MMP - Bright & Early, Front & Center

[anyrose]

Is it too early? I couldn't sleep so I've been sitting here playing solitaire and waiting until 6:00 a.m. because I know once I crawl back into bed, I'll be there until noon at least (Monday off and all). But I can't wait any more so please forgive me for posting so early.

Friday night and all day Saturday, we had rehearsal with our coach in preparation for our upcoming competition. She comes in once or twice a year and works us hard. But we always learn and get better. We even went up last year from a C to C+. This year we're aiming for a B-. But I have to work on my stand stamina. Because of my arthritis, most rehearsals I sit on the side of the risers and sing from there. I'd bought a high kitchen chair for shows and stuff so I could see the director by looking over the shoulder of the gal in front of me. But that won't be allowed for competition and I need to be up on the risers and sort of near the middle, since I sing Bass and that's the best place for us.
Our coach placed us today for best sound. She put me on the first riser, right smack in the middle for all the world to see. Especially when the front row steps out with choreography. Yikes. Gotta lose more weight. Gotta be able to stand for more than 3 minutes at a time. Gotta do all this before the end of March.
INCENTIVE!!!!

Smokey has developed an odd habit of wanting attention at 3 in the morning. Usually she sleeps on my lap (I sleep on a back wedge, with my knees propped up on pillows - I really ought to get me a Craftmatic®.) In the middle of the night, she wakes up, walks up my chest and starts purring and nuzzling my face. If I doze off will petting her, she nudges me awake again. This usually goes on for a half hour or more. No wonder I drink so much coffee at work.

I've been with my company over 24 years (I think I get a prize this September) and have stayed happily on the bottom rung. Every time I get antsy, I start looking at the internal postings. Then I see my supervisor pulling her hair out over some minutia demanded by a VP in a cushy office. I don't need that kind of stress. So, I quietly work my numbers and create my invoices every day. The nice thing is, because of how long I've been there, and because of the quality of my work, I am not constantly being watched and reviewed. And the benefits and perks are really wonderful. So I'll probably be there another 25 years until I retire. Unless I win the lottery.

When I win the lottery, I think I will become a professional poker player and join the WPT. I play in a floating game a few times a year, and I do fairly well. I have no delusions of being able to unseat Phil Ivey, but I believe I'm good enough to make it to the final table, and be the first one out. That'd be a good start. I enjoy gambling: black jack, craps, poker; but I'm not addicted to it. It's too expensive to stay at the hotels with the good poker rooms. But I might be going to Vegas this fall. I hope to be able to finagle it into my travel budget for the year.

I'm in the process of scanning in some old photos from the 60's. Here I am at age 2 (http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b75/anyrose/meat22.jpg) and these are the kitties (http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b75/anyrose/SiAm.jpg) I had in grade school. Their names were Si and Am (later lengthened to Simon and Ambrose). I think Si is on top of the box and Am inside it. They were identical - so we gave them different color collars - but darned if I can remember who wore which.

Now, as promised:
When my brother was in senior high, my dad was giving him mock grief about a date he was getting ready for. My brother got more and more agitated, which amused my dad and prompted him to push further. My brother turned and hit the wall in frustration...
...and punched a hole thru the plaster. So my mom decided it was time to change the wall paper. She found a pink and silver mottled pattern (http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b75/anyrose/pinkwallpaper.jpg) (yes, that's me with one of the kitties). Having finished that part of the hallway, she decided to do the rest of the main floor. The pink and silver wallpaper now stretched all the way to the master bedroom at the end of the hall. For the master bedroom, she chose red flocked wallpaper (http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b75/anyrose/redflockedpaper.jpg) with some sort of mock regal pattern. She then painted that pattern onto the bedroom door. On my bedroom door, she painted two of my favorite stuffies on a starfield. Then she went outside and with the proper medium, painted little flowers on the back of our Volvo 144S. (http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b75/anyrose/volvoflowers.jpg)

I think that's enough for an OP. Embellishments upon request.

[lightingtool]

Holy cow... I think I'm first. In all my spastic posting to the MMP, I never thought I'd be first. And the reason I'm first? It's because I'm playing poker in an online tournament at 3am, which ties in nicely to the OP. Go me!

[VunderBob]

Bravo, Rosie. Work issues, performing arts, kiddie pics, cats, and home repair all in one post. You're a real MMPer now. ;) :)

Swampy, stop sending Sean and me your tornadoes, especially at 4 AM on a Friday night/Saturday morning, when we're too trashed to find shelter.

[FairyChatMom]

It's never too early for an MMP, unless it's still Sunday, so ya done good, anyrose! And no offense to your mom, but that wallpaper is scary. I don't think I could live surrounded by it (says the woman who still has 45 gold-veined mirror tiles on the wall behind her bed...)

