The Friendly Neighborhood Blogger would like to wish everyone and their families a very Happy Thanksgiving!
Remember to take time out this busy time of year, to give a little extra (in any way you choose) to those who need it.
Cheers!
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Blue Plate Special
The Friendly Neighborhood Blogger would like to wish everyone and their families a very Happy Thanksgiving!
Remember to take time out this busy time of year, to give a little extra (in any way you choose) to those who need it.
Cheers!
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Wrinkled - What is:
1. The shirt I'm wearing was earlier, but the wrinkles fell out.
2. My dog is on her face, she's a pug.
3. My hair is from the damp air, okay so it's more wavy than wrinkled.
4. Tiny lines around my face, a little.
5. The newspaper in my office lunchroom, from yesterday.
2. My dog is on her face, she's a pug.
3. My hair is from the damp air, okay so it's more wavy than wrinkled.
4. Tiny lines around my face, a little.
5. The newspaper in my office lunchroom, from yesterday.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Reading material
So it's November 20th and I have only blogged half of that time.
And that's not bad for me. It's not as much as I'd hoped, but still it's not bad.
My co-worker got me started on the Stephanie Plum series of books by Janet Evanovich. And I like them!!!!
Dammit.
If you're looking for something fast-paced, witty and semi-crime, semi-spy -- this is the stuff for you.
I'm far too lazy to post a link, just GOOGLE Stephanie Plum or Janet Evanovich and you'll find it.
For Pete's sake...you think I can post a link when I can only NaBloPoMo blog half the time?
And that's not bad for me. It's not as much as I'd hoped, but still it's not bad.
My co-worker got me started on the Stephanie Plum series of books by Janet Evanovich. And I like them!!!!
Dammit.
If you're looking for something fast-paced, witty and semi-crime, semi-spy -- this is the stuff for you.
I'm far too lazy to post a link, just GOOGLE Stephanie Plum or Janet Evanovich and you'll find it.
For Pete's sake...you think I can post a link when I can only NaBloPoMo blog half the time?
Friday, November 14, 2008
Flip my wig
I've been waiting a long time to get my hair cut.
Normally, that's no big deal. My hair is an enigma and plain just does whatever the hell it wants to do despite the GREAT pains and effort I take to coif it nicely.
This summer, I realized that I am VERY, VERY lazy when it comes to trying new ways to wear my hair. The laziness is directly related to the abovementioned issue and I had my hair-stylist give me a modified Victoria Beckham/Rihanna bob. I didn't want to go WAAAAYYYYY up the head in the back, just enough to give it a slight stack and I wanted the sides to be longer, but not tooooo long.
So anyway, my stylist did the job....a little too well and it ended up shorter than I had hoped for. So I let it grow for awhile and then when the shagginess became too much to deal with, I called my stylist for an appointment.
She was just getting ready to go on vacation for 2 and a half weeks and would get me in when she returned.
She has returned and I go in tomorrow and WWWWHHHEEEEEEEE! I'm not going to let her talk while she's cutting my hair because I think there is a direct correlation between the amount she talks and the amount she cuts.
I'll let you know what happens.
Normally, that's no big deal. My hair is an enigma and plain just does whatever the hell it wants to do despite the GREAT pains and effort I take to coif it nicely.
This summer, I realized that I am VERY, VERY lazy when it comes to trying new ways to wear my hair. The laziness is directly related to the abovementioned issue and I had my hair-stylist give me a modified Victoria Beckham/Rihanna bob. I didn't want to go WAAAAYYYYY up the head in the back, just enough to give it a slight stack and I wanted the sides to be longer, but not tooooo long.
So anyway, my stylist did the job....a little too well and it ended up shorter than I had hoped for. So I let it grow for awhile and then when the shagginess became too much to deal with, I called my stylist for an appointment.
She was just getting ready to go on vacation for 2 and a half weeks and would get me in when she returned.
She has returned and I go in tomorrow and WWWWHHHEEEEEEEE! I'm not going to let her talk while she's cutting my hair because I think there is a direct correlation between the amount she talks and the amount she cuts.
I'll let you know what happens.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Christmas spirit
I've been researching HEAVILY craft ideas for Christmas. My personal budget was in a crisis waaaayyyyy before the country's and I've had to come to terms with taking the "easy way" (read: store bought) out of gift giving this year.
In a way, I don't really mind because there's this part of me that truly adores making things and watching the look on people's faces when they realize that they've received something that you've really put time and effort in.
