Well. I forgot how time consuming this whole 9-to-5 thing can be. Even worse when its 8:30 to 5. But, I have to tell you. I LOVE my job. I know, its only the first week and things will most likely go downhill. But I am going to enjoy it while it lasts.
My boss is completely amazing. She is so empowering. When I ask her things - like, I noticed you have done this in this way in the past and I was thinking it would be better to do it this way - she tells me not to ask her things like that. That its MY job and I can do it however I want; I don't need approval from her. I can just run with it however I want. You have to understand that at my last company, you had to check with 50 people before you were allowed to use the ladies room. I am not used to this. It rocks.
And everyone there is SO nice, and not in an annoying way (maybe you have to be from Jersey to understand what I mean by that, I don't know). Its a young company and everyone is amazingly cool. I haven't met one single person that I didn't like. On my first day, I met with the CEO for over an hour and he was so cool. He's like, in this company what we value is excitement and change and new ideas and committment to making your area as awesome as it can be.
Not to mention, its only 10 minutes from home and 11 minutes from daycare, so I am home with Princess before 5:30. And, not only that, but I can leave my office and be in Target within a 5 minute period. Yeah!
And Princess, how is our dear Princess doing in daycare? Well, she is doing GREAT. She is still going through the adjustment period, definitely, but overall she is a real trooper. She cries when Hub drops her off, but then he stands in the hallway where she can't see him, and she stops crying within 30 seconds and then doesn't cry all day. She comes home and says "play with the kids" and we ask her, "do you want to go play with the kids?" and she says "yeah!" What a kickass little chick I am raising. She rules.
So I am very confident that I have made all the right choices here. I picked the right job. I picked the right daycare place. I picked the right time to go back to work, and I picked the right guy to marry who will take her in the mornings so I am not a disaster when I go to work.
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I will get my review of the new Bon Jovi CD up in the next few days. Needless to say, you need to go buy it. Its great. And I taped Oprah on Wednesday and have only had time to watch the very beginning of it. All I know is this: A. The man has still got it and B. I do not need to see his skank wife. At all. Evah.
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I am hoping not to neglect this blog (or all of your blogs) but I have to get myself on a good schedule so I have time for everything. I hope you will all be patient and keep coming back.
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And a final shout out to the amazing Nat, who kindly sent me her Mixamania cd along with another mix as well. You rock, girl!!! Thanks!!!
Thursday, September 22, 2005
Monday, September 19, 2005
I Will Survive, Hey Hey
I just did a whole post about my first day of work and Princess's first day of daycare, and friggin Blogger ate it. I am not retyping it all now. So I will just say this, with more details to follow: We all survived.
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Go here to find out how you can help people affected by Katrina - all led by the awesome Grace Davis, my blogging hero and who I want to be when I grow up. And, for something less serious (much less serious) after you donate money and whatever help you can, go visit my other blog. It has been long-neglected but we are trying to get it up and running. We being me and Patsy Darling.
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And tomorrow, go buy this. Do not delay.
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Go here to find out how you can help people affected by Katrina - all led by the awesome Grace Davis, my blogging hero and who I want to be when I grow up. And, for something less serious (much less serious) after you donate money and whatever help you can, go visit my other blog. It has been long-neglected but we are trying to get it up and running. We being me and Patsy Darling.
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And tomorrow, go buy this. Do not delay.
Saturday, September 17, 2005
Getting Back to Normal (or what passes as normal around here)
But first:
Q: What is Bush's position on Roe vs. Wade?
A: He really doesn't care how people get out of New Orleans.
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I am the last person you will find watching the Country Music channel. In fact, it only existed in my peripheral vision, like I knew it was there but didn't ever care enough to hear about it. In fact, I thought it was called the Alabama network or something. I am clueless about country music, completely.
Ah, so what would get me searching madly through those upper channels looking for this channel that no self-respecting Jerseyan would watch? But of course: Bon Jovi.
Apparently they do some kind of concert-thing where they put a rock band with a country band and they sing each other's music together. I guess sorta like the Linkin Park/Jay-Z mash-up. So Bon Jovi was on last night with some band with Sugar in their name (sorry, once I see Jon, everything else is a blur). It was AWESOME. The other band had a female singer with an amazing voice, but I still wanted to kick her ass because she was so close to Jon and you could tell she was totally in love with him. One of the other female band members was like, I have to make a cheat sheet for the songs because how can I concentrate on stage when Jon is in front of me? I hear ya, girl.
They sounded great and Jon looked AMAZING (Jonny, the hair is just a little too blond for me though). I felt like this was a nice little preview to the Bon Jovi mania I will be experiencing shortly. Tuesday is the release of their new CD, and they will be promoting it on all the morning shows and nighttime shows, and then they'll be touring. They are in Jersey on 12/19 and 12/21 - so I will be going to both shows, of course. And I am sure they will tour again in the summer and play Giants Stadium, which always rules.
I am like a 16 year old when Bon Jovi comes out with new music, I just can't help it!
Q: What is Bush's position on Roe vs. Wade?
A: He really doesn't care how people get out of New Orleans.
------------------------
I am the last person you will find watching the Country Music channel. In fact, it only existed in my peripheral vision, like I knew it was there but didn't ever care enough to hear about it. In fact, I thought it was called the Alabama network or something. I am clueless about country music, completely.
Ah, so what would get me searching madly through those upper channels looking for this channel that no self-respecting Jerseyan would watch? But of course: Bon Jovi.
Apparently they do some kind of concert-thing where they put a rock band with a country band and they sing each other's music together. I guess sorta like the Linkin Park/Jay-Z mash-up. So Bon Jovi was on last night with some band with Sugar in their name (sorry, once I see Jon, everything else is a blur). It was AWESOME. The other band had a female singer with an amazing voice, but I still wanted to kick her ass because she was so close to Jon and you could tell she was totally in love with him. One of the other female band members was like, I have to make a cheat sheet for the songs because how can I concentrate on stage when Jon is in front of me? I hear ya, girl.
They sounded great and Jon looked AMAZING (Jonny, the hair is just a little too blond for me though). I felt like this was a nice little preview to the Bon Jovi mania I will be experiencing shortly. Tuesday is the release of their new CD, and they will be promoting it on all the morning shows and nighttime shows, and then they'll be touring. They are in Jersey on 12/19 and 12/21 - so I will be going to both shows, of course. And I am sure they will tour again in the summer and play Giants Stadium, which always rules.
I am like a 16 year old when Bon Jovi comes out with new music, I just can't help it!
Friday, September 16, 2005
Wow.
I wrote my last post in a true fit of anger at not being able to personally have it out with the idiot who felt the need to criticize my family's decisions to do what is best for us. I truly felt like it was not worth it for me to put myself out there anymore when people are so hateful and judgemental - whether they claim to be having a "bad day" or not. And not being able to have it out with the bitch - that for me was the hardest part. Because, as in your comments when you told me to "be Jersey" - well, that is what I wanted. I wanted to personally tell off the ignoramus who left the comment and make her sorry she f'ed with me. But I couldn't do that, and that made me even angrier.
Trust me, people, I am a very tough broad. Not alot truly gets to me. Almost nothing hurts me to my core because I know who I am and what I stand for. But this comment wasn't just a troll. Its like this - imagine making the toughest decision you have ever had to make, questioning yourself about it a million times, deciding what is right and necessary even though your doubts are still rolling through your head - and then having someone come in and tell you that all of your doubts are right and that you are a selfish person for making that decision. All while the feelings are so raw and close to the surface. It was just too much for me to handle yesterday. It wasn't about letting the troll win - trust me, kids, no one beats me - it was about perhaps sharing too much with people I don't know and letting them in on parts of my life that maybe I should have kept to myself. I couldn't really see a good reason to continue to blog anymore.
But then. Wow.
I wasn't really thinking of *your* responses when I wrote yesterday's post about quitting. I was just really mad and had no one to punch. I couldn't have ever predicted that so many of you would express such wonderful sentiments to me.
Wow.
All I can say is thank you. Thank you for reminding me why I do this. Thank you for taking the time to ask me to stay. Thank you for making me smile and laugh at a time when that is the last thing I felt like doing. Thank you to my true blogging friends for coming out en masse to support me, and thank you to the lurkers and newcomers for de-lurking and telling me you like my blog.
I am going to stay around, and I thank you for convincing me that I should. I appreciate your comments and the many, many emails I received more than you will know. So again, thank you.
Thank you.
Trust me, people, I am a very tough broad. Not alot truly gets to me. Almost nothing hurts me to my core because I know who I am and what I stand for. But this comment wasn't just a troll. Its like this - imagine making the toughest decision you have ever had to make, questioning yourself about it a million times, deciding what is right and necessary even though your doubts are still rolling through your head - and then having someone come in and tell you that all of your doubts are right and that you are a selfish person for making that decision. All while the feelings are so raw and close to the surface. It was just too much for me to handle yesterday. It wasn't about letting the troll win - trust me, kids, no one beats me - it was about perhaps sharing too much with people I don't know and letting them in on parts of my life that maybe I should have kept to myself. I couldn't really see a good reason to continue to blog anymore.
But then. Wow.
I wasn't really thinking of *your* responses when I wrote yesterday's post about quitting. I was just really mad and had no one to punch. I couldn't have ever predicted that so many of you would express such wonderful sentiments to me.
Wow.
All I can say is thank you. Thank you for reminding me why I do this. Thank you for taking the time to ask me to stay. Thank you for making me smile and laugh at a time when that is the last thing I felt like doing. Thank you to my true blogging friends for coming out en masse to support me, and thank you to the lurkers and newcomers for de-lurking and telling me you like my blog.
I am going to stay around, and I thank you for convincing me that I should. I appreciate your comments and the many, many emails I received more than you will know. So again, thank you.
Thank you.
Thursday, September 15, 2005
I decided to quit this blog for good last night.
I am so sick of judgemental assholes coming here and putting their two cents where it doesn't belong. When it was about politics, I was annoyed but I expect it. But last night, the commenter went too far. She basically said said that I am selfish for going back to work and that I am sacrificing my daughter's well being by doing so. And she had lots more to say. I deleted the comment, as I had said I would do to hateful comments.
And I started thinking that this is just no longer worth it. I love so many of you whom I have met here through blogging. But to have someone who knows nothing about me or my family question my loyalty to the most important thing in my life was just too much. Because how do I even respond to it? Do I defend myself to this self-righteous bitch who thinks she knows what is best for every person on earth? Do I tell her that if I don't go back to work we will have to sell our home because we have gone through all of our savings and cannot afford the mortgage and taxes (and we don't live an extravagant life)? Do I tell her that my goals for my daughter include college and if we can't afford a place to live, we certainly won't be able to afford college?
Or do I tell her to mind her own fucking business and keep her self-righteous judgements to herself? To think before she spews hateful comments onto something she knows zero about? To keep her mouth like she keeps her mind - closed???
Going back to work was not something that was decided lightly. It was not decided so that we could have the "extras" or go on vacations or any of that. It was decided so that we could continue to have a place to live. Does that sound "selfish" to you?
So, in any case, I decided not to do this blog anymore because I am so incredibly sick of getting hateful, ignorant, moronic comments that hurt me. That is not why I am here. I am here to have some fun and to learn from my fellow bloggers, not to deal with this crap.
Then, I thought, I won't let a few fuckos (thanks for that word, C-Mac) ruin my overwhelmingly positive experience here. And that maybe I need to stop telling little pieces of my life and just talk about music or tv or whatever. But then, that isn't me.
As of now, I am not sure what I am going to do. I am turning off anonymous comments, for one. And I need to figure out if this is worth it to me.
I am so sick of judgemental assholes coming here and putting their two cents where it doesn't belong. When it was about politics, I was annoyed but I expect it. But last night, the commenter went too far. She basically said said that I am selfish for going back to work and that I am sacrificing my daughter's well being by doing so. And she had lots more to say. I deleted the comment, as I had said I would do to hateful comments.
And I started thinking that this is just no longer worth it. I love so many of you whom I have met here through blogging. But to have someone who knows nothing about me or my family question my loyalty to the most important thing in my life was just too much. Because how do I even respond to it? Do I defend myself to this self-righteous bitch who thinks she knows what is best for every person on earth? Do I tell her that if I don't go back to work we will have to sell our home because we have gone through all of our savings and cannot afford the mortgage and taxes (and we don't live an extravagant life)? Do I tell her that my goals for my daughter include college and if we can't afford a place to live, we certainly won't be able to afford college?
Or do I tell her to mind her own fucking business and keep her self-righteous judgements to herself? To think before she spews hateful comments onto something she knows zero about? To keep her mouth like she keeps her mind - closed???
Going back to work was not something that was decided lightly. It was not decided so that we could have the "extras" or go on vacations or any of that. It was decided so that we could continue to have a place to live. Does that sound "selfish" to you?
So, in any case, I decided not to do this blog anymore because I am so incredibly sick of getting hateful, ignorant, moronic comments that hurt me. That is not why I am here. I am here to have some fun and to learn from my fellow bloggers, not to deal with this crap.
Then, I thought, I won't let a few fuckos (thanks for that word, C-Mac) ruin my overwhelmingly positive experience here. And that maybe I need to stop telling little pieces of my life and just talk about music or tv or whatever. But then, that isn't me.
As of now, I am not sure what I am going to do. I am turning off anonymous comments, for one. And I need to figure out if this is worth it to me.
Wednesday, September 14, 2005
Vacationing and Then Back To Work
The shore was great; the weather was perfect and Princess loved the ocean and the sand and the rides on the boardwalk. It was a wonderful little escape. Then yesterday, Hub took off from work and we took Princess to the zoo. She enjoyed herself, but I think Hub enjoyed it even more. Now today I am off to the mall to try to find navy shoes and grey shoes for work, to the dry cleaners to get all my old work clothes cleaned, and to Princess' doctor to get her paperwork filled out for daycare.
I start my new job on Monday. I got an HR Generalist position, which basically means I will do a little of everything. I used to be primarily focused on recruitment and dabbled in the other areas of HR (such as employee relations and benefits and stuff like that). So this job will give me a more general background and more experience. The company is only 10 minutes from my house and 11 minutes from Princess' daycare, so that is a good thing.
I am nervous about putting Princess in daycare, since she has been home with me since day one. She is such a smart kid, and I am afraid that she may just get lost in the shuffle with other kids and not get the one-on-one time she has with me. But I also think she is at a great age and stage to start daycare. She loves being with other kids and I think she needs to be socialized more than she is now. And I am very comfortable with the daycare place we picked. They use a combination of play and learning for kids Princess' age and have a great curriculum. It came highly recommended from several friends on our block. But its still a nervewracking thing to give your kid up to someone you don't know for 9 hours a day.
Anyone got any advice on that?
I start my new job on Monday. I got an HR Generalist position, which basically means I will do a little of everything. I used to be primarily focused on recruitment and dabbled in the other areas of HR (such as employee relations and benefits and stuff like that). So this job will give me a more general background and more experience. The company is only 10 minutes from my house and 11 minutes from Princess' daycare, so that is a good thing.
I am nervous about putting Princess in daycare, since she has been home with me since day one. She is such a smart kid, and I am afraid that she may just get lost in the shuffle with other kids and not get the one-on-one time she has with me. But I also think she is at a great age and stage to start daycare. She loves being with other kids and I think she needs to be socialized more than she is now. And I am very comfortable with the daycare place we picked. They use a combination of play and learning for kids Princess' age and have a great curriculum. It came highly recommended from several friends on our block. But its still a nervewracking thing to give your kid up to someone you don't know for 9 hours a day.
Anyone got any advice on that?