Speaking of kitties, and for the benefit of those who didn't see my last post or so yesterday, here's our kitty (http://groups.msn.com/FairyChatMom/shoebox.msnw?action=ShowPhoto&PhotoID=180) on her new tower. She didn't seem to like it in the dining room, but by the living room window, she can look outside, and be close enough to hear the TV and our conversation in the family room. Last night, she fell asleep up there, although she did join us beneath the mirrored tiles a little after we turned out the lights.

Today's plans - at least my plans - involve cleaning the basement storage area. My kid was supposed to help me with that when she was here, but we got involved in other stuff. I was going to attack it bit by bit every afternoon after work, but that didn't happen. So today, at least for a few hours, we're going to start. Then I can finish it bit by bit after work. No really. I will. Stop sniggering, dammit!!!

In other non-news, it's very cold outside, but this week is supposed to mostly be about 10 degrees above average. Which keeps my heating bills down. Which is way good. It's also supposed to rain a bit Tues and Weds, which means I need to get outside and cover up the firewood that the big winds uncovered this weekend.

That's all I've got.

Who wants to buy me breakfast?

[ShibbOleth]

Dag, that's early for a post. Very cute pix, I must say. Now get some sleep, woman!

My Obsession over the last month has finally come to a close. I am one of the lucky ones who got tickets to follow the USA in Germany this summer at the World Cup Finals. Woot! I have tickets to our game against Czech Republic in Gelsenkirchen and against Ghana in Nuremburg, but wasn't fortunate to get a ticket to the middle game in Kaiserslautern. I also got one for the next round assuming we make it, which is a big assumption. Now I'm scrambling to fill some of the space in between, see if I can beat out several million Italians to get a ticket to the Italy game, requested some other match tickets. I also have to figure out how to get there, where to stay, and how to pay for it. But at least I'm not waiting on pins and needles to hear if I even got tickets.

[swampbear]

Great OP anyrose. The wallpaper scared me though. :eek: Please tell me your father got to drive that car into work everyday for everybody to see the flowers. The thought of that makes me <snerk>.

Bobbio those weren't my tornadoes. At least if they were, I didn't know it cause it was not tornadoey here on Saturday. Matter of fact it was quite cool and breezy all day Saturday. I fried chicken Saturday. We had smashed taters (nut N.O.T.), corn, green beans, biscuits, deviled eggs and apple pie (I cheated it was a Mrs. Smith's) also. It was good. We had the leftovers for lunch yesterday. Yesterday was also our annual Parish meeting after church. That went on for an hour and a half. All kinds of committee and organizational reports as well as electing three new members for the Vestry. We're also starting site work on the new building. YAY! Maybe the dang thing will be finished in about a year.

Today, I am going shopping for a sofa bed. At least I think I'm gonna buy a sleeper sofa . See, the futon in my study has just about had it, poor thing. I need to replace it with either another futon or a sleeper sofa , cause it's a good thing to have for when I need extra space for people to sleep. I measured and a full sized sleeper sofa would fit quite nicely in the space. I'd have to move my puter chair to pull it out but that's no biggie. Plus I want a full size sofa as opposed to a love seat type cause I want something I can lay on to take naps. That's important. So, Ima go clean up and drag ACBG along with me to furniture stores today. He's so excited. You should see him walking around yawning and scratching. I can tell just by how he's doin' it he can't wait. :D

BBL with tales of sleeper sofa shopping.

[kaiwik]

I'm still up, it's too late now to go to sleep and still be able to shake it off and get the kidlets up for school, so here I am, online again.

We are having the freakiest winter I have experienced since moving here 17 years ago. Okay, so we had a big snowfall in November, but since then, nothing but rain, rain, some wind, and more rain. Here it is, 4:34 am, the coldest hour of the night, and it's freaking 39 degrees!!!

My big plan for the day includes attacking the never-ending laundry pile before it attacks me, (I swear I heard it growl at me when I bushed my teeth last night!) and I am starting a crockpot of stew using a nice chunk of moose a friend sent home with my boy tonight. I'll throw the required ingedients into my bread machine as well, so supper is taken care of. Maybe I'll even bake a pie, I have a big bag of granny smiths in the fridge, my favorite baking apple!

I don't remember responding to an MMP before, even though they are a fun to read, so hi all of you regulars, I hope you all have a good Monday out there in the real world!

[ivylass]

This weekend we planted Ivylad's anniversary gift. (http://knockoutroses.com/). I also spent my $50 Michael's gift card and got those interchangeable knitting needles, you know, where you can mix and match and make all the sizes you need. We also bought two desk chairs for the kidlets. They had outgrown their desks, so Ivylad found these huge walnut craft tables at Home Depot for $75 each...they were trying to get rid of them. Problem is, they're craft tables, not desks, so the chairs were too short. I hit on the idea of bar stools, and we got two very nice swivel bar stools with arms.

TMI for swampbear My 13 year old daughter got her second period over the weekend.

:D

Also, I'm off work, but the kids are in school. That means Ivylad and I have a day to ourselves!