On the other hand, the things that I have decided to make, first of all because I can afford to do it and secondly, because I have enough patience and skill to do it are also going to be things I would want to keep for ME!
But I know, it's not very GIVING and it's not what Christmas is about and I will certainly get over the need to covet and hoard for myself.
Do you think ol' St. Nick ever had that problem?
In a way, I don't really mind because there's this part of me that truly adores making things and watching the look on people's faces when they realize that they've received something that you've really put time and effort in.
On the other hand, the things that I have decided to make, first of all because I can afford to do it and secondly, because I have enough patience and skill to do it are also going to be things I would want to keep for ME!
But I know, it's not very GIVING and it's not what Christmas is about and I will certainly get over the need to covet and hoard for myself.
Do you think ol' St. Nick ever had that problem?
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Monday, November 10, 2008
Too old to stay up late
I really try to stay up late. At least on Fridays and Saturdays.
Hoodie went to a football game Friday night and by 10 pm, hadn't called yet. At 10:15, I texted him and asked how much longer the game would be. People, I had fallen asleep on the couch at 8:00! Full on snoring and everything.
I just can't keep my peepers open no matter how hard I try.
Watch Dexter try to stay up long enough too:
Hoodie went to a football game Friday night and by 10 pm, hadn't called yet. At 10:15, I texted him and asked how much longer the game would be. People, I had fallen asleep on the couch at 8:00! Full on snoring and everything.
I just can't keep my peepers open no matter how hard I try.
Watch Dexter try to stay up long enough too:
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Hoodie
My son is growing up.
I know. I know.
Everyone goes through this. Mothers and fathers everywhere have witnessed the changes come over their babies as they make their transitions into adulthood. Some of those can be subtle undercurrents while others are lightning quick!
This particular baby's voice has changed. Last year, it was still sort of high but about 6 months ago it began to get lower. It never cracked though, not like Peter's did on the Brady Bunch. It reminds me sort of like an old, torch singer's voice.
A few days ago we were both outside and I caught a glimpse of his profile in the autumn sun. In addition to the line of dark hair that's steadily growing on his upper lip, WHISKERS are growing like dandilions on my baby's chin! I think we're going to have to trade in his shaver for a weed-eater!
There's nothing funnier to him than the fact that he's taller than me. Mr. 5 feet and 11 inches thankyouverymuch. He's got the matching feet too.
He laughs at me in a surprisingly non-patronizing way when I tease him and say, "I'm killing my neck just to look up at you to yell, 'Did you take the garbage out yet?!?' or 'Don't take that tone with me, young man!!!'."
And then he leaves to return to his computer or cell phone, while I wipe away the tears.
I know. I know.
Everyone goes through this. Mothers and fathers everywhere have witnessed the changes come over their babies as they make their transitions into adulthood. Some of those can be subtle undercurrents while others are lightning quick!
This particular baby's voice has changed. Last year, it was still sort of high but about 6 months ago it began to get lower. It never cracked though, not like Peter's did on the Brady Bunch. It reminds me sort of like an old, torch singer's voice.
A few days ago we were both outside and I caught a glimpse of his profile in the autumn sun. In addition to the line of dark hair that's steadily growing on his upper lip, WHISKERS are growing like dandilions on my baby's chin! I think we're going to have to trade in his shaver for a weed-eater!
There's nothing funnier to him than the fact that he's taller than me. Mr. 5 feet and 11 inches thankyouverymuch. He's got the matching feet too.
He laughs at me in a surprisingly non-patronizing way when I tease him and say, "I'm killing my neck just to look up at you to yell, 'Did you take the garbage out yet?!?' or 'Don't take that tone with me, young man!!!'."
And then he leaves to return to his computer or cell phone, while I wipe away the tears.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Every single one of us the devil inside
Lately, I've been playing a lot of Rock Band and Guitar Hero with Hoodie. I'm fairly good at both of them, if I do say so myself. Okay, not good enough to be on some reality-based tv show where real rock-n-rollers are looking for their next band member!
Speaking of rock and roll. Did I ever tell you about the spring of 1985 when E (one of my best friends from high school) and I begged my Mom to drive our fishnetted-flouncyminiskirt and pastelcolored-tanktop-under-the-neck-cutout-ofthesweatshirt-soyourshouldersshowed-wearing selves to a theme park to see a semi new to the USA band who was playing there?