Sunday, September 11, 2005
Saturday, September 10, 2005
Nine-Eleven Remembered
Tomorrow is the fourth anniversary of 9/11. I wrote a post to commemorate this day awhile ago as a draft, but I have decided not to publish it. I will just say this: 9/11 hit me quite hard. I watched the smoke pouring from the Towers from my office across the river in NJ. I knew people in the city, and I knew people in DC. (Thankfully, no one I knew was killed). Maybe next year I will tell my whole story. But for now, I have decided to tell the story of the first time I laughed after 9/11.
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It was the following Friday night, sometime after midnight. I had been glued to the tv, and since I worked at a newspaper, I couldn't even get away from the coverage while I was at work. It was constant inundation. I don't think I had stopped crying yet. I was losing my mind just a little bit.
Hub and I were lying in bed watching tv, because even though a few days had passed, we still couldn't sleep. All of a sudden, I heard what I thought were bombs dropping. I asked Hub if he heard anything, and he said no. He muted the tv, and all we heard was silence. A few minutes later I heard it again. This time Hub heard it too. He muted the tv again, and we lay there, listening to what sounded like massive fireworks happening maybe a few towns away. But it was after midnight, it couldn't be fireworks. I was sure they were bombing Manhattan, which is only about 10 miles from me.
Hub and I just lay there, listening and wondering what we should do. Should we evacuate? Should we just get in the car and drive west? Should we go into the basement and tape up the windows to "protect" us from a nuclear attack?
Then, suddenly, Hub leans over the side of the bed. The noise stops. The dog gets up, walks to the end of the bed, and shakes the sleep off himself. That's right, you guessed it. Gypsy was snoring; that was the noise we were so sure was the end of NYC as we knew it. His rumbling combined with the sound of the ceiling fan sounded to us like a reason to flee New Jersey in our pj's.
And we both laughed. It was this release, as if to say, we are going to be ok. We are going insane, but we are going to be ok.
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I am off to shore for a few days. But before I go - good news! I got a job! A job I really wanted! Now I get to buy myself some new clothes! And maybe an ipod! Woo hoo! I will tell more about the job when I get back from the shore.
Have a great weekend, all!
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It was the following Friday night, sometime after midnight. I had been glued to the tv, and since I worked at a newspaper, I couldn't even get away from the coverage while I was at work. It was constant inundation. I don't think I had stopped crying yet. I was losing my mind just a little bit.
Hub and I were lying in bed watching tv, because even though a few days had passed, we still couldn't sleep. All of a sudden, I heard what I thought were bombs dropping. I asked Hub if he heard anything, and he said no. He muted the tv, and all we heard was silence. A few minutes later I heard it again. This time Hub heard it too. He muted the tv again, and we lay there, listening to what sounded like massive fireworks happening maybe a few towns away. But it was after midnight, it couldn't be fireworks. I was sure they were bombing Manhattan, which is only about 10 miles from me.
Hub and I just lay there, listening and wondering what we should do. Should we evacuate? Should we just get in the car and drive west? Should we go into the basement and tape up the windows to "protect" us from a nuclear attack?
Then, suddenly, Hub leans over the side of the bed. The noise stops. The dog gets up, walks to the end of the bed, and shakes the sleep off himself. That's right, you guessed it. Gypsy was snoring; that was the noise we were so sure was the end of NYC as we knew it. His rumbling combined with the sound of the ceiling fan sounded to us like a reason to flee New Jersey in our pj's.
And we both laughed. It was this release, as if to say, we are going to be ok. We are going insane, but we are going to be ok.
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I am off to shore for a few days. But before I go - good news! I got a job! A job I really wanted! Now I get to buy myself some new clothes! And maybe an ipod! Woo hoo! I will tell more about the job when I get back from the shore.
Have a great weekend, all!
Thursday, September 08, 2005
Here I Am, Not Ranting! Go Me!
So let's see...what can I post about if I am not ranting? I forget how to post something civil...(but thank you all for your support of my insanity at anonymous idiots. I see that you all get them as well. I hope I spoke for you, too).
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There is a tray of uneaten jello shots in my fridge. At my bbq on Sunday, I got a bad headache at about midnight and that was it for me. I just couldn't party any more; my head was throbbing. Bah. I am hoping it was just a regular run-of-the-mill headache and not old age setting in. Nope, it can't be that.
Now don't get me wrong. We did eat one tray of them, the purple ones which were in honor of our fallen N'Awlins. And they were yummy. But I didn't think one tray was enough, so I made two. Then, I got a headache. Hence, the tray in the fridge.
So in any case, every time I open my fridge I get a big whiff of strawberry, kiwi, sugar and vodka. It is a lovely smell. But trust me, I make some strong jello shots, so these are not to be eaten on just some random Wednesday evening or something. It needs to be a party situation. Now, I will not be around this weekend, so do you think if I put them in a Tupperware or something that they will last till next weekend? I mean, does jello go bad? Someone please enlighten me. I have never had jello shots left over before so I have no idea what to do.
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This weekend, I am going down the shore for one last summer hurrah before Autumn hits like a ton of bricks. My mom is taking me and Princess down for a few days for a "girls weekend." Princess loves the beach and has actually been asking to go in the ocean, so she will be excited.
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Oh, and I have FINALLY been inducted into the Shitty Blogs Club. You do not know how hard I had to work to be shitty enough to get into that little party. But I did it. Thanks, Jeckles.
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Ok, well, that's it for now. I am off to watch Jon Stewart and donate to "Hillary in 2008" and listen to NPR and buy Al Franken's book. Smell ya later ;P
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There is a tray of uneaten jello shots in my fridge. At my bbq on Sunday, I got a bad headache at about midnight and that was it for me. I just couldn't party any more; my head was throbbing. Bah. I am hoping it was just a regular run-of-the-mill headache and not old age setting in. Nope, it can't be that.
Now don't get me wrong. We did eat one tray of them, the purple ones which were in honor of our fallen N'Awlins. And they were yummy. But I didn't think one tray was enough, so I made two. Then, I got a headache. Hence, the tray in the fridge.
So in any case, every time I open my fridge I get a big whiff of strawberry, kiwi, sugar and vodka. It is a lovely smell. But trust me, I make some strong jello shots, so these are not to be eaten on just some random Wednesday evening or something. It needs to be a party situation. Now, I will not be around this weekend, so do you think if I put them in a Tupperware or something that they will last till next weekend? I mean, does jello go bad? Someone please enlighten me. I have never had jello shots left over before so I have no idea what to do.
---------
This weekend, I am going down the shore for one last summer hurrah before Autumn hits like a ton of bricks. My mom is taking me and Princess down for a few days for a "girls weekend." Princess loves the beach and has actually been asking to go in the ocean, so she will be excited.
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Oh, and I have FINALLY been inducted into the Shitty Blogs Club. You do not know how hard I had to work to be shitty enough to get into that little party. But I did it. Thanks, Jeckles.
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Ok, well, that's it for now. I am off to watch Jon Stewart and donate to "Hillary in 2008" and listen to NPR and buy Al Franken's book. Smell ya later ;P
Wednesday, September 07, 2005
For The Last Time...and Rockstar INXS
Look, I welcome everyone's opinions here. Right, left, or somewhere in the middle. In fact, some of my favorite blog friends are right wing freaks. And I love them, even though I generally disagree with them. They stick to the topic I am discussing, they keep it brief, and they don't hijack my space to make their own points. And I have the same courtesy for them and their space.
So on that note.
To all of you Anonymouses out there: STOP USING UP ALL OF MY COMMENT SPACE TO MAKE YOUR FEEBLE LITTLE POINT. IF YOU HAVE THAT MUCH TO SAY, GET YOUR OWN DAMN BLOG. And don't say that you "have better things to do, like work" which is the excuse I always get when I ask why you anonymouses don't get your own blogs so you can spout your moronic bs whenever you want. For the time it took you to write 10 paragraphs in my comments, you could have taken the 2 minutes it takes to set up a blogger account.
I was not at all partisan in my questioning of why nothing was done to prevent this disaster and why the response was so slow. I blame everyone in the federal and Lousiana state government along with the New Orleans local government. Regardless of their political party. I am generally pretty anti-Bush around here, but I have not said anything on here about Bush and his handling of this crisis (except to joke that he should have let them use his plane to save people instead of taking time out of his busy riding-bikes-with-Lance schedule to tour the disaster. And that was funny.).
So why exactly do you freaks come to my blog and, I guess because you see that I link to moveon.org, make comments about Hillary and Bill Clinton's handling of some other disaster or about the NY Times and what they said about the levees years ago? You are totally off topic.
Here is my deal: I am a fan of New Orleans. It is my favorite place on this planet. I have been there countless times for Mardi Gras, for St. Patrick's Days, and other times just for the fun of it. I want it to be there, and its not. Its not there because SOME PEOPLE didn't use the funds they were supposed to use to fix the levees, or because SOME PEOPLE voted against using funds for that, or because SOME PEOPLE think poor people aren't important enough to protect, or some other reason. I don't really know what the reason is, and I don't know who those SOME PEOPLE are. I don't know if they are on "my side" or "your side" and I don't care whose side they are on. I want them punished for not doing their job of protecting Americans. And I am also ranting about the fact that it took so long to get help to people while they were starving and dehydrating and dying. Especially since SOME PEOPLE, whoever they may be, knew it was coming and didn't prepare, and after it happened they didn't act.
This is a NON-PARTISAN topic for me. I want the heads of whoever is to blame, Republican or Democrat. Yep, you guessed it, I think Republicans are more to blame because since 9/11, which happened right in my backyard, we were supposed to be upgrading our responses to emergencies. And our response to this emergency SUCKED. And guess what, when you are the President...the buck should stop there. I know, I know, its a real bummer to have to cut your vacation short. But as the President, its the least you could have done. Oh no, wait, *what you actually did* was the least you could have done. I stand corrected.
Ok, I am getting mad and ranting again, and I am getting off topic. My point is this, and I don't think I can make it more clear: This is my blog. Yes, it is public and I am sharing my opinions online and blah blah blah. But guess what. I don't care. You can disagree with me and I have no problem with that. You can ask my many satisfied right-wing customers. But don't hijack my space for your own ends. If you have that much to say and feel so strongly about it, GET YOUR OWN BLOG. From now on, I will be deleting long and blathering comments for the sole reason that I am sick of scrolling past them trying to get to the comments I really want to read. And I am not defending myself on it anymore. Here is my defense - my blog, my decision.
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I knew Jordis was going home tonight. She had just lost it over the last few weeks. You could see her confidence shrinking week after week. I have no doubt that she will be a big star, and I know that losing this competition was the best thing for her because she is too good for INXS. Her voice is absolutely amazing and I can't wait till her solo CD comes out some day soon. Please, dear God, let JD be next. I am so sick of him. I am digging Marty more and more, and Mig is looking more and more odd to me. Suzie has improved like mad over the past few weeks, and I think she has a shot. So, sayonara, Jordis, we will definitely be seeing you around soon.
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Tomorrow - a return of the happier, more uplifting True! (Wait, have I ever been happy and uplifting? Ah, well, I will be back tomorrow anyway, happy or not.)
So on that note.
To all of you Anonymouses out there: STOP USING UP ALL OF MY COMMENT SPACE TO MAKE YOUR FEEBLE LITTLE POINT. IF YOU HAVE THAT MUCH TO SAY, GET YOUR OWN DAMN BLOG. And don't say that you "have better things to do, like work" which is the excuse I always get when I ask why you anonymouses don't get your own blogs so you can spout your moronic bs whenever you want. For the time it took you to write 10 paragraphs in my comments, you could have taken the 2 minutes it takes to set up a blogger account.
I was not at all partisan in my questioning of why nothing was done to prevent this disaster and why the response was so slow. I blame everyone in the federal and Lousiana state government along with the New Orleans local government. Regardless of their political party. I am generally pretty anti-Bush around here, but I have not said anything on here about Bush and his handling of this crisis (except to joke that he should have let them use his plane to save people instead of taking time out of his busy riding-bikes-with-Lance schedule to tour the disaster. And that was funny.).
So why exactly do you freaks come to my blog and, I guess because you see that I link to moveon.org, make comments about Hillary and Bill Clinton's handling of some other disaster or about the NY Times and what they said about the levees years ago? You are totally off topic.
Here is my deal: I am a fan of New Orleans. It is my favorite place on this planet. I have been there countless times for Mardi Gras, for St. Patrick's Days, and other times just for the fun of it. I want it to be there, and its not. Its not there because SOME PEOPLE didn't use the funds they were supposed to use to fix the levees, or because SOME PEOPLE voted against using funds for that, or because SOME PEOPLE think poor people aren't important enough to protect, or some other reason. I don't really know what the reason is, and I don't know who those SOME PEOPLE are. I don't know if they are on "my side" or "your side" and I don't care whose side they are on. I want them punished for not doing their job of protecting Americans. And I am also ranting about the fact that it took so long to get help to people while they were starving and dehydrating and dying. Especially since SOME PEOPLE, whoever they may be, knew it was coming and didn't prepare, and after it happened they didn't act.
This is a NON-PARTISAN topic for me. I want the heads of whoever is to blame, Republican or Democrat. Yep, you guessed it, I think Republicans are more to blame because since 9/11, which happened right in my backyard, we were supposed to be upgrading our responses to emergencies. And our response to this emergency SUCKED. And guess what, when you are the President...the buck should stop there. I know, I know, its a real bummer to have to cut your vacation short. But as the President, its the least you could have done. Oh no, wait, *what you actually did* was the least you could have done. I stand corrected.
Ok, I am getting mad and ranting again, and I am getting off topic. My point is this, and I don't think I can make it more clear: This is my blog. Yes, it is public and I am sharing my opinions online and blah blah blah. But guess what. I don't care. You can disagree with me and I have no problem with that. You can ask my many satisfied right-wing customers. But don't hijack my space for your own ends. If you have that much to say and feel so strongly about it, GET YOUR OWN BLOG. From now on, I will be deleting long and blathering comments for the sole reason that I am sick of scrolling past them trying to get to the comments I really want to read. And I am not defending myself on it anymore. Here is my defense - my blog, my decision.
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I knew Jordis was going home tonight. She had just lost it over the last few weeks. You could see her confidence shrinking week after week. I have no doubt that she will be a big star, and I know that losing this competition was the best thing for her because she is too good for INXS. Her voice is absolutely amazing and I can't wait till her solo CD comes out some day soon. Please, dear God, let JD be next. I am so sick of him. I am digging Marty more and more, and Mig is looking more and more odd to me. Suzie has improved like mad over the past few weeks, and I think she has a shot. So, sayonara, Jordis, we will definitely be seeing you around soon.
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Tomorrow - a return of the happier, more uplifting True! (Wait, have I ever been happy and uplifting? Ah, well, I will be back tomorrow anyway, happy or not.)
Tuesday, September 06, 2005
Some Boring Information About the Netherlands To Prove I Am Right
For my Anonymous "friend" who posted that the hurricane in New Orleans was not related at all to what they have developed in the Netherlands and that I needed to get away from CNN, perhaps you need to read a tad bit more and stop talking out of your ass. My point was that they are on similar types of land (below sea level) and were prone to flooding, not that they both are threatened with hurricanes (duh).
And, because its my blog and I hate anonymous commenters who "snark and run", I have decided to dedicate today's post to the Netherlands and how I was right in my post from Saturday. You can blame my anonymous "friend" for the long and boring-ness of this post.
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This is what happened in the Netherlands back in 1953 and how the US responded to their disaster. Completely opposite of how we responded to our own disaster.
From The Star-Ledger of Monday, 9/5/2005 by Mark Mueller:
Similar disaster, but a different ending: When flood ravaged Netherlands, response was unified and swift
From his home in the southern reaches of the Netherlands, Toon Franken has watched the televised images of New Orleans with growing astonishment. The scenes make him "shiver," he said. But it is not the scale of devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina that so troubles the 50-year-old Dutchman. It is that for nearly a week after the storm surge swallowed much of the city, so many people remained trapped there, desperate for water, food and escape.
