Saturday, December 31, 2005

Progress ...

As I mentioned in previous posting, I am a procrastinator sometimes. Especially when it comes to some of these SS swaps I have. I have 6 that need to be postal by 1/15/06 to get there by 1/20/06. I have had ideas for them in my head but haven't sat down and done them yet.

Last night I went to Dawnn's to crop, just to use her Sizzix and punch out letters for the states (Alabama, Michigan, Idaho, Rhode Island, Florida and then city of Orlando) as those are my states/major city for the swap. You may be looking at that thinking that's not too bad ... it's not until you multiply each letter by 12! I got them all done but it took me almost 5 hours. I feel good though knowing that part is done. I now need to actually make the borders! I also helped her sort 2 swaps she was hostess on so she can put them postal today. What a chore! Apparently neither of us can count correctly because we each had different numbers trying to match up the swaps for everyone and finally had to resort to doing them one at a time while we each counted out loud! =)

Tonight I am going back over to her new place for her semi-official-let-yourself-in-the-door-byob-New Years Eve party. I am going to bring some crop stuff too just in case I get really inspired!

I hope everyone has a safe New Years and has fun whatever you end up doing. And remember, if you drink, don't drive ... just do the Watermelon Crawl =)

Seriously though, if you drink hand your keys to someone who isn't, call a cab, get a ride from a sober friend, or just stay at your friend's place. I'm sure they'd rather have you sleep on their couch than drive drunk and kill yourself or someone else.

Take care ya'll.
Di

Wednesday, December 28, 2005

Good mail day!

I love getting mail ... not the junk mail and bills but real mail and packages :) Today was a good day! I wasn't expecting several things until later this week into next week and came home to a surprise!

In front of my door was a package with a book I ordered from Amazon.com 'Taking Charge of Your Fertility'. I'm not planning anything so don't get worried ... don't even have prospects right now =) but I have heard great things about the book and wanted to see what it was all about, plus it sounds like it may help with other 'girl issues' I may have. We'll see. I'm a chapter in and so far I like it.

Then in my mailbox, I got my Scraps which is the Creative Memories Consultant magazine that comes out monthly that shows the new products and must haves that are coming out for the following month! I can see my $$$ going to new product come January! So stinkin' cute!
I also got my pictures I ordered from the Creative Memories Photo Center! I ordered extra prints from my trip to Seattle to send to family and to my twin Heidi and wasn't expecting them for a week since I hadn't gotten an email telling me they were on the way! I love surprises, plus the photos turned out great! If you are looking for a place to use to upload photos and get prints I recommend the photo center ... leave a comment and I'll hook you up with the info :)

Other than that, I am procrastinating today ... I have 6 border swaps to get done and postal before 1/15/06 and I need to work on them but some of the paper I need is in my car and I don't feel like getting dressed to go outside to get it ... I think I will stay indoors and keep reading TCOYF!

Until the next post ... take care ya'll!
Di

Good mail day!

I love getting mail ... not the junk mail and bills but real mail and packages :) Today was a good day! I wasn't expecting several things until later this week into next week and came home to a surprise!

In front of my door was a package with a book I ordered from Amazon.com 'Taking Charge of Your Fertility'. I'm not planning anything so don't get worried ... don't even have prospects right now =) but I have heard great things about the book and wanted to see what it was all about, plus it sounds like it may help with other 'girl issues' I may have. We'll see. I'm a chapter in and so far I like it.

Then in my mailbox, I got my Scraps which is the Creative Memories Consultant magazine that comes out monthly that shows the new products and must haves that are coming out for the following month! I can see my $$$ going to new product come January! So stinkin' cute!
I also got my pictures I ordered from the Creative Memories Photo Center! I ordered extra prints from my trip to Seattle to send to family and to my twin Heidi and wasn't expecting them for a week since I hadn't gotten an email telling me they were on the way! I love surprises, plus the photos turned out great! If you are looking for a place to use to upload photos and get prints I recommend the photo center ... leave a comment and I'll hook you up with the info :)

Other than that, I am procrastinating today ... I have 6 border swaps to get done and postal before 1/15/06 and I need to work on them but some of the paper I need is in my car and I don't feel like getting dressed to go outside to get it ... I think I will stay indoors and keep reading TCOYF!

