I'm SO EXCITED!!

I had a crazy, wicked good idea last night!

I’m watching American Idol, loving Harry Connick Jr and Ryan Seacrest, when they had a 20 something guy go in and audition. He got his “golden ticket” to Hollywood, but when he came out, there was no one there to cheer for him. Well, Ryan shook his hand and said congrats but that’s it. I told my man that I always feel so sad for the kids that go there by themselves. It could be the biggest moment of their lives so far, and no one is there to support them. That’s so sad! Then I said;

Oh!

I could do it.

I could be the person to cheer for them when they make it?

I ROCK as a cheerleader!!!

OMG! I could DO that!!

And my man said, “what, be the generic posse for American Idol?”

YES!!!!

Hell yes!!

I’m going to write to them and tell them. And I’ll be the FIRST generic posse!! I’ll get to hang out with Ryan and Harry!! Oh my gosh! I’m so excited!!! I need a buddy though…OH! Chuck’s daughter would be perfect! OMG we would be the best posse ever!!!

Yesssssss!

How observant are YOU?

As many of you know, I’m not naturally observant of other people. I look at people but I don’t really take them in. I’m much better about my surroundings. I notice when things are out of place or have been moved. I notice when something is missing or something is new. Lately however, I’ve been looking more at people, sometimes.

When you’re at a stop light, do you ever look at people in their cars? There are a lot of unhappy people in the world! Granted, I don’t drive around with a smile on my face ALL the time, but I’m pretty sure I don’t actually look unhappy or pissed off.  Maybe they’re just concentrating. I always like to see the people who are singing in their  cars. I do that too J Or those people who are dancing in their seats. They crack me up! I do that too!

Also, I’ve been looking at people in restaurants. You would be surprised at how many people go out to eat with someone but don’t talk to them! Bill and I don’t always spend all our time between bites chatting but I don’t think we’ve ever not spoken to each other while we’re eating out! That’s just so sad.

...are you ever in a bad mood?

YES, at least once a day!
But you're always so cheerful.
Would it serve a purpose for you to know if I was in a bad mood?
No. But how can you be so cheerful all the time?
It's kind of a story.
I'd love to hear a story about something that's not work related.

Well, when I was in my teens, 18 actually, I saw this TV movie. It was about a double amputee who learned to snow ski. He had lost his left arm and leg, or maybe his right, I can't remember. Anyway, the whole movie was about his struggle to overcome his disability. At the end, after he's swished down a mountain, some guy, stunned and awed, expressed his disbelief at the man's accomplishment. The star of the movie simply said, "oh, this? This is just a little inconvenience."

There I am, 18, in the throes of adulthood, rebellious, moody, incorrigible...you get the picture. And here's this one line at the end of a cheesy TV movie that was probably so corny to most people. But it was profound to me. OK, so I didn't get over my attitude issues for many, many, many...more years, but that always stuck with me. So what if you get a flat tire? It's really just a little inconvenience. So what if a tree falls on your house? It's really just a little inconvenience. See what I mean? Most daily problems are just silly in the grand scheme of things.

So there was that. Then, in my early thirties, I worked for an Optometrist. He was gay. Not that there's anything wrong with that. His partner was a crazy happy guy! I loved being around him. I kept in touch with both of them after we moved away and a few years later, the Doc called to tell me that I should call Jason and say hi - he was dying of Aids and didn't have much longer. I was heartbroken. Of course I called him and while we were talking I asked him why he didn't tell me before. He told me that it didn't serve a purpose to tell me. It wasn't going to make him better. It would only make me sad and he just wanted to be remembered for the joy he brought to people. Whoa. He died a few weeks later but I'll always remember that conversation.

Flashback Friday...

I thought the whole flashback Friday thing last week was so fun, I'm going to keep doing it!