"How is it possible in a civilized country that help is coming so late?" Franken asked in a telephone interview this weekend. "It's incredible."
While criticism of the U.S. government's response to Katrina has grown by the day, Franken brings a rare perspective to the debate. He is curator of the Zeeland Archives, the historical record of the Dutch province devastated in 1953 by the North Sea Flood, known in Holland simply as "the disaster."
More than 1,800 people died in the flood, a gale-driven wall of water that struck without warning in the early morning hours of Feb. 1, 1953, overwhelming centuries-old levees and inundating 625 square miles of land. Not since the Middle Ages -- more than 500 years earlier -- had the low-lying Netherlands been so ravaged by the sea.
Franken has studied every facet of the flood, including the Herculean effort to rescue and evacuate tens of thousands of people. The contrast with the response in New Orleans, he said, is jolting.
"It was a national disaster, and therefore there was a national movement to help," Franken said. "Everybody stood as one."
Historical accounts and extensive coverage of the disaster in the archives of the New York Times confirm Franken's view. Hours after the raging North Sea caused dozens of levees to give way in the southern provinces, primarily Zeeland, the Dutch government dispatched troops, vehicles and boats to the region. From low-flying planes, air crews searched for signs of life, dropping inflatable rubber dinghies wherever they spotted movement.
Queen Juliana, accompanied by her 15-year-old daughter, Princess Beatrix, donned hip waders and toured parts of the region before night fell. The government implored anyone with a truck or a bus to head south, toward the flood zone, to aid in the evacuation. By Feb. 2, hundreds of boats, from the queen's yacht to small fishing vessels, were rescuing people from southern islands and the flooded mainland. Helicopters sent from England, which also suffered heavy damage, plucked survivors from trees, rooftops and lampposts.
The commander of the U.S. Army in Europe, Lt. Gen. Manton S. Eddy, surveyed the damage by air and promised a swift American response. By nightfall on Feb. 2, some 36 hours after the levees broke, U.S. amphibious vehicles were on the ground, shipped in from neighboring West Germany. A detachment of American medical personnel soon followed. The number of boats involved in the rescue climbed to 2,000 the following day. From the air, dozens of helicopters, now mostly American, rescued hundreds more people, ferrying them to staging areas from which they were taken by bus or boat to the north.
There they took shelter in sports arenas and exhibition halls. As in New Orleans, the refugees were forced to deal with crowded conditions. But unlike the fetid Superdome and New Orleans Convention Center, the shelters in Holland were well away from the flood zone, with working electricity and ample supplies of food and water.
Battling snow, sleet and cold, the multinational rescue force evacuated or rescued more than 50,000 people within five days, a figure that would grow to 70,000 by week's end. Damage to the area was enormous. In addition to the 1,836 men, women and children killed, the waters claimed 10,000 animals and destroyed some 4,500 buildings. The flooded region was not fully reinhabited for more than a year.
Certainly New Orleans has presented unique problems. Lawlessness and gunfire have slowed evacuation efforts, and the city's bowl-shaped topography has prevented floodwaters from receding. But Franken, echoing bitter criticism voiced across the political spectrum in the United States, remains baffled by the delay in dispatching troops and by the lack of available food and water.
National Guardsmen arrived in force only on Friday. The first amphibious vehicles arrived the same day.
"The Americans helped Holland so very soon in 1953, and in their own country the help has come so late," Franken said. "We here cannot understand that. It's strange that the United States was not prepared for such a disaster."
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And, perhaps more importantly, after they went through that disaster, they actually did something about it to prevent a similar situation from happening again. They built an intricate dike system where if there is a breach in one of the dikes, it will not flood into the city but into another chamber of the system. Sounds like something we should have done since we went through something similar in 1969 with Hurricane Camille in New Orleans and we knew it would happen again:
The government upgraded its ancient system of dikes and dunes after a powerful storm breached sea dikes in the south of the Netherlands in 1953, killing more than 1,800 people. Today the Netherlands has some of the world's best defenses against flooding, including a chain of 40-foot-tall steel walls suspended by piers in the open sea.
Anti-flood measures will be reviewed in all Dutch regions below sea level in light of Hurricane Katrina's aftermath to ensure they would be adequate in an emergency, the government said Sunday.
All possible weak spots in the dikes -- the tall, uniform embankments that protect the Dutch countryside -- also will be examined, said Melanie Schultz van Haegen, the junior transport and waterworks minister.
She said emphasis will be placed on the populous Amsterdam and Rotterdam regions, which both lie below sea level, De Telegraaf newspaper reported Sunday.
Flood protection in The Netherlands -- a country about twice the size of New Jersey that is mostly below sea level -- is considered among the best in the world.
The government is planning to spend $3.7 billion over the next ten years on new projects against the threat from river floods, in addition to the $620 million spent annually on maintaining the current system in the country.
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I added those italics to show how much money they spent on protecting themselves. I wonder how much we have put into our levee system?
And, because its my blog and I hate anonymous commenters who "snark and run", I have decided to dedicate today's post to the Netherlands and how I was right in my post from Saturday. You can blame my anonymous "friend" for the long and boring-ness of this post.
--------------
This is what happened in the Netherlands back in 1953 and how the US responded to their disaster. Completely opposite of how we responded to our own disaster.
From The Star-Ledger of Monday, 9/5/2005 by Mark Mueller:
Similar disaster, but a different ending: When flood ravaged Netherlands, response was unified and swift
From his home in the southern reaches of the Netherlands, Toon Franken has watched the televised images of New Orleans with growing astonishment. The scenes make him "shiver," he said. But it is not the scale of devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina that so troubles the 50-year-old Dutchman. It is that for nearly a week after the storm surge swallowed much of the city, so many people remained trapped there, desperate for water, food and escape.
"How is it possible in a civilized country that help is coming so late?" Franken asked in a telephone interview this weekend. "It's incredible."
While criticism of the U.S. government's response to Katrina has grown by the day, Franken brings a rare perspective to the debate. He is curator of the Zeeland Archives, the historical record of the Dutch province devastated in 1953 by the North Sea Flood, known in Holland simply as "the disaster."
More than 1,800 people died in the flood, a gale-driven wall of water that struck without warning in the early morning hours of Feb. 1, 1953, overwhelming centuries-old levees and inundating 625 square miles of land. Not since the Middle Ages -- more than 500 years earlier -- had the low-lying Netherlands been so ravaged by the sea.
Franken has studied every facet of the flood, including the Herculean effort to rescue and evacuate tens of thousands of people. The contrast with the response in New Orleans, he said, is jolting.
"It was a national disaster, and therefore there was a national movement to help," Franken said. "Everybody stood as one."
Historical accounts and extensive coverage of the disaster in the archives of the New York Times confirm Franken's view. Hours after the raging North Sea caused dozens of levees to give way in the southern provinces, primarily Zeeland, the Dutch government dispatched troops, vehicles and boats to the region. From low-flying planes, air crews searched for signs of life, dropping inflatable rubber dinghies wherever they spotted movement.
Queen Juliana, accompanied by her 15-year-old daughter, Princess Beatrix, donned hip waders and toured parts of the region before night fell. The government implored anyone with a truck or a bus to head south, toward the flood zone, to aid in the evacuation. By Feb. 2, hundreds of boats, from the queen's yacht to small fishing vessels, were rescuing people from southern islands and the flooded mainland. Helicopters sent from England, which also suffered heavy damage, plucked survivors from trees, rooftops and lampposts.
The commander of the U.S. Army in Europe, Lt. Gen. Manton S. Eddy, surveyed the damage by air and promised a swift American response. By nightfall on Feb. 2, some 36 hours after the levees broke, U.S. amphibious vehicles were on the ground, shipped in from neighboring West Germany. A detachment of American medical personnel soon followed. The number of boats involved in the rescue climbed to 2,000 the following day. From the air, dozens of helicopters, now mostly American, rescued hundreds more people, ferrying them to staging areas from which they were taken by bus or boat to the north.
There they took shelter in sports arenas and exhibition halls. As in New Orleans, the refugees were forced to deal with crowded conditions. But unlike the fetid Superdome and New Orleans Convention Center, the shelters in Holland were well away from the flood zone, with working electricity and ample supplies of food and water.
Battling snow, sleet and cold, the multinational rescue force evacuated or rescued more than 50,000 people within five days, a figure that would grow to 70,000 by week's end. Damage to the area was enormous. In addition to the 1,836 men, women and children killed, the waters claimed 10,000 animals and destroyed some 4,500 buildings. The flooded region was not fully reinhabited for more than a year.
Certainly New Orleans has presented unique problems. Lawlessness and gunfire have slowed evacuation efforts, and the city's bowl-shaped topography has prevented floodwaters from receding. But Franken, echoing bitter criticism voiced across the political spectrum in the United States, remains baffled by the delay in dispatching troops and by the lack of available food and water.
National Guardsmen arrived in force only on Friday. The first amphibious vehicles arrived the same day.
"The Americans helped Holland so very soon in 1953, and in their own country the help has come so late," Franken said. "We here cannot understand that. It's strange that the United States was not prepared for such a disaster."
---------------
And, perhaps more importantly, after they went through that disaster, they actually did something about it to prevent a similar situation from happening again. They built an intricate dike system where if there is a breach in one of the dikes, it will not flood into the city but into another chamber of the system. Sounds like something we should have done since we went through something similar in 1969 with Hurricane Camille in New Orleans and we knew it would happen again:
The government upgraded its ancient system of dikes and dunes after a powerful storm breached sea dikes in the south of the Netherlands in 1953, killing more than 1,800 people. Today the Netherlands has some of the world's best defenses against flooding, including a chain of 40-foot-tall steel walls suspended by piers in the open sea.
Anti-flood measures will be reviewed in all Dutch regions below sea level in light of Hurricane Katrina's aftermath to ensure they would be adequate in an emergency, the government said Sunday.
All possible weak spots in the dikes -- the tall, uniform embankments that protect the Dutch countryside -- also will be examined, said Melanie Schultz van Haegen, the junior transport and waterworks minister.
She said emphasis will be placed on the populous Amsterdam and Rotterdam regions, which both lie below sea level, De Telegraaf newspaper reported Sunday.
Flood protection in The Netherlands -- a country about twice the size of New Jersey that is mostly below sea level -- is considered among the best in the world.
The government is planning to spend $3.7 billion over the next ten years on new projects against the threat from river floods, in addition to the $620 million spent annually on maintaining the current system in the country.
----------
I added those italics to show how much money they spent on protecting themselves. I wonder how much we have put into our levee system?
Saturday, September 03, 2005
A Semi-Non-Rant and Some Other Crap
I know it was requested that I rant yet again today. But ya know what? This has been a crappy week. Now its finally over; its the weekend and I want to start fresh and new. Don't you worry, though, I will be back soon enough with complaints about how poorly the whole situation in New Orleans is being handled vs. how the tsunami was handled, and how it would be more helpful to keep Dubbya at his ranch biking in the daisies with Lance Armstrong and let the relief efforts use his helicopters and planes to transport the ill and the elderly and the pregnant women and the children, and how the Netherlands is on similar-type ground as New Orleans and they are so much more prepared than we are for this type of inevitable disaster, and about how race and social status couldn't possibly be playing a part in how much aid and how quickly its getting there. And let me say, speaking of rants, that the Mayor of New Orleans is my newest idol for speaking his mind about what is needed in the city and putting it out there in plain language that even our politicians should be able to understand, or so we would think. Right, but I am not ranting about that today. Really, I am not. Let's move on, shall we?
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Ah, I love Labor Day weekend! I am not a huge fan of the summer, because I don't really enjoy sweating or mosquitos. So fall is my season. And although September is really pretty summery around these parts, the godawful humidity starts to drop and the bugs start to die and we can enjoy the outdoors.
This weekend we have two bbq's, one of which we are hosting at our house. We are going to break out the blender and make the famous Jean Lafitte's Frozen Voodoo Daquiris (from the French Quarter) and I am making purple jello shots in honor of our beloved, fallen New Orleans. While we are too far away to actually go in and help, we will be keeping everyone in our thoughts and in our toasts.
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Is it odd to get teary when you hear "When The Saints Go Marching In"?
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Ah, I love Labor Day weekend! I am not a huge fan of the summer, because I don't really enjoy sweating or mosquitos. So fall is my season. And although September is really pretty summery around these parts, the godawful humidity starts to drop and the bugs start to die and we can enjoy the outdoors.
This weekend we have two bbq's, one of which we are hosting at our house. We are going to break out the blender and make the famous Jean Lafitte's Frozen Voodoo Daquiris (from the French Quarter) and I am making purple jello shots in honor of our beloved, fallen New Orleans. While we are too far away to actually go in and help, we will be keeping everyone in our thoughts and in our toasts.
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Is it odd to get teary when you hear "When The Saints Go Marching In"?
Friday, September 02, 2005
Didn't You Hear? Gays Caused the Hurricane. Yup.
But first: I told Bridezilla to do her own dirty work if she felt it was necessary to get on her soon-to-be- MIL's "good side" by telling her that she needed to return the dress she loves because it was the wrong color. And I am saying screw the surprise for the shower, and my selfish cousin is going to have to be the one to tell Bridezilla about that. I have done more than my share of work for this wedding, and this chick is DONE. See yesterday's post if you have no idea what I am talking about.
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And this: Please, if you can give, give. Go to Redcross.org and be as generous as you can be. We are the country that gives the most to other countries in need...and now WE are the ones in need. Do your part.
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I found out about this over at Patsy's, who got it from Anti-Everything. You can read the whole "article" (I use that term very lightly) at this horrible and hateful website.
Can you believe that in the middle of all the devastation that is going on in the south right now, there is a group that has the time to sit down and figure out how to make it a religious and political issue?
Right, because didn't you hear? It is the fault of GAYS that Hurricane Katrina destroyed everything. That's right. You see, there is a gay festival down there that would have started yesterday, so God destroyed New Orleans because He did not approve. Ah, I understand. God is all-powerful, right? So instead of taking care of things by say, not allowing gays to exist, or singling out gays and killing each one of them individually, God decided that it would be best to destroy the entire Gulf Coast. Millions of innocent people's homes have been destroyed, who knows how many people have died, and the survivors' lives will never, ever be the same again. And God did all of that to punish the city for hosting a gay event. What a wonderful and merciful God these people pray to!
It is APPALLING to me that these so-called Christians are so full of hate that they would blame something like this on gays and make it into a "talking point" when what they should be doing is gathering food and water and money and medicine and necessary supplies for those in need. Isn't that what God would want? Aren't they the ones always asking "What Would Jesus Do?" This is a perfect example of why these right-wing religious nuts are scary and dangerous.
I emailed these morons, and here is what I had to say:
"Blaming gays for the devastation of the Gulf Coast is ignorant and self-serving. Why, then, did God destroy a good, Southern, God-fearing place like Mississippi and yet He spared most of the French Quarter the same absolute devastation? You are a bunch of hateful, horrible people who look to other peoples' misery to promote your own cause. This is something God would not approve of. Shouldn't you be spending your time and energy helping those in need, as God would want us to do, rather than disseminating this kind of ridiculous banter? You need to start looking at yourselves before you judge others."
This is two rants in two days. Watch out, people, I am on a roll.
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And this: Please, if you can give, give. Go to Redcross.org and be as generous as you can be. We are the country that gives the most to other countries in need...and now WE are the ones in need. Do your part.
------------
I found out about this over at Patsy's, who got it from Anti-Everything. You can read the whole "article" (I use that term very lightly) at this horrible and hateful website.
Can you believe that in the middle of all the devastation that is going on in the south right now, there is a group that has the time to sit down and figure out how to make it a religious and political issue?