Until the next post ... take care ya'll!
Di

Tuesday, December 27, 2005

Happy Birthday Dawnn

Happy Birthday! I hope you have a great day (well in 5 hours when you're out of work) and have a great date tonight with Eric!

*hugs*
Di

If you want to wish Dawnn a Happy Birthday, drop her a comment at her blog

Sunday, December 25, 2005

How girlie are you?

You Can Hang With the Guys and the Girls
You've struck a good balance between girlie and laid back.
You can keep it casual but when you dress up, you are as girly as the next girl.
http://ynr.blogthings.com/howgirlieareyouquiz

I never was a tomboy growing up ...
Check this out to see how girlie you are! =)

Why is it ...

that you don't crave something until you know you can't have it? Today for instance, since it is Christmas Day just about everything is closed, including McDonalds. I don't eat fast food that much anymore and I haven't had McDonalds in awhile but for some reason today I am craving their french fries and a cheeseburger. I am starting to think that this is only because they are closed. If they were open, would I be having this craving? Probably not. And on top of it, I'm not even hungry! But yet I am craving these things.

I guess we know what I'll be doing tomorrow ...

Merry Christmas!

Wishing ya'll a wonderful Christmas spent with family and friends.

~*~Diane~*~

Thursday, December 22, 2005

Tips for Christmas shopping for Men

I think this is great and couldn't resist posting on here ... I am sure we all struggle with what to buy for men for Christmas and Birthdays. Hopefully this will give some insight.

Buying gifts for men is not nearly as complicated as it is for women. Follow these rules and you should have no problems.
Rule #1: When in doubt - buy him a cordless drill. It does not matter if he already has one. I have a friend who owns 17 and he has yet to complain. As a man, you can never have too many cordless drills. No one knows why.
Rule #2: If you cannot afford a cordless drill, buy him anything with the word ratchet or socket in it. Men love saying those two words. "Hey George, can I borrow your ratchet?" "OK. By-the-way, are you through with my 3/8-inch socket yet?" Again, no one knows why.
Rule #3: If you are really, really broke, buy him anything for his car. A 99-cent ice scraper, a small bottle of deicer or something to hang from his rear view mirror. Men love gifts for their cars. No one knows why.
Rule #4: Do not buy men socks. Do not buy men ties. And never buy men bathrobes. I was told that if God had wanted men to wear bathrobes, he wouldn't have invented Jockey shorts.
Rule #5: You can buy men new remote controls to replace the ones they have worn out. If you have a lot of money buy your man a big-screen TV with the little picture in the corner. Watch him go wild as he flips, and flips, and flips.
Rule #6: Do not buy a man any of those fancy liqueurs. If you do, it will sit in a cupboard for 23 years. Real men drink whiskey or beer.
Rule #7: Do not buy any man industrial-sized canisters of after shave or deodorant. I'm told they do not stink - they are earthy.
Rule #8: Buy men label makers. Almost as good as cordless drills. Within a couple of weeks there will be labels absolutely everywhere. "Socks. Shorts. Cups. Saucers. Door. Lock. Sink." You get the idea. No one knows why.
Rule #9: Never buy a man anything that says "some assembly required" on the box. It will ruin his Special Day and he will always have parts left over.
Rule #10: Good places to shop for men include Northwest Iron Works, Lowes, Home Depot, John Deere, O'Reilly Auto Parts, and Brandts. NAPA Auto Parts and Sear's Clearance Centers are also excellent men's stores. It doesn't matter if he doesn't know what it is. ("From NAPA Auto, eh? Must be something I need. Hey! Isn't this a starter for a '68 Ford Fairlane? Wow! Thanks.")
Rule #11: Men enjoy danger. That's why they never cook - but they will barbecue. Get him a monster barbecue with a 100-pound propane tank. Tell him the gas line leaks. "Oh the thrill! The challenge! Who wants a hamburger?"
Rule #12: Tickets to a Dallas Cowboys/Sooners/Cowboys game are a smart gift. However, he will not appreciate tickets to "A Retrospective of 19th Century Quilts." Everyone knows why. Rule #13: Men love chain saws. Never, ever, buy a man you love a chain saw. If you don't know why - please refer to Rule #8 and what happens when he gets a label maker.
Rule #14: It's hard to beat a really good wheelbarrow or an aluminum extension ladder. Never buy a real man a step ladder. It must be an extension ladder. No one knows why.
Rule #15: Rope. Men love rope. It takes us back to our cowboy origins, or at least The Boy Scouts. Nothing says love like a hundred feet of 3/8" manila rope. No one knows why.
This should help with your Christmas shopping.......

