When I wasn't watching, everyone's lives changed. It's not like I haven't noticed things different here or there. I just haven't taken time to look at the whole book shelf so to speak, to notice that not only have books been relocated, but some have been removed all together. Some books have been left without binding or have been ripped and torn. Some books appear to have been taped and renewed.

I don't want to talk about any one specific allegorical book per say, but I will elaborate enough to explain those I've noticed as of just this week. Maybe you can pick out which book you are! One book has simply disappeared. Another book has split in half. One book has been separated but rebound to that which makes two very nice looking books instead. At least a couple of books now have sequels. Another book isn't quite close to completion, but hey, who can rush a masterpiece? And one very exciting book ended up in TWO jails!

All of this talk of books makes me think of three things I want to say to close this up.

Currently reading the Anita Blake series and it's quite enjoyable. They might give me nightmares, but really, what doesn't?

I'm really proud of That One for doing his whole reading thing...takes a real dog to do what he does! BOL! [yes, BOL, bark out loud]

I'm going to write a book one day titled The Bastard Phlebotomist. The guy is going to think he is a poet, but in reality, he'll stick patients poorly while trying to draw blood and wiggle the needle all around until the patient is bruised and sore! The only things he'll say are "confirm you address and birth date", "son of a ...", god....[then sounds like warble warble warble]", and "okay, go now". Sounds like a great read, huh!?

Last, but not least, I want to give a shout out to Stubbs, whose birthday passed uneventfully on April 2nd. Good day Stubbs, good day!

The End of Time Apparently Did Not Have an Appointment

I waited for it yesterday, the end of time. But it never really ended. The day started, it progressed, I got sucked into work late to come home and exercise all without the end of time. I played video games, I read a book, I showered, I snuggled with the dogs, again, all without the end of time.

Call it what you will, Armageddon (an epic battle associated with the end time); the Apocalypse (the eschatological final battle of end of the world; Omnicide (human extinction as a result of human action); or Doomsday (occurrence which has an exceptionally destructive effect on the human race), I expected it all to happen yesterday.

Why? A few reasons I suppose. It just feels like it's about time (or should be). Also, I had figured my hoping for the end of time might encourage it along, frankly I'm tired and I could use the eternal sleep. Lastly, the thing that pops into my mind is social health care, but I'll stop the conversation short since I don't discuss politics.

Oh well, here we are, without the end of time. I suppose I'll make a day of it and enjoy the weather by having a picnic with the dogs.

NaBloPoMo Day 29 Post 29 - Playing With Balls

I like to decorate balls. You know, the kind that are glass and hang on Christmas trees! @ironstef came over and we glued, painted, and laughed about some balls. [What else do you think girls do when we get together??]



Here are some of my creations:





And here are my favorites modeled after my babies Riley and Bella...




@ironstef will have to comment here and leave a link or some photos of her finished ornaments!!

NaBloPoMo Day Nine Post Seven - Oops!

Okay, so by the title I would hope you could infer that I missed two posts. I would hope more so that you are one of my two readers that pay attention often enough to simply know that I missed two posts.

Anyway, I'm way off the course of topic which is "how and why I would miss blogging"! I would like to blame work, since it is after all overwhelming me these days! I cannot though. As you may know, I was off to Berkley, California for a couple of days for a volunteer meeting for SEI (Structural Engineering Institute) that I am involved in since I am the local St. Louis Chair. It's not grand. You could even go so far to say I am Chair only because I lost the election. To be true though, I enjoy it some times as I altruistically love structural engineering. Sorry, off track, I won't dwell there but will get back to my point. I returned on Saturday, my first missed blog day/post. I would have sent a short blog from my phone, but was traveling non-stop in such a manner that my phone was on airplane mode most of the day. When I did get back to St. Louis, it was late, and so I only got a chance to do anything besides move at around 10pm; at which time I crashed into bed holding on snugly to my dogs that I missed dearly. It didn't occur to me until later in the day Sunday that I'd missed a day. I had sort of made a silent vow to blog Sunday with an extra to make up for my mistake. Well, you see how that went!

None the less, the bloggity guilt has overwhelmed me...and as such I will spend an enormous amount of time today catching up! Now is the time to either really try to focus with me, or to simply scroll to the bottom for your words!

-Thursday mom had surgery. She is doing well, but in a lot of pain. Thanks for all the well wishes!

