End of a Decade

I'm over half way through my day as it's 2:30 p.m. as I write this, which means I only have a handful of hours left of my 30's.  I have never been more paranoid and superstitious as I have been today.  Why?  I feel like a medieval curse has been cast upon my family and we are destined to die during the 39th year of our lives.   Laugh as you will but at this point in my life, I have made it longer in life than my father and older brother, both perishing during the 39th year of their lives.  So, maybe that curse was meant for the men, but paranoid I am!  

However, despite my constant fear of Final Destination-like occurrences today, I've been living it up in the final hours of my 30's.  Sure, it's true, I came to work today, so "living it up" may be relative, but it's true.  It's been a good day.  I don't have big plans tomorrow to celebrate the changing of decades, nor do I have big plans to celebrate Mother's Day.  But I do have some fun things to do with friends and family and to be honest...I'm happy to know I made it this far.  Remember, living every day is an honor and privilege and is not guaranteed.  It's taken me some time to really pay attention to that and losing my brother hit hard enough to make me realize it.  Every day that I make it through and wake up to another, I'm thankful.

I know that it will hit me sometime tonight or tomorrow that I won't be celebrating with my brother, whose birthday I was happy to share for 38 years of our time together.  10 years ago he was with me to celebrate the beginning of my 30's.  And yet, here I am without him.   I won't lie, it's hard.  Maybe it's a thing I should be able to get over, but I haven't, I can't.  I admit though, my dread of another birthday without him has at least made me realize, I can still celebrate for him.  For all the years he can't be here with me, I will always think of him.  I will always celebrate for him.  He will never be forgotten on what was his special day, too.  And one day, it might be easier.

So there you have it, the 30's have come, gone, and even taught me something!  See you in the 40's!

Birthdays Again

It's the eve of my birthday, which means it's the eve of my brother's birthday too. I've had my mini meltdown at least once today and I can tell tomorrow is going to be hard. I've decided to skip this year's age. It seems that, at least the men of my family, are cursed with this particular age. It is the age that my father died and it's the age that my brother died and so I am just skipping it.  Wish me luck.

Birthdays

Today is a particularly hard day because it was my brother’s birthday, it was actually our birthday, the day which we mutually (and not always willingly) shared.  Here I am now, unwillingly without him, on our birthday.  Today also marks 5 months since his death which is an unreal feeling to be honest.  Sometimes, in brief and serene moments of life, I will actually forget that he’s gone.  Then a trigger reminds me and it hurts all over again.   

I wanted to do something nice for my brother on this day and so, since it also happens to be Give STL Day, I donated in his memory to a couple of places.  It’s a little thing, seems insignificant, doesn’t really make me feel any better but it’s something.  Somewhere out there someone will see “In Memory of…” and even though they don’t know my brother, they’ll think of him during that brief moment and know that someone loves and misses him.

https://www.givestlday.org/gotyoursixsupportdogs

https://www.givestlday.org/poundpetsinc

Happy Birthday Dusty.

Dreading This Week

I've been dreading this week for several months now...at least, since my brother died.

My brother and I shared a birthday (though years apart), which happens to fall within this week.  This is my first birthday without him, ever.  He would have turned 40 this year and my mom and I had contemplated what to do for him since we felt like it was a special birthday.  Now, I don't even want to celebrate.  Eventually one day, the day might mean something very special but this year just hurts in immeasurable ways.  I've been dreading it, and now it's here and it feels just about as painful as I anticipated it be.  I dread every well wish sent my way, I dread every sympathetic comment meaningfully expressed, and I dread the thought of opening any gifts in hopes of cheering me up.  It's hard to thank people when the sorrow overwhelms the gratitude.  But people don't know...so it'll all happen anyway.  I will, in the very least, even if I don't express it well, be very thankful to have kind people in my life.

Our birthday will mark 6 months since his passing...6 months in which the scar still feels fresh and now irritated with what should be a celebration.

I miss him.