Kenny Chesney Caribbean Cruise Getaway



Oh my!

A nice person on the message board I frequent
http://www.scrapshare.com said she heard about a cruise you can go on with Kenny Chesney and Dierks Bentley! It includes a private concert on an island in the Bahama's! Where do I sign up! Also, it's on Royal Caribbean.

I found the site about it (gotta love Google!)
http://cruise.kennychesney.com/index.php It is February 27, 2006 to March 3, 2006. Check out this info:


MON., FEB. 27th
Welcome aboard deck party with complimentary bar and canapés
Twilight concerts, Pool Deck
Headline concerts, Main Showroom
Artist Showcase Jam, Night Club
All Night Music Fest, Mid Ship Club
Schooner Piano Bar
Late Night Dance Party
Lounges, Clubs and Bars open until LATE!

TUES., FEB. 28thSovereign and Majesty sail at night to Coco Cay
Morning and early afternoon activities on Coco Cay
Watersports: Parasailing, snorkeling, banana boat sailing and more
Beach Barbeque Lunch Party
Afternoon concerts on board ship
Headline concert, Main Showroom
Artist Showcase Jam, Night Club
Late Night Music Fest, Mid Ship Club
Schooner Piano Bar
Late Night Dance Party
Lounges, Clubs and Bars open until LATE!

WED., MAR. 1st
Sovereign and Majesty arrive in Nassau
Welcome to Nassau Brunch
Disembark for shopping and exploring
Tenders ferry passengers to the secret island
Kenny Chesney evening performance
Post-show secret island party
Late night tenders ferry passengers back to the ships for more music and casino action
Lounges, Clubs and Bars open until LATE!

THURS., MAR. 2nd
Enjoy a relaxing day at sea!
Artist “Q & A” Session
Texas Hold ‘em Tournament for huge $$ jackpot
Line Dance Competition
“Ship Olympics” Competition
Afternoon Concert, Poolside
Farewell Cocktail Party with Complimentary Bar and canapés
Gala Farewell Dinner
Late Night Dance Party
Lounges, Clubs and Bars open until LATE!

FRI., MAR 3rd
Arrive back in your original port
Disembarkation begins early!

Apparently the more I read here (don't you love reading and researching while typing? *lol*) there are 2 ships, one leaving from Miami and one from Pt. Canaveral Florida and then they are meeting up and sailing together. This is so cool. I would LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE to go. Let's check out the prices ....

Interior Room
Two twin beds (can convert into queen-size), vanity area, and private bathroom.
2 Occupants:Starting at:$1099/person
3 Occupants:$999/person
4 Occupants:$899/person

Hmmm.... I've driven to Florida before ... could be done again to Pt. Canaveral to save on airfare unless someone has those awesome witner deals we sometimes get to get away from the Michigan winter to Florida.

I think I need to win the lottery ...

Wednesday, December 21, 2005

Gotta love peer influence

Welcome to the blogging world Scrapingd! Today at work we were talking about blogs and I told her I bit the bullet and created one and that she needed to also. I even wrote her soon to be blog address and walked away after sharing mine ... well guess who's a blogger now! Be sure and check her out at http://scrapingd.blogspot.com

Welcome Dawnn!

Tuesday, December 20, 2005

Deep Thoughts by Jack Handy

I got this in a forward from a friend and this was too good not to share. If you need a good laugh, these will do it!

Enjoy!


If they ever come up with a swashbuckling School, I think one of the courses should be Laughing, Then Jumping Off Something.

It takes a big man to cry, but it takes a bigger man to laugh at that man.

