emperor's New Groove

"Squeakity-squeak-squeak-squeakums"

Kronk (speaking Squirellese) The Emperor's New Groove

That's been going around a lot the last few days and I find the concept amusing but the execution to be excruciating.

"Ask him which way the talking llama went!"

Then put it in the bunny cage and film the carnage!

I'm so excited I can hardly stand it.

Perhaps, but Gagne was a little different. He wasn't an ok starting pitcher, he was a worthless starting pitcher. He's the rare pitcher that is pure closer. If he's doing anything other than trying to get the last 3 outs of the game, he's awful (I used to cringe every time he was brought in with the game tied. He lost nearly every one). But as a closer he's pure brilliance.

When he's not injured. And that's really it. Had he not been so obviously falling apart at the seems, the Dodgers would have kept him, no doubt. Healthy, he's worth any price. He gets people to the games, he sells merchandise, and he's as close to a guarantee of winning as can possibly exist in baseball.

But he can only do that by throwing harder than his body can handle.

I don't deny he was good, but was he pure brilliance or just taken out of situations where winning and losing were equally likely and then put into situations where winning is extremely likely. Regardless of who is pitching, the team ahead in the ninth inning (99% of the Gagne's appearances) wins are all but guaranteed.

The average winning percentage for pitching in the ninth inning save situations in 2002 was (I doubt it has changed much in the last half decade):

Top 9th, lead by one: 84.2%
Bottom of the 9th, lead by one: 95.8%

Those number, obviously, go up as the lead increases to 2 or 3 runs. And therein lies what I see as the brilliance of Billy Beane: the recognition that since the difference between "average" and "pure brilliance" is so small that it is easy to manufacture extremely overvalued players and use the profit for investment in more important areas.

And if it is true that Gagne is truly useless unless starting an inning with a lead then he is even less valuable since he can only be used in a narrow situation of minimal incremental value. Where there has been some light shed on the relative unimportance of ERA and win-loss record it is amusing to see so much stock put into the even more silly save statistic.

Those may be the average numbers, but while San Diego has spent the last decade or so on the high end of that bell curve, the Dodgers spent far too much time at the bottom end of the bell curve. It is a matter of fractional percentage differences, but they matter. If you've got near 100% confidence that a 1 or 2 run lead is enough, you can alter the way you play the game offensively. You can play it safe, squeak out a run or two with sac bunts and situational hitting, increasing the number of times you get to the ninth with that 1-2 run lead. Rather than having to take more offensive risks to score bunches of runs and get a good sized lead, which more often than not fails to pan out.

What, please, means this funny word "bunt?"

Bunts and playing for one run instead of several is almost never a smart move statistically. It may make you feel better but if you play "small ball" you'll come out on the wrong end more often than if you just tried to hit the ball.

Don't you guys have baseball thread or something? ;)

I was kinda thinking the same thing.

Let's start talking about shopping, 'kay?;)

Hey, I started by talking about baseball AND shopping.

Lol- so you did, GD.

I've been really swamped the past couple of days. I did my morning stuff and I find that i have about 3 hours with nothing scheduled. I don't know what to do with myself!

Relax?

Prevent cancer?

So a co-worker of mine just sent me this image.
Doesnt remember what website he was looking at, or who owns this pic...

But what I want to know is, have we been discussing this pic in another thread?
Is it real?
Where did it come from?
And what's in space #9 NOW?

I'm placing it in spoilers so that the owners of the pic understand that I wasn't TRYING to steal their stuff.

The photo's been edited. That long white building tot he right of the #9 space is actually located right next to that shorter white building to the left of it. That space cuts out a bunch of the existing Timon parking lot. Beyond that, other than having heard about some possible plans for a Cars-based attraction, I don't know anything about actual plans.

A really excellent cup of tea goes a long way toward improving one's day.

Here's the satellite map of the pretty much current* park. As you'll see, GD's answer is correct.



*Actually, the fact that Space Mountain is half brown and half white indicates two that the satellite photo is from a date between October 15, 2003 and November 23, 2003.

Our AC is out at work, and I’m miserable!

It's a type of cake.

Only if he forgot the D;)

I am vomitus maximus right now.

And here I was hoping to get something accomplished today. I just hope I'm feeling better by tomorrow for finals... and Thursday, for travel.

I know Earl Weaver always subscribed to the big inning theory that the winning team usually scores more runs in one inning than the loser scores in the entire game. Has that been borne out by any study?

I think small ball makes sense in short playoff series, though perhaps not over a 162 game season. I recall feeling that the Mets lost to the Dodgers in the 1988 playoffs because the Dodgers were better at scratching out runs.

Sorry to the non-baseball people.

Small ball can only help in a single game environment so whether it makes sense has nothing to do with how many total games there are to play.

Yes, there is statistical support that in almost any situation bunting is a bad idea. The same is also true of intentional walks and base stealing.

There are two statistical metrics you can use: Run Expectancy and Win Expectancy. Looking over all the many games in a season you can compile statistics for every combination of close game situations by inning, out count, and runners on base.

Then you can see how many additional runs went on to be scored in each inning from each starting situation. You can also calculate how often the team went on to win the game from each starting situation.

This allows you to evaluate the relative values of various actions for how much it increases the likelihood of you scoring X runs in an inning and the likelihood of increasing your odds of winning.

For example, a leadoff home run to start the game is five times as valuable (for increasing the odds of winning the game) as a one-run homer in the top of the ninth when behind by two. And yet, the latter is considered good clutch hitting and the former almost ignored.

So, for example, using the 2005 season numbers, if you have a man on 1st with zero outs you had a 41.7% chance of scoring at least one run. If you have a man on second with one out (the situation after a standard bunt sacrifice) the odds of scoring at least one run are 41.0%. Yes, there is the chance of a completely successful sacrifice and you end up with men on 1st and 2nd with no outs (61.6%) but statistics show an almost equal chance of unintentionally small balling into a double play (nobody on with 2 outs is a 7.1% chance of scoring).

But that's with averages and few players are truly average. Surely if Neifi Perez is up he is such a sucky batter that sacrificing makes sense?

You can then combine this with specific batter performance and develop a table that tells you when advancing the runner on a sacrifice is of more value than simply swinging. Per the book I'm reading right now (which is why I have this in my head, in the following situations here is the Batter Average your hitter must be doing worse than for a sacrifice to make statistical sense when you just need one run.

Again, 2005 numbers:

Man on 1st, 0 out - .177 batting average
Man on 1st, 1 out - .199
Man on 2nd, 0 out - .277
Men on 1st and 2nd, 0 out - .206

So, generally the only person on a team who should ever bunt is the pitcher, and then not even decent hitting pitchers (such as Dontrelle Willis).

On the other side, similar statistical analysis shows that you only ever decreases the expected run production of the San Francisco Giants by intentionally walking Bonds if for some reason the next batter is the pitcher (or someone who bats like one). Since that never happens, there is almost never a good reason to give him the IBB.