E was way ahead of everyone at our school with her taste in music, and I owe my love for Duran Duran, Billy Idol and all things SKA to her! Anyway, she was forever reading SPIN magazine or the cool magazine from the Sunday LA Times and told me that Adam Ant and this other Australian group of hotties were in California playing small venues and did I want to go see them with her?
See, her Mom wouldn't let her go most places unless I went too because her parents had this silly thought I was this safe and stable influence in her life. While I wasn't so goody-goody that I'd sit and polish my halo, I WAS forever dying to be adventurous and sublimely cool like her.
So one Saturday when my Mom got off work at 2:00 in the afternoon, I fanagled her to drive E and I to this particular theme park about 90 minutes south of where we live. There were a lot of new wave groups that played live throughout the 80's there and many of them got their "big break" with all of the exposure.
Adam Ant was supposed to headline a concert with INXS that day, but come to find out -- he had taken another gig elsewhere, which was fine by us because we had been listening to Shaboo Shoobah nonstop on our Walkmans and were already loving all the songs. So we get there and scramble away leaving my Mom to figure out how to kill 4 hours!
The line into the concert already snaked throughout the waiting area of the pavillion they were playing in. It was situated on the side of a hill and no breeze could get to us. We were all getting sweaty and bored, and the throngs of girls wearing ripped INXS t-shirts gathered in clusters to moan and mooch off strangers with sodas. All I remember after that, is somehow getting to be about 6 feet from the end of the tiny stage and jumping up and down constantly while screaming my brains out all of the lyrics to their music. I don't remember what the guys were wearing or what order they sang the songs in. I do remember that "Don't Change" was the very last song and that somewhere in the middle of the concert, two other events happened.
E and I were so starstruck by these drop dead gorgeous men that desperation to meet them prodded us to scribbled some sort of honey coated dribble professing our undying love and devotion to the entire band and promising "acts" which we knew not of, but figured if we wrote them down anyway we'd have a better chance of reaching our goal. We took the piece of paper and rolled it up in a small tube and tied it with a skinny hair ribbon E had been wearing, and decided that she would be the one to take aim and chuck it onto the stage whereby the glorious Michael Hutchence himself would pick it up mid-song and read it while still singing, know miraculously and instantaneously it was from the 2 most beautiful girls in the third row that threw it to him and passionately motion to the concert staff to usher us backstage!!!
Shut. Up. It could've happened!
Anyway, E launched our love note with all her might and it sailed -- nay, it SOARED in slow motion over two rows of bouncing teenage heads, across a 3 foot wide trench of sweaty faced security guards and kerplopped perfectly at the feet of Andrew Farris -- who although we were sure he was very nice and all, was NOT the intended receiver of our unrequited lust.
After stomping on it a few times, he noticed something under his foot and looked down, bent over and picked it up. This look of what can only be described as apathetic blankness took over his face as we watched him shrug his shoulders and set the scroll on top of an amplifier all while E and I kept screaming, "READ IT READ IT OR GIVE IT TO MICHAEL PLEASE ANDREW PLEASE!!!!!" Less than 10 minutes later, half of the audience had figured out what we had done and began throwing their own notes, pieces of candy or gum, lapel pins, and whatnot at the stage much to the confusion of the band. They obviously hadn't experienced EVERY aspect of up and coming stardom as obviously no one had ever tossed anything before at the stage during a concert.
By the end of this "Chuck your stuff at INXS" free for all, underwear and bras started making it onto the stage which brought happier and more appreciative looks from the Aussie boys than squares of Bubble Yum did. Which leads to the second thing that happened.
E decided that she would not be "one-upped" by anyone else in the audience and by GOD if our efforts to get the band's attention was going to be stripped away by all these blatant hussies, then she too was going to hussify herself. Sooner than you can say "Tie me kangaroo down sport" she took off her 36C racer-backed bra (because those were the only bras you could still wear tank tops with and not have the straps show which was a NOT acceptable back then and not have your mother yelling at you to "house those girls" before you could leave the house), ripped it in half (she's mighty strong!), and sent one half flying Frisbee style to Garry Gary (my personal fave) and the other half to Kirk (even though it was meant for her fave, Jon).
After the concert was over, the only thing we regretted was not thinking to write our names and phone numbers down on the bra halves first. Needless to say, when my Mom let us go on a few rides before we left that night, E found out about gravity the hard way!
