Friday, November 30, 2007

Deborah Gibson Sleigh Ride

Friday Flashback #52


Taking me back to my Senior Year of High School, we had a Miss RHS event for the Senior girls, sponsored by clubs/sports teams. We made this song the theme for the event (by my suggestion) as I FINALLY made Student Council my Senior Year.

Christmas Countdown Picture #24


Friday Feast #30

Appetizer - What is your favorite carnival/amusement park ride?
Definitely roller coasters!

Soup - How do you react in uncomfortable social situations?
I typically try to excuse myself and avoid further involvement.

Salad - On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being highest, how much do you enjoy discussing deep, philosophical topics? 3. I like the lighter side of life.

Main Course - Did you get a flu shot this year? If not, do you plan to?
Yes, the day before Thanksgiving, and it worked as I now have the flu! I work in a drugstore, so it was very convenient, and as a diabetic it is recommended.

Dessert - Approximately how many hours per week do you spend watching television?
About 20, 25? Does having it on while surfing the net count as watching?

Thursday, November 29, 2007

Christmas Countdown PIcture #25

Thursday Thirteen # 32

Thirteen Things about Our win at Trivia tonight, 13 of the questions we got right!

1. Novels - In what novel is "Big Brother" watching you?

2. The Moon - If the moon is "waxing" is it increasing or decreasing in size?

3. Holiday Music - In The Chipmonks Christmas song, what does Alvin want for Christmas?

4. Movie Music - What song on the Dirty Dancing soundtrack was written and performed by the movie's lead actor Patrick Swayze?

5. Disney Films - What is the name of the Princess in Aladdin?

6. 90's Music - What band had the hit "Bittersweet Symphony?"

7. Cartoons - What cartoon character had a band called The Holograms?

8. Christmas Stories - What is the name of the Grinch's dog in Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas?

9. U.S. Geography - What US State shares a border with Canada separated by the Straits of Juan de Fuca?

10. Sir Names - In the USA, what 4 colors are the most common sir names?

11. Basketball - What L.A. Lakers rookie lead the team to the NBA Championship in 1980 as he played in all 5 positions?

12. Ivy League - In what state is Yale University located?

13. The Final Bonus (we were tied for 1st) - What auto manufacturer was the first to mass produce cars with seat belts as a standard feature?


The answers, 1984, increasing, hula hoop, She's Like The Wind, Jasmine, the Verve, Jem, Max, Washington, (Grey, Brown, White and Black), Magic Johnson, Connecticut, and Volvo.

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others' comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!



Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Look out for the Cheese!

Pepperjack?
Bleu?
Parmesean?
Gouda?

It doesn't matter what kind of cheese you like, you'll get it and plenty more if you go to see Disney's new movie Enchanted.

Amy and I went to see it at a matinee this afternoon, and we really enjoy Disney movies and this is a combination of many elements from the fairy-tale animated films we love.

The premise is that in a fairy-tale fantasyland, a prince has met his true love and will marry her the next day. His evil step-mother does not want to lose her throne, so she sends the bride-to-be to modern day New York City. Her hero follows, along with his page who is secretly working with the evil Queen. The problem is the bride meets McDreamy from Grey's Anatomy, who is about to become engaged to the bi-sexual performance artist from Rent who also happens to be the Wicked Witch of the West from Wicked! (not that any of this has to do with the story)

So anyways, song, dance, magic, and ever-after happy endings prevail. If you go, struggle through the Central Park musical number because that's the cheesy best (or is it worst?).

We enjoyed it, and anyone who believes in true love's first kiss will as well!

Wordless Wednesday #33 and Christmas Countdown Picture #26



Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Christmas Countdown PIcture #27

The Snow Angel at Stone Mountain Park.

Ten on Tuesday #10

Ten best games (video, board, card).
(not ranked)
1. Uno - easy and fun. Reverse! Skip! Draw Two! Draw Four Wild!
2. Othello - Minutes to learn, a lifetime to master!
3. No-limit Texas Hold-em Poker
4. Yahtzee (hand-held electronic, very addictive)
5. Silhouette (arcade sniper game)
6. Trivial Pursuit - for over 20 years a family favorite
7. Hearts - many, many weekend nights in high school playing with friends
8. Zork - okay, it's been 20 years, but it was fun at the time
9. Scattegories - I tend to overanalize which makes this one fun
10. Kickball - always a childhood classic

Monday, November 26, 2007

Christmas Countdown PIcture #28


My lovely wife Amy (right), and my lovely sister-in-law Kelly (left),
posing with the big guy at Stone Mountain.