Douglas Adams - 61

Today Douglas Adams would have been 61.  He passed away on my birthday (May 11) in 2001.  I will always remember the day I found out.  It was some time past May 11 and I was at a Creeper Lagoon show with Amanda S.  We were talking to one of the musicians from Creeper and having a coherent conversation.  It seemed to me as if out of nowhere this guy spouts out, "Douglas Adams in dead"!  Obviously something spurred this thought but I was too shocked with his comment to think of anything other than finding out the truth.  That evening I verified the sad truth.  Douglas Adams was dead.  I can never listen to Creeper without thinking of one of my favorite authors.  Maybe that's not a bad thing.  (Google honored D.A. with a Doodle today).

I find it fitting that today my mantra is, "Don't Panic".  I have a couple of deadlines in the next 24 hours so I will repeat this to myself until I'm done.  But as always, we're never really done at the deadline, so I part with this quote, a dear Douglas Adams favorite...

"I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by."

Exhausting Day

Today was an exhausting day but productive. I brought a work laptop home to work from home for a few days. Assuming I don't give birth tomorrow (hypothetically speaking), I plan on this routine for the next few weeks. Office M-W; Home Th-F. I'll be working off my desktop through a remote connection on the laptop I've borrowed. It's actually pretty cool.

Tomorrow is my mom's birthday, so tonight, after leaving a great NST, Chris and I went up to E-ville to pick up her gift. While in E-ville, we picked up a deck box to put all the pool gear in for the end of summer.

I also got some good news from work...beyond working from home. I won't dwell on it though.

I also packed most of my bag for the hospital (partially because I needed to, partially because I'm paranoid today, and partially because Chris got my bag out of storage for me to pack it).

On the crappy news front, E. failed her 1 hour glucose test, so tomorrow she'll be doing the 3 hour test.

All right, with all that said, I'm out of here, sleep is to be had!

NaBloPoMo Day 20 Post 17 - Run Away With Me

First up to bat......HAPPY BIRFDAY BABY BRUDDA! Twenty-Four, hurts nothing like 30, enjoy it while you can! [Sniff sniff, my widdle baby brudda is growin' up so fast, it seems like just yesterday I was picking him up at school]

Next at the plate, I'm doing this in December, you should join me! Kim Estes is actually the person that asked me to run with her, and I thought it would be very enjoyable [ok ok ok, as enjoyable as running 5k can be]!



And now the third, your word...
turkey drop: This happens when a dating couple try the long-distance relationship thing when they go off to college in September. Typically, when thanksgiving rolls around and everyone goes home for the holiday, someone gets dumped.

NaBloPoMo Day Four Post Four - Mom's Birthday

Again, little time...synopsis:

-Today, mom's birthday! Alles Gute zum Geburtstag Mutti!
-Tomorrow is her surgery.
-Tomorrow I leave for California, I return Saturday night.
-Got in a little bit of a quarrel yesterday at work, which ended up with the phrase, "I need to speak to you in a conference room"...great!
-I just got lectured...yea I know, some thug is going to beat me up and rob me of everything I have...the thought passes through my head all the time...if I could have a body guard with me at the snap of my fingers, everything would be lovely, but I don't and I can't!

I can't think of a short story for now...but I've got a small list: Reading Time Vomit; Drew and the Broken Nose; Irish Dude and the Camping Tool....etc....so stay tuned!

At least a word...phlog: Fake blog; a Web site pretending to be a blog but actually the creation of the mainstream media or professional; political operatives.

Twitter Tea

So today is going fairly well! I rode my bike into work (rather to the bus stop); I've been getting loads done; my mania is a bit less severe today; and the best part of my day so far . . . I got to join in for Twitter Tea!

So for those of you that are unaware, I am on Twitter. It's a sort of micro-blogging/status feed that a whole lot of people are doing. I have an acquaintance on Twitter that (seems to me randomly) has Twitter Tea Time! Those involved talk to each other with hash tags and @replies [both twitter things]. We post pictures of us and our tea. It's a real great time. My favorite tweet to me was this one from @FrankieP: @stephysite I'm horrified at how you have to make your #TwitterTea

My favorite pic is this one! Must be some GREAT tea Allan!


Yea, so thanks to the following people for allowing me to join in today! Can't wait to join in again! @FrankieP @jamesgallagher @DaveJ @eolai @AllanCavanagh @CormacMoylan

A quick happy birthday to Skweak!

