You complete me
Seasons Greetings 
Grim Optimism
The domino effect
Concerts will never be the same
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Friday, March 25, 2011
everything old is new again
First, Ken ~ Barbies BF ~ turned 50 this month! He's younger than Barbie :-)
Here are some pictures on how Ken has evolved over the years;
Ken when he made his debut in 1961,
In the mid 60's
1972
1979 
1984
1992 (whoa! Ken, dude, wassup with that hair?!)
2006
2010
And his birthday makeover ~ 3/11/11
OK, now for the other old stuff...Look what I saw in a catalog the other day!
Go go boots!!! But now they come in THIS really fab color;
And these totaly retro boots;
What's next? Hot pants?(circa 1971)
Oh yeah, girls already wear short shorts. Duh.
Oh yeah, girls already wear short shorts. Duh.Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Ever wonder...
Do you ever wonder where short names come from?
You know, how did Cindy come from Cynthia? That one isn't such a stretch but how do you get Bill out William??? Or Bob out of Robert?? How do you get Dick out of Richard?? How about Bess for Elizabeth, Bonnie for Yvonne or Maggie for Margaret? There are a lot of names that come from Elizabeth ~ Liz, Beth, Liza ~ those all make sense. Just like Vicky or Tori from Victoria makes sense.
Just wondering.
You know, how did Cindy come from Cynthia? That one isn't such a stretch but how do you get Bill out William??? Or Bob out of Robert?? How do you get Dick out of Richard?? How about Bess for Elizabeth, Bonnie for Yvonne or Maggie for Margaret? There are a lot of names that come from Elizabeth ~ Liz, Beth, Liza ~ those all make sense. Just like Vicky or Tori from Victoria makes sense.
Just wondering.
Monday, March 21, 2011
A heartfelt thanks...
I owe a truly heartfelt thank you to someone. In general, I don't think people say thank you nearly as often as they should. I'm not speaking about the small everyday things - like when someone holds a door open for you or picks something up that you dropped. You should say thank you automatically at those instances. I'm talking about the BIG thank yous. Like;
Thank you for inspiring me to...
Thank you for your help/support...
Thank you for being there...
Thank you for opening the door to a really great opportunity...
Thank you for changing my life...
When I was a girl, I spent a lot of time with my uncle's family. His wife is an ex music teacher and a true lover of music. At every opportunity, she listened to music. Sometimes it was the piano she was playing herself. Sometimes it was an album of her current favorite singer, or the latest Broadway musical or movie soundtrack. Occasionally it was even classical music or gospel music. Musicals were her favorite but she liked almost anything.
A couple things happened this weekend. One, since we got the stereo working we're listening to a lot more music and Bill had a CD of Franz Liszt on. I even turned it up! Later he said, "honey, I have to tell you, I really am impressed that you have such a diverse taste in music." The other thing is, Mom and I went to see Marvin Hamlisch at the new concert hall in town. During his performance I thought, "my Aunt would love this." It was like a show she would have taken us to many years ago. Like Paul Anka or Liberace. He even commented about how wonderful it was to see a young girl (12 yr old) in the front row. How great of her parents to take her and expose her to the great American songbook.
That's when I realized that my diverse taste and love for music stems from that period in my childhood that was surrounded by music of many genres ~ thanks to my Aunt. Thanks to her, I didn't grow up to be a single minded music lover. Even in high school, listening to Aerosmith, Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin, I was still SO excited to get tickets to Neil Diamond. Even during the disco era, there were times when I was by myself, that I would tune the radio into the classical station. Thanks to her, I truly enjoy going to the symphony. Thanks to her I love almost every musical I've ever seen! Thanks to her, I can honestly say that I have a true appreciation for (most) music.
I bet she doesn't know that she did that for me. That music has, on occasion, touched my soul because she exposed our young thirsty minds to more than Sesame Street. I'm going to write her and say thank you.
The soundtrack to my life is filled with such variety.
Thank you for inspiring me to...
Thank you for your help/support...
Thank you for being there...
Thank you for opening the door to a really great opportunity...
Thank you for changing my life...