At first I thought, if I were Superman, a perfect secret identity would be "Clark Kent, Dentist," because you could save money on tooth X-rays. But then I thought, if a patient said, "How's my back tooth?" and you just looked at it with your X-ray vision and said, "Oh it's okay," then the patient would probably say, "Aren't you going to take an X-ray, stupid?" and you'd say, "Aw f*ck you, get outta here," and then he probably wouldn't even pay his bill.

One thing kids like is to be tricked. For instance, I was going to take my little nephew to Disneyland, but instead I drove him to an old burned-out warehouse. "Oh, no," I said. "Disneyland burned down." He cried and cried, but I think that deep down, he thought it was a pretty good joke. I started to drive over to the real Disneyland, but it was getting pretty late.

A good way to threaten somebody is to light a stick of dynamite. Then you call the guy and hold the burning fuse up to the phone. "Hear that?" you say. "That's dynamite, baby."

Why do people in ship mutinies always ask for "better treatment"? I'd ask for a pinball machine, because with all that rocking back and forth you'd probably be able to get a lot of free games.
I'd like to be buried Indian-style, where they put you up on a high rack, above the ground. That way, you could get hit by meteorites and not even feel it.

If I lived back in the wild west days, instead of carrying a six-gun in my holster, I'd carry a soldering iron. That way, if some smart-aleck cowboy said something like "Hey, look. He's carrying a soldering iron!" and started laughing, and everybody else started laughing, I could just say, "That's right, it's a soldering iron. The soldering iron of justice." Then everybody would get real quiet and ashamed, because they had made fun of the soldering iron of justice, and I could probably hit them up for a free drink.

I bet when the neanderthal kids would make a snowman, someone would always end up saying, "Don't forget the thick, heavy brows." Then they would all get embarrassed because they remembered they had the big hunky brows too, and they'd get mad and eat the snowman.
Fear can sometimes be a useful emotion. For instance, let's say you're an astronaut on the moon and you fear that your partner has been turned into Dracula. The next time he goes out for the moon pieces, wham!, you just slam the door behind him and blast off. He might call you on the radio and say he's not Dracula, but you just say, "Think again, bat man."

The people in the village were real poor, so none of the children had any toys. But this one little boy had gotten an old enema bag and filled it with rocks, and he would go around and whap the other children across the face with it. Man, I think my heart almost broke. Later the boy came up and offered to give me the toy. This was too much! I reached out my hand, but then he ran away. I chased him down and took the enema bag. He cried a little, but that's the way of these people.

I wish I had a Kryptonite cross, because then you could keep both Dracula AND Superman away.

I don't think I'm alone when I say I'd like to see more and more planets fall under the ruthless domination of our solar system.

Dad always thought laughter was the best medicine, which I guess is why several of us died of tuberculosis.

Maybe in order to understand mankind, we have to look at the word itself: "Mankind". Basically, it's made up of two separate words - "mank" and "ind". What do these words mean ? It's a mystery, and that's why so is mankind.

I hope if dogs ever take over the world, and they chose a king, they don't just go by size, because I bet there are some Chihuahuas with some good ideas.

I guess we were all guilty, in a way. We all shot him, we all skinned him, and we all got a complimentary bumper sticker that said, "I helped skin Bob."

I bet the main reason the police keep people away from a plane crash is they don't want anybody walking in and lying down in the crash stuff, then, when somebody comes up, act like they just woke up and go, "What was THAT?!"

The face of a child can say it all, especially the mouth part of the face.

Ambition is like a frog sitting on a Venus Flytrap. The flytrap can bite and bite, but it won't bother the frog because it only has little tiny plant teeth. But some other stuff could happen and it could be like ambition.

I'd rather be rich than stupid.

If you were a poor Indian with no weapons, and a bunch of conquistadors came up to you and asked where the gold was, I don't think it would be a good idea to say, "I swallowed it. So sue me."

If you define cowardice as running away at the first sign of danger, screaming and tripping and begging for mercy, then yes, Mr. Brave man, I guess I'm a coward.

I bet one legend that keeps recurring throughout history, in every culture, is the story of Popeye.

When you go in for a job interview, I think a good thing to ask is if they ever press charges.

To me, boxing is like a ballet, except there's no music, no choreography, and the dancers hit each other.