Word...
cash and prizes: Your junk, privates, twig and berries.

The Surreal Week Is Finally Over

Friday night I had the pleasure of spending my evening with my good friend Mike. He made me dinner (tomato sauce with pasta and garlic bread per my request); and then we watched TV (some cooking shows, drinky crow, others). I also finally got to pick up my birthday present from him which is a certificate to a demo cooking show at Kitchen Conservatory.

I thank him dearly because he really went out of his way for me, and he had to deal with me in a mood he probably had not anticipated. So thanks.

Saturday night I had the pleasure of celebrating two very belated birthdays (Sharline and Eva) and one less belated birthday (James). It was hot outside, but fun none the less. I hope everyone, especially Sharline, enjoyed the evening!

Later that evening I spent some time online talking to James and going over some social media stuff, which was fun! So thanks for that James!

Sunday I had the pleasure of hanging out with Eva going to the Loop, eating at the Noodle Co., shopping around odd stores, buying a crazy CD and picking up some random gifts. We also went to Whole Foods for the first time, and that store is A-MA-ZING! I loved it!

So here it is, Sunday night, and I'm just happy the last week is over. Deaths: Farrah Fawcett, Michael Jackson, Sky Saxon, Bob Bogle, Billy Mays, beloved pooch Queens, and my Zune. I had my first real concussion (caused by my own stupidity). I purchased maps for the TomTom, UK and Ireland, so that I may geocach and find my way around! I sewed patches on my travel bag.

I see that my friend Shane has gone to Donegal for trip, I hope he has fun. Perhaps one day, when I can get around to it, we'll get to talk. I'll be sure to keep him in my prayers/thoughts.

I should head to bed now, so I'll speak/write again tomorrow. Here's to not texting when we shouldn't!

I would love to have this: Drinky Crow

Did You Remember Your Towel?

This weekend, and in general some things I found interesting . . .

1. Yesterday, Monday May 25 was Memorial Day for the US, a Bank Holiday for the UK, and Towel Day for everyone. What's that all about you ask? Read Hitchhiker's Guide and you'll know all about the need for a towel. You could also check out the following website: http://www.towelday.org/! For those of you that are unaware, some Irish fellow is commisioned to write the next installment of the Guide. I'm holding him to extremely high standards! (How does one pronounce that name, Eoin? (Owen??)an be assured I will read it and let you know my opinions!

2. LoopLoop Video, Sorry I'm Late. Watch all the way to the end to see how they made this short film. For those of us not artistically savvy, it's really cool. For those of you that may be artistically savvy, perhaps you already know how cool it is; but neat to watch anyway hopefully?

3. I went to the bookstore twice this weekend. It should be no surprise to you that I left both times with books. What did I buy? Dog On It; Bloodsucking Fiends; Broken; Ladies and Gentlemen, the Bible; Fool; 101 Things To Do With Ramen Noodles. I finished Lovely Bones and am mostly through Dog On It!

4. This week, one of my favorite comic strips, Brevity, is mixing it up.



So what is Your favorite comic?

5. My broken window was repaired on Friday; Grace was 4 on Saturday, party that morning, then we had a mellow night at Eva's; I went for a bike ride on Sunday on a winding path that was really neat (in Glen Carbon); I washed a load of towels on Monday for Towel Day, so yes, that does mean I had Monday off of work; I don't know that I ever updated anyone on any of my cool birthday presents; I watched Eagle Eye yesterday, good film, I've been waiting for the government to contact me; surprisingly enough I am in a good mood today that I can't explain (nothing great happenend, nothing bad happened, didn't sleep bad, didn't sleep great; it's very odd, I'm sure it will dwindle as the day moves along).

Words-
shank:

1. A homemade knife.
2. To stab someone with a homemade knife.

muscle queen: A gay man who pumps iron every waking moment in order to be as physically appealing to other men as possible.

totty:

1. An attractive or sexy person. Usually refers to a women, but sometimes used for men.
2. To be unsteady on one's feet, usually as a result of intoxication.

