Magnolia

Kindle Under Fire

2012-01-27T21:53:00.002-06:00

I'm not one to jump on the trend or tech bandwagon. When something is in style, I start wearing it about a year later. When a new gadget comes out, it takes me awhile to even get the first version. I save money this way, yes. But mainly it's just because I'm not with it. Ask my friends how long it took me to start texting.

I now have a Wii, a Tom Tom, an iPod, an iPhone and a Kindle. The e-reader is my most recent venture. I'm always trying to get myself back into books. I buy ones that interest me, but they often sit on the nightstand or end table for months. And my bookcase is a mess, I desperately need to reorganize it.

So I thought a Kindle or Nook would make me want to read and be ideal for trips, waiting rooms, etc. All those books and magazines in one little device that slips right into my purse. And though I'm not big on games, I enjoy Word Search which I used to work on at my grandma's house. Point is, I believed I could put an e-reader to good use, but I didn't want to break the bank just to feed the urge.

I was kicking around the idea of buying a Kindle instead of a Nook because from what I'd read, Amazon has a larger selection than Barnes and Noble. Then when I saw the basic Kindle was down to $79, it was a no brainer. I didn't have to spend that much (compared to $199 and up) to get a new toy.

But when I made my mind up to buy one, I was presented with too many options. The basic Kindle, the Kindle with the keyboard, the Kindle Touch and the ever popular Kindle Fire. I went to Staples, where I first got confused, then Target. I figured I'd take advantage of my 5% RedCard discount.

The Kindle Fire wasn't on display at either store, but at least at Target I could see the box locked up in the case. Oh, it was pretty. Pretty tempting. Color display, apps, music, videos, movies...oh yeah, and books. I spent a lot of time trying to talk myself into buying it. I came really close to giving in to temptation and forking over the extra dough for all those bells and whistles. Really close. Might as well, right?

But then I reminded myself why I wanted a Kindle in the first place. For reading. Not for apps, music, videos and movies. I have devices for those things. Why did I need another? Plus, I liked the size of the first Kindle. It was small and would tuck away neatly in a bag or pocketbook. I also liked the cover for it. Just a simple black case that folded back when you were reading. The other covers were bulky with snaps or strings to keep them in place.

So I bought the basic Kindle. In the next few days, I regretted my decision. Anyone I talked to about it said, "Oh, did you get the Kindle Fire?" No. Why didn't I? Am I crazy for buying the original version of something that's evolved several times since? But I let the anxiety subside and now I'm thrilled with it. Besides, I don't have to do what everybody else does.

Yes, the touch screen would come in handy since I'm now used to it with the iPhone. Yes, the color display would make me feel like I'm not watching a black and white TV. However, the size, simplicity and affordability is what I was after. And that's what I got.

Of course, I'm not ruling out a Kindle Fire in the future. Although I did try out my co-worker's and it seemed pretty bulky. But I figure if I do take the plunge, I could fill up the basic one with free books and give it to my mom who is an avid reader. I'd have to teach her how to use it though. She's nowhere near jumping on the tech bandwagon.

Dog Days

2012-01-23T10:06:00.000-06:00

It began a little more than a week ago. We got home late from our friend's going away party to find some nice, little presents in the hallway. #1 and #2. Naturally, we blamed Jack. Although after giving it some thought the next day, I realized Jack never makes that much of a mess. But I didn't think much more of it.

Until Sunday. We were recovering from our second party of the weekend when Bug got off the couch and crept behind it. All of a sudden, I heard what sounded like trickling water from the faucet. BUG! He was letting it go right there behind the chair. It was then I knew something was seriously wrong. This dog has been potty trained for years and we had taken him outside not too long before.

Off we went to the vet on Monday. The doctor took some blood and said he would call soon with the results. I called back the next morning to check, nothing yet. And not knowing made me think the worst. I just knew Bug's kidneys were failing and I was going to have to put him down. And I couldn't bear the thought. Meanwhile, we were still dealing with his incontinence in the hallway. He was particular fond of that spot he already marked on the carpet.

Wednesday, the doctor had some results. He said Bug's kidneys were okay, but there was a chance of diabetes and a thyroid issue. But, of course, more tests needed to be done. At the time, I was just thankful his kidneys were functioning properly. On Friday, I got the final call that Bug did indeed have diabetes and we need to start insulin shots. His thyroid was okay.

So that's where we are now. Bug's been getting 2 shots a day since Friday. He's also got diabetic food that we're working in with the old food until he gets used to it. Pmo and I were nervous about giving him the shots (and Bug doesn't like it too much either) but it's actually going pretty well. His incontinence is supposed to ease up in a few weeks.

I was able to wake up and take him out in the middle of the night over the weekend. Not sure if I'm easier to wake up than Pmo or if it's because of my normal schedule. But Bug had yet another accident last night while I was at work, so it's obviously still a problem. I lay out potty training pads over towels in that same spot he likes, but he doesn't have very good aim. Or he just doesn't want to go on them. He's stubborn, that Bug.

The Muppets Take Lamasco

2012-01-15T06:08:00.001-06:00

I've given my fair share of goodbyes over the years. At the end of high school, I don't think I fully realized I wasn't going to see my friends as much anymore. I mean, most of us had been in the exact same place doing the exact same things for nearly 20 years. It was kind of hard to imagine any other way. And I was more than ready to leave town.

By the time I was bidding farewell in college, I knew exactly what I was in for. No more roommates. No more late night runs to Taco Bell or Walmart. We were all moving on to the next phase of our lives which included careers, marriage and children, and didn't include each other. At least not as much.

This weekend, we said goodbye to two of our good friends who are moving to Cincinnati. She's moving up to a bigger market within the company, and he's looking forward to better job opportunities in his field. In the past five years, we've grown pretty close to this couple and shared some great times together. They have family here, so it's not like we'll never see them again. In fact, we have dinner plans in two weeks. But as she tearfully told me Friday night, it will never be the same.

My friend has given me inspiration to consider a life beyond where I am now. It's not that I'm unhappy. Actually, I'm pretty damn content. Which is the problem, I think. Getting too comfortable means not branching out and trying new things. Even if you fail. And what's the fun in that? How do you know what's out there if you don't look around? I could have a life that's ten times more awesome than it is now. But I'll never know unless I try.

At this point, I feel I need to explain the title of this post: The Muppets Take Lamasco.
Part one: Lamasco. I'm pretty sure I've mentioned it on this blog a time or two, but if you don't know, it's a bar we used to frequent. But since another owner took over (that whole pesky change thing again) it just hasn't been the same. But for the going-away festivities, we decided to try it one more time. And it really did feel like the old days. Everyone had a great time.

Part two: The Muppets. Like any child of the late 70s and early 80s, I grew up watching Kermit, Miss Piggy and the whole gang. In most of their movies, they had to go their separate ways, but they would always come back together for some reason. Like in "The Muppets Take Manhattan". Click on this link and you'll understand. You also might cry: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNfHU748SYQ

Those crazy puppets give me inspiration, too. Sometimes you choose change, and other times change chooses you. But it's good. It's necessary. And there's always that hope that something will bring you together again. Love you guys.

Morning Glory

2012-01-08T09:32:00.000-06:00

What a difference a year makes.
Tuesday is my 1 year anniversary as executive producer of 14 News Sunrise.

Not only that, but next month marks my 8th year at 14 WFIE.

And this fall, I will have been in the news business for 10 years.

Wow.

It's hard for me to believe that I've done anything for 10 years.
I've had Bug for nearly 11 years and that still blows my mind.

Am I where I thought I would be at 33?

I'm not sure.

I didn't have any idea where I was going to end up.

So how would I know if I'm in the right spot?

Here's what I do know:

The past year has been quite an adventure.

I don't think I realized when I took on this challenge just what it would do to me.

It has made me cry.

It has made me excited.

It has made me think.

It has made me proud.

It has made me ANGRY!

What a shock.

But most of all, it's made me appreciate what I have.
I have a career, not just a job.

I have goals and a focus.

I have money in the bank.

I have a fairly flexible schedule.
And the ability to fall asleep anytime, anywhere, anyhow.

I'll Be Home for Christmas

2011-12-18T06:30:00.001-06:00

I've traveled somewhere for the holidays for as long as I can remember.
Whether it was between two sides of the family growing up, coming home from college, visiting my husband's relatives or simply the fact that I lived in another town...
I've always been on the road.

As I've grown older, it seems there are more places to go.
Between the two of us, there are 6 places to visit between Thanksgiving and New Year's.
This year, I'm fortunate enough to say we will be done by Christmas Eve.
And I will be home for Christmas.

We try to split up the holiday season as best we can.
We usually see most of my family around Thanksgiving and will see some again today at a birthday party.
We've already visited a few of his relatives on the weekends and just found out the last gathering will be on Christmas Eve.
Which means we don't have to get up and go on Christmas Day!
Can you tell how thrilled I am about this?

Though in a way it may seem sad to others, it's exciting to me for two reasons.
    1. I have to go into work around 10:30pm that night.
        I was afraid a day of traveling would cut my evening nap short if not completely.
        It's a huge relief that I will be able to get some rest.
    2. I've never spent Christmas in my own home unless I had to work.
        And I couldn't make it somewhere.
        That's such a gift when you've been on the go for so long.
        And you like staying at home.

We could probably still run over to see some of my family in the morning and get back at a decent hour.
But by that point, we will have seen everyone, handed out the gifts and been on our way.
So I'm going to take full advantage of this opportunity because it may not come around again for a long time.
When it does, it will probably be because we have no family left.
Or maybe we'll be hosting instead of hopping in the car.

The only problem now is that I have to come up with a holiday meal.
I'm thinking green bean casserole will be involved somehow.
Some kind of meat.
Potatoes.
And pie.

Come to think of it, this may be more work than just going to someone's house!
Ah, but it will be worth it.

Staying Put

2011-11-12T10:54:00.001-06:00

Ahhhh. Our first weekend of relative calmness in 6 weeks. Since October 1st, we've been to the mountains plus two weddings, dressed up and went out for Halloween, and taken a train from Jasper to French Lick. So this weekend and next we're catching up on chores and yardwork before we start up again with holiday madness. Thanksgiving is only a week and a half away. Christmas? 6 weeks away. And we have at least 5 households to visit. Kind of a tight fit. But I think we've got a basic schedule in mind so that we see everyone.

We've made awesome plans to go to Louisville with friends to ring in 2012 so that should be fun. It's not often both New Year's Eve and New Year's Day fall on the weekend. It's especially nice for me and my news peeps who would probably never be able to take BOTH of those days off. Can't wait to shop for an outfit!

Well, Perry's fired up the lawnmower so I guess that's my signal to start the indoor work. I wanted to get some things done yesterday when I got home from work, but the recliner took all of my motivation and I ended up shopping online instead. All I really have to do is start blasting some music and I'll be good to go.

Here's to staying put for a few weekends!

Cabin Fever

2011-10-21T10:02:00.000-05:00

After a slowdown in September, we jumped back on the busy train in October. Starting with our trip to the mountains. I looked for a pet friendly cabin many times over the past few years, but I could never settle on one that didn’t make you pay a bunch of extra fees for having dogs. Finally, I found this little place in Georgia that I thought was reasonable, and we were off.

We arrived on a Saturday afternoon and stayed for 4 nights. I didn’t want to book us for too long because I wasn’t sure if we’d even like it or how the dogs would behave. But we definitely could have stayed all week. The cabin was at the top of a mountain with a beautiful view, a hot tub and a fireplace. There were neighboring cabins, but since the leaves were still on the trees, you couldn’t even see them from our deck.

I was concerned about keeping us busy. We usually don’t stay in one place for that long when we're on vacation. We tend to settle down in a different location each night. Plus, we usually don’t have the dogs so we can go to restaurants and be on the go all day. But it really was the perfect mix of relaxation and activities. We went to a lake recreation area and state park, saw waterfalls and pumpkin patches, bought fall goodies and Eddie Bauer clothes, enjoyed picnics outdoors and had breakfast and dinner at the cabin.

My goal was to get into the hot tub (with a glass of wine, of course) every night. No matter how tired I was. But being on night shift and switching back to normal for a week catches up with you quickly. So by halftime of the Colts game on Monday night, I conked out and missed my chance. But every other night, by golly, I was enjoying those jets!

We truly did not want to leave, but the time came and we headed home. We spent the rest of the week taking care of projects around the house, running errands, riding motorcycles and just hanging out. Since then, we’ve been to one wedding and have another one this weekend. Halloween is just around the corner and so is Pmo’s birthday. Besides Thanksgiving and Christmas, looks like the end of the year might calm down. Until I fill it up with plans again. Another cabin is in our future for sure. I'm pretty sure we're hooked now.

A Wii Bit of Guilt

2011-09-24T08:30:00.003-05:00

I began wanting a Wii after visiting a friend who had Wii Fit. The games were fun and you got a workout on top of it. I started watching the ads and after several months bought a system when there was a gift card perk. We bowled and played tennis for awhile. I bought Just Dance, also after playing it at another friend's house, and later Just Dance 2. Darts soon entered the picture. I purchased the balance board and got into boxing and yoga. I even started weighing the family every week. But after awhile, as all novelties do, interest faded. And I haven't played anything in many, many moons.

I keep talking about getting back into all the games, especially for fitness purposes, but I haven't done much about it. Until last night. Pmo and I had dinner at the Fiddler Fest, then came home to drink wine and listen to music. I specifically requested record playing. After sitting in a chair for a bit, sipping my red Roberston King, trying not to fade like I often do on a Friday night, I knew I had to move or else it would be lights out soon. So I asked Pmo, "You wanna bowl?"

It took awhile to set up the Wii again because batteries had to be changed, the sensor bar had to be picked up from behind the TV and the remotes had to be reconnected. But once we got going, it was fun! I even stayed in my "go out" clothes for awhile and stayed in my shoes. Like I was at a real bowling alley. We moved on to darts later. I finished the night by playing some ski ball and hoops. The biggest advantage was it kept me up past 11pm!

So now that the ice has been broken, I hope I truly will get back into the Wii as the colder months approach. I find it hard to justify playing video games when it's 80 degrees and sunny. I think that's part of my constant battle of "what *should* I be doing right now?" Read a book or clean the bathroom? Surf the internet or take Jack for a walk? Cook a meal or do laundry? Watch a movie or sort through papers? Write a blog or flip through a magazine? Not to mention work, sleep, groceries, etc.

There are only so many hours in the day. Boredom is obviously not even an option with all of those things I just mentioned. However, as always, I expect time and energy to work against me. Just need to remember last night's fun!

Circle of Friends

2011-09-10T11:15:00.001-05:00

I don’t make friends easily. It’s not that I’m a hermit or no one likes me. Though I doubt I’ll ever win Miss Congeniality. But I’m not social. I’m horrible at small talk and meeting new people. I don’t mingle. Which is why I’ve met all of my friends through circumstance. Having to be in the same place for a certain amount of time and getting to know them. Not because I met them at a party once and exchanged phone numbers to get together again.

My circle of friends starts near Terre Haute. My best friend from home lives there with her husband and two children. About 20 years ago, we started hanging out in junior high because we were in the same classes and our families were close. She’s been there from virtually the beginning and probably knows me better than anyone ever could. Luckily, we don’t live too far apart and I see her a few times a year. Most recently at our high school reunion, and some shenanigans before and after.

Next stop is Indy where my sorority BFF lives with her husband and two children. We actually met in high school because she lived in a neighboring county and worked with one of my friends. But I didn’t really get to know her until senior year when we roomed together at college. We visit about twice a year during our “summits” where a small group of sisters get together at someone’s house for the weekend. And occasionally, we see each other in between if one of us happens to be in town. Her sister lives here, so that’s a bonus.

Head over to Louisville and you’ll find another one of my college besties along with her husband and two children. You see a pattern here? I met her freshman year when I went out for track. She was a sophomore and the only girl thrower who wasn’t exactly thrilled about me invading her turf. But that quickly changed when we spent some time together outside of practice. Let’s just say she and the boys introduced me to a side of college life I hadn’t seen before. And I’ve pretty much been enjoying it ever since. A group of us try to get together at least once a year, but I don’t see any of them as often as I should.

Further south, you’ll meet a single girl in Nashville who’s like a sister to me. I was married to her brother for a short time, so I guess I’ve known her for almost ten years now. We got acquainted during holidays, family gatherings and other events. She’s always been my counselor. Her ability to listen and give advice is quite unique. I can talk to her about all kinds of things: relationships, religion, careers, you name it. We try to meet up for lunch and/or shopping a few times a year. Though as I write this, I realize I haven’t seen her in a long time and I’ve had a note to call and catch up with her on my to-do list for several weeks now.

The circle ends with Evansville and my work friends. These are the people I see on a regular basis and who are most up to date with my life. Although with Facebook and this blog, pretty much anyone knows what’s going on with me. We often go out with 2 of my friends and their husbands for dinner and usually karaoke. In fact, that’s what we’re doing tonight. Each couple has a child so it all depends on getting babysitters. But it usually works out about once a month. I have other friends from when I used to work evenings that I don’t see much anymore. Sometimes breakfast plans can remedy that.

After writing this, it’s apparent I have plenty of friends. I just wonder if I’m settling for what’s in front of me instead of breaking out of my comfort zone. Am I being content with the people who have walked into my life instead of getting out there and meeting others? Should I open up the circle?

Then I realize I *do* make an effort. I work to keep the friends I have. It’s hard to stay in touch with people, even if they live in the same area, but especially if they’re out of town. I think I do a pretty good job of sending emails or getting on Facebook to check in, even make plans.

I’m not so good at picking up the phone. Unless it’s for texting. Digital correspondence is somehow way easier than calling. I still send cards in the mail for baby and bridal showers or weddings I can’t attend. But writing a letter? That’s a lost cause. No friend, old or new, wants to try to read my handwriting.

Ambi-Kid

2011-09-03T06:37:00.000-05:00

I’d have to say I’m pretty ambivalent when it comes to most things. Perhaps this is why a career in news suits me because I can see both sides of the story. But I even fell into that because I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with my life.

I don’t have any real political views. You probably won’t ever see me marching on Washington or protesting property taxes. I don’t have any stance on immigration or gun control. I’m not really pro-choice or pro-life. Though the older I get, I tend to lean pro-life even though I think women should have the right to choose. See? Can’t make up my mind.

The subject I’m most ambivalent about right now is whether to have children. I think many people believe I’m anti-kid. Which is not true. I love kids. I love my cousins’ kids. My friends’ kids. I’m “friends with toddlers” as one of my girlfriends puts it. I’ve just never had a maternal urge or felt I had to do something about that biological clock.

I always assumed I would get married and have children. But there was never a real plan for that, much like my career. College was definitely a goal, even had my sights set on a master’s degree in…something. But by the time I got to that 4th year of higher learning, I’d had enough of school. Marriage happened, so did divorce. Then marriage again. But the kids thing has somehow always been put on the back burner.

I’m about to turn 33. So the baby vibe is all around me. Friends, family, neighbors…seems like everyone is procreating. I’m not saying there’s peer pressure or anything, but there must be something in the water, you know? Still, I’m not sure it’s for me.

On one hand, having a baby would change my life forever…
On the other hand, having a baby would change my life forever!

See, for the first time (in a long time) I’m pretty content. I’ve got a good job and a great relationship. I still see my friends from high school and college. I travel. I stay pretty busy. And who knows what is on the horizon? I’m perfectly happy sans kids. But I don’t want to have any regrets. I don’t want to look back and see I missed out on such a special experience. And, in essence, a contribution to the world. A legacy. Something we would always share.

Since neither one of us feels strongly on the subject, we don’t have a real problem. It would be an issue if I was the wife who *had* to have children and would go to great lengths to do so, and my husband was totally against it. But that's not the case. I also would rather be happy with the love of my life and not have kids, then settle for my second choice and have a family.

I guess what it boils down to is I’m afraid of rocking the boat. I fear what having a baby would do to our relationship. Our free time. My body. My mental state. ‘Cause there’s no going back. It’s not like adopting a puppy that pees on the carpet and you send it back to the pound. Though I probably wouldn’t do that to a dog. Plus, let's face it: we’re not getting any younger. So a decision must be made.

I’ll have to keep wrestling with it until something or someone persuades me one way or the other. But obviously I'm not easily persuaded. I would pray about it, but I’m not very religious either. I just wish for once I had a strong opinion. Maybe I do. I just don’t want to accept it yet.

Journal Yearning

2011-07-25T11:36:00.015-05:00

Pmo and I used to have a habit of recounting the entire weekend on Sunday night. Everything we did, everywhere we went, everything we saw. That task has fallen by the wayside, same as my journals.

On our first vacation together, I wrote up everything we had done at the end of the day on my computer. While it was fresh in my mind and I could still remember details. Because if you wait much longer than that, you lose so many memories. I eventually turned my writing and pictures into a scrapbook. It was a lot of work, but I'm glad I have it in the back bedroom to look at whenever I want. I have also put sets of pictures on a few DVDs (with songs, of course) and given them to Pmo as presents.

I enjoy putting stuff like that together. I just haven't done much of it in lately. I started looking at journals the other night at Barnes and Noble. Crisp, unwritten pages bound by leather or canvas. Sometimes with a tie wrapped around or buttoned by a flap. The travel journals really sparked my interest. I thought about getting one but wasn't sure I would actually use it. I hate waste.

This blog is a journal, obviously. But you see how often I come up with something to write about on here. And how often do I just write about writing? Sometimes, I don't want to go public with my thoughts. I have a few journals I keep from difficult times in my life that I don't necessarily want everyone to see. Then again, I have considered trying to make a book out of those entries, too.

As I've grown older, it's been much easier for me to write fact than fiction. That's why a blog works. And keeping something like a travel journal would make sense. I don't have to sit and wait for inspiration to hit me. I just tell what happened. Sitting here at the kitchen table helps, too. When I sit in the recliner with the TV on, my mind goes numb and I quit thinking for awhile. Which I like. Which I often need to do, especially after work. But with just music playing and creativity flowing into the air, I can actually form thoughts and come up with a plan. I don't like silence. Dead air, as we call it in the TV biz :)

I bought this computer in 2007 because I wanted to be like Carrie Bradshaw from Sex in the City. I've admitted this before and I have no shame. But another advantage to blogging or keeping a journal in a word document is that you don't have to see my handwriting. I love the look and feel of a journal in my hand, but if it's not legible, what's the point? Alright, my handwriting isn't that bad, but if I get in a hurry, I start making mistakes. Not a big fan of white out. And my hand starts hurting. Then I quit writing. And that's no fun.

Still, I may go back to B&N and buy that travel journal for our next trip. I could drag my scrapbooking supplies out and go shopping for new ones. I might print out some pictures and take a stab at another memory keepsake. I may go find one of those journals in the back that I know is blank and start filling it. I could read my old entries and form those thoughts into a rough draft. But for now, I'll probably go start reading the book I bought Friday night and go to sleep. And dream of brown leather and perfect cursive.

Hot and Cold

2011-07-20T11:01:00.003-05:00

I'd say my summer is going well. For summer. I'm not a big fan. The bugs, the sweat. It would almost be okay if those things went away when the sun went down. But they don't. I went to work the other night and it was 86 degrees. And pitch black. Unreal. Thank goodness for the A/C.

I did the pool thing when I was younger, but now it's just not my thing. I'd rather hang out at a lake or the beach. But I don't do that either. There is a lake at a park about ten miles from our house but we've only been bicycling there.