I'll stick with the 60's for now. Here are the top 10 songs of the decade;

10. Heard it Through the Grapevine - Marvin Gaye
9.   Like A Rolling Stone - Bob Dylan
8.   Suspicious Minds - Elvis
7.   Sympathy For The Devil - Rolling Stones
6.   I'm Waiting for the Man - Velvet Undergound
5.   Leader of The Pack - The Shangri-Las
4.   All Along the Watchtower - Jimi Hendrix
3.   Good Vibrations - the Beach Boys
2.   Be My Baby - The Ronettes
1.   A Day in The Life - The Beatles

Admittedly, I had to youtube a couple of them. Hey, do YOU know all them?

Greed

Greed is good.

Do you remember when that started? A  character in the original Wall Street movie said that.

Here’s the context;

The point is, ladies and gentleman, that greed -- for lack of a better word -- is good.
Greed is right.
Greed works.
Greed clarifies, cuts through, and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit.
Greed, in all of its forms -- greed for life, for money, for love, knowledge -- has marked the upward surge of mankind.

Webster’s says;

 noun

excessive or rapacious desire, especially for wealth or possessions.

What do you think?

I don’t think a thirst for knowledge is the same thing as greed. I don’t think a desire to be loved is greed. And as far as wealth? Come on now, how much money do you need anyway? And more than what you need IS greedy.

I brought all this up because Ty Warner, creator of Beanie Babies, was just convicted of tax evasion because he ‘hid’ 25 MILLION dollars. Jerk. Beanie Babies made him a billionaire. But he hid 25 million? Asshole. I’m glad I don’t buy Beanie Babies anymore.

It's my life...

55

Double nickels

The speed limit

*sigh*

My age

Really? I’m fifty five? Hey, don’t laugh…if I’m 55, how old does that make YOU?! Huh?! So there! My baby brother turns the big FIVE OH this year. How’s that for making you feel even older!

We’re all old enough now that we don’t need anything so we just go out to dinner. I always pick Maggiano’s. It’s my favorite Italian place. It was wonderful J But our waitress wasn’t a very good picture taker;

Today, I got several nice cards from co-workers…what a treat! I feel so special. Even the grouchy guy in the office wrote, “you make work so much better” Yay! I love it when my happy persona rubs off on people. (the other side is just too scary to imagine)

I want to say, officially, for the record, I’M SO SICK OF SNOW! Being a lover of winter it’s hard to admit, but there it is. My 22 mile commute took me an hour and a half this morning. Yep, I’m over it. I don’t actually mind the sub zero temps…I don’t have to do anything outside…but the crappy driving conditions  have made me downright sad! Humph!

Pepper took custody of one of the new dog toys. She’s so cute;

I miss gum. I know that was random but I do. And while I’m being random…if you haven’t seen the movie Flight with Denzel Washington, don’t bother. The part where he doesn’t crash the plane was good but the rest of it was a total bummer. And this next thing will seem random, to you, but it’s a nice thought for me. I read this somewhere a loooong time ago;

“No matter how happily married a woman is, it’s always nice to know there’s someone who wishes she weren’t.” And because I’m feeling random today and because it’s MY blog, here’s the other thing I was just thinking about;

Flashback Friday

The other day, one of the big dogs in the office was imitating Popeye and was pretty sure that most people wouldn't know it. Well, some of us are old like him :-) 
Then we got to laughing about old TV shows. It was a really fun moment! So I decided to share the nostalgia. I dunno, maybe because I'm about ready to have another birthday? It only looks good on the sign...

The most popular TV shows of the 60's;

Columbo

Dark Shadows

Dragnet

Flipper

F-Troop

Gentle Ben

Gilligan’s Island

Hawaii Five-O

Here Come the Brides

Hogan’s Heroes

Land of the Giants

Laugh-In

Lost in Space

The Beverly Hillbillies

The Big Valley

The Dick Van Dyke Show

The Fugitive

The Man From Uncle

The Merv Griffin Show

The Mike Douglas Show

Wild, Wild West Wasn't that fun??!!

Thanks Mom!