Sunday, November 25, 2007

Weekend Review

Well folks, it's Sunday night, almost bedtime. I just finished adding the music to my blog and posting what is the first in a series of pictures I'll be adding each day here.

As for the holiday week...

Wednesday - spent the day at work, knowing that family was on the way. I arrived home shortly after my in-laws got here, FiL Tom, MiL Barbara, SiL Kelly, and niece Janie and nephews Seth and Owen. We played with the kids for a bit and went out to dinner at Chili's. I sat by Owen (almost 2 and a half) and he was quite entertaining. After dinner Tom and Barbara took the kids to their hotel and I took Kelly and Amy to Target for a few things they needed for Tom and Barbara's anniversary gift. They celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary on Thanksgiving Day!

Thursday - I went to work with a short shift 8:45-1:30. It was slow, but we did have some customers. I got home and escaped upstairs for a short nap. I awoke about an hour later as Amy came up to tell me everyone was here. We were joined for dinner by my brother Peter, his friend Gary, my father (Dennis) and his wife Paula, and Paula's son Jason. The kids were picked up by their dad late Wednesday night for the holiday in Nashville, so we had a total of 10 for dinner. I really enjoyed waking up to a very large, fully-prepared meal. After dinner Peter and Gary went off to Winston's, Dad and Jason went to the Falcons game, Paula went home, and the rest of us drove up to Lake Lanier to drive through the Magical Night of Lights.

Friday - Work again for me. We had a few guests right at opening, mostly looking for electronics as we had a digital camera and a digital camcorder on the 7 hour sale. We also had a sale on a digital photo keychain, $9.99 instead of $20 for the 7 hours and we sold a lot of those. I downloaded about 30 pictures from our laptop and demonstrated the keychain throughout the day, along with making announcements over the paging system. I was off at 3:15 and went home to relax while Amy and Kelly continued working on their parent's gift. Tom came over (Barbara was not feeling well) and we went out to Georgia's Stone Mountain Park for their Christmas events. It is the best Christmas event we have attended in years. We sat for two musical shows, watched the laser show on the face of the mountain, and watched the 40 minute 4-D version of The Polar Express before heading home.

Saturday - another day of work for me, quieter. I got off a little early as I was feeling a little ill myself. I came home to watch the Georgia/Georgia Tech football game, which was a real mess as far as officiating. The good news of the day was the UCF VICTORY over University of Texas - El Paso. It gives us a 9-3 record for the season, with 7-1 record in conference play. For the 2nd time in the three years we have been in Conference USA we have won the Eastern Division, and we will also host the conference championship game next week against Tulsa in our brand-new home stadium on our campus! BTW we played Tulsa earlier in the season in Tulsa and beat them by about 18 points!

Sunday - both Amy and I went to bed early last night (by 10pm) as we are both a little sick. We slept until 8am and got up for church. I excused myself from my shift in the bookstore during the second service. It was a very small crowd today, for the final week of a series on the fruits of the spirit, wrapping up with self-control. It was a different format, with one of the pastors interviewing a couple from the congregation about their struggle when, after 4 years of marriage, the wife discovered her husband had lied about being a virgin when they married and also has an addiction to pornography. I can't say I got anything out of it as they said a lot about it being hard on them, but I didn't hear much about what they have done to address and resolve the issue, or how he is exercising self-control now.
Amy and I stopped at Waffle House for breakfast (and had to send back both our plates because there was no cheese on our smothered and covered hash browns). Once home we sat in the living room and were visited by the kitties for a few minutes and then we settled down to relax, rest our sick bodies and watch TV for the day. We made it through I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry (not very good) and Reign Over Me (which I liked quite a bit). We had more leftover turkey and sides for dinner and watched The Polar Express, leading up to this point, about time for bed.

Christmas Countdown PIcture #29

Bathed in green for Christmas, this is the carving on the face of Stone Mountain. I wish I had a tripod, as it was difficult holding still for the low-light exposure, but it's still a fairly cool image. Check back daily for more pictures of the season as we approach Christmas.