That's another thing. I hate when it's too hot to ride bicycles or motorcycles. Nothing worse that sitting on a motorcycle, a black one for that matter, with the hot pavement beneath you.

I know, I know. After the winter we had, I shouldn't be complaining. Plus, I'm not even awake during the hottest part of the day, unless it's a weekend, so what I do I know? But I'd rather be comfortable. Cozy. And able to breathe.

I'm forgetting one thing. It may be in the 90s outside but it's pretty chilly at work. So I have to bundle up when I go in, then shed the layers when I come out. It's ridiculous. I prefer fall. And a cabin in the mountains. With a glass of wine in a hot tub. Hmmm. Time to make vacation plans.

Me Against the Music

2011-07-07T10:56:00.010-05:00

I often wonder why I didn't pursue a career in music. I attribute it to the fact that they don't teach you the good stuff in school. This fact is portrayed perfectly in "The Runaways" when Joan Jett goes for guitar lessons. He wants to teach her "On Top of 'Ol Smoky" on acoustic guitar. She wants to plug in an amp and crank out "Smoke on the Water".

I could have joined the school band but I really wasn't interested in playing the clarinet or the tuba. Classical music wasn't my thing, and that's all I had heard the band play, besides pep rally material. I do remember getting to sing a few "popular" songs in junior high. It was in Mrs. Scherzinger's class: "Yesterday" by the Beatles and "Spinning Wheel" by Blood, Sweat and Tears. I was told I was a soprano so I felt like all I got to do was sing the high notes like an opera singer or choir member. All I was really did, all I've ever done, is imitate what I heard. I never learned how to read music. It seemed boring at the time and I guess I just didn't get it.

Before I go any further, let me make it clear that even though I enjoy a good karaoke bar, I do NOT think I'm a good singer. Never have. In fact, I cursed the fact that I wasn't given such a talent. How could I be so passionate about something and then not be any good at it? The first time I sang in public was my best friend's wedding in 2005. My dad later told me the bride was dancing in the crowd and mouthing the words right back to me. I'll never forget that.

My ultimate dream was to be a singer/songwriter. Even if my voice sucked, I still could have learned how to play guitar or piano and write songs. Went on to college and perfected my craft. But even in college, you're expected to have a basic knowledge of your subject before you start that journey. I didn't understand the dynamics of music, just that I loved it. Plus, you're supposed to invest in a career that's profitable. Unless you're any good, the music industry can eat you alive.

I've always enjoyed a variety of music: rock/country/pop/hiphop, etc. I like to say, "A good song is a good song is a good song." No matter what genre. But I always come back to Stevie Nicks as one of my biggest influences. If you looked up the definition of singer/songwriter in the dictionary (or did a Google search these days) you'd see her picture. Next month, I'll get to see her live in concert for the first time. I really can't believe it took me this long. Stevie's like one of my oldest and dearest friends who I still have a connection with even though we lost touch over the years. I may not listen to her music every day or even have all of her albums, but she's still so important to me. Not just her voice, but her lyrics. It's like she knew exactly how I felt. And she made me want to put my emotions into song, too.

I guess if I had wanted it bad enough, I would have pursued music as a profession. I suppose it's not too late. I could still take singing lessons. I could write down lyrics. I used to write poetry all of the time. And what is a song if not poetry set to music? I could learn how to tickle the ivories or play my grandpa's guitar. I actually dabbled in guitar a bit in college. I had a friend (who reminds me of Joan Jett) who tried to teach me. But I lost interest. And it hurt my hands.

Maybe one day I'll get my act together, literally. Or maybe I'll just be a professional appreciator.

Either way, the music will always be with me.

"...you can sing the melody to me and I could write a couple lines..."

--Bon Jovi

The Sleep Monster

2011-06-06T05:53:00.010-05:00

I fought the good fight this weekend. You win some, you lose some, right?

Saturday was a loss. We knew it was going to be hot, so we were trying to think of things to do that wouldn't kill us, physically and financially because we're going on vacation in a few weeks. I had a few errands to run so I went out on my own around 11am and got back before noon. I think we had some lunch then I proceeded to lay on the couch. All damn day. We couldn't really agree on what to do, a wave of tiredness hit me and that was pretty much the end of it. Perry tinkered around the house and I took several cat naps. I managed to wake up long enough to have dinner. I planned to make chicken, rice and mashed potatoes but all of the energy had been sucked out of me so Perry made 2 out of 3. Which ain't bad :)

I was determined not to fall into the same sleep trap on Sunday. We decided to cash in our Bar Louie gift card and hit up the Super Flea Market while riding our motorcycles. Unfortunately, we rode right into a storm and had to take cover immediately at the flea market which put a damper on the situation, pun intended. After an hour or so of picking up some cell phone accessories, we decided to make a go of it. It was barely sprinkling and the storm had mostly passed. Plus this guy let us park under the carport so our motorcycles weren't too wet.

I wanted to forge ahead to Bar Louie, but after a few minutes on the bypass, I realized the bottom of my jeans were getting soaked and we probably needed to go home first. A couple of quick showers, change of clothes and we were off again. The thing about Bar Louie is that Perry and I both got gift cards earlier this year for being employees of the month. But we're really not that crazy about the restaurant. So we used up his gift card and gave the remaining balance to some other customers. It was just a buck and some change.

I knew if we went home after lunch I would just end up passed out on the couch. All afternoon. Again. So I looked up showtimes for The Hangover II and turns out we had just enough time to check out another nearby flea market, Trader Bakers, before the movie. This is where I proceeded to buy 4 dvds for $10. Not bad I thought. In fact, I'm watching Mystic Pizza right now. But since I was yawning at lunch, I was afraid I might fall asleep during The Hangover. I didn't, and the movie was insane. But I was pretty wiped out afterward so I succumbed to a snooze when we got home.

As I napped, again, Perry commenced more tinkering. When I woke up, we thought cereal sounded good for dinner. With a bowl of Corn Flakes (Perry) and Rice Krispies (me) in hand, we watched our Netflix movie of the week, Due Date. And I'm proud to say my eyes stayed open during the entire flick, although they did droop a few times. It took little time for them to close completely after the movie was over, a good hour or two before official bedtime.

Since I dozed off early last night, I got up at 5am this morning. Again. The other part to this story is that I'm off work today, my long lost Memorial Day. Which means I just slept through most of my shift. Perry has to work, of course, so my plans are to clean the house. It should be easy to get going once he goes to work because my energetic hours occur in the earliest part of the day. I just have to wait for him to get up and keep quiet until then.

So if you hear music blasting from my house around 8am, it's just me mopping. I'm sure I'll be out like a light this afternoon. Again.

On the Homefront

2011-05-28T08:49:00.004-05:00

It happens every year. Pretty plants and colorful flowers start popping up all over the place. In people's yards, at home improvement stores. And I get the idea that I can magically reinvent myself as a gardener.

I forget the fact that whenever I plant something, I don't take care of it. It looks good for a few days, maybe even weeks. But it always dies. It's a combination on my lack of knowledge and little effort.

So this year, I decided to be true to myself and go simple. I still like the look of mulch and I don't have to maintain it too much, so I got the idea from a friend to line the area in front of the porch with bricks to keep the mulch from escaping with the rain. And just using lawn decor.

Mom started me off with a solar light in the shape of a caila lilly. I bought another flower looking light at Target. I added a couple of little mushrooms and that's as far as I've gone. I'm thinking of letting others areas I used to mulch grow some grass. Unless I find some more decor to put out.

In other news, we're planning a trip east soon. Gettysburg, DC, Williamsburg and VA Beach. I've got the hotel rooms booked but that's about as far as I've gone with that, too. I need to make an itinerary. I'm also spending a weekend at a casino with some girlfriends. That should be a good time.

This is supposed to be a "long" weekend for most people, but of course I have to work Monday. I'm trying to mix a little bit of chores with a little bit of fun. We've got a big tree branch down in the yard we have to cut up. Grass needs mowed. Laundry needs washed. Carpet needs vacuumed. But it's supposed to be warmer so I also want to get out the bicycle and/or motorcycle and have a little adventure.

That's the scoop on the homefront!

Writing Woes

2011-04-09T07:30:00.004-05:00

I've thought of several ideas for blogs over the past few weeks. But if I don't write ideas down, they slip away into the recesses of my mind until something pulls them out again. Maybe that's why they call it fishing for ideas. You cast a line in your brain, hoping to pull out one of those bottom feeding catfish with the whiskers.

I'm not able to write a daily post. I don't have the time, energy or enough worthwhile topics to pull that off. I might be able to manage one a week if I set my mind to it. I am, after all, an obsessive planner so if I put it on my to do list, it would probably get done. But that hasn't happened either. So I'm happy with myself, for now, if I blog at least once a month. Just checked the date of my last one and I'm making good on my promise.

I'm also a bit of a perfectionist. If I can't sit down with an idea at hand and a plan to craft it, I won't post anything. In fact, what I'm doing right now is a bit out of the ordinary. Just sitting here writing on the actual Blogger website. I usually start writing in Microsoft Word, save it, go back over it, edit it, copy and paste it here, edit some more and finally post after I've previewed it and made some more adjustments. That takes a long time! And sometimes I just want to get off the computer for awhile. Take a walk. Do some yoga. Watch TV and not think.

That being said, I can't remember any of those ideas I had for blogs right now. So I guess this is a just blog about blogging. I also don't like to make these things too long because I know our attention spans are short these days with all the information that's thrown at us from every angle. But like Jerry Springer, I have a final thought.

I do get to write in my current profession which is awesome, but I don't have the time I crave to really perfect it. There's always a deadline approaching and I'm often working with other people's words, not my own. But at least I came close. I'm not totally out in left field: performing neurosurgery, building a skyscraper or rocketing to the moon. That's just not me :)

Lessons Learned

2011-03-16T10:42:00.005-05:00

You can become a morning person, if you're forced into it.
My most productive time is now between the hours of 6am-12pm.
After that, I'm pretty much worthless, especially on a Saturday night.
If I'm sitting at home, I doze off by 8pm.

You can learn to like coffee, just find the right sweetener.
I've learned Coffeemate does the trick, and I'm still trying out different flavors.

But I only drink coffee when I absolutely need it, like when I'm having a particularly difficult time waking up before work.

Don't want my teeth to get stained :)

You can enjoy quality time, but you have to decide what that means.
I'm trying to hang out more with P, B and J (Perry, Bug and Jack) and get back to my yoga, Just Dance 2 and Wii Fit... instead of trying to catch up with every single post on Facebook or dwelling on my job after hours.

You can enjoy some luxuries while staying true to your inner cheapskate.
I've recently splurged on a few items like a massage and a flat screen TV for the bedroom.
But I still love bargain finds at thrift stores and flea markets and clipping coupons.
I also searched high and low for affordable lodging near, not on, the beach in Florida.
Someday, I'll treat myself to an oceanside view :)

You may work the night shift, but you don't have to look like it.

I'm a jeans and t-shirt kind of gal.

Working the night shift gives me the excuse to slack in the style department.

So I try to dress up as much as possible to keep from slipping into the habit.

I even keep buying clothes and accessories that adhere to a professional dress code.

But if I'm just not feeling it, I can get by with a hoodie and jeans, no problem.

You can't do it all, just do your best.

This is the biggie.

I'm working more hours than I used to, and I have to do some tasks at home now.

Yet there's still housework to be done, dogs to be fed, bills to be paid, presents to be bought, family gatherings to attend... you get the picture.

I realize now if I get behind, I'll catch up.

Pretty quickly.

I'm kinda OCD like that.

And if I can't catch up, Perry helps out.

That's the beauty of it.

Now if you'll excuse me, it's time for some quality time on the couch.

With B and J.

'Cause P is at work :)

Spring Forward

2011-02-06T09:57:00.010-06:00

Cabin fever has definitely set in for all of us. Jack is especially whiny. Pmo gets bored easily. Bug is not getting any exercise and attached to the couch. And I'm losing weight because my meal times are so random and sometimes nonexistent.

So here are some things I'm looking foward to...

Short term: Yoga. I plan to get on the floor and do some stretching later. I'll probably take a nap, too, because we stayed up late last night and got up early this morning. Why I don't know.

Middle term: Friday night. Pmo and I are now in the habit of going out to eat at the end of the week. Our most recent outing was Pizza Chef. Plus, it's still days away, but payday's coming around again soon and I can't wait to pay off some more debt.

Long term: Spring starts 6 weeks from today. Pmo and I are talking about taking trips to Florida and DC in the coming months. I'm also going to have extra days off this year because I'm salary instead of hourly. I've already got one, possibly two comp days built up. And I'll get all 6 holidays off now, well maybe not the exact day, but I have 6 days coming to me nonetheless.

For now, it's going to be a lazy Sunday with my usual super early bedtime. I'm going to miss the Super Bowl, but I really don't care too much about that. We had a little get together at our house last night, so I got my appetizer fixins out of my system. That's my favorite part about football anyway, the food.

Rest in Peace?

2011-01-28T16:36:00.014-06:00

3:46pm.

My eyes slowly lift from a sound sleep.

My ears hone in on a desperate whine coming from the living room.

I usually don't hear such things.

Either the noises aren't made or the fan I use for white noise works.

I didn't turn on the fan today.

I get up to see what's wrong. The noise is coming from Jack. It's a much different whine than I'm used to. His head is slightly down, tail wagging. I suddenly remember both dogs ate a bowl of food right before I went to bed. So this must be an EPC, emergency poot cry.

I begrudgingly throw on a coat and take the dogs outside. The sun is bright and I wish I had grabbed sunglasses. I walk around the backyard with Jack on a leash, leaving Bug to his own accord. Jack trots around and Bug is the one who ends up pooting. This, of course, does not make me happy since Jack started the whole thing.

We go back in the house. I declare "no treats!" because I'm so irritated with the whole disturbance, and I lie down again. A few minutes later, I realize I too must go to the bathroom. I get up and take care of that, then lie down. Again.

A few minutes later, I hear thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Sounds like someone is pounding a hammer on a roof. But no one would start working on a roof at 4pm on a Friday. Then I put 2 and 2 together: weekend + plus warmer temperatures = basketball kid. He's a teenager two doors down from us who's almost always out pounding the pavement when it's warm. A few expletives run through my head and under my breath I murmur, effing basketball kid. I finally give up the fight and retreat to the living room.

****I don't sleep as long on Fridays so I can attempt to sleep through the night. So I was going to get up in an hour or so anyway. But it's still annoying. Soon, Pmo will be home. I'll have to put on my happy face and gear up for dinner. Maybe he can talk me out of getting up at 3:30am Saturday morning to play basketball in front of my neighbor's house.****

Routine Maintenance

2011-01-24T22:09:00.016-06:00

I know all I've blogged about lately is being on night shift and producing the morning show. But it's all I know right now. So here we go.

Today, tonight, whatever... I tried to establish a bit of a routine. At least during the week. Weekends don't count. You pretty much have to get through them the best you can. And still try to enjoy yourself. Anyway, today I got 8 hours of sleep from 11am-7pm, yay! Okay, I woke up a few times, but the point is I was able to fall back to sleep, which I feel is the hardest part about day snoozing. I still credit the melatonin for keeping my brain in a coma. To keep me alert after I woke up, I started drinking coffee around 7:30pm. With French Vanilla Coffeemate, my new friend.

Then I caught up on work email, Facebook, etc. I used to go through work email just to weed out all of the stuff I didn't need. Now I need to catch up on things and see what's going on before I go into the newsroom. I have to pay a lot of attention and save more emails than I used to.

After that, I got out my yoga mat and did several poses while Pmo watched American Pickers and Pawn Stars. I feel the need to stretch now more than ever because I sit for even longer periods of time at work. Especially this morning. 2 and 1/2 hours in the producer booth is hard on the bottom. I also have trouble walking at first when I get out of the chair. Is that bad? :)

Finally, it was time to eat. I fixed a ham and cheese sandwich with cheesy poofs and had a Diet Coke. Pmo was glad I finally settled down. But think about it. I really can't get up at 7pm and just relax all night because I'll get tired all over again. And I don't have a lot of energy in the morning after I get home from work to do these things. Except this morning I did do the dishes and cleaned the kitchen and bathroom countertops. And had pizza, salad and chocolate milk for breakfast :)

Now it's almost time to get in the shower and schlep into work. That's another routine that gets thrown off on the weekend, my showers. Don't worry, I still take them. They're just at odd times and spaced out more than usual.

I hope I can keep up this new routine. So does Jack. You know that commercial on TV where the dog is doing yoga with his owner? When I get on the floor, Jack seizes a golden opportunity:

Weekend Outlook

2011-01-21T09:58:00.004-06:00

My weekend started around 8:30am this morning. Probably around the time your work day began. That's the big plus of working night shift.

I just finished my second week on the morning show. I feel a bit more "with it" but I have a long way to go. There are kinks to be worked out, conversation to be had, lessons to be learned. It's really a trial and error process. For all of us. I'll be glad when I get to a point where I've got it all figured out, or at least I think I do. I'd like to have a better grip on things. There are lots of logistics to mull over. Many sources to check again and again. Planning ahead day to day. Things I can do, I'm just not used to it. It's tiring. I still feel scatterbrained and unorganized, but I'm chipping away at that as well with my notes and such.

That being said, I'm going to relax this weekend. I'm having lunch with a co-worker in a few hours. Pmo and I might take in a movie tomorrow. We had talked about going to a winery but the snow changed that plan.

My weekend will end around 12am Monday morning. Or Sunday at midnight, depending on how you look at it. That's the bitch about being on night shift. But I won't think about that now. I'll think about that on Sunday when I have to go to bed at 6pm ;)

Hell Week

2011-01-14T20:19:00.011-06:00

On Monday, I started a new role at work as executive producer of the morning show. Now that I have the first week under my belt, my survival story of Sunrise Boot Camp can be told.

The first step was adjusting from 2nd shift to 3rd shift. Not easy. I only slept 5 to 6 hours a day at the most. The dogs were confused and wondered why I was at home but not in the living room with them. I started drinking coffee and used sleep aids at times. I even bought some melatonin for future naps.

The second step was learning how the show currently operates. I have produced a 1/2 hour show, and at times 2 separate 1/2 hour shows, for the past 7 years. Sunrise is a 2 and 1/2 hour show. It's a totally different dynamic, a whole new crew of people and a lot of content responsibility compared to the evening shows.

The third step was adapting my way of producing to the show. I'm sharing duties with another producer for the first time. I use different elements and tools than what the crew is used to incorporating. The director and I are in the process of coming to an understanding in terms of what I expect and what he can do. In fact, he's teaching me things I didn't know we could do.

The fourth step was moving the show into a new direction. A series of meetings took place in the latter half of the week that introduced new elements, strategies and goals into my brain. At this point, I had a breakdown. I think it was Wednesday. I woke up from a nap, came into the kitchen and just started crying on Pmo's shoulder. The whole week was one big roller coaster of emotions. There were times when I wondered why the hell I decided to do this, and could I really do what upper management was asking of me? There were times when I had ideas of how to make the show better. Too many ideas that clouded my mind and made it difficult to close my eyes when I needed to sleep. There were times when I just missed my former life I left behind less than a week ago. 11 hours of overtime didn't help either.

I think my biggest problem, besides the poor sleep and eating habits, was the chaos of clutter. I don't deal well with being unorganized. I am not usually scatterbrained. I've been taking notes all week which are randomly placed on loose pieces of paper, in a notebook, in emails and in my mind. I need to cohesively bring all that together in one place in a specific order or I'll go insane. I need to decide what to tackle first and how to execute it. It's like coming home to a dirty house. I can't relax or settle in until I've put all the dishes away, cleared the countertops, made the bed and filled the dog bowls.

I'm calling it boot camp/hell week in the hopes that the worst is behind me. It can only get better from here, right? I was thrown into the fire, to the wolves, what have you, right from the get go and I'm coming out the other side. I have to retrain my brain and change my mentality. I think of it like building a truck on an assembly line. For years, you've done it the same way with the same parts and the same people. And you were pretty confident and comfortable in your abilities. But then the boss moves you to an SUV. You not only have to learn how to build this particular SUV, but build it like it has never been built before using new tools and parts. And make it bigger. Much, much bigger.

Kudos to my husband who has beared with me and been my rock through this first week. He's made dinner, packed my midnight snacks, cleared snow off my car, kept the dogs quiet while I slept, washed the dishes, made me coffee, sent me articles on staying healthy on night shift... the list never ends. God bless you, St. Pmo :)

Serendipity

2010-12-19T17:00:00.009-06:00

My mother. Whether she has $10 or $100 to spend on presents, she nails it every time. We had our Christmas early yesterday because Pmo and I are going to Kentucky next weekend. And I just had to share some of the genius that is Eva D.

She gave me and Pmo Oreo themed coffee mugs and packages of Double Stuf Oreos. Yeah, we love us some Oreos. Pmo got a set of steel pennies from 1943 and a book on Abe Lincoln. I got a pug napkin holder and a Gone with the Wind book. Our most awesome joint gifts were a wine cooler and an electric wine opener with a chiller. Yeah, we like us some wine, too. Duh. But I have been looking at wine coolers for months in the Target ads, so it’s definitely something that’s been on my mind. In case you didn’t know, wine is supposed to be stored on its side somewhere between 48-58 degrees. Our bottles have been upright in a corner cabinet. A fridge is really too cold, that’s why a cellar or cooler is ideal. Actually, different types of wine are supposed to be chilled at various temperatures. But I digress.

I can’t speak for Pmo but my favorite gift has got to be my lapdesk. I had one when I was younger that was basically a bean bag with a flat surface on top and a place for a pencil. You could use it sitting on the floor or in a chair. Actually, I think I went through more than one. My new lapdesk has a light and a built-in wrist pad. It’s a purple/pink color with a leopard print and stuffed like a pillow.

It could not be a more perfect gift for me. If I’m not sleeping, doing laundry or cleaning the house, I’m in this recliner. Yes, I eat here, too. But most of the time I’m on the computer and watching TV. Sometimes I write to-do lists, grocery lists or balance my checkbook and I need a light. But the one beside me is kind of harsh and blinds Pmo on the couch. Now I have it all, right here in this lovely lapdesk.

So kudos to Mom and here’s to a mother knowing her daughter. She gave me a gift I didn’t even know I wanted, yet I can’t believe I didn’t think of it first. On top of that, it’s a throwback to my childhood and the magic of Christmas. That is the making of a great present.

Sidenote: I just asked Pmo what his favorite gift was and he said the camo foldup camping chair :)

Who You'd Be Today

2010-12-13T11:08:00.010-06:00

I tell people I'm an only child. But that's not the whole story. Truth is, I had a sister I never knew. And she would have turned 37 years old today. Staci Lea Malone passed away about 8 months after she was born. She was with Mom and Dad at a racetrack when a car lost control and hit them. Staci died on the way to the hospital. Mom was hospitalized and couldn't attend Staci's funeral. That's about all I know. And I didn't even learn that from my parents. It's something we don't really talk about. But even though I may not talk to Mom and Dad today, I know they are thinking about her. And I am, too. I wonder how different things would have been if she was here. I would probably have a brother-in-law as well as nieces and nephews. I wonder where she would have called home. What kind of career she would have. What kind of relationship the two of us would have developed. But it makes me smile to think about Staci enjoying heaven with Papaw and my cousin, Jason. I talk to her sometimes, especially when I'm feeling really down or have a big decision to make. I think Kenny Chesney's "Who You'd Be Today" pretty much sums it up. Happy Birthday, Sis.