[taxi78cab]

This is not going to be a good day. I got in to work - bad start already since it *should* be a holiday - and managed to print out a whole report backwards and upside down. For some unknown reason Word defaults to printing two-sided pages, but it always prints them upside down unless I change the setting, which I forgot to do. Bleh. I think I'm feeling a 1/2 sick day coming on... leaving early today would be a good thing.

[FairyChatMom]

FCD is awake and showered, so we're heading out for a late breakfast. Then to the basement - I'm serious! We have got to get started on those boxes o'crap. Goodwill should do well when we're done. Plus I'll do laundry. Oh yeah, I have a good time on my days off!

:D

[eleanorigby]

Kids have school on Martin Luther King Day? :confused:


I am back after a long weekend, in which I found that my job might be in jeopardy due to a conversation I had in a closed committee meeting, which someone took (out of context and with malice aforethought) back to the parties mentioned in the conversation.

If anyone could follow that, it means that I am sitting here, not quite comfortable until I see the higher ups on Wednesday--and see which way the wind is blowing.

this is an odd position for me to be in--I have never had to worry about my job before. And all because of gossip. Another party involved may quit all together because she is so appalled at the unprofessionalism.

Sorry, not so mundane, but it's on my mind today.....

As to that wallpaper! anyrose -I am not sure if it is scarey or if it's coolly retro--fashion being what it is. For me, it's the red and pink-ness--neither are a fav color of mine.

But you are tooo cute in your lil outfit! I wore similiar things, so it's like looking at myself, but with brown curls and brown eyes. I think kiddie pics are universal--I have pics of my kids "kissing" the daffodils as well.

Another nice day--WHERE is winter? It is nice to see the sun.

Today we have to give my daughter time with driving (she needs to build her hours), haircuts, eyeglasses fixed, and SDMB (oh, and clean a bathroom)--see how we celebrate a National Figure's Federal Holiday.....

[Tupug Anachi]

Egads, ar! That wallpaper is giving me bad flashbacks! (But the little coat and matching hat are keee-ute!) ;)

No kitties in my lap but I did have a chihuahua till she started CHASING the cat.

This tragedy (http://www.wesh.com/news/6141695/detail.html) was way too close to home for comfort. It's where both my kids went to middle school and isn't even a mile from my house. Strangely, I missed the whole thing on Friday which was weird since I normally drive right by the school on my way to and from work. Very sad.

I got all my work done yesterday so today is total goof off day. Yay! Might even go to the movies with Lil LestatTM later. Narnia, I think.

Knife of Dreams IS really really good so far. I am going to have to go back and reread all the books after this I think.

Barbacued country ribs for dinner tonight. Cause I feel like em. Nummy.

On preview, I see rigg's post and I am p.o.'d for her. Isn't that against the law or sumpin?
Tupug

[ivylass]

Kids have school on Martin Luther King Day? :confused:




Private school.

[Spatial Rift 47]

Great OP, anyrose. I admire your incentive with the choir, with your job, and the poker ambitions. Poker? I hardly know her!

rigs, I know I had school on MLK day in my public school district. It was really annoying, but it was the least of what the administration there did. One of our teachers used to hold an all-purpose anyone-who-wants-to-come field trip to an MLK memorial service in a nearby town.

My weekend was interesting. On saturday, I woke up at 7 am. I went into Manhattan with my father (who had to go into work), arriving at the Port Authority at 8:30 am. I walked to the Waldorf Astoria hotel, arriving there at 9:30 am, where I was supposed to meet my friend Amy, who is from Australia, and her fiancee Ryan, at 10 am. So I waited. And I waited.

10 am came and went. I kept waiting.

And I waited some more. (This is the story of my life here, folks. I hope you're taking notes.)

Insert more waiting here. Then insert a trip to the Starbucks in the lobby, and then some more waiting.

For four fucking hours I waited. I sent text messages. I tried calling her, but the number I have for her is Australian, and I can't dial that. I tried getting operator assistance to pay extra to dial that. I tried calling up to her room, which turned out to not to be in her name. Finally I ascertained that - get this - she wasn't in the hotel at all. Ever. My only running theory is that she somehow managed to fuck up the name of the hotel and was in a different hotel, and her cell phone completely didn't work (which would mean that she couldn't get my text messages, or call me, or even access my cell number to call on a land line). Beyond that, I have no idea what happened.

Fortunately, my awesome friend Mary, who is awesomed with awesomely awesome awesomeness, saved me from my Waldorfian exile. I hopped a subway down to Astor Place and Mary and I commenced with the awesome. Can I get away with one more awesome? Good. Awesome. We went to The Strand bookstore, which I had never been to, and wherein I purchased some Neal Stephenson books. Then we went to see A History of Violence, which I really liked. I'm glad I got the chance to see it in a theater this late. After that, Mary and I went over to the new domicile of our mutual friend Pantea.