Shitty in General

Quickly bringing you up to speed:

Saturday Eva threw me a birthday party. We went bowling at Pin-Up Bowl. Then we went to her house for a bonfire. I got way too drunk to know what I was doing, but tried opening gifts. Opened an embarrassing box of sheep (thanks Rob and Brandy, it was cute, and very thoughtful), told people they could eff off (lol, it's like my new thing to do these days), dragged my brother into things he didn't want to be involved in (no wonder he doesn't really like me). I was crying because I'm old and I feel like an idiot and the anxiety I have these days is beyond overwhelming. I made myself throw up because the amount of alcohol I had in my system was too much for me to manage. Glad that is over with! I did get some really great gifts though.

Sunday morning, a knock on the door, I answer to see our neighbor Jim. He looks alarmed, proceeds to tell me that someone busted out my car window. I was so confused I just nodded and looked from him to the car several times. I dressed and looked. I lost all faith in humanity. I am angry and hateful. I slept all day Sunday since no one would help me become totally obliterated. Someone threw a fist sized rock so hard through my window that it bounced off the opposite side door panel and broke that as well. Still waiting to hear from the insurance company.

Among other things about last week, which was shitty in general (turned 30, heartbreak, I was annoyed by coworkers, had too much anxiety about the party, had jobs creep up on me causing lots of stress, wanted to cry most nights, did cry a few nights, told that our structures group is moving in the office thus loosing space, Ruben is officially out of our department, Andrew is now part time in our department) work was more stressful than I'd ever like it to be for me.

Finished reading You Suck by Christopher Moore, brilliant stuff.

Started reading The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold. 33 pages in and I'm already crying and thinking of the people I should call to tell them that I love them, just in case I should die tomorrow, today even.

. . . to Kelly if you are reading this, we both know Mike wants to keep you, and I would venture to guess you know I think we should get to keep you too, but in all seriousness, you are awesome and I haven't seen Mike this alive in many years. So even if we can't keep you (which I think we should get to) thanks. It's good to see friends happy!

. . . to Becky, dude, I am sorry for laying on your boyfriend. He's like a teddy Bear and he was laying on the couch where I wanted to be . . . sorry dude. It won't happen again; and you were looking totally cute on Saturday, don't know if I told you that or not!

. . . to my sister who so awesomely gave me a link for T-Shirts that I've been wanting to get; 80stees.com . . . I'm thinking for sure a Ghostbuster's T-shirt.

So onto today:

Read Janet's blog, and saw these posters . . . done by graphic designer Stephan Massed-Bidal. He takes odd, and old images and then pairs them with a quote. Different, which is exactly what I was looking for this morning.

Words that I have not given you:

eco porn: A corporate advertisement that extols the company's environmental record or policies, usually by a company known to rape and pillage the environment as often as possible.

prevert: A softcore pervert. Someone who is in early stages of perversion.

effed in the a: A different way of saying, "Dude, we're screwed".

Clark Kent job: Your day job that pays the bills but is not what you really want to do.

Pull From Another Blog

So today is one of those days already. I woke up at 4:30ish, tossed and turned for an hour until my alarm went off, then tossed and turned for another 45 minutes. When I finally got out of bed, the irritation just settled right into it's cozy little spot in my mind.

Why am I irritated and annoyed? I don't know. If you could do me a favor and pop into my noggin and have a little chat with my brain; please ask that question!

I have to give many thanks to everyone that wished me a happy birthday yesterday. I owe Crystal many many thanks for not only baking me cupcakes for work (a tradition I started with the structures group); but she was also the only person to give me a gift on my birthday as well! The gift thing isn't so much what I am concerned about, I didn't ask for anything. I just thought she deserves some credit for that! My mom dropped by in the evening and brought me a low-fat cheesecake and strawberries. Chris took me to dinner. Eva is of course throwing me a birthday party (like I've been saying, if you want to come and didn't get an invite, e-mail me). Shane was the first person to wish me a happy birthday on my actual birthday. The Sutter siblings sang to me. Christine and Grace both got me birthday cards that are sitting on top of my locker at work. Mike dedicated a song to me! Skweak sent me a cut out sheep party doll on myspace. I heard from all sorts of other people too!!! So thank you to everyone, it made yesterday nice, and it made turning 30 tolerable! And, yes, I know, I know, I know . . . 30 is nothing, no big deal. BUT, it's like saying good-bye to my youth. I need time to adjust.