Right, because didn't you hear? It is the fault of GAYS that Hurricane Katrina destroyed everything. That's right. You see, there is a gay festival down there that would have started yesterday, so God destroyed New Orleans because He did not approve. Ah, I understand. God is all-powerful, right? So instead of taking care of things by say, not allowing gays to exist, or singling out gays and killing each one of them individually, God decided that it would be best to destroy the entire Gulf Coast. Millions of innocent people's homes have been destroyed, who knows how many people have died, and the survivors' lives will never, ever be the same again. And God did all of that to punish the city for hosting a gay event. What a wonderful and merciful God these people pray to!
It is APPALLING to me that these so-called Christians are so full of hate that they would blame something like this on gays and make it into a "talking point" when what they should be doing is gathering food and water and money and medicine and necessary supplies for those in need. Isn't that what God would want? Aren't they the ones always asking "What Would Jesus Do?" This is a perfect example of why these right-wing religious nuts are scary and dangerous.
I emailed these morons, and here is what I had to say:
"Blaming gays for the devastation of the Gulf Coast is ignorant and self-serving. Why, then, did God destroy a good, Southern, God-fearing place like Mississippi and yet He spared most of the French Quarter the same absolute devastation? You are a bunch of hateful, horrible people who look to other peoples' misery to promote your own cause. This is something God would not approve of. Shouldn't you be spending your time and energy helping those in need, as God would want us to do, rather than disseminating this kind of ridiculous banter? You need to start looking at yourselves before you judge others."
This is two rants in two days. Watch out, people, I am on a roll.
Wednesday, August 31, 2005
Thanks and a BIG Rant
But first...thank you all so much for your kind words and condolences on my uncle. It is greatly appreciated.
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Alright. I am so pissed right now I cannot even speak. I wasn't going to blog till tomorrow, but if I don't get this out I will probably not sleep tonight.
I am in my cousin's wedding in October. I adore him and I adore his fiancee. BUT. I may kill the both of them.
The bride's friends suck, and despite the fact that I am the bridesmaid who knows her the least and for the shortest amount of time, I am the only one having a shower for her. No one else, including the maid of honor who lives in her state (I live 7 hours from them) is throwing a shower. I emailed all the bridesmaids about 50 times over the summer and finally decided that if these people can't get their stuff together, I am not going to let the bride (I'll call her A) suffer for it. So I said, I am having a shower for the family and friends in Jersey. I emailed all the moms. I talked to my cousin about 50 times to get the perfect date so we could get her up here and surprise her. I am doing ALL the work. I just sent out all the invitations on Monday. So what happened?
I just got a call from my beloved cousin. Turns out that despite the fact that I reserved this date months ago, he agreed to have his bachelor party the same day. Ok, no problem right? Problem. They are taking him to Atlantic City, so he has to be at the meeting point by 2:30. He is supposed to get A to my house at 2:30. He can't change the timing on his end because they are catching the bus or something, and I can't change the time on my end because I ALREADY SENT OUT THE INVITATIONS. So now, all my hard work in trying to make this a surprise has gone down the drain. We are going to have to tell her about it, or else why would she drive all the way up here when he is going to AC for his bachelor party? I could kill him.
But that's not all.
His mom (my aunt) never wears dresses, but she went out and found a dress that she fell in love with and is so incredibly excited about. She even called me to tell me about it. She can't wait to surprise her son with this fabulous dress she got. So what is the problem? I just got home after not having checked my email in a few days to find an email from the bride. She is not happy that my aunt bought a taupe dress. She wanted her to wear blue. And she wants ME to tell my aunt she doesn't want her to wear that dress! Because, you know, it would be *uncomfortable* for *her* to tell my aunt that, but it would obviously be easy for ME to tell her something that goes a little something like this: "I know you spent all day with the girls looking for the perfect dress, and I know how much you love it, and I know you haven't worn a dress since high school but you fell in love with this perfect dress, but ya know what, it would be better if you start over and look for another perfect dress because taupe is not exactly what A had in mind. No biggie, right?"
Let me tell you this. I am SO not doing that. Its totally not my place to get involved in that discussion, and I am NOT going to be the one to break my aunt's heart. Right now, between the shower situation and the dress situation (not to mention that my dress was nearly $300 and Princess is in the wedding and the dress A wants for her is nearly $200...and did I mention we are PO????) I wish I was not involved in this wedding at all.
Sorry for the rant, and if you read this whole thing, bless your big, monstrous heart for hanging in there. I am just so pissed and I needed to rant.
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Alright. I am so pissed right now I cannot even speak. I wasn't going to blog till tomorrow, but if I don't get this out I will probably not sleep tonight.
I am in my cousin's wedding in October. I adore him and I adore his fiancee. BUT. I may kill the both of them.
The bride's friends suck, and despite the fact that I am the bridesmaid who knows her the least and for the shortest amount of time, I am the only one having a shower for her. No one else, including the maid of honor who lives in her state (I live 7 hours from them) is throwing a shower. I emailed all the bridesmaids about 50 times over the summer and finally decided that if these people can't get their stuff together, I am not going to let the bride (I'll call her A) suffer for it. So I said, I am having a shower for the family and friends in Jersey. I emailed all the moms. I talked to my cousin about 50 times to get the perfect date so we could get her up here and surprise her. I am doing ALL the work. I just sent out all the invitations on Monday. So what happened?
I just got a call from my beloved cousin. Turns out that despite the fact that I reserved this date months ago, he agreed to have his bachelor party the same day. Ok, no problem right? Problem. They are taking him to Atlantic City, so he has to be at the meeting point by 2:30. He is supposed to get A to my house at 2:30. He can't change the timing on his end because they are catching the bus or something, and I can't change the time on my end because I ALREADY SENT OUT THE INVITATIONS. So now, all my hard work in trying to make this a surprise has gone down the drain. We are going to have to tell her about it, or else why would she drive all the way up here when he is going to AC for his bachelor party? I could kill him.
But that's not all.
His mom (my aunt) never wears dresses, but she went out and found a dress that she fell in love with and is so incredibly excited about. She even called me to tell me about it. She can't wait to surprise her son with this fabulous dress she got. So what is the problem? I just got home after not having checked my email in a few days to find an email from the bride. She is not happy that my aunt bought a taupe dress. She wanted her to wear blue. And she wants ME to tell my aunt she doesn't want her to wear that dress! Because, you know, it would be *uncomfortable* for *her* to tell my aunt that, but it would obviously be easy for ME to tell her something that goes a little something like this: "I know you spent all day with the girls looking for the perfect dress, and I know how much you love it, and I know you haven't worn a dress since high school but you fell in love with this perfect dress, but ya know what, it would be better if you start over and look for another perfect dress because taupe is not exactly what A had in mind. No biggie, right?"
Let me tell you this. I am SO not doing that. Its totally not my place to get involved in that discussion, and I am NOT going to be the one to break my aunt's heart. Right now, between the shower situation and the dress situation (not to mention that my dress was nearly $300 and Princess is in the wedding and the dress A wants for her is nearly $200...and did I mention we are PO????) I wish I was not involved in this wedding at all.
Sorry for the rant, and if you read this whole thing, bless your big, monstrous heart for hanging in there. I am just so pissed and I needed to rant.
Monday, August 29, 2005
Random Stuff
I may not be around much the next few days. My uncle passed away, and the wake is tomorrow and the funeral is Wednesday. I am not going to make this a downer of a post; I will just say Uncle Bobby, rest in peace.
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And, I will just say a quick little prayer for my second home, the city of New Orleans. I am so glad I got to party there 5 times before it gets washed out to sea by Hurricane Katrina. Take care, Bourbon Street. I hope to see you soon.
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Thanks to those of you who recognized my reference in my lists from The Breakfast Club about taping your buns together.
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I was going to write a post about the bbq I went to on Saturday, but I'll just leave you wtih some pics for now:
Princess and Little J in the baby pool:
Princess and the froggie:
S and her man, RJ:
Dirtbag kid jumping into the beautiful pool:
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And, I will just say a quick little prayer for my second home, the city of New Orleans. I am so glad I got to party there 5 times before it gets washed out to sea by Hurricane Katrina. Take care, Bourbon Street. I hope to see you soon.
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Thanks to those of you who recognized my reference in my lists from The Breakfast Club about taping your buns together.
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I was going to write a post about the bbq I went to on Saturday, but I'll just leave you wtih some pics for now:
Princess and Little J in the baby pool:
Princess and the froggie:
S and her man, RJ:
Dirtbag kid jumping into the beautiful pool:
Sunday, August 28, 2005
The Meme of 7's
But first: Yes, for those of you interested, I do live right in the heart of Soprano-land in NJ. Yes, the show is very accurate. In fact, on my street growing up, there was a mob hit. The guy opened the door and was shot to death. Unfortunately, they hit the wrong house. All in a day's work, I suppose.
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Had a busy day yesterday bbq'ing and drinking with my some of my girlfriends, and today is equally busy. So I leave you with this: the meme of 7's. I was tagged by Better Safe Than Sorry this time. Read to the end to see if you are tagged:
7 things I plan to do before I die
1. Visit Scotland and Ireland to see family
2. Have a job I really love
3. Open a bar with Patsy Darling
4. Go to Oktoberfest in Germany
5. Meet Jon Bon Jovi
6. Get an ipod
7. Go on an African safari (once they get rid of all the mosquitos and flies)
7 things I can do
1. Throw a kickass party
2. Blend up strong margaritas
3. Make good fajitas
4. Drink alot and not puke in my hands
5. Make Princess laugh
6. The 35-minute Firm exercise dvd
7. Tape all your buns together
7 things I cannot do
1. Sleep
2. Get my hair to stay straight in the summer
3. The whole 55-minute Firm exercise dvd
4. Shots of Rumple Minz (anymore)
5. Pass up a cold beer
6. Figure out what a podcast is
7. Decide if I want this HR Director job
7 things that attract me to the opposite sex
1. tall
2. nice eyes
3. an "edge"
4. tattoos
5. working-man hands
6. nice arse
7. sense of humor
7 things that I say most often
1. Whatever!
2. Where's my drink?
3. Nope, I didn't get around to cleaning the house today
4. I'm almost done on the computer
5. No, we're not watching Blue's Clues again
6. Are you still looking at internet porn?
7. No whining!
7 celebrity crushes
1. Jon Bon Jovi
2. Billy Lane
3. Keanu Reeves
4. Eddie Vedder
5. LL Cool J
6. Trent Reznor
7. Henry Rollins
7 people I want to do this
1. Xtessa
2. D-Crunk
3. Jennism
4. Sleeping Mommy
5. Charlie Mc
6. Drunken Master
7. Nat
....and since Nat is out of town, I'll also tag Trine, since she loves playing tag with me. If you don't want to do it, don't. No pressure here.
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And also, go check out this week's Carnival of New Jersey Bloggers. This is my first time participating - my link is down in Southern NJ by Atlantic City because that's what my post was about. Who knew there were so many Jersey bloggers out there?
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Had a busy day yesterday bbq'ing and drinking with my some of my girlfriends, and today is equally busy. So I leave you with this: the meme of 7's. I was tagged by Better Safe Than Sorry this time. Read to the end to see if you are tagged:
7 things I plan to do before I die
1. Visit Scotland and Ireland to see family
2. Have a job I really love
3. Open a bar with Patsy Darling
4. Go to Oktoberfest in Germany
5. Meet Jon Bon Jovi
6. Get an ipod
7. Go on an African safari (once they get rid of all the mosquitos and flies)
7 things I can do
1. Throw a kickass party
2. Blend up strong margaritas
3. Make good fajitas
4. Drink alot and not puke in my hands
5. Make Princess laugh
6. The 35-minute Firm exercise dvd
7. Tape all your buns together
7 things I cannot do
1. Sleep
2. Get my hair to stay straight in the summer
3. The whole 55-minute Firm exercise dvd
4. Shots of Rumple Minz (anymore)
5. Pass up a cold beer
6. Figure out what a podcast is
7. Decide if I want this HR Director job
7 things that attract me to the opposite sex
1. tall
2. nice eyes
3. an "edge"
4. tattoos
5. working-man hands
6. nice arse
7. sense of humor
7 things that I say most often
1. Whatever!
2. Where's my drink?
3. Nope, I didn't get around to cleaning the house today
4. I'm almost done on the computer
5. No, we're not watching Blue's Clues again
6. Are you still looking at internet porn?
7. No whining!
7 celebrity crushes
1. Jon Bon Jovi
2. Billy Lane
3. Keanu Reeves
4. Eddie Vedder
5. LL Cool J
6. Trent Reznor
7. Henry Rollins
7 people I want to do this
1. Xtessa
2. D-Crunk
3. Jennism
4. Sleeping Mommy
5. Charlie Mc
6. Drunken Master
7. Nat
....and since Nat is out of town, I'll also tag Trine, since she loves playing tag with me. If you don't want to do it, don't. No pressure here.
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And also, go check out this week's Carnival of New Jersey Bloggers. This is my first time participating - my link is down in Southern NJ by Atlantic City because that's what my post was about. Who knew there were so many Jersey bloggers out there?
Saturday, August 27, 2005
There She Goes, Miss America!
I am sure you have all heard by now that the Miss America pageant is leaving my fair state. Its been pretty big news around here. But I don't really care. I don't think that anyone my age or younger (and probably older too) watches Miss America. Its a contest that has seen its best days and left them behind. The women aren't sexy, and men can see much more attractive and scantily-clad chicks in Maxim. And I hope that most women aren't interested because of the ridiculous idea that you have to strut around in a bathing suit and heels to compete for a college scholarship. Um, no.
I don't see how its a loss for Atlantic City either. I don't think you have swarms of people coming to AC to see the pageant. I am sure a few people (like, maybe the contestants' moms?) come for that. But most people come to AC for the gambling. There's nothing else to do down there as far as I am concerned. You can't take 10 steps down the boardwalk without being hassled by a beggar or propositioned by a hooker. The beach? I don't know, does anyone even go on the beach in AC? And God forbid you walk *off* the boardwalk onto the streets of AC...scary. Hold your purse tight. I would venture to say that 90% of the people down there never even leave the casinos. At all.
Now, I understand parts of AC are improving. They have added the upscale Borgata hotel and casino, which is supposed to be lovely. And from what I read in the paper, it sounds like lots of the casinos are adding bars and clubs to cater to a younger crowd (in most of the casinos, if you are under 70, you are probably the youngest person around).
As you know, I am a Jersey Girl through and through. But. It takes me about 3 hours to drive down to Atlantic City. And it takes me about 3.5 to fly to Vegas. Which would you choose?
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One final note, a total aside: Jon Bon Jovi once had a band called The Atlantic City Expressway. I know you were dying to know that.
I don't see how its a loss for Atlantic City either. I don't think you have swarms of people coming to AC to see the pageant. I am sure a few people (like, maybe the contestants' moms?) come for that. But most people come to AC for the gambling. There's nothing else to do down there as far as I am concerned. You can't take 10 steps down the boardwalk without being hassled by a beggar or propositioned by a hooker. The beach? I don't know, does anyone even go on the beach in AC? And God forbid you walk *off* the boardwalk onto the streets of AC...scary. Hold your purse tight. I would venture to say that 90% of the people down there never even leave the casinos. At all.
Now, I understand parts of AC are improving. They have added the upscale Borgata hotel and casino, which is supposed to be lovely. And from what I read in the paper, it sounds like lots of the casinos are adding bars and clubs to cater to a younger crowd (in most of the casinos, if you are under 70, you are probably the youngest person around).
As you know, I am a Jersey Girl through and through. But. It takes me about 3 hours to drive down to Atlantic City. And it takes me about 3.5 to fly to Vegas. Which would you choose?
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One final note, a total aside: Jon Bon Jovi once had a band called The Atlantic City Expressway. I know you were dying to know that.