What is it that makes a complete stranger dive into an icy river to save a solid gold baby? Maybe we'll never know.

We tend to scoff at the beliefs of the ancients. But we can't scoff at them personally, to their faces, and this is what annoys me.

Probably the earliest flyswatters were nothing more than some sort of striking surface attached to the end of a long stick.

I think someone should have had the decency to tell me the luncheon was free. To make someone run out with potato salad in his hand, pretending he's throwing up, is not what I call hospitality.

To me, clowns aren't funny. In fact, they're kind of scary. I've wondered where this started and I think it goes back to the time I went to the circus, and a clown killed my dad.

As I bit into the nectarine, it had a crisp juiciness about it that was very pleasurable - until I realized it wasn't a nectarine at all, but A HUMAN HEAD!!

Most people don't realize that large pieces of coral, which have been painted brown and attached to the skull by common wood screws, can make a child look like a deer.

If trees could scream, would we be so cavalier about cutting them down? We might, if they screamed all the time, for no good reason.

Better not take a dog on the space shuttle, because if he sticks his head out when you're coming home his face might burn up.

You know what would make a good story? Something about a clown who make people happy, but inside he's real sad. Also, he has severe diarrhea.

Sometimes when I feel like killing someone, I do a little trick to calm myself down. I'll go over to the persons house and ring the doorbell. When the person comes to the door, I'm gone, but you know what I've left on the porch? A jack-o-lantern with a knife stuck in the side of it's head with a note that says "You." After that I usually feel a lot better, and no harm done.

If you're a horse, and someone gets on you, and falls off, and then gets right back on you, I think you should buck him off right away.

If you ever teach a yodeling class, probably the hardest thing is to keep the students from just trying to yodel right off. You see, we build to that.

If you ever fall off the Sears Tower, just go real limp, because maybe you'll look like a dummy and people will try to catch you because, hey, free dummy.

I'd like to see a nude opera, because when they hit those high notes, I bet you can really see it in those genitals.

Anytime I see something screech across a room and latch onto someone's neck, and the guy screams and tries to get it off, I have to laugh, because what is that thing.

He was a cowboy, mister, and he loved the land. He loved it so much he made a woman out of dirt and married her. But when he kissed her, she disintegrated. Later, at the funeral, when the preacher said, "Dust to dust," some people laughed, and the cowboy shot them. At his hanging, he told the others, "I'll be waiting for you in heaven--with a gun."

The memories of my family outings are still a source of strength to me. I remember we'd all pile into the car - I forget what kind it was - and drive and drive. I'm not sure where we'd go, but I think there were some trees there. The smell of something was strong in the air as we played whatever sport we played. I remember a bigger, older guy we called "Dad." We'd eat some stuff, or not, and then I think we went home. I guess some things never leave you.

If a kid asks where rain comes from, I think a cute thing to tell him is "God is crying." And if he asks why God is crying, another cute thing to tell him is "Probably because of something you did."

Contrary to what most people say, the most dangerous animal in the world is not the lion or the tiger or even the elephant. It's a shark riding on an elephant's back, just trampling and eating everything they see.

If you saw two guys named Hambone and Flippy, which one would you think liked dolphins the most? I'd say Flippy, wouldn't you? You'd be wrong, though. It's Hambone.

Laurie got offended that I used the word "puke." But to me, that's what her dinner tasted like.
We used to laugh at Grandpa when he'd head off and go fishing. But we wouldn't be laughing that evening when he'd come back with some whore he picked up in town.

I wish a robot would get elected president. That way, when he came to town, we could all take a shot at him and not feel too bad.

As the evening sky faded from a salmon color to a sort of flint gray, I thought back to the salmon I caught that morning, and how gray he was, and how I named him Flint.

If you're a young Mafia gangster out on your first date, I bet it's real embarrassing if someone tries to kill you.

If you go parachuting, and your parachute doesn't open, and you friends are all watching you fall, I think a funny gag would be to pretend you were swimming.

When I was a kid my favorite relative was Uncle Caveman. After school we'd all go play in his cave, and every once in a while he would eat one of us. It wasn't until later that I found out that Uncle Caveman was a bear.