When I was a girl, I spent a lot of time with my uncle's family. His wife is an ex music teacher and a true lover of music. At every opportunity, she listened to music. Sometimes it was the piano she was playing herself. Sometimes it was an album of her current favorite singer, or the latest Broadway musical or movie soundtrack. Occasionally it was even classical music or gospel music. Musicals were her favorite but she liked almost anything.
A couple things happened this weekend. One, since we got the stereo working we're listening to a lot more music and Bill had a CD of Franz Liszt on. I even turned it up! Later he said, "honey, I have to tell you, I really am impressed that you have such a diverse taste in music." The other thing is, Mom and I went to see Marvin Hamlisch at the new concert hall in town. During his performance I thought, "my Aunt would love this." It was like a show she would have taken us to many years ago. Like Paul Anka or Liberace. He even commented about how wonderful it was to see a young girl (12 yr old) in the front row. How great of her parents to take her and expose her to the great American songbook.
That's when I realized that my diverse taste and love for music stems from that period in my childhood that was surrounded by music of many genres ~ thanks to my Aunt. Thanks to her, I didn't grow up to be a single minded music lover. Even in high school, listening to Aerosmith, Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin, I was still SO excited to get tickets to Neil Diamond. Even during the disco era, there were times when I was by myself, that I would tune the radio into the classical station. Thanks to her, I truly enjoy going to the symphony. Thanks to her I love almost every musical I've ever seen! Thanks to her, I can honestly say that I have a true appreciation for (most) music.
I bet she doesn't know that she did that for me. That music has, on occasion, touched my soul because she exposed our young thirsty minds to more than Sesame Street. I'm going to write her and say thank you.
The soundtrack to my life is filled with such variety.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
I'm so happy!
look what's in my yard!!!
Hooray for Spring!
Oh right, and Happy St. Patricks day too :-)
Today is my Friday and the high is 70. How great is that? Tomorrow, Mom and I are going to the Flower and Patio show. I bet we come away totally inspired to grow things!
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
It's my fault?
Damn!
Okay, so I was thinking over the weekend...my husband is getting on my last nerve. Why can't he just leave me alone? Seriously, can't I do anything by myself? I don't always want you to go to the craft store with me - too much pressure to hurry up. I don't want you to go to the book store w/me for the same reason. I mean, I love you man but give me a break!!! Yesterday as I was saying all this out loud, I worked through it and figured out what MY problem is. My man seems to be kind of clingy...ever since the removal of the big ugly word. Huh? Ohhhhhh, I get it now! And now I feel like such a witch! He isn't being clingy or needy, he actually just wants to be around me because he's so happy he's not dying! Imagine, wanting to be around me?! And I was ticked off at him for being such a pest. Shame on me.
He talks a lot about the physical aspects of cancer and his recovery but not really so much about the emotional aspects. I get the happy to be alive thing, but it's the other little things I haven't thought about.
Okay, so I was thinking over the weekend...my husband is getting on my last nerve. Why can't he just leave me alone? Seriously, can't I do anything by myself? I don't always want you to go to the craft store with me - too much pressure to hurry up. I don't want you to go to the book store w/me for the same reason. I mean, I love you man but give me a break!!! Yesterday as I was saying all this out loud, I worked through it and figured out what MY problem is. My man seems to be kind of clingy...ever since the removal of the big ugly word. Huh? Ohhhhhh, I get it now! And now I feel like such a witch! He isn't being clingy or needy, he actually just wants to be around me because he's so happy he's not dying! Imagine, wanting to be around me?! And I was ticked off at him for being such a pest. Shame on me.
He talks a lot about the physical aspects of cancer and his recovery but not really so much about the emotional aspects. I get the happy to be alive thing, but it's the other little things I haven't thought about.
Monday, March 14, 2011
How can you help?
In response to the quake, The Red Cross has already launched efforts in Japan. Visit Redcross.org or text REDCROSS to 90999 to donate $10 from your phone.