Friday, August 26, 2005
I Am A Shoe-In
But first: Somehow, I became a Marauding Marsupial yesterday for a brief time in TTLB Ecosphere! Why is this important to me? I have no idea! I figured I would be an Adorable Rodent forever (and I am back there now), and I am fine with that. I hardly ever even check how I am doing on there. But for some reason I checked it out yesterday and there I was! Marauding around like the Marsupial I am! For some reason, this makes me very happy!!! Are you part of TTLB? Do you look at where you rank and watch how you are doing?
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I bought 2 amazingly cute pairs of shoes yesterday. At Payless. I am not generally a fan of the Payless...not that I am Carrie Bradshaw, buying Manolos and Jimmy Choos, but other than the occasional Target or Kohl's flip flop, I prefer Macys or Bloomies or something like that.
But, maybe I have mentioned this? Have I told you we are po'? I can't afford $100 for a pair of shoes. So, off to Payless I went yesterday before my interview, feeling like if I got a cute pair of shoes I would certainly get the job. And what did I find? Ah, a Buy-One-Get-One-Half-Price sale! Love that! So I looked around and found 2 pairs of adorable shoes that I love. I wore the black ones yesterday, so I am sure I will be offered the job, just because of that.
So what do you think? Both pairs for $28. Even if you think they are ugly, you just can't beat that deal.
These are green faux suede with brown ribbon and a cute wedge heel. I have been wanting a cute wedge heel for fall. So now I just need to buy something green to wear these with.
And these are the pointy-toe shoes that Clinton and Stacy from What Not To Wear are always touting, and they are right. They look great on. I think I may even wear these with jeans in the fall.
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I bought 2 amazingly cute pairs of shoes yesterday. At Payless. I am not generally a fan of the Payless...not that I am Carrie Bradshaw, buying Manolos and Jimmy Choos, but other than the occasional Target or Kohl's flip flop, I prefer Macys or Bloomies or something like that.
But, maybe I have mentioned this? Have I told you we are po'? I can't afford $100 for a pair of shoes. So, off to Payless I went yesterday before my interview, feeling like if I got a cute pair of shoes I would certainly get the job. And what did I find? Ah, a Buy-One-Get-One-Half-Price sale! Love that! So I looked around and found 2 pairs of adorable shoes that I love. I wore the black ones yesterday, so I am sure I will be offered the job, just because of that.
So what do you think? Both pairs for $28. Even if you think they are ugly, you just can't beat that deal.
These are green faux suede with brown ribbon and a cute wedge heel. I have been wanting a cute wedge heel for fall. So now I just need to buy something green to wear these with.
And these are the pointy-toe shoes that Clinton and Stacy from What Not To Wear are always touting, and they are right. They look great on. I think I may even wear these with jeans in the fall.
Thursday, August 25, 2005
Had my second interview yesterday for the HR Director position. It went pretty well. The CEO seems to dig me. But now she is going on vacation until the day after Labor Day, so I won't hear anything till at least then. Bah. But I guess its good in a way because it gives me time to interview for some contract recruitment positions and then figure out what exactly I want to do.
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I really liked Deanna's song that she wrote and performed on Rockstar INXS, but I wasn't surprised that she was sent home. Poor Ty, though. He seems devastated every time he is in the bottom three, especially when he feels like he did a good job. He is so emotional. Although last night, they all kind of fell apart when Deanna was told she was leaving. Mig was a mess. They were all crying. Jordis was right; based on her performance she deserved to be the one sent home. Hub thinks she is now throwing the competition so she DOESN'T win. I think maybe she got a little overconfident and felt she didn't have to work as hard.
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Princess has gone cold-turkey without Dora. She is totally uninterested. Now, its all about Blue's Clues. She is even worse with Blue than she ws with Dora. Seriously, she wakes up, I go into her room to get her, and the very first thing she says is "Watcha Blue". And then it becomes her mantra until I put the damn thing on. My BIL babysat for her yesterday and I was gone for about 2 hours for my interview. When I came home, Blue was on. I said, "Ah, we're watcha Blue?" He said, "Yep this is Blue's second run since I got here." The chick is addicted.
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I really liked Deanna's song that she wrote and performed on Rockstar INXS, but I wasn't surprised that she was sent home. Poor Ty, though. He seems devastated every time he is in the bottom three, especially when he feels like he did a good job. He is so emotional. Although last night, they all kind of fell apart when Deanna was told she was leaving. Mig was a mess. They were all crying. Jordis was right; based on her performance she deserved to be the one sent home. Hub thinks she is now throwing the competition so she DOESN'T win. I think maybe she got a little overconfident and felt she didn't have to work as hard.
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Princess has gone cold-turkey without Dora. She is totally uninterested. Now, its all about Blue's Clues. She is even worse with Blue than she ws with Dora. Seriously, she wakes up, I go into her room to get her, and the very first thing she says is "Watcha Blue". And then it becomes her mantra until I put the damn thing on. My BIL babysat for her yesterday and I was gone for about 2 hours for my interview. When I came home, Blue was on. I said, "Ah, we're watcha Blue?" He said, "Yep this is Blue's second run since I got here." The chick is addicted.
Wednesday, August 24, 2005
Various and Sundry Stuff
I talked to my former boss yesterday and she was SO NICE. I guess the bipolar thing was swinging the right way. She was so complimentary of me, and said that she would have nothing but good things to say about me in a reference. So hopefully the pendulum will keep swinging towards the "I'm a happy person!" way until my references call.
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Dave Navarro annoys me more and more each week on Rockstar INXS. Telling Ty that he was "Ty-riffic"??? C'mon Dave. How long have you been saving that little gem of a statement? And Jordis, what happened to your voice last night? I think maybe she was getting a little overconfident. I still think she is the best one on there, but personally, I think they will pick Mig because he is the right one for that band. He is even Australian.
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My brother-in-law babysat for Princess yesterday while I went to the doctor, and is babysitting again today while I have my interview. He is generally a pretty reserved guy, but when he gets around Princess...he is just so great with her, and she LOVES him. He even changed his very first diaper and did a great job. Thanks, BC!
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Someone compared the new Tommy Lee show to The Simple Life (I guess because they are both fish-out-of-water type stories?) and I don't think they could be more wrong. Tommy really seems so earnest in trying to get along with his teachers and qualify for the band and learn the drum routines...even in trying to learn chemistry and such. I think his little brain just can't wrap itself around the classes he is taking, but he seems like such a decent, cool, genuinely nice guy. The total opposite of that hag Paris Hilton.
I only watched her show once, and they showed her and Nicole staying on Staten Island in some little house with this family. The woman's dog had died recently, so they decide to do something nice and get her a new dog. Well, they get her two HUGE great danes which cost like $2000 each. They are bigger than the house. But the family is like, aw, how sweet those girls are to think of getting us a dog because we were sad. Then, of course, the bill for the dogs shows up and Paris and Nicole have moved on to their next "adventure" and these people were stuck with the cost. It just showed how out of touch these broads were to do something like that, and not consider that the family A). can't afford dogs like that, B). can't have dogs that large in their itty bitty house, and C). might get attached to the dogs and then when they can't pay for them, have to return them. Idiots.
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And finally, how cute are my kid and my dog?
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Dave Navarro annoys me more and more each week on Rockstar INXS. Telling Ty that he was "Ty-riffic"??? C'mon Dave. How long have you been saving that little gem of a statement? And Jordis, what happened to your voice last night? I think maybe she was getting a little overconfident. I still think she is the best one on there, but personally, I think they will pick Mig because he is the right one for that band. He is even Australian.
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My brother-in-law babysat for Princess yesterday while I went to the doctor, and is babysitting again today while I have my interview. He is generally a pretty reserved guy, but when he gets around Princess...he is just so great with her, and she LOVES him. He even changed his very first diaper and did a great job. Thanks, BC!
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Someone compared the new Tommy Lee show to The Simple Life (I guess because they are both fish-out-of-water type stories?) and I don't think they could be more wrong. Tommy really seems so earnest in trying to get along with his teachers and qualify for the band and learn the drum routines...even in trying to learn chemistry and such. I think his little brain just can't wrap itself around the classes he is taking, but he seems like such a decent, cool, genuinely nice guy. The total opposite of that hag Paris Hilton.
I only watched her show once, and they showed her and Nicole staying on Staten Island in some little house with this family. The woman's dog had died recently, so they decide to do something nice and get her a new dog. Well, they get her two HUGE great danes which cost like $2000 each. They are bigger than the house. But the family is like, aw, how sweet those girls are to think of getting us a dog because we were sad. Then, of course, the bill for the dogs shows up and Paris and Nicole have moved on to their next "adventure" and these people were stuck with the cost. It just showed how out of touch these broads were to do something like that, and not consider that the family A). can't afford dogs like that, B). can't have dogs that large in their itty bitty house, and C). might get attached to the dogs and then when they can't pay for them, have to return them. Idiots.
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And finally, how cute are my kid and my dog?
Tuesday, August 23, 2005
Bitchy Bosses and Signing Off
So today I am doing the mature thing. I am calling up my former boss and kissing up to her for a while so I can get a good reference out of her. Now, don't get me wrong. I was a great employee for my company and I worked very hard for her. But she is one of those bosses where you never know what you're gonna get from her. Some days, she would tell me how smart I was and how much I contributed to the department. Other days, she would act as if I was not even in the same building. So, since I don't know which person she will be when my references call her, I have to at least get the Gods Of The Bipolar Bosses on my side and remind her, subtly, how awesome I am.
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Isn't it totally weird when you have your daily blog reads, and then all of a sudden one of them says - "its been nice, but I am not doing this anymore"? This has happened to me quite a few times since I have been blogging - most recently with Bridget and Mel, both of whom seem like they will actually be sticking around - and its a totally bizarre thing. These are people I don't know, I've never met, and yet somehow I miss them when they sign off. Do you all feel the same way when a blog friend calls it quits?
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Isn't it totally weird when you have your daily blog reads, and then all of a sudden one of them says - "its been nice, but I am not doing this anymore"? This has happened to me quite a few times since I have been blogging - most recently with Bridget and Mel, both of whom seem like they will actually be sticking around - and its a totally bizarre thing. These are people I don't know, I've never met, and yet somehow I miss them when they sign off. Do you all feel the same way when a blog friend calls it quits?
Monday, August 22, 2005
Six Feet Under Finale - Spoilers Below
So what did everyone think of the series finale of Six Feet Under?
At first, I hated it. I was sure Brenda's baby was going to die and I did not want that to happen. As a mom whose daughter was taken from her as soon as she was born and put into the NICU - it hit a little too close to home. And Nate was just being so obnoxious; even though he was dead I still wanted to stab him in the eye with something sharp.
And then I hated it more, because this group of horribly wonderfully dysfunctional people suddenly became...well, functional. Everyone got their shit together and everyone became one big happy family. The whole time, Hub was shooting hex-eyes at the tv trying to kill them all off, because he thought the best way for it to end would be for them to all be having dinner together and either The Big One (earthquake) hits and they all die, or else there is a gas leak and they all die or someone comes in and shoots them all and they all die. He was just so sick of every one of the characters that he wished death on them. And I don't blame him. They did all get very annoying and whiney and hard to bear.
But then, the way it actually ended...it was touching. I was teary. Clare drives away and then you flash forward to how each of them finally do die...and how sad was it to see Keith get shot? He was the most normal person on that whole show. And seeing David teaching his son the business...ah, Fisher and Sons, it does go on. And seeing that Willa (the new baby) was, in fact, okay. That was good. So overall, I did enjoy it and I did think it ended well and I will miss the show.
What did you think? Were you disappointed in how it ended, or did you think they went out the right way?
(Edit: Sorry about the word verfication in the comments. I am so sick of comment spam and have to do something about it.)
At first, I hated it. I was sure Brenda's baby was going to die and I did not want that to happen. As a mom whose daughter was taken from her as soon as she was born and put into the NICU - it hit a little too close to home. And Nate was just being so obnoxious; even though he was dead I still wanted to stab him in the eye with something sharp.
And then I hated it more, because this group of horribly wonderfully dysfunctional people suddenly became...well, functional. Everyone got their shit together and everyone became one big happy family. The whole time, Hub was shooting hex-eyes at the tv trying to kill them all off, because he thought the best way for it to end would be for them to all be having dinner together and either The Big One (earthquake) hits and they all die, or else there is a gas leak and they all die or someone comes in and shoots them all and they all die. He was just so sick of every one of the characters that he wished death on them. And I don't blame him. They did all get very annoying and whiney and hard to bear.
But then, the way it actually ended...it was touching. I was teary. Clare drives away and then you flash forward to how each of them finally do die...and how sad was it to see Keith get shot? He was the most normal person on that whole show. And seeing David teaching his son the business...ah, Fisher and Sons, it does go on. And seeing that Willa (the new baby) was, in fact, okay. That was good. So overall, I did enjoy it and I did think it ended well and I will miss the show.
What did you think? Were you disappointed in how it ended, or did you think they went out the right way?
(Edit: Sorry about the word verfication in the comments. I am so sick of comment spam and have to do something about it.)
Saturday, August 20, 2005
True Jersey, HR Director?
I had my interview for the HR Director position yesterday. I wasn't sure how it went...I felt good about my answers, but I still felt like I didn't have enough experience in certain areas to be considered. Then, lo and behold, about an hour after I get home from the interview the phone rings. Its the CEO, asking me to come back for a second interview. Wow. So now I really have to think about whether I am actually capable of doing this job. And I am not talking about giving myself a pep talk and saying "You Can Do It!" I mean, the company has no HR department right now, so I would have to build the whole deal from scratch. Is that super-exciting, or is it super-scary? And, its a non-profit company. Which could be great to work for because the people might be really nice and cool. Or it could suck because the money's not as good and I hate crunchy-granola people.
All I know is that I have picked out all these new clothes I want to buy for myself, and all these clothes for Princess. So I need a job soon. I have another interview on Monday at a different company, and then I have my second interview for this job on Wednesday. So, we'll see what happens.
All I know is that I have picked out all these new clothes I want to buy for myself, and all these clothes for Princess. So I need a job soon. I have another interview on Monday at a different company, and then I have my second interview for this job on Wednesday. So, we'll see what happens.
Friday, August 19, 2005
Music and Unemployment
Crap. I have been tagged with a meme. This one isn't so bad really (nothing like that godforsaken game I played last week that took up half my lifespan to finish it). I was tagged by a new friend, Hello Shiity. All I have to do is list 5 songs that I am digging right now, which is fairly easy. I am not tagging anyone in particular, but if you are at a loss for things to say and want to use this, please be my guest.
My Five Songs:
1. Home Sweet Home by Motley Crue
2. Have a Nice Day by Bon Jovi
3. The Man Who Sold The World by Jordis Unga
4. A Favor House Atlantic by Coheed and Cambria
5. Pon de Replay by Rhianna
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I know you have waited a long time for this, or perhaps you don't care at all. But I am going to post it anyway. The video from the John Mellencamp concert where Patsy, our friend J, and I sing so loud and off key that you can't hear JM at all. Keep in mind that you can't see anything in most of the video because it was an outside concert and it was dark and we tailgated for so long that from our crappy lawn seats we could barely see the stage anyway.
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I had the oddest phone interview the other day. It lasted about 45 minutes and the woman asked me questions like, "do you consider yourself a storyteller?" and "what kind of numbers do you think about all day long?" I had been kind of excited about this company, but after the interview I thought about it awhile and realized that as a recruiter for this company, *I* would be the one asking those ridiculous questions and I would be thinking to myself during the whole interview how ridiculous they were. And that's not what I want to do. So they called me to set up a second interview and I said no thanks.