Children need encouragement. If a kid gets an answer right, tell him it was a lucky guess. That way he develops a good, lucky feeling.

The crows seemed to be calling his name, thought Caw.

When you die, if you get a choice between going to regular heaven or pie heaven, choose pie heaven. It might be a trick, but if it's not, mmmmmmm, boy.

I think a good gift for the President would be a chocolate revolver. and since he is so busy, you'd probably have to run up to him real quick and give it to him.

If you're robbing a bank and you're pants fall down, I think it's okay to laugh and to let the hostages laugh too, because, come on, life is funny.

If you ever catch on fire, try to avoid looking in a mirror, because I bet that will really throw you into a panic.

Sometimes I think I'd be better off dead. No, wait, not me, you.

I can't stand cheap people. It makes me real mad when someone says something like, "Hey, when are you going to pay me that $100 you owe me?" or "Do you have that $50 you borrowed?" Man, quit being so cheap!

I think the mistake a lot of us make is thinking the state-appointed shrink is our friend.
I think one way the cops could make money would be to hold a murder weapons sale. Many people could really use used ice picks.

If you ever reach total enlightenment while drinking beer, I bet you could shoot beer out of you nose.

I believe in making the world safe for our children, but not our children's children, because I don't think children should be having sex.

Even though I was their captive, the Indians allowed me quite a bit of freedom. I could walk freely, make my own meals, and even hurl large rocks at their heads. It was only later that I discovered that they were not Indians at all but only dirty-clothes hampers.

I wish outer space guys would conquer the Earth and make people their pets, because I'd like to have one of those little beds with my name on it.

It's true that every time you hear a bell, an angel gets its wings. But what they don't tell you is that every time you hear a mouse trap snap, and Angel gets set on fire.

If you're in a war, instead of throwing a hand grenade at the enemy, throw one of those small pumpkins. Maybe it'll make everyone think how stupid war is, and while they are thinking, you can throw a real grenade at them.

I hope life isn't a big joke, because I don't get it.

The next time I have meat and mashed potatoes, I think I'll put a very large blob of potatoes on my plate with just a little piece of meat. And if someone asks me why I didn't get more meat, I'll just say, "Oh, you mean this?" and pull out a big piece of meat from inside the blob of potatoes, where I've hidden it. Good magic trick, huh?

Life, to me, is like a quiet forest pool, one that needs a direct hit from a big rock half-buried in the ground. You pull and you pull, but you can't get the rock out of the ground. So you give it a good kick, but you lose your balance and go skidding down the hill toward the pool. Then out comes a big Hawaiian man who was screwing his wife beside the pool because they thought it was real pretty. He tells you to get out of there, but you start faking it, like you're talking Hawaiian, and then he gets mad and chases you...

Sometimes, when I drive across the desert in the middle of the night, with no other cars around, I start imagining: What if there were no civilization out there? No cities, no factories, no people? And then I think: No people or factories? Then who made this car? And this highway? And I get so confused I have to stick my head out the window into the driving rain---unless there's lightning, because I could get struck on the head by a bolt.

The whole town laughed at my great-grandfather, just because he worked hard and saved his money. True, working at the hardware store didn't pay much, but he felt it was better than what everybody else did, which was go up to the volcano and collect the gold nuggets it shot out every day. It turned out he was right. After forty years, the volcano petered out. Everybody left town, and the hardware store went broke. Finally he decided to collect gold nuggets too, but there weren't many left by then. Plus, he broke his leg and the doctor's bills were real high.
Too bad when I was a kid there wasn't a guy in our class that everybody called the "Cricket Boy", because I would have liked to stand up in class and tell everybody, "You can make fun of the Cricket Boy if you want to, but to me he's just like everybody else." Then everybody would leave the Cricket Boy alone, and I'd invite him over to spend the night at my house, but after about five minutes of that loud chirping I'd have to kick him out. Maybe later we could get up a petition to get the Cricket Family run out of town. Bye, Cricket Boy.

I think a good product would be "Baby Duck Hat". It's a fake baby duck, which you strap on top of your head. Then you go swimming underwater until you find a mommy duck and her babies, and you join them. Then, all of a sudden, you stand up out of the water and roar like Godzilla. Man, those ducks really take off! Also, Baby Duck Hat is good for parties.