(All of these numbers, by the way, are from Baseball Between the Numbers from BaseballProspectus.com. I just happen to be reading it right now so that is why I have it here at my desk with me.)

I love the Miss Universe pageant solely for it's "national costume" segment. Some are amazing. Some are bewildering. Some look like they were assembled backstage 5 minutes before runway time using only a hot glue gun and the detritus the caterers left behind.

I've not seen that. What is the United States national costume? I assume she doesn't walk out in blue jeans and a logoed t-shirt.

Haha, classic!

I suppose a National Costume could be:
Cowboy
Hawaiian
Native American
Tourist - white tennis shoes, jeans*, t-shirt (*- shorts over pasty white legs may be substituted for jeans, but only when worn with a fanny pack)

That last one is how most of the world pictures us anyway ;)

There are photos on the website. Apparently our national costume is Elvis, the white jumpsuit years. Some of them really are quite atrocious.

For some reason I keep thinking the national costume would be a hooters girl outfit.

Link?

None of those mentioned are national costumes; they're regional costumes. And likely historic costumes.

Makes you wonder when you see someone from some obscure country in their native dress and we all think how neat it looks how retarded they probably feel wearing it.

Well, here's the link to the main website: http://www.missuniverse.com/

From there you need to select a contestant from the drop down menu on the left (I suggest starting with Albania and progressing alphabetically), when the contestant page comes up choose "photos", and then choose "national costume". It's a bit of work, but from there you can go through the candidates alphabetically using the next/previous buttons in the lower right.

Well, that was fun, Pru...

Pitch Perfect & Loved 'Em
Miss Australia
Miss El Salvador
Miss Germany
Miss USA
Miss Korea
Miss Slovak Republic
Miss Canada
Miss Dominican Republic
Miss Mexico

I Most Sincerely Hope
Miss Israel wasn't a play on stereotypes. (She looks gorgeous, princess-like...)

And I'm Just Not Sure What They Were Going For
Miss Switzerland
I'll assume Miss Puerto Rico was going for "pirate."
and... Miss Guyana. Uh...

hmm...that kinda works for me. :evil:
(did they have Puerto Rican pirates?)

Well, I suspect Switzerland's costume points out their long history of wartime cowardice.;)

Either that, or she's memorializing Disneyland's accidentally dead people in a chic rendition of :decap:.

neutrality...they call it neutrality :rolleyes:

but in that case, shouldnt her outfit be grey?

How could you like Germany? Egads! That one was so poorly constructed it made me want to cry.

My personal favorite was Kazakhstan.

Croatia looked as bored in her costume as I felt looking at it.

The only one that blueerica linked that I liked was Israel and that doesn't seem particularly "national costumy" except for being blue and white.

Miss Guyana looks like she got t-p'd.

I liked Germany mainly because it had something to do with something (though in retrospect, it could be any kind of European dress). Plus, she has that silly look on her face while pulling up her braids. That always wins points with me. :D

I just love taking things out of context

She's missing her beer steins

Me too.
:D

Okay, in context, the Elvis costume works. Some of those "national costumes" are little more than glorified swimsuits and/or Vegas showgirl outfits with the breasts (barely) covered.

Kudos to countries like Finland for wearing "real" national costumes.

Well, to be fair, the one that really was a swimsuit, I thought, was pretty fitting. ;)

OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WE'RE GOING TO THE STANLEY CUP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


WWWWWWWWOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHOOOOOOOOOOO

Do you need a paper bag, BTD?

BTD is having a joygasm :)

The funny thing is how completely unaware I am of the Stanley Cup playoffs right now.

No thanks. I'm ok. I quit shaking from excitement at the Ponda.

Hey, don't go pissing on people's joy parades!

That's my job.

Well, now that it's the finals, it's time to hook up the UHF antenna and figure out what station's airing it.

The thing about gardening is that it makes my back hurt. Still, I uprooted most of the myrtle and planted a few springs alongside the fence where it will drive the neighbors nuts. And I threw out the herbs Ryan let get totally rootbound in their little pots - but I kept a few cuttings in case they can be revived. And I planted cucumbers. Still lots to do.

Poor cukes.


:D

Lol, and night-night, Ally.:)

Actually, and surprisingly (since I haven't watched the Simpsons in years), I did watch the episode. I liked the whole 24 tie-in with Kiefer spoofing himself.

Hey -- me too!

The AC is still out at work. The rumor going around is that it died and needs to be completely replaced; we will be without AC for 3 weeks! :(

I finally got Chicken moved and increased the size of her pen. She has a love/hate relationship with PoohDog. He whines at her and wants her to play with him, and she talks to him, but if his nose is within reach he gets pecked. This morning she got out of her pen. He left her alone, so we thought maybe it was time to open her pen. Nope. Once we were out there with them he decided it was play time. She went right back into her pen and let me close her in.

Just once I would like a "normal" animal, one who behaves "normally."


*sigh*

tonight I have to go into Nick's TaiKwonDon class to check out the board. He said they have posted a sign for testing tomorrow night. This means tomorrow night we will be there until almost 10.

better now than August

Man, I feel for you!

How about finding your local ice house, getting a block of ice in a tub at your feet and turn a fan on it?

Failing that, take a day off and enjoy the cool AC at home?

Or three weeks.

I need to be giving out more mojo, because every time I try to give it to Erica, I can't.

Soooo....

blueerica, consider yourself mojo'd for the picture above and for your latest avatar.

This makes me sad :(

No probs... it's been really chilly lately. :D

"Typical"? Is she kidding, or is she really that arrogant about her obviously-east-coast heritage? (she never mentions it, but c'mon, she's a ranJerks fan, only people in NY like that fuggin' team!) And she posts a quote from a Toronto commentator, like he has any idea what people in Anaheim care about.

You have to admit that interest in hockey is extremely low and Anaheim is not a destination that generates any additional interest outside of the region.

The comment is right as far as NBC concerned, this is as bad as if Milwaukee and Kansas City were in the World Series.

I admit nothing about interest in hockey. My own boss is growing a playoff beard.

Either game 4 or 5 they cut out at OT to cover the Preakness. Coverage continues on Versus (a station hardly anyone gets).

Meh, it just doesn't seem kind of LA Times.

Then again, this is the sort of publicity that gets people to sit up and notice... and perhaps rally together. I keep thinking about the iGasm lawsuit (yeah, like it has anything to do with this, right?). Without that lawsuit, it's unlikely I'd have ever heard about it, and now... I'm interested. Perhaps this will increase local awareness and some semblance of local pride.

I wholeheartedly agree. That is just terrible news about the Clippers.

My reaction: oooh, the UEFA cup match is on now?

In other news, I am contemplating getting a WDW AP.

Oh great, so now I have to feel guilty for watching celebrity poker. Damn.

The NHL finals might get better coverage if Emilio Estevez was still the coach. Why did they let him go anyway?

Oh how funny. I didn't realize it was a fluid link.

Perhaps we should ask a mod to merge the iGasm thread with the "All time great feel good songs" thread. They do seem made for each other.