It turns out that, even though Pantea and I are very close friends, she didn't know that I'm a vegetarian. So. I had tacos with refried beans, and Pantea's friend Simon showed up with cookies, and Mary left after a little while, because she had some awesoming to do somewhere else or something, and Pantea and Simon and I rearranged her side of her new room, and we chatted and told dead baby jokes and it was fun. I zipped uptown to the Port Authority in record time, and caught a bus home.

Sunday was rather more tame. I lollygagged, spent time with the family, then grudgingly packed all my stuff up. We went out for dinner, and then soon enough it was time for me to get on a bus and come back to RPI, which is where I arrived at a little bit after 11 pm last night. It's weird being back in my dorm room after a whole month. In some ways it's like I never left, in other ways it's like a whole new room again. I think I might rearrange it.

[gardentraveler]

I slept in till after 9:00 a.m.!!!!! (For the two of you who haven't been following my sleeping habits closely: that's a miraculous length of time.) I woke up about a jillion times, but I was able to fall asleep every darn time. I heard part of the 7:00 a.m. news and then heard news again followed by music, which didn't make sense. I figured it must be the 8:00 news followed by broadcast problems, but when I turned around and looked it was 9:11 a.m. Yay!

Great post, Rosie. What are you rehearsing for? Love the pictures, though I must agree with others that the wallpaper is scary (although I'm sure it was highly fashionable at the time). Of course, I'm the one who is too cheap to ditch the harvest gold fridge and stove that came with my house (the walnut cabinets were immediately painted white and the antique brass hardware (featuring ornate 4-inch wide medallions) were replaced with white ceramic handles posthaste. Is it wrong of me to wish that my fridge and stove would FINALLY give up the ghost?

rigs, that stinks. Yet another reason to go to grad school? (Will you be in the same job while you're in school?)

Puggy, I heard about that shooting on the news. Very sad.

Hey, Rifty! Sounds like you had an awesome time anyway...

So now I have to be semi-productive. Laundry, miscellaneous clean-up, groceries for the week, etc. I'm having coffee with the MMP. Hmmmm....What to have for brunch?

GT

[eleanorigby]

Ooh! MAJOR pet peeve o' mine--I don't mind 10 minutes late--but to not show?!? OR call?

I have an aquaitance, used to be friend, whom I would STILL be waiting for at Baker's Square (restaurant), 5 years later.

I loathe being stood up. I would never stand up my math buddy!


I thought of private school as soon as I posted. I am a tad slow this MM.


Pug --I doubt it's illegal--I work in an at-will state, so they can can me at any point. Thing is, I'm an excellent nurse (really) and they are somewhat scarce on the ground. So, I doubt I'll be fired.

but this gives boss's boss ammo (she doesn't like me--but she doesn't like anyone). Plus, I sit on 3 committees, orient newbies, and am in "charge" every day I work. They effing need me.

It makes for an uneasy work environment; one that was already strained. I know, I know--but I'm gonna go to grad school and then get out, 'member?

Enough about me. (sorry Cool Kids)

[Lissla Lissar]

Today is supposed to be a holiday? Right, I won't do any work.

Morning, everyone. Thans for the great OP, rosie.

I survived the weekend, my FIL and step-MIL are WONDERFUL and my future SIL was much, much less aggravating than she has been previously. She's still not my favourite person but I can now stand being related to her. We got our Christmas presents. I got

A KitchenAid mixer!

Fear me! I will be turning out baked goods like nobody's business! It's white, and I think I keep it and not get a trendy colour. I have to name it. Any suggestions? All big pieces of equipment and stuffed animals get named here. I've got to rearrange my kitchen so I can have it out permanently. I love it. I love it.

Mr. Lissar got a leather coat. We also got a bunch of gift cards and ginger infused icewine. I love my inlaws. I love them.

[ivylass]

It's white, and I think I keep it and not get a trendy colour. I have to name it. Any suggestions? All big pieces of equipment and stuffed animals get named here. I've got to rearrange my kitchen so I can have it out permanently.

Sir Mix-A-Lot?

[Spatial Rift 47]

Ooh! MAJOR pet peeve o' mine--I don't mind 10 minutes late--but to not show?!? OR call?

I have an aquaitance, used to be friend, whom I would STILL be waiting for at Baker's Square (restaurant), 5 years later.

I loathe being stood up. I would never stand up my math buddy!



Aww, thanks. I wouldn't stand you (or anyone else, for that matter) up either. :)

[taxi78cab]

Sorry to hear about your job problems, riggs. That really sucks. :(

[eleanorigby]

Smooches to Spats --(um, er--matronly, motherly smooches....I'm old enough to BE his mother, I think!)


A white kitchen aid mixer? <runs, checks her own kitchen, phew, still there!>

I thought for a minute that you had stolen mine. I've had it for 17 years and I loves it.

