Halloween

I love Halloween. It's in the top 3 of my favorite holidays, definitely. Maybe even top 2. And every year we go to my friend's costume party. It's such a challenge for me to come up with just the right costume. (I know, trivial, but hey, it's a big deal!) I always end up as fictional characters' that must be my thing. Last year I was Rainbow Brite, the year before, Lucy (from I Love Lucy). I tossed around a couple ideas this year, Pippi Longstocking and Punky Brewster were some of them, but I just didn't get that "A-HA!" moment with any of them until today.

This year I'm going as (who else?) LOLA! From the Copacabana! So I need to find yellow feathers for my hair, and listen to the lyrics more closely than before, to find some more details about her. Our party is early this year, because Halloween weekend collides with St. Thomas packing weekend, so we had to move it up.
I'll be sure to put photos on here after the fact.

And since it's now 12:01 a.m., that makes it Thursday (except in Texas, it's still yesterday) which means it's the 28th! Happy Birthday to Identity Hair Salon!! We're 2!

In response to the response

This is for Nancy: I'm going to the reunion after all. I really thought I wasn't going to go, but I guess the inner-aunt-Nancy beat out the inner-mom/Amy/Kara/dad/Jill and I'm going to go. It's pure curiousity and I can't help it!
Plus, my friends will be there, so at least I know I'll have fun.
And I have a cute outfit, so it's a reason to wear it.

Lola jeans are just a brand, but I love the name so that's why I tried them on and bought them. (They call me Lola at work...you can use your noggin and figure it out.)

I know I put that above info on my last post response, but I wasn't sure if you people read responses to responses.

Brenda: What was the girl's name who cut your hair? I wouldn't be suprised if my coworkers know her. Springfield is like that.

I REALLY shouldn't be allowed to ride in things with wheels. I pulled out of my accountant's office onto Limestone (which is a very busy 4 lane road....well, busy by Springfield standards!) and the car just shut down. This isn't the Solstice, (which we have back and is apparently running fine: I don't know, because I won't touch it.) it's my Saturn. It just stopped, all the dials went down to 0 and it had just shut off. WEIRD. So I turned the key off and restarted it and it was fine and I went to Big Boy and got a salad and went back to work. It's been fine since, but now I'm a little leery that I just break everything I drive in.

Maybe I should just get a chauffer?

my not-so-exciting weekend

I know it seems as though I live the life of a Hollywood starlet,and every day is a party with me, but every now and then I have some down time. :)
This weekend was just that, and it was great. Stayed in Saturday night, went shopping all day Sunday (OK, that was pretty fabulous- I got a new pair of "Lola" jeans: how great is that?!) and went to a 3-hour class today on a bunch of things about haircolor that I already know. All I have to say about that is that it's 3 hours of my life that I'll never get back, and I could have spent them sleeping in.
Oh well. What can you do? At least I was there with friends, so it was fun.
So, all in all, a pretty laid back weekend, not too much to blog about, yet, I still managed to do so.

OH! And as of today, the dead-slug count is up to 3. One by beer, two by salt.

So...I'd say those two were assaulted....

Fame and Fortune telling

I'm a little upset with my "friend" Justin Chambers (a.k.a. Dr. Karev). T here was a little blurb in the Springfield paper today about how Grey's Anatomy returns tonight, and one of the stars is local native Chambers, etc. with a photo of him.
The last line read "Chambers declined requests for an interview".
Hmm....
As Joe says: Be nice to people on your way up; They'll be nice to you on your way down!

Another bit of info that Joe shared w/ me today:
Two peanuts were walking down the street. One was assaulted.

I have definitely been spending way too much time with the gang from 90210. Last night I dreamed I was stuck in an elevator with Kelly, Donna, Val, and Claire!

Time to go- important TV to get to! Yes I"m upset with Justin's snub of his hometown, but that doesn't mean I'm not going to watch his show!!!

Still awake...

