Literal Confession

Okay. Here goes another one...confession, that is.

I like reading Sports Illustrated.

S subscribed because he loves football and needs something besides Better Homes and Gardens to read. The unfortunate result is that I enjoy picking up the new issue (they come every week) and perusing for articles of interest. I especially enjoy the Life of Reilly at the very back. This doesn't mean that I remember everything I read, but I'm learning. In fact, I have to ask S alot of questions because this is an area I don't really understand. It's sort of fun to be able to learn something about what likes. He's also a great teacher and patient with my ignorance. Thanks, sweetie. =)

(Oh yeah, I also enjoy reading his Audiology journals...sick, eh?)

What do you enjoy that nobody would suspect?

Musically Distracted

Yeah. I haven't made very good posting lately. Besides picking up in activity intensity before the holidays, and being recovering sickies (the entire household), I've fallen in love with my "jukebox". I come to the blogspot with every intention of creating a new post, only to become distracted by a great song. I think, okay, I'll listen to this one, then get on with the post. That works until the next song comes on...which, again, I think is super great. (I should like them all, I picked them out, for pete's sake!)

Anyway. That's part of my excuse.

I'm not sure if the tunes annoy the rest of y'all (who's stopped by only to be greeted with Queen's "Fat Bottomed Girls"?) or if you get a kick out of them. But whatever you think, I like them all...and I'll try to resist the power of the tunes and share a bit more life.

Thanks for listening....

p.s. what's your favorite?

The Talk that Almost Wasn't

Yes, we were asked to speak before we were given callings in our new ward. (But we've got those now too....) I was a basket-case last night trying to organize my chaotic thoughts into something resembling coherancy and purpose. This morning I fine tuned and last-minute adjusted. We arrived at church (in two cars because the guys were coming home after the first meeting due to illness. Last time we spoke together I was totally ill and S gave my talk for me--in addition to his. He spoke the entire meeting! That's definetly love. I offered to return the favor, but he declined. Anyway.)--I'm halfway inside when I realize I didn't grab my talk. I send S in with the kids and I hurry home to get the talk.

Thankfully we only live about 8 min. away. I get home, grab the papers from the counter where I had been reviewing my lesson for primary, and go back to the church. I grab the papers, only to realize that it's not my talk. It's a talk by Pres. Faust about "The Refiners Fire."

Is there a message here for me?

Once again I return home to get my talk. This time I make sure it's mine before I return to the church. I arrive just as the sacrament hymn is being finished.

(I really wanted to stay home and not go back, but could you imagine the trouble I'd have been in? If I lived any farther away I'd have been giving a talk from memory...or Elder Faust's.)

Talk about a crazy morning!

Daddy's Girl

So. Today was the first Parent-Teacher conference for myself and A. (I'll admit, I was a little nervous.) Everything went very well. She's a good student, and enjoys learning. The interesting part came when her teacher looked at her (we were both sitting next to each other, and across the table from Ms. W.) and then said,

"She sure looks like her daddy."

This threw me for a loop. (and S has been to the school to see her teacher, and picks A up sometimes, so she knows what he looks like.) Usually people comment that we have "twins"--a twin of me, and a twin of S. I usually smile....and don't go into the details of S being the odd colored kid in his family and me being the odd one in mine. (His siblings are all blonde, he's brown; mine are mostly brown and I'm fair-er...my denial is subject for another post.) Anyway. There's a first every day, even when you think you've heard it all.

Friday Movie Quote - Week II

Okay, here's the next movie:

"I just don't remember it being this orange..."

$45 for a Christmas tree and they don’t deliver?! You order $10 worth of chow-mein from Mr. Wong and they bring it to your door.

I should have gotten the blue spruce, they’re lighter!

What was he like? (referring to her dad)
Oh, a lot like me…dark hair, flat chest..”

(ripping)
Was that my pants or my muscles?

If you fit into my pants, I think I'll kill myself.

...you’re born into a family. You do not join them like you do the Marines.
You have to tell me what to do.
Pull the plug.
You’re sick.
I’m sick? You’re cheating on a vegetable!

I don’t really know Jack’s type.
I like blondes, chubby ones.

Mmm, these potatoes are so creamy.

I seen the way you look at him.
What? What do you mean? How do I look at him?
Like you just seen your first trans-am.

And then you leaned.
‘Kay. How did I lean when I leaned?
How were you leaning? It was a lot different than hugging. Hugging is very different.
Hugging, that involves arms and hands, leaning is whole bodies moving in, like this. Leaning involves wanting, and accepting. Leaning.

Hey luc! Is this guy bothering you?
No, no.
Are you sure? ‘cause itlooks like he’s leaning.