"Would you see the world?
Would you chase your dreams?
Settle down with a family?
I wonder what would you name your babies?
Some days the sky's so blue
I feel like I can talk to you
And I know it might sound crazy...

It ain't fair you died too young
Like a story that had just begun
The death tore the pages all away
God knows how I miss you
All the hell that I've been through
Just knowing no one could take your place
Sometimes I wonder who you'd be today..."

Stressful Season

2010-12-10T11:01:00.003-06:00

I haven't blogged in awhile. Obviously. I blame the holidays because they're sure as hell the culprit. I've had 3 to-do lists going at one time for the past couple of weeks. The first one is immediate tasks with deadlines: pay this bill, wash the sheets, buy dog food, etc. The second is a Christmas to-do list: presents, cards, food and the like. Since we're getting together with family and friends at different times, there's a stair step of deadlines on those items. Finally, there's my regular to-do list. Things I need to accomplish but can wait. Plus work. Plus sleep. Plus cooking and eating. Plus "enjoying" myself at holiday celebrations. Bah humbug.

I like Christmas. I really do. And now that Pmo and I are married with dogs, we've become a little family who likes to open gifts Christmas morning and sniff out the stockings for treats and toys. But there's so much stress and pressure that comes along with the holiday season. I always say it seems like everyone wants a piece of me this time of year, but I think I bring it on myself. Trying to do it all. I'm the one insisting we get together with most of these people. Because I feel like if I don't do it, no one else will. And it has to be planned out ahead of time because, of course, I won't have it any other way. But after awhile, it's not fun. And a get together is something I have to do instead of something I want to do. I've got to get out of that mood.

Tomorrow, we have a free day as well as next Sunday. So I'm hoping to get some of the extra stuff done so I can relax and enjoy the rest of it. I've already had my pseudo-breakdown, so has Pmo. It can only get better from here, right?

Party/Politics

2010-11-07T08:33:00.009-06:00

It's been a stressful week for me. Election night is one of the busiest and hectic times in news. In the eight years I've been a producer, I've learned that I can't wait until election night to start working on it. This year, I started my rundown one week ahead of time and did my research during spare moments at work and even last weekend. But now it's over and although there are primaries and an odd year election in between, I really don't have to worry about it for another two years.

I was also stressed out this week from planning Pmo's surprise birthday party. I love surprising him and seeing the look on his face. It's one of my favorite things to do. Plus I get lots of hugs in return. Last year, I took him to French Lick to see Ron White and ride a train. This year, I invited his family to a cookout at our house and recruited my parents to cook chicken and potatoes on the grill. I fixed green bean casserole, pasta salad, brownies and coconut cake. Mom also brought corn. And his aunt brought a grape salad that I am in love with now.

I wasn't sure how to tell Pmo when the big moment came. I finally decided to just let my parents show up with the cooker, then I'd spring it on him. He was on his new motorcycle getting ready to take it to the BMV to get his title and registration when they pulled in the driveway. He eventually went to the BMV, but he stuck around for a little bit when he figured out what was going on.

I'd been hiding things in the house all week in preparation for the party: charcoal, 2 liters, etc. I prepared the desserts on Friday and had to stash them somewhere, too. I did a bunch of laundry, especially dog blankets, and freshened up the guest bedroom. I cleaned the house. I swept the patio. I straightened up the garage. I lied to Pmo all week about why we couldn't do this or that on Saturday. Or made him think we were doing this or that on Saturday. I even had to email the guy he bought the motorcycle from to make sure the deal didn't go down on Nov. 6th.

The weather was also stressing me out. Here I thought all I'd have to worry about was rain. Didn't think we'd have a 25 degree morning. Not this early. Yes, I know it can happen. I also know that we sometimes get 90 degree weather in October. You can't win. But I was prepared to set up tables inside if it came down to it. We ended up eating outside in the sun and it was just fine. Pmo blew out candles on his cake and opened up his presents after we ate. Then Mom and I packed bunches and bunches of chicken and potatoes to send home with everyone. It was a good day. And for the most part, the dogs behaved. Jack was entertaining with his playfulness. Again, he's a dog's dog. Bug's foot was stepped on a few times. Once by me. He also got chicken grease dripped on the back of his neck because he kept sniffing and licking around the grill. And I'm pretty sure both were fed scraps. But they were pretty good. And tired at the end of the day.

I posted some pictures already on Facebook. But here's a few pics after everyone left. Me wearing one of Pmo's new hats. And Bug eagerly anticipating leftovers ;)

Halloweekend

2010-10-31T21:56:00.009-05:00

The Halloween spirit was alive and well in the Morris house this year. It's become a ritual for us to dress up and go out, put up decorations and carve pumpkins. We even got the dogs involved in our costumes this year.

And of course, we entertain trick or treaters if they come by. I like to invite our friends to bring their kids to our home. Most of my little cousins live in my hometown, and I’m never there to see them all dressed up. I only get to see pictures. And some of our friends don't have any family in town so it works out nicely.

This year, we were visited by Gavin, Everly and Bailey, plus some neighborhood kids. Not as many as last year but we may have missed some because we didn't get home until 4:30pm. Lucy couldn’t make it but her mom sent me a picture. Enjoy, I did!

Grandchildhood

2010-10-28T12:28:00.011-05:00

I can't sleep lately. I wake up way too early in the morning and go to the bathroom. Then I can't doze off again. Either I can't get comfortable or my mind just won't stop racing. So I get up and go to the couch for a change of scenery or watch TV until I drift off.

The house is pretty quiet at 5am. The refrigerator kicks off and on. But I always hear the clock in the kitchen. Tick, tock, tick tock, tick tock. And I'm taken back to my grandchildhood. See, I heard the clock ticking a lot at my grandma's house whether it was day or night. They didn't watch a lot of TV. There wasn't any music playing. It was pretty silent. Except for the clock.

We spent a lot of time doing "circle the word" puzzles, playing Chinese Checkers and blackjack with pennies. Papaw would teach me how to play the mandolin at night. Grandma would make me fried bologna sandwiches. Papaw would check his blood pressure. Grandma would let me use the ice crusher that hung on the wall in the kitchen.

I remember the nightlight in the room where I'd sleep when I stayed the night. The smell of the garage where Papaw worked on lawnmowers. The swing. The lemonade. The time I got into a nest of yellowjackets. The boys (my cousins) hunting every Thanksgiving, only coming into the house to eat then going back out again. The mushroom/toadstool cookie jar that I begged to dive into.

The pond. The woods. The Easter egg hunts. The chalkboard that hung on the wall in the back room where I would play waitress and write everyone's order down. The nights when I'd sleep with Grandma and Papaw and complain about Papaw's snoring. I remember the smell of the entire house. Luckily, I still have some of it, bottled up in Papaw's guitar case in my back closet.

Papaw's been gone for nearly 12 years. I miss him. Grandma moved to town a few years after he passed. Their home and land is someone else's now. I don't think about it much but when I do, like last night, I become sad. Those days are gone forever. But at least I remember them. And they're all good memories.

Lost Dog Depot

2010-10-26T09:51:00.009-05:00

Little excitement here this morning and it wasn't the storm.

Pmo woke me up before he went to work and told me the storm was on the way. I got up, reluctantly, to take the dogs out before the rain hit. As we were heading back to the house, Bug took off toward the side yard and I soon found out why.

What is it with white dogs showing up at our house? Remember the Boomer story back in August? I soon discovered our guest was named Hercules. He was very friendly and curious about Bug and Jack, but they were not so polite. After losing my house slippers and trying not to get involved in a fight, I wrestled my dogs in the garage then the house.

I got my phone and called the number on the tag. I was a bit worried because the tag said Eville. I wondered how far this dog had traveled. The woman who answered said she was at work but her father-in-law was nearby and would come get Hercules. She asked, "Is he caged or contained?" I said, "Yeah, you could say that. He's on my lap."

The dog pretty much stayed by my side but, just in case, I hooked a leash on him. I waited on the porch until it started to sprinkle, then Hercules and I headed into the garage. The dog wanted to get inside to see Bug and Jack so badly. He kept going to the door which, of course, sent Bug into a frenzy. But Hercules was making a lot of noise, too. In fact, I renamed him Tweety because he sounded like a bird when he whined.

Tweety was panting heavily so I decided to get him some water. But I couldn't go inside because he would try to go, too. I found a bowl in the garage so I got some water out of the spicket. He was really thirsty! Just about then, a red truck pulled up. The father-in-law had arrived. Tweety and I said our goodbyes and I headed inside. Good thing, too, because a few minutes after I went into the house, it started to pour.

All is calm now on the homefront. The storm has passed. The dogs are asleep. Maybe Hercules and any other runaway dogs will stay put. But if they don't, guess I'll be here to find them.

A Selfish Struggle

2010-10-20T10:51:00.015-05:00

Being a grownup is tough. At least when you're a kid and you're told, "No, you can't have that," you pout for a little bit and move on with your life. As an adult, you have to make the decision. And live with it. Cue the internal thoughts:

Well, I don't need it but I really want it. I can't afford it right now, but I could put it on a credit card. Or a payment plan. Maybe I'll just save up and buy it. But do I really need it?

You get the idea. But I'm finally coming to a point in my life where I realize living with debt is just an accident waiting to happen. Because if I have some kind of major emergency, I am screwed. Even though I do have some money in savings, a 401K and a Roth IRA, I know it's just not enough.

In my 20s, I jumped from vehicle to vehicle and instead of reducing my debt, the trade-ins only added to it. I also had several credit cards, especially store cards like JCPenney and Kohl's. Now, in my 30s, my car is paid off and still running (thank you very much), my motorcycle is pretty close to being paid off and I can't wait to sink my teeth into that student loan I've been minimally paying on for 10 years. Oy.

Okay, so I still have credit cards. But just 2. With low interest rates. And I only run them up on vacation. But then I have to pay them back down. Which delays the motorcycle and student loan payoff. It's quite a pickle sometimes.

Okay, so I also still have a store card. It's a Target RedCard that I only applied for to get a great deal on a flat screen TV in January. But I had 6 months to pay it off before interest would accrue, and I did that, and now has a $0 balance. Except they recently started offering 5% off purchases when you use the card. Crap. At least I haven't used it. Yet. I know I'd be better off if I just got rid of credit cards, but I'm too scared something would happen and I wouldn't be able to pay for it.

I'll admit the sight of a new(er) car is tempting. I never understood why my dad kept buying old cars for me in my early driving years. Now I know. They were easy to pay off. And they ran for awhile. New clothes are also tempting, especially with that 15% discount they offer when you open a card with the store. Credit card purchases are tempting when I don't have the money or I'd like to keep a little cushion in my account.

But here's my real wish list of tempations. I want a Trek bicycle that costs nearly $400. I want Pmo to get a motorcycle or street legal dirt bike so we can ride together. That will probably cost at least $1000 or more. I want to buy Rock Band for Wii. I haven't even checked the price on that but I'm pretty sure it's in the hundreds. And considering how little I play the Wii now, it's probably not worth getting.

The point is, these things must wait. Or I will make no progress toward the debt I already owe. And isn't that the ultimate goal? Such a pickle. And a fun sort of game at the same time. I mean, what else would I be doing if I wasn't trying to figure out how to rob Peter to pay Paul all of the time?

Pervert Island

2010-10-18T21:33:00.003-05:00

I can't stand sex offenders. I get angry every time I hear about a case of child molestation. Which is daily in the news business, but there are plenty more that go unreported. We ran a story last week about a 52 year old man who's accused of giving herpes to a 7 year old girl. Let me say that again: a 7 years old girl contract herpes through no fault of her own. She's going to have to deal with that for the rest of her life. Not to mention the psychological damage because now she's going to have trouble trusting others and having relationships. Makes me want to castrate people.

But I have another idea about what we can do with sex offenders. It's a little more humane that cutting off their manhood. Sex offenders aren't allowed to be around children or schools, right? And no one wants them living in their neighborhood. So the answer is simple: gather them all up and drop them off at a little place I like to call Pervert Island. They can mess with each other, all they want. They'll have trouble procreating because most sex offenders are men. And maybe the breed will just die out.

I only wish we could screen these people before they hurt innocent kids. Like an aptitude test in high school. "Let's see, you scored a 75 out of 100. Sorry, you're going to Pervert Island."

That's really all I have to say about that.

Unnecessary Roughness

2010-10-16T10:06:00.010-05:00

I hate unexpected bills. Hate, hate, hate, LOATHE unexpected bills. I know, who doesn't? But when I get one of these little puppies in the mail, it just infuriates me! Then I dwell on it for the rest of the day and it's all I can think about it.

I've had a few doozies in my day and they're almost always medical. Like the time I got my ears flushed out and it ended up costing me nearly $300! And my neighbor was the nurse that did it. I could have just went down the street and had her do it at home for free. After that, she gave me my own syringe and pan so I could do it myself. I can't remember what the insurance company's excuse was. It must have been "out of the network" or some stupidity.

Then there was the time I got charged extra because my gynecologist performed some kind of extra procedure during my yearly exam that wasn't deemed "necessary" by the almighty insurance gods. I don't remember how much it was, but it wasn't cheap. And next time, I told her not to do whatever it was she did because I got charged out the you know what.

This time, it had to do with the gynecologist again, in a roundabout way. Because they made such a big deal at work about an annual checkup being fully paid for this year, I decided to get one. I was tired all of the time and my wrist was hurting, so I thought, why not? Let's see what's wrong with me. I also wanted to establish a family doctor. I'd been going to the clinic when I got sick and was tired of not being able to understand what the doctor said half the time. That and just being a number. So I got a physical exam in May. And no, it wasn't completely free. In fact, I just got a bill in OCTOBER from the office visit in MAY for an extra $60 that I now mysteriously owe.

Now let's back up to August. I went for my yearly girl exam and found out new regulations only require pap smears every three years as long as the last few tests were normal. Awesome! I never look forward to that part of the visit anyway. So all she did was the "hands-on" part if you know what I mean. Then a few days ago, I get a bill in the mail for $152! Are you freaking kidding me? She didn't even do the real pap smear.

The first thing I did was make sure my visits were a year apart because the insurance companies can get really picky about that. Yes, my visits were a year and a day apart. Then I emailed customer service to figure out what's wrong, knowing full well I was going to have to pay this bill and all of my efforts are in vain. And I was right. Basically they said I already maxed out my $300 a year limit which must have been eaten up by that physical back in May. If I had known that, plus the no pap smear tidbit, I wouldn't even have went to the gyno this year.

We also had our fall heating/cooling checkup last week. We already paid for it during the spring inspection so no worries there, right? The guy came over, spent about an hour, everything is hunky dorey and he leaves. I didn't turn the air on for a few days because the weather was mild. I went to turn it on Sunday night and there's no cool air coming out of the vent. Just the fan. Great. Grand. Wonderful. The guy came back to check it out Monday and said we need some new part that's going to cost more than $300!!! Again, smack me in the face with a triple digit number that I must pay in a matter of days. Luckily, Pmo and I will split that one down the middle. We're going to eventually have to get a new unit. It's a York and it's old.

I guess I should quit complaining and count my blessings because I've never had any serious medical bills. I've never stayed in the hospital or had surgery. I know plenty of people have it worse than me. Some people can't even pay the bills they know are coming down the pipe. It just sucks. Especially when you're trying to pay off credit cards, a motorcycle, a student loan and get some financial stability. But no. All of sudden the money you were going to put toward one of those payments is wasted on something you never really needed in the first place. Well, I take that back. We do need heat and air. But I really didn't need to pay $150 to get manhandled by the gyno. Or should I say womanhandled?

Fitness Frustration

2010-10-14T21:00:00.009-05:00

I have been hardcore slacking on my fitness lately. Especially the Wii. I haven't played Wii Fit Plus in months. I'm afraid to turn it on because I know I'm going to get a lecture. Isn't that sad?

My problem was I didn't think I was getting anywhere. I got into yoga for back pain. I started Wii Fit Plus because I wanted to lose weight. And walking the dogs is always a win win situation. Exercise plus bathroom time. For the dogs, not me. But when I didn't see any results, when my weight fluctuated up and down, when I felt like I was just wasting my time, I quit. My back pain improved but I think I have my chiropractor to thank for that.

Then the other day I just kind of hit me. It doesn't really matter if I lose weight. Yes, I'd like to, but I'm not willing to kill myself to do it. Ironically, to me, killing myself means running my butt off and eating small portions of super healthy food. Things that are supposed to do the exact opposite of kill you. I should exercise because it's good for me. It makes me feel better. And something is better than nothing. Even if it doesn't seem to be doing any good.

The thing is, I really liked yoga. I enjoyed boxing on Wii Fit Plus. I loved Just Dance, another Wii game. In fact, I really want to buy Just Dance 2 but I'm secretly hoping it will show up as a birthday present (wink wink). And I always get a kick out of walking the dogs. I think I'll try to reincorporate all of those things back into my routine. And just not take it so seriously or push myself too hard.

I also need to get back into fitness for the dogs' sake. It's difficult to find the harmony in walking Bug because he has arthritis. Don't get me wrong, he needs to exercise. The last thing he should do is be a couch potato. But he doesn't need to overdo it either because that can hurt him, too. That's why the stroller was invented. Jack, on the other hand, needs all the exercise he can get. He's got so much energy and not enough ways to release it.

Pmo walks Jack nearly every night around the neighborhood for about a mile. Pmo's actually really good about walking for his back pain. He's very consistent and does it almost daily. I need to walk Jack like that, too, in the morning. It's just the recliner and the remote seem so much more appealing.

I've also learned something about myself in this process: if I want to do something besides surf the internet in the morning, I need to do said activity first. Because once I sit down with that laptop, I'm a goner. So that's my new pledge. Do any kind of activity at least once a day: whether it's walking, bicycling, yoga, Wii, vacuuming, dusting, etc.

I don't need to invest a lot of time or feel like it's taking up my whole life with nothing to show for it. A 15 minute walk. 15 minutes of yoga. 15 minutes on the Wii. And I'm done. Well, maybe two out of three ain't bad.

C'mon DJ Play That Song

2010-10-11T18:26:00.005-05:00

I've been to many events where a DJ was providing the entertainment for the night: wedding receptions, class reunions, etc. Some were better than others, but every once in awhile you get one that's really, really bad. They just don't get it. The art of DJing has passed them at warp speed.

I feel the job of a DJ is pretty simple: have an awesome sound system, throw in some lights and a disco ball and play great music. Hit me up with some mellow, slow stuff while I'm eating dinner, but pick up the beat when it's time to dance. And throw some slow ones in for the couples. There are plenty of good tunes to choose from since, oh, I don't know, the 1950s! So it shouldn't be that hard to pick them out and play them.

A recent event I attended had the worst speakers I have ever heard in my life. They were hollow with no bass. They sounded like the speakers that came with your first car before you shelled out money for good ones. So I was skeptical of this DJ from the get-go.

Dinner music wasn't too bad, but I think at some point he just quit playing anything. But when it came time to dance, this guy had no clue. He kept playing these stupid novelty country songs that nobody was dancing to. Now I'll be the first to admit I love country music. New stuff, old stuff, I'm a fan. But I hardly ever dance to it. Maybe "The Devil Went Down to Georgia". But definitely not songs like "Viva Viagra"! I was really disappointed because by that time I had several drinks in me and was seriously considering getting out on the dance floor.

Just give me some John Mellencamp, Billy Idol, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Van Morrison, AC/DC, Bob Seger. Please. He eventually played "You Shook Me All Night Long" and "Old Time Rock & Roll" but they were few and far between all those other crappy songs. There was absolutely no momentum and nothing to keep people out there shaking their groove thing. Hell, give me some 70s. "Brick House" and "Superfreak". Anything!

I know people make fun of stereotypical wedding songs like "YMCA", "Love Shack" and "Celebration". But if you had been in my shoes, you would have been begging for those clichés at that point. That was another thing. I saw several people go up and ask him to play a song, and he'd just ignore them. He'd sit back in his chair, eating his big, fat plate of food and play whatever he felt like playing.

Dude, when you see people sitting down in their chairs, song after song after song after song, it's not working. You're not entertaining us. You're not doing your job.

If I wanted to work weekends and lug a bunch of equipment around, I'd be a DJ and show these idiots how it's done. I compare it to singing a slow song at a karaoke bar: people are out for the night, having a good time, getting their drink on. They want to go back and relive their glory days. No one wants to hear you sing "Crazy" by Patsy Cline and kill their buzz. Sing something that rocks. Sing something everyone knows and wants to hear. Sing something awesome. Do not sing Edwin McCain's "I'll Be" and expect anyone to pay attention.

Alright, I'm jumping off this soapbox and working up my next blog: why I stopped working out with the Wii ;)

Smoky Mountain Rain

2010-10-01T10:29:00.017-05:00

The trip to the Smokies was a success in the sense that we didn't get kicked out of the motel. And in all honestly, we probably weren't even close to getting kicked out but I was on edge all weekend. Remember how I was worried about Bug making a fool of himself? Well, he was relatively good. Jack was the problem.

See, I forgot a little tiny fact about my youngest dog. He gets spooked easily. Especially by strange noises. And what is a motel full of? Strange noises. People coming and going in the hallway. Doors closing, etc. And this was a pet-friendly motel so, of course, there were tons of other dogs there, walking down the hallway, collars jingling, scents permeating the air.

That being said, the first night I hardly slept. I wanted to keep the air conditioner running all night to drown out any kind of noise that might creep in through the door, but then we'd freeze to death. And that was the thing. It wasn't like we heard anything coming through the walls of the other rooms. Just the hallway. But the air conditioner turning on and off woke me up more than the dogs did. Still, they would bark when they detected strangeness in the hallway. And stare at the door. Mostly in the evening, after our activities for the day were over and we were winding down after dinner. Pmo and I don't have much of a nightlife on vacation. After dinner, we're pretty much done for the night.

But we did get to do some shopping and wine tasting. And wine buying. Took the two trails that allowed dogs. Stopped at the lookouts and enjoyed the views. Spent the last day and a half in the rain mostly but we lucked out and only got sprinkled on when we were out and about. We did get kicked off the Clingman's Dome paved trail by a park ranger. Which I was thankful for because I was strenuously pushing Bug on the stroller up a very steep incline. Like I said, dogs are only allowed on two trails and they're located at the two entrances to the park. I did not get to use the baby carrier that I finally bought right before the trip. We tried it out at home. It's a little too snug for Bug but it would have served its purpose. But I forgot it on the first trail and the second trail was stroller friendly so I didn't need it. But I'm sure we'll use it sometime in the future.

It was very hard to relax on this vacation because I was too worried about the dogs getting out of control. When they were just being themselves. So next time, if there is a next time, I think I'll spring for the cabin, which was my original plan because there would be no worries about sharing walls with people. And there's a hot tub, bonus. But I'm guessing next time we go out of town, Bug and Jack will have their own little vacation at Grandma's.

Three Dog Night

2010-09-21T21:09:00.004-05:00

We're gearing up for our first real trip with the dogs. We've always taken them to Mom and Dad's during our vacations, but this time we're including the whole family. We've been doing a lot more activities with the dogs lately. Especially on the bicycles now that we have the trailer. So we're anxious to see how this mini-vacay goes.

Bug and Jack have been on the occasional excursion with us: Garden of the Gods, Falls of the Ohio State Park, etc. But never a 4 day, 3 night motel stay. Which by the way is going to be at Motel 6 because they claim to be totally pet friendly and they don't charge extra fees.