It's 11:23, and I'm wide awake. Nowhere NEAR sleepy! It could be because I slept a little (ok, a lot!) later today, but hey, it's my day off and I"ll sleep in if I want to! I probably would have slept even later, had two annoying Jehovah's Witnesses not been banging on my door. And I mean banging! Knock once, OK, But ringing the doorbell repeatedly and banging on the door is not acceptable!
Don't they know people are still asleep at noon on Monday!?
Eh....
OK, most people are halfway through their workday at noon on Monday, but that's beside the point.
I did manage to get quite a lot accomplished today, after my looong sleep: Went to the grocery store, cleaned the kitchen and the bathroom, cleaned out my closet and rearranged it, put away the remainder of my summer clothes and organized my boots. (Yes, I have THAT many boots that I have the need to actually organize them!) Oh, and I did pilates. That took a lot of effort for my lazy self to do, but I did it. My joints creaked the entire way through, but I did it. Yay for me!

The newest annoyance of my house? Slugs.

Twice in the past three days, I have found a slug in the laundry room. I'm telling myself it's the same slug, and he just found his way back in 2 days later, instead of thinking that we are overrun by the slimy creatures. So I spent some time online finding how to get rid of slugs: Apparently they can squeeze through the smallest of openings, and come in where it's damp (that's not good! does that mean there's a leak?!) But if I set out bowls of beer, they'll crawl and in and die. I'm not sure if they die of drowning or of alcohol poisoning, and I don't care, as long as they don't come in. If I wasn't already in my p.j.'s, I'd be headed to Kroger right now to buy some Busch Lite (no need to make them bloated AND dead, right?) but since I'm all ready for bed (well, except for the sleepy part) it'll have to wait until tomorrow.
I considered root beer- I do have that, but I doubt it will work.
So, tomorrow night, I'll set out the beer, and by Wednesday morning, I'll either have dead slugs, or drunken skunks. Either way, it's bound to be a good time!

Other thoughts:
1. Leaning towards going to the reunion, but leaving after the dinner part. Seems like a fair compromise (to myself, that is.)
2. Cissi's all better, doggie diarrhea is GONE. Thank goodness.
3, 4, 5. Sometimes I wonder if I have a minor case of ADD. I can't simply sit here and blog and be happy...no, I'm blogging, watching E!, eating popcorn, and on commercials, flipping through Glamour magazine. And while I"m doing all of this, I'm thinking I could read another chapter of the paperback I'm almost done with...
6. I'm terrified of slugs. I keep checking the laundry room to make sure it hasn't come back.
7. I'm STILL not tired.
8. And Joe's been asleep for hours.
9. So has Cissi.
10. Did you hear that somewhere overseas (I missed where.) banned super-skinny models? They have to have a BMI of at least 18 (whoa!) to be able to model, because apparently the itsy bitsy ones are leading girls towards more eating disorders (no way!)and it's costing their government money. France? Or maybe it was Italy.
Maybe if I were doing less things at one time, I'd be able to get the details better.

I can't stop thinking about...

...skinny jeans!
I feel like I need some.
Please talk me out of it!

"Why dogs bite humans"

I got this forwarded e-mail yesterday titled "Why dogs bite humans". Lots of forwarded messages aren't really read, and a lot of them are just stupid. But this one had me cracking up, so I need to share it. So here you go:

To Go or Not to Go? THAT is the question.

edited, in the name of not making waves.

On to other topics:
I have another great TV show I'm already hooked on, after only 2 episodes: Men in Trees. It's really good! I'm probably partial to it because it's by the creators of Sex and the City, but I do like it. Think Carrie Bradshaw goes to Northern Exposure. It's a cute show, predictable, but fun.

Went to the library and checked out some CDs. I got all 4 volumes of Rod Stewart's "Great American Songbook"- very singable! (I tend to judge my CD's on whether they are good to sing along to in the car.)

I've been to Steak and Shake three times this week. That's more than I usually go in one year! I met a friend there for lunch earlier this week , and then went shopping, then went back later for the shakes we didn't have room for at lunch. And then Joe had me pick up his dinner from there tonight, so I got a shake tonight too. It's yummy (mocha) but I'm about all Steak and Shook up for a while, I think.

No bird love seat yet. I wonder if that was just a myth?

Went to the high school game Friday night. I've never seen so many people get so excited about a high school ripping off a college halftime show! Go script Ohio!! (Really, go Michigan!!!!!)

And since I'm counting, I leave for St. Thomas in 44 days.

I Brake for Jake!

Along the same lines of differing speech in various regions across the US, the status of the homeless man varies as well.
In Toronto hundreds of homeless line up sleeping bags and huddle together over night in the park by the ice rink. In Lapeer, they'd walk up and down the highways picking up pop cans, and turning them in for the ten cent deposits.