I have interviews this afternoon and Monday at two different companies, so we'll see how they go. One is for an HR Director position which I don't think I am qualified for but I am going to fake it as best I can. The other is for contract HR work, where I can make a buttload of money but it can be inconsistent. I am feeling pretty good overall because while I haven't found the right job yet, I am getting tons of calls and lots of interest. So, hopefully in time, something perfect will come up. I am going to be picky and hope that pays off.
My Five Songs:
1. Home Sweet Home by Motley Crue
2. Have a Nice Day by Bon Jovi
3. The Man Who Sold The World by Jordis Unga
4. A Favor House Atlantic by Coheed and Cambria
5. Pon de Replay by Rhianna
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I know you have waited a long time for this, or perhaps you don't care at all. But I am going to post it anyway. The video from the John Mellencamp concert where Patsy, our friend J, and I sing so loud and off key that you can't hear JM at all. Keep in mind that you can't see anything in most of the video because it was an outside concert and it was dark and we tailgated for so long that from our crappy lawn seats we could barely see the stage anyway.
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I had the oddest phone interview the other day. It lasted about 45 minutes and the woman asked me questions like, "do you consider yourself a storyteller?" and "what kind of numbers do you think about all day long?" I had been kind of excited about this company, but after the interview I thought about it awhile and realized that as a recruiter for this company, *I* would be the one asking those ridiculous questions and I would be thinking to myself during the whole interview how ridiculous they were. And that's not what I want to do. So they called me to set up a second interview and I said no thanks.
I have interviews this afternoon and Monday at two different companies, so we'll see how they go. One is for an HR Director position which I don't think I am qualified for but I am going to fake it as best I can. The other is for contract HR work, where I can make a buttload of money but it can be inconsistent. I am feeling pretty good overall because while I haven't found the right job yet, I am getting tons of calls and lots of interest. So, hopefully in time, something perfect will come up. I am going to be picky and hope that pays off.
Thursday, August 18, 2005
Which Curse Word Are You?
But first...thank God that skank Jessica was voted off RockStar INXS last night. I'd had enough of her a few weeks ago and finally they all agreed. The top three were Jordis, Marty, and Mig, and I think that's right on target. They are the best, and I think Ty is a close fourth.
---------------
(Sorry mom, but...)
Your word is FUCK. You like to come across as rude
and rebellious, and often you do. You also are
intelligent and maybe surprisingly sensitive,
though God help anyone who said that in front
of your friends.
Which Swear (Curse) Word Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla
---------------
(Sorry mom, but...)
Your word is FUCK. You like to come across as rude
and rebellious, and often you do. You also are
intelligent and maybe surprisingly sensitive,
though God help anyone who said that in front
of your friends.
Which Swear (Curse) Word Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla
Wednesday, August 17, 2005
Froggy Too
Ah ha! Thanks to Trine, I have found a way to post larger videos. Check this one out of Princess - its a bit grainy because it was taken in the evening in my dark living room, but its still pretty funny. Notice the shorts on her head. Yep, she was spending time with Hub and odd things are bound to happen.
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And in other news. Dave Navarro needs to stop talking on RockStar INXS. He used to be on my short list until he married Carmen Elektra, and was taken off because no punk rock god could marry that ho - he should have married like, Courtney Love or Shirley Manson or well, me. So on RockStar, he says things like "my homies" and "give props" and it makes me think that he married just the right person because he comes off as a big dork, not as the cool person I thought he was.
And finally, Tommy Lee. Anyone watch his show last night, where he went to college? My Good God, he is dumb. But wow, he is still pretty friggin hot for being a rock star for 25 years.
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And in other news. Dave Navarro needs to stop talking on RockStar INXS. He used to be on my short list until he married Carmen Elektra, and was taken off because no punk rock god could marry that ho - he should have married like, Courtney Love or Shirley Manson or well, me. So on RockStar, he says things like "my homies" and "give props" and it makes me think that he married just the right person because he comes off as a big dork, not as the cool person I thought he was.
And finally, Tommy Lee. Anyone watch his show last night, where he went to college? My Good God, he is dumb. But wow, he is still pretty friggin hot for being a rock star for 25 years.
Tuesday, August 16, 2005
Our Motley Little Crew
This post is going to be short on words, because I am just too tired to write. So here, enjoy some pics from the Crue concert.
Yep, in nearly every pic of me and Patsy we are doing the heavy metal salute. This is my favorite.
Our tailgating party was on a hill, so we had to improvise to keep the table straight. We used the chair that JV broke along with Princess' carseat. We are nothing if not creative.
Here is the lawn that J set on fire.
Here's Patsy all passing out on the blanket, but still rockin.
This is the shockingly-dressed skank who must have been a stripper back in maybe 1982 and she thought it was a good idea to break out this little number for the Crue concert. Appalling...not to mention that there is less fabric in the front than on the back. Eek. And even worse was her mulletted boyfriend.
All in all, good times. Thankfully I remember more about this concert than about Mellencamp...not that that's saying very much.
Yep, in nearly every pic of me and Patsy we are doing the heavy metal salute. This is my favorite.
Our tailgating party was on a hill, so we had to improvise to keep the table straight. We used the chair that JV broke along with Princess' carseat. We are nothing if not creative.
Here is the lawn that J set on fire.
Here's Patsy all passing out on the blanket, but still rockin.
This is the shockingly-dressed skank who must have been a stripper back in maybe 1982 and she thought it was a good idea to break out this little number for the Crue concert. Appalling...not to mention that there is less fabric in the front than on the back. Eek. And even worse was her mulletted boyfriend.
All in all, good times. Thankfully I remember more about this concert than about Mellencamp...not that that's saying very much.
Monday, August 15, 2005
So last night was the Motley Crue concert. 
Good times. We did the tailgaiting thing, of course, but it was SO BLOODY HOT out (it was over 100, and so humid you could see the air) that I spent most of the afternoon sitting with Diddy in the Diddymobile in the air conditioning. Highlights of the day included:
- JV broke my beach chair.
- J set the lawn on fire.
- Some crazy broad in the craziest outfit you ever saw was wandering around - of course we took pics but I haven't uploaded them yet. That will be up tomorrow.
- We met a nice couple who didn't think we were annoying even though we talked to them all night and sang really loudly and off key in their ears. I know they didn't find us annoying because they shared their tequila.
- We saved beer caps for Drunken Master, but I think we might have lost them somewhere along the way.
- Hub met one of the opening bands and they signed his CD for him.
- Crue did not play Smokin in the Boys Room - how is that possible?
- Crue also took so many breaks during the show - it was actually annoying. I don't know if they were taking their geritol or if Mick Mars was readjusting one of his recently replaced hips, but it was like, let's play two songs and then take a break and then another two songs and then another break. It got on my nerves.
- I saw more flashed boobies at this concert than I did at Mardi Gras.
I'll hopefully have more pics to put up tomorrow. Hub took a bazillion pics, plus some movies, so most of the tailgating pics are on the other memory card and I have no idea where it is. But here is me and Patsy rocking out:
But here's the best part. We get home at about 12:30 and we have no power. My whole neighborhood was out. Mind you, it was still in the 90's and there is no way I could sleep in that heat. The power didn't come back on till after 3:30 a.m. It sucked. So I got almost no sleep last night (again) and Princess woke up nice and early. Bah.
Good times. We did the tailgaiting thing, of course, but it was SO BLOODY HOT out (it was over 100, and so humid you could see the air) that I spent most of the afternoon sitting with Diddy in the Diddymobile in the air conditioning. Highlights of the day included:
- JV broke my beach chair.
- J set the lawn on fire.
- Some crazy broad in the craziest outfit you ever saw was wandering around - of course we took pics but I haven't uploaded them yet. That will be up tomorrow.
- We met a nice couple who didn't think we were annoying even though we talked to them all night and sang really loudly and off key in their ears. I know they didn't find us annoying because they shared their tequila.
- We saved beer caps for Drunken Master, but I think we might have lost them somewhere along the way.
- Hub met one of the opening bands and they signed his CD for him.
- Crue did not play Smokin in the Boys Room - how is that possible?
- Crue also took so many breaks during the show - it was actually annoying. I don't know if they were taking their geritol or if Mick Mars was readjusting one of his recently replaced hips, but it was like, let's play two songs and then take a break and then another two songs and then another break. It got on my nerves.
- I saw more flashed boobies at this concert than I did at Mardi Gras.
I'll hopefully have more pics to put up tomorrow. Hub took a bazillion pics, plus some movies, so most of the tailgating pics are on the other memory card and I have no idea where it is. But here is me and Patsy rocking out:
But here's the best part. We get home at about 12:30 and we have no power. My whole neighborhood was out. Mind you, it was still in the 90's and there is no way I could sleep in that heat. The power didn't come back on till after 3:30 a.m. It sucked. So I got almost no sleep last night (again) and Princess woke up nice and early. Bah.
Saturday, August 13, 2005
Some Innocent Beer Fun
Friday, August 12, 2005
My Friend Should Be On Jerry Springer
But first...you people are killing me with this game from yesterday. I will do the people that signed up after I went to bed, but be aware that it takes me so friggin long to do this stuff that I barely got to visit anyone yesterday and now probably won't visit anyone today. So if you signed up already your answers will be in yesterdays comments some time today. NO MORE SIGNUPS THOUGH, PLEASE! And no more games for me after this! But don't forget...if you played with me yesterday (or today), you have to post the game on your blog now. EDIT: They are all done, even those of you kind folks who said I didn't have to do yours. I did them because you were so sweet to say I didn't have to do them.-----------
So I have this friend. She is very like me in so many ways - we are the same age, we went to school together since 7th grade, our families are very similar in makeup and closeness. But somewhere along the way (and this story goes waaaaay deeper than I am going to share here), her life took so many odd turns that now we have very little in common.
This friend's nickname is Springer. As in Jerry Springer. As in, he could fill a whole season of shows with her life. Here is season one in a nutshell:
1. I am married, yet pregnant with a married Orthodox Jewish guy's baby!*
2. I woke up in bed next to my husband's brother!
3. I am divorced, yet pregnant again with the same married man's baby!
4. I slept with my children's female nanny!
5. I slept with my step-brother and my children's female nanny...at the same time!
6. The Syrian Mob (allegedly) set my house on fire while I was sleeping and I had to jump out of a second story window to survive...and I was 8 months pregnant!
7. I just had my third kid and I am not married...but the father is! Just not to me!
8. I am so jealous that my kids' nanny is getting married that I try to fistfight him!
That's all I can think of right now (not that its not enough) but I know there is more I just can't think of. What is so sad is that she is the nicest person around. I love her to death and I love hanging out with her. I went to visit her yesterday, since she just had a baby (yep, by a married guy), and we had a nice time. I asked her about the father of the baby, and she said he is totally uninvolved (since he is married) and she is fine with it. I can't help but wonder what kind of example she is setting for her 7 year old daughter.
*Just to note: the only reason I mention this guy's religion is this: he is married with 5 children. He is Orthodox, so after sundown on Fridays he cannot do anything, even something as simple as turning on a lightswitch. So one Friday, he walked 3 miles from the temple to her house and she forgot to leave the lights on for him. So he sat in the dark for 4 hours until she got home. Now, I can respect a man who takes his religion so seriously that he would sit in the dark rather than commit what he considers to be a sin. BUT HE WAS THERE WAITING FOR HIS MISTRESS. HE IS A MARRIED MAN, WITH 5 CHILDREN. HE CANNOT TURN ON A LIGHT, BUT HE CAN COMMIT ADULTERY AND GET HIS MISTRESS PREGNANT TWICE??? Talk about hypocrisy.
So I have this friend. She is very like me in so many ways - we are the same age, we went to school together since 7th grade, our families are very similar in makeup and closeness. But somewhere along the way (and this story goes waaaaay deeper than I am going to share here), her life took so many odd turns that now we have very little in common.
This friend's nickname is Springer. As in Jerry Springer. As in, he could fill a whole season of shows with her life. Here is season one in a nutshell:
1. I am married, yet pregnant with a married Orthodox Jewish guy's baby!*
2. I woke up in bed next to my husband's brother!
3. I am divorced, yet pregnant again with the same married man's baby!
4. I slept with my children's female nanny!
5. I slept with my step-brother and my children's female nanny...at the same time!
6. The Syrian Mob (allegedly) set my house on fire while I was sleeping and I had to jump out of a second story window to survive...and I was 8 months pregnant!
7. I just had my third kid and I am not married...but the father is! Just not to me!
8. I am so jealous that my kids' nanny is getting married that I try to fistfight him!
That's all I can think of right now (not that its not enough) but I know there is more I just can't think of. What is so sad is that she is the nicest person around. I love her to death and I love hanging out with her. I went to visit her yesterday, since she just had a baby (yep, by a married guy), and we had a nice time. I asked her about the father of the baby, and she said he is totally uninvolved (since he is married) and she is fine with it. I can't help but wonder what kind of example she is setting for her 7 year old daughter.
*Just to note: the only reason I mention this guy's religion is this: he is married with 5 children. He is Orthodox, so after sundown on Fridays he cannot do anything, even something as simple as turning on a lightswitch. So one Friday, he walked 3 miles from the temple to her house and she forgot to leave the lights on for him. So he sat in the dark for 4 hours until she got home. Now, I can respect a man who takes his religion so seriously that he would sit in the dark rather than commit what he considers to be a sin. BUT HE WAS THERE WAITING FOR HIS MISTRESS. HE IS A MARRIED MAN, WITH 5 CHILDREN. HE CANNOT TURN ON A LIGHT, BUT HE CAN COMMIT ADULTERY AND GET HIS MISTRESS PREGNANT TWICE??? Talk about hypocrisy.
Thursday, August 11, 2005
Games People Play
Since I participated with Jlybn and Peanutt in their games, I am up next! I don't know how well I will do, but I am willing to give it a shot. If your responses from me suck, please keep in mind that I have not slept in nearly a week. Thank you for your understanding.
1) Put your name in my comments, and I'll respond with something random about you.
2) I'll tell you what song/or movie reminds me of you.
3) I'll pick a color/flavor of jello to wrestle with you in. (Maybe)
4) I'll say something that only makes sense to you and me.
5) I'll tell you my first memory of you.
6) I'll tell you what animal you remind me of.
7) I'll ask you something I've always wondered about you.
8) If I do this for you, you must post this on your blog. You MUST. It is written.
Now keep in mind that if I don't know you that well I may only be able to do one or two of them, and if I don't like you I won't do any. (Kidding, kidding.)
1) Put your name in my comments, and I'll respond with something random about you.
2) I'll tell you what song/or movie reminds me of you.
3) I'll pick a color/flavor of jello to wrestle with you in. (Maybe)
4) I'll say something that only makes sense to you and me.
5) I'll tell you my first memory of you.
6) I'll tell you what animal you remind me of.
7) I'll ask you something I've always wondered about you.
8) If I do this for you, you must post this on your blog. You MUST. It is written.
Now keep in mind that if I don't know you that well I may only be able to do one or two of them, and if I don't like you I won't do any. (Kidding, kidding.)
Wednesday, August 10, 2005
Video! Finally! I Hope!
But first...thanks to all of you who expressed concern for my lack of sleep. It actually has nothing at all to do with Princess - she is a great sleeper - goes to bed by 9 and sleeps till 8:30. Its all me. I have never been a good sleeper - I am a night owl so I always get a nice burst of energy right at about 10 pm when I should be winding down and getting ready for bed. And I go in spurts - sometimes I seem to get over it and can sleep fine, but then I will go for days/weeks (like now) and just not be able to sleep. So, this too shall pass, let's just hope its soon.
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And also...a hopefully fun game coming tomorrow...I just wanted to try to get this dang video posted first! Come back tomorrow to participate. It'll be easy on you, scary for me.