Jack is a pretty good travel companion, mild mannered and quiet. Bug is a whole other story. I like to say he has "special needs". And by special needs I mean he's nearly 10 and has arthritis. We've worked around it with the stroller and the bike trailer. But hiking is a new problem. Most trails are not stroller friendly and Bug can only go so far before his little legs give out. Like half a mile. Meanwhile Jack can go for miles and miles and miles...

So even though he weighs 30 pounds, I'm looking for a baby carrier for Bug. I've started the search on eBay and craigslist because I really don't want to spend a lot of money. I've already tested out the theory with various bags at home, but none seem to work well. Plus, Bug is heavy. I know my back is going to pay the price for this, but he's got to be able to go with us on our outings. He's just gotta.

Another issue is what to do with the dogs while we're out places that don't allow them. Namely stores, wineries and restaurants. Most of our activities are planned outdoors but we would like to visit some other places. Looks like there won't be any sit down meals for us. More like fast food and takeout. But I think we can manage. I just don't feel comfortable leaving them in a motel room by themselves. The only other option I can think of is leaving them in the car while it's running.

So as I continue to look for the perfect Bug carrier, take a look at my vision that Jill Lyman brought to life with PhotoShop:

Talk to Me

2010-09-15T21:19:00.002-05:00

My mom often asks me, "Have you talked to so-and-so lately?" And I'll say:
"Well, I texted her the other day."
"He wrote me on my Facebook wall."
"I chatted online with her the other night."
"I got an email from him yesterday."
"Saw a tweet from her today."

You get the idea. My question is, can I just shorten these responses and just answer, yes? Do I really have to explain what the specific form of communication was used? Especially to my mom who doesn't know what any of those things are?

There are so many different ways to "talk" now without actually speaking a word. I used talk to my husband several times a day. He'd call me in the morning while he was at work. I would give his cell phone a ring at night when I was at work. But now we mainly text back and forth in the morning, in the evening, and usually only speak to each other when we're in each other's physical presence.

A similar evolution has happened with my out of town friends. We used to call now and then but for the longest time it's been mostly emails. Then the birth of Facebook changed all that and that's how I "talk" with everyone now. But the great thing about texting is if I'm thinking of something, right that very moment, I can shoot my friend a quick text about it. I don't have to dial. I don't have boot up the computer and log in. Unless it's late at night, because many of my friends are in that thing called the eastern time zone and I work late. But texting is nice, especially for things like movie quotes, song lyrics and other things that spark old memories. And general frustrations of life.

I always marvel at the fact that most of my plans are made without talking on the phone. Especially with groups. It's like having everyone on a conference call. Ah, the magic of the mass email or multi-messaging on Facebook. We can meet in a park, on a certain day, at a certain time, with all the makings of a great picnic without ever hearing each other's voices before that moment.

So the next time Mom asks if I've talked to so-and-so, I think I'll just say yes. Does it really matter whether we texted, tweeted, Facebooked, emailed, chatted or whatever else we do besides speak to each other? Not really. Truth is I probably wouldn't know as much as I do about my friends and family if it wasn't for all those forms of social media. And that's something to "talk" about.

Doctor, Doctor, Gimme the News...

2010-09-13T20:29:00.006-05:00

I feel like a doctor's office should be like pizza delivery. If you have to wait more than 45 minutes, the service should be free.

I spent a lot of time in waiting and exam rooms last month. The dentist, the vet, the chiropractor and the ever popular gynecologist, just to name a few. All in a matter of just a few days. And most of that time I spent waiting. I don't understand why.

It should be simple. 15 minutes to check in. 15 minutes to do the exam. 15 minutes to check out. I should not have to block more than an hour out of my day to go to the doctor. It's ridiculous. I know there are other patients. I know there's paperwork and insurance. But get it together. Learn efficiency and multi-tasking. The rest of us have to do it.

If I was a doctor, I'd see 3 patients in 15 minute increments and take the last 15 minutes of the hour for myself. To do whatever other doctor things I needed to do. Catch up on paperwork. Make phone calls. Whatever. That way I wouldn't be rushed and I would have time to spend with everyone accordingly. I also would not overbook patients. I believe that happens, too. And if you're not there on time, I'm skipping over you and going to the next person.

My last trip to the dentist was really irritating. She's super nice, almost cheesy. But I sat in the waiting room for at least a half hour before I got in the chair. Already, I've wasted time. My cleaning with the dental hygenist went quickly and I was ready to go on about my day. But no, I had to wait for my dentist, who didn't even work on me, to look me over before I could leave. I swear I waited another half hour for that. When she finally came in, she tried to make small talk but I just wasn't into it. I wanted to get the hell out of there. I felt like a prisoner!

Here's the thing: I'm 31 years old. I'm not an 85 year old woman who has nothing else to do but go the doctor. That is not the highlight of my day. I have a job. I have housework. I have groceries to get. I have banks and post offices to go to. I have a husband. I have dogs. I try not to be in too much of a hurry, but my time is just as valuable as the next person. Great, now I have an image of me barrelling down the highway in my car, passing my grandma who's driving 30 with the emergency brake on, eloquently saying, "Now just what is her damn hurry? She'd better slow down!"

During the healthcare debate, I read an article written by a woman originally from the tri-state who used to live in Switzerland. Or maybe it was Canada. Anyway, it was another country where she described the medical system as a very well run machine. Very little wait, low to no copays, etc. I wish I had saved that article. I could take it into the doctor and use it like a competitor's coupon. "Can you match this? If not, I'm taking my business elsewhere." But then I guess I'd have to go to Switzerland to get my teeth cleaned. Damn, that's not going to work.

The Dog Whisperer

2010-08-27T20:15:00.006-05:00

I should have known it was going to be a strange night when I saw three or four deer standing on the side of the road on my way home, ready to run out in front of me. Then a rabbit did try to dart out on the road moments after, but I think it went on its way.

It was about 11:30pm. Pmo was taking out the dogs for their last round when I heard barking. I went out on the front porch to see what was going on, and all of a sudden this big white dog comes bounding up the driveway. Pmo was trying to control our dogs and I was wondering where the runaway came from because I didn't see anyone around. A few minutes later, a woman comes walking up the driveway with a leash and a collar in her hands.

Apparently "Boomer" had made a break for it and his owner could not wrangle him. He toyed with Bug and Jack for a few minutes then he was off again, running around our house and into the backyard. I thought eventually he would calm down and let the woman put the collar back on, but that just wasn't happening. So I decided to help. I went back inside, got my shoes on and Pmo suggested I grab some treats.

And so the hunt began. To be honest, Boomer's owner wasn't doing much to get him under control. She had come from a neighborhood across a busy road where the dog almost got hit, and she seemed to have given up. And Boomer, well, he was playing a game. The treats did not tempt him at all. He would run up to me, almost where I could pet him, then he'd bolt away, jumping around like he was having the time of his life.

After a few trips around the house, I started to get irritated. I know, shocker, right? But here's this crazy dog running around my yard, his owner doesn't know what the hell she's doing, it's almost midnight and there's quite a commotion going on. That's when it hit me. My tone was all wrong. I was doing the high pitched, "here Boomer, come here, come here boy" and whistling which is fun and playful. He needed the low pitch "I mean business" voice. So that's what I did. I said, "Boomer, come here, come here, Boomer" in that stern Mom tone. You know, the one where she uses all three names? And just like that, he started to walk toward me really slow with his head down, and I walked toward him a little, making sure he wasn't going to bolt again, and I had him.

I yelled at the lady, "I got him!" She ran over, put the collar on him and thanked me a million times. In the meantime, her sister had pulled up in a vehicle, ready to take them home. But I heard the woman say she was just going to walk Boomer the rest of the way. I secretly hoped the collar would hold up and we wouldn't have to entertain Boomer again. So I am proclaiming myself: the dog whisperer. Now if I could only get my own dogs to listen to me!

Gimme a Head with Hair

2010-08-15T21:07:00.007-05:00

I have a love/hate relationship with my hair. Mostly hate. It's always been a thick, hard to tame, unruly mess. It was long and heavy down my back until college when I finally got out on my own, sorta, and was able to cut it. My parents never wanted me to chop it off. I used to cut pieces off and hide them in the closet or flush them down the toilet when I was a kid. Yeah, I'm neurotic that way.

Since college, it's been short most of the time. Really short sometimes, even boyish. But it was so much easier to take care of when it was short! And I always had a knack for styling it. I somehow knew exactly what to do with it. Or maybe it was just more cooperative.

I've grown it long a few times since the intital whacking. I'm at one of those in between stages now. It was actually getting past my shoulders a few months ago when I decided to do an inverted bob. But since it's been so hot lately, I tend to pull it back in a ponytail all of the time. Styling it takes too much energy. And heat. I don't want to have to fight it. I just want it to look right. With minimal effort.

But I know it looks better longer, so I go back and forth in my head, trying to figure out what to do. If I don't want to take the time to style it, then what's the use of having it long? If I cut it short, I can't pull it back into a ponytail at all. And depending on how short it is, it will always be on my neck somehow. And that gets tedious, too.

It's also so much easier to color when it's short. I used to be able to do it by myself but now I have my hair dresser just do the roots. There's got to be a happy medium or else I'm going to go back to my Dharma look. Something's gotta give. I'm afraid if I cut it off again, I'll regret it. But it's hair, it will grow back, right? It always does. In droves.

It's making me have an identity crisis. Along with my weight. I change my mind on that a lot, too. Some days I pull the "I'm happy the way I am" attitude. Other days, I know better. So we'll see what happens. I may peruse the short hairstyles section of the internet. Right now.

The Tom Petty Experience

2010-08-13T13:17:00.007-05:00

I became a Tom Petty fan early on in my life. I remember it like it was yesterday. I was in the front yard, Mom came out of the house yelling, "Tom Petty, Tom Petty! That's who sings that song!" She was talking about "I Won't Back Down" and she had finally caught who sang it on the radio. That was the only way to find out back then. Still is for Mom because she doesn't have a computer. Unless she asks me to look it up on the internet.

So when the opportunity arose to see TP in Nashville this year, I jumped at the chance and knew I had to take Mom and Perry. I had seen concerts with each of them but never the three of us together. Mom and I saw TP 15 years ago when he came to Roberts Stadium. In April, she and I saw Bon Jovi in Nashville for the third time. Perry and I saw Tesla at the Centre last year. And in July, Perry and I saw the Scorpions in Nashville. So since we all like TP, it was only fitting the three of us head back to Music City.

We picked up Mom yesterday afternoon and headed south. We stopped at Sumner Crest Winery to pick up some of our favorites bottles of wine and ended up in a traffic jam about 4 miles away our destination. Once we finally got parked and took the shuttle to downtown, we had a difficult time getting a table at our favorite eatery, Big River Brewery, because the place was packed and our usual open bar seating wasn't very open. I guess we looked like we were on a mad hunt for a table because this guy came over to us and offered to share his table with us. It was just him and his wife and it was a huge booth. That was so nice of them! We drank some beer, scarfed down chicken tenderloins, fries and pizza, and had great conversation with the generous couple because, of course, they were going to the concert, too. We were so grateful they let us sit with them. Otherwise, we wouldn't have made the concert on time. In fact, we walked in and found our seats (in the dark) right as Crosby, Stills and Nash took the stage.

I know a few CS&N songs but I just wasn't prepared for them. They were good, don't get me wrong, just very slow and folky. Plus the people behind us kept talking and talking and talking about them. They were also in the wrong seats which they also talked about for 20 minutes. They finally moved, thank God. In between CS&N and TP, the roadies did a lot of sound checks and tuning. I've never heard that before. Usually, they just set up the next band's stuff and go on. I always assumed they got all of the mic checks out of the way earlier in the day.

Finally, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers took the stage and began with "Listen to Her Heart" which I thought was awesome because I was just talking about that song in the car on the way down. I love how it starts: "You think you're gonna take her away, with your money and your cocaine." TP went on to sing "You Don't Know How It Feels", "Free Fallin'", "Mary Jane's Last Dance", "King's Highway", "Learning to Fly", "I Won't Back Down", "Refugee" and more of the old stuff, plus 4 or 5 new ones. I loved them all. One of favorite moments was the end of "Don't Come Around Here No More". It was like a strobe light jam session. Really intense. They ended many of the songs with a lot of momentum. The encore included "Runnin' Down a Dream" and ended with "American Girl" which I predicted. It was great.

The trip home was long. I drove the first leg. Perry took over in Bowling Green. And I got back behind the wheel after we dropped Mom off. We didn't get home until after 3am, very tired. But it was one of the best shows I've ever seen. Not many bells and whistles or theatrics. Just a sample of 34 years of some of the greatest rock 'n roll of all time.

The eBay Way

2010-08-07T09:35:00.005-05:00

When I first started eBaying in March, I quickly became addicted to buying. I was timid at first, so worried I would get taken advantage of. But then I started putting bids on items, watching them throughout the day, and the end of the auction, I would either feel the thrill of victory or the agony of defeat.

My first purchase was a Wii Fit balance board plus the Wii Fit and Wii Fit Plus games which I got for well under the $100 asking price at the store. And I've definitely gotten a lot of use out of it, although I've been slacking lately. After that purchase, I would search for things I "needed" constantly and end up with DVDs and other items in my mailbox every few days or so. Then I got the itch to sell.

I decided some of the things I would normally give to Goodwill could actually earn some money in a yard sale, but I didn't want to bother with that: getting up before the crack of dawn, pricing everything with little stickers, haggling with people who want to talk you down from a quarter to a dime. No thanks. So I put 12 items up for bid the first day and expected great things. Then I got worried I hadn't judged the shipping correctly and my bids would be so low that I would be paying people to take these things off my hands. So I took off some the heavier items that hadn't yet received bids and put them on craigslist because there's no shipping involved there. None of the craigslist goods have sold yet, but at least I won't have to ship them if they do. I got a bite on my camera but the woman's never emailed me back.

Now that I've successfully sold a few items on eBay, heavy and light, I prefer to ship on the lighter side so I don't lose my shirt. No pun intended. My friend has been blogging about her Dave Ramsey experience and the "snowflakes" she's been collecting from selling coupons on eBay, so I thought I'd give it a try. It's pretty simple shipping. Stuff them in an envelope and slap a stamp on. So far, I've sold 3 sets of coupons and a gift card I've had for several years that still has the full amount of money on it. I couldn't believe how much I got for that.

I didn't really know how to go about this, so I just did what made sense to me. I grouped the coupons into similar categories and tried to rack up the money count. Like, $45 in coupons for Dole, Yoplait, Totino's, etc. $50 in coupons for Bounty, Windex, Scott, Charmin, etc. I've even got $95 worth of coupons for some health and beauty products. Coupons are back. I mean, they've never really went away, but I think they're trending right now. It's cool to coupon again. Kind of like the breastfeeding comeback. Talking 'bout my generation...

Anyway, the eBay thing is a daily adventure and I'm making a little bit of dough on the side so I'm happy. I get a brand new batch of coupons every Sunday and sometimes through the week. I still clip my own but there are so many I have no need for. I could swap them but if there's someone out there willing to pay a buck fifty for me to ship them out, I'll take it. I have had to relist many of them because they didn't sell. And if it gets too close to the expiration date, I'll just toss them in the trash. No harm done.

I'm also considering putting some books and jewelry up for bid on eBay. I went online and sent some books to a few entities that will pay me a few bucks for them. But some books they just won't take. So I'll see how this goes, could be heavy to ship. And I have a lot of jewelry I never wear. It would be interesting to see if anyone wants it. I can't make a living out of this but every little bit helps. And I love to declutter!

Little Houdini

2010-08-06T21:16:00.002-05:00

My dog, Jack, is a free spirit. He does not like to be confined to small spaces. He also does not like to be left alone. And if you do either, or both, you pay dearly for it. In fact, Pmo has to tie Jack up outside when he's mowing or else Jack leaves a nice little present inside. And when I leave for work, I make sure all the bedroom doors are closed because Jack's been known to create a trail of unpleasantness if I don't.

So when I had to work a dayshift this week, and the dogs were going to be cooped up all day, I did what I always do when they're put up for more than a few hours. I barricade them in the kitchen with a tall piece of black cardboard and a couple of chairs. That way, if there is an accident, I can clean it up with no problem. I can't use the baby gate that keeps them in their bedroom at night because the entranceway is too wide. And I have a feeling Jack would jump over it if he really wanted to. He doesn't really care about being cooped up at night anymore. As long as he's not in a pet taxi.

Anyway, I threw my plan into action and start with Bug, who was good to go. He just curled up on his quilt I tossed on the kitchen floor and looked at me like, "You still here?" Jack, however, needed a little more coaxing. Physically. I had to pick him up and place him in the kitchen because he wouldn't go on his own. As I slid the cardboard across, Jack was whining from underneath the kitchen table. And I knew he didn't like it but I didn't want any surprises on the carpet when Pmo got home. Just gotta tough it out, kid.

The rest of the day went pretty smoothly. Before I left work, I was even talking with a co-worker about Jack and his "separation anxiety" as they call it in the dog world. And right before I went to the booth for the 6pm newscast, I get a picture like this from Pmo:

Yep. Jack had chewed a mouse hole and found his freedom. I've used the cardboard trick several times when we've been out on day trips and he's never tried to destroy it. The good news is there were no other messes.

I would have loved to set a camera up to see how the process went. Did Jack stare at the tall black wall for awhile... thinking how he could get on the other side and back to the couch and carpet? How long did it take him to realize he could chew through it? Did he do it in the morning or the evening? Did he have to test it out... chew for a little bit, try to get through, then realize he needed more space? What was Bug doing all this time, watching? Did Jack chew a hole big enough for Bug to fit through? I doubt it.

Nevertheless, our little Houdini has outsmarted us once again. I have another dayshift coming up next week and I'm not sure what I'm going to do. Leave the dogs loose like normal and hope for the best? Or invest in a less destructible barrier? It really doesn't matter. What Jack wants, Jack gets. Whether it's freedom or retribution, it's never my choice.

Back to the Future

2010-06-27T09:30:00.003-05:00

The staycation is about to come to an end. We return to work tomorrow. Boo. But I'm not too disturbed by it. Here's what we ended up doing. We started with a wedding and ended with a birthday party. In between? Made a trip to Eddie Bauer and visited Perry's granny. Tried to stay cool at Holiday World's Splashin' Safari and did some shopping in Owensboro, ate at Moonlite BBQ. Plus we celebrated our anniversary at Patti's Settlement.

We seemed to do a lot of eating and not much exercising on staycation. I plan to jump back on the Wii Fit Plus, starting today, and get a hold of my eating habits. I'm sure I'll get scolded by the Wii. There's just not much you can do about it on vacation. Who wants to practice restraint when you're supposed to be enjoying yourself? Besides your schedule and routine gets totally thrown off. I also want to get back to my financial fitness. I still have plans to pay off the motorcycle soon and have no vehicle payments at all. I also hate the fact that my student loan is still hanging around after 10 years. Must buckle down and get to work on it.

But it's not Monday morning, it's Sunday morning so I'm going to dive into the newspaper ads and figure out what we're going to do today. Supposed to be hot again. I'm guessing we'll run some errands and probably hang around the house some more. Thinking about giving Jack a haircut. We have Avatar to watch from Netflix. And next weekend is the 4th of July so we're having some friends over. I need to make some plans for that.

I think our first staycation went well. We packed in plenty of stuff but still relaxed a lot. I love being home and am grateful not to be on the road or in a motel this time around. But we won't sit still for long, we're already thinking about next year's big adventure :)

Staycation

2010-06-01T10:40:00.004-05:00

I've been a bit under the weather lately so walking, cycling and yoga have taken a backseat to whatever's going on with my head. But it's given me time to plan our staycation. We went to Key West in April and had planned to go somewhere in the northeast, rent a cabin in the mountains or maybe even head out to Yellowstone in June. But the two trips were so close together, and Key West was not cheap, so we decided to do a staycation. No packing, no lodging fees and we have all the amenities of home at night because, well, we're at home. Plus the dogs can stay with us and we don't have to ship them off to Grandma's. We've also got a wedding and a birthday party that week so we'll be around to attend those functions.

Here's a look at the highlights: LST 325, Mesker Park Zoo, Reo's Holiday Drive-in, The Spirit of Jasper train excursion. And some of these attractions are absolutely free because we get tickets through work, like Holiday World, an Otters baseball game, and a Lincoln play at the amphitheater with a meal catered by Black Buggy. We will head out of town one day in order to go to Eddie Bauer in Edinburgh and grab some port at the Brown County Winery. But besides that, we're pretty much staying in the tri-state. In fact, I had other ideas about the Howell Wetlands, Burdette Park, Patoka Lake and Scales Lake Park in Boonville but I couldn't cram them all into the itinerary.

That's the great thing about a staycation. If you don't get to do everything you wanted to do, you can do it some other weekend because you live so close. You're not missing out on a thing.

Fresh Start

2010-05-18T11:58:00.003-05:00

Why don't we make resolutions at the start of summer instead of the new year? It's the perfect time. Graduations and weddings are taking place. Babies are being born. A new batch of flowers has popped up during spring. There's a whole slew of fresh starts. What happens at the beginning of the year? From December 31st to January 1st, what really changes? Nothing. It's still cold. It's still dreary. It's still winter. Who wants to turn over a new leaf when it's gray and freezing?

That being said, I've started some new ventures lately. I'm wearing a pedometer now and trying to walk 6,000-10,000 steps a day. I'm also dabbling in yoga in the hopes it will ease my back pain. I've seen a doctor for a physical, something I haven't done in years. My last regular doctor was Dr. Syler back when I was a kid. I've chosen to go to clinics for the past 15 years for my infrequent medical care, where no one knows me or my medical history. Not a wise move. But now I've established a primary caregiver who has guided me in supplements and other medical advice. That's right. I'm taking my vitamins again. A bunch, too. Seems I have a low Vitamin D count that could be contributing to my back pain. I'm also on fish oil.

We're also busy with the regular events of May. We hit the wine fest over the weekend and that was a good time. I've been to a baby shower and a birthday party in the past few weeks. We're taking Mom and Dad up to Joni's this weekend to meet the new baby and hang out with the family. We have a wedding coming up in June plus our own anniversary. And I'd like to begin work on some house projects I've been thinking about but I don't know where to start.

Life is full and good.

Trending in 2010

2010-05-12T11:43:00.004-05:00

Hell must be freezing over. So far this year, I've hooked up cable and internet at home, I upgraded the RAM on my computer to make it functional, I started tweeting, I joined Netflix, I'm shopping more online, I have a smartphone, I'm now texting and considering adding data, and I am thinking about watching Twilight. WHAT IS HAPPENING TO ME?

Actually it's all good stuff but I feel like I'm eating my words. But, hey, this is America. A girl can change her mind, right? What's that Sugarland lyric..."find what it means to be the girl, change her mind and change the world..." Well, I guess the world is changing me. And I'm enjoying myself so far. So if you have my phone number, I am welcoming any texts you send my way.

Right now, I'm trying to log on to Twitter to see when I actually started the account because I think it was this year but I'm not sure. But it's over capacity. I hardly ever use the thing but when I want to, it's impossible to log in.

Nevertheless, I think I'm fairly caught up on the trends for now. Moving on. Next blog might be on tipping. I've had several conversations with people recently about the art of gratuity and I feel further discussion is warranted.