-Thursday I flew out to Oakland, took the BART to the North Berkley station where I waited for a hotel shuttle to pick me up. Turns out two of the other meeting attendees were also waiting, so I got a head start meeting people!

-Friday I went to my meeting that went well. We then took off for a boat ride around the bay to look at the old, new, and still under construction Bay Bridge. I encourage you to go check out baybridgeinfo.org. We had a great guide and an all around great trip on the bay (despite my innate fear of water, I enjoyed myself). See pictures below.

-Upon returning to the hotel (that sits in a marina) I discovered that I didn't need to go to any meetings that evening, but only to a dinner that was several hours away. I decided to take that time to go for a jog in a nearby park, Cesar Chavez Park (see below for location and pictures). While jogging I literally had to stop to catch my breath from the over powering view. At the North end of the park as one turns the corner from the East, you can see out over the bay to the mountains, to Yogi Bear Island (see a map for real Island name), to the Golden Gate and Bay bridges, and even to San Fransisco. Breath.Taking!

- I flew home on Saturday leaving some meetings early. Saturday was the 7th, my anniversary. Considering how this year has gone, it's a small miracle we've even made it to three years. I choose not to air laundry on my blog, not the place nor the time. But, it should be noted that we did have a third anniversary and I did make it home for part of it!

- Sunday was a gorgeous day that started by taking the dogs to meet Amanda and Lou in a dog park in Edwardsville. They were worn out pretty quick, thankfully! From there we took the pooches home to then headed over to Kitchen Conservatory where I bought a knife as a gift, but the best part was that it was made in Germany (not China). I also bought some Vanilla Extract Paste.

-I made a small donation here...

Donate Here!

Words...
disco nap: Sleeping when you have something going later on that you need to get ready for.
Kraft singles: Dollar bills. Derived from another slang term that refers to money as "cheese".
audible: To make an unexpected, last-minute decision. This definition is derived from its meaning in football.

Finally, The Results Are In...

Well, it's been a while since I've written, and you can all blame work for that! I've been working 12/13 hour days most days for about a month now. I've also got a lot of personal stuff going on too. I've been wanting to get around to writing some more, but just can't seem to find time. Since we hit a deadline yesterday, I'm making time to post! Here we go...

So much for polls, they only tell me what I already know!

First the results of the brownie poll. My question was, "what is the best part of the brownie", and your choices where, "corner", "middle", or "edge".
....and the winner is....

Corner

I already knew that though!

The second of polls had to do with a dog contest I was participating in and did not win. I had asked you all to help me choose a photo to submit, your choices were the following:




As you may be aware, there was a tie between Bella as a puppy and Riley with a corncob. The whole point of this poll was to help me decide but instead the poll only narrowed my options down to the two photos I had already really decided on...oh well!

The picture I chose to submit was Riley with the corncob. As I mentioned, we didn't win, *sigh*! Thanks for participating though, that was great fun, wasn't it?!

If you read my last blog, about cat pee, you might be interested to know that I've received a nickname based upon that very true and sad story! Bernie has dubbed me "la reyenita de la gata orina" which translates to "Little Queen of Cat Pee"!

Ahead now with words...and speaking of words, I heard one today that gave me a chill along my spine! Parlance...now most of us have heard the word parley...and so parlance is just a variation on that word (which means vernacular; vernacular is the term I more commonly use in lieu of parlance). Parley comes from parle which I believe is the sourced from parable (you know, the stories told to teach us stuff, like "don't cry wolf"). I of course heard the word on Twitter [where else do I socialize?] from @ibificus: "I think it's what would be called, in modern parlance, an epic fail. http://tr.im/B61y The laughing cop makes it". Did you get a chilly spine?

Okay, off to the urban words yo (I owe you many):
microvisit: The real-world equivalent of microblogging. Stopping by to talk to someone for 140 seconds or less. [Here's a funny video about this...from @That1EBD]
renob: "Boner" spelled backwards; a less derogatory way to coll someone a boner.
less than three: The literal form of <3; which is in turn supposed to represent a sideways heart (love). [I've wondered if "<3" is love; is "< B" broken hearted?? But after entering that in, I realize the compy only sees it as bold text, oh well]
lickle: To tickle by licking.
phishing: Tricking people so you can steal their personal information. Usually done over the Internet.
askusation: A question and an accusation.