I’ve had a really lousy Christmas, you just managed to kill my New Year, if you come back at Easter, I’ll let you burn down my apartment.

Even this Chocolate Peanut Butter tastes better.
Good. It’s Fudge Mint.

And the squirrels…
Don’t even say it!
…first, I knocked them out of their nest with a rock. Then I saved them.

I’d say she gets under your skin, and drives you so nuts you don’t know whether to hug her or really arm wrestle her. She would go all the way to Europe just to get a stamp in her passport. I don’t know if that amounts to insanity or just being really, really likable.

(Argh!) I don’t want any flowers from you! I am not wearing black underwear! And I definitely do not want to move in with you Jo--- Jack.
Well, I don’t have any flowers, I wouldn’t mind seeing the black underwear, but under the circumstances I don’t think we should move in together.
(stifling giggle) I thought you were Joe Jr.
I get that a lot.

I suck, or the outfit sucks?
It’s a toss-up.

If you've figured it out...haul it out and watch it now! =) If you've got a favorite line, add it! Hope you have fun!

(yeah, the characters are in different colors...can you figure them out?)

Friday Movie Quote Answer -Week I

Okay, you've been on the edge of your seat all week, I know. Time to put you out of your misery. The quotes come from the movie....
"What's Up, Doc?" with Barbra Streisand and Ryan O'Neal. Hilarity. The poor man's life is made miserable by the woman following him, determined to make him like her. Fabulous mix-ups and a wonderful "chase" scene at the end with all sorts of mayhem. Check it out!

P.S.

I think this is how chain letters sound, if you step back and listen.

http://wilk4.com/humor/humorm293.htm

I won't forward it on to y'all...but you can click to read it if you want.

Hope it brings a smile.

ps. another site for checking out haoxes.
http://hoaxbusters.ciac.org/HoaxBustersHome.html

Red Alert!

Okay. Here comes the soapbox.

I know how fun and easy it is to use email to forward warnings of dangerous and devious doings to all the people in our inbox--for their safety and protection, of course. I delighted in these deeds just as much as everyone. Until... that fateful email sent by a friend patiently explaining that the virus warning just received was a hoax, and to check it out before sending it on. He recommended this website: www.breakthechain.org and I've been an addict ever since. You can search out all sorts of articles. (Another site is www.snopes.com but, I favor the break-the-chain.) Some of you may have received forwarded warnings right back with a link for an article to read. I hope you haven't minded.

I suppose this is my stand against the "herd" mentality of just sending stuff along without investigating first, to find out if it could be true. Otherwise, there's alot of "half-truths" masquerading as the real thing, and alot of people worrying for nothing. Common sense actually goes a long way to de-bunking these warnings, if we take the time to stop and think, instead of hitting forward, and send.

Anyway. I'm on the box today because I received two emails, nearly identical, about a current scam letter that is circulating. I'll get off now. Thanks! =)

Tagged-Paying Jobs

Wait? Paid Jobs? (I'm not sure I remember what those are anymore....)

Okay. I just wrote down my list. It's boring! I don't have a varied career in the workplace.

Here goes:

1. Paper route. Yes, I begin at the beginning. Don't laugh, it was twice a week and paid the bills. (hairspray...shampoo...candy...)
2. Selling corn and pumpkins (and sheep). Each fall we would sell corn in front of the house, just off the road, and the sheep were raised to sell at the stock show. This is how we earned money for school. (yeah, I had to pay for my own school fees while in junior high and high school.)
3. grocery checker and bagger. This was before I started college, at the local grocery store. I think I applied 15 times before they hired me.
4. personal typist - for the infamous Mrs. Virginia Richardson. I typed for her for four years, on a Word 3.1 program (that's the black screen and orange cursor version, with Ctrl and Shift functions to execute commands) She didn't want to "update" to windows and risk losing all of her prior work. (I got a really great oatmeal raisin cookie recipe from her and her clothing construction book that she wrote when she was a professor at USU.)
5. Data entry-four years at college in the controllers office. Scanning and entering documents.
6. Technical writing assistant-Summer job (3yrs) at the chemical incinerator in Tooele County. I helped edit an make corrections in technical procedure documents. I also got to carry a lovely green gas mask to don for drills. (heaven forbid an actual event!) I learned many acronyms and the ins and outs of word and word perfect. (Mostly sneaky editing to make things look pretty....)
7. soccer referee- one spring at USU I refereed youth rec. league games. Hilarious because I never played soccer. Good thing the kids were only about 9.
8. Anatomy TA- yeah, technically this paid in grades. I was a crappy TA but I loved the lab and even took a Human Dissection class for fun. (This is why I only get boneless, skinless chicken/meat. If I can identify it, I can't eat it! I would become vegetarian, but I love bacon! Mmmmmm.....)
9. Floral shop-short stint, wasn't cut out for it (almost forgot about it!), but I loved working with fresh flowers! I tend to be slower than fast when putting orders together.
10. Staff Assistant in the Contracts & Grants office at USU. I answered phones, typed stuff, tried to maintain order and find missing files. I also tried to keep my cool when called "Jenny" repeatedly by my boss. This was my first "real job" after graduating...
11. ...which I quit to go to massage school so I could work as a massage therapist. yeah, that only lasted until we moved across the country (for the first time) and had our first child. I still love it and miss massage.
12. I've also worked as a personal seamstress...custom making things for people who don't care to sew.