Saturday, November 24, 2007

Saturday Photo Hunt #20 - Hot



At Mallory Square on Key West, FL



At Disney/MGM Studios in Orlando, FL during a rehearsal for the
Indiana Jones Stunt Show.


Please pan down to Wordless Wednesday for a few shots taken in New York City, 11 months before the skyline changed.

Friday, November 23, 2007

Changes

So, I like Christmas, and I like the Peanuts. I even played Charlie Brown in a production of You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown back in '95. Amy found a lady named the Blog Fairy and ordered a Christmas template for her blog, and asked if I would like one too. My thought was Charlie Brown Christmas.

What do you think?

Thursday, November 22, 2007

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Updates

Pixel had his surgery yesterday and he came through very well. He is his normal self, playful and affectionate today.

We made GREAT strides in cleaning the house over the past two days. In fact, LynnMarie's room is ENTIRELY cleaned out. I asked Amy to shoot a few pictures and post them to the nursery webpage tomorrow.

The computer room is cleaned up too, and will now be able to be used as a guest bedroom. It took many hours, but I found homes for over 100 CDs that were not in their cases.

SiL Kelly is coming to stay with us tomorrow through the weekend and FiL and MiL Tom and Barbara will be at a local hotel (cat allergies). We will have 10 or 11 people for Thanksgiving dinner this year.

Wordless Wednesday # 32 - NYC Oct. 2000





Ten on Tuesday #9

Ten Reasons It's Great to be a man/woman.


1. If it doesn't fit in your pocket or attach to your belt, you DON'T NEED IT.
2. Facial hair is not a bad thing.
3. You can pee standing up/the world is your urinal.
4. Bodily functions/noises are hilarious.
5. You understand and appreciate the work of Martin Scorsese, Quentin Tarantino, Chuck Norris....
6. You'll never complain about pain from a bra strap or under-wire, being hot wearing pantyhose, or wonder whether or not something makes you look fat.
7.Your underwear is $10 for a three pack.
8. Nobody stops telling a good dirty joke when you walk into the room.
9. You can buy condoms without the shopkeeper imagining you naked.
10. You think the idea of punting a small dog is funny.
11. You know stuff about tanks.
12. Your bathroom lines are 80% shorter.
13. Dry cleaners and hair-cutters don't rob you blind.
14. Three pair of shoes are more than enough.
15. You never misconstrue innocuous statements to mean your lover is about to leave you.

Sunday, November 18, 2007

Why Not Tired?

So, I worked yesterday, until 4:30, and I managed to make it to the store in time to pick up some dinner for Amy and myself. Amy went off to work, and I watched TV for a while before heading upstairs to work on cleaning up what we call the "computer room." It's the 4th bedroom, the one at the end of the hall, the green room. I made some good progress, including finding and disposing of the flower bulbs we bought last year in Williamsburg, VA, that I never planted.

Amy woke me this morning when she got home and we made it out on time for the 9:!5 service at church. The music was good, though a bit funny because the first song was a new one and the band leader messed up on trying to get in synch with the praise band in the other room. They kinda strummed along playing the same chord over and over for a minute and jumped in at the chorus.

The sermon centered around forgiveness. One woman's testimony was given, and she explained what she went through being divorced and watching her husband remarry and then do many of the things they had planned to do together, but with his new wife. Eventually their daughter married, and she realized the need to get past her hurt and forgive him for the pain he caused her. Not only was the wedding a pleasant experience for all involved, but they are now sociable and they celebrated the birth of their grandchild together.

I have spent a fair bit of time thinking about this message, how we can be better people and live better lives if we do not hold onto hurts and forgive those who have hurt us. I am trying to work out how to apply this to certain elements of my life, including a woman who I really do not even know, who has said some hurtful things about me.

So, church ended, and we stopped at the Cracker Barrel for some takeout. As usual, the order was incomplete, and we didn't find out until we were home. We love their food, but we can not get a complete, correct takeout order from them. Could be another opportunity for forgiveness.

After we ate, Amy went to nap, and I went to play cards. I did fair, but no where near well enough to win today. I went by Publix to get things for dinner and came home to continue working on the clean-up process. It's amazing how many CDs and DVDs we own that are not in their cases, and trying to collect and match them is taking a long time.

I came down to make dinner a little after 8, and we started watching A Walk To Remember, one of our favorite movies. So it's now 5 after 11 and Amy is about to pass out in the recliner again, and I am not the least bit tired. All I can say is I'm not wired, but for some reason I have been having leg cramps all day, and in the back of my thighs where normally they come in my calves.