I christen your mixer "matilda". It's feminine, there is a small (bad) pun re "tilling" in it, and the things are sort of awkward and heavy, sorta like a human Matilda would be.

These things cannot be gainsaid--it is done.

[gardentraveler]

...I survived the weekend, my FIL and step-MIL are WONDERFUL and my future SIL was much, much less aggravating than she has been previously. She's still not my favourite person but I can now stand being related to her. We got our Christmas presents. I got

A KitchenAid mixer!....Glad to hear the SIL was tolerable. (Really, that's all that's required in the long run...)

I am SO ENVIOUS of you for getting the mixer!

GT

[Sean Factotum]

Morning, all. Getting my post in under the wire.

I didn't see any tornadoes this weekend, but I sure heard a lot about them. They shouwed up with the snow (measured on hundredths of an inch, but still snow.) Looks like weather (considering the earlier post from Alaska - howdy way out there!) all over is screwed up this year.

Lissla it's another of them American Holidays, honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Except in Arizone, where a previous governor outlawed it, and in Virginia, where it's known as King/Lee/Jackson Day. Not in honor of Spike Lee and Michael Jackson, but in honor of two Confedarate Civil War generals.

[indecisive1]

arg! I just lost my whole post to a bad keyboard command. It was a really interesting one too. Really. I hate that.

[eleanorigby]

Lissla it's another of them American Holidays, honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Except in Arizone, where a previous governor outlawed it, and in Virginia, where it's known as King/Lee/Jackson Day. Not in honor of Spike Lee and Michael Jackson, but in honor of two Confedarate Civil War generals.


What?! So, it's not MLK Day in AZ or VA? And for VA to name it after Civil War generals is a bit insulting, IMO.


:eek:



Off to run errands (can't I pay someone to do this for me?)

[WhyNot]

WhyBaby's decided no matter what time she goes to bed, she's up at 7:30. But I guess it's better than last month when it was 5:30.

We just got a new sofabed, swampy. It's this one (http://www.vcf.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10001&catalogId=10001&langId=-1&productId=45576) (though they don't list the sleeper on the site, they mention it.) I like it a lot, except that they delivered the wrong color. Which I only discovered after the poor delivery giys lugged it up two flights of stairs, back down those two flights, around the building, up three flights, moved my stove and got it through to my living room. Tore off the wrap - voila! wrong color. They brought camel (http://www.vcf.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10001&catalogId=10001&langId=-1&partNumber=1070843) instead. So we get to have all that fun all over again tomorrow when they bring me my sage sofabed. Still, I highly recomend them - unless, of course, you have actual money to buy real furniture. We're still broke college students. Yes, in our thirties. Get off our back.

In happier news, I made a housekeeping schedule for myself and stuck to it for a whole week! The place looks almost civilized. Today I mop the kitchen floor. Whee!

Ooh, the baby just farted on my leg. It was quite impressive - the kind that is a Portent of Doom. Guess I'll go find those diaper wipes and get ready.

[gardentraveler]

Just looked on Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Luther_King_Day) for more of an explanation. It's got a link for King/Lee/Jackson Day where it says they've been split up so that the holiday honoring the Confederate generals is now observed the Friday before. Looks like Arizona might have given in too. It says that the holiday was observed in all fifty states for the first time in 1999. Yep, here's a page from Arizona's state website (http://www.hr.state.az.us/Homepagelinks/Quicklinks_stateholidays.htm).

Really, now I'm going to stop reading the Dope and start getting something done...

GT

[eleanorigby]

My faith (in what exactly, I am not sure) has been restored.

whynot -once your done with latrine duty, perhaps you could come over here and organize me. Lack ambition and maturity to apply myself to housework....



I really am going to run those errands, now.

[beckwall]

That is one great MMP, anyrose! And congrats on 24 years at one place of work, good lord that is amazing to me.

We have been busy at the Palm Springs International Film Festival. Some good flicks, some not so good, overall lots of fun. We saw Jake Gyllenhall in person! In a weird twist of fate, Mr. beckwall met JG's grandfather, who is an MD in Orange County, several months ago while interviewing doctors for his PBS show.

Last night, we were being our usual silly selfs (selves?) and doing our stream of consciousness humor thing. Mr. beckwall came up with the idea of "Baby Cirque",
with babies in painted faces doing tricks and such to a sold out audience. And then, of course, I had to counter his idea with "Blue Baby Group". We were goofy, I tell ya.

Have a great week, and enjoy your day off if you are lucky enough to be off today.

[scout1222]

Beckwall, YOU SAW JAKE IN PERSON?!?!?!?!

I envy you.

[gotpasswords]

... managed to print out a whole report backwards and upside down. For some unknown reason Word defaults to printing two-sided pages, but it always prints them upside down unless I change the setting, which I forgot to do.
It's probably your printer settings that got wonky on you. Word just sends words to a print driver, then the printer has fun. Sounds like it's set for "flip on short side" duplexing. Stick your pages into a clipboard, and it will make sense.