A Pros and Cons List

I may not be the smartest girl, I may not always make the right choices, but I do have some principles I try to live by; for example, these days I try to avoid negatively impacting anyone's life. Now there will certainly be times that this cannot be helped. If you hit me, I will hit back; SHWAP, negative impact. If you insult me, I will sharpen my pencil and jab you back; SHWAP, negative impact. If you make me design a nasty and huge cantilever, I will get cranky; SCHWAP, negative impact.

So, now, when it comes to having children, I have to make a pros and cons list. You might think that you know me, and as such, you would believe that I'd be decent with kids. You might suspect that I would encourage them to do well in anything they desire, I could be an inspiration, I could harbor intelligent beings...I will not deny those possibilities. But, if we are going to consider possibilities, there are some others that must be thought of, as I would not want to have a bad impact on children especially. Here is part of my list...

One Hand	The Other
a.k.a. the pros	a.k.a. the cons
Having seen the humans that have reproduced, I feel compelled to provide at least one decent human being for the future. This is not arrogance, it is the reality of things	Having seen the quantity of human beings on this planet, we need no more, I have strict moral/ethic beliefs in any couple having 2 kids, one to replace each adult...seems no one follows my logic
	I think my patience would run low very quickly
	I can suffer from severe depression, I worry one day it will go too far, my children would be motherless; what if it were one of my children that found me??; what if my children thought I didn't love them; what if they thought I was weak??
I think I would be good with kids	If my depression is hereditary, I do not want to pass it along. I never, and mean fucking never want someone to suffer from this. It hurts in ways I can't explain.
Apple picking would be more fun that it already is!	Postpartum Depression...could kill myself, the child, or both.
	Screaming kids make me want to smack them, and people can't just go around smacking their kids these days!

Seems I'm stuck. People think I am a terrible person. I don't like to judge anyone else, but it seems they like to judge me. They think I'm immoral and unjust. They think my logic is flawed. They think I'm a monster. It's sad that when I speak out on my truths, I'm judged for them, thus pushing me back into my corner to hide. It makes me realize that I can't speak out. It makes my heart break, more than it's already bruised and tattered. But I guess on the good side, there is at least one person in this world that takes the consideration of children serious! Also on the good side, the dogs don't need to stress about being replaced too soon!!

I Hate Heartbreak!

Yep, I did it! I whacked my head hard enough to give myself a concussion. Little is to be said about it. I'm fine, I'm doing nothing about it as there is nothing to be done, and there is NO reason (let me emphasize this) NO REASON TO TELL MOM! Got it?

There's nothing more to say about it, so I'll move on to other subjects. My friends, The Trowbridges (Will, Christine, and Grace) are having their canine friend put to sleep today as poor Queens health is in a dire state. She has cancer that is making breathing very labored. The vet said it's really a matter of days until she goes on her on, and it will be painful. It's the right choice. It's sad. I hate heartbreak!

Well, that's really all I have today. Later maybe.

Word-
grow a pair: To gather one's courage and do what needs to be done. Sometimes used as a call to action. Often used as an insult.

Cynicism Shined Through

Friday, Friday, Friday . . . oh how I love thee!

Went to the game last night (with the Sutter clan), the last against the Cubs series . . . and it was a glorious sweep! We had bleacher seats, and they were awesome! On a side note, I better see my hat again . . . in ONE piece and alive!

My cynicism shined through as I tried to convince Emily to stay away from the nice boy who is way too nice for his own good. My argument is that the nice guy is just a front. Everybody is mean . . . so I'd rather know your degree of meanness when I meet you up front rather than have you break my heart later. See, the nice guy is the lure, and eventually the nice guy will have you chained to the basement wall. Stop rolling your eyes at me! If you think about it, you know it's true!

I rode my bike into work today so I could go to lunch with others to the Crown Candy Kitchen! This is going to be so fun! Yippee Skippee!

Now . . . I have something very exciting to show you. If you know me at all, you will know that my favorite architect (despite his poor ability to provide quality construction) is Frank Lloyd Wright. One of my favorite toys are Legos (click here for cool Lego dude). So what could be better than FLLW Legos?



Sweetness pours over me! Okay, seriously, keep your head out of the gutter please!

Now, to Drew and Becky, THANK YOU for being awesome peoples that also use made up wordifiles. I had started to wonder if I was the only person to have a unique vocabulary. It's not that I like to brag or anything, but this obviously means we are quite brilliant!

To Chris, THANK YOU for finding me cheap junk yard glass for my car! And thank for saying you will put my car back together. You don't have to do that. But I'm not going to turn down the help either! I'll get you a check when I get home. We need to remember to go to the bank so I can put my ASCE reimbursement check in there this weekend!