I showed this to you yesterday;

I made it for my niece, for her birthday. She wears a lot of floppy hats J

Anyway, my Mom called me last night to tell me that she had looked at my blog today and she said the quilled girl w/the floppy reminded her exactly of my niece and asked if I had done it for a customer?! She didn’t know that I actually made it to look like my niece!

What a great compliment!! Thanks Mom!

1978

It was the worst snowstorm to ever hit the state and stopped just about everything in central Indiana for days.

Officially, 15.5 inches of snow fell at the airport, but some places north of the city had more than 3 feet of snow. The entire city was shut down, including Indianapolis International Airport, which closed because of whiteout conditions.

The blizzard raged on for three days, packing blinding snow and whiteout conditions, with wind gusts of up to 60 mph and wind chill temperatures that dipped to 50 below zero.

Snowdrifts piled up to 20 feet high, making travel all but impossible. National Guard tanks were deployed to rescue stranded motorists. Schools were closed for 2 weeks.

The Blizzard of '78 became the measuring stick by which all other winter storms have been measured ever since in Indiana.

Flash forward to January 5^th, 2014. Actually, let's go a couple days previous to that. There's a storm brewing. LOTS of snow and SUBZERO temperatures. It's snowmageddon! Really? Yeah, yeah, yeah. So Saturday morning I get up early because I have errands to run. One of which was to get my oil changed. That took about an hour. During that time, I didn't hear any news. I didn't watch any before I left the house either. Next up, the grocery store. Here's where it gets fun!

Apparently, I missed the Governor's announcement that you, John Q Public, ought to have enough water and food to get you through 3 days. You know, due to the storm of the century. The grocery store parking lot usually looks a lot like the below picture. On Saturday though, it was COMPLETELY full, except for a few spot down at the end;

Whoa. I couldn't go home though! I had to check it out. So I went in. But there were no carts. Not because a worker hadn't brought them in...nooooooo....but because they were ALL in use. Wanna be shoppers were following shoppers that were done, out to their cars so they could get their cart!!! What??? It was nuts. There were no potatoes, celery, grapes or onions. There was very little bread and hardly any meat. I have never seen anything like it! I just walked through the store giggling the whole time at the panic! I guess it's not funny but all I could think was, so you can't drive for a few DAYS. Big effing deal! You might have thought people were hunkering down for the duration of winter! What do I know.

In my neck of the woods, we ended up with 13.5 inches of snow. (on top of the 6 we already had) We lost our Internet and cable for 3 days. They didn't plow our street until Wednesday. The Governor declared a snow emergency Monday and closed all state offices. Unless you were emergency personnel, stay off the roads. I was totally ok with that :-)

I watched movies, drank wine and did these;

This will be the first full week I've put in, in ages! You wanna know a secret? I can't WAIT to retire!!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

My first post of the new year! And what do I have to say?

I LOVE SNOW! OK, so I'm not happy about the sub zero temperatures we're expecting, but I love all the snow. It's soooo pretty! Our usually semi orgasmic weather people are trying to keep the next storm pretty low key. I don't get it. Normally they're about ready to pee with excitement at the 'chance' of a blizzard!! Nope, not this time...which kind of concerns me.
The other thing that concerns me is we (Govt workers) received an email today that say, Due to the unprecedented snow forecast and record low temps, the Governor has instructed state offices to adjust the normal hours of operations for all non-essential staff Monday, January 6"  Yikes! Then I thought, OH!, I'll check the weather in Chicago. They get a lot of snow every year. They won't fib or be crazy, they'll just tell it like it is. Now I'm really worried!!

http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/cold-snow-detroit-chicago-clev/21623238

Seriously, that's a lot of snow. I guess tonight we'll get another snow shovel and some more salt. I'll have to shovel a path and a clearing for the dogs just so they can pee! Ahhhhh, a snow day :-)  Fuzzy slippers, quilling, rum. Maybe even a couple musicals! Happy, happy me! 

Do Overs

Don't you wish you could have do overs? Not so much life do overs...just every once in awhile, wouldn't you like to start your day over?