I wish I lived back in the old west days, because I'd save up my money for about twenty years so I could buy a solid-gold pick. Then I'd go out West and start digging for gold. When someone came up and asked what I was doing, I'd say, "Looking for gold, ya durn fool." He'd say, "Your pick is gold," and I'd say, "Well, that was easy." Good joke, huh.

A funny thing to do is, if you're out hiking and your friend gets bitten by a poisonous snake, tell him you're going to go for help, then go about ten feet and pretend that *you* got bit by a snake. Then start an argument with him about who's going to go get help. A lot of guys will start crying. That's why it makes you feel good when you tell them it was just a joke.

I guess I kinda lost control, because in the middle of the play I ran up and lit the evil puppet villain on fire. No, I didn't. Just kidding. I just said that to help illustrate one of the human emotions, which is freaking out. Another emotion is greed, as when you kill someone for money, or something like that. Another emotion is generosity, as when you pay someone double what he paid for his stupid puppet.

Many people think that history is a dull subject. Dull? Is it "dull" that Jesse James once got bitten on the forehead by an ant, and at first it didn't seem like anything, but then the bite got worse and worse, so he went to a doctor in town, and the secretary told him to wait, so he sat down and waited, and waited, and waited, and waited, and then finally he got to see the doctor, and the doctor put some salve on it? You call that dull?

I scrambled to the top of the precipice where Nick was waiting. "That was fun," I said. "You bet it was," said Nick. "Let's climb higher." "No," I said. "I think we should be heading back now." "We have time," Nick insisted. I said we didn't, and Nick said we did. We argued back and forth like that for about 20 minutes, then finally decided to head back. I didn't say it was an interesting story.

If you're a Thanksgiving dinner, but you don't like the stuffing or the cranberry sauce or anything else, just pretend like you're eating it, but instead, put it all in your lap and form it into a big mushy ball. Then, later, when you're out back having cigars with the boys, let out a big fake cough and throw the ball to the ground. Then say, "Boy, these are good cigars!"

I remember that one fateful day when Coach took me aside. I knew what was coming. "You don't have to tell me," I said. "I'm off the team, aren't I?" "Well," said Coach, "you never were really ON the team. You made that uniform you're wearing out of rags and towels, and your helmet is a toy space helmet. You show up at practice and then either steal the ball and make us chase you to get it back, or you try to tackle people at inappropriate times." It was all true what he was saying. And yet, I thought something is brewing inside the head of this Coach. He sees something in me, some kind of raw talent that he can mold. But that's when I felt the handcuffs go on.

If I ever opened a trampoline store, I don't think I'd call it Trampo-Land, because you might think it was a store for tramps, which is not the impression we are trying to convey with our store. On the other hand, we would not prohibit tramps from browsing, or testing the trampolines, unless a tramp's gyrations seemed to be getting out of control.

I can still recall old Mister Barnslow getting out every morning and nailing a fresh load of tadpoles to the old board of his. Then he'd spin it round and round, like a wheel of fortune, and no matter where it stopped he'd yell out, "Tadpoles! Tadpoles is a winner!" We all thought he was crazy. But then we had some growing up to do.

Once when I was in Hawaii, on the island of Kauai, I met a mysterious old stranger. He said he was about to die and wanted to tell someone about the treasure. I said, "Okay, as long as it's not a long story. Some of us have a plane to catch, you know." He started telling his story, about the treasure and his life and all, and I thought: "This story isn't too long." But then, he kept going, and I started thinking, "Uh-oh, this story is getting long." But then the story was over, and I said to myself: "You know, that story wasn't too long after all." I forget what the story was about, but there was a good movie on the plane. It was a little long, though.

I bet a fun thing would be to go way back in time to where there was going to be an eclipse and tell the cave men, "If I have come to destroy you, may the sun be blotted out from the sky." Just then the eclipse would start, and they'd probably try to kill you or something, but then you could explain about the rotation of the moon and all, and everyone would get a good laugh.

I wouldn't be surprised if someday some fishermen caught a big shark and cut it open, and there inside was a whole person. Then they cut the person open, and in him is a little baby shark. And in the baby shark there isn't a person, because it would be too small. But there's a little doll or something, like a Johnny Combat little toy guy---something like that.