I really wanted to have something fun to write about today, just anything more interesting that me, but I just don't have any good stories. SO, I'm going to pull from another blog, in fact two blogs.

HOK Life's John G. wrote about awards, to which he points out Contractor's Awards. Funny Funny Stuff!


Bifsniff's Frank (a fellow I suspect likes creepy things) added a clip of an old black and white cartoon that is wildly different than any hippie-fied Diego saving whales cartoon we see today!






Word of the day-

high beams: When a woman's nipples can be obviously seen through her clothing. The larger the protrusion, the brighter the beams. [E. N.: I'm embarrassed by even listing this word today]

Why Is This Wet?

Hoo-rah...hoo-rah; today is my birthday. 30 years ago around nine in the morning, I was born, dislocated hip and all! I wanted out real bad, eager to get this life going. I chose to come out before the doctor was ready to deliver and somehow managed to dislocate my hip! I would have to say that this particular action set me up for how I would manage the rest of my life; too eagerly and far too clumsy! Those of you who know me well enough are laughing. Maybe not laughing at me, but laughing at how true this all is!

Before I move on; I want to rewind back to last week. The hi-lite didn't occur until Friday evening, and frankly, it's well worth the rewind. Chris and I went to the Trowbridge's for movie night (featured presentation=Bolt (2008)). So let me cut to the chase, Grace, my 3 year old buddy was carrying around a pink flamingo doll. Christine, (a.k.a. mom) picked up pinky and felt that it was wet. "Grace, why is this pink flamingo wet?"; "because I -----". That last part so indistinguishable, we all leaned in further to hear; "what Grace, why is this wet?"; "because I peed on it"! It was beyond difficult to stifle the laughter and tears that were slipping out; a rather tense moment for a 3 year old turned my entire week into a great one!

So, fast forward to Sunday, Mother's Day; a decent day all in all. The one thing though, worth mentioning, is that some one thought I was young. Very young! I met Jen for a bike ride, and her step-mother (in-law?) was at the house. Jen introduced us and we chatted for a moment before Jen and I took off for the Katy trail. Later that day, Jen called to tell me that Step-Mom thought it was so nice of Jen to take the little neighborhood girl out for a bike ride. It wasn't until later that she noticed a car parked next to hers that she asked Steve (Jen's hubby) about it. Steve told her it was mine; her response was to ask Steve if I was old enough to drive! It was an extreme compliment! Here I am disdainfully celebrating 30, and she thought I was barely old enough to drive! In hindsight I wondered if it is because I acted immaturely . . . but I really don't care how I acted since I was polite and I enjoyed myself!

Other stuff to note: I broke my phone Friday, had to get a new one (which was going to happen this year anyway); purchased a new pair of eyeglasses (will get them in about a week); Chris planted a tomato and cucumber plant(s) in the backyard; I blogged on Friday for work; stole old photo albums from mom to scan photos for online (yes Holly, that does mean I will get you those promised photos of dad finally (albeit electronic)); last, but most unpleasant, I got bad news about my cousin Matt who had a stage two cancerous tumor in his brain (if you pray, please pray for him).

So, that leads me to here, today, my birthday (Dusty's as well). I hope your day is enjoyable.

Word of the today and the weekend-
moose knuckle: The male version of camel toe. Usually found on older rotund gentlemen wearing a suit.

pour one for my homies: To pour liquid (usually an alcoholic beverage) on the ground as a sign of reverence for friends or relatives who have passed away. In many cases, a 40-ounce bottle of liquor is used.

Buckle in Boys and Girls

I have lots to talk about today, so buckle in boys and girls!

Austin, Texas was okay. It would be like coming to St. Louis, but staying out in West County, or Collinsville, Illinois. There was little to do. Fortunately for me, Dr. Cross, my former college professor and advisor, took the same flight there and back, so I ended up having company. I doubt he will ever read this blog, but if he does, thanks again for the ride home, and just your company in general!

Coworker Rachel K., now Rachel P., got married this past weekend. So a great big congratulations to Rachel and Jeff!