I'm having one of "those" mornings.  To start, I woke up about 2:30 this morning and really struggled with what day it was. I hate that. I almost reached for my phone to find out, but then I remembered. All this extra time off work for the holidays really messes with you! I woke up and thought, do I have to work today? What day is it? Ugh.  Then, when it WAS time to get up, because my alarm told me it was, I couldn't move. Even after the dogs had breakfast and Pepper jumped up on the bed to say "GET UP", I couldn't move. So I was running 10 minutes late this morning. Thank heavens there isn't any traffic this morning so I wasn't late to work. Next, like almost anyone who works downtown anywhere, you have to park a mile away. Well, that's a slight exaggeration...I probably only have to walk about a city block to get to my office. No big deal, unless it's today. Today, the walk seemed like at least a mile. And it's cold outside. I should have walked over in the tunnels but that takes even longer. THEN, when I got to my building, I realized I left my badge in my car, so I had to go through security and walk extra far to the main lobby so they could let me in. I already need a nap - or some liquor!  :-)

So...what are your plans for New Years Eve? Do you have any? I guess as you get older, you care less about that. Unless you have friends that you like to hang out with. Honestly, I'll be lucky to stay up till Midnight. If I cared, I would be sad that I don't have anything to do - but I don't and I'm not. But if YOU have plans, I hope you have a wonderful time ringing in the new year and that you get laid. Mwahahahaha! The man and the mama and I are going out to dinner, early, and back home. I'll probably have a nap so I can be awake when the clock strikes twelve. I hope I don't turn into a pumpkin. Oh wait, that's a different story, sorry. Anyway, have fun and bee safe out there!!!

crap in the news...

By Daniella Silva, NBC News

The TSA is not monkeying around when it comes to security at St. Louis' airport.

A woman at a checkpoint at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport said she was “appalled and shocked” after a Transportation Security Administration agent confiscated a tiny toy gun belonging to her sock monkey.

Phyllis May of Redmond, Wash., was travelling from St. Louis on Dec. 3 when she noticed a TSA agent inspecting one of her carry-on bags, according to NBC affiliate King 5.

May sells the dolls and had several sock monkeys and sewing supplies in the bag. One of the monkeys, named “Rooster Monkburn,” after John Wayne’s character “Rooster Cogburn” in the movie “True Grit,” is a cowboy with a two-inch long pistol. 

“She said ‘This is a gun,’” May told King 5. “I said 'No, it’s not a gun, it’s a prop for my monkey.'” 

“She said ‘If I held it up to your neck, you wouldn’t know if it was real or not,’ and I said ‘Really?’” May said.

May told King 5 the TSA agent took the monkey’s gun and informed May she was supposed to call the police.

“Rooster Monkburn has been disarmed so I’m sure everyone on the plane was safe,” she told King 5. “I understand she was doing her job, but at some point doesn’t common sense prevail?”

LOVE this story!

http://shine.yahoo.com/parenting/school-s-girl-power-campaign-is-a-hit-215808982.html

UPS is busy during the holidays – SHUT UP! It’s your own fault for waiting until the last minute to have something shipped to your house. And besides, it’s only disappointing, not the end of the world for heavens sake!

More people file for divorce in January than in any other month. I’m sure that means something?

In 2013, Liam and Charlotte were the most popular human baby names. The most popular names for dogs? Max and Bella. Bella, the vampire loving female lead of the Twilight series. I’m sure that means something too J

*******************************************************************************************************

And just let me say, WOW! Really, just WOW!

a whole mess of stuff!

So, my mom mentioned today that I haven't posted anything in a long time. She's right. But it's not because I don't have anything to say...I've just been so busy! You know, when you're retired, you don't have to cram your life into a weekend or a couple hours a night. What a bunch of crap that is! Seriously. But if I were retired, I would probably be just as busy. Only I would be doing FUN stuff!