There. That should keep y'all busy for awhile, digesting this load of information. =)

For those of you that haven't divulged this info....get typing!! I'm sure you're more interesting that I am!

Tagged-Six Items of Interest

Where's my immunity charm to being tagged? ...I'm sorry, you can't tag me, I have a shrunken head and a banana peel, so the tag slips by and hits someone else! I guess that doesn't work, does it?

I guess I'm dragging my feet because I can't come up with six interesting things about myself. Pathetic, eh? Well, we'll just see how it goes...

1. I've never been out of the lower 48 United States. Yeah, this is slightly embarrassing. I've spent my entire life in one country. Never mind that I've been from end to end and top to bottom and many places in between. I've been to the Pacific Ocean, and the Atlantic. In one week I traveled from Mesa, Arizona to Tacoma, Washington. Only miles from the north and south borders, but I never crossed them. Now, this wouldn't be so bad, except I own a passport. (Please, subdue your laughter) A moment of passion and "what if.." inspired by While You Were Sleeping.... So call me Lucy! I still need a stamp. (and a new picture, it's worse than the driver's license!!)
2. I once ran a mile in.....(drum roll please)...... under six minutes. I know, shocker. 'Bout keeled me over when I found out too. Of course, I'd just finished running it and was exhausted. Anyway. This was back in my "Glory Days" of high school track, my junior year. I believe that was my best year ever, and I trained for the 400m relay. (I ran 300m hurdles and mile-okay 1600m technically- to keep things interesting.) Anyway. I made it to the State track meet and wanted to run the mile in under six minutes. I did. 5:56 and some odd hundredths. I finished fifth. I've never run that fast since! I'm not as good as I once was...
3. I was 26 when I got my ears pierced. Seriously. Mom didn't go for that sort of thing when we were at home. She said we could decide when we were grown. I'm still not completely sure what the big deal was.... but none of us (4) girls ever even tried to pierce our ears when we lived under her roof. I was on a date with my husband and we just decided to stop at a little shop in the mall and put me under the gun. (although, I still had to run out to the car to get my ID to prove that I was over 18!!!-or did I have S fill in as my "guardian" to give consent?) I'm still waiting for my 2 carat diamond (zirconium?) stud earrings--a motivational factor in my decision. Ah, yes, vanity...
4. I am addicted to fabric. There's just no pretty way to say it. I'm a fabricoholic. I love buying fabric! I can resist clothes (for the most part) but not four yards of corduroy marked 50% off! I have an incredible stockpile (S can attest to that-after moving it across the country-again!) and I love to imagine what I'll make with each piece. I also collect patterns--for 99cents I can dream an entire wardrobe each season. This wouldn't be so bad, but I rarely make clothes for myself. (I tend to forget to "fit" the pattern correctly) I have made dresses for A which are darling, and I get in the occasional baby blanket (flannel rag are my fav. at the moment) and purse. I think I've got 20 baby blankets in queue and at least that many purses. I just don't have enough time for all the projects that I want to do.
5. Okay...(deep breath)...IreallylikethesongFatBottomGirlsbyQueen. Yeah, it's not exactly the most uplifting song, but it always makes me smile and want to sing along. Perhaps because *ahem* I am curvaceous in the behind myself. There, my secret is out.
6. I don't really know what color my eyes are. Yeah, not so funny. I usually say they're green. But they change between blue, grey and green, mostly in reflection to what I'm wearing or what mood I'm in. They're not really one color...chameleon eyes. Perhaps this is why I find myself drawn to deep, dark, chocolate brown eyes. (yes, S has this type of eyes...and I love brown eyes with blond hair!)
7. just because #6 was sorta lame... you get a bonus! I analyze people's walking. I don't really mean to do it, but after being trained as a massage therapist, I notice how people walk and am critical about what they're doing wrong. This also goes for how people stand. We're sloppily postured as a society. It drive me nuts, esp. since I've forgotten how to "fix" the problems. We all need a good "rolfing" or structural integration session--or like 10 of them! Go find a therapist today!!