Shane sent me some videos to watch, well that turned into me going through all sorts of old Raffi videos! Do you remember Raffi? I miss Raffi and haven't thought of him in years! He had the best songs, and looking back, they are still the best songs! (Also on this note Shane, that puppet thing you watched as a kid is creepy, and I remember number 1 of the code, find a safe place, and have managed to forget the rest . . . oops).

Eva got a new car, a Volvo. Yes it is true that while cruising around in the Volvo she and I appeared to be two young girls borrowing mommy's car; but damn it, that's what a midlife crisis is all about! A major plus is that it has curtain airbags along the entire interior of the car, so she and I do not have to wear helmets!

Tuesday, the next Sookie Stackhouse book comes out. This is going to be very exciting to read!

Kelly G. left another comment to my blog; I know she is reading. That is awesome, so thanks again (I really like you, I could see why some one is so overly joyed by your presence)! I know my sister, my brother Drew, and Becky randomly read, they either have told me in person or have left some comments. Thanks to you three as well. I believe Chris reads because he has said he does, and when I quiz him on it (which I am entitled to do) he knows bits and pieces. That's more than most people so a big thanks to him. I believe Amanda reads, she knows bits and pieces of stuff I have written as well, so if you are reading, a big thanks to you! Dr. Cross and I talked a bit about you, he's very happy with your progression at the Corps!

Jami bought a new semi-hollow body guitar. So, for my birthday, he gave me his old Epiphone guitar (great for learners). I am so excited, Eva took me to Guitar Center to buy some new strings, a tuner, and some books. I eyed up the acoustic guitars, because eventually, if I learn to play this guitar, I want an acoustic. Guitars are awesome. I think my love for them comes from Raffi!

Bernie King, awesome musician that he is, sent me a message (via MySpace) to say hello. Bernie, or as I know him, Crazy B., is Eva's coworker. I know she really enjoys her work and even more so, enjoys working with her business partners. I am very happy she gets to work with some one as crafty and talented as B!

Just a couple of reminders before I go: Mother's Day is Sunday. My birthday is in one week (the 11th). My party is the 16th. If you want to come and did not recieve an invitation, please e-mail me!

Words of the weekend and today-
NSFW: Acronym for "not safe for work". Used to describe Internet content not generally suitable for the typical workplace. Opposite of SFW, "suitable for work".

perma-sweater: Now shirt, no problem; because you're wearing a sweater of body hair all year-round!

Sleepy Thank You's

Yesterday was a fairly decent day. I was tired all day, not surprising since I'm not sleeping well. Yet again, I didn't sleep well, although last night wasn't about having a bad dream. My legs were agitated, leading me to confirm my belief that I have Restless Leg Syndrome. I lay down to sleep and my legs are just annoyed; so they ached, fidgeted, and kept me awake. My mind is all over the place too. I figure that eventually I will be so tired that I will just crash into the bed and sleep for 24 hours. I'm at least hoping for something like that! I really do want to sleep!

Tonight I have an eye appointment. I came into work early to leave early. I like doing this for a couple of reasons; 1) I get to save some PTO, 2) I get a lot more work done when it's this quiet around me! So I am sure you are wondering why I am blogging when I have other things I should be doing! It's a valid point, I should be working, but I AM multi-tasking. While I wait for my program to load, run an analysis, etc., I write. Thankfully I have Auto Draft Save! What appears to usually be a 15-30 minute written blog is usually over a course of a couple hours!

Anyway, so I have a few thanks and shout outs today.

I wanted to say thank you to Kelly G. for reading my blogs yesterday. Well, I don't know what, or even how many she read, but I know she at least read one blog, she left a comment. That counts, so thanks!

Thanks again to Kelly G., an accomplished English teacher, for choosing not to comment on my "run-on-sentence" style of writing!

I want to say thank you to Chris for shutting the window because the damned frogs that are breeding in the pool are loud jerks that are inconsiderate, and to think I feel compelled to save them! (Well, yea, I still feel compelled to create a loving eco-system for them in the back yard so they'll stay out of the damned pool)!

Thanks to Eva who made an awesome invitation for my birthday party...thanks for throwing me a party! Thanks for making such a cute invitation for my party! Thanks for letting me dress up in ultra-sweet 50's clothes and bowling shoes! Despite how I may act, I am looking forward to it! (If you didn't get an invite and want one, write me)!