Mitzi Lately

2010-04-22T22:07:00.004-05:00

It's been more than a month since we got internet at home, and I've only posted one blog. I thought I'd be writing more but I've been downloading music and shopping a lot online. And, of course, Facebooking. I've also been pretty busy this spring. We just got back from our Key West trip last weekend. A lot of preparation went into that one. And yesterday I took Mom to see Bon Jovi in Nashville. Pics of both can be seen on my Facebook page.

But busy times also lay ahead: Mother's Day and Hannah's birthday, which are usually celebrated on the same day, a trip to Joni's, another vacation in June, and plenty more stuff in between. I'm ready to grill out or something. But basically, things are pretty good right now. I'm getting back to weeding and landscaping the yard since it got warmer. Such a tedius job that I hate. Pmo is trying to get my motorcycle going again. And Key West taught me that I am not fit enough for snorkeling and bicycling all over an island without suffering a physical hangover, so I'm trying to recommit myself to be more active. I might try swimming and riding this summer along with walking the dogs.

Speaking of, Bug and Jack had a nice vacation all their own at "Grandma's" where they rode the four wheeler with Dad, taunted Simba (Mom and Dad's pug) and visited with neighbors. But Jack was definitely ready to go home when we came to pick them up. He always jumps up in my arms. Bug was indifferent, he always makes himself really comfortable there. And he doesn't jump :)

Lazy Sunday

2010-03-14T17:37:00.002-05:00

Here's a status report of what we're all doing right now. Jack is tearing up his new toy full of 6 squeakers. He's located and chewed up 4 so far. Bug is resting on the couch. He's been holding up one of his front paws today, so he's not feeling very well and having a hard time getting around. Pmo is playing on his new netbook in the kitchen. And I'm in the recliner with my computer. That's right. Our household now has the internet. And cable TV. Welcome to 2010.

We went to visit Pmo's granny yesterday. We took the dogs and they had a run-in with Granny's cat, Hairy Potty. Both dogs got swatted in the cat attack. I'm not sure if that's what troubling Bug. I can't see any scratch or wound on him. I'll give it a few days and see if he gets better. Other than that, we had a good visit with Granny and brought barbecue from Marion. So. Good.

I'm about to make an online order for sone computer memory. My laptop is working much better after I asked our IT guy at work to give it a once over. But he advised me to get some RAM, so that's what I will do. Jack is now on the recliner with me, at my feet, taking a break from the squeaky toy. I'm thinking about making steaks along with mac and cheese for dinner. Maybe some vegetables. I love lazy Sundays. Plus we got jipped an hour because of daylight saving time. Why start any complicated projects? Just relax. And look forward to the Apprentice tonight on NBC.

Movie and a Dinner

2010-02-18T20:33:00.006-06:00

The older I get, the more comfortable I want to be. That means dinner and a movie is not much of an option anymore. Why? Because I eat a big meal and get sleepy. So what's the use in spending big bucks to go to a movie afterward? Plus my clothes fit a bit tighter. I'd rather be in the recliner in my pajamas than sitting upright in a hard seat in the movie theater wearing jeans and a blouse.

I used to enjoy dinner and a movie all the time in high school. Every weekend, we'd head to Owensboro, hog out on a good meal, and then catch a flick. And still have enough energy to drag Main when we got back home. But I think somewhere between college and now, I got tired. I just can't do it anymore. I don't want to do it anymore. And I don't have to.

But I like to get out every once in awhile. And I don't miss out on all the fun of the movie theater experience. So I reversed it: movie and a dinner. It's cheaper, it's earlier, and I don't have to go to bed as soon as I get home either. I can have the evening out as well as enjoy a night at home. Just go to a 4pm showing, follow it up with Mexican food and I'm home by 8pm, in my recliner, fat and happy.

I'm hoping to convince Pmo to go see "Alice in Wonderland" with Johnny Deep when it comes out next month. We'll probably stop by Fiesta Acapulco afterward for some quick and delicious food. Maybe play some Wii when we get home and call it a night. Now that's what I call entertainment.

Let's Talk TV Part 2

2010-02-10T16:10:00.004-06:00

I decided to take care of my Target TV problem after work on Saturday. I don’t usually work weekends, but I was helping with a Super Bowl special we were taping for Channel 44. So after a couple of hours at the station, I took something back to JC Penney and headed to Target. I first encountered a lady that had no idea what I was talking about and also did not want to pay attention to me. Her husband had come through the door and she was more interested in greeting him than helping me. Then she asked her manager for help and I felt better knowing we were about to get down to business.

The problem was the manager couldn’t refund the TV then sell it to me again because it had the same serial number. Also, I had waited too long to come back and my temporary card (a receipt) had expired. For the record, the sales guy told me to wait several days so I wasn’t just taking my sweet time. Add that to the fact that customer service would not give me my account number for security reasons and I didn’t have my card yet. So after 45 minutes of trying to figure this out, I walked away with all my receipts and no closer to solving the problem.

Unbeknownst to me, there were 2 different times on Saturday that I could have gotten the Target card number. The first was when I was about to check the mail before I left home, but instead decided to let Pmo get it when he came back from the gun show. The second was when I thought about calling Pmo while I was at Target to see if, by chance, the card had come in the mail. Which it had. And if I had had it with me, the process would have gone a lot smoother and I wouldn’t have had to go back on Sunday. But I wasn’t expecting the card so soon. I had only opened the account 6 days before. I wrote down the Target manager’s work schedule so I wouldn’t have to go through this whole thing with someone else and knew she was working Sunday. So I went in just after 2pm and everything worked out swimmingly. Finally.

Here’s something else I didn’t know. When I opened the card, I got a 10% off coupon that I could use for one day, all day. Apparently, I could have used it on the TV but, once again, the sales guy did not tell me this. Much to my surprise, I was able to use it during the return/resell process and buy the TV cheaper, $449 plus tax. I also used the 10% on a Mamma Mia DVD I’d been thinking about buying. I searched the store for something bigger, even looked at crockpots, but nothing really appealed to me. I spent way too much time looking at purses and finally decided that was the last thing I needed. My purses have their own closet.

There was one more thing at Target that ticked me off. Toward the end of my customer service journey, I walked past a display of Tostitos and dip on sale. I needed some for the Super Bowl so I decided to take advantage. The chips were 2 for $5 with a free jar of salsa or cheese. After reading the sign closer, I discovered it was a certain size chip and a 15 ounce dip. But there were several different size chips in front of me and no 15 oz dips in sight. Only 20 ounce. I had to go back to the normal chips and dip section to get the 15 oz salsa because I knew the 20 oz wouldn’t pass the cashier. But somehow I ended up with the wrong size chips and it rang up wrong at the counter anyway.

I got it straightened out, but the point is the display is so misleading. Your average Joe is going to walk by it, see the sign, grab two random bags of chips and a 20 oz cheese dip, not pay attention when the cashier rings it up, and get ripped off. How hard would it be to stack that display with the right items? How hard is it to offer a sale and then deliver it? Why do some stores make customers work so hard for a deal? We already have to make the effort to read all the ads, cut out dozens of coupons, keep tabs on the expiration dates, watch every item that rings up at the counter, and deal with stupid sales guys who tell you a promotion that’s been advertised is not available when it really is, and give you a 10 percent coupon that you could use on a very expensive TV, but fail to tell you that you could use it!

Whew. I’m exhausted.

Let's Talk TV

2010-02-01T20:11:00.002-06:00

Pmo and I have been thinking about getting a bigger TV for some time now. We saw some deals around Black Friday, but we weren’t committed to the idea yet. Plus, we really didn’t need one. I mean, who really needs a bigger, flat screen TV? It’s purely a want at this point. And we like to wait and cash in on a good deal when we can.

We’d been talking about buying a Wii for some time when Walmart decided to sell them for $199 and give away a $50 gift card with it right before Christmas. So when I saw some Super Bowl bargains on TVs in this week’s newspaper ads, I decided to get serious about the purchase. We thought we could manage a 32 or 37 inch, but after measuring the cubbyhole where the TV sits, we discovered we had more room to work with. 41 inches in fact.

Target’s new promotion allows you to buy a 32 inch TV or bigger, open one of their credit card accounts, and pay no interest until September. Perfect, right? I can pay off a TV in 8 months. And even though the interest rate after September is pretty high, I can close the card or just keep the balance low so I can pay it off every month. So after running a few errands on Sunday, we ended up in the electronics section at Target. We found the 42 inch TV for $499 that was in the ad. We measured the floor model and discovered we had just a few centimeters to spare on each side, but it would fit our space. And the price was right.

I found a sales associate and told him what I wanted and how I wanted to pay for it. He told me I could get the TV and I could open the account, but I couldn’t put the purchase on the account. What? That’s the whole point of buying the TV and getting the card! He said there was some sort of glitch in the system. I could pay cash for the TV then come back later, get my money refunded, and put the purchase on the Target account after the glitch was fixed. Hello! If I could pay cash for the TV, I wouldn’t need the 0% interest on the credit card! I told the sales guy I would think about it, and he walked away. Then I stood there and mulled over it for a bit, and decided to wave the guy back over to discuss it again. It didn’t make any sense that a store would advertise a promotion, then turn around and say, no, we can’t do that. Even if there is a glitch, they have to appease you, right?

After arguing with the sales associate some more, I discovered he really didn’t explain the situation to me very well in the first place. Turns out I could buy the TV with a different method of payment, like another credit card, and also open the Target Account. Then when the glitch was fixed, I could come back and get the purchase taken off my credit card and put it onto the Target card. Now we’re talking. Why didn’t he say that in the first place? His whole attitude from the beginning gave me the impression that the store was offering something I couldn’t have. And the whole pay with cash thing just threw me for a loop.

But here’s the kicker. I bought the TV and opened the Target account, which is super easy by the way. They just scan your license and you fill out a few questions on the electronic pad and boom, you’re done. No paper application to fill out, it was so sweet. But the TV purchase ended up on the Target card, so I didn’t have to put it on another credit card after all. Or fool with cash. The sales associate was surprised and said, “It wasn’t supposed to do that.” Seriously? I went through all that confusion and crap, and the damn thing works? But it wouldn’t let him scan the 0% interest form which I will have to go back and take care of later this week. You know, when that glitch is fixed.

We got the TV home and went to work on setting it up. It’s a tight fit, but it’s in there. I prefer to think of it as maximizing our space. And it’s a bit crooked. We can’t determine whether it’s our TV stand or the stand that’s attached to the TV. I don’t know. We’ll figure it out. But we got a big TV for a good price and I won’t have to pay interest in the long run. That was the goal all along. Just took awhile for it all to make sense.

Loss for Words

2010-01-27T18:33:00.004-06:00

My co-worker lost a pet this week. He was a wiener dog that had to be put down because his liver was failing. The story broke my heart and got me thinking about my own pets’ mortality. Bug and Jack are no spring chickens, although Jack’s got enough energy for all four of us. But Bug’s about to turn nine and Jack will be seven in the fall. Bug’s also had his share of health problems. So I know the time is coming. It makes me wonder how I’ll handle the situation.

When I was growing up, my dad always took care of our pets who passed away. I can’t begin to count how many animals he’s buried over the years: dogs, cats, rabbits, sheep, pigs, even horses. There’s the story of Gray Lady. Dad had to dig a hole with the backhoe to bury her because she was such a large horse. But Hank, our other horse, climbed into the grave with her and wouldn’t leave her side. It took a lot of coaxing and pulling to get him out.

When Hank died just last year, Pmo and I had just come home from our honeymoon. We were pulling into the driveway and I could see Dad waist high in the pond pulling on something. Mom said she saw Hank in the water earlier. Dad figured he had stumbled into the water and just couldn’t get out. He was pretty old, too. Dad had to get the tractor to pull the lifeless Hank out of the pond in order to lay him in the ground.

Now it’s my turn. When my pets die, my dad’s not going to be here to take care of it. I’ll be the one to bury them or maybe even cremate them. I’ll have to decide whether to get a new dog or just let it be for awhile. They say death is a part of life, but a dog’s life is not that long. So if you invite these furry friends into your life, you’re going to go through several times over. But thinking about all of this makes me hold onto Bug a little tighter. Not get so mad at Jack when he messes up. And bless Pmo’s heart for putting up with all of us.

“Well, I’ve been afraid of changes ‘cause I built my life around you.
But time makes you bolder, children get older, I’m getting older, too.”
-Landslide by Fleetwood Mac

My Resolve

2010-01-07T20:44:00.005-06:00

I'm not big on making resolutions, much less keeping them, but I thought I'd try my hand at things I could improve on in 2010.

First up, reading. I have tons of books I've never read. I have tons of books that I have read but I should flip through again because I've forgotten what's in them. I just think I have some form of ADD. I'd much rather watch TV or a movie than read. And now that we have a Wii, my attention span has probably gotten worse. But I'm going to try. My problem is I'll start a book and not finish it. I've got two right now I can think of that have bookmarks in them. Must. Stimulate. My. Brain. I also think because I read so much at work that I tend to shy away from it in my free time. I'm constantly reading scripts, emails, articles, press releases, etc. Okay, maybe I skim some of those things. Sue me.

Second, taking my vitamins. I try to take pills like iron, vitamin D, calcium, and cranberry every day because I have experienced their benefits and know they do their job. But I just forget to take them. I have an alarm set to go off every day at 1pm to take my vitamins, but somehow I still manage to leave the house without them. This should be pretty simple fix. Just take the damn pills.

Third, being on time. Anyone who works with me can tell you I'm lucky if I get in the door by 2:10pm. I'm supposed to be at work at 2pm. We have our first meeting at 2:15pm. And I leave each night at 10:35pm. This, again, should be pretty simple and just a matter of getting ready and taking the dogs out with a cushion of time to spare. Not doing very good on this one.

Fourth, paying off more debt. I proudly paid my car off this week, six months early. Of course, the heat went out that very night and cost us about $500. But that's another story. Next thing to pay off is the motorcycle, then the student loan, then THE HOUSE. I don't count my credit cards because they both have a relatively small amount on them that I can probably get rid of in a few months. It's an amazing feeling to actually have money to spare. I usually put what I can into savings and then live off of two or three hundred dollars every couple of weeks. But lately I've been able to keep a little more pad in my checking account just to see what it feels like.

Fifth, snuggling with Bug. I've realized that I don't snuggle with him anymore. When I lived on the west side of Evansville, it was just me and the dogs. Bug would always lay with me on the couch. Jack, not so much. But they both slept in the bed with me. Bug had to be under the covers as close to me as possible. Jack, not so much. But after Pmo and I moved in together, the tables turned. I ended up in Pmo's recliner most of the time, and Pmo ended up on the couch with both dogs. Even when I'm there by myself in the morning, I just tend to avoid the couch and stick to the recliner. And since the dogs sleep in their own room now, I hardly ever cozy up to Bug. But that's going to change.

Sixth, getting mad. We all know I have a temper and can fly off the handle if I'm in the right mood. This will probably be the most difficult. So difficult I almost didn't put it on the list because I don't think it's possible. I've tried counting to ten. I've tried stepping back from the moment and taking deep breaths. Nothing really works. I think it's a matter of willpower, and people not pissing me off. I can't stand three things: laziness, stupidity, and perkiness. If you come at me with all three, you're in BIG trouble. And once you get on my so-called shit list, there's not really a way to get off of it. But that's not the point. The point is me getting mad all the time. And stopping it.

Seventh, taking more trips. This is a no-brainer. Pmo and I are already picking out dates and thinking of places to go. Washington DC, Memphis TN, Key West FL, and Napa Valley CA are some locations we're kicking around. Of course, the trip taking is directly related to number four, paying off more debt. You've got to have money to travel.

I seem to have carved out a huge list of ways to better myself. Will I do it all? Probably not. If I had to knock off two items, it would be getting mad and being on time. I know myself. It's not going to happen. But I hope to somehow pull of the rest. And not be reminded of them when I don't. That would really piss me off.

P.S. Can I throw in visit more wineries and drink more wine? That, too, probably won't be a problem. And notice I didn't mention eating right and exercising more. I'll try to make more of an effort, but who are we kidding?

Something Not Shit

2009-12-30T19:46:00.006-06:00

“The way I look at it, in everyone’s life there’s a certain amount of shit. And in the last year, things have turned out pretty shitty. So logically, mathematically even, it’s got to be time for something not shit.” --Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason

That statement very well describes my feelings at the end of 2005. No doubt the worst year of my life. I wish I could go back and erase it. But I can’t. I can only joke about it, learn from it, and move on.

In the spring of 2005, my dad lost his job. My mom called to tell me the news. Over the phone, I could see the tears in her eyes and feel the fear in her voice. It was a scary thing in their single income household. And I’m an only child so I had no one to share the burden. He was out of work for several weeks, but eventually got things straightened out and was hired back by the company for a different job with less pay. And due to the recent economic downturn, he’s also getting less hours now but hopefully things will pick back up next year.

In the summer of 2005, I discovered my then husband was having an affair. So on top of worrying about my mom and dad, I now had an emotional black hole to emerge out of every day. I tried going to a counselor. I tried reading books. I tried praying. I tried everything I could but in the end, I just couldn’t live with it and, try as I might, I definitely couldn‘t change it. But I did live with it for several months. And I honestly don’t know how people do it for longer than that and function. Some people endure infidelity all of their lives. I am not one of them. I was in a constant, puffy eyed state, a hot mess on the verge of tears. It’s a hell of a way to live, and I’m so glad it’s behind me.

In the fall of 2005, my cousin died in a car accident. He was just a year older than me and the whole family took it very hard. He had some problems and was on the verge of getting his act together, and then this happened. It was a tragic event but I think it brought us all closer together in the end. I miss him.

The year ended pretty much the way it began. My dad fell and broke his leg, and was once again out of commission. He still got paid for disability, or whatever insurance term you want to use, but now there were medical bills piling up on top of normal bills. With everything else that had happened that year, and keep in mind at this point I’m still dealing day in and day out with my husband’s affair, it was the last straw. To quote another movie, how much more shit can we pile on top of this heap? -- My Cousin Vinny.

I’m writing this now because I’m about to enter 2010: a new decade and 5 years removed from the year of shit. And I’m very happy. I think things have gotten better every day since 2005 ended and they’re pretty damn good right now. I still have my bad days and meltdowns, but I’m nowhere near where I was then. I can smile. I can laugh. I can have a good time without the weight of the world on my shoulders. I’m so lucky. So blessed. And so grateful that 2005 is becoming a distant memory.

Christmas Past

2009-12-03T21:14:00.004-06:00

This is a picture from 14WFIE's Christmas party in 2006. Perry and I had our first date at this event. I got the urge to find this picture after my mom gave me a picture frame that said "Christmas 2006" because she knew that's when we started dating. Problem is, I didn't have a camera back then. Ironically, I got one for Christmas that year but it was after the fact. So I started hunting down co-workers who might have caught us on tape. Sure enough, Stefanie Silvey came through, and now I have the picture. Sans red eye.

This weekend, yet another WFIE Christmas party rolls around. It would be my 6th but I skipped a year, so just 5 parties for me. Several, several more for Pmo. It's been downsized from a formal gala at the country club to an intimate gathering at the general manager's home. But there's good food and it's still a lot of fun. I also just found out that our favorite bar is having karaoke Saturday night. They recently came under new management, and karaoke is hard to come by now. So I'm super psyched and looking forward to having lots of fun with my husband and our friends.

Working Holiday

2009-11-26T22:04:00.003-06:00

I find it funny that people are still shocked I sometimes have to work on a holiday. Especially Thanksgiving or Christmas. People, I work in news. I've been working in news for 6 years. The news doesn't stop for family, friends, and feasting. But I try to take turns with people and sometimes I get to choose. Like this year I decided to take off Friday instead of Thanksgiving. It's a bonus because I get a three day weekend and I get to go out to dinner on my birthday. Plus I'm off Christmas Eve and Christmas Day so I think that's a good trade off.

Working today wasn't that big of a deal anyway because it was a pretty easy day. I did some pre-planning on Wednesday night and got my 2 newscasts as organized as I could. Many of us brought in side dishes and desserts for dinner. Our editor even smoked a turkey so we had a pretty good spread that we ate on all day. I had extra supplies from our reception over the summer so I brought in the sectioned plates, utensils, napkins, a loaf of bread, and three side dishes. We just decided to throw this together last night, so I was amazed at what I could bring that I already had at home. I didn't have to go to the store for anything. I spent the morning cooking for work and cleaning for company who is coming tomorrow night.

Tomorrow, as I've mentioned, is my birthday. Our friends, Rachel and Nick, as well as Mom and Dad are going to eat dinner with us at Shogun in Owensboro. Yummy Japanese hibachi food! I'm very excited and looking forward to it. I might even brave the stores tomorrow to look for a new outfit. I'm at that point where I hate all of my clothes again and feel fat in everything. Also, tomorrow night, we're meeting a couple of my cousins out for drinks. We have no plans for the rest of the weekend, but I imagine we'll start the indoor Christmas decorating. We put lights up on the house last weekend. Now it's time to start on the tree and all the knick knacks.

Yay for the holidays!

Giving Thanks

2009-11-18T22:26:00.002-06:00

I'm thankful for many things this year:

I'm thankful I have some money in the bank. Not a lot, but some. Enough to make a dent in my debt. I'm about ready to pay off my car, and that is so sweet.

I'm thankful I have a job that allows me to put money in the bank. And spend it. Usually on groceries. And wine.

I'm thankful my job is not flipping burgers and actually has some purpose and respect that goes along with it.

I'm thankful I have a second chance at marriage and a husband who does not run around on me.

I'm thankful he looks out for me and takes care of me when I need it. Like when I'm sick. Or hungover.

I'm thankful we're able to travel and see the sights. Even if it is just a rock formation or a state park. Every moment is precious.

I'm thankful we have a nice home and a big yard. Even if we had 36 huge Rural King bags full of leaves last weekend. And aching muscles.

I'm thankful I don't live in white trash alley anymore. And kids don't smash my pumpkins.

I'm thankful for my family. I'm lucky my parents and three of my grandparents are still living. And my little cousins bring me such joy.

I'm thankful for friends. New ones that hang out with me on a Saturday night. Old ones that stay in touch and will never forget me.

I'm thankful for my dogs. They may have problems from time to time with fleas, glanding, and eye gunk, but they're my best buddies. I don't know what I'd do without them to come home to.

I'm thankful I've almost made it to my 31st birthday. I wouldn't want to go back to any other year of my life. I've got it pretty good.

Jack Scratch Fever

2009-11-04T15:19:00.003-06:00

I haven’t had much to blog about lately except for pet problems. It’s not Bug this time, it’s Jack. A little over a week ago, he started scratching like crazy, and constantly. We went to a pet store to see what remedies we could find. The manager told us that dogs tend to have corn allergies this time of year. And most dog food has corn in it. After he told me what most dog food was made of, I was more than ready to try something new. The manager also recommended a tea tree oil spray. So we bought both. We’re working the food in gradually: half old, half new. The spray provided relief for a bit, but otherwise didn’t do much good. We noticed Bug was scratching, too, but not as much and no hair loss. After we put the spray on Jack, we noticed he had a big chunk of hair missing.