Funny you should mention this... Management said that they are going to install a temporary air conditioning system until the main unit can be replaced. Someone suggested that it will be a block of ice and a big fan. Great minds think alike.

its probably a swamp cooler...and thats about what it amounts to.

I was kind of watching. The guy on trial was found not guilty, even after making mom cry on the stand. And no one ever wants to see him again, but that's okay because he doesn't want to see them ever again FIRST!

Nothing with Stabler and the wife, that I notice. But what's-her-butt was confessing about helping her brother and basically the whole unit is in disgrace.

I'm going nuts. Too much time between finals! No more computer for me. I'm going to step out and get some lunch.. probably will pop back on later.

GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

I hate finals week.

Perhaps a six degrees from Charles Manson show?

BTW, I've learned that if you want to stay awake for a show, don't watch it in bed! ;)

I'll follow up on Pru tomorrow, I have it on the dvr.

And as of last night, Stabler's DUI daughter has to do jail time or some such. And Tutuola apparently "tested dirty" when he was undercover at some point.

Kent Brockman: "The phony pope can be identified by his high top sneakers, and incredibly foul mouth."

I like peanut butter. But it has to be Skippy creamy.

So, last night I was in a rush getting home, had a trunk full of goodies from Trader Joe's and was praying for parking right next to the side door of the apartment bldg. so I could unload at the basement level straight from the car. Yay, got rock star parking. All is good.

Sooooo, this morning, I head down to the basement to go out the same way to get on the way to work, I get in the car and to my surprise, yes, my car has been visted by someone other than me. The glove box is open and all the stuff is shrewn all over the floor of the car, the comparment thingie inbetween the two front seats is open and the car stereo faceplate container is not to be seen and everything else is all over the passenger seat. I look around, none of the windows are broken, how'd they get in? Aha! I must have forgotten to lock the car in my rush to get the TJ goodies out. Bitch-slap myself on the forehead. Okay, assess any damage or missing items and I start picking up stuff off the floor, lo and behold, the car stereo face plate is still in the car, even the load of change and quarters in the ash tray are there, what were they looking for? Nothing missing, not even the bottled water, not even the copy of my credit report that is sitting on the floor of the front seat that I forgot to bring in with me. No damage, just my junk all over the car.

Soooo, today I feel is my lucky day. Maybe I should buy a lotto ticket!

Snowflake, that sucks! I'm glad to hear that there was no damage and only a mess left behind!

Weird, maybe you were visited by the same punks who smashed my coworker's back window and took nothing but their $25 roadside emergency kit, leaving behind things like an easily stolen satellite radio receiver and a $200 pool cue among other things.

I am also glad that it wasn't worse, Snowflake.

My son was telling me that the whole 'car' issue sucks. What other personal item {something so valuable/expensive/important} do you just leave around like that? He said no way would he leave his PSP anywhere, etc.

I forget but I think we were talking about all of the cars we've seen with the horrible 'key' marks on them.

Have a great day and I would buy a lotto ticket. Heck, if that is what this made you think of, don't pass it up!

Snowflake,
I'm glad nothing was stolen.

Sorry for the trauma Snowflake. There is enough drama in life without crap like this happening!

WOW! i could've been so much worse! No broken window, nothing stolen - what are they teaching thieves these days?

That about $10 of quarters is not even worth boosting! Must have been on a mission for a laptop or cell phone.

The best part of the story is, had I not had the fan on in my bedroom, I would have heard the car door slam (likely) it was practically under my window. Then again, I can sleep through a war zone, but I feel like I didged a bullet and I owe myself a lotto ticket, just in case!

Glad it was just a mess you had to clean up!

My car was broken into about 5 years ago. They stole my backpack, radio, the cds on my sun visor, trash can and stuffed Tigger.

They left my giant book of CDs, stuffed Weinermobile and a few other valuable things. The cops said they were after a wallet which is why they stole the backpack. Too bad for them I had my wallet on me.

Go buy that Lotto ticket!

There are apparently 3 federal judges in the entire country who are hiring clerks. And, of course, they all want someone from a top 10 school. Which means that I am once again screwed. Only this time I'm screwed AND I have a giant student loan bill. I would have been better off embracing life as an administrative flunky, as that's apparently all I'm suited for.

I'm sorry to hear about your woes. Were they looking for Valentino's ring?

Oh No! No woes! Just a self bitch slap for my stupidity and grateful for the knowledge there was nothing in the car worth stealing and nothing was damaged. As I said, a lucky day!

Nothing identifiable as Valentino-realted in or on the car. Did not spring for personalized plates as I had in VA (rudyfan) now I'm just a jumble of letters and numbers.

but truly, in a greater sense, arent we all?



no? ok, nebbermind

:D

Oooh, Ally!! So scary!! I think of this when I leave any of the kids alone. I always tell them, if someone knocks on the door, check and see where they go. {we do have only a couple of front windows and a dog out back but still....} This scenario is exactly what scares me. They may ignore what they feel is a salesperson but who knows?

Prudence, can't you try for those positions anway? You have to have faith, in yourself and in the system that they want the best person for the job. Regardless of the school they come from. Putting your best self forward, that is the best you can do. Let them know you ARE the best for the job.

Our house was robbed once. Everything that was taken/broken was mine. Sort of takes the gleam off of buying new jewelry. I think it was kids because they didn't take a brand new video game, still in the wrapping {returnable?}. They knew it was a crappy game, not worth much. A junkie, normal thief would have taken it thinking it was worth something.

We have AC!!! There's a big mobile AC unit parked next to the building, with hoses and cables running in to the mechanical room. No ice buckets!

Yay AC! Boo scary stupid thieves!

It certainly was an awful experience. We'd just arrived home in the evening {right before Christmas, thank goodness we hadn't done any shopping...} from a few days at Disneyland. {Funny, I had a moment driving along the freeway, looking out at beach by Camp Pendleton, 'We've been robbed'....}

Everyone was eager to be home and took off to their rooms. Dad and I of course took to the tasks of unloading, etc. When I went to my bedroom door, I found it locked. That was odd. I used a key and then I realized it was locked from the inside. I started to knock on the kid doors quietly, telling them to get the heck out of the house now. This alarmed them and the two boys did quickly but of course the teenage daughter was like 'What???' as I stood there with my back to my door feeling Psycho stabbings in my back. {I am dramatic, aren't I?} All the while I am calling the police...grabbed jackets and pooled the family outside. Luckily they weren't locked inside still but that was so scary!!

And, forever we were freaked about leaving the house and anyone being home alone. We figured they would come back....thank goodness they didn't.

Snowflake and MW, I know the feeling well. my wife and I were burlarized on xmas eve one year. they took every present under the tree but one. mostly I think they left that one because we came home. I still think I know who it was, but knowing and proving are sadly different things.

yeah, its very violating and hard to get over initially. however many lessons were learned from that instance. one is that xmas is more than presents. I still view that xmas as one of the more spiritual and unforgetable ones we ever shared. another is that 'things' are just 'things'. everyone was safe and alive and unhurt, so overall...no permanent harm done. not to mention that someone would be hard pressed to get into my place undetected anymore.

this too shall pass my friend.