In Springfield, there are the few homeless guys, your traditional sleeping on a back stoop in an alley, crawling into an abandoned factory for shelter, holding the "will work for food" sign on a scrap of cardboard (I always wonder where they find the Sharpies to make the sign???). In our town, there's a little homeless villiage in a pallet yard, with little makeshift lean-tos and dining tables made from cable spools.

Inventive? Yes.
Survivalistic? Yes.
Is "survivalistic" a word? Don't know.
But typical? Definitely.

Not so in Ann Arbor. When I worked in Ann Arbor, MI, I'd park my car a million miles away from work, to avoid paying to park. Along the hike up the hill to my job, every once in a while, I'd pass by a homeless man in a doorway, giving me a great big grin.
Smiling, because I saw him first, waved and called out "hi Jake!"

This guy was "Shakey Jake", the best homeless guy ever! Seeing Jake on the way to work made your day that much better. He always had nice things to say to people; definitely the happiest bum I've ever seen. Jake sightings were always shared with friends, telling them where you saw him, what he said to you.

People didn't think twice about sharing spare change with Jake, buying him a coffee or a sandwich, or giving him a lift somewhere. (Which goes to show, being nice can get you everywhere!)

Jake was a local celebrity. He had his guitar with the Mickey Mouse sticker on it, and he'd wander around playing songs, singing shakey jibberish, wearing his big glasses, fur coat and pimp hat. He was cool. He was in parades and at festivals. There were actual products marketed after him!

What I always wondered though: if everyone loves him so much, why's he still homeless? Or is he really not, and has a place somewhere, and being "Shakey Jake" is just his day job, and he's just a little bit crazy?

I have no idea if Jake is still around, but...I do have the t-shirt! (Mine's yellow.)

Joe hates Kelly, but I can't get enough her, and all the rest!

Joe came home for lunch today, and I was doing laundry and watching (what else?) 90210. (Can I help it if Soap Net runs excessive amounts of their reruns??)
And he said he is so tired of my Beverly Hills friends that he wants to "kick in the TV screen".
Well.
He just doesn't understand- those are my FRIENDS! Yes, I know, it's delusional, and they are not real people, but hey, Kelly Taylor and I go way way back. I mean gosh, I saw her through many relationships, mostly with Brandon, a nasty fire, all stages of hair styles, not to mention a quick drug addiction and a stalker! I can't let her go now, just because she's in syndication, can I???
And while we're on the topic, lets talk about another good friend, Carrie Bradshaw. I like her so much, sometimes I think I AM her! Yes, I have the episodes on DVD, and yes, I've seen them all many times, but when they play a rerun on TBS, I can't turn away!
There's other good friends I like to check in with on a regular basis, including Joey Potter, Rachel Green, Dr. Green, Felicity, the entire Party of Five, and even Kelly, Zack, and Slater! We've got history, I can't leave them behind.

And now there's the new friends that I love just as much as the old ones: Lauren (aka "LC"), Meredith Gray, and all the girls on Wisteria Lane! Not to mention the new NBC dramas that look SO good.

And my favorite network friend, Dr. Alex Karev. See? We really are friends. Who's laughing now? :)

Gross.

Today was one of those nice slow-going Sundays; Slept in late, watched an episode of 90210 in my p.j.'s, went to a baby shower and ate lots of good party food, wandered around Target, picked up some salads for dinner and came home to...
a sick dog.
It's pretty safe to say that cleaning up dog poo (I think that's what it was) all over my carpet is definitely in my bottom five of things I like to do. Poor Cissi. I knew she wasn't feeling well last night (already did the poo/puke all over the floor last night!) but I had hoped she got it all out of her system. Usually she's sick once and done.
Not this time.
I think she has puppy-flu. Either that or she's just rotting from the inside out and leaving it all over my carpet.
So, I've put Cissi outside for a while, and last I checked on her she was chowing down on grass, so apparently she's still ill.
I now know where the phrase "sick as a dog" comes from. It's not pretty.
Time to go vacuum up the foaming carpet cleaner!

Ride the Ride

Word on the street is that I shouldn't drive myself around. Obviously, I can't handle a car, but who would have thought I couldn't ride a bike correctly?! (Remember the Friday night bike incident?)

Unfortunately, our town doesn't have public transportation, but there is a man on a lawnmower who drives by our house frequently. (I think he's going to McDonalds!)
Wonder if he'd give me a lift??