Tomorrow is a long day of cleaning, primarily upstairs as Amy's sister Kelly is coming to stay with us for most of the week. Pixel gets to go to the vet tomorrow to get neutered. Amy's family arrives on Wednesday, and we found out tonight that Dad and Paula are coming for Thanksgiving dinner before going to the Falcons/Colts game. I predict 52-10 Indianapolis.

Friday, November 16, 2007

Visit from a friend

This morning at work I had a special job due to a visit from a friend. On our adoption blog we've talked about the Perry family, who went to China this past Summer to bring Sheridan home to his forever family. Well, Sheridan, who is about two and a half years old, needs a passport, so Kim brought him to me to get the picture done.

He was really good, but have you ever tried to get a two year old to stand still and look straight ahead, while keeping his arms down?

It took us three tries of having him stand up on a stool so the screen was behind him. And among the three tries I shot about a dozen frames trying to get a good shot.

It was nice to have a visit from people I know, and Sheridan said my name a few times and gave me a hug.

Fill in the Blank

A ________________________ was removed from a Southwest Airlines flight this past Summer due to the clothing she was wearing (or not wearing depending on how you view it). She took great offense, threatening lawsuits, demanding apologies, appearing on Good Morning America, the Today Show, Dr. Phil, and being discussed on most every news/talk station.

I saw her on GMA. I saw her on Dr. Phil where she received her apology and an offer for some free travel on Southwest. She said if she received her apology she would stop appearing in the media, but then told Dr. Phil (much to his disbelief) that she was STILL not satisfied and planned to continue pursuing legal action. She refused the tickets from Southwest, but accepted tickets from Richard Branson, the CEO of Virgin Airlines (who conveniently enough was starting their new American domestic service and needed the publicity opportunity).

Dr. Phil basically called her a selfish twit (which was pretty fair in my opinion).

The whole thing revolved around a mini-skirt so short that when she sat down it would not cover her pelvic region, and a tanktop that barely contained her chest, with a little sweater that was not really meant to be able to close, but to accesorize by hanging open. She was dressed for a college party or a nightclub, not for casual travel. Was it obscene? I don't think so. Was it inappropriate for everyday wear in public, probably. Was she milking this for all the attention she could get? Absolutely.

So back to the blank....

No wait, before that, let me mention this. She is back in the news today because she was paid something between $10,000 and $100,000 to appear in Playboy magazine and will be in the next issue.

Okay, so fill in the blank.... A ________________________ was removed from a Southwest Airlines flight this past Summer due to the clothing she was wearing (or not wearing depending on how you view it).

a. young woman
b. young law student
c. Hooters waitress
d. all of the above

Interesting how the story can be skewed by the choice of words used to describe this woman, isn't it?

By the way, in a news story about the Playboy appearance, she was said to have said that she does not believe that this chapter in hr life will have a negative effect on her desire to practice law.

Weird Dream

I very seldom have dreams that I would call vivid, and even more seldom do I remember them.

Last night was different and weird.

We were living in the house I lived in from 1983-1990. It was my house and all who were involved were their current ages. Amy and I lived in the bedroom that was my older brother's. He was living with us, but in the room that was mine as a teen. My mother was there (not sure if it was a permanent living arrangement) in her master bedroom, and we had a guest room in what was my younger brother's bedroom.

If that was not weird enough, our guest was the wife of a couple we are friends with. They have not been married long (less than 5 years). She had a fight with a husband over an apartment lease and was staying with us. While with us, she started sleeping with my older brother.

I think we are watching too much Grey's Anatomy. That show involves a woman living in her parent's old house, with friends, and there is marital strife and a lot of sleeping around. The major difference, none of the people in my dream (myself included of course) are nearly as beautiful as the people on that TV show. :)

Friday Flashback #51

Hey there y'all. There was a #50 last week, but I took it down after it screwed up and only showed the titles and not the imbedded videos. As a result of my frustration, I considered scraping the Flashback entirely, but I changed my mind and decided to try a few of the original format, one video per week of stuff I remember enjoying, wether it's the song or the video itself that I liked.