Yay! This is good news! :snap: :cheers:

we were far more worried about the two cats we couldnt find when we walked in. searched high n low. wifey was heartbroken and inconsoleable (sp?). a couple hours later, one popped their head out of the closet (which we'd searched). peek in, the other is in there too, sound asleep.

not sure I can call it a 'positive' outlook. Im now one of the more suspicious, overly security conscious people youre ever likely to meet because of it.

Eh, the only thing I've been robbed of is my dignity...

So I stopped at 7-11 and bought a couple of lotto tickets for Saturday and I also bought a slurpee and now have a brain freeze.

MW, Ally and Capt Jack, I think you all dealt with the respective burglaries with as much aplomb as can be mustered. I hope I don't have that kind of experience, a break in at home, that is really scary. As much as I call Tango my Little Watch Cat, I know she'd not pull out a sword like Puss N Boots to protect me, she's run and be a lump under my quilt!

As Morigoon said, Boo on scary thieves! :(

Okay, that's just too weird. Today at lunch, while waiting for the microwave to finish zapping my food, I was bored and opened a cabinet that I never opened. It contained some sort of log book. Kind of an odd place for a log book, above a microwave. I kinda wondered what it was, but then the microwave beeped and I didn't look.

3 hours later, I'm out by the break area getting some water. A contractor who come regularly to clean our equipment lab floors (don't ask why we need a contractor to come and clean our floors, it's a long, entirely uninteresting, story) has just arrived. Our facilities guy was there to let him in and tells him, "Don't forget to sign in. My boss asked me for the logs yesterday, so it's a good thing we've been keeping up with them." I bet you can guess where the contractor went to grab the log book to sign in.

Weird.

Mmmmmm.... Chocolate ice cream....

Pru... I am sorry to hear of your plight. But everything in life happens for a reason and this means you were meant to do something else. Don't give up - keep pushing.

LOL You crack me up.

Snowflake, well, ya do what you have to. I just remember being so grateful the police arrived super fast. Within minutes. {I had told them I was not sure if they were still inside.} But, I hope you, and everyone else, never has to go through it. It is such a violation. It really frightened the family, this was quite a few years ago.

Capt Jack, so glad you found your kitties!! That would hurt more than any item in the house.

Well, I cherish a lot of things. But, I do know, they are just things. I love my jewelry because of who gave it to me and why but it is just jewelry.

I have been married almost 25 years and do not wear a ring. Everytime someone asks me I tell them we didn't have the money when we married. They say, well, now you do but it isn't the same. It won't make us more married. If they were rings we wore during the ceremony, sure, those would be 'blessed' or whatever. Now they would just be to show people we are married.

Now, if next year we renew our vows....LOL Again, not that important...I think I'd rather enjoy the time I have with the Hubster than waste so much on a ring.

Ooo...ice cream sounds sooo good. Hot fudge...cherries...nuts...did I just lick my lips? :p

Why is it federal judge clerkships or nothing?

Pru.........think positive. Fatalist thinking won't get you anywhere.


I have a new addiction. Well, having something 2 times is not really an addiction, but I'm working on it.

Pink Berry or - even better - Peach Berry. YUM.

My Boss is a selfish bastard I have decided. I asked over two weeks ago in written form that I wanted our anniversary off. What does he do, he schedules me in the evening. :mad:
Rant over.:(

Oooooo - The Secret!

It's not. I've already applied to the Oregon state courts as well, but have not heard anything back. Federal courts have the centralized nifty/evil OSCAR online application system (they're not all on it, but many are) so those are the applications I'm prepping right now. For state courts, there seems to be a bigger preference for locals, which is just another obstacle.

But, today I received the form letter from the Dean begging me to apply for clerkships (her mission in life it to raise our rankings) and inviting me to contact her to discuss her experience clerking in the 7th circuit. So, that's what I'm going to do. I've been looking for a reason to get "known" by the Dean anyhow. And maybe she's got come connections and will think I'm nifty.

I tell ya, this thread has more ups and downs than Cedar Point. Ya never know what your gonna get.

Dear Car thieves: I hope karma bites you in the ass, with big sharp pointy teeth.

Dear Pointy headed boss: Your employees are people. Treat them like that.

Dear Western America judicial establishment: Wake up! Ya got a good thing here take it!

Dear Xmas bandits: I hope your lower horn falls off

Dear Hot in the office: I'm glad you're cooling off.

Dear slurpie drinker: Damn you. Now I want one too!


Oh, and that log book thing was err umm interesting also.

Maybe I need to go to the Park tonight. How long can I let this empty feeling take control of my life? My feelngs are the one thing I can control - or at least ignore if need be. Disneyland may just be the comfort I need.

Aw, Lisa. {{{Hugs}}}

I am just happy that I have a 3 day weekend!! I also have a rather full day for next Thursday. LOL I feel so selfish right now. Tomorrow I get my tattoo. Thursday morning I am getting re-clawed (which means a date with acetone Wednesday night). Thursday afternoon I am getting my hairs cut and colored. Thursday night Nick and I have a standing date with a group of my friends.

Everything seems to be about me! Nickolas is still at the center of my world, and he is so supportive of everything I am doing right now. He is just happy that I am finally doind stuff that I want to do. He is thrilled that I am losing weight. He is bummed that the house is slowly being robbed of the sugary snack foods which are being replaced with fruits and healthier alternatives.

Now, if I can just get Poohdog to leave Chicken alone I will feel much better about my household.

I love homemade rice krispy treats.
And sleeping till 11am
And 4 day weekends.

Did anybody call my phone last night around 11pm? I got two calls from a blocked number and both times I couldn't reach the phone fast enough.

My sister in law called me this morning, turns out she's coming into town for an impromptu visit with the kidlets. Little did she know she picked the weekend my dad is coming into town, so our little gathering in Laguna just got bigger by 3 people :) Oh, and I might have some houseguests.

I've spent the last few weeks trying to cut into the mess that is my home. Got the upstairs bathroom gleaming, downstairs bathroom is uncluttered and ready to be made gleaming, kitchen and living room are a horrific mess but only half the horrific mess they were a couple weeks ago. Going to bust my butt after work tonight because I only have a couple hours to work on it before heading out for our D&D game. And the floor needs vacuuming, and I have furniture to move (because Dad's bringing me chairs tomorrow wheee!), and...

Who'd have thought being at work was more restful than being home?

Ummm...me?

I was off yesterday and go in later this afternoon. All I've been doing is housework and other errands.

Phooey!!

I am also trying to work in a night up to L.A. for a family function...

You sound like you are working towards some good times, though.

I rather cherrily report (not) that I am havng a less than steller day.

I dont have a great reason.But I have a tendancy to slip into depressin anyway so its not terrbily suprising. Esp after I was falling into the pit yesterday by lunch.
and let's see.. yesterday I got the.. 'Do you ever feel like you're all alone even though someones in the room with you?" speech,
along with the "Don't think that anyone thinks your're worth wating for" speech.
On top of that, the child who did the exact opposite of what I told him to eight times, and then I got blamed for the fact that he hadnt eaten yet at 8pm.