Okay. My shrunken head and banana peel talisman are now in effect. I know that Kami, Kristi, and probably Lindsay still need to do this. I think just about everyone else that I know who blogs has already done this. Good Luck!

Friday Movie Quote -Week I

This isn't a new one, folks. I'll give y'all more than one line to figure it out.

"You're gonna need an awful big glass of water to get that down."

"Unice? There's a person named Unice?"

"Who is that dangerously unbalanced woman?" *one of my favorites!*

I love you.
I know.
You do?
(nodding) You can't fight a tidalwave.
(kissing)

"Banister, as in Sliding Down the--"

Okay, if you can't get that, you probably haven't seen it. I would recommend you see it. It's split your britches good.

Movie Quote of the Week Explanation

So. I started a blog about my favorite movies, and realized I was waxing quite eloquent in regard to my treasured cinematic viewings. I didn't want to bore y'all, especially since I couldn't find cute pictures of all of them.

Instead, I came up with the brilliant idea of just writing some of my favorite quotes from the movie, and see if you can guess what it is. I'll answer the previous week in the new blog. I'm curious to know if anyone else likes the movies (or has even seen them and knows what the heck I'm talking about)?

Okay. You've been warned. I'll update on Fridays. Good Luck!

The Dirty Deed is Done

I've had enough.

I am NOT Melanie.

I don't care if her relative just gave you this number, I am still not Melanie. Furthermore, I don't know who she is, or where she is.

I would not like to pick up the prescription filled at the pharmacy.

(for the second time) I would not like to attend the meeting Saturday.

I would not like to reach a settlement out of court or forward stuff on to my attorney.

I would like to stop receiving her calls.

One of the trials for me of moving to a new place is receiving a new phone number. (I fended of calls for Carol Long for nearly a year in Abq.) Super annoying are the calls I now receiver on my cell phone for "Melanie"--who changed her dang number and "forgot" to let certain people know. I am not her answering service. I am tired of fending calls. (S thinks it's funny that this irritates me so much.) I now have a new voice mail message on my phone.

I hope Melanie thinks it's funny that I'm telling everyone she's been abducted by aliens, is pregnant with twins, and being held in an undisclosed facility 50 stories below ground.

Halloween

So. This has to be my least favorite holiday of the year. I never seem to be able to get everything together. (Perhaps this stems from my inherant dislike? Hmm...) There is always some sort of trauma involved, usually my emotions.

We ended up with two gigantic pumpkins. I required Scott's manly muscles to lift the 48 and 23 pound beauties the children picked out. (One day they grow out of the "bigger is better" stage, right?!) (I really missed the little pumpkins we planted in Abq. and grew, never to harvest them, we had white and orange.) We carved them for FHE. Charles displayed absolutely no interest...in fact, he retreated to the living room to read "Calvin and Hobbs" (perhaps where he gets ideas?), after insisting he have a dragon carved on his pumpkin. Alice wanted a ghost (where did all the triangle faces of yesteryear go?). She didn't want to "gut" the mammoth gourd. Daintly she picked out pieces of pumpkin innards, until mom rescued her. (I will admit, I love carving pumpkins and feeling the squishy pulp in my fingers, I also enjoy the challenge of taming the rough orange ridges into artful displays of goulish delight...but not scary stuff.) Anyway.

The kids chose their costumes this year. (yet another post) and we were supposed to be ready to go to the Trunk-or-Treat at 6:30. We arrived at 6:45. I imagine it started around six, and we were rather fashionably late, with no space for our "trunk". We hearded the kids around, and had their picture taken inside, and played a few games. Then we went to one of Scott's co-workers homes, and up and down the street. Rather late when we got home, at 8:00, but bedtime was quick.

Oh, and did I mention that I had stockpiled candy to give out at the huge trunk or treat? yeah, I'm still sitting on the stockpile. We didn't give out anything, and we got more!! I don't need Christmas to come to expand my waistline and bottom line.... my downfall is that I got chocolate, all my favorite flavors. I've been eating snickers for breakfast this entire week. I save the butterfingers for lunch, and snack on the nerds and swedish fish.

Mr. Darcy

Yes, gentle friends. I have, of late, been neglectful in my correspondance. This is a grevious thing to be borne, and I must lay the responsibility at the feet of Mr. Darcy. Well, perhaps in fairness and honesty I must claim a portion of the blame. (Although, Mr. Darcy is such a delicious character what woman can honestly resist his charismatic pull? Even Elizabeth didn't last long!!)

If your thoughts and feelings echo these sentiments, I would direct your attentions to the publications by Pamela Aidan, entitled, "Fitzwilliam Darcy, Gentleman: A Novel in Three Parts" Book 1: An Assembly Such As This, Book 2: Duty and Desire, and Book 3: These Three Remain.

Be forwarned! You too may neglect other duties!