In a time of war, with young men and women putting their lives at risk, this song seemed like a good choice. Besides, a friend asked me on Monday if I remembered this song, and I told him I sure do, in fact I have a copy of it on mp3 on a disc out in the car!
Paul Hardcastle - 19

Friday Feast #29

Appetizer - What was your first “real” job?

I got my first real job at age 16, in 1987, as a bagger at Kroger. The official term was Courtesy Clerk. I worked there for almost 3 and a half years, moving up to cashier and customer service desk supervisor.

Soup - Where would you go if you wanted to spark your creativity?

I have no real idea. My creativity comes to me as IT pleases.

Salad - Complete this sentence: I am embarrassed when…

I have difficulty controlling the emission of bodily gases in public places.

Main Course - What values did your parents instill in you?

Other than obey the law (of man and God) I can't really say.

Dessert - Name 3 fads from your teenage years.

Teddy Ruxpin (Worlds of Wonder talking bear), Break Dancing, horizontal rips/tears/cuts in the legs of bluejeans.


Thursday, November 15, 2007

Pixel's got an Appointment

Pixel the kitten has 3 and a half more days of kitten manhood, for on Monday he will lose part of what makes him a boy kitty. :(

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Hunting Season

It's the Fall, and that is a popular time for hunting, big hairy guys who don't shave for days get dressed up in bright colors that don't match the woodlands, so they don't accidentally shoot each other, yet they feel they won't be seen by the animals (because fluorescent orange is a natural color in the woods). I guess maybe animals are color blind?

Some creatures are made to hunt, where others (like humans) need assault rifles with telescope sights. Other creatures are made to hunt.

Our dog is a Basset Hound. Hound dogs are bred to hunt, and Bassets are specialists in small mammals. We've had Lucy for two years now, and she has been aggravated by squirrels in the trees, she has cornered a opossum in the back yard, and she has located a chipmunk in the drainpipe and chased it across the yard to where it escaped her by jumping into a drainage pipe in the retaining wall.

Yesterday Amy watched Lucy playing with Pixel, my brother's kitten (who is getting big as he's now about 8 months old). They were running around the back yard chasing and jumping, and Amy thought she saw them playing with something, as Pixel appeared to have a squirrel in his mouth. She never saw it close enough to be sure, so she simply hoped that neither animal tried to bring it in through the doggie door.

Last night we went to play trivia and when we got home we let Lucy out. As I was heading to bed (I was REALLY tired) Amy called me back downstairs in a bit of a panic. I came down and out on the patio was the dead animal, it turned out it was indeed a chipmunk. We were still downstairs so I ventured out to deal with the body (note credit for the kill likely goes to Pixel as it was a pretty-good tear to the throat). I disposed of the animal and went to bed.

I awoke this morning to the phone ringing - good news as Amy's parents are coming for Thanksgiving (we knew her sister would be with us). I came downstairs while Amy was still on the phone and found Pixel at the entrance to the living room, standing over a dead bird. I asked Amy for the dustpan (she was still on the phone) and I took care of that carcass (a tear down the torso, do birds have torsos?). When Amy finished her call, she told me that Peter mentioned he thought he saw something as he was leaving this morning.

Oh, and I nearly forgot. Last night after taking care of the chipmunk, we noticed Pixel playing with or looking for something up in the raised garden. The way our backyard is set up there is a small two-tiered garden/flowerbed up in the corner. We got the flashlight and took a look, the levels of the garden are enclosed with large stones. On the inside of one (where it holds the dirt up there) I notice a round tunnel-like opening and Pixel is trying to stick his paw down in it. We presume this is a chipmunk burrow (if that's what you call it). So we picked up Pixel and carried him inside and hopefully are leaving the animals to live another day.



The Burrow.

The Escape.

The Hunter.

Monday, November 12, 2007

Long Day

It's Sunday, well, technically Monday, and I am home chilling before going to bed. Amy and I stayed up late last night watching movies. We saw Blades of Glory and 1408. Both were good, and I will write reviews of some sort tomorrow (today actually). Blades was better than I expected, but I don't know that that is saying much. 1408 was pretty freaky and Amy and both really like John Cusack, so I guess he's stretching out a bit. I also watched The Departed this week. It was good, and it was bloody.

So we were up late, and the alarm went off at 7:30 and I managed to turn off the alarm rather than hit snooze. Amy woke us at 8:15, leaving about half an hour to be out the door for church. We took separate cars because I had to work after services and she had to work tonight. The service was good, on Gentleness, and the pastor that gave the sermon is one of the two that have adopted from China.