I did walk into the office today to be told someone died on the highway, I know that didnt help.

Reading NA's and SCA's threads didnt send rays of sunshine. (not that they should have, and its not a complaint, merely an observation)
I'm already feeling like my mortaility is a moot existance.

This day needs to end, and it needs to be Tuesday.

Because work may distress me at times, its way less stressfull and less work than being at home.

What do I need..... hmm.. a less action packed weekend?
A warm place to curl up and cry, or just be?

I know what I dont need.
Another action packed weekend, complete with a wedding.

Why does gardening have to hurt so much?

No kidding. I hurt even more so in the middle of the night...my arms can start aching and they hurt sooo much it wakes me up.


Ponine~ I had answered in the 'putting My Face On' thread...{but I guess I took too long to post and it wasn't...}

It seems like you are a very capable person. Perhaps you are surrounding yourself with negative people? These comments you quote, who the fvck are they to say anything like this to you??? You need to know, no one can talk to you that way. Don't give in to it, don't let them see it effects you. Eventually, you'll realize it is them with problems, not you.

I need to send you one of my 'FU' pins....I love it. I have a keychain of it hanging off of my backpack. When I set it around, people notice it and I can see their faces. It says don't mess with me or be prepared to see what you get. {hee hee, and it has gotten some other comments, good natured....}

LOL And I am such a pushover......

Anyways, whomever is speaking to you this way, you need to find a way to say 'Back off!' and you'll start to feel better. You are letting them take your confidence, take it back!!!

damn right! couldnt have said it better myself

Gardening hurts because you use muscles that are rarely used otherwise.

Excersizing helps prevent this. ;)

Good for you!!!

Capt Jack, you quoted it so that is like saying it. :D

My husband had someone at work who was treating him pretty shabbily. Mind you, he is the boss but she was talking down to him. He was not used to that as his crew is awesome and none of that goes around. Also, he wasn't sure how to deal with it, her being a woman. But, it really wasn't right and so he did talk to her about it and ya know, it stopped. She treats him with respect. Well, when she falls back he is firm and it is stopped ASAP.

That is the problem, I do exercise!! I do weights, walk, run, whatever feels good.

It's just that I don't normally carry around one of those tree cutters and chop up things.

Not normally. :evil:

{{{{hugs}}}}} Lisa

Well, going to the Park did help a bit. i actually got ethralled by TIFKaTSI, the new Gallery exhibition and the Subs. I was doing good until I was showing Zap pics of TIFKaTSI and came across some adorable pictures of Pookie hiding in a box at the Vet. Then I just wanted to go home. :sigh: At least I'm home and my sweet boy is sleeping on me.

I was trying to find a post I thought CP made about the Disney book illustrations exhibit at the Gallery, but i can't find it. :(

Oh, well then, what you need to do is find excersizes that work those other muscles.

But good for you! If I had been working out on a regular basis, I may not have needed my surgery! Now I HAVE to work out, or I'll need more (worse) surgeries! (back problems :( )

{{{{{{Lisa}}}}}}}}

Keep trying to stay distracted. Things will improve.

Well, RStar, I am hoping to avoid those issues as long as possible. My husband had back problems years ago {he was only about 34 or so} and the prospect of surgery....:eek:

Then, my m-i-l had hip replacement. That was really eye opening for me. I noticed a lot of my heavy friends {which I was} starting to walk differently because of their weight, to compensate. That made me think of how it would eventually effect my hips, too.

So, I do what I can. And, when I walk, to try and save the wear on my hips, I try and walk off of driveways and use the curves in the sidewalk {duh, whatever those are called}.

I used to work out harder but now I just try and work out regularly.

Walking is really good, though. When I wake up all kinked up, I think 'Oh, I hurt, I am not going...' but then I go and as I walk it seems to help work things out.

Except for my feet getting tired. :D

As much exercise as anyone can do, there is always some muscle (usually the weird muscle that seems to get out of doing everything else but <insert activity here>) that ends up being used "for the first time."

I say, better than exercising is stretching. It's helped me through my worst times and injuries. My genetics aren't exactly predisposed for feeling great in a musculo-skeletal sort of way. But make sure you're stretching properly. Most people I see don't stretch the right way. Half don't get a good stretch out of it, the rest end up hurting themselves another way.

MouseWife, you've got the idea! Keep up the good work.

That's what I'm doing at this point, just what I can.

Today I was in the yard, working on my pond. I ripped up one side, reshaping it and re-landscaping. I never realy liked the way it turned out, and I re-themed it to beach side rather than the woodsy theme it had before. So I opened it up and made it a little sparcer on the plants.

I'm tired, but not sore. A good sign. :snap:

I was exercising -- until my treadmill made a giant *POP* noise and the motor stopped working. Now I guess I have an expensive clothes rack. Anyone know if treadmills can be fixed?

blueerica~ that is why I think of yoga, isn't this done in a way that helps stretch the body? I stretch, but not always. And, I thought I read you should for way longer than I ever have.

RStar~ Your pond sounds lovely! What a relaxing project to have. {I think yardwork/gardening is relaxing unless you forget about your plants and they die and then it is a horrible, horrible feeling}. And, great sign that you aren't sore, that does mean you've been using those muscles before and are making them strong. :snap:

Prudence~ I had to laugh {sorry} at your description of your treadmills' popping sound. Oh, we are on our second {third?} one right now and I think that it needs maintenance. When we use the one at hotels it feels different. Ours isn't a middle of the road one, not the cheapest, but definitely not top of the line. I think it needs the belt tightened but I don't know how to do it.

Can they be fixed? Hmm. Depends on what it would cost. How old it is. Might be worth just replacing it. Or, at this point, joining a gym. We bought a lot of equipment because there are six of us in the house and we all can use it, so, cheaper than gym memberships. And, I can do it while the kids are around, etc. But, it does look like a fun time, going to the gym.

Let me know if you find out about equipment repair, we have a climber that is really cool but it needs fixin'. We'd buy another but haven't seen one like it anywhere {my sister gave it to me...}

From what I remember (and I may be wrong), it takes 10 seconds for your muscles to even relax enough to get a good stretch. That's why bobbing and bouncing to get a good stretch doesn't work well (and makes people prone to injury.) I try to go around 20 seconds or longer (just because when my muscles relax, I can usually go deeper). And trust me, 20 seconds is longer than most people realize.

I looooooved yoga, and that's where I learned the most about stretching. As a side note, when I was doing yoga once or twice weekly, my body hurt less, and somehow I was losing more weight, despite doing "less cardio." Over the summer semester and fall semester, I should be able to take at least one yoga class a week, which has me excited!

I got my tat yesterday!! It came out even better than I had hoped. I am waiting for the picture to come through (I sent it to my email from my cell) so that I can post a picture of it.