"We are extremely concerned for the welfare of children and their families who have been affected by the disaster. We stand ready to meet the needs of children who are always the most vulnerable in a disaster."
http://www.savethechildren.org/
International Medical Corps is responding to the health needs of the disaster's victims. Nancy Aossey, President & CEO, International Medical Corps said in a statement:
"We are putting together relief teams, as well as supplies, and are in contact with partners in Japan and other affected countries to assess needs and coordinate our activities."
To donate or learn about other ways you can contribute to its medical response, visit Internationalmedicalcorps.org. Also, text MED to 80888 from any mobile phone to give $10.
http://www.savethechildren.org/
International Medical Corps is responding to the health needs of the disaster's victims. Nancy Aossey, President & CEO, International Medical Corps said in a statement:
"We are putting together relief teams, as well as supplies, and are in contact with partners in Japan and other affected countries to assess needs and coordinate our activities."
To donate or learn about other ways you can contribute to its medical response, visit Internationalmedicalcorps.org. Also, text MED to 80888 from any mobile phone to give $10.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Bullying
There are all types of bullying. Today, my home town got a first hand look at political bullying. All of our democrat leaders bailed out a couple weeks ago and headed to Illinois because they don't like the right to work bill. Union workers have been protesting every day at the State House. The republicans threw the bill out and promised not to bring it back into play this year. The Democrats say they think the republicans are lying. In the meantime, no one is working.
Anyway, today there was a public rally at the state house. We were informed yesterday that traffic could be brutal today because there could be 20 to 30 THOUSAND protesters! Well, as it turns out, that information came from union leaders who were just trying to scare the hell out of everybody. We ended up with about 8000 demonstrators. Nothing to sneeze at, but a far cry from 20 to 30K. Anyway, one of the local stations got a hold of the flier sent to union workers, that went something like this;
The rally took place just as thousands more packed into downtown Indianapolis for the Men's Big Ten Basketball Tournament, just blocks away. In fact, demonstrators hoped the rally would cause gridlock downtown and reinforce the importance of their cause.In a flier organizers stated "this will help us jam things up downtown. If we can take up as many parking spaces as possible people will complain. This will impact businesses, and the Chamber causing them to tell their friends in the General Assembly to do whatever it takes to keep these people from tying up the town like this."
First of all, since they already threw the bill out, this was all just so much pomp and circumstance. But besides that...doesn't that sound like bullying to you? AND blackmail? I really do like seeing democracy in action, but this is ridiculous. Y'all are a minority for a reason. It's called "voting", you know, where your constituents (the folks who pay your salaries by the way) decide to keep you or fire you?
Anyway, today there was a public rally at the state house. We were informed yesterday that traffic could be brutal today because there could be 20 to 30 THOUSAND protesters! Well, as it turns out, that information came from union leaders who were just trying to scare the hell out of everybody. We ended up with about 8000 demonstrators. Nothing to sneeze at, but a far cry from 20 to 30K. Anyway, one of the local stations got a hold of the flier sent to union workers, that went something like this;
The rally took place just as thousands more packed into downtown Indianapolis for the Men's Big Ten Basketball Tournament, just blocks away. In fact, demonstrators hoped the rally would cause gridlock downtown and reinforce the importance of their cause.In a flier organizers stated "this will help us jam things up downtown. If we can take up as many parking spaces as possible people will complain. This will impact businesses, and the Chamber causing them to tell their friends in the General Assembly to do whatever it takes to keep these people from tying up the town like this."
First of all, since they already threw the bill out, this was all just so much pomp and circumstance. But besides that...doesn't that sound like bullying to you? AND blackmail? I really do like seeing democracy in action, but this is ridiculous. Y'all are a minority for a reason. It's called "voting", you know, where your constituents (the folks who pay your salaries by the way) decide to keep you or fire you?
Monday, March 7, 2011
Soooo dreary...
I'm tired of winter now. I don't mind the cold and I love the snow but I'm just sick to death of all these gray skies and dreary days. Blech. I want SUNSHINE!