You should be able to go to the printer directly - Start button, Settings, Printers then right-click the printer and select Properties. Hit Printing Preferences, and the duplexing options should be there. Select Flip on Long Side (or None if you simply despise two-sided printing) and OK your way out. Now, Word should meekly print the way you want without making you pick any settings. Another useful setting on the Preferences page is page order. If you have something like an inkjet that puts the pages out face up, select "Back to Front" and your prints will come out in order and you won't have to shuffle pages into the right order.

My family room floor is DONE! Dee Oh Enn Eee! DONE! And it looks amazing! My freaky-expensive compound slide miter saw made flawless and easy work of cutting baseboard moldings to all sorts of goofball angles. (Were the carpenters that built the place on dope? Must have been, to make a corner come out to a 94-degree angle.)

I'm thinking of putting my antique Western Electric apartment phone (http://www.vintagephone.com/willms2/WEApartDialB.jpg) in the family room and wiring it so it's usable. Wood wall phones are cool, but this thing is considerably more rare, and certainly no slouch in the coolness department!

Swampy - I wish I'd known you wanted a sleeper! Just yesterday, we convinced a furniture store to break a set as we just wanted the love seat. Could have bought the combo, then spent far too much money to ship the sleeper to you.

[WhyNot]

whynot -once your done with latrine duty, perhaps you could come over here and organize me. Lack ambition and maturity to apply myself to housework....


Welll. I don't know if it would be helpful, but here's my schedule, more or less. Feel free to steal/use/adapt:
Weekdays:
8:00 get up
8:15 pump milk
8:45 make bottles
9:00 Caileigh bottle
9:30 make beds and gather laundry
9:45 put a load of laundry in the washer
10:00 play with baby
10:30 pick up toys/personal items and put them on beds
10:45 put laundry in the dryer
11:00 Caileigh bottle
11:30 nap time
get laundry, fold and put away/on beds
12:30 Caileigh bottle
1:00 play with baby
1:30 load dishwasher and run it
wipe countertops/stove
2:30 nap time
3:30 Kyle home. He will empty dishwasher and give Caileigh a bottle
my weekly task:
Monday: clean kitchen floor

Tuesday: vacuum sofa
sweep hardwood floors
dust office

Wednesday: dust living room
clean bathroom

Thursday: meal planning

Friday: grocery shopping

5:00 start dinner


Saturday – Monthly project:
First Saturday of the month: wash all hardwood floors

Second: wash bathroom floor
clean cabinet doors

Third: dust baseboards

Fourth: clean refrigerator/appliances
The neat part is: anything I finish early gives me guilt free time to Dope (and pump milk and eat and stuff like that.)

I'm afraid I can't help with the ambition and maturity part, though. But I will say it's WAY easier and faster to clean a bathroom that's been cleaned already in the past week than to clean it once a month when it's really nasty. Voice of experience here.

[Taters]

It's another blechy day here, but at least I'm off work

I don't get to laze around, however. I do have stuff to do, so I'm a gonna do it.

I tried sleeping in today, but I couldn't do it. I was up around 8:00 or so. This is sorta sleeping in, but a nice long, deep sleep would have been nice. Even though I can't sleep, I'm still yawning like crazy.

Great job anyrose.

rigs, that really, really stinks. I hope everything can be worked out. Office gossip can be a vicious and painful thing. Throw office politics in there, and it really sucks.

Well, I'm gonna cruise the net some more, then I need to get busy.

[FairyChatMom]

A white kitchen aid mixer? <runs, checks her own kitchen, phew, still there!>Same here - I do have a green coffee maker, but it only comes out when the inlaws visit, as we don't drink coffee. And I have a grey rotisserie. And I think the blender is almond. My small appliances aren't color-coordinated.

BUT my family room drapes are hanging. We got pleater hooks this morning, so the fam room window is done! Yay. We're taking a break before heading downstairs.

[scout1222]

It's another blechy day here, but at least I'm off work.

I read this as "belchy" at first. I did a double take!

We don't get the holiday, so here I sit at work. Oh well, traffic isn't so bad on a day like this. But I guarantee that tonight I will make it at least halfway to the mailboxes before I realize that there is no delivery today.

[MagicEyes]

rosie, that's a very cute outfit! You're very coordinated. The wallpaper, not so cute. But it was the style at the time.

Lissla, if you decide not to name your mixer "Sir Mix-a-lot," I'm going to steal that name when I get a Kitchenaid. Which won't be for a while, because my kitchen's too teeny for more gadgets. I might have to get rid of my microwave, because it takes up too much counter space. I don't use it much, but sometimes you just need to cook something really fast, so I'm still hanging on to it. I'd be dangerous if I had a Kitchenaid!

rigby, sorry about the job situation. Other people suck sometimes. I hope the people who really matter will understand that you didn't do anything wrong.