I Love the Sound of Breaking Glass
 

I was at the recycling center yesterday and there was a little boy (maybe 4 years old) with his mom. He was throwing glass bottles and jars into the bins and everytime he would throw one and hear it break he'd shriek with absolute joy, "Did you hear that?" It was infectious. I almost gave him my one glass jar but I wanted the pleasure of throwing it myself. When he ran out of jars and bottles a man there gave him his last jar so he could get one more thrill.

It reminded me of when my son was little and the simplest things gave him such joy. One day we rode the bus to the park (we could have driven but the bus was more exciting). While we waited for the bus a train went by and big cement trucks pulled into the business next door. The boy was in heaven.

I just put together my exercise bike. I have the worst time trying to get into any kind of routine having Maddy evey other week. So hopefully this won't become a clothes rack and I'll get more exercise out of it than just hauling it up here and putting it together.

lindyhop~ my husband used to pop himself upside the head with an empty 2-liter bottle and the little ones would laugh until they were almost breathless.

katiesue~ I have a bike that I keep in the living room. I need to get back into the routine of riding it daily. At first, ten minutes was hard. So, I would do ten minutes 3X during the day. Now, I ride for 30-45 minutes at a time.

But, what makes it tolerable is that I have a standup fan in front of me so that I don't sweat as well as keeping a cup with a lid {like a travel mug?} with ice water in it near by. I also keep the remotes right handy. Good during my soap at night.

Don't be discouraged if it seems hard at first, the results are great!

We went the Scottish Festival at the LA Fairplex today. Male eye candy for days! And, I bought a jar of Vegemite! :D

Unless it costs more than about $1500 to fix it, it's cheaper to fix it that to replace it. It is at most 2 years old. I can't realistically do the gym while I'm in school. I'm lucky if I can fit in 30 minutes here at home; driving some place, getting a locker, changing, waiting for equipment, cleaning up, changing again, driving home, showering is a lot more time I don't have.

Wow, uh, then mine is definitely not top of the line. I don't know how to find the repair people for this....is there a number on the treadmill? {could it still be under some sort of warranty?}

I have to agree with the gym/timing. I work out in the morning right up until the last minute, run in, make the boys breakfast & lunch, sit him down and then I jump in the shower and we leave at the very last minute....

If I rush, I don't have enough time to do all of my sets and that isn't what I want.

They've repaired the treadmills in our complex a few times so there must be treadmill repairpersons out there somewhere. Maybe call a local gym and see who they use.

I'm trying again to get myself in the routine of stopping at the gym on the way home from work. I usually tell myself that I only have to go and walk laps and then I can go home. Then when I get there I'm almost always ready to do more. But I let little things talk me out of it in the first place (like the condition of the 405 at 5:00 PM). I've managed twice a week recently but I'd like to get there four times a week.

Any exercise equipment I get definitely ends up as furniture. There's a stability ball in the second bedroom that needs to be pumped up to be usable but I don't even see it any more.

It was different when I wasn't working~ getting tired was alright, I would be at home, or in charge of my time, so I could do things and not worry about exhausting myself before/after work.

I have to set up my 'gym' each time I work out. Plus clean up after the dog and anyone else who has worked out prior to me. This part sucks but it is what it is.

I don't know, if I had to go to a gym, I would probably feel under too much pressure. You should see what I wear at home. Or, rather, that is the point. No one does. :D When I first worked out, I wouldn't allow the kids or their friends to come out of their rooms. If they were hungry they would come in hiding under blankets and get into the kitchen....

I feel like I am wearing jammies when I go to the gym. Probably because I am wearing what I wear around the house. I just can't justify the cost of buying workout clothes.

This week it looks like I will be going at 5:30am, that way I can spend more time with Boy in the evening. By the time I am home he will just be getting up.

LOL Me, too. {the jammies}

I do see some really pretty workout clothes. But, 'pretty' and 'practical' don't go together.

I wear a lot of black.

I haven't seen, MG, if you've posted pics of your tat?

This weekend my workout has been housework. I almost have the "public" areas of the condo totally clean. I need to do more tidying up downstairs. Well, and the kitchen is a pit, but that's not my responsibility to clean. (Although I'll have to do it anyhow.) And I want to remove a few more spots I've noticed in the carpet. But the major work has been done, and hopefully it burned a few calories to make up for the lack of treadmill.

Hey, working out is working out. All of that cleaning is a lot of exercise.

Ugh. I've been exercising my right to eat today.

I did wash my car, and I tried to get everything, inside and out. That was a workout for me.

I survived a very busy day at work today.
But it was a VERY, VERY stupid day (as opposed to the usually stupid days).
I actually got asked
"How much for the $61 ticket?"

YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY

I think you missed a couple of YAYs in there.

Congrats to the newlyweds!

I know! The Mariners beat the Angels!:D

The who? ;)

Did you know.....
* Lindsay Lohan was arrested for a DUI and possession then gets drunk at Teddy's and throws up and passes out?
* There was an accident on Kali River Rapids this morning?
* Monstro has been repainted?
* Rosie O'Donnell has left The View?


I miss all of the important stuff.

Yes
No
Yes (blue)
Yes

So this week I'll be getting my student loan check. What I should really do is pay down my debt so that I have as little as possible when I graduate.

What I *want* to do is pay off my credit card - only to load it up again with airfare and park tickets and head to Disneyland as soon as summer term ends.

But I'll probably be good. Maybe if I'm good the universe will reward me with an interview in California, at which point I could justify also stopping by Disneyland.

Ding-Dongs tasted better when I was a kid.

So did HoHo's.

And SuzyQs and Twinkies.

I never liked twinkies, they're kinda gross. No chocolate.

So did ICEEs (but not Slurpees), Pixie Stix (though I still love them) and lik-em-stix.

Did you accidentally buy the two-pack in the white wrapper? You have to get them out of the box, wrapped in foil. Foil wrapped Ding-Dongs (preferably refrigerated) were my favorite of all the Hostess snack cakes. White wrapper Ding-Dongs are sub-par.

Same for just about every Little Debbie snack.

agreed. something about the foil that makes all the diff in the world for ding dongs. that and a brief stay in the fridge.

I'm going to miss tomorrows game because they won't let me leave early.

I hate my job. /sob

Guilty as charged.

I will never get used those being called that here (the only place Ive ever heard the term).
for obvious reasons, yes.

Im far too easily distracted by such things
:blush:

God damn I wish I had your metabolism.

(says the woman who just ate a mugful of mint 'n chip ice cream she keeps in the office fridge)

So I won't miss the game, I'll miss most of the game.

Leaving from RSM at 5pm I am going to take the 241 to Chapman and come in that way. Unless someone has a better idea that doesn't involve calling in sick because at this point I'd have to have an ambulance come by the office first to prove I was that sick.

i think I'm gonna be sick....

Ugh... the foreclosure market is hitting my complex (and therefore our equity) HARD. Bad enough someone's on the market at $358,000 when the average is around $370,000... now someone's in a short sale situation, and they've got only 3 months before a notice of default is filed, so they listed their home at $325,000!!! :mad:

18 months ago, the *average* price for the neighborhood was like $400,000. "You're killing me, Larry!"