OK, so here goes;
Trace Adkins at the Palladium was wonderful! I'm always so delightfully surprised when my perception of someone is expanded. Trace Adkins - who sings Honky Tonk Badonkadonk (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNVguvNE7qc)  for heavens sake - comes across as a your typical roughneck. Which he was once. But it turns out that he has a genuine passion for music. And his first Christmas album, called The King's Gift, is really different. He did the whole album in his show. Lots of Celtic influence. And Kevin Costner's daughter sings with him and The Chieftains make an appearance. It was really good. Here is a preview clip from YouTube; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KW8YGjBmgRw

Next up, Mannheim Steamroller! They were AWESOME! Everyone should have one of their Christmas CD's just because it's so good. I love big music. Really great!

Oh, and I forgot to tell you about Wicked! It had the biggest stage production I've ever been too. Granted, I haven't ever been to a show on "Broadway", but I bet this was pretty close. It was such a fun story about Oz and Glinda and the wicked witch. Here's the stage before the show;

 

and our Glinda and Elphaba

 

And here are the last of the quilled ornaments - I gave them all away except for one;

 

 

 

If you remember, last year I did ALL my shopping online. I didn't go to one single store. Well, I did a lot of my shopping online again this year but I did venture out into the retail masses this year. It wasn't so bad. It was a nice mix :-)

I have lots more but that will do for now.

Merry Christmas everyone!!!

thanksmass...

I hate it when Thanksgiving comes at the very end of November. The time between then and Christmas is just too short! It's already the 13th and I'm not done! And 3 and a 1/2 weeks of Christmas decor isn't enough. I need more joy :-)

This weekend we're getting hit with another winter storm...up to 7" by the time it's done. I know it makes a lot of people grumbly, but I like it! If it's going to be this cold, there better be something to show for it!

Sunday night we'll be off to The Palladium to see Trace Adkins, the voice of God, sing Christmas Carols! Yea!! What could be nicer?

Oh! and the closet/bdrm project? It's coming along nicely. After the totally absurd quote of 3 grand to finish the drywall and texture the ceiling, my man of all trades has done a pretty good job of finishing it himself. He hasn't done the texturing part yet but it already looks acceptable. I got to hang clothes up in the closet last weekend! It's AWESOME!

in the news

The funniest quote I saw about the big winter storm;

"I’m going to get coffee, cigarettes and cat food,” Holly Vines of Little Rock told Reuters, “then I’m going to get my sable coat out of storage in case I have to sleep in it.”

That cracked me UP!!

I didn't even know about cobalt blue dangit!

Cobalt is so 2013. The Pantone color of 2014 is "radiant orchid." (And the crowd goes wild.)

 Researchers at MIT have discovered the world's hardest tongue twister. “Pad Kid Poured Curd Pulled Cold” is so hard to say, no test subjects could repeat it ten times fast. In fact, some people's brains shut down and they stopped talking altogether. Lead MIT researcher, Dr. Stefanie Shattuck-Hufnagel, will present her research on alternating repetitive tongue twisters at 166th meeting of the Acoustical Society Of America this week.    The reason no one can say this is because it's stupid. It doesn't make any sense at all. At least Peter Piper made sense! 

I don't even know what I can say about this;

What do the president of Syria, Pope Francis and Tea Party darling Ted Cruz have in common with Miley Cyrus and Edward Snowden, the American fugitive who leaked thousands of classified documents to the press?

They’re all among the top 10 finalists for Time’s Person of the Year, the magazine revealed Monday on TODAY.

The iconic title ultimately will go to the individual chosen by Time editors as someone who has, for better or worse, had the most impact on the world and the news for the past year.

This year’s short list includes a wide variety of finalists, from heads of state to Cyrus, who ranked high in the weekly magazine’s public poll. 

“Power is not just political. It can be cultural, it can be spiritual,” said Nancy Gibbs, Time’s managing editor. Cyrus “came in like a wrecking ball, literally” she said, referring to the entertainer's hit song and the risqué video that continued to keep her in the public spotlight. "At a time when you’re living with an explosion of exhibitionism since we all now carry cameras with us at all times, she is a symbol of the way we live.”

Time will announce Wednesday who it selected as 2013 Person of the Year on TODAY.