Speaking of rock and roll. Did I ever tell you about the spring of 1985 when E (one of my best friends from high school) and I begged my Mom to drive our fishnetted-flouncyminiskirt and pastelcolored-tanktop-under-the-neck-cutout-ofthesweatshirt-soyourshouldersshowed-wearing selves to a theme park to see a semi new to the USA band who was playing there?
E was way ahead of everyone at our school with her taste in music, and I owe my love for Duran Duran, Billy Idol and all things SKA to her! Anyway, she was forever reading SPIN magazine or the cool magazine from the Sunday LA Times and told me that Adam Ant and this other Australian group of hotties were in California playing small venues and did I want to go see them with her?
See, her Mom wouldn't let her go most places unless I went too because her parents had this silly thought I was this safe and stable influence in her life. While I wasn't so goody-goody that I'd sit and polish my halo, I WAS forever dying to be adventurous and sublimely cool like her.
So one Saturday when my Mom got off work at 2:00 in the afternoon, I fanagled her to drive E and I to this particular theme park about 90 minutes south of where we live. There were a lot of new wave groups that played live throughout the 80's there and many of them got their "big break" with all of the exposure.
Adam Ant was supposed to headline a concert with INXS that day, but come to find out -- he had taken another gig elsewhere, which was fine by us because we had been listening to Shaboo Shoobah nonstop on our Walkmans and were already loving all the songs. So we get there and scramble away leaving my Mom to figure out how to kill 4 hours!
The line into the concert already snaked throughout the waiting area of the pavillion they were playing in. It was situated on the side of a hill and no breeze could get to us. We were all getting sweaty and bored, and the throngs of girls wearing ripped INXS t-shirts gathered in clusters to moan and mooch off strangers with sodas. All I remember after that, is somehow getting to be about 6 feet from the end of the tiny stage and jumping up and down constantly while screaming my brains out all of the lyrics to their music. I don't remember what the guys were wearing or what order they sang the songs in. I do remember that "Don't Change" was the very last song and that somewhere in the middle of the concert, two other events happened.
E and I were so starstruck by these drop dead gorgeous men that desperation to meet them prodded us to scribbled some sort of honey coated dribble professing our undying love and devotion to the entire band and promising "acts" which we knew not of, but figured if we wrote them down anyway we'd have a better chance of reaching our goal. We took the piece of paper and rolled it up in a small tube and tied it with a skinny hair ribbon E had been wearing, and decided that she would be the one to take aim and chuck it onto the stage whereby the glorious Michael Hutchence himself would pick it up mid-song and read it while still singing, know miraculously and instantaneously it was from the 2 most beautiful girls in the third row that threw it to him and passionately motion to the concert staff to usher us backstage!!!
Shut. Up. It could've happened!
Anyway, E launched our love note with all her might and it sailed -- nay, it SOARED in slow motion over two rows of bouncing teenage heads, across a 3 foot wide trench of sweaty faced security guards and kerplopped perfectly at the feet of Andrew Farris -- who although we were sure he was very nice and all, was NOT the intended receiver of our unrequited lust.
After stomping on it a few times, he noticed something under his foot and looked down, bent over and picked it up. This look of what can only be described as apathetic blankness took over his face as we watched him shrug his shoulders and set the scroll on top of an amplifier all while E and I kept screaming, "READ IT READ IT OR GIVE IT TO MICHAEL PLEASE ANDREW PLEASE!!!!!" Less than 10 minutes later, half of the audience had figured out what we had done and began throwing their own notes, pieces of candy or gum, lapel pins, and whatnot at the stage much to the confusion of the band. They obviously hadn't experienced EVERY aspect of up and coming stardom as obviously no one had ever tossed anything before at the stage during a concert.
By the end of this "Chuck your stuff at INXS" free for all, underwear and bras started making it onto the stage which brought happier and more appreciative looks from the Aussie boys than squares of Bubble Yum did. Which leads to the second thing that happened.
E decided that she would not be "one-upped" by anyone else in the audience and by GOD if our efforts to get the band's attention was going to be stripped away by all these blatant hussies, then she too was going to hussify herself. Sooner than you can say "Tie me kangaroo down sport" she took off her 36C racer-backed bra (because those were the only bras you could still wear tank tops with and not have the straps show which was a NOT acceptable back then and not have your mother yelling at you to "house those girls" before you could leave the house), ripped it in half (she's mighty strong!), and sent one half flying Frisbee style to Garry Gary (my personal fave) and the other half to Kirk (even though it was meant for her fave, Jon).