When the service ended I went downstairs to start training in the church bookstore, which will be my first and primary volunteer duty. I got done about 1:15 and made it home to eat lunch, change clothes, and head to work at Walgreens, so I had a 3-11:30 shift to work tonight. It was pretty quiet, so I worked on inventory of supplies, some paperwork, and the stocking/clearing the cooler. I also spent some time training a new employee on weekly maintenance on the machines. We're about done the Christmas reset, so we are focusing on an upcoming visit from the regional VP.

Now, I'm off to bed.

Saturday, November 10, 2007

Saturday Photo Hunt #19 - Flexible


It's less obvious depending on the angle and the light, but my burgundy Jeep now has a Forrest Green driver's door. I had to have the door replaced because it would not close. I wanted to do it in the cheapest possible way because at this point cosmetics do not matter. The Jeep is a 1995 model (so now 13 model years old) and is 400 miles shy of 180,000. My hope is to get another 2-3 years out of it before buying a new vehicle, so I can live with a green door as long as it gets me from point A to point B safely. As for the theme, it demonstrates that I am flexible about my vehicle if it means saving money as I could have paid to have it painted, but did not.

Thursday, November 08, 2007

Friday Feast #28

Appetizer
Which snack do you like to get when you go to the movies?

Popcorn - definitely popcorn.

Soup
What year did you start using the internet?

1993-94 - I was at UCF and we used it for chatting and role-playing games.

Salad
What is your first name in Pig Latin? (Here’s how to speak it if you don’t already know!)

I have never cared for nor have I ever used this "language" as I find it demeaning to porcine-Americans.

Main Course
Name something you are picky about.

Putting the cap on anything. Leaving a handtowel in the bathroom. Cleaning as I cook.

Dessert
Fill in the blanks: I ____ ____ yesterday and I ____ ____ today.

I was Jeep-less yesterday, and I was Jeep-less today.






Movie Review - Shooter

Pretty Damned Good.

Shooter is a suspense/thriller that came out early this year and did fairly well at the box office. It made almost $47,000,000 in the US, but the budget was an estimated $61m. So the international releases and DVD sales will have to make up a bit.

Running time is 124 minutes, pretty much all suspense-filled.

The rundown. Marky Mark is no longer with the Funky Bunch unless you've smelled a United States Marine sniper in the Ethiopian desert. Basically, he's the best, but his partner/spotter/friend is killed as they are supporting the escape of some U.S. forces from hostile forces.

Jump ahead 3 years and he's holed up in a cabin in the mountains with his hunting dog and gets a visit from Danny Glover (not as Sgt. Murtaugh from Lethal Weapon). They tell him there's a plot to assassinate the president and they want him to scope out the three potential locations it could happen, and give them advice on where a sniper would shoot from. Duty and Honor, he agrees. The President is not shot, but an Ethiopian Bishop IS. The government guys frame him for the murder and he has to go on the run to find out how wide this conspiracy goes to clear his name, while falling in love with his dead partner's widow, dealing with Elias Koteas (from the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) and Ned Beatty (Superman, Deliverance) who I did not know was still alive.

Along the way he gets the help of a rookie FBI agent who is the only one smart enough to notice a lot of things don't make sense without a conspiracy of massive proportions. The actor is named Michael Pena, but he reminds me too much of M. Night Shyamalan.

The ladies might not like the plot, but they can drool over Wahlberg. For the guys there's lots of shooting, explosions, revenge, and one girl wearing just a bra.


Randomness Continued

It's Thursday.

I just got home from work and had to call a neighbor about their dog. Amy warned me about it yesterday, but I had not seen it. Apparently it's a Boston Terrier who keeps getting out of it's fenced in backyard. Amy nearly ran over it twoce yesterday, and tonight as I was getting home it was in our driveway waiting to get run over by me. I called the number on Pepper's tag and the guy sent his kid to come get the thing.

My Jeep is not ready still. I dropped it at the body shop on Tuesday to have the driver's door replaced. The mechanism in the door that catches on the hook had sheared off the door itself, so the door will not close. I dropped it off on Tuesday, but the part they had was not right. They have had two more used doors delivered, but neither one was in acceptable condition (these are salvage parts) and a new door would be about triple the price. I can appreciate they want to do a good job with a good part, but I want my Jeep back.