A shout out to Sharline who is passing exams at a spectacular rate and doing well with her new job. I am very excited for you!

Thanks to Holly for responding to my blog. Glad to know you are getting through the paper stacks. Hang in there!

Thanks to Shane for playing some great tunes for me, I always appreciate it! I am very glad to see you are figuring out this blog thing even if you still have no idea what purpose it serves!

Thanks to Mike C. for ... wait, have you been nice to me at all this week? Just kidding doll! Thank you for checking out the HOK Life blog, and looking at my bio! I love writing, and getting to write for work is a lot of fun. Especially when they let me be me (read the bio)!

Thanks to Seth for saying that the short 1.6 mile bike ride from my house to the bus station is considered riding my bike to work; therefore allowing me to participate in National Bike Month!

Happy Birthday Clint!

So, for those of you reading, I hope you will at least leave a comment to let me know you read. It's nice to know who is out there and to know how you are doing! So Chris, Drew, Becky, Maureen, Eva, Sharline, Kelly G., Mike C., Holly, Skweak, Shane, Jason, Amanda, Sara, Dusty, Rancid... thanks for reading; be sure to comment or send me a message so I know what you are up to or at least let me know that you are okay! You should know by now that I am a worrier!

Word of the day-
no diggity: No doubt; for sure.

I Am Not Smelly!

My favorite smells-
First there is the smell of lavender; then there is the smell of fresh cut grass; lastly there is the smell of the bike trail on a fresh Spring day (no, not the smell of dead animal from winter whose rotting corpse is now thawed and smelling as such; but the smell of the fragrant flowers in bloom mixed with that fresh air smell). There are other smells that are wonderful such as the smell of some one familiar, puppy breath, Bella's ears, that spot on Riley right between his eyes, fresh lemonade, a limey gin and tonic, baked goods, my favorite perfumes, old books, new books, pizza, popcorn, etc. I'm sure we could all name dozens of smells we love or miss.

Why am I talking about smells? Well I smell really good today. I am not smelly! It's a combination between my hair, my body, and my perfume. I'm wearing Inis, one of my three favorite perfumes (pay close attention to that, my birthday is approaching (Ralph, Body, Inis)). I washed with lavender soap last night and I can occasionally catch a whiff of that literally soothes me to the bones. Then there is my hair. It's just the cheap shampoo that I buy, nothing fancy (recycled containers, not tested on animals), but it smells clean and wonderful when it brushes across my cheek.

But seriously, why am I talking about smells? I just didn't have anything else to talk about!

And that paragraph above about not having anything to talk about, it's a lie! You knew that, I almost always have something to say! I also should mention that I do not lie very well. I end up telling on myself (as I just did); or I look rather suspicious when I try to lie. So there you have it, I talk a lot and can rarely lie.

So about my weekend-

I posted a video in my blog at stephysite.blogspot.com. I post so many places, I don't know where else it might be. Probably YouTube (my user name is Stephysite), but I'm fairly certain that is set to private!

I went for two bike rides, one with Eva, and one alone. I've video'd both rides, but the content is shaky at best. The audio for the ride with Eva is classic! Deadly classic! I will post that when I get the chance.

I, ... I mean Chris, saved frogs from the pool, but they went right back in, so, ... eh, yea, so much for saving frogs.

I finished Sundays at Tiffany's by James Patterson. It was a very good book, I recommend it. Sweet love story.

I went to watch the Cards vs. Cubs game at the Trowbridge's house on Friday. I spent most of the time hanging out with my cool little friend Grace. We ate a lot of popcorn! We had some good conversations about her upcoming birthday party. Her birthday is May 23rd. She will be 4.

I went to a skating birthday party for my niece Grace, who just turned 5! Happy birthday Gracie! I hope she likes everything she got; it was a good party for her! Her actual birthday was April 23rd (Holly, correct me if I'm wrong).

I got a bird feeder for the back yard. I haven't seen any birds eating from it yet. I imagine they are scared off by the thought of Bella the Beast charging at them.

You should read Justin Z.'s blog. Funny stuff! Poor guy got a j-walking ticket. Obviously not enough crime in Toronto!