Monday, December 19, 2005

Nip/Tuck Season Finale Tuesday 12/20!

I admit it, I'm a TV junkie. I love watching TV and I get 'sucked' into the shows. One of my favorites is Nip/Tuck on FX. Check it out here http://www.fxnetwork.com It is over the top and pushes so many envelopes but yet you get drawn into the absurdity of it!

The season finale for season 3 is Tuesday 12/20. Several friends of mine watch it also and I have plans to go over to a friends place to watch.

This is the teaser about the show from FX. Check it out.
NIP / TUCK
Tuesdays 10pm e/p
Set in Miami, Nip / Tuck follows the lives of two plastic surgeons and business partners who run McNamara/Troy, a booming South Beach plastic surgery practice.

It's kind of hard to describe the show because it is so out there! The big thing right now is the season finale tomorrow will reveal who the carver is! This is about as big as who shot JR on Dallas. The carver is this creepy person who wears a baby doll like mask and black clothes and carves peoples faces (think Joker from the first Batman movie here) and declares a vendetta against beautiful people. I have my ideas who the carver is but we'll know for sure tomorrow!

Co-Workers ... a medium sized rant



I don't know what it is about Mondays but it seems to bring out the worst in some of my co-workers. There's been alot of changes lately at work because we are all being moved around and taken out of our 'comfort zones' by having to sit new people and such. I view it as a minor annoyance but a bigger adventure. Who doesn't like new cubemates every now and then? It always reminds me of the Dilbert comic strip with the Cube Farmer who would 'harvest' the people in the cubes.

So today I am over talking to my ex-cubemate about some things that need to be done about a big project we are working on together. Across the now very narrow new aisle is one of our co-workers who is very nosy and has to be included in any and all conversation regardless if it's meant for her ears or not. Most of us are used to her, and know to limit our conversation when she is near. Thankfully her seat today was just her temporary seat in what we all affectionately call the 'holding pen' until her new cube area is built. I am trying to have a conversation with said co-worker and things we are discussing are sensitive and not for everyone's ears. I pull up a chair and lean in really close so we can whisper about it. Soon as we get done, she repeats EVERYTHING verbatim that we just said! I never knew someone could have such good ears! I was shocked.

I guess what gets me more is that she didn't try to hide that she listened to the whole thing, let alone repeat verbatim! That's just wrong. In a cube environment like I work in you are bound to hear conversations and stuff but most people will pretend to not hear while they are really listening. You know the tuck your hair behind your ear, toss your hair over your shoulder and pretend to work while staring at your computer screen when you are really listening to everything.

I also feel sorry for said co worker as she really does struggle with social issues and being accepted. Instead of showing her personality she tries too hard to make you her friend and like her by talking incessantly, butting into conversation and then talking about useless things!

:::Throwing hands in the air:::

I guess I need to work on making my cube more serene. Maybe post the picture at the top of this as wallpaper on my desktop. I took that photo when I was home in Washington for a visit. That is Mt. Rainier. Isn't it beautiful?



Friday, December 16, 2005

Jet Lag

Earlier this week I returned to Michigan from spending 2 weeks with my family in Seattle. I don't know about you but I tend to suffer jet lag pretty bad. Going out isn't too bad, I usually go to bed early and get up early. When I return it's a bit different story. The last 2 nights since I've been home I've gotten maybe 4 hours of sleep a night. I just can't go to sleep! I am wide awake and can't sleep even though once I do I pass out and detest getting up to go to work. Tonight is another one of those nights ... I worked a 12 hour day today and am ready for sleep but my body is telling me it's only 8:50pm and not almost midnight ... it's not time for bed yet.

I just keep telling myself this too will pass :)

First stab at a blog ....

I kept hearing about these blogs and it seemed like the last couple of months several friends and family members have created them and kept mentioning it to me like I should take a stab at it. I kept thinking why? I don't have time to do this, I don't have an easy way to add pictures, etc. Well today at work I was pushed into and thought well if they can do it, so can I!

This is it ... see what happens here after I finish getting this set up!

Diane