I have tomorrow off and I need to get up and finish painting what I can of the outside, the shutters on the two porches and a second coat on the door, then I'll talk to the guy two houses down who is a painter and have him do the shutters above the garage where the roof is too steep for my big uncoordinated butt.

We got our Netflix shipment today, 1408, Blades of Glory, Shooter, and the Departed. I can watch Shooter tonight, and maybe the Departed. Amy expressed interest in it, but told me to watch it first. She will want to see Blades of Glory and 1408 with me.

Amy went out to look for something in her car and she got an unexpected visit. While bent over in the back seat, somebody jumped on her back. That someone is Pixel.

Lucy the Bassett Hound decided to take an interest in movies this week. She took an old VHS copy of Offic eSpace outside to chew on. Today she tried taking our DVD of Rent out for the same thing.

It's Thursday. Did you know it's just two weeks to Thanksgiving? Amy posted about it on her blog today. It is the earliest that Thanksgiving could possibly be.

Neighbor Dave is recovering happily on pain killers after his knee surgery. You may recall I mentioned he tore his ACL and another ligament in his right knee when he was hit by two football players at a practice a few weeks ago.

Wednesday, November 07, 2007

Randomness

It's 12:40am on Tuesday morning and I am home in front of the TV, having just eaten some frozen (and microwaved) White Castles. I am watching professional wrestling (which I recorded while at work) and I am thoroughly enjoying myself!

For anyone who cares or knows about WWE performers, tonight is a one-night return of DX (degeneration X), the tag-team of Shawn Michaels (The Heartbreak Kid) and Triple H (Hunter Hearst Helmsley). These guys are grown men who get to act like middle-schoolers and they are quite funny. They opened the broadcast with a sketch that managed to include mocking themselves, and the writers of the show and mentioning the hollywood writer's strike which I don't think involves the WWE creative team, but it could I suppose. I'll ask a liberla friend about unions and maybe find an answer.

As the show has progressed, they just aired a new promo video for wrestler Jeff Hardy, the current Intercontinental Champion and one half of the multi-time Tag Team Champions the Hardy Boys (with brother Matt). The video was set to the song "Rooftops" by the band Lost Prophets. I know and like this song because they used it for the fan appreciation video for the NHL Atlanta Thrashers (BELIEVE IN BLUELAND!) last Spring and it's a rocking song. Go look it up on Youtube or something.

As I type this, I just had a visit from Pixel, my brother's sweet kitten. You can see him playing in a coke box last week if you pan down the posts on my blog.

Later today (again, it's Tuesday already) I'll be waking up to take my Jeep to the body shop to get a new door. I love this vehicle. I bought it 10 years ago, at which time it was already 3 years old. I have taken it from 36000 miles to almost 180,000 and it is STILL going! The problem now is that the door can become misaligned and bang when it closes, resulting in the mechanism inside the door actually shearing away from the metal of the door itself. There is no welding fix because the metal is so thin, and Jeep does not consider this a warranty or safety recall issue. I told them just get me a new (or used) door, I don't even care what color it is (as the car just needs to run and the appearance is negligible, so it could be pink but I think they got me a burgundy one so it will match fairly well.

I talked to my lovely bride, Amy earlier tonight and she is off from work tomorrow, because they were overstaffed, but she managed to add another shift later in the week. Well have the day together after she sleeps a little. We may watch Cassablanca. our friend Frigga (http://www.anyapples.blogspot.com/) just watched it and Amy has never seen it.

I updated the queue on Netflix (yes, I haven't managed to cancel it yet), but I put on 1408, The Departed, I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, and Reign Over Me on the list.

I was watching the news this afternoon and saw that an old hangout had a fire last night. Freeland's (also known as Suburb-a-Night) is a pizza bar where our friend (Peter's best friend) bartender Matt used to work. It was good food, but Peter had a falling out with the management (and he was a very valuable regular there). It is also where we met our favorite trivia host Patrick (www.triviawithpatrick.com) many years ago. It is sad because it is one of the oldest buildings in Roswell, GA, a house that was converted to the business and dates back over 100 years.

I was watching the news while cooking dinner for Amy and myself. We both had to work tonight, so I made a meatloaf (using my Mom's recipe). It came out very well as far as appearance, but I found a differenc in the moisture caused by the meat I used. Mom says to use ground chuck, but Publix was kinda expensive for that and had ground sirloin on sale, so I got the sirloin in stead. It's a better quality meat, but it's not as juicy.