I started looking up solutions on the internet. Then I considered flea allergies could be the problem. I treat the dogs for fleas in the warmer months with flea collars and topicals. But I thought fleas went away when it got colder. I was wrong. Pmo found a couple of Bug the other day and I also found one on Jack. Then I noticed Jack had some red, irritated spots on him that I now believe are flea bites. So I turned back to the flea shampoo I use in the summer and broke down and bathed Jack today, though he wasn‘t due for another two weeks. I'm told overbathing can irritate their skin, too. When Jack was dry again, I put a flea collar back on him and applied the topical.

I found some home remedies for dog allergies on the internet involving oatmeal and baking soda. I didn’t have any baking soda so I tried the oatmeal recipe. It said boil 2 quarts of water and a handful of oats for 10 minutes, drain the particles, and let cool. I had to stick the pot in the freezer so it wouldn’t scald Jack, but I got it down to a nice lukewarm temperature. I put the oatmeal on him after the flea bath and it felt good to me, silky smooth in fact. Surely that had to help even a little bit. I left the oatmeal on for about 5 minutes, then rinsed it off. I think next time I’ll only make half the batch though, unless I’m bathing Bug, too. It seemed a little excessive for one dog.

After I got Jack out of the tub, which he was so ready to do after shivering during most of the ordeal, he didn’t scratch for about 5 to 10 minutes. But I was also vacuuming so maybe he was just distracted. Nevertheless, he eventually started scratching again. So I gave him another dose of children’s Benadryl in the hopes it would ease his pain in the afternoon. That was also a recommendation from the pet store manager and I read about it in several articles on the internet. Except there‘s conflicting information on whether the liquid form or the pill form is better for dogs. I bought the liquid. I haven’t been able to tell if it helps because it’s either been at night when I get home and we soon go to sleep, or before I go to work and I’m not around to see if he’s still scratching. But he hasn’t thrown it up at all, and he has a sensitive stomach. So that's a good sign.

I hope some if not all of these remedies work. I think the flea treatment will do the trick, but the oatmeal and baking soda are good ideas, too. I guess I'll move onto Bug tomorrow.

I Heart Vino

2009-10-16T20:39:00.002-05:00

It all began with a trip to the Biltmore Estate. Up until then, I didn't really care for wine and didn't understand the attraction. But Pmo and I visited that winery and we haven't stopped looking for tasting rooms since. We've been to wineries in North Carolina, Missouri, Ohio, Tennessee, Indiana, and Kentucky. Maybe even more states but I can't think of them right now.

Visiting wineries and buying wine has really become sort of a hobby for us. But not every winery is created equal. I like a winery to be scenic, kind of set back from everything else. I don’t like junky ones that sit right off the interstate, but I'll still try them out. I think one of my favorites is Stone Hill in Missouri. It's on a hill, obviously, in this charming small town, almost village like. I also like Huber Winery in southern Indiana. Lots of farmland around it.

http://www.stonehillwinery.com
http://www.huberwinery.com

I started my drinking career with hard liquor. Screwdrivers were my drink of choice. It was college, so cheap vodka was the best I could do. I didn't like beer at the time. Then at some point, I ended up growing quite fond of beer. And I took a few shots of tequila here and there until I knew better. I was on the beer kick for quite awhile, but my tastes have now turned to the art of grapes.

I love learning about wine, talking about wine, and of course, tasting wine. Pmo and I gathered quite a collection from our trips this year, but now that supply is gone. I expect we'll stock up again soon. We have some standards at the local liquor store that are tasty. But half the fun of opening a bottle of wine from a trip is bringing back those memories and remembering why you liked it enough to buy it in the first place.

Every bottle of wine is different, and it has its own story. I don't think you can really say that about other alcoholic drinks. I love smelling a glass or bottle of wine, including the cork. I love to look at it in the glass and swish it around. I enjoy it. I experience it. I used to think it was a bit uppity to drink wine, but not anymore. I'd rather drink wine than any other alcohol at this point in my life.

The bad thing is wine knocks me on my butt pretty quick. I've learned Pmo and I can share a bottle and I'm good the next day. If we share two bottles, I'm probably going to have a headache. Three bottles or more, I'm headed for trouble. And if I'm drinking wine by myself? Oh, Lord, not a good move. But nevertheless, tonight, I'm looking forward to going home, sitting in my recliner, and drinking a bottle of great vino with my husband. In my opinion, it's the perfect way to end the work week.

Coupon Caper

2009-10-09T22:04:00.004-05:00

My latest hobby is searching out deals. I scour the Sunday ads and the weekly circulars looking for ways to save. I usually don't travel from store to store just to buy a few items here and there that are on sale. I tend to stick to the deals offered by my local Wesselman's and Dollar General. It helps that they're right next door to each other. But this week, I found good deals on items we use every day that were spread out at several stores, so I decided to brave the rain today and make the trip around town. I went to 5 stores and spent about $25 at each store. But, I saved at least $25 in markdowns and coupons.

I've learned that I can cheat on my coupons a bit. It depends on the cashier, but sometimes you can slip some by that really shouldn't be used. I try to get in line where I see a young kid, preferably a boy, because something tells me he doesn't care if I have a coupon for High Fiber Progresso Soup when I only got the regular kind. By the way, I got 6 cans of Progresso Soup for $7 and some change today. Or when I have coupons for $1 off the purchase of two 12-packs of Diet Coke, but I use 1 coupon per pack instead. That day I got four 12-packs for $7.

I also enjoy buy 1 get one free sales, if I can use the items. Today, I decided against a buy 1 get 1 free today on cranberry juice, because it was a huge container that was $5.49 and I didn't think I could drink 2 of them. I try not to buy things I don't need just because they're on sale. But I've learned the art of watching for things to go on sale, THEN using my coupons. Which is tricky. You have to pay careful attention to the ads, mark things, and make a list. Otherwise, you'll forget what was on sale and what you wanted to get when you walk in the storer. Also, do lots of coupon clipping and be aware of what you have. Long expiration dates on those coupons are important so you can hold onto them and use them when the time is right. And of course, you have to have the patience and will to not need the item right away, and to wait it out. Then you can truly reap the benefits of sales and coupons.

Five Dollar Finds

2009-09-21T09:58:00.020-05:00

(pardon the *** but I was having a problem with spacing and indenting in this blog. *** means new paragraph!)
***I’m very proud of the $5 stroller we found at Goodwill and converted into Bug’s buggy. We’ve used it several times and it will certainly come in handy once we start taking the dogs with us on trips. But I’ve found a new treasure.
***I’ve been wanting some sort of vanity by the bed for awhile now. Pmo got me a jewelry chest for Christmas, which gave me a long awaited place to hang my necklaces, but I didn’t have anywhere to put it. So every day, I would go into the hall closet and take out the chest, but I couldn’t explore the jewelry. Also, every night, I would take off my jewelry and put in on my nightstand. So it was only logical that I put a surface beside the bed that could handle all that traffic. My nightstand was small and round. I needed something more like a desk, but still small so that it would fit in the space.
***We set out on Sunday afternoon to see if my vanity could be found at Goodwill. I looked over the furniture room and didn’t see anything. I saw another stroller that probably would work for Bug, but I already fixed that problem. I started looking again and I found it. I though it might have been a kitchen cart or something because it really wasn’t big enough to be a desk. It even had a little shelf underneath for bonus storage. And it was $5.
***We brought it home after running a few more errands in the rain. I wiped it off with furniture polish and now it sits beside the bed. It holds a lot: my jewelry chest, lamp, TV remote, retainer case, lint brush, etc. I’d like to get a small stool to slide underneath, but one of our folding chairs will do for now.
***It’s just amazing to me what you can find for a little bit of money if you just look for it. That cart may not have been there yesterday, and if it wasn’t, I’d try again next time because I know that‘s my best option. It's cheaper than a consignment shop or Walmart. I don’t have to run out and buy a $40 piece of furniture. I’ve gotten along so far without it. It’s just nice to make my daily routine a little easier. Several months ago, we also got Pmo a desk from Goodwill for $10 or $15 that we turned into a work bench for the garage. It’s better than spending hundreds of dollars on a Craftsman.
***There were other activities this past weekend. We walked about 5 miles at Race for the Cure on Saturday morning. I liked having it downtown. It was very scenic. The shuttle from Mead Johnson was also extremely efficient. We didn’t have to worry about parking near the race and didn‘t wait long to get on or off the bus. On Saturday night, I went to a bachelorette party for some quality girl time. And Sunday evening, we put out fall decorations, including some new leafy lights my mom got us earlier in the year.
***This week, I’m getting my haircut and thinking about getting dog beds. If I can find them for a decent price. We put Bug and Jack in their pet taxis in the back bedroom at night, but Jack’s always been unhappy with that. He hides behind the couch and just shakes like he’s scared to death when you shut the gate. I really don’t think he sleeps much at night because he hates it so much. If they had dog beds, they wouldn’t be so confined and could stretch out and get comfortable. I’m hoping I can just shut the bedroom door and they’ll curl up and go to sleep. We don’t want them roaming the house and waking us up in the middle of night.
***This upcoming weekend is Grandma’s birthday, so I’ll probably take the dogs and go home to have lunch with her and Mom while Pmo heads home to visit a friend. There’s also the Fiddler Fest in Newburgh which I’d like to visit at some point, maybe Friday for lunch. And the Yart Sale (cheap art) is also Saturday, I believe. Fall starts Tuesday. Get ready for pumpkins, apple cider, and lots of leaf raking!

Swayze Crazy

2009-09-18T21:15:00.010-05:00

I don’t usually write about celebrity deaths but Patrick Swayze is a different story. Most people choose Dirty Dancing as their favorite Swayze movie, and I love it as well. Nobody puts Baby in a corner and all that jazz. But when I think of Swayze, I think of Dalton in Roadhouse, but more importantly, Orry in the North and South miniseries. My mom taped North and South off TV, without commercials, and we would watch it over and over again. It was like another version of Gone With the Wind to us because we love Civil War movies. I even named some puppies we had after the main characters: Orry, Madeline, George, and Constance.

What's weird is another actor, who died this year and is well known for his other work, was in North and South, too. David Carradine played Justin Lamotte, who was pretty much Orry's nemesis through the entire story. Justin tricked Madeline into marrying him, and she was in love with Orry. Justin was a mean, mean, man. Carradine played it so well. He'll always be Justin to me, just as Swayze will be forever Orry: a southern gent and war hero. So sad they're both gone but at least I have them on video forever. As long as my VCR doesn't eat the tapes.

Credit Crazed

2009-09-04T18:42:00.007-05:00

I'm slowly starting to realize how much we depend on credit. Like it's our God given right. I mean, who can afford to outright buy a house, a car, and an education with cash? If I was not able to get loans, I would not live in my home. I'd be taking the bus to work. And I'd probably work at a lower paying job because I'd have no education. Which means I'd never be able to save up enough money to buy a car, a house, or an education because I would barely have enough money to survive. What a vicious cycle. I couldn't take trips unless it was on a Greyhound bus or an airplane. I'd always share walls with neighbors. I couldn't ride my motorcycle.

I guess I'm really starting to think about this because I'm getting close to paying off my car. And I'm thinking about which bill I'm going to work on next. I call it my pyramid. It starts with my least amount of debt and works up to the highest outstanding balance. My credit cards were at the bottom, and now they're done. My car is next, then my motorcycle, student loan, and last but not least, the house. I guess up until this point I've always added onto my debt instead of paying it down. I'm finally at a place where I can take control and really sink my teeth into getting rid of some of it, without starving myself or being bored. It's kind of exciting in a nerdy sort of way.

I'm also stashing more money into savings. It's something I've never been good at, nor able to do. But even with the extra expenses I've incurred this summer like vehicle registrations, property taxes, dog shots, etc., I've been able to save a little money here and there. It's the first thing I do out of my paycheck now instead a last consideration. I think of it now as an emergency fund and can't believe I never really had one before. I mean, I've always had a savings account but there was never much in it. I'm also thinking of moving some moolah over to another savings account that I don't use anymore to stow away a fund for our next trip or big purchase. If I can't easily transfer money from that account into my checking, it's more likely to stay there.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

2009-08-31T18:02:00.009-05:00

I'm not ruling out the possibility of more 90 degree days, but it looks like for the most part, the summer heat has passed us by. And I couldn't be happier. I appreciate having to cover up. I'd much rather wear jeans than shorts. Long sleeves instead of tank tops. And let's not forget my precious hoodies. However, I know that 90 degrees temps in September are not uncommon. I've even experienced a hot day or two in early October. But I hope fall is here to stay.

My weekend was a flurry of activity. I headed to Indy to hang out with my college pal Sunni and her daughters for the day. We ran around town for a bit then headed back to her house to relax. A little dinner, a little drinking, a little dancing, and it was already 1am. The next morning, which came way too early, I went to church with them and watched Sunni sing. Then I began the trek home, zigzagging my way through southern Indiana until I was back in da burgh again.

Pmo surprised me Sunday night with a dinner at Olive Garden. What a treat! Plus I had my trusty coupon for $4 off. I ordered my usual ravioli di portobello and bellini tea, we each enjoyed a glass of moscato wine and, of course, the always delicious salad and breadsticks. Yet afterward, I felt so miserable. I was overly stuffed with food, but I was also still nursing this crud I've had for the past week. After we got home, we spent some time in the backyard, watching Jack run his little tail off playing ball. I had to wear a jacket and change into jeans. It was chilly!

I almost forgot. We made the inaugural trip out of the neighborhood with Bug's buggy. We took the dogs down to the riverfront before dinner Sunday afternoon. We let Bug walk around for awhile by the boat ramp. He got to go with Jack and check out the good smells of the river bank. Then we got the stroller out of the trunk and took off with him. He tried to jump off only once or twice and actually laid down a time or two. So except for his beagle shrieking when he sees other dogs (nothing I say or do stops him from freaking out and screaming, so if anyone knows how to get this under control, let me know) it was a pretty good venture.

The week ahead will be pretty low key for me. I'm planning another trip to the grocery store and I also need to color my hair. I'm hope to take the dogs walking by myself and try to handle the stroller and Jack at the same time. I didn't walk at all last week, and I certainly don't need to fall into that routine. I'm feeling better, not as weak, but I still have crap running down my throat, a cough, and a sneeze here or there. I'm still taking mucinex and amoxicillin so hopefully I'll come out of it by the weekend.

Along with the Sunshine...

2009-08-27T21:13:00.004-05:00

…there's gotta be a little rain sometimes.

I'm a bit under the weather. Where that expression came from I don't know. But anyway, it started with a sore throat on Sunday night. I spent 2 hours at the clinic on Monday to get a prescription for amoxicillin. Now this crud has transformed into some kind of nasal congestion. I found some allergy pills I bought the last time I was sick, so I popping them today. I'm not aware that I have any allergies, but those pills are supposed to relieve the same symptoms, so I thought, why not? It saves me from having to make a trip to Walgreen's and trying to pick something out that might work, and forking over more dough. Hopefully, this crud will clear up by the weekend. I'm supposed to go to Indy to visit my friend, Sunni, and her family. Right now, all I want to do is sleep, though I'm bored with it.

I'm also researching medication for Bug online. He's been doing so-so on the Rimadyl pills but they're so freaking expensive. I hate to keep buying them if they're only halfway helping. So I might try some aspirin the next time it seems like he's hurting. The vet says a baby aspirin or 1/4 of a regular aspirin is okay. But not long term. It's so weird because the first batch of Rimadyl worked so well, but ever since it's not been 100% effective. The vet also told me he needs lots of rest. He's a pro at that.

So we'll see. As of Thursday night, I still feel like crap and will probably hit the hay as soon as I get home. It's really irritating when you're used to coming and going as you please without a hint of illness. Now every task seems like a chore and I'm out of breath. But it only happens every once in awhile. I'm guess I'm pretty lucky.

Bug's Buggy

2009-08-25T11:51:00.019-05:00

I’m not sure where the idea came from, but lately I’ve been thinking about buying a pet stroller. I’m sure it sounds stupid and frivolous. Probably as silly as putting a dog in a bag and carrying it around. Or dressing it up in clothes and putting jewelry on it. But there is a method to my madness.

Bug has had problems with his back legs for several months now. The pills from the vet worked at first, but he’s been taking them for awhile now and he’s only about 75% well. This means walking is a chore. Bug doesn’t want to go, and he’s slow. Jack is hard enough to keep up with as it is without Bug lagging behind. But I need to walk more for exercise, Jack needs an outlet for his energy, and we’ve been talking about taking the dogs on a trip with us. If Bug is down, I don’t want that to keep him from going places with us and being able to move around.

I knew a pet stroller would not be cheap. Not many things that are custom made for pets are. And I was right. I started looking on the internet and they were anywhere from $75 to $200. Seriously? I just want to push my dog around. The basket doesn’t have to be lined in gold. It doesn’t have to dispense treats or anything. So I went back to my original thought: get a used baby stroller and modify it.

We found one at Goodwill for $5 and brought it home. It was a simple one. No diaper bag compartment or drink holders. Just a cloth seat. So we got it into the garage and stared at it for awhile, trying to come up with a way to use it. We put Bug in it and, well, he didn’t quite fit. His paws hung over the front, along with his upper torso. We tried putting different things in the seat that would jut out and give him some support but nothing really worked.

At some point, I grabbed the ironing board from the loft in the garage. It was a small one, made for a countertop. Seemed like it would be a good platform for Bug. But we couldn’t figure out how to incorporate it. Until we took the cloth seat off. We slid the ironing board onto the bottom rungs of the stroller. And voila! We had the BugMobile. The ironing board fit really snug so it won’t come out unless we take it out. And we can collapse it down to take with us on a trip. It’s absolutely perfect.

We tried it out twice over the weekend walking around the neighborhood. I hooked Bug’s leash onto him, locked it tight, then slid the handle over the stroller. He rode pretty well, even laid down a couple of times. He jumped off once, but he didn’t go very far because of the leash, and we just put him right back on it. Of course, just because his legs are weak doesn’t mean his mouth is. He stirred up a bunch of dogs in the neighborhood across the road from us with his beagle shrieking. But all in all, it worked out great. We even added a pillow in the back so his tail doesn’t get too close to the back wheels.

So that’s the story of how Bug's buggy was born. I’m quite proud of it. I mean, it was five freaking dollars, an ironing board, and a pillow. Problem solved. And I don't care if people think I'm babying him or just being ridiculous. I know why I'm using it and that's all that matters. But hopefully, Bug will get better, and he won't need it. Lord knows he needs the exercise. But now we have an alternative if he’s not feeling well or if he gets worse as he gets older. Cheap ingenuity rocks.

I Wanna Rock!

2009-08-19T22:14:00.006-05:00

I got the best present in the world from Pmo last year for Christmas: a karaoke system. We were so excited that we went out and bought CDs for it and tried it out in the living room. Problem was, our TV speakers were not made for such loudness, so when we sang, we sounded like crap. Then we realized if we brought in the stereo from the kitchen, we could hook up the karaoke player to better speakers. But then the stereo sat in front of the TV, which was not very pretty, nor conducive to daily living. So besides one time when the Folzi came over, and another time when my college friends were in town, the karaoke machine has hardly been touched this year.

We thought we were going to get better speakers some time at Goodwill and sit them on a shelf above the TV. Then we could route the system through a receiver and enjoy karaoke in the living room. But we just never seemed to come across any speakers we liked. Plus, once we found some, we'd have to build a shelf and get another receiver. A recent trip to Tennessee netted a set of pretty good speakers from a Goodwill store, but we still weren't sure how to rig everything up. Then Pmo got the idea to look for a TV instead and put the whole system in the "stuff" room instead. The "stuff" room is one of our back bedrooms that consists of our movies, books, magazines, and pictures, Pmo's stereo, big stereo, and music, and a lot of other stuff. Hence the name, stuff room.

Wouldn't you know the next time we went to Goodwill, we found a small TV that even had a digital tuner for $15, and we brought it home. Now we have an extra set of rabbit ears hooked up so we can watch TV. And since the karaoke player is multi-functional, we can listen to CDs and watch DVDs in there, too. But the best part is, the mics are hooked up and we are ready to rock! The night we hooked it up, we stayed up late singing, then took turns going outside to see if we were really that loud. And since then, I've been in there a few times by myself in the morning.

I can't believe I actually have an outlet now for my singing. It only took 31 years! And don't get me wrong: I know that I can't sing well. I don't know anything about notes or pitches or melodies. But I love it. I've been doing it all my life. And I'm not about to stop. Even when I am told I'm singing off key. Who cares? Obviously, I don't.

When I was a kid, I used to prop up the push broom against a chair in the basement and use it as a microphone stand to belt out tunes. Or I would grab a flashlight for a hand mic and run around the room. Now I sing in the car, in the shower, wherever I can turn up the radio, CD, or mp3 player. It helps drown out my voice! But now, I can just go back to the stuff room, put in a CD, and sing to my heart's content. With a real microphone. I'm sure I'll still enjoy the occasional trip to Lamasco. But it's nice to know that when I'm home, I can just take my beer or glass of wine down the hallway and pick up the mic if I feel the need to make eardrums bleed! That's kind of harsh, but you get my drift. In other words, I WANNA ROCK!

Weighing on my Mind

2009-08-17T21:14:00.002-05:00

I was shocked when I looked down at the scale at the doctor's office this afternoon. Well, maybe shock is not the right word. I've known for some time that I was putting on weight. The tummy doesn't lie. In fact, it proudly juts out for all the world to see. My diet is not the best and I don't get a lot of exercise. I always seem to find excuses. The number one excuse being, "Oh, I didn't have time." Yeah, but somehow I found time to lay back in the recliner, eat cream cheese and crackers, and watch Days of our Lives for an hour.

I've lost weight before. I know how to do it. But it takes so much willpower and I'm weak. The number I saw on the scale today may be just what I need to jump start an exercise routine, and more importantly, stick with it. That's the hard part. I think I'm going to commit to a steady walking routine. I know I could burn so many more calories if I ran. But I freaking hate running with a passion. I'm thinking about speedwalking with Jack. Since Bug's leg problems are not totally behind us yet, we've been taking Bug on a short walk and Jack on a longer loop. I also need to do it first thing in the morning and get it out of the way. If I wait until midmorning or longer, I'll find any excuse to sit on my butt.

I'm not going to waste money on a gym that I know I won't go to, although I wouldn't mind lifting weights again. I figure I can do just about anything at home that I can do at a gym: pushups, situps, walking, etc. The only thing is when it gets cold, I won't be able to walk outside. I'll have to find an indoor option. Maybe Washington Square Mall where Pmo goes sometimes. I can't take Jack there though.

My other option is dancing. I can do that indoors, in the air conditioning, without going anywhere. Make up my own routines as I go along, blast the stereo. Wait, that sounds like a better option than walking! Maybe I'll mix it up because I also want to get the dogs exercising as much as possible. The more energy Jack expends, the better off we all are.

Festless

2009-08-07T22:06:00.002-05:00

I'm just not much of a fest person. I think it's a combination of the heat, the parking, and the people. I went to the Schweitzer Fest when I was younger. I'd walk around, talk to friends, eat the food, ride the rides. But the older I get, the more I don't enjoy being hot and sticky much less bumping into other festgoers. Probably the same reasons I'm not a huge fan of amusement parks.

So this year, I passed on the Freedom Fest. I probably won't be attending Volksfest. And if I miss the Fall Festival, it won't kill me. But I am considering the Fiddler Fest in Newburgh this fall. I love catfish and I recently attended a wine tasting festival at the same location, the Old Lock and Dam. There's also a jazz and wine festival coming up in downtown Evansville. I won't rule that one out just yet, although the crowd might be big. In the words of Forrest Gump, that's all I have to say about that.