Friday Night Sights

First of all, a few thoughts on the family photo posted in the previous post:
1. Yes, I very much think that my dad looks a whole lot like his dad.
2. I also think that he looks like his uncle Roger; there's a picture of the 2 of them and they look very similar...I should find it and post it.
3. I am not sure what Lisa is looking at in photo #2, but I'd also like to know.
4. I especially like how we represent the four seasons: Joe and I are in fall sweaters; Lisa is in a spring-ish polo shirt and jeans; Dad and Rylee are definitely in summer clothes, and John is wearing a winter hat. It's funny how 68 degrees can feel warm to some people, and cool to others...although, to John's credit, he has been in Mississippi for quite a while and it's pretty hot there, so Ohio probably feels cold, relatively.
5. I didn't notice the broom when I was taking the photo. Nice photographer's eye, eh?

On to other thoughts:
I rode my bike to Kara's house tonight to watch the football game from her front porch with her and Rylee. Good times. However, halfway there, my chain fell off my bike, so walked my bike to her house, looking like a big ol' dork.
(Kara and I did some bike repair before I left so I could ride it back home.)
I rode home in the dark, because, well, in Ohio in September, it's already dark at 9:10 p.m. Good to know in case you think you might want to go riding on the poorly lit streets around here.

I'm still enjoying 90210 (it's on the Soap Net 2 times a day, so I DVR it and watch it at night!) Today I watched one in which Keri Strug guest-starred. I never reallized how much she looks/acts like What's-his-name (You know, "Mango" from SNL) until I saw her try to act on 90210. She's, for lack of better term, icky.

Have a busy day at work tomorrow so I have to get up early, beat the bridal party to the salon. Ugh. Waking up early is not my strong point. I don't know how teachers do it! I struggle to make it to work by 10!

Happy weekend, everyone!

Yay for days off!

It's Tuesday night, which means no work tomorrow! If you ever have the chance to have a day off in the middle of the week, take it. Having Wednesdays off completely makes up for working on Saturdays. It's great to have a free day to run around when everyone else is at work.
I always enjoy Tuesday nights, knowing I can stay up late and sleep in even later;(tonight I'll be watching a 90210 marathon).

Here's a few photos from the weekend:

Family Photo













And one of the group, not quite ready
(I especially like Rylee's look!)














Rylee, after dinner. Too cute!

Happy Labor Day.

It's 12:35 a.m., officially Labor Day. Happy day off to everyone! The weekend's been fun; we got a new back door and dining room set. I'll have to post photos, they're so pretty!! Spent the day cleaning, rearranging, vacuuming behind things that haven't seen the vacuum since, well...we won't go there...
Anyway, the house is all sparkles now, and were de-summerizing the place; taking air conditioners and fans out of windows, getting long-sleeve clothes out, swapping closets (er, clothes presses!)
I actually wore a sweater to dinner Saturday night!
Fall is definitely here. I love it. I got out my pumpkin-scented candles, my autumn leaf place mats, and the mugs (for hot cider and tea!) and put away the flip flops and the capris. It's time for jeans.

Cissi is having a hard time adjusting to the cooler weather; she's a real sunbather, and when it gets cold she just sits around and shakes all day. I think we got the fireplace more for her than anyone!

This is so random, I'm so deleriously tired.
Must. Go . To. Sleep.

Dinner w/ Lisa and John tomorrow: yay! I"ll post photos of that too.

Envelope or "Ahnvelope"?

Let's talk some more about these regional differences.
Words, or even actions, differ from place to place. I found a lot of funny little things just between living in Michigan vs. Ohio.

In the south, they say "coke" for a Sprite; in the Midwest it's "pop"; up north it's "soda".

In Ohio we measure distance by the time it takes to travel there (an hour away!)In Michigan, we measured distance by....well, distance! (60 miles away).

Our generation says couch, the previous generation apparantly said davenport.

(And I don't really know WHAT a clothespress is, but if I had to guess, I'd say it's an iron??? Or is it close press>? Hmmm....)

Even from decade to decade, it's different: I was watching 90210 the other day, and they said David "flunked" a test. (Oh no!)
There's a word we don't use anymore. Now,it's "fail". Actually, most kids have a IEP, so they can't even do that anymore....

And how do you pronounce "envelope"?

Any other fun examples of this?