[Dolores Reborn]

Great MMP, rosie!

I've been lurking but I don't have much to post about. I worked overtime Saturday, then Tom and I went out for the first time in a month or so. A little trivia at our bar, then out to dinner at Joe's Crab Shack. That's where my son is working. We had excellent service! ;) I tipped him $20. On the way out, Tom told the manager that we had great service, but I didn't hear him. I, of course, mention to the manager that "that's my son!" I'm such a dork.

Sunday I degreased the kitchen - floor, stove, counters, cabinets. And did laundry, and meal planning and grocery shopping.

I'm so busy at work - it seems that I'm the only one who can do a certain thing right and the managers keep making me do it - instead of making the others do it right!

So I'm thinking about you guys and lurking, but no time to post much...

[Shirley Ujest]

anyrose that picture of you in the purple outfit is just adorable! It is so 1960ish in a purply plaid way.

If our scanner worked ( it hates us right now) I would scan some FAAAABULOUS pictures of me in sweet baby girl glory. cause I was the cutest baby evar until my kids were born. Don'tchaknow?


Right now, I have four girls in my house running amok. One is mine. Two are sisters and one is nearly a part of our family.

I farmed my son out to a boy house so that his penis doesn't drop off from all the barbie doll and princess tea party stuff.

[swampbear]

I'm back! The sleeper sofa (http://www.ashleyfurniture.com/Showroom/LargeProductImage.aspx?PageId=Showroom&SetDomTab=1&ItemNo=5400138) is bought (ok, ordered) and will be mine in two weeks! Ain't it bee-yooo-tee-ful? The price is right, the size is right, the color is right, it's just like it was sitting there on the floor waiting for me to come along and order it. The one on the floor is not a sleeper but it comes in a sleeper. YAY! gotti thanks, but see, this one was just meant to be mine. I also bought a curio cabinet because I just could not resist it and I needed one. I really did! It's replacing a wicker etager thing in my study. Shut up! I needed it. BTW, gotti the phone is tres cool! :cool:

rigs sorry about all the work mess. If you want to really get me going at work, just let me hear a bunch of petty office gossip. Gossipers and me don't get along, so it always end up with them being called on the carpet. I started to say with their butts in a sling, but sometimes that's a good thing. :D

ivy your daughter has been in school half a year and is just now getting a second period? What has she been doing all this time during that hour? And on a Saturday? Why would a school schedule a class on a Saturday? :p

Lissla yay for the SIL being tolerable and for the KitchenAid Mixer. I got one of those. It's green. It's nameless. I didn't know they needed names. Did you get the splatter guard? That's probably the best of all the attachments cause it causes me not to make a real big mess. Just a regular ol' mess, like usual. ;)

Oh, ACBG did not die from furniture shopping. Yesterday we were visiting some friends and I casually mentioned about going to look for a sleeper sofa. They told ACBG he was in for a day from hell furniture shopping with me cause I look at everything in every store. HUMPH!!! I only looked in one store. ONE! He even got lunch out of it. I took him to the good Chinese buffet place. To my friends, I say, So There! :p

-swampbear (could I have used any more smilies?) :rolleyes:

[gardentraveler]

:p Why, :p yes, :p you :p could :p have. :D

But, gosh that would be tedious.

Nice sofa. Did you order one for me? Of course, it probably wouldn't make it through my front door. I have abnormally narrow doors (which is what I get for having a modest 1929-built home). I have futons for furniture, so I've never actually had the challenge of wide sofas.

I've gotten a few things done - went to the library, added stuff to calendars and to-do lists, become depressed that it's nearly 3:00 and I still have non-fun things to do before I can do fun things. I'm tentatively scheduled to go to a movie at 5:20, but I'm thinking that won't happen.

Off to attempt to be productive. Or something.

GT

[scout1222]

I just popped in to tell you all that the recipe for Texas Caviar that Ellen posted...last week or so...is AWESOME.

I decided I didn't want it cold, so I popped it in the microwave for about a minute. Oh God was it good. Yay!

[eleanorigby]

I really like that sofa--I like that color, sage. I also like the pillows--do they come with?



I am thinking (now) of naming my Kitchen Aide mixer as well. If Matilda isn't a hit, then I will christen her Matilda (and I'll name the handmixer Stephen and they can duke it out! Oh, Christ, flight of ideas......)


Got an email today from a woman who is on the committee as an advisor (we are changing to a de-centralized power structure at work, and there are a number of nursing professors here to help the process). She wants to talk to me about it all and gave me her home number to call her. I did so, but had to leave a message.


I would have felt better about the whole thing if she had dealt with it all in her email. She has no power over me--she's just a nice lady who is also writing me a reccommendation for grad school. <sigh>


And now for mundane and pointless stuff:


Went to get youngest's hair fixed. He got it cut on Friday and it was late and we were in a hurry and he left there with wet hair...WELL. Once it dried--ugh and blech and no way. So, we went back and asked for re-cut. (I am amazingly assertive when it comes to my kids.)