My Hometown

2009-08-05T22:09:00.005-05:00

I went home for a funeral this morning. My great aunt Lea passed away. I saw several family members I hadn't seen in several years. I received the usual compliments: "you're so tall like your dad" and "you look just like your mom." It seems every time I go home for something like that and see everyone, I start thinking about all my family members who were born and raised there and have never left. I'm not one of them.

Both sides of my family have deep roots in Perry County. But I've noticed the younger generation is branching out, for the most part. On my dad's side of the family, the majority of my cousins live away from home. On my mom's side, my cousins live within yards of each other and I'm the only one who's not there. It makes me realize that my kids, if I have any, are not going to grow up like I did. They're not going to have their grandparents nearby, their cousins to play with, their aunts and uncles to dote on them. Sure, there will be holidays and we'll visit, but it won't be the same. It won't be how I was brought up, my mom was brought up, my mom's mom was brought up, and so on.

I had every intention of leaving home for as long as I remember. I knew I would never live there as an adult. But I guess it never hit me what that would mean for my children. Again, if I have any. I'm not saying it's a bad thing or a good thing. In fact, I think the Evansville/Newburgh area is a great place to call home and raise a family. But it's weird to think my kids won't bicycle down Catholic Hill and go up to the Cannelton dam with tater wedges they bought from Marvin's Market. Or have their grandpa pick them up on his day off and take them around town. Or get caught behind the floodwall doing things they aren't supposed to be doing, only to have their dad find out the next day. Wait a minute. Maybe that is a good thing.

Take It Easy

2009-08-03T09:52:00.003-05:00

This was a productive, yet relaxing weekend. It's one of the few this summer that we didn't have something scheduled. I think the busy times are over for now. Isn't it funny though, when you get down time, you start planning more things to do?

Pmo went to a gun show in Boonville with his dad Saturday morning and I slept in, as usual. I had stayed up watching "Daisy of Love" for some stupid reason. But even if I hadn't been up late, I would have still slept in. It's my nature. If I don't have to get up, why should I? When Pmo got home, we had some lunch and I set out to vacuum and wash my car. Even though I knew it was supposed to rain that night, sometimes things just need to be done. I realized I needed to wash the car the other day, when I went to put my 2010 sticker on my license plate and had to wipe so much dirt off to do it.

Saturday night was all about Shogun. We took The Folzi to Owensboro to experience this awesome Japanese restaurant. I took Pmo over there once but it had been a long time since we'd been back. I went a little heavy on the yum yum sauce for my rice and had to slow it down. It's such a bad feeling when you're sitting there, already so full you can't stand it, and you haven't even gotten to the meat yet. But I managed to jump over the wall I hit and keep going. I did bring home a box though and ate it Sunday. On the way home, it was pouring rain but it slacked up a bit by the time we got into the house. We had some drinks, played some games, and like that, it was almost 1am, and our company went home.

On Sunday, Pmo fixed pancakes for breakfast. We read the newspaper and checked out the ads. At some point, we decided we would go pick up a few things in a place I like to call, town. But we weren't in too big of a hurry. Pmo was on the hunt for some hardware and I wanted to get a 4G flash drive I had seen advertised at Big Lots for $10. Somehow, we got engrossed in "13 Going on 30" on TV and didn't leave the house until almost 3pm. We also stopped at Sears where I picked upsome jewelry and a wallet. Then I dropped off Pmo at the house so I could go back to the grocery store and CVS and pick up some things while he worked on his hardware project and fired up the grill.

Dinner consisted of barbecue pork chops and some left over hot dogs and bratwurst we wanted to use up. I also fixed corn on the cob, baked potaoes, and salad. Later, we took the dogs for a walk and pretty much settled in for the night. I put my new wallet together and organized my new to-do list for the week. We also had vanilla ice cream with strawberry topping. Yum!

I also got some sad news over the weekend. My great aunt Lea passed away. She'd been in the hospital for several days with lung and kidney trouble. When I think of Lea, I'll always remember going with my family to cut wood at Aunt Elsie's and Lea would bring the strawberry pie that was so good. I'm glad I got to see her and Tom in Rome in the spring during the Dogwood Festival.

(1976)

Slowing Down

2009-07-27T17:21:00.014-05:00

I guess it's the nature of summer. Weddings, showers, cookouts, birthday parties... it's a busy time of year. But we're finally slowing down. We took a trip to Cincy over the weekend to go to my sorority sister's wedding. I had a little too much of a good time (if you know what I mean) but I managed to make it through Sunday and still do a little sightseeing. We went to Newport (KY) on the Levee and visited the aquarium. The whole area is super cool. Shops, restaurants, dudes on stilts making balloon animals for kids, it was awesome. We ate at Johnny Rockets which is very busy diner but they drop everything and do a little dance when "Respect" by Aretha Franklin comes on the jukebox. We had the best strawberry milkshakes there.

Bug's having trouble again. I took him to the vet and got him some more medicine. It looks like he overdid himself during our cookout and aggravated his back legs. The good news is that the meds worked while he was taking them, so I can just get his prescription refilled now instead of taking him into the vet every time his condition acts up. I was also told by a co-worker that baby aspirin is okay to give dogs for their joints. I asked the vet about that, and he said yes, but it's more a short term solution. And to not give him baby aspirin AND the meds. It's more in between times when I'm out of the pills. I also picked up some soft dog treats and a munchee stick at Pet Food Center.

What's ahead? I hope a little rest and fun at home. This weekend, there's a gun show in Boonville that Pmo will probably attend. We're also planning to take some friends to Owensboro for a yummy dinner at Shogun. After that, our schedule is pretty much clear for awhile. We're thinking about taking some mini-trips before the summer is over like going to Garden of the Gods, canoeing, and hiking some trails in Perry County. I'm thankful it's been so mild and I hope it stays that way.

Wedding Wrapup

2009-07-21T19:06:00.024-05:00

We had our reception over the weekend at our house in Newburgh. Our family and friends enjoyed chicken and potatoes prepared and cooked on the grill by my parents. They worked their butts off, they always do. I don't know what I would do without them. The weather turned out just perfect. In fact, it was pretty cool all morning. I wasn't sure if we'd even see the sun, but it eventually came out. We had some yard games for the kids and a lot of good conversation and catching up. Even though I was busy, I had a good time and it reminded me of the parties we used to have at home. I hope we can do it again. Next time, I want to play volleyball!

Pmo's mom and stepdad stayed with us all weekend, so we've been entertaining them and showing them around town. We're starting to get back to normal and my to-do list is no longer consumed by wedding tasks. Now it's all about trip planning, finding a dentist, getting a haircut, and other tedious things. This weekend, we travel to Cincy for my sorority sister's wedding. I haven't seen many of those girls in a long time, so it should be fun. Then I think we'll relax for awhile and really settle into married life. I'm so glad we already have a house and a routine. There's really no adjustment period, besides me getting used to my new name. In fact, we've been in our house almost a year already. We'll celebrate that anniversary in just a few weeks.

I feel like making a New Year's resolution in July. I really need to get into shape, lose some weight, and figure out a hairstyle. I thought I could learn to live with the extra pounds I've acquired but I just hate when I look at pictures and see my bulges. I know I could look better but it's going to take a lot of discipline and willpower. More exercise, less food. It's a pretty simple concept. Hopefully, I can find an activity I enjoy and stick with it. And the food, well, that's probably the most difficult part. Saying no when I want so bad to say yes!

Bits of Gratitude

2009-07-14T22:18:00.011-05:00

To Mom for the music. She got me started on 8 tracks of Blondie, Elvis, and more. And she's still rockin'.

To Dad for the endurance. He always told me, "it will be here before you know it" when it came to getting my driver's license, going to college, and my 21st birthday.

To Joni for the innocence. We've come a long way but we'll always remember where we came from.

To Sunni for the laughter. It's infectious and it makes me smile. Plus her jokes are soooooo funny.

To Holly for the variety. If it wasn't for her, I would have never known the likes of The Hush Sound, This Providence, or We are the Fury.

To Rachel for the rowdiness. Wild nights at Lamasco. Cool nights by the fire pit. Lots of beer in between.

To Ann for the wisdom. She once told me, "when your happiness means something to you, you'll know what to do." And she was right.

To Perry for the adventure. Several trips are behind us, but we have many more to go. And lots of fun in between.

(1820)

Land of the Free

2009-07-06T21:57:00.008-05:00

My 4th of July was good, though it started out pretty dismal with all the rain. We were invited to a cookout earlier in the week, and by the time we got there, the rain had stopped but it was still bleak outside. So we ate inside and went out later to watch our host set off fireworks. On Sunday, we met Pmo's dad at the Super Flea Market, then had lunch at the State Street Tavern in Newburgh. Yummy. Later, we took the dogs out to the levee for a walk, and eventually headed to the riverfront for fireworks. It was an awesome show. I also had a bratwurst and a root beer float.

Many adventures lie ahead for me in the next few days. It's pay week so that means taking care of bills and grocery shopping. Plus our little "reception" is coming up so I've got to get with Mom on details of what we have and what we need. I need to get a local dentist because I am due for my bi-annual teeth cleaning and am no longer required to make the trip to Madisonville. I can get to work on my name changes now that I have my new social security card in my hot little hands. The BMV is calling my name. We're still waiting on the official wedding album and hoping it comes this week. I need to do some yard work that I've been avoiding for awhile. I should order new checks and address labels. Buy stamps. Send out announcements to newspapers about our wedding. Keep looking for cabins for our Gatlinburg getaway this fall. Figure out what the hell to do with my hair. The list goes on and on and I hope to knock a few of those off this week.

(1770)

Just Married

2009-06-29T20:21:00.014-05:00

The secret is out! Perry and I got married at Niagara Falls, NY last week. We had an awesome time, but we’re also glad to be back home. We drove up last Sunday, hammered out the details on Monday, and got hitched Tuesday evening. And of course, we did plenty of sightseeing here, there, and in between.

There was no music playing. No bridal party to keep in line. No throwing of the bouquet. No guests to gawk at me. No aisle to walk down or place for me to hide until the big moment. We had no choice but to ride together to the ceremony site. So, instead, Perry got ready before me and went down to the hotel lobby. I came down by myself in the elevator later. And his reaction was everything I hoped it would be. I had been nervous that he was expecting a white gown and other fanciness. But he was grinning ear to ear and lavished me with compliments.

We picked a site by the upper rapids because it was more private than other locations near the falls. The ceremony was about 15 minutes long and that was it: we were husband and wife! Afterwards, we took more pictures and headed to Terrapin Point, the closest site to the Horseshoe Falls from the American side, for some more shots. Luckily, we also had the photographer take some pictures with our camera so we can print copies. I ordered our official album this morning.

After the ceremony, we had some time before our dinner reservation so we went back to the hotel and opened our bottle of Niagara wine from Huber Winery we brought with us. Can you believe we couldn't find a single solitary wine glass in any gift shop in Niagara Falls? Plenty of mugs and shot glasses, but no wine glasses. We ended up borrowing a couple from the hotel bar. We also had our first dance at this point, thanks to the mp3 player on my phone: "Love Song” by Tesla.

Pretty soon, it was time to eat, so we headed over to the Red Coach Inn where we had delicious entrees, more wine, and dessert. A couple even bought us a round of drinks to celebrate the occasion. After dinner, we headed back to the upper rapids one more time and enjoyed the sunset. My original plan was to go back to the falls but by this time, my shoes were killing me. But damn, they looked good!

Let's see, what else happened? We visited several more attractions: Old Fort Niagara, Cuyahoga Falls, Ferrante Winery, Debonne Winery, Eddie Bauer outlets, and the Cincinnati Zoo. We headed back to southern Indiana Friday evening and found out Hank, Mom and Dad's pony, had died. Literally, just before we got there. We also came home to storm damage from the high winds on Monday. We lost part of a tree, again, our yard swing was in a different position, and several more limbs and branches had fallen in the yard. So it was back to reality in a hurry for us on Saturday, but at least we had two days to sort everything out. Sunday was definitely the nicer day. It was so flippin' hot Friday and Saturday.

I hope that's enough details for everyone. We just thought keeping the date and location a secret would make the moment that much more special and memorable. And it did.

"Love is all around you. Love is knockin' outside your door. Waitin' for you is this love made just for two. Keep an open heart and you'll find love again, I know." --Love Song by Tesla

Ooh La La

2009-06-17T22:08:00.004-05:00

This past weekend, we headed up to Richmond for my friend Fish's wedding. I got to catch up with some old friends, drink some beer (thanks Jen!) and eat hot dogs. Afterward, we played Putt Putt and ate a late night breakfast at IHOP. It was a long day for us since we got up at 6am, spent a lot of time on the road, and crashed around midnight.

On the way home Sunday, we had three goals in mind: Eddie Bauer, Huber Winery, and Indian-Celina Lakes. Two out of three ain't bad! We got some snazzy clothes from the outlet and bought some good wine in Starlight. But by the time we got into Perry County, we were too tired to explore the lakes so we picked up the dogs from Mom's and headed home.

That's all I have for now. We're heading to another wedding this weekend but this time it's local. I will say that I've had a few meltdowns lately and been stressed out. But I'm coming out of it and fully looking forward to the week ahead. Even though I haven't made it through this one yet. A girl can dream about Friday, can't she?

Better Late Than Never

2009-06-11T15:49:00.002-05:00

I've been keeping busy but haven't found time to blog about it. I can't remember what I did the weekend before last, but they're all about the same nowadays. A lot of work and and a little bit of play. Saturday, Mom and Dad came over to help us with a house project. While we were on the back patio, I looked through the garage, which was open, and this man was walking toward me. I thought, who the hell is that and why is he walking through my garage? Is he a neighbor I don't know? He peeked his head out on the patio and asked where Martin was. Then it dawned on me. He's looking for the old owners. So we explain that we've lived there almost a year and he was shocked that Martin had been gone that long. He wanted to show him his new car. Mom goes, "Well, we'll look at it!" We talked to him for about 15 minutes. Turns out his daughter has a campsite at Rocky Point. Small world, huh?

Pmo and I treated ourselves to dinner and a movie Saturday night. Olive Garden and "Night at the Museum 2." We tried some really good wine at OG called Moscato. We thought about buying some but it's not like the cheap wine we tend to purchase! I liked the movie but I thought the first one was better. I enjoyed the new characters and revisiting the old ones though. Sunday, I read my newspaper and began mulching in the afternoon. We grilled out for dinner then just relaxed until the weekend came to a close.

The week before, I did get two very important things done. I caught up with some friends I hadn't really talked to in awhile. One on the phone and one in person at lunch. It's amazing how much better you feel once you've done that. And it doesn't take long to do. You just gotta make time.

This weekend, my friend Fish is getting married so we're traveling to Centreville, IN for the big bash. Pmo's co-worker gets married the weekend after that. Lots of loose ends to tie up before vacation. Time is flying by.

Memorial Weekend Memories

2009-05-28T16:42:00.012-05:00

I took advantage of the 3 day holiday weekend. I tend to work the summer holidays to earn extra cash, but I decided to go for the free time this year. Saturday, I headed home for my cousin's graduation party. I rode the motorcycle and by the time I got home late that afternoon, it was pouring rain. I got the bike in the garage right before it hit. The rest of the night was spent relaxing and watching ConAir.

Sunday, Pmo and I had breakfast, read the newspaper ads, and got ready for Holiday World. It was media day so we got in free and had a luncheon. The Voyage kicked our butts and the Pilgrim's Plunge soaked us. We hit the highlights throughout the rest of the park and headed home. After a yummy dinner at Pizza Chef, we were wiped out and pretty much turned in for the night.

Monday was a mix of yard work, shopping, and dog adventure. We checked out the trails near Angel Mounds and found quite a little maze. Jack was very excited about newfound territory and Bug did a good job of keeping up. He also panted a lot. They were wiped out when we got home. See picture below. Jack is the smart one on the cool tile by the front door.

I have many things to look foward to this weekend and beyond. The debut of the farmer's market in Newburgh, a friend's birthday party, more yard work, and a little bit of relaxation. We also have two weddings to attend next month, another one in July, and we're also tying up a few loose ends on our own ceremony. Ready or not, summer, and all it brings with it, is upon us!

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May Madness

2009-05-18T21:32:00.013-05:00

Friday was sleep deprived. I stayed up until 1:30am that night, thinking that would help me fall asleep, but I ended up wide awake for another hour. Then the storms hit which makes Jack cry so I got up to go sleep with him. I turned the ceiling fan on, forgot there was a balloon in the room which drifted toward the center and wrapped itself around the fan making all kinds of noise. I was mad by this point but I finally went to sleep about 3am.

Saturday was full of wine. It was drizzling as we walked up to the tent and by the time we got there, the back of my hair was soaked. I had an umbrella with me but I didn't think it was raining that hard at the time. We bought our tasting tickets and worked our way down one side of the tent. We each tried a different wine then switched glasses. By the time we were ready for the next side, I suggested we go check out some the food at Englebrecht's booth because we were tipsy. We ended up buying 3 bottles from Buck Creek Winery in Indianapolis. We liked some others but knew that either a local store carried it or it was within driving distance. We're not likely to go to Indy anytime soon.

Sunday was yard work day. In the afternoon, I mulched around the front of the house while Pmo set up a bird house in the backyard. I got so into mulching that I went back and bought 4 more bags, on top of the 4 bags I had already used. Mulching is addictive once you see how good it looks. But it's also very tiring. We ended up having cereal for dinner and watching the movie Hancock.

Monday was Bug's day. He really had trouble moving around over the weekend so I bit the bullet and took him to a new vet. I was worried about the price tag, what they would say was wrong with him, and how he would act. But it was a pleasant experience. The staff was really nice. The doctor answered all of my questions. And I got free meds for Bug because they had a sample on hand so the whole thing cost about $40. Bug acted a fool like usual but not too bad. Hopefully he'll get better and x-rays won't be necessary.

This week, I'm tackling computer storage and cookout invitations. I've decided the tons and tons of pictures and music are making my laptop slower than dirt. So I've bought a few USB drives to free up the memory. Then I'll try the library again to download some new songs. We bought decorative paper and envelopes over the weekend so I'm hoping to get invitations for our summer "reception" sent out this week. Washing and vacuuming my car would be a good idea, too, while it's stopped raining.

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Wasting Time

2009-05-14T22:04:00.004-05:00

I was in the library today for about an hour and got absolutely nothing done. My laptop must be overloaded in the memory department because it just would not cooperate and by the time I actually got to do what I wanted, my battery died and I wasn't near a plug-in. So I had to start over again. And I'm not sure the program downloaded. I guess I'm going to have to transfer pictures onto a zip drive or something. Or maybe it's the monumental amount of music I have on there. Whatever the case, it must be fixed because I couldn't download any new music today like I had planned. I simply ran out of time. No Lady Gaga and Pop Evil for me.

I could have done something with this wasted time and not have been rushed to get back home, eat lunch, fix dinner, walk dogs, and get ready. Not to mention I was up at 5:30am with Jack because of the thunder. And when I went in the other room to sleep with him, he was all excited like it was time to play! I had to convince him it was still night night time. Bug was like, whatever, put me in the bed and I'll go back to sleep.

Tomorrow is dog grooming day and I think I might take it easy after that. If I get done early enough, I can enjoy some "What Not to Wear" and pick out my outfit for the work day and Saturday's wine tasting. The weekend's almost here!

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Mid-Week Review

2009-05-13T22:29:00.003-05:00

The weekend is kind of a blur by now but I thought I would try to catch up. Saturday was my cousin Hannah's birthday party so we trekked over to Perry County. We had good barbecue, watched Hannah open presents, and played bubbles with my cousin Lauren, a.k.a. Lolo. After we got home and spruced up a bit, we headed to Nick's Pizza for a graduation party for Pmo's friend. Good pizza, good beer, and I even got a giant margarita glass out of the deal. Then we headed to the riverboat for a little gambling. This is not something Pmo and I normally like to do but we thought, what the hell? Pmo spent a few bucks and won $25. I spent 5 bucks and got nothing. So I told him to cash out and let's hit the road!

We weren't feeling too good Sunday morning, but we were up and moving by afternoon. We planted some flowers that we bought the weekend before. We took a break for a trip to the Dollar General and Wesselman's for what I called the "bare essentials" but of course I ended up getting a bit more. Then we headed back to the house for a mid-afternoon lunch and finished our flower planting outside. For dinner, I fixed pork chops, baked beans, and macaroni and cheese. Then it was time for the final Apprentice. Joan won and it was over for good.

I've been spreading out the to-do list over the week so I can get things done but still get to work on time. That's my new daily aim. Today's task was groceries, tomorrow the library, and Friday is dog day. Baths, nails, teeth, pill, the works. Saturday is the Newburgh Wine Festival which we are super excited to attend and probably bring home more bottles of wine. Sunday is up in the air. Probably knock some more items off the neverending to-do list.

Wine and Dine

2009-05-04T21:32:00.015-05:00

***Saturday mornings are filled with such hope in our house. We have two whole days to do whatever we want. So this is what we did. After pancakes, sausage and bacon for breakfast, Pmo set out to replace lumber on the patio that had rotted. I started reorganizing the garage to set up a recycling area. I helped Pmo cut the lumber when he needed me, and I planted some tomatoes. We took a break and ate lunch in the house, then headed outside again to check the gutters. Pmo blew tons and tons of helicopters off of the roof with the leaf blower while I supervised from the ground. We walked the dogs around the neighborhood for a bit, then got ready to go out to eat. On the way, we stopped at the Pet Food Center and Goodwill and purchased a hummingbird feeder and a work bench. Dinner at the Red Robin was pretty good. It was noisy and they forgot to put our name on the list, but otherwise, very filling. I got a cheeseburger with bacon and an egg. Back at home, we watched "Forgetting Sarah Marshall," a movie I had borrowed from the library for free, and drank some Stone Hill wine. Vignoles. Tasted like apricot, so good!

***Sunday started out with donuts and the newspaper. Except I never got to read the actual news. I just perused the ads and we were off and running again. Pmo hung his birdfeeder then we went back to Goodwill to pick up the work bench. We also stopped by Sears to pick up some hooks to hang up my bicycle in the garage. We stopped at the Pet Food Center again to buy some flowers and then one more stop at the Country Store in Newburgh which also had a plethora of plants. At home, I got the notion to start attacking some out of control bushes with the clippers. Pmo says I shiskabobbed them. While I worked in the ran, he made a place in the garage for his workbench. It turned out to be a little small but it will work for now. I went back inside to review my purchases from Kohl's and decided to take two pairs of shorts back. Then I made chicken vegetable medley for dinner and spice cake for dessert. We settled in for the Apprentice where 3 celebrities were kicked off. I knew it would come down to Annie and Joan. It's the perfect catfight.
***Today, I did some more shopping. I stopped in at Walgreen's, Kohl's, then Target. I didn't find a lot I liked at Target, but I ended up with a pair of shorts, a shirt, and some other stuff. To make myself feel better, I'm going to try to make a big payment on my credit card next paycheck. The guilt is driving me nuts. And with a little help from savings, I should be able to cut the amount in half. Problem is, the other half remains.