On the way home from work tonight (11:30pm) I stopped at Walmart, primarily to get vacuum cleaner bags, but I did not note the make and model of our vacuum, because I thought I had remembered the bag code when I emptied it the other night. I will check it tomorrow and make another trip for the bags.

Many happy vibes to Valfrey - the non-celebrity couple known as Jeff and Valerie Rushing (www.eeyorejeff.blogspot.com) as they celebrated their first wedding anniversary last week with a cruise and returned to TN for their year-old top of the cake. Read about that experience on Jeff's blog.

Liberal-magnet blogging friend Sparky Duck has a new job, new clothes, and a new commute in SE Pennsylvania, but he still had time to quote and post some Springsteen today over at www.blujackit5.blogspot.com.

Amy's college friend and Jeff's best friend Steven Russell is a cool Christian guy who is a videographer for a TV station in Memphis. Ever see a guy host his own video show WHILE DRIVING?!?!? Visit Steven at www.digisteven.wordpress.com

Okay now, it's about a half an hour since I started this mess, so I will finish my glass of iced tea and head to bed for about 5 and a half hours.

Tell me what's on your mind and leave your comments!

Wordless Wednesday #30

(not a painting, mosaic tiles on a ceiling)

Tuesday, November 06, 2007

Ten on Tuesday #8

Ten Words That Describe Me
1. Loyal - can you be a Phillies fan and NOT be loyal?
2. Faithful - I decided long before I got married that I would never be getting a divorce.
3. Thoughtful - just ask Amy. :)
4. Tolerant - yeah, just ask Lucy our Bassett Hound.
5. Smart - it's amazing the things I know and retain.
6. Fat - my wife says no, but I know the truth.
7. Lazy - you should see some of the rooms in our
house.
8. Funny - at least in my own mind.
9. Conservative - I believe in charity, but not as dictated by the government, sorry Democrats.
10. Upbeat - my attitude towards life could be summed up in most any song from the 1980's.

Friday, November 02, 2007

Saturday Photo Hunt #18 - Classic

Okay, retro and classic may not be the same thing in everyone's book, but to me 1980 was the classic year for baseball as my Phillies won the World Series. These classic pictures are from a throwback version of the 1980 road jersey worn by Mike Schmidt - a clasic third baseman.


I've got pink eye

What honestly stinks is I am otherwise physically well. I went to the doctor this morning on the advice of coworkers. I have lost 6 pounds since my last visit (2 months ago), and my BP was good 130/80. I was given a prescription for an antibiotic eye drop and I had to leave work today and I cannot work tomorrow, so it is simply lost income and an extra day off.

Friday Flashback #49 - Seasons

The seasons are changing here in Atlanta. We know this because we need the heat on in the morning and the air conditioning on in the afternoon. It actually made the high 70's on Thursday this week. It was beautiful weather for the kids trick or treating, now we just need some rain. In the meantime, here's a set of videos about various seasons, and why is it Bryan Adams keeps showing up in these themes, with DIFFERENT songs too?!?!?

DJ Jazzy Jeff & Fresh Prince - Summertime


Bryan Adams - Summer of '69


The Bangles - Hazy Shade of Winter


Bananarama - Cruel Summer


Don Henley - Boys of Summer

Friday Feast #27

Appetizer - How much money do you plan to spend this upcoming holiday season?
As much as we can reasonably afford (of course hitting the lotto could change that).

Soup - What was the last television show you watched, and was it good?
Amy and I just got done watching last night's Survivor. It was good, especially since this dumb blond thought she found the "hidden" immunity idol just lying on the ground. It was NOT the immunity idol.

Salad - If you had to paint the walls of your living room tomorrow, what color would you choose? White, though my wife would not like it, we painted the living room a peach/salmon color last year.

Main Course - Name something clever or practical you have thought of that should be invented, but hasn’t yet. I'm sure I have had one, but can't remember at the moment. I did have an idea for a website, www.myleftnut.com where guys could list things they would be willing to sacrifice their left nut to have or achieve.

Dessert - List 3 things you would like to receive as gifts this upcoming holiday season.
The Shawn Michaels WWE DVD, the Degeneration X WWE DVD, money to pay down debt.