Well, she did fix the original problem, but now he is almost bald! :eek:

My daughter just got her PSAT and whatever the pre-ACT is scores back. Yay! She did very well. :D

whynot --I now feel very good. Look at all the time I have since I don't have to fix bottles, play with baby, feed baby! I feel like I just found 4 more hours in a day. :D

I do need a rota, like you have set up. It would make life much more organized (I dunno 'bout easier). I will assess the situation and the do some planning. (yeah, right)

I LIKE these: :) but too many........ :rolleyes:

I wish the embarassed one looked better--my other bb has a nice embarassed emticon.

[Sean Factotum]

I'm back! The sleeper sofa (http://www.ashleyfurniture.com/Showroom/LargeProductImage.aspx?PageId=Showroom&SetDomTab=1&ItemNo=5400138) is bought (ok, ordered) and will be mine in two weeks!
The GF sells Ashley Furniture at the place she works at. I couldn't have gotten you a good price, though - she's not able to cut deals. And the shipping costs would be less-than fabulous.

He even got lunch out of it. I took him to the good Chinese buffet place.
And yet there is no fortune cookie at which we can snerk? Meany!

[anyrose]

Lightingtool how did you do in that tournament?

ShibbOleth Do keep us posted on your travel plans. Me, I'd love to see Europe, but I doubt I'd be willing to sit thru a sporting event to do so. I'd feel obligated, having won (or been given) the tickets to attend at least one game. If it ain't baseball, I ain't interested. :D

what does this "(but N.O.T.)" that I keep seeing next to the mention of 'smashed taters'? Near as I can figure it means "but not our taters (the doper)" Am I close?

elenorigby I'll keep my fingers crossed for you.

Spatial Rift 47 - "chorus" actually, of the Sweet Adelines variety. If you're interested here's our website (http://www.twincounty.org).
and
Whatever happened to Amy and Ryan? When you find out you must tell us. But it sounds like you had a much better time anyway.

gt RIght now we're rehearsing for our regional competition at the end of March. It occurs to me that there might be other dopers in SA. Please speak up if you are.

Lissla Lissar I second "Sir Mix-A-Lot'. If I ever get one of those, it'll be decorated like Alton Brown's. I love him and his show. Too damn bad he's married. And lives 5 states away. And I will likely never get to meet him IRL.

gotpasswords you need to post pictures of your newly renovated family room.

swampy I love! those throw pillows! Retro 60's geometric prints are my thang.

It's now 3:40pm - (yeesh, it took over a half hour to read all your replies. But I love the attention :D) - I've been awake for 3 hours and I am ready to go back to sleep for a while. I'm safer in bed, anyway. I don't eat. Plus, I get to cuddle the kitty. She's not much for laps when I'm in a chair. Those times she likes my shoulder.

[anyrose]

from my op
Our coach placed us today for best sound.
should have read
Our coach placed us Saturday morning for best sound.
and I previewed and everything. Serves me right for starting to type this Saturday evening just so I would remember everything I wanted to say. :rolleyes:

[Anaamika]

Here I am! Great OP, anyrose! Since you did, I'm linking to a kiddie picture of myself.

Here I am at age 5. Angry Mika. (http://photobucket.com/albums/v713/Elenia25/Family/?action=view&current=MeenaPetulant.jpg) (I'm the one with the crazy curly hair and the sullen look). I don't have many baby pictures, since I was adopted, and I was in India for my first four years, and cameras weren't within easy access to my poor family in the 70's. Those are my adoptive parents, on the right, and the people on my left are their friends and my best friend when I was growing up. At the moment, I was extremely jealous of her because she got picked up by her daddy.

Other news: I finally set up my sewing machine! And this weekend I did two projects...a tiny doll's pillow on Saturday, and a duffel bag today, all from a little book I bought. Anybody know where and how to buy string in quantity, and in different colors? JoAnne's only sells one color at a time, and I'd rather have packs if I could, for various reasons.

Also, we FINALLY threw out the old futon. The SO has been clinging to this thing forever, whereas I have hated it from Day 1. It's metal, see, so the arms are cold and it creaks horribly. But that's not why I wanted to get rid of it. I wanted it out because it was broken! Shouldn't you throw broken crap out? It took me six months, no lie, to convince him to get rid of it, and the only reason it worked now is because I needed the spare room to put my sewing machine table. So, nyah!

Since I shared one picture, I'll share a couple more, too. Snowed here over the weekend, and it looks very pretty. Here's some pics:

From my balcony (http://photobucket.com/albums/v713/Elenia25/Snowy%20Day/?action=view&current=Picture017.jpg)
The lake at the park - Ok, it's a pond (http://photobucket.com/albums/v713/Elenia25/Snowy%20Day/?action=view&current=Picture024.jpg)
Waves in the