I think it affects your brain function as well as your mood. The whole weekend, my husband acted like some weird alien sucked part of his brain out of his head. The part that makes him reasonable to his wife. The other part of his brain was working well though. He got the stereo receiver to work properly, saving us hundreds of dollars! And he finished the last corner of the dry wall in the bathroom. Now he can finally start on the floor. Maybe we'll actually get it done this year. I swear, this has got to be the longest bathroom remodel in history! And he wanted to be helpful this weekend, but the missing part of his brain made his helpfulness come out all jumbled up and wacky. He only emptied 1/2 the dishwasher. He made omelets for dinner but the kitchen looks like he made omelets for 50, not 2. He even offered to do the grocery shopping yesterday, so I made him a list, which we spent 20 minutes going over...
"eggs, you mean a dozen eggs?"
"a head of what kind of lettuce?"
"how many mushrooms?"
"what kind of bread?"
"what does gal mean?" (next to milk)
See what I mean? It would be different if he's never been to a grocery store, but he goes shopping with me almost every week! Then he re-wrote the entire list...1 can of___, 1 doz. large white eggs, 1 package mushrooms, 1 head iceberg lettuce, 1 loaf oatmeal bread, etc. Geez!
However...I really do appreciate that he wanted to be so helpful. Honest! But next time, I'll probably pass on sending him to the grocery store.
I think it affects your brain function as well as your mood. The whole weekend, my husband acted like some weird alien sucked part of his brain out of his head. The part that makes him reasonable to his wife. The other part of his brain was working well though. He got the stereo receiver to work properly, saving us hundreds of dollars! And he finished the last corner of the dry wall in the bathroom. Now he can finally start on the floor. Maybe we'll actually get it done this year. I swear, this has got to be the longest bathroom remodel in history! And he wanted to be helpful this weekend, but the missing part of his brain made his helpfulness come out all jumbled up and wacky. He only emptied 1/2 the dishwasher. He made omelets for dinner but the kitchen looks like he made omelets for 50, not 2. He even offered to do the grocery shopping yesterday, so I made him a list, which we spent 20 minutes going over...
"eggs, you mean a dozen eggs?"
"a head of what kind of lettuce?"
"how many mushrooms?"
"what kind of bread?"
"what does gal mean?" (next to milk)
See what I mean? It would be different if he's never been to a grocery store, but he goes shopping with me almost every week! Then he re-wrote the entire list...1 can of___, 1 doz. large white eggs, 1 package mushrooms, 1 head iceberg lettuce, 1 loaf oatmeal bread, etc. Geez!
However...I really do appreciate that he wanted to be so helpful. Honest! But next time, I'll probably pass on sending him to the grocery store.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
What?!
Today I saw this headline of an article; "This woman walked out on motherhood"
With a subheading of; "A New York woman left her husband & two young sons for fear of 'being swallowed up' by mom duties."
What is your immediate reaction when you read that?
My first reaction was, then you should NOT have had children. Then I read the 1 page excerpt, where she said that her husband had agreed to be the primary care giver. Well, on one hand, good for him. On the other, what a dumb ass you are for marrying a woman who didn't want to take care of her own children? OMG. Anyway, the little excerpt didn't make me feel any better about her. I'm guessing that she's consumed by narcissism and other personality issues. It made me want to punch her in the head. I'm not going to read the book. I could care less about her and what she thinks or how she 'believes' she's challenging the ideas of parenting. I could be wrong. Maybe she came to her senses and discovers that there isn't anything more important than her 2 small children. If you happen to read the book, (Hiroshima in the Morning) let me know what you think of her. It's published by Feminist Press - go figure.
On a lighter note, did you see the latest viral baby laughing video? The one with the baby who is cracking up at the sound of ripping paper? No matter ~ just go to you tube and type in laughing baby. You could spend hours, days even, laughing at one of the most joyful, beautiful noises in the world ~ babies laughing. There isn't anything better than that!
With a subheading of; "A New York woman left her husband & two young sons for fear of 'being swallowed up' by mom duties."
What is your immediate reaction when you read that?