Side note-
A shout out to baby cousin Sara whose 21st birthday is today! Happy Birthday baby doll!!

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Words of the weekend and today-

frenemy: Friends, yet enemies. Or an enemy disguised as a friend.

NIB: "New in Box", often used for selling EBay items. Refers to being brand new and never used.

Happy Birthday Fella

How could I forget!? Today is:

Stubby's birthday!

Happy Birthday fella, sorry to make you!

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Now onto the other things I wanted to talk about but got interrupted by work!

Dream

I can barely recall what my dream was about last night, except for one clip. My dogs had red irritated skin with bites all over them; I had decided we had bed begs.

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My Sleeping Arrangements

Last night I tried to lay down in bed. I had Riley's butt resting on me, and Bella literally sitting on my shoulder. I told them to move, they would fidget and come right back. I wanted to have room, I wanted to sleep alone! I took my two pillows (one for sleeping and the other for snuggling) and went to the couch. Bella seemed to think that I was leaving her so she followed and climbed up on the couch. She couldn't curl up at my feet, she instead had to trudge her way along between me and the back of the couch where she proceeded to snore for the rest of the night! Therefore I did not sleep well. Riley was at my feet not allowing me to pull the afghan up over my shoulders. So there I was freezing, awake, and not alone on the couch. I think I'm supposed to be appreciative of this!

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25 Things

I was inspired today to write 25 things after reading Kelly's blog. Kelly wrote about 25 food things; I happen to think food is gross so I will write 25 of my favorite non-sappy lyrics to occupy my time, as this will take all day. I'm sticking to only songs on my Zune, so covers will be listed by the person on my Zune. (Give me some credit, I'm at work with headphones on, it's just what popped into my head)


1. "I don't believe in cool, I went to summer school" Creeper Lagoon, Chance of a Lifetime

2. "I'm wearing fur pajamas" Talking Heads, Wild Wild Life

3. "You're gonna make me spill my beer if you don't learn how to steer" Wilco, Passenger Side

4. "I won't tell a soul except the people in the night club where I sing" Old 97's, Designs On You

5. "You're so cool you could have put out Vietnam" Shane Macgowan, Haunted

6. "They were guzzling marshmallows and then jumping off the Empire State" Robyn Hitchcock, Balloon man

7. "The KKK took my baby away" Ramones, The KKK Took My Baby Away

8. "Everybody can do the ska, it's a new dance you can't resist" I have no idea

9. "Blame it on being a girl" Old 97's, No Baby I

10. "From the embryonic whale to the monkey with no tail" They Might Be Giants, Mammal

11. "All the times when we were close, I'll remember these things the most" The Clash, Train in Vain

12. "Just because you're better than me doesn't mean I'm lazy" Lars Frederiksen And The Bastards, To Have And To Have Not

13. "I said I like your 2tone clothes, she said I like your broken nose" Bad Manners, Skinhead Love Affiar

14. "I got embarrased and I decked the sale's clerk, stole the wig and ran like hell" Kevin Devine, Haircut

15. " I promise these last years of loving you will be the best years of them all" Mike Ness, If You Leave Before Me (okay a sappy one got in!)

16. "If you were a TV show baby you would've been cancelled" Screeching Weasel, Crying in My Beer

17. "Looks like somebody forgot about us, standing on the corner, waiting for the bus" Violent Femmes, Waiting for the Bus

18. "Mrs. Ewe and Mr. Ram, where did you get that lovely lamb?" The Specials, Stupid Marriage (I like sheep)

19. "Got a light? smoke it up, Zig Zag, Roll it up" Tim Armstrong, Take This City

20. "If I fall back down, you're gonna be my friend" Rancid, Fall Back Down

21. "The way that you sleep is the image I'll keep, always on the edge of my mind" Old 97's, Bird in a Cage

22. "Casino Queen, my lord you're mean" Wilco, Casino Queen

23. "I gotta check for nothing, all made out to someone" Old 97's, The One

24. "It is time for to realize, and try and be your little size" Madness, Taller Than You Are

25. "I walk into the bar and I put in twenty buck because I know people's taste in music sucks" Bouncing Souls, Bullying the Jukebox