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So I have been trying FOREVAH to get video posted on this here blog. It is so not as easy as I thought, especially if you don't want to pay a penny to do it. BIG thanks to Ben Padilla who is my total hero for helping me figure this out. I still have a ways to go till I feel comfortable with it, but he walked me through it step by step and I am grateful. If you get a chance, go check out his blog - its one of my daily stops and it kicks serious ass. In any case, I can't post the concert video because its too long (and I have not figured out how to edit yet), but I do have a little video to show you what we go through nearly 24 hours a day at our house.
The backstory: On Monday night, football (that's American football, for you soccer fans) started. Yes, it was just preseason, but without hockey this year, its been a loooong time between sports I actually want to watch on tv. And Hub was just about jumping out of his skin with excitement at the prospect of watching football again. He's singing "Are you ready for some football!?!?!" to Princess, and she did not respond as he had hoped.
Now go play the video!
I hope you can open the movie...it may take a minute to load. And you may need Quicktime to view it, I am not completely sure. But if you do, its free and easy to download here. But just in case you can't view it (which would not surprise me), look how big my little angel is getting!!!
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And also...a hopefully fun game coming tomorrow...I just wanted to try to get this dang video posted first! Come back tomorrow to participate. It'll be easy on you, scary for me.
-------------------
So I have been trying FOREVAH to get video posted on this here blog. It is so not as easy as I thought, especially if you don't want to pay a penny to do it. BIG thanks to Ben Padilla who is my total hero for helping me figure this out. I still have a ways to go till I feel comfortable with it, but he walked me through it step by step and I am grateful. If you get a chance, go check out his blog - its one of my daily stops and it kicks serious ass. In any case, I can't post the concert video because its too long (and I have not figured out how to edit yet), but I do have a little video to show you what we go through nearly 24 hours a day at our house.
The backstory: On Monday night, football (that's American football, for you soccer fans) started. Yes, it was just preseason, but without hockey this year, its been a loooong time between sports I actually want to watch on tv. And Hub was just about jumping out of his skin with excitement at the prospect of watching football again. He's singing "Are you ready for some football!?!?!" to Princess, and she did not respond as he had hoped.
Now go play the video!
I hope you can open the movie...it may take a minute to load. And you may need Quicktime to view it, I am not completely sure. But if you do, its free and easy to download here. But just in case you can't view it (which would not surprise me), look how big my little angel is getting!!!
Tuesday, August 09, 2005
Meme
But first: OMG, I need sleep. I have not slept more than 3 hours total in the past 3 nights, and did not sleep AT ALL last night. I feel like I am going to die.
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Thank God for Janet over at Fond of Elves for having this meme, since I have nothing to say today. She is afraid the world might be coming to an end, as I ALWAYS have something to say. Heh.
01. When you look at yourself in the mirror, what's the first thing you look at? I guess my eyes, to see how big the bags are under them from lack of sleep. And oh yes, they are HUGE right now.
02. How much cash do you have on you? Right now? None, I have no pockets.
03. What's a word that rhymes with "TEST"? Rest
04. Favourite plant? Do my stargazer lillies (though now dead) count?
05. Who is the 4th person on your missed call list on your cell phone? My cell phone was attacked by cranberry juice and no longer works, so I can't answer this question
06. What is your main ring tone on your phone? It was Mr. Brightside by the Killers
07. What shirt are you wearing? White tshirt, black shorts
08. Do you "label" yourself? I guess, but I never stick with just one label
09. Name brand of your shoes currently wearing? Barefoot
10. Do you prefer a bright or dark room? Dark. My house is an old Tudor and its very dark and cozy. Plus, darker rooms are more flattering to the complexion!
11. What did you have for breakfast? No breakfast
(What happened to number 12????)
13. What were you doing at midnight last night? Watching Reno 911
14. What did your last text message you received on your cell phone say? Dead cell, I cannot answer
15. Do you ever click on "Pop Ups" or Banners? NEVER
16. What's an expression that you say a lot? Whatever
17. Who told you they loved you last? Princess
18. Last furry thing you touched? Gypsy
19. How many hours a week do you work? Lets see, as a stay at home mom, I guess I work about 160 hours a week
20. How many rolls of film do you need to get developed? None, I am all-digital
21. Favourite age you have been so far? 22
22. Your worst enemy? I don't have too many enemies, so I'd have to say my nemesis.
23. What is your current desk top picture? A pic of me and Hub from the Mellencamp concert
24. What was the last thing you said to someone? ALRIGHT! YOU CAN WATCH DORA!
25. If you had to choose between a million bucks or to be able to go back in time and fix all your mistakes which would you choose? A million bucks. I am pretty happy with how my life has turned out thus far, and while there are some things I would like to go back and do differently, I might end up someplace else if I did!
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Thank God for Janet over at Fond of Elves for having this meme, since I have nothing to say today. She is afraid the world might be coming to an end, as I ALWAYS have something to say. Heh.
01. When you look at yourself in the mirror, what's the first thing you look at? I guess my eyes, to see how big the bags are under them from lack of sleep. And oh yes, they are HUGE right now.
02. How much cash do you have on you? Right now? None, I have no pockets.
03. What's a word that rhymes with "TEST"? Rest
04. Favourite plant? Do my stargazer lillies (though now dead) count?
05. Who is the 4th person on your missed call list on your cell phone? My cell phone was attacked by cranberry juice and no longer works, so I can't answer this question
06. What is your main ring tone on your phone? It was Mr. Brightside by the Killers
07. What shirt are you wearing? White tshirt, black shorts
08. Do you "label" yourself? I guess, but I never stick with just one label
09. Name brand of your shoes currently wearing? Barefoot
10. Do you prefer a bright or dark room? Dark. My house is an old Tudor and its very dark and cozy. Plus, darker rooms are more flattering to the complexion!
11. What did you have for breakfast? No breakfast
(What happened to number 12????)
13. What were you doing at midnight last night? Watching Reno 911
14. What did your last text message you received on your cell phone say? Dead cell, I cannot answer
15. Do you ever click on "Pop Ups" or Banners? NEVER
16. What's an expression that you say a lot? Whatever
17. Who told you they loved you last? Princess
18. Last furry thing you touched? Gypsy
19. How many hours a week do you work? Lets see, as a stay at home mom, I guess I work about 160 hours a week
20. How many rolls of film do you need to get developed? None, I am all-digital
21. Favourite age you have been so far? 22
22. Your worst enemy? I don't have too many enemies, so I'd have to say my nemesis.
23. What is your current desk top picture? A pic of me and Hub from the Mellencamp concert
24. What was the last thing you said to someone? ALRIGHT! YOU CAN WATCH DORA!
25. If you had to choose between a million bucks or to be able to go back in time and fix all your mistakes which would you choose? A million bucks. I am pretty happy with how my life has turned out thus far, and while there are some things I would like to go back and do differently, I might end up someplace else if I did!
Sunday, August 07, 2005
Beer and Cosmos and Margaritas, Oh My!
Last night, Hub and I went into Hoboken (the party capital of Jersey - one square mile of drinking pleasure) to celebrate my friend's birthday. He turned 40 (personal note to him: eeek! The big 4-0! You are soooo much older than me!!!).
I had convinced Hub that we should go in a little early because I wanted to go to East LA's, my favorite place for margaritas on the planet. But, we got a call from our friend asking if we wanted to ride in with them - they had decided to get a limo so no one had to drive. Of course we said HELL YEAH! So we skipped the margaritas and went to our friends' house for early cocktails and then took the limo into Hoboken.
They had reserved a downstairs room at Amanda's for the party, and there were about 30 of us there. We had never been to the restaurant, but it was very nice. There was a cocktail hour with passed hors d'oeuvres, then a sit-down dinner, and then dessert. We had good drinks, good food, and good fun with friends. Once dinner was over we hopped back in the limo and head back to their house for frozen margaritas. All in all, a very fun night.
It was nice to do something a little more "upscale" for once. We are really low-maintenance-type people, meaning that we usually wear jeans and drink beer and hang out at average-joe places. This was nice because while it was still casual, we had to get a little dressier and everything was just a little bit nicer. But it was still a wild, fun, good time.
Happy Birthday, Jose! Love ya!
Mike, Hub and True in the limo:
The Birthday Boy and me:
My 5th or 6th Cosmo and the cool shaker it was served in:
Me and Hub back at their house:
I had convinced Hub that we should go in a little early because I wanted to go to East LA's, my favorite place for margaritas on the planet. But, we got a call from our friend asking if we wanted to ride in with them - they had decided to get a limo so no one had to drive. Of course we said HELL YEAH! So we skipped the margaritas and went to our friends' house for early cocktails and then took the limo into Hoboken.
They had reserved a downstairs room at Amanda's for the party, and there were about 30 of us there. We had never been to the restaurant, but it was very nice. There was a cocktail hour with passed hors d'oeuvres, then a sit-down dinner, and then dessert. We had good drinks, good food, and good fun with friends. Once dinner was over we hopped back in the limo and head back to their house for frozen margaritas. All in all, a very fun night.
It was nice to do something a little more "upscale" for once. We are really low-maintenance-type people, meaning that we usually wear jeans and drink beer and hang out at average-joe places. This was nice because while it was still casual, we had to get a little dressier and everything was just a little bit nicer. But it was still a wild, fun, good time.
Happy Birthday, Jose! Love ya!
Mike, Hub and True in the limo:
The Birthday Boy and me:
My 5th or 6th Cosmo and the cool shaker it was served in:
Me and Hub back at their house:
Saturday, August 06, 2005
Watcha Dora
When I was pregnant and looking at daycare centers for Princess (when I thought I would be returning to work), the one thing I was most concerned with (after safety) was that they didn't prop the kids up in front of the tv all day. I didn't want my kid to be a couch potato by her first birthday, and I felt like if I was paying for them to watch my kid, they should do more than entertain her with cartoons.
Well. So much for that. Princess is almost 20 months old and is addicted to Dora the Explorer. Its already out of control. Her favorite saying is not Mommy or Daddy or I Love You. Its "Watcha Dora" which means "I Need To Watch Dora Now Or I Will Explode" and its said repeatedly until she gets to watch Dora. She has taken to having near-tantrums if I say no.
She sings along with the songs. She talks to the characters. She does what Dora tells her to do (Hug yourself real tight so we can wake up sleeping Boots! Tighter!). She doesn't do what Mommy tells her to do. Somehow Dora has become the authority figure in my house. I have no idea how this happened.
But, it gives me time to blog, as guess what Princess is doing now? Watcha Dora.
Dora, The Devil
Well. So much for that. Princess is almost 20 months old and is addicted to Dora the Explorer. Its already out of control. Her favorite saying is not Mommy or Daddy or I Love You. Its "Watcha Dora" which means "I Need To Watch Dora Now Or I Will Explode" and its said repeatedly until she gets to watch Dora. She has taken to having near-tantrums if I say no.
She sings along with the songs. She talks to the characters. She does what Dora tells her to do (Hug yourself real tight so we can wake up sleeping Boots! Tighter!). She doesn't do what Mommy tells her to do. Somehow Dora has become the authority figure in my house. I have no idea how this happened.
But, it gives me time to blog, as guess what Princess is doing now? Watcha Dora.
Dora, The Devil
Friday, August 05, 2005
Why HR People Suck
But first...I meant to mention this yesterday while talking about what's been on tv, but does anyone watch Miami Ink on TLC? Its about a new tattoo parlor in Miami (duh) and the guys that work there. As a tattooed freak myself, I like the show. But in any case, there was a guy on there who came in for a tattoo, and the tattooing guy notices a weird tattoo on the guy's lower back...turns out the guy got a THONG tattooed on him while in Mexico. And oh yeah, it was pink. Not that there's anything wrong with that...
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So now I am going to go on a little rant that may ramble on and on, and if you don't want to read it I don't blame you. But I am going to do it anyway. I won't be hurt if you just skip it.
I have been home with Princess for 19 months now, and happy to be here. But let's be honest. Money is tight. T.I.G.H.T. So I started looking to see what kinds of jobs are out there for me. Nope, no BLOGGERS NEEDED, $1,000,000 TO START ads out there. But my background is in Human Resources, specifically in recruitment. So I see one ad that looks promising, send in my resume, get a call, and they are paying $40k. Nope, don't think so. My property taxes alone are $10k a year, childcare will be $200/week - $40k ain't gonna cut it. So I keep looking. Then I see this: a big company was looking for a part time contract recruiter, $25/hour. Hm, that might work. With a part time position, I could balance the whole work/life thing like they talk about on tv. So I send in my resume. They call me immediately and schedule an interview for the next day. I go.
I meet with two people. The first is the recruiter trying to fill this job. She asks me NO QUESTIONS. NONE. She tells me all about the company and the job and her life and all that...and then asks me if I have any questions. So I said, "Well, my only question is if there is anything else I can tell you about my background." Meaning, hey idiot, ask me something so I can tell you I would be good for this job. So she says, "Oh! Sure! So what did you do at XYZ Company?" I tell her a little bit, she kinda interrupts and tells me "yep, that's what we need here!" So I stop telling her stuff. She tells me to wait, because she wants me to meet with her boss. Okay. So then he comes in, very serious and whatnot, and asks me these questions: Did you like working at XYZ? Why? What are you proudest of that you did there? What are you least proud of?
That was it. Now first of all, how they can determine whether someone is qualified for a job based on these interviews is beyond me. "Did I like working at XYZ? Why, of course! It was wonderful! I loved it and they loved me!" Whew, thank God they got that vital information out of me! Now they can make an informed decision!
And, being that what I do is interview people, I could not get over the idiocy of the "least proud of" question. That is the worst I have ever heard. I told him that in all seriousness, there was nothing I was not proud of that I did. I worked hard and I was ethical and moral and I did right by the employees and the company. There was nothing in my career to be "least proud" of.
So bottom line is this. They said they interviewed three people and would be making a decision by Thursday. So now, as I am typing this, it is 9 am on Friday and I haven't received a call. So I assume I did not get it. But, based on their questions, its not even like I could pick something out and say, I can do this better in my next interview. I can only assume that they got some bubbly person in there who sold themselves better than I did. That's not me. I do what I do, and I do it well. I am professional and work hard and do the job right. But I am not bubbly and perky, that's for sure, and I am not going to "oversell" myself. I hate when candidates do that - they want the job so bad that they are drooling and begging. I am not that desperate. Yet.
So, being that I have only applied for 2 jobs thus far and was called on both of them, I am still optimistic. I am the kind of person who believes that everything happens for a reason, so I think that this was just not the job for me. I liked the idea of part-time, but I also did a little more research. I saw several other contract recruiter positions that were making $40-45/hour. So, maybe I am meant to have one of those positions, even if they are full time. I just hope the Life part of the Work/Life balance doesn't have to suffer too much.
--------
So now I am going to go on a little rant that may ramble on and on, and if you don't want to read it I don't blame you. But I am going to do it anyway. I won't be hurt if you just skip it.
I have been home with Princess for 19 months now, and happy to be here. But let's be honest. Money is tight. T.I.G.H.T. So I started looking to see what kinds of jobs are out there for me. Nope, no BLOGGERS NEEDED, $1,000,000 TO START ads out there. But my background is in Human Resources, specifically in recruitment. So I see one ad that looks promising, send in my resume, get a call, and they are paying $40k. Nope, don't think so. My property taxes alone are $10k a year, childcare will be $200/week - $40k ain't gonna cut it. So I keep looking. Then I see this: a big company was looking for a part time contract recruiter, $25/hour. Hm, that might work. With a part time position, I could balance the whole work/life thing like they talk about on tv. So I send in my resume. They call me immediately and schedule an interview for the next day. I go.