My first reaction was, then you should NOT have had children. Then I read the 1 page excerpt, where she said that her husband had agreed to be the primary care giver. Well, on one hand, good for him. On the other, what a dumb ass you are for marrying a woman who didn't want to take care of her own children? OMG. Anyway, the little excerpt didn't make me feel any better about her. I'm guessing that she's consumed by narcissism and other personality issues. It made me want to punch her in the head. I'm not going to read the book. I could care less about her and what she thinks or how she 'believes' she's challenging the ideas of parenting. I could be wrong. Maybe she came to her senses and discovers that there isn't anything more important than her 2 small children. If you happen to read the book, (Hiroshima in the Morning) let me know what you think of her. It's published by Feminist Press - go figure.
On a lighter note, did you see the latest viral baby laughing video? The one with the baby who is cracking up at the sound of ripping paper? No matter ~ just go to you tube and type in laughing baby. You could spend hours, days even, laughing at one of the most joyful, beautiful noises in the world ~ babies laughing. There isn't anything better than that!
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Pancakes!
Today is March 1st (already) and in case you didn't know, it's National Pancake day.
IHOP has a stack of shortcakes for free! That's pretty nice.
Oh, and it's also National Peanut Butter Lovers day and National Pig day.
Did you watch the Oscars? No? Me either. But I had a good laugh yesterday about the biggest news being the winner of the best supporting actress dropping the F bomb on live TV. Language is a funny thing. Bill reads a lot motorcycle and gun articles written by Europeans. They don't have censorship like that. The funny part is, they don't swear nearly as much. I guess it's not so fun to try and get away with it, when you don't have to get away with it.
I could have watched some of the nominated movies over the weekend. I would like to see Inception...but it's too long. You know me, it's so hard to commit! Anyway, we watched Due Date instead. I picked it because it's a comedy and it stars Robert Downey Jr. (Love him) It was pretty silly ~ just what I wanted :-) If you haven't seen it, it's kind of like a new version of Planes, Trains and Automobiles - only not as good.
So far, this week is just a repeat of the last couple weeks for me...BUSY BUSY BUSY. Really, when my day is done my brain is exhausted. Like the rest of me, it just doesn't recover as quickly as it used to. For the most part, I didn't do anything all weekend. I never even left the house! But I did do a lot of quilling :-) I'm working on the big picture - that Bill was going to draw for me but didn't. I'm not angry though. I felt a little bad for putting him under pressure to be creative. More than anyone, I should know you can't be forced! So I did it myself. I went with a big palm tree instead of the desert. I took a couple of 'in progress' pictures and I'll try and get around to posting them. I'm SUPER DUPER happy with the way it's turning out!!
IHOP has a stack of shortcakes for free! That's pretty nice.
Oh, and it's also National Peanut Butter Lovers day and National Pig day.
Did you watch the Oscars? No? Me either. But I had a good laugh yesterday about the biggest news being the winner of the best supporting actress dropping the F bomb on live TV. Language is a funny thing. Bill reads a lot motorcycle and gun articles written by Europeans. They don't have censorship like that. The funny part is, they don't swear nearly as much. I guess it's not so fun to try and get away with it, when you don't have to get away with it.
I could have watched some of the nominated movies over the weekend. I would like to see Inception...but it's too long. You know me, it's so hard to commit! Anyway, we watched Due Date instead. I picked it because it's a comedy and it stars Robert Downey Jr. (Love him) It was pretty silly ~ just what I wanted :-) If you haven't seen it, it's kind of like a new version of Planes, Trains and Automobiles - only not as good.
So far, this week is just a repeat of the last couple weeks for me...BUSY BUSY BUSY. Really, when my day is done my brain is exhausted. Like the rest of me, it just doesn't recover as quickly as it used to. For the most part, I didn't do anything all weekend. I never even left the house! But I did do a lot of quilling :-) I'm working on the big picture - that Bill was going to draw for me but didn't. I'm not angry though. I felt a little bad for putting him under pressure to be creative. More than anyone, I should know you can't be forced! So I did it myself. I went with a big palm tree instead of the desert. I took a couple of 'in progress' pictures and I'll try and get around to posting them. I'm SUPER DUPER happy with the way it's turning out!!
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