After the concert was over, the only thing we regretted was not thinking to write our names and phone numbers down on the bra halves first. Needless to say, when my Mom let us go on a few rides before we left that night, E found out about gravity the hard way!
Monday, November 3, 2008
Already blown
Good grief, three days in on NaBloPoMo and I've already blown it. I have no excuse, only that time got away from me yesterday and after all of the other things I did, I plain forgot to blog.
That's okay though. I'm still going to try my best to post as many days in November as possible. Baby steps, right?
On a happier note, I am happy to announce that the lovely Nissa won the earrings and paper giveaway. The random number generator told me that "50" was the magic number and low and behold...there she was. I took a desktop shot of the results from Saturday morning and I will be happy to send it to anyone who would like to see. Just email me from my profile.
Thank you again to everyone who entered this time. Most of you agree that there is so much talent out there between writers and crafter and finding new ones is part of the Bloggy giveaway excitement.
And if I haven't bored you to tears yet, please come back and see if I am making it through November and NaBloPoMo and say HI or just snicker at me and my floundering.
:O)
That's okay though. I'm still going to try my best to post as many days in November as possible. Baby steps, right?
On a happier note, I am happy to announce that the lovely Nissa won the earrings and paper giveaway. The random number generator told me that "50" was the magic number and low and behold...there she was. I took a desktop shot of the results from Saturday morning and I will be happy to send it to anyone who would like to see. Just email me from my profile.
Thank you again to everyone who entered this time. Most of you agree that there is so much talent out there between writers and crafter and finding new ones is part of the Bloggy giveaway excitement.
And if I haven't bored you to tears yet, please come back and see if I am making it through November and NaBloPoMo and say HI or just snicker at me and my floundering.
:O)
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Needful things
A few posts ago, I was complaining about needing a new bra. I finally got one and it was a huge pain to find it. I didn't know my correct size and I didn't have the guts to have myself measured or fitted. But, this one seems to be holding everyone up just fine.
But now I need a new pillow. Dammit. This is worse, if you can believe it, than needing a new bra. I don't know if ANYONE else in the world has as much trouble with pillows as I do, but I can NEVER find a pillow that stays lofty without murdering the outer cartilage of my ears.
For a long time now, I've been accustomed to sleeping with 2 pillows so that I wouldn't have an aching neck. Being a side sleeper, my ears end up being pressure points and need to be cushioned.The kind of pillow arrangement that suits me best is to have a not-too-thick but moderately firm pillow on the bottom, and a lofty and super soft pillow on the top. That way, I have the height for my neck but my ears don't feel like burning embers either!
My problem isn't usually with the bottom pillow as much as it is with the top. If the pillow is soft enough, it's either far too thick or far too thin, and I've even tried making my own from the innards of those softies. It's a cumbersome task that winds up with the looking like the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man just blew up all over the windows and the floors.
I realize this is probably a very lame rant. I know you're probably thinking that pillows are the least of ANYONE's worries. I agree. It should be that way. Lord how I WISH it were that way.
And as long as I'm wishing, I wish that my arse didn't look like the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man's either!
P.S. Check your email for a note from me to see if you're the winner of the giveaway! :O)
But now I need a new pillow. Dammit. This is worse, if you can believe it, than needing a new bra. I don't know if ANYONE else in the world has as much trouble with pillows as I do, but I can NEVER find a pillow that stays lofty without murdering the outer cartilage of my ears.
For a long time now, I've been accustomed to sleeping with 2 pillows so that I wouldn't have an aching neck. Being a side sleeper, my ears end up being pressure points and need to be cushioned.The kind of pillow arrangement that suits me best is to have a not-too-thick but moderately firm pillow on the bottom, and a lofty and super soft pillow on the top. That way, I have the height for my neck but my ears don't feel like burning embers either!
My problem isn't usually with the bottom pillow as much as it is with the top. If the pillow is soft enough, it's either far too thick or far too thin, and I've even tried making my own from the innards of those softies. It's a cumbersome task that winds up with the looking like the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man just blew up all over the windows and the floors.
I realize this is probably a very lame rant. I know you're probably thinking that pillows are the least of ANYONE's worries. I agree. It should be that way. Lord how I WISH it were that way.
And as long as I'm wishing, I wish that my arse didn't look like the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man's either!
P.S. Check your email for a note from me to see if you're the winner of the giveaway! :O)
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