But seriously, we have to refi our home in 2 years. I need values to go the other way!

(and I'm pissed that I don't have the money to snatch up another unit myself, because... damn!)

As a non-homeowner, I am quite happy about this. I knew it was inevitable for the short term and plan on buying within the next 6-12 months (which is the time-frame I believe we will be seeing the market bottom out)

sad but true. I blame a lot of it on the new fangled 'interest only' financing that admittedly got more people into the market, sadly ones who really couldnt afford it and didnt know/didnt understand/werent paying attention to the pitfalls of such a deal.

as far as 'bottom out', Im not sure where the 'bottom' will be on that...although I have doubts prices will fall terribly far. however, I wouldnt mind snagging a nice rental property for myself.

Prices will not go horribly low. I still believe in the long-term investment value of real estate. But there are market adjustments taking place right now to balance out the overpricing in the last couple of years.

We need another earthquake to shake things up.

I used to go to the gym four times a week at 5:00 AM when it opened. And then I just couldn't get myself out of bed any more.

Dang, that is early. The earliest I would get up is about 6:30 to head out at 7 for a walk.

Mostly, I work out late in to the evening.

Hey, Senor Borneio~ You went to Viejas. Were the tickets GA? Same price, etc? And was the sound so bad? Did you stay the night in town?

I know, so many questions. I live closer than you do but I think that is a sucky place for shows. The casino doesn't have a hotel, the area is, a, not exactly a place I'd normally choose to stay {I'd like to stay in Julian but not driving up at night after a show...} So, poopy as it is I am planning on going to a show there...

Right now we are helping our little girl with her application to the Sheriffs' Dept. Yikes!! :eek:

Boy, they look at your life under a microscope!!

Wait until they start doing the background checks. :eek:

When someone I knew was applying for some government position, they came to my house asking me questions about them. This person did not live in this city or state. I was asked if I felt this person was a real American, or something like that. Like, did I think they really loved their country, or darn it, patriotic?

Another time someone came around because a neighbor {who had moved} was trying to become a policeman or something. Again, not here but I guess they were checking his past. He was a really nice young man, he and his wife wonderful neighbors.

Good luck to your daughter, RStar!!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

*pant, pant*

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Feel better?

pant, pant, shirt, pant.

MouseWife-- The seats were assigned for the show I went too - Sound was pretty good -- I didn't stay down there this year, the night before I was at HoJO's near DL. Several years ago I stayed a few miles away from Viejas in a town call El Cajon. I think thats the name. It's the last "big" city before you go up the hill to the casino. There are a lot of hotels there. I did the cheep Motel 6 - Nothing too special -

Hope that helps!

Hypothetical.

Imagine a singer woman living on her own in her 30s. She has 2 cats. A good job. No steady boyfriend/accomplice/SO/husband/lover/lesbian tryst/paramour/designated driver to speak of.

Now, imagine this same person drinking a bottle of wine. Half a bottle of wine. Enough wine to get her a bit tipsy since she's only had raw veggies and fruit to eat for dinner. Picture her also dancing around her apartment at 11:15 pm, listening to Meat Loaf's 'Bat out of Hell' album.

What would you have to say about such a person?

Now, I want you to think very carefully before you answer.

Because I have a gun.

A water gun.

Full of urine.

And it's aimed right at you in case I don't like your answer to this completely hypothetical question.

Between Thanksgiving and Christmas? Excellent timing. :cool:

No, seriously, it is :snap:

Sounds like a "Bridget Jones" moment to me. I'd say... "Good music choice"

In other news...

I know every doggy mommy is guilty of saying this, but I really do believe I have the cutest dog *ever*. Look at this guy!:

Let me sleep on it.

Wait, I just got up.

Sounds fine to me.

What would I say to the wolf with the red roses?

Yes.

I just got home. I found out that the gym doesn't open until 5:45. I am now off to take a shower and get ready for work.

Rstar, I have a firend whos fiance just went through all the stuff to become a correction's officer. During the process she was informed that her future in-laws have some major ties to a big branch of the Mexican Mafia.

I am really getting tired of sneezing. Yesterday, at work, I had a sneezing fit that lasted for more than 30 minutes.

Is she naked?

Perv.

In another thread, on another site, far far away..... Someone posted a vintage photo of Monstro that shows him spouting water.



Did he really do that? Does he still do it? Inquirying minds want to know...

I am not a happy bartopdancer right now :(

I'd say that's fine. You should see me dance around by myself, tipsy. With nary a cat in sight. Now that's strange.


Be nice.

;)

wow.....

This morning it feels like a Monday. I was grouchy until I realized it's Wednesday and payday :D

Here is a picture of my shoulder:

Thank you, Borneio!! That does help. I need to see if the Hubster wants to stay over or not. Yeah, well, the Motel 6 probably was the best that part of town has to offer. {I've heard of an Ayres Inn but I saw it and it looks, on the outside, like a Motel 6}.

MouseyGirl~ is that a mouse or a rat? Oh man, I am NOT showing my daughter. She has been working on a tat to honor her beloveds who passed a few years ago. And she isn't going for little ones, either.

Thank you for sharing, that is really cool.

LOVE it! :snap: You rock MG!

It is an image from one of my first stamps. It is a field mouse. I had always pictured it holding a flower, but then I thought of the balloon. The guy who did it suggested the mouse sitting on the flower and drew it up. I am verrrry pleased with how it came out. My mom is still having issues, I had to show and tell her on Monday.

I love it! It's perfect for you!

Oh, my aging eyes! That is a Mickey balloon! How cool! It is perfect.:snap:

I'm sorry.... first stamps?
Did you do stamp art in a previous life?


(and its tres cool)

Ever have those days when you want to crawl out of your skin because it is driving you crazy? Ya. Today is that day for me. My hair is driving me crazy. My clothes are driving me crazy. I'd kill to put on something else right about now.

Yes, he does still spout (mist, to be precise). Not often though, you've got to catch him at it. I haven't seen that in a long time. He blinks the eye more often.

When we last saw him, he was blocked out in tarp due to refurb, and was nothing but a gaping maw. Much scarier IMO to ride a boat into that. Did anyone get a picture of that?

I am a card stamper, can't get into the scrapping. Unfortunatly I can't walk into the room that houses my craft stuff. It became a junk room and I haven't yet felt the inclination to clean it out.

Hmm... I'll have to look at my mice.
Hero arts maybe.... I know he's not Holly Pond Hill.

Zap did.



Apparently, Monstro was getting a paint job. He is now a deep, somewhat metallic, silvery blue.

After looking at these Monstro photos, I wandered over to MousePlanet and read Wade's great article on Storybook Land. Two neat pieces of trivia jumped out at me:

So, my lucky day last week, bought two lotto tickets for Saturday's drawings.
My luck ran out, not one damn number, not one!

Wow, that's really creepy. Great pic Zap (and thanks to NA for posting it)

are you telling us he used natural human bio agents to age the copper?

translation: he wee wee'd on it?????