To Jeremy, THANK YOU for the recommendation for T-Shirts @ T-shirthell.com. Deadly stuff . . . wrong and deadly stuff!

To Amanda, I believe I have thought of a solution to your problem of having too much on your plate . . . either A) get a bigger plate (but the not the ideal solution) OR B) find another plate to shove some of your "food" onto (seems enough people are doing it to you) OR C) Get that dog Emily wants and shove some of the "food" onto the floor, most dogs will eat anything!

. . . this brilliant mind needs to get to work, so onward I shall go . . .

Word-
purse out: To not do something because of a girly reason, to wuss out. Generally used from one male to another.

Cupcakes!

I have always suggested to my readers (all three of you), that if you see a website or blog I should check out, send it my way! I love to browse through the Internets to see who and what is out there. So, yesterday, someone actually suggested a site! Thank you Becky! [Becky has saved my faith in humanity (or at least readers)]

Cupcakes! Yes, it is that simple. She commented on my blog and left the website http://cupcakestakethecake.blogspot.com/, that prompted me to check it out. It was cute! I am always amazed at the ability of others. These edible delights are gorgeous. My favorite picture though, is the one with the doggy!

This picture is not mine, but I love it

So other than that, it's been quiet. Not too many people blogging. So, get to it so I have something to look at today! Later readers!

Word of the day-
nuts and a half: Something very extraordinary, mind-blowing, interesting, extreme, and often death-defying or someone willing to do something dangerous.

[POST SCRIPT-I want this book]

Dog Friendly Eco Store!

Me again, with little to say. I did however want to encourage those of you in the St. Louis area to check out the following store:

Home Eco
4611 Macklind Avenue
St. Louis, MO 63109
314-351-2000

www.home-eco.com

Open Tuesday-Saturday.

It is a store full of sustainable, renewable, and recycled goods. Very good place. Toothpaste, razors, composters, flooring, clothing, etc! I highly recommend it, and the owners were very nice! Also they are dog friendly, so you can take your pooch in with you!

Word of the day-
GGG: Acronym for "good, giving, and game".
In use: I didn't think my wife would be up for that, but she was GGG.

Happy Birthday Fella

How could I forget!? Today is:

Stubby's birthday!

Happy Birthday fella, sorry to make you!

........
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.

........
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!

........
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

It's a nice day out ...

I'm sitting inside, staring at the computer with much to vent about but no ability to do so at the moment. There is a time for venting at work and then there is a time for venting at home. This is a home moment.

It's a beautiful day out and I should enjoy the weather, but the moment I go outside, it's over; motivation is gone and the desire to be outside overwhelms me. I have to avoid the temptation, sort of like avoiding a giant slice of chocolate cheesecake with caramel!

I can say on a totally different note though, that the earthquakes we recently had (still having) at least made this a good month. Month=April. 'Twas my first earthquake of any significance. I don't use joyous to sound negative, rather scientific, but this was a joyous occasion. If you ever want to talk earthquakes, ring me up, I will chat until you are sick!

It's not that I have ADD or anything, but I need to change the subject a couple more times, so here is a new topic: I was reading my friend's (Mike) blog and he writes so well, it makes me jealous that I can not only write that poetically, but that I can't release emotion or feelings in such a way. If something doesn't spew as out mathematical or logical, there is no point. That can be so frustrating.

Again new topic: I made dog shampoo yesterday, with vinegar, water, dish soap, and glycerin. The dogs do not smell like wet dogs, or like vinegar! It's so cool! Really dude, try it, 1 pint of everything except glycerin, you only need 4 oz or that stuff. I also added some drops of lavender oil to my mix, and it smells awesome. I love lavender, my favorite smell!

Vegas is fun. I miss the dogs. The air is dry. Badger was up $800, then lost it all playing slots. I'm just down, cause I shop.

Even Longer Weekend

This past weekend was even longer than the one before. My dogs are healing well from their surgeries. Riley's eyes are looking beautiful, and Bella acts as though nothing has changed.

Chris had lithotripsy done on Friday, and is feeling much better. He went to work today, so he is Iza's problem now. LOL, I mean that lovingly!

Now that this is over, we have S's surgery today, and E's tomorrow. I have my exam in two weeks and after that I will be close to the top of the hill whose valley I have fallen into! Momentary lapses of Zen deep breathing will float me to the top!