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Buyer's Remorse

2009-05-01T22:24:00.008-05:00

Tremendous guilt washed over me today when I checked out at Kohl's today. I spent nearly $200, on myself, for clothes. I never do this. Never, never, never. I shop only clearance. I limit myself to spending no more than a certain amount of money. And I don't really shop with a purpose. I shop to see if, by chance, I can add a few pieces to my wardrobe and find some bargains. But this time is different. I don't have clothes that fit right now. I need to buy these items or I'm going to burn up this summer. And I know it's only a matter of time before I get tired of capris and crave a pair of shorts. But do they even make shorts that aren't either down to your knees or up to your butt? I bought three pair today but I wouldn't call them shorts. More like half pants. I also bought two pairs of jeans, a pair of navy blue pants, and three tops that could be used for work or casual wear.

All in all, I was pretty happy with the purchases but I'm secretly hoping I'll be able to take something back and get a refund. I'm still trying to pay down my credit cards (aren't we all?) and today's "power shopping" didn't help matters much. I'm also rethinking my decision not to open a Kohl's charge card. I don't usually buy that much at one time, so I didn't realize I would have shaved $25 off my bill. But I always refuse those offers because, like I said, I'm trying to pay off the credit cards I have now. I don't need another one. So I'm going to go home and try some stuff on again and see if I really want to keep the goods. I must not be too remorseful because I'm planning to go to Target next to see if I can find some more casual tees!

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Head Games

2009-04-29T22:10:00.003-05:00

I have lots on my mind to do this week and weekend. Presents to buy for friends getting ready to have babies or already had them. Tomato plants to put in the ground. Dogs to walk. Clothes to buy. Restaurants to check out. Groceries to get. TomTom and picture printer to fix. Movies to borrow from the library. Recycling to set up. Is your to-do list this long? And I just keep adding stuff.

Our weekend activities are slowing down in May so I guess I'm trying to fill the time in my head. I'm sure Pmo has his own plan in mind so I'll try to get some of the stuff done during the next two days. So far, I've loaded pictures up on FB, wrote a blog, and cleaned the house. Hopefully, we can blend our ideas together and have a productive, yet relaxing weekend.

Work and Play

2009-04-28T21:38:00.024-05:00

Saturday was work day. Pmo had something to do in the morning so I decided to go shopping. I’ve been watching “What Not to Wear” and decided I needed some new clothes. Every time I go to the closet, I hate whatever I put on. It doesn’t fit. It makes me feel fat. The typical “I hate my body” reaction. So I picked up some necessities at the Dollar Tree and spent some quality time at Sears. I tried so many clothes on and only came out with 3 shirts and a pair of corduroys. But that’s to be expected. I also stepped out of my clearance tunnel vision and looked at stuff that wasn’t at rock bottom prices. And the great thing was that once I ran them through the price scanner, most of the stuff was also on sale anyway. I went home, ate lunch, and relaxed a bit. Pmo was fiddling around in the yard so I decided to rip out all the ivy from our back patio. I don’t understand why people want vines growing everywhere. It’s not pretty or the least bit manageable. That activity took up all of the afternoon and by nightfall, I was exhausted and sore from pulling and yanking and tearing. I also started a worm collection because I was doing so much digging.

Sunday was play day. We headed to Perry County for our bi-annual trip to Rome for chicken dinners. It’s called Dogwood Days in the spring. I'm not sure what they call the fall gathering. We picked up Mom and Grandma and got out there by 11am. After dinner, we listened to the musical stylings of “Country Breeze” and sat in the sun. For some reason, I didn’t even think about wearing sunscreen and I’m still paying for that mistake. My cousins showed up later so I got to spend some time with them which was an unexpected surprise. On the way home, we drove through German Ridge to find the lake was still closed for the season. We also stopped at the Eagles Bluff overlook in Cannelton that was recently reopened it to the public. Apparently, people used to trash it or do drugs up there and they shut it down for a long time. I had been there once before through the back way by four-wheeler. But now there’s a nice visitors center with brochures and the view of the dam is awesome. We wrapped up the afternoon with ice cream from Wall’s, dropped Grandma off, headed back to Mom’s, then home. I posted some pics below but I have more on Facebook in my Dogwood Days album. (1217)

Parks and Recreation

2009-04-21T18:42:00.012-05:00

We set out early Thursday morning for our Missouri adventure. After a stop at Cracker Barrel to fill up on breakfast, we were well on the other side of St. Louis on I-70 when we saw a sign for Stone Hill Winery. We don't have too much of a rigid schedule on our outings. It's just an outline with highlights along the way, mainly attractions I found on the Internet, but if we come across something else we like, we do it. So we took the exit and headed south to Hermann, MO. We found Stone Hill and were very impressed by its quaint setting. We took the tour, tasted some wine, bought two bottles and went on our way.

Making our way towards one of our destinations, we passed through Jefferson City, MO and noticed a ton of law enforcement and even the bomb squad. We found out later we had just passed a plant where VP Joe Biden was about to visit. Good thing we didn't get caught in that mess. Our next stop was Lake of the Ozarks State Park in Osage Beach, MO, which was literally on fire. I guess they were doing a controlled burn. We soon discovered it wasn't much of a park to tour. More for fishing and camping type folks. The lake was pretty though. We hit the Eddie Bauer outlet nearby then decided to find a place to stay for the night since we were only minutes away from the next stop but wanted plenty of time to explore it.

In the morning, we set out for Ha Ha Tonka State Park near Camdenton, MO. This was the place I was looking forward to the most. We saw castle ruins, a natural bridge, a bunch of turtles, a spring, etc. The views were good and the sights were interesting. I would definitely recommend it if you're in the area and you like nature activities. After Ha Ha, we stopped by the St. James Winery in St. James, MO. It wasn't quite like Stone Hill but we still did some tasting and took a few bottles with us. Then it was onto Maramec Spring Park. Another pretty cool place with a beautiful spring and ruins of an old iron works industry. And trout. My god, the trout. There were pools after pools after pools of different sized trout. You couldn't fish there but you could fish downstream where I guess the adult trout were kept.

After staying in Sullivan, MO for the night, we went to Meramec Caverns, the famed Jesse James hideout. It was cool. It had formations and the "total darkness" effect, but I think we're about caved out. I mean, they're all pretty much the same. In fact, you'd think I could be a tour guide by now with how many we've visited. But we were on a tour with a family of 10 kids so that was interesting. After we got out of the darkness, we headed south for Elephant Rocks State Park near Graniteville, MO. It was something I had been interested in visiting but it was a bit out of the way and not really near a main road to get back home. But we decided to try it out anyway.

I'm very glad we did. It was probably my second favorite next to Ha Ha. It's just a bunch of granite rocks that have been unearthed and eroded. There's a trail around and through them and once you get up to the top and see the actual Elephant Rocks, you're just amazed. Dumbo, the biggest rock, is 680 tons, 27 feet tall, and 32 feet wide. Not sure why I remember those stats, but I do. It was also misting rain on us by this point, but it didn't bother us because we had our trusty hoodies. It was a nice leisurely walk and end to our trip. I could stay in those kinds of places forever. I love looking out onto landscapes or following trails that lead to who knows what. Although I usually like to know I'm going to see something awesome. I don't usually take a trail for nothing!

We ended up coming home Saturday evening because the rain came pouring down and there wasn't much else we could do. So Sunday we went to get the dogs from Mom's and settled back in at home Sunday night. We hated to see it end but it's always good to be home. Our next trip is just around the corner and it's a pretty special one. Can't wait!

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What's Going On

2009-04-14T22:08:00.003-05:00

I had a busy weekend and I feel like I've been going non-stop ever since. I helped my co-worker, Nathan, move furniture to his new place on Saturday. Afterwards, Pmo and I set out to make Easter baskets for his niece and nephew, but I totally forgot that it was last minute and most places were bare. But we managed to come up with some good stuff. And I was exhausted from lifting heavy stuff so I crashed super early.

Sunday, we made the 2 1/2 hour trip down to the tip of western Kentucky to Pmo's brother's house. We spent most of the day with family and got back at a decent time Sunday night. We stayed up watching TV because Pmo is on vacation all week and didn't have to get up early for work the next day.

Monday, I tried to get myself organized for the week and helped Pmo do some projects outside the house. Today, I got a ton of groceries and a haircut. Tomorrow, we drop the dogs off at Mom's and I must pack for our trip because we leave Thursday morning for Missouri. State parks, caves, wineries. We plan to pack in a bunch of stuff in a few days. Just like the beginning of this week!

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Dream, Dream, Dream

2009-04-13T16:11:00.007-05:00

It began in the kitchen of an apartment. I was cooking and baking up a whole mess of things when I heard a knock out the door. I went to answer it and this guy who looked like Puck from The Real World barged inside. I said, “What are you doing?” He said, “I used to live here and I left something behind.” He opened up a cabinet below the counter, reached in and pulled out some sort of package out that was taped underneath. Then he dumped out the contents in a skillet. It was pot. Again, I said, “What are you doing?” He said he needed to cook it up so he could sell it.

Before I could say anything else, there was another knock at the door. This time, it was a food critic who wanted to taste my cooking. But somehow he was also an authority figure of some sort who looked like Joe Montagna. So I was scared he was going to find the marijuana and arrest me and Puck the pot dude. I diverted Joe the food critic's attention away from the marijuana skillet, which was on an island in the kitchen, and guided him toward some other things I had made on the stove that was against the wall. I also poured some batter into the pot skillet to disguise it as an omelet.

Joe tasted everything I had made, and I thought he was never going to leave. And somehow in that time, the whole place had filled up with college people who were talking, eating, and drinking like it was some sort of dorm party. Finally, Joe headed toward the door and said he would call me with a report and let me know how everything tasted. Puck never said a word while Joe was there because he didn’t want to get busted either. After the food critic left, Puck yelled at me, saying I ruined his stash. I said, “Get out of here and take that skillet with you!” He left.

That was the dream I had Friday night. I don't know why. I don't know what it means. But I thought it was pretty damn funny. I also had a dream Saturday night that my friend and co-worker Rachel and I were driving over the Twin Bridges to find a water rescue story. And as she read me the press release in the car while I was driving, I could see all the action in my rearview mirror as we crossed over the river. I said, "Rach, is that it?" She kept reading. "Rach, is that it back there?" She kept her head down and read some more. I yelled, "Rach! For the love of God, turn around! Is that it?" And that's where it ended. That dream is even more weird because neither of us go out in the field for stories.

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Tune Up

2009-04-09T21:32:00.005-05:00

I woke up to the sound of roofers this morning. Early this morning. Pmo concluded they were trying to beat the rain. Good for them, but that doesn’t help my sleeping habits. There are two roofing projects going on: one next door, the other within earshot when I go outside. They’ve turned my quiet neighborhood into a noisy, construction zone. I hope they get done this week.

I tried some new cream cheese and I hate it. Funny thing is, it’s supposed to be the good stuff. Philadelphia Cream Cheese. Not the usual generic I buy. It’s fat free so maybe that’s the problem. I was trying to be good and go for less calories. But it bit me in the butt. I hate to waste such a precious commodity.

I’m trying to write a song. I’ve always wanted to be a songwriter but never did anything about. It’s one of many unattempted tasks in my life. Anyway, I figure I’ve had enough pain and suffering in my life. There’s got to be a good country song in there somewhere. I’ve got some lyrics written down, but I can never come up with a tune. I don’t know much about music, notes, chords. In fact, nothing at all. And every time I try hum a little ditty, I end up singing songs I already know like the Indigo Girls or Kellie Pickler. Weird choices, I know.

I’m not sure what I would do with a song if I came up with one. Take it to Nashville? Offer it up to a label? There are people that have been trying to break into the biz for years. What makes me think I’d be any different? I’m not sure I have the energy or ambition. If I did, I would have done it by now. And I would have learned how to read music and play the guitar. Maybe I should keep under wraps as a hobby. Or just stick to poetry and look for some contests to enter. I need some affirmation.

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Getting Creative

2009-04-07T16:44:00.004-05:00

I try to eat at home at much as possible. Regardless of my financial situation. But this week, I have no choice. So I’m getting creative. For lunch, I made egg sandwiches since we seemed to have a surplus of eggs and leftover hamburger buns. For dinner, I’m having a few hot dogs that I'll microwave and more leftover hot dog buns. I went to the store this morning and bought just what I needed. Nothing more. Funny, if I did that all of the time, I’d probably have more money! The rest of the week will be tricky. I’m thinking of a green bean casserole, maybe some grilled cheese sandwiches and soup. You gotta do what you gotta do with what you have.

A friend got me thinking of the movie Some Kind of Wonderful so that’s what’s in the VCR now. It’s not even the real movie. It’s a copy a friend made for me in high school. But I practically memorized it because I watched it so much. Eric Stolz, Mary Stuart Masterson. Even little Candace Cameron. Life doesn’t get much better than a good 80s teen movie. Girls Just Want to Have Fun, The Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink. The list goes on. But I eventually need to get them on DVD. They are my timeless treasures.

Yesterday was opening day in major league baseball. And it got me thinking. There is not a single sport that I’m fanatic about. I’m not really an IU fan. I don’t go crazy for the Colts. And if the Cards are playing, I don’t really care. I don’t have a team. I’ve never made that connection. I’m not sure why. I played basketball and softball. I know the rules. I can follow along. But I just don’t care. I wonder if I’m missing out on something. I did enjoy the last football season for the first time in my life. I didn’t latch onto a team or anything. But Sunday Night Football became a ritual in our house. Just like Saturday morning bacon and the Sunday morning newspaper. The older I get, the more routine is comforting.

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Looking Out My Back Door

2009-04-06T16:51:00.003-05:00

It was snowing when I took out the dogs this morning. Saturday was sunny. Sunday was stormy. Monday is snowy. Is it too much to ask Mother Nature to stick to spring?

Saturday, we had a cookout for my college friends. Pmo cooked up burgers and brats while I fixed baked beans and potato salad. We enjoyed some drinks, ate lunch, and eventually went outside to enjoy the sun. We even had a baby among the mix. After they left, I was sad. I always get a little depressed after any visits with friends I don’t see often. I don’t know why, I just do. Pmo and I took it easy the rest of the night. I think we watched a movie or something. I just remember having a headache and being really tired.

Sunday, we took it easy, too. I perused the Sunday newspaper while Pmo ran some errands. He broke his shovel Saturday trying to dig up some plants. And we were out of doggie treats. By afternoon, it was storming. Which made it hard to watch TV because it affects the antenna. So we watched movies until “Celebrity Apprentice” was on, which we suffered through because of the wind. Plus the CMAs were on and I got to watch a little of that. But the TV just wouldn’t cooperate. We went to sleep early.

Today, I’m out of milk. And I have no desire to go get any. I also need some other things but I’m low on money this week and trying not to dip into savings. In fact, I’m going to put a little more in this week. I checked the status of my state tax refund check but it's still not on the way yet. I'm also not feeling very good. And it's Monday so that doesn't help. Oh well.

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Good Things

2009-04-03T22:27:00.004-05:00

Opening a Diet Coke
Leftover spaghetti
Friday night hugs
Freshly cut grass
Solid newscasts
Sleeping dogs
Surprise mail
Glass of wine
Old friends
Grilling out

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Something to Talk About

2009-04-02T21:47:00.007-05:00

I've been trying to come up with something to blog about since Tuesday and nothing's really hit me. Yesterday, I spent way too much money on groceries and dwindled my checking account. I can always "borrow" from savings, but I'm going to try like hell to live off whatI have for the next week and a half. Today, I cleaned the house. Well, mostly tidying up and arranging things. We had a severe weather threat at work but that blew over with some flash flooding and lots of rain. There were several tornado warnings though. I only took one, maybe two hate calls complaining about why we were on TV so long. And hell, most of it covered our 5pm newscast and not some precious program so what are you bitching about?

Tomorrow, I think I can take it easy. I'll go over my menu for Saturday's cookout and get ready to host my friends. I have to remember to pull out the photo album I made awhile back of all of us. I also need to finish up laundry I started today. That's it. Not much excitement in my world right now.

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Blame It On The Rain

2009-03-31T15:43:00.005-05:00

This morning, I set out with a new plan. Instead of exercising the dogs right before I go to work, I’m going to walk them first thing in the morning. Then I’ll get my shower out of the way so I’m not so rushed to get out the door later. Somehow, I know I'll still be late. During the afternoon walk, I keep running into people in the neighborhood which slows me down. It’s not that I don’t want to talk to them, but my goal is to keep a steady pace and actually get some benefit out of it. Plus they usually have dogs and we play the “let’s see if they’ll get along” game. They don’t.

Since moving to this neighborhood, I discovered the best way to walk the dogs is on the street because they aren't able to do their business. There’s no grass, no plants, nothing to sniff. Just concrete. It worked out pretty well for a few weeks but eventually they got to used to it and sometimes just couldn’t hold it. But it doesn’t happen often. Nevertheless, I started carrying a plastic bag just in case. But today, they both went in the yard and I thought, well, I won’t need it. Wrong.

Just as soon as I don’t bring it, Jack brings it. Right in the middle of the road. Not even close enough for me to kick it to the edge. I swear walking is like a laxative to that dog. On the Evansville riverfront, he used to leave a trail until he just couldn’t go anymore. So I should have known better. I usually drop off Bug before the last lap anyway, so I just picked up the bag and grabbed it on the next round. Someone else had left a present on the curb so I picked up that, too.

It was also raining during our little escapade. I glanced at the radar before I headed out and knew it was coming, but I thought we could beat it. But it wasn’t bad. It was actually kind of nice. As long as it’s not pouring or lightning, it’s refreshing. In fact, I saw a man walking with a cane in the rain. I don’t think he lives in the neighborhood. I saw him on the other side of the main road and I think he was just walking through them all.

It's almost Wednesday. Tomorrow is grocery day. I'm trying to gather my ads and coupons together for a smart shopping trip. Thursday is cleaning day. Not sure what to do with Friday yet. But I'm looking forward to it!

(816)

Monday, Monday

2009-03-30T17:50:00.003-05:00

Pmo and I started the weekend off with breakfast Saturday morning and spent most of the day working around the house doing odd jobs here and there. I was extremely tired for some reason so I had to drag myself out of the recliner and get motivated to get anything done. By late afternoon, we had a severe weather threat so we were watching the skies and the TV. We received a little hail and a lot of rain but nothing major.

Around 7:30pm, we headed out for dinner at Longhorn Steakhouse. It’s not one of our regular restaurants so it was a real treat. I enjoyed Rocky Top Chicken while Pmo devoured a steak and a sweet baked potato. Afterwards, we headed to The Fox and Hound Pub for some drinks with some of Pmo’s college friends that were in town. After a few rounds, we decided to try our luck at our regular bar, Lamasco. The four of us headed from the east side to the west side and were lucky enough to get a table. Pmo and I each sang a song and we called it a night around 2:30pm which is really late for us.

On Sunday, we slept in and had more of a brunch than breakfast. There was nothing we really had to do that day but we like to get out on the weekends even if it’s just for a little while. So we ran some errands at Ace Hardware and Buehler’s. Then we hit the Goodwill again to check out some chairs because one of our kitchen chairs bit the dust last weekend. We didn’t find any chairs but I found another purse and grocery recycling bag with IU on it. I can’t quit buying handbags for some reason. We also visited some consignment shops in Washington Square Mall. But their stuff is way too pricey in there.

We were getting hungry again so we grabbed some Noble Roman breadsticks at the mall and headed home. We got interrogated by the woman behind the counter. I don’t know if she’s just talkative or she’s working by herself and bored, but she was asking us how many people were going to eat the breadsticks, and why didn’t we want any sauces, and are we going to have them with dinner. Craziness. Just give me the bags of bread.

I didn’t eat all of my Rocky Top Chicken from the night before, so we split that for lunch, added the breadsticks, and got pretty full. We did some more tasks around the house and decided not to fix dinner and just snack the rest of the night. We enjoyed the “Celebrity Apprentice” for a few hours and fresh brownies out of the oven with ice cream. I stayed up to watch “House” at 11pm and now it’s Monday.

My college friends are coming in this weekend so I’ve got to clean the house and go the grocery store. It’s also payday tomorrow so that means I'll be catching up on bills. Here's to a busy week!

(785)

Looking Forward To...

2009-03-27T22:22:00.003-05:00

Bacon for breakfast
Dinner and drinks
Playing with dogs
Reading the newspaper
Reading a book
Being away from work
Open windows with rain

Green Go-Getter

2009-03-27T10:23:00.015-05:00

Found it! The green purse like the lady's at Goodwill. I went to 2 CVS stores yesterday and both had a few left but only one had the mean green. I had to ask a worker to get it down for me because it was hanging on an arch above the carts. Not sure why they were made so difficult to get to. I don't know whether I'll take it to work today. I like my brown Goodwill purchase that I'm currently using very much. I just had to have this green purse for some reason. Bonus: it was only $12 and some change even though the tag said $14.99. I think the boy gave me a CVS discount even though I don't have a card.

Do you ever feel you don't fully utilize all the rooms in your home? Our house is not huge by any means, but it's got three bedrooms. One is ours, one is for guests, and one is the stuff room. Pmo is in the stuff room more than I am because he does his bills in there plus a lot of his personal stuff is in there including his stereo and CDs. I'd like to make it a game room, too, if we ever get another TV and a gaming system. But my point is, I don't spend much time in those rooms. I only go back to get a movie and come right back to the living room. But since we put the futon in the stuff room, I have lied down on it a time or two to talk on the phone. Bug likes the futon, too, because it's close to the ground and easy for him to jump up on. To nap, of course.

Interesting sight I found today while I was walking down the hallway. Jack lying on the bed, something he knows he's not supposed to do. But he likes to sneak off and do it anyway. He reluctantly agrees to "get down" when you tell him. Little Dog Bored should be his Indian name.

We have a few busy weekends ahead of us so I'm hoping we can relax this weekend. Next weekend, my college track and field friends are coming in for a luncheon. The next weekend is Easter which we're going to spend with some of Pmo's family. The next weekend is part of our vacation so we'll be out of town. And the next weekend is Dogwood Days in Perry County so we'll probably join my mom and grandma for yummy chicken dinners up at Rome. Tonight and tomorrow, there's a chance of severe weather so I'm not really looking forward to that. Maybe I should keep that green purse home after all. Don't want to ruin my newfound treasure!

Grandma Hates Drag

2009-03-27T00:30:00.004-05:00

Sounds like a new band name. Maybe akin to Johnny Hates Jazz.

Let me preface this story by telling you it’s hearsay. I wasn’t there. I don’t know what exactly went down. I only know what I heard and my grandma’s personality. Therefore it’s got automatic credibility.

A new tenant moved into my grandma’s apartment complex. It’s an area for the elderly and disabled. This man is in his 40s or 50s and someone Grandma couldn’t stop talking about at first. How nice he was, etc. That was until she saw him walking from his apartment to the laundry area in a skirt and high heels. Wow. Really. Dude, in Small Town USA, you seriously think anyone is that open-minded. And in a retirement community, for goodness sake.

So it’s not enough for my grandma to talk about it to her friends behind this man’s back, which is probably what I would do and stop there. No, she goes up to him and tells him what she thinks about it. She explains to him, nicely she says, that people may do that where he comes from but they don’t do it around there. And apparently the next time she saw him, the skirt and heels were gone. Grandma: 1. Drag Queen: 0.

Now let’s play devil’s advocate. Is this any of Grandma’s business? No. Does it affect her life in any way, shape, or form? No. Should she keep her mouth shut and leave him alone? Yes. And that poor man. He moves in to a new town and some old lady starts telling him what he can and can’t wear. And that hateful soul is my grandma. I guess I really do get it honest.