Peeing on a church roof in Disneyland.

It just blows my mind.

ditto, but actually I was looking at aging some copper parts for an art project Im doing...however saline wasnt working right (nor anything else I could come up with for that matter)...

so now........:blush:

Dont you own dogs? Couldnt that help you somehow?
I have a chemical used to color copper at home, I'll try to get the name of it for you.


In other news..... wth??

It looks like Monstro is getting some dental work done.

So, it's official, my downstairs neighbors are insane.

About a month ago, the downstairs neighbors complained to the manager about cat litter and cat poo odor in the master bath (directly below mine). Tango does her business in the box in the tub. The manager came up to our apartment, and my roomie took her into the bathroom, no smell in our apartment. My bathroom is clean and I clean the box twice daily (or more as needed). She advises we move the box to the other (public) bathroom, no way and I have not.

Last week, I come home to find a note under the door, "Dear Neighbor: Your white noise machine or fan is keeping us up at night. We can't sleep and ask that you not run it since it keeps us awake and some nights whatever you are using requires us to move and sleep in our sunroom. We suggest that maybe if you are using a fan to open the windows, it keeps our apartment quite cool." I took it to the manager and showed her, she said ignore it, they're a pain in the ass. I asked, rhetorically, between the street noise, the trash and recycling truck, the construction going on around the building and the garage door opening and closing at all hours right under their (always closed I might add) windows, how the hell do they hear me? The fan I was using is on a carpet and when the apartment is 85 at 3:00am, I am using it, to hell with you, it's hot. Besides, this same fan was running, 24/7 last summer on the hardwood floor right in the doorway to my room. They were under it then, why no complaint of the fan on the hardwood?

So, my roomie calls me today to report that they have now complained that when I flush the toilet, it causes theirs to "bubble." The manager comes into our apartment with the plumber and a secondary plumber downstairs and they flush away and flush away.

If it were not so ridiculous, I'd be angry. I mean, let's be realistic, we all live in an apartment building, it is an old building too, built in 1940. If they think I'm bad, they should live under our upstairs neighbor. She's 80 and and makes more noise than a 3 year old. Heck, her maid makes more noise and drops furniture twice weekly as she moves it to vacuum the dog hair. Hell, I could complain about their BBQ (which is illegal), but I'm an adult and realize this is apartment living and you just have to deal and I close the windows for the half hour it takes for the BBQing to be done.

Clearly this is my month to be on their ****list, literally today. They're nuts.

Visible mojo for Snowflake.

Apartment neighbors can be a strange and tricky thing. Both upstairs and down. Ugh.

We got some store brand "ready light" BBQ briquettes for a hibachi and they smelled awful, and made us almost gag. We tried to put it out, and the neighbors upstairs nearly had a conniption. We felt bad, so I made brownies. I think we're cool now.

Oh, and the constant noise seems to be not the neighbors above us, but the ones above them. Figure that one out. (Kinda makes sense, since they're the ones launching cigarette butts, soda cans, plastic bags and miscellaneous trash from their balcony.)

Ugh.

Oh Snowflake. So sorry. I lived downstairs the whole time Maddy was small, because hello I thought it would be nicer than having her running around like mad making the people below us insane. However I've found most other upstairs neighbors don't give a hoot about that.

I'm upstairs now and I worry all the time about bothering the nice couple below me. I've told them to just let me know anytime anything's bugging them. They said in the 15 plus years they've lived there I'm the quietest ever. One guy regularly did pottery at all hours, slamming the clay on the floor to get the air bubbles out. Maddy's dad, who isn't a small person, is on the second floor and got a treadmill. I can't imagine the racket that makes when he's running on it.

I'm pretty understanding of others. You are in close quarters and there's not much you can do about most stuff. One neighbor tends to blast his stereo occasionally but honestly it's not that bad and it's always during the day. The one thing I hate is smoke drifting in. But luckily no one near me is a smoker right now.

Oh best upstairs neighbor story. Maddy was having a birthday/sleepover party when we were on the first floor. Our upstairs neighbor was really quiet for the most part but he had a deep booming kind of voice. So the girls are settling down and for a couple it was their first sleepover so I was staying in the living room with them until they fell asleep. Well of course as soon as they quieted down the noise from upstairs started. Oh yea he was getting lucky up there and the booming voice was yelling "yes yes yes" and so on. I was panicking trying to think of what to tell the girls cause I knew someone was going to say something. They were 6 or 7 at the time. Luckily no one said anything and they all fell asleep.

Our upstairs neighbors do laundry at midnight and walk around like there is no one under them. And they only do it at midnight on weeknights.

This is why I won't live in apartments any more. I always seem to get stuck between someone below who thinks I shouldn't flush the toilet between 8pm and 10am and someone above who is running a discotheque/brothel/daycare.

I managed an apt complex for a short while (no break in the rent was worth that). yeah, some serious freaks livin in some of those apartments. (I wont even get into the 60 year old hooker I had to evict) :rolleyes:

next time they leave a note, tell them youre trying to get caught up in your taxedermy classes and youre sorry for the smell but it cant be helped.

they'll either leave or CMS will be out to collect them within a week
:evil:

Por que?

Oh

I think I've been there.

Wow, I had no idea! Cool!

Today she is doing the back ground check. I hear there may be a polygraph involved! :eek:

Unless you live on acreage, you will always have neighbor issues. Of course, I have several large parties throughout the year, so sometimes I am the neighbor issue. ;)

So I got my new pair of glasses today, my second pair of progressives - and well, my eyes seem to have progressed. I'm amazed at how much more clearly I see now - but am also amazed by the self-induced vertigo effect I get simply by focusing on an object and tilting my head.

BTD: At least the Ducks won! :)

My weird neighbor story:

I live in an upstairs condo that started life as your basic apartment (in other words, very close quarters) and I'm always happiest when the unit downstairs is empty. A couple of years ago I had the neighbors from hell. I don't know how many people were living there but I could wake up at any time of night and hear someone in the shower. They smoked and stunk up my place. And blasted their stereo. But the topper was that apparently no one had a key to the gate so they would knock on the window (below my bedroom window) and yell for Johnny to let them in at any hour of the day or night. And curse at Johnny when he didn't respond.

Then on New's Year while I was at this swanky party annoying someone else's neighbors, the police came and rounded everyone up. And that was it. My son said a bunch of people were lined up in handcuffs. I'm really sorry I missed that.

Well, I had an interesting day today.

The good: my job gets a bit more interesting and varied, as I'll be taking over the company newsletter, learning how to actually sign up the new agents we hire, and various other tasks. Oh, and I'm still employed.

The bad: they're moving me back to the Aliso Viejo office. I lose my killer window office facing Lake Mission Viejo, and once again have to commute. Also, one of my duties will be filling in for the office manager on the phones when she goes to lunch.

My new apartment complex is full of cats.

I got my first pair at the beginning of last year. spent the first few days feeling like I was motion sick learning to look through the correct part of the lens. not looking forward to that with the next set.