I meet with two people. The first is the recruiter trying to fill this job. She asks me NO QUESTIONS. NONE. She tells me all about the company and the job and her life and all that...and then asks me if I have any questions. So I said, "Well, my only question is if there is anything else I can tell you about my background." Meaning, hey idiot, ask me something so I can tell you I would be good for this job. So she says, "Oh! Sure! So what did you do at XYZ Company?" I tell her a little bit, she kinda interrupts and tells me "yep, that's what we need here!" So I stop telling her stuff. She tells me to wait, because she wants me to meet with her boss. Okay. So then he comes in, very serious and whatnot, and asks me these questions: Did you like working at XYZ? Why? What are you proudest of that you did there? What are you least proud of?
That was it. Now first of all, how they can determine whether someone is qualified for a job based on these interviews is beyond me. "Did I like working at XYZ? Why, of course! It was wonderful! I loved it and they loved me!" Whew, thank God they got that vital information out of me! Now they can make an informed decision!
And, being that what I do is interview people, I could not get over the idiocy of the "least proud of" question. That is the worst I have ever heard. I told him that in all seriousness, there was nothing I was not proud of that I did. I worked hard and I was ethical and moral and I did right by the employees and the company. There was nothing in my career to be "least proud" of.
So bottom line is this. They said they interviewed three people and would be making a decision by Thursday. So now, as I am typing this, it is 9 am on Friday and I haven't received a call. So I assume I did not get it. But, based on their questions, its not even like I could pick something out and say, I can do this better in my next interview. I can only assume that they got some bubbly person in there who sold themselves better than I did. That's not me. I do what I do, and I do it well. I am professional and work hard and do the job right. But I am not bubbly and perky, that's for sure, and I am not going to "oversell" myself. I hate when candidates do that - they want the job so bad that they are drooling and begging. I am not that desperate. Yet.
So, being that I have only applied for 2 jobs thus far and was called on both of them, I am still optimistic. I am the kind of person who believes that everything happens for a reason, so I think that this was just not the job for me. I liked the idea of part-time, but I also did a little more research. I saw several other contract recruiter positions that were making $40-45/hour. So, maybe I am meant to have one of those positions, even if they are full time. I just hope the Life part of the Work/Life balance doesn't have to suffer too much.
Thursday, August 04, 2005
Random Stuff on a Thursday
If I haven't visited you the past few days, please don't desert me or think I don't love you anymore. I have just had so much going on, and no time to wander. But I will come see you today!
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Isn't it just the best when someone mentions you on their blog - and is complimentary about you? Its so often that people try to be snarky instead of nice and they end up being just mean. But - I had the privilege of being mentioned on WS Cross's blog, and here's what she said about yours truly:
"A True Jersey Girl is pretty much representative of the modern woman today: opinionated, generous, funny, talkative, down-to-earth, a lady who speaks her mind and has lots of friends leaving funny comments on her site. Sub-titled "Big Hair, Bon Jovi and Bruce," she's just as likely to show you her family photos as tell you why the governor pissed her off recently. Ever wonder how Jersey girls think? Here's your chance to find out."
Aw, I am blushing. Well, go on over and check her out (you are all adults, right?). You will be glad you did.
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RockStar INXS: If that girl Jordis does not win this whole thing, the only reasoning can be that they don't want a chick singer. Her voice is phenomenal (it gives me chills), her stage presence is amazing, and the emotion she portrays in her songs is tremendous. If INXS doesn't take her, they are morons. And whatever band does snatch her up will be on my list of "Next CD To Buy."
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Did anyone see that show about feral children on TLC the other night? It was a documentary about kids who are basically abandoned by their parents (mostly due to alcoholism) and are raised by dogs. The kids have been fed by stray dogs who bring them scraps of food they find, they are kept warm by the dogs snuggling with them, and in some cases, the dogs have even breastfed the kids. All true stories. It was facinating to see how the kids just cannot learn language beyond a certain point because it has to be learned by a certain age or the brain shuts down. The most disturbing thing (other than the glaring fact that dogs are more capable of caring for children than some humans are) was that one of the "mothers" who left her kid locked in her bedroom for 13 years (the girl could not speak at all; she had never been spoken to) was somehow allowed to make the decision at some point that the researchers and language professionals who were helping her had gotten too close to her. She was then put into one adult home after the next, never able to see the only people who ever cared for her at all. I don't get how a woman like that gets to make any decisions, for anyone.
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Finally, they are going to makeover Patsy's house!
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And finally, try this. Its pretty funny!!! Have a great Thursday!
------------
Isn't it just the best when someone mentions you on their blog - and is complimentary about you? Its so often that people try to be snarky instead of nice and they end up being just mean. But - I had the privilege of being mentioned on WS Cross's blog, and here's what she said about yours truly:
"A True Jersey Girl is pretty much representative of the modern woman today: opinionated, generous, funny, talkative, down-to-earth, a lady who speaks her mind and has lots of friends leaving funny comments on her site. Sub-titled "Big Hair, Bon Jovi and Bruce," she's just as likely to show you her family photos as tell you why the governor pissed her off recently. Ever wonder how Jersey girls think? Here's your chance to find out."
Aw, I am blushing. Well, go on over and check her out (you are all adults, right?). You will be glad you did.
-----------
RockStar INXS: If that girl Jordis does not win this whole thing, the only reasoning can be that they don't want a chick singer. Her voice is phenomenal (it gives me chills), her stage presence is amazing, and the emotion she portrays in her songs is tremendous. If INXS doesn't take her, they are morons. And whatever band does snatch her up will be on my list of "Next CD To Buy."
-----------
Did anyone see that show about feral children on TLC the other night? It was a documentary about kids who are basically abandoned by their parents (mostly due to alcoholism) and are raised by dogs. The kids have been fed by stray dogs who bring them scraps of food they find, they are kept warm by the dogs snuggling with them, and in some cases, the dogs have even breastfed the kids. All true stories. It was facinating to see how the kids just cannot learn language beyond a certain point because it has to be learned by a certain age or the brain shuts down. The most disturbing thing (other than the glaring fact that dogs are more capable of caring for children than some humans are) was that one of the "mothers" who left her kid locked in her bedroom for 13 years (the girl could not speak at all; she had never been spoken to) was somehow allowed to make the decision at some point that the researchers and language professionals who were helping her had gotten too close to her. She was then put into one adult home after the next, never able to see the only people who ever cared for her at all. I don't get how a woman like that gets to make any decisions, for anyone.
-------------
Finally, they are going to makeover Patsy's house!
-------------
And finally, try this. Its pretty funny!!! Have a great Thursday!
Wednesday, August 03, 2005
An Engaging Day
Inspired by the SugarV's recent post on how he proposed, plus the fact that I have been talking about Billy Lane alot so I want everyone to know exactly how awesome Hub, here is our "getting engaged" story.
We had met in 1994 at a seedy, meatmarket-type bar in NYC (someday I will share that story). It was now November 1996 around my 25th birthday. We used to have season tickets for the Devils at that time, so he came to my parents house to pick me up for a game and was an hour early. I came downstairs yelling, because why was he there so early! I wasn't ready! Turns out he was asking my parents for my hand in marriage. I knew something was up because when I came down, everyone was completely silent (a rarity for my family) and Hub was white as a ghost and trembling.
A week later, he tells me we are going to do something, but won't tell me what. He comes and picks me up and we drive out to western Jersey. We pull into the parking lot of some little inn/bed & breakfast/restaurant place. As we pull into the parking lot, I see what they are doing in the field behind the building - preparing hot air balloons. So we go over there and of course I realize the whole plan now.
We assist in inflating the balloons (there were three balloons going up at one time), and then we take off. We float over the ground, and since it was fall we can see through the leafless trees and watch deer and turkeys and other animals roaming in the woods. It was awesome. Finally, Hub gets down on one knee (yes, in the teeny hot air balloon basket, and yes, he is afraid of heights) and proposes. I don't answer right away because I am distracted by the fact that he tied the ring to his pants with string so that it wouldn't fall over the edge if he dropped it. Someone in another balloon apparently also got engaged, as our pilot gets a message over the radio that "She said yes!" So our pilot says "We have a yes too!" To which I replied - "I didn't say yes yet!" So of course then I say yes. We have champagne and all that. After the flight, we talk to the other couple who just got engaged and they already have a date and a place picked out!
Then we drive to my parents' house where they are waiting for us to arrive, along with his mother. She has brought Italian pastries and his sister sent a pricey bottle of Perrier Jouet champagne for us to enjoy. We hang out for a little while, reliving the event for them. Then, Hub tells me to go get changed for dinner. What? There's more?
So I go change, and he takes me to The Shadowbrook, which is one of my favorite restaurants of all time. We have a wonderful dinner, and all the while I am wondering how he planned all this and when he had gotten so romantic. It was just perfect.
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Funny thing: remember how I said he tied the ring to his pants? The pilot said, "I had a guy propose to his girlfriend up here and he dropped the ring over the side. The girl was freaking out, wanted to land the balloon and look for it, etc. Then, he pulls out the real ring and says that was just a practical joke." So I go to work the Monday after we get engaged and I am telling this girl how Hub proposed. She tells me how her now-husband proposed the same way - and threw a fake ring over the side as a joke. Ha ha. He was the one the pilot had told us about. Ha ha. They are now divorced.
We had met in 1994 at a seedy, meatmarket-type bar in NYC (someday I will share that story). It was now November 1996 around my 25th birthday. We used to have season tickets for the Devils at that time, so he came to my parents house to pick me up for a game and was an hour early. I came downstairs yelling, because why was he there so early! I wasn't ready! Turns out he was asking my parents for my hand in marriage. I knew something was up because when I came down, everyone was completely silent (a rarity for my family) and Hub was white as a ghost and trembling.
A week later, he tells me we are going to do something, but won't tell me what. He comes and picks me up and we drive out to western Jersey. We pull into the parking lot of some little inn/bed & breakfast/restaurant place. As we pull into the parking lot, I see what they are doing in the field behind the building - preparing hot air balloons. So we go over there and of course I realize the whole plan now.
We assist in inflating the balloons (there were three balloons going up at one time), and then we take off. We float over the ground, and since it was fall we can see through the leafless trees and watch deer and turkeys and other animals roaming in the woods. It was awesome. Finally, Hub gets down on one knee (yes, in the teeny hot air balloon basket, and yes, he is afraid of heights) and proposes. I don't answer right away because I am distracted by the fact that he tied the ring to his pants with string so that it wouldn't fall over the edge if he dropped it. Someone in another balloon apparently also got engaged, as our pilot gets a message over the radio that "She said yes!" So our pilot says "We have a yes too!" To which I replied - "I didn't say yes yet!" So of course then I say yes. We have champagne and all that. After the flight, we talk to the other couple who just got engaged and they already have a date and a place picked out!
Then we drive to my parents' house where they are waiting for us to arrive, along with his mother. She has brought Italian pastries and his sister sent a pricey bottle of Perrier Jouet champagne for us to enjoy. We hang out for a little while, reliving the event for them. Then, Hub tells me to go get changed for dinner. What? There's more?
So I go change, and he takes me to The Shadowbrook, which is one of my favorite restaurants of all time. We have a wonderful dinner, and all the while I am wondering how he planned all this and when he had gotten so romantic. It was just perfect.
-----
Funny thing: remember how I said he tied the ring to his pants? The pilot said, "I had a guy propose to his girlfriend up here and he dropped the ring over the side. The girl was freaking out, wanted to land the balloon and look for it, etc. Then, he pulls out the real ring and says that was just a practical joke." So I go to work the Monday after we get engaged and I am telling this girl how Hub proposed. She tells me how her now-husband proposed the same way - and threw a fake ring over the side as a joke. Ha ha. He was the one the pilot had told us about. Ha ha. They are now divorced.
Tuesday, August 02, 2005
My 200th Post
That's right, I have written 200 posts for this here blog. I can't believe I still have anything left to say. But of course, I do.
Today I am going to talk about exercise and how much it sucks. I want so much to enjoy it. To be one of those people who loves to run, so I can say things like "when I run it clears my mind, it relaxes me." But ya know what? I truly dislike exercising. I can't run because of my rather large boobs, and power walking bores me for the most part. I like a leisurely stroll in the park with my dog and kid, but I don't really want to sweat or anything. And I have a treadmill, but it is basically a very expensive clothes hanger at this point.
I have been working out, though, at least 5 times a week. Whoever invented The Firm is certainly the devil, I will have you know. It makes me hurt and sweat and nearly cry because its so hard. And those bitches in the video are so freakin perfect they make me want to throw up my dinner. But I won't, don't worry, I love food too much.
So the point is that it does not matter that I have been doing either The Firm, Tae-Bo, or Kickboxing five times a week for over a month now, consistently, and that I can see changes in my body, and that I am feeling better, and that shorts that have not fit me in three years fit now. I still hate it with every ounce of my being.
But I do love that Hub and I had this conversation last night:
Hub: "Have you lost alot of weight?"
TJG: "Some, I dunno, I am not weighing myself."
Hub: "Well, you look like you lost alot. A lot. You look good."
This is why I would not leave him for Jon Bon Jovi or Billy Lane or anyone else. And coming tomorrow - the story of how we got engaged. Oh yes, it is super-romantic. Really.
Today I am going to talk about exercise and how much it sucks. I want so much to enjoy it. To be one of those people who loves to run, so I can say things like "when I run it clears my mind, it relaxes me." But ya know what? I truly dislike exercising. I can't run because of my rather large boobs, and power walking bores me for the most part. I like a leisurely stroll in the park with my dog and kid, but I don't really want to sweat or anything. And I have a treadmill, but it is basically a very expensive clothes hanger at this point.
I have been working out, though, at least 5 times a week. Whoever invented The Firm is certainly the devil, I will have you know. It makes me hurt and sweat and nearly cry because its so hard. And those bitches in the video are so freakin perfect they make me want to throw up my dinner. But I won't, don't worry, I love food too much.
So the point is that it does not matter that I have been doing either The Firm, Tae-Bo, or Kickboxing five times a week for over a month now, consistently, and that I can see changes in my body, and that I am feeling better, and that shorts that have not fit me in three years fit now. I still hate it with every ounce of my being.
But I do love that Hub and I had this conversation last night:
Hub: "Have you lost alot of weight?"
TJG: "Some, I dunno, I am not weighing myself."
Hub: "Well, you look like you lost alot. A lot. You look good."
This is why I would not leave him for Jon Bon Jovi or Billy Lane or anyone else. And coming tomorrow - the story of how we got engaged. Oh yes, it is super-romantic. Really.
Monday, August 01, 2005
My Beautiful Flowers & The Friggin' Heat
I do not have a green thumb by any stretch of the imagination. I used to plant annuals (or are they perennials? The ones you have to plant every year? See what I mean...) but I got bored of doing it. Now, we just have bushes in front of the house and we cover the ground with cedar woodchips. Perhaps they are supposed to do something good for the ground, but I don't know. All I know is that you can't see the weeds as well with chips on top of them.
Well a couple years back I decided I wanted to plant Stargazer Lillies, because I had them in my wedding bouquet and I loved them. They have a pretty pungent smell to them, but they are beautiful. So I went to Home Depot and bought two pots of them and planted them in the front yard. I don't water them, or trim them, or fertilize them, or do whatever you should do to make them grow. But magically, they come back each year and they are gorgeous.
This year, they looked like this, and I was happy:
Then, we were hit with a heat wave, and this is what they look like now:
So, that's what they will look like till winter comes and snow covers them up, and they magically grow back next year. I hope.
Well a couple years back I decided I wanted to plant Stargazer Lillies, because I had them in my wedding bouquet and I loved them. They have a pretty pungent smell to them, but they are beautiful. So I went to Home Depot and bought two pots of them and planted them in the front yard. I don't water them, or trim them, or fertilize them, or do whatever you should do to make them grow. But magically, they come back each year and they are gorgeous.
This year, they looked like this, and I was happy:
Then, we were hit with a heat wave, and this is what they look like now:
So, that's what they will look like till winter comes and snow covers them up, and they magically grow back next year. I hope.
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