Happy Feet

This year for Halloween I had great intentions of dressing up as Carrie from the movie Carrie. Late last week I was informed that dressing up as Carrie was not “work appropriate” so I had to scramble for another costume.
Thank God that Funny Girl has a great collection of costumes. She has two boxes full of costumes that she keeps for her Improv work.
I have been getting a lot of giggles and smiles today because I have been walking around singing a song that goes along with my costume.





I'm Chilly Willy the penguin...... Cause I'm chilly, chilly, willy all the time.....

Actually the costume is ridiculously hot so I had to take it off for a while. I will make sure that I am in full Penguin mode when I go to D's school for the party.

My Literary Loves

I was tagged by minijonb regarding books that I have read. I am a voracious reader so I hope you like my list.

1) One book that changed your life: You Were Smaller Than a Dot ~ by Glen Giffin. ~ This was my mother’s version of sex education.

2) One book that you'd read more than once: Clan of The Cave Bear by Jean M Auel ~ This was the first grown up book that I read.

3) One book you'd want on a deserted island: War & Peace by Leo Tolsty ~ I figure that if I can’t read it then I won’t ever be able to read it. Could also be decent for kindling.
If it could be a complete series than I would take the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan.

4) One book that made you laugh: Velvet Elvis by Rob Bell.

5) One book that made you cry: My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult ~ Very controversial book about genetic planning and having babies for health purposes.

6) One book you wish you'd written: Any Harry Potter book by J.K. Rowling ~ I would love to write something that instills a passion of reading in children.

7) One book you wish had never been written: The Diary of Anne Frank by Anne Frank ~ I wish that it had never happened at all.

8) One book you're currently reading: In Too Deep by Cherry Adair ~ caught me reading one of my fluff novels.

9) One book you've been meaning to read: Into The Storm by Suzanne Brockmann ~ I have had it on order from the library since the beginning of September.

Morning Conversations

Wednesday morning I was sitting at the coffee table putting on my makeup while D was eating his breakfast and watching the Today Show together.
Out of the blue D turns to me and says:

D: Mom, do you want to have any more babies?
Me: Why, do you want me to have a baby?
D: Yeah, I think it would be cool.
Me: Well, I won't have another baby unless I am married.

About a minute passes by....

D: I know who you could marry.
Me: Really? Who would that be?
D: You could marry MiniJonB.

What? Where did this come from? After a couple of seconds I was able to respond.

Me: MiniJonB and I are just friends. There has to be a lot more to a relationship before you get married. Trust, respect, attraction......

The conversation continued for about another minute and then he dropped the subject. D is realizing that I am alone and he is at the point where he wants me to be with someone. All he knows is me being single. I haven't been in a serious relationship since I was with his father and we broke up before he was a year old.
It's about darn time someone starts matchmaking for me. Even if it is my own kid. LOL

Hump Day Hottie

This weeks Hump Day Hottie was born and raised in England to Indian parents.
Her name means supreme goddess, princess of snakes.
At the age of 7 she suffered a burn scar that was shown in her 2002 breakout roll in “Bend It Like Beckham”.
Played opposite Kiera Knightly as Jesmider Bhamra, a teenage Sikh soccer player who idolizes David Beckham and defies her traditional parents to pursue her dreams of playing soccer.
Has also appeared in “Ella Enchanted”
Joined the cast of the TV show “ER” in 2003 playing Neela Rasgotra. This was the first recurring Indian doctor role on American Television.
She has received the Golden Wave Award and the Bordeaux International Festival of Women in Cinema for “best actress”., the Movieline Young Hollywood Award for “Best Breakthrough Performance”. She was also nominated for a Teen Choice Award and a 2006 Asian Excellence Award.
In 2004 she received the honor of being a torch bearer as the Olympic torch passed through London on it’s way to the games in Athens.



This weeks Hump Day Hottie is ~








Parminder Nagra

Weekend Witticisms

Do you ever have a weekend where the entertainment is provided for you free of charge? That was how my weekend went.
D has a unique personality. He loves to tell jokes and has been making up some on his own. He also has the memory of an elephant and remembers things from when he was 3 years old. At odd times D will bring up something that we did years ago and I am amazed at how much he remembers it.

This weekend Funny Girl came over to put together my book case (I put together my bathroom shelf) because I am not the most talented person when it comes to putting things together. She was sitting on the living room floor putting it together. We were watching something on TV (which D wasn't even watching) and the girl on there had been raped and was moaning. D turns to me and asks "Mom, is that lady on TV in heat?" Earlier this year our cat, Ashen was in heat having to explain that to D was an experience that I don't want to repeat any time soon.

In the world of always uncomfortable conversations he then wanted to know what being raped was. I used my always trusty excuse "I will tell you when you are 10." I don't want him to become jaded too soon.

On a lighter note, D has been writing his own jokes lately. Interspersed with the usual kid jokes comes one I have never heard before. Once in a while they are pretty good, especially for an 8 year old. This is the newest one.

D: Mom, What's the opposite of a summersault?
Me: Uhhhhh a Spring roll?
D: *Rolling his eyes* No Mom, a summer pepper.

Good times, Good times.

Wax On Wax Off

In the always fascinating, sometimes disturbing world of hygiene there is a practice that goes on all over the world.
Some would say that it is barbaric while others embrace the pain solely for aesthetic reasons.
There are varying degrees of this practice. The practice is modification of pubic hair.
Some choose not to modify their pubic hair and instead leave it all natural with no modification at all. Then there is trimming where hair length is shortened but not removed or shaped.
The Triangle, Landing Strip (long, centered, vertical rectangle with hair approx ¼ inch long), Brazilian G-wax (pubic hair completely removed except for a remnant, centered, narrow stripe above the vulva approximately an inch in size) and the full Brazilian (completely bare)
One of my former neighbors and his brother (who would talk about all things sexual without any embarrassment) used to say “It’s a garden. Let it grow” making it very clear that they both preferred the natural style.
I have been quietly and discreetly inquiring about this and I have received answers that run the gamut from both men and women.
One man said “Less is more” but very few men were comfortable answering my question.
Women were a bit more forthcoming. One shaved it all off and went into detail on how she maintains it without waxing. Another shaved most off except for a small patch on her mons.
For me personally, I have tried shaving it all off, using Nair, trimming, landing strip etc. I have shied away from waxing as it seems really, really painful. I really want to try the full Brazilian but the thought of going in and having it done makes me cringe.
Here is my question:
If you are a man, what kind of maintenance do you prefer? Be honest. I seriously want to know. Also, please let me know if you “manscape” and how much.
If you are a woman, what kind of maintenance do you prefer and what method do you use? Waxing, shaving, hair removal creams etc. How much do you spend to maintain your style?
If you are married, did your maintenance change in any way? Style, frequency etc.

If you want to answer anonymously, I completely understand.
Inquiring minds want to know.

Hump Day Hottie

This weeks Hump Day Hottie grew up in Norfolk, Nebraska and performed magic tricks as the Great Carsoni at the age of 14.
Served in the Navy from 1943 to 1946
Hosted an early morning TV show called “The Squirrel’s Nest”
Had a sketch comedy show from 1951 to 1953 until Red Skelton hired him as a writer.
In 1954 Skelton knocked himself unconscious just one hour before the live show went on the air. This weeks hottie filled in for him.
He hosted the game show “Earn Your Vacation” and had a 5 year stint on “Who Do You Trust” during which he met his long-time sidekick. He was also a regular panelist on the first version of “To Tell The Truth”.
He took over a very popular evening talk show in 1962 and watching his show at the end of the evening became a ritual, and in part because of his quick wit and natural charm he became a well-know entertainer loved by many.
His trademark was a phantom golf swing at the end of his monologue, aimed at stage left where the band was.
The show was the launching pad for many talented performers, notably comedians. Many got their "big break" by appearing on the show, and it was considered the crowning achievement to not only get him to laugh out loud, but also to be called over to the guest chair.
He was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 1987. He won 6 Emmy Awards and a George Foster Peabody Award. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1992 and the Kennedy Center Honors in 1993.
Ke retired from show business in 1992 and was rarely interviewed.
He did make occasional cameo appearances and voiced himself on an episode of “The Simpsons (Krusty Gets Cancelled)”.
This hottie died in January of 2005 but will always be a hottie to me.


As Ed McMahon always said ~ "Heeeeeere's Johnny!"








This weeks Hump Day Hottie is ~ Johnny Carson

Weekend Tornado

This weekend was a whirlwind of activity and I am still trying to recover.
Friday night I went to the movies and out to dinner with Funny Girl and MiniJonB.
We watched Man Of The Year with Robin Williams. It was a decent movie. It seemed to be a movie that could have lasted 30 minutes that they stretched into an hour and a half. After the movie we went to Red Robin and MiniJonB and I shared some chicken fajitas.

On Saturday I worked until 6:00 and then drove home to prepare for my guests. Funny Girl picked up some pizzas from Papa Murphy’s so that we could have hot pizza whenever we wanted. MiniJonB wasn’t feeling well so he didn’t come but we still had a great time.

We started out with Trivial Pursuit 90’s Edition and finished with a card game called Mau. If you have ever played it you know how fun it is. If you have never played it you are missing out.

Sunday I celebrated my birthday with my closest friends. We went for a train ride called the Pumpkin Train. I thought that it would end at a pumpkin patch and that we would get to pick a pumpkin and then go back. It was actually just a train ride and although it was more geared towards children it was still a lot of fun. Dolly got a bit train car sick but at least she didn’t lose it.

After the train ride we went to Sam’s Joint (a West Michigan restaurant chain that is pretty unique) and had dinner and then I got to open my gifts.
I was really pleased with what I received. I got all new stuff to redo my main bathroom (shower curtain, bath mat, towels, storage shelf that goes over the toilet, the toothbrush holder, soap dispenser and matching cup). The color was perfect. I will be re-painting my bathroom a celery green color. I also received the Satsuma body wash that I love.

On Monday I went to work and some co-workers got me a couple of cards, some lotion and earrings. They also brought home-made cake and oatmeal raisin cookies. We were starting a weight loss contest the same day but I told my team leader that I refused to start until Tuesday. No one should have to start a diet on their birthday. I did have to weigh myself on my birthday though. That sucked.

After work I ran to the library while Funny Girl took D shopping for my birthday gift. We met at my current favorite restaurant called Monterey Grille and had dinner and dessert. D got me a beautiful jewelry box that I really did need since I didn’t really have anyplace to put my earrings and necklaces other than a shoe shaped glass container on my bathroom counter.

Now the festivities are over and I am hungry and tired. All I have eaten today is a granola bar, a Yoplait and 2 crackers. I am not letting myself drink a Diet Pepsi until I finish my first big glass of water. Sigh.

From joy to torture in less than 24 hours.

Everyone All Sing Together Now!

Happy Birthday To Meeeee!!!!!

Busy Busy Busy

Just a few random things today.
Tonight I am going to see the new movie Man Of The Year starring Robin Williams. It has been a while since I have wanted to see one of his movies. I love his humor and I laugh out loud regularly when I see him on a talk show or during an interview.
Lately his movies haven’t looked very good but this one looks like it is going to be extremely enjoyable.
I enjoy going to the movies with my friends. Last Friday I saw The Departed with Funny Girl, Dolly and Minijonb. That was a fantastic movie. It had a completely different story line but it gave me feelings reminiscent of Pulp Fiction. Minijonb and Funny Girl said that it reminded them of Reservoir Dogs. I haven’t seen that movie so I have to take their word for it. I am hoping that we can all go together again tonight but I am not sure if everyone can make it.

Saturday I have to work and then a bunch of people are coming over for another game night. I think that I am going to buy that new Cranium game Pop 5. It looks like a lot of fun and we have a great time. I still have to clean my house a bit and figure out what snack to provide so I am pretty sure I will be up quite late tonight.

Sunday is when I am celebrating my birthday with my friends. I have no idea where we are going but no matter what we are doing I am going to have a blast if for no other reason than I will be with my best friends. I do miss celebrating with my friend Jade but since she is in Seattle I doubt that will happen any time soon.
By the time Monday comes around I might be so worn out I won’t want to celebrate my birthday on it’s actual day.

D will be with his dad this weekend so Monday will be the day that I celebrate with him. Funny Girl is going to take him shopping for my birthday. He loves to buy gifts for birthdays and holidays and Funny Girl is awesome and directing him towards things that people would like rather than things that he likes.

Anyone else have any exciting plans this weekend?

I Have Been Meme'd - Three Things

Tara from e.clec.tic spaghetti meme'd me so here we go:

3 Smells I love:
Fresh Cut Grass
Coconut oil
Clean Laundry

3 Smells I hate:
Eau de Kitty Litter
Wet Overflowing Ashtrays
Full Trash Cans On A Hot Day

3 Jobs that I have had in my life:
Cook at Dairy Queen
Insurance Agent
Customer Service for an ISP.

3 Movies that I could watch over and over:
Independence Day
Love, Actually
Pulp Fiction

3 Fond memories:
My first kiss at Knott’s Berry Farm
Inventing the game “Blow Pucky” with Funny Girl
When D (as a 2 year old) said “Mommy, that is unasseptable behavior. I know I spelled it wrong but that is how he said it.

3 Jobs I would love to have:
Sleep Study participant
Couples counselor
Advice columnist

3 Places that I have lived:
Spanaway, WA
Hoquiam, WA
West Michigan

3 Things I like to do:
Read
Hang out with friends
Buy new shoes

3 Of my favorite foods:
Cap’n Cruch Peanut Butter cereal
Grilled chicken with A-1 steak sauce
Taquitos

3 Places I would like to be right now:
Wherever we are going to celebrate my birthday (it is a surprise)
In bed
Getting a full body massage

3 Websites that I visit daily:
MSNBC.com
Bank
Blogger

3 Things that make me cry:
D when he is upset
Sappy movies
Something happening to my family

3 Friends that I am tagging: (The new chosen ones!)
Funny Girl
Reformatting My Brain
Freckle Face Girl

Hump Day Hottie

This fine speciman of a man was born September 25, 1968 and was raised in Pliladelphia, PA.
Has been nominated for an Acadamy Award.
Is a multiple Grammy winning hip hop artist and is funny as hell.
He is one of the small group of people who have achieved huge success in all the three major entertainment genre's in the US. Film, Television and the music Industry.
He refused a scholarship to MIT to pursue a career as an MC.
He started out performing humourous, radio friendly songs and won the first ever Grammy in the rap category in 1988.
He broke into the TV industry with a sit-com that was based around his life.
His first film he played a gay con man but refused to kiss any other men during the filming of the movie which he says is one of his professional regrets.
The last movie that he starred in garnerered him a 20 million dollar paycheck.
He is a FINE specimen of a man and his laugh and sense of humor make me smile.
Too bad he is already "Hitch"ed to Jada Pinkett Smith.






This weeks Hump Day Hottie is ~ Will Smith

Gearing Up For The Big Day

October has two of my very favorite holidays. The first being my birthday. I will be 33 next week. I know that my friends have plans for that day but I don't know what they are. I like to be surprised so I told them not to tell me what the plans are.
But that holiday isn't the one that I am referring to today. What I want to talk about is Halloween.
I grew up in a relatively small town of about 15,000 people. We would always have the halloween party at school, dress up and tromp our way through the school showing off our fantastic costumes. Then we would go next door to the nursing home in a noisy colorful display for the residents. (Sidenote: Why do almost all nursing homes smell like urine?)
Then the ghosts, goblins, super-heroes and princesses would take over the town running from house to house to get our candy treats.
I still love this holiday and am lucky that I work for a company that allows us to dress up for that day.
Last year I came as this:


Mimi Bobeck from The Drew Carey Show

This year I am dressing up as:




Carrie (horror movie)

Do you enjoy the halloween celebrations? Are you dressing up? What are you dressing up as?
If you could dress up as anything, what would it be?

What Moves You?

I am what people term as a softie. I tend to feel certain things very strongly. I can cry at the drop of a hat just by the feelings that a random event evokes in me. A description of an event or a photo that for some reason just speaks to me. A song on the radio that hits a certain chord when I hear it.

When I was 17 I went with my mother and her soon to be husband to BYU Education Week. I didn't really want to go but they asked me to go as a chaperone. My mother is very strong in her belief that you should wait until marriage and didn't want there to be too much temptation.

While I was there I attended a seminar. To be honest I can't remember what the talk was about. The thing that I do remember was when the speaker's daughter sang a song called "His Hands" while photos flashed on an overhead screen.

Some of the lyrics to the song are:

His Hands tools of creation
Stronger than nations
Power without end
And yet through them
We find our truest Friend

His Hands
Sermons of kindness
Healing men's blindness
Halting years of pain
Children waiting
To be held again

His Hand would serve His whole life though
Showing man what hands might do
Giving, ever giving endlessly
Each day was filled with selflessness
And I'll not rest
Til I make my hands what they could be
I will make my hands like those from Galilee

His Hands warming a beggar
Lifting a leper
Calling back the dead
Breaking bread
Five thousand fed

His hands
Hushing contention
Pointing to Heaven
Ever free of sin
Then bidding man to follow Him

They take His hands
His mighty hands
Those gentle hands
And then they pierce them
They pierce them
He lets them because of love

From birth to death
Was selflessness
And clearly now
I see Him with His hands
Calling to me

And though I'm not yet
As I should be
I know now
How I could be
I will make my hands
Like those from Galilee


The very last photo of the slide show make me break down in tears. It was a photo that I had never seen before and spent over the next 10 years looking for. The look on Christ's face and he is welcoming someone home is full of love but tinged with a desperation that to me is reminescent of a parent welcoming home a wayward child.



I don't really know why the death of an aquaintance doesn't make me cry but a photo and a song brings tears to my eyes on a regular basis.

What moves you? What brings tears to your eyes?

I Heart Trolls

I love internet trolls. If mine actually had anything intelligent to say I wouldn't mind, but I am tired of dealing with childish insults. Anyone know how to block an IP address? This is my internet trolls IP.
adsl-072-156-229-002.sip.mco.bellsouth.net
Anon1 (as he likes to refer to himself as) hails from Atlanta, GA and apparently "liked" what I had to say so much that he followed me here from White Dade's blog.
I know now that I am truly, truly loved.

A Sure Fire Way To Piss Me Off

I was at work today having a great discussion with some co-workers. We were discussing politics, abortion and homosexuality, specifically gay marriage.
One person was very adamant that all are black and white issues and I and another co-worker were insisting that there are shades of grey in every part of life including all of these issues.
We had finished the conversation and a while later we each got called into our supervisor’s office and were informed that our conversation had “offended” a co-worker and that we needed to cool it.
Excuse me? When did someone who wasn’t involved in a conversation and was basically eavesdropping have to right to complain about our private conversation?
If someone doesn’t agree with what I have to say, I have no problem with that. But instead of running to a supervisor and whining, say it to my face.
I promise I won’t attack you; physically or verbally. If you feel strongly enough that something that I am doing is inappropriate, grow some cajones and tell me.
I hate whining tattle tales.

Hump Day Hottie

This weeks hump day hottie is a bit of a departure from the other ones. Most people will not know who this person is, but if you do, you will understand why I chose him.
This person is one of the most genuinely nice people that I know. He absolutely loves indie music and has over 2000 cd's in his collection.
This person has gotten the art of taking blurry pictures down to a science.
He has a snarky, sarcastic sense of humor that never fails to make me laugh.
He actually calls when he says that he will and is a ton of fun to spend time with.
He will sing "Turning Japanese" at karaoke even though he knows that it is a euphamism for something dirty. (hehe)
This person has lots of great friends on the blogosphere and in real life and I am honored and blessed to be one of them.
Right now this person is dealing with a lot of changes in his personal life and has a really important (and stressful) meeting today. In spite of that he always has a smile ready for me when I see him and doesn't roll his eyes too much when I try and cheer him up on a bad day.







MiniJonB ~ you are this weeks Hump Day Hottie.

Death is Inevitable

Do you ever have those moments where you wonder why you aren’t feeling more than you are? Am I jaded? Emotionally dead? Do I just not really care about anyone other than myself?
We got some really sad news at work yesterday. Someone that most everyone who works here knows died over the weekend. Unsubstantiated rumor has it that he had a heart attack some time over the weekend. When he didn’t show up for work we called his ex-wife and she found him on the floor of his apartment. It was a shock for a lot of people.
“Jay” worked in Training & Development and since most of the company had to have some kind of company specific training just about everyone knew who he was.
Jay has worked here for years. He did 2 weeks of my training when I started almost 7 years ago.
Jay doesn’t work in my department. He doesn’t even work in the same building but because he works so closely with many different areas of the company people felt that they knew him.
When we got the news that he had died unexpectedly there was a collective gasp heard around the office. I commiserated with a few people about how sad it was, notified some former co-workers and then went right back to work.
I didn’t obsess about the news. I didn’t start to cry like some other people did. There were a couple of women that broke down and had to leave the area to collect themselves. It made me actually start to wonder if they were really as upset as they seemed to be or if they were just doing it to get out of work for a while. Then I would lambaste myself about how mean spirited I was being.
A couple of weeks ago we got an email about a woman in the company that works in a different state but their management and ours is the same so we hear about the happenings over there. Apparently this woman was on the phone with a client and dropped dead. Just like that. She was gone before anyone could do anything for her.
I didn’t know her but again I thought it was sad and kept on with my day.
I don’t know how I would react if someone at work that I was friendly on a regular basis with died. Would I react the same or break down? I honestly don’t know.
I am a pretty sensitive person in my personal life, but I guess that I just don’t let it really carry over to work. Does that make me cold hearted?

"Hi. My Name Is Rachel And I Am An Addict"

I have an addiction. Yes, I admit it. I am completely and utterly addicted to a substance that many would consider to be bad for you. Something that can actually be construed as a poison. In 1995 the FDA did a study of this substance and the following side effects were listed as occurring to at least 1% of respondents.

Headache
Dizziness
Change in mood
Vomiting & Nausea
Abdominal Pains & Cramps
Change in vision
Diarrhea
Seizures & Convulsions
Memory Loss
Fatigue, Weakness
Rash
Sleep problems
Hives
Change in heart rate
Numbness, Tingling
Swelling
Change in activity level
Oral Sensory changes
Change in menstrual pattern

What is this horrible addiction? What is so bad for me that I know that I shouldn’t consume it but that I love so much that I do anyway?
My addiction is Diet Pepsi. I am so addicted that if I have to go more than one day without my Diet Pepsi I am like a heroin junkie trying to find a fix. I will get a massive headache and be more irritable than a trainer dealing with a flatulent elephant.
I shop all of the ads to try and find the best deal for Diet Pepsi. Unless it is an emergency I won’t spend more than $2.99 for a 12 pack. Oddly enough, K-Mart usually has the best price.
Don’t give me Coke or *gasp* Diet Coke (uber nasty). I refuse to consume generic diet cola. I would rather drink water, juice or another flavored soda. I refuse to consume alternative flavors of Diet Pepsi. Leave out the vanilla, cherry, lime or horror of all horrors the new Jazz flavor. I am either a purist or a snob. Take your pick.
While other people have group meetings for addiction to porn, gambling, alcohol and drugs there aren’t really any alternatives for quitting drinking aspartame except to stop cold turkey.
Until it is outlawed as an illegal substance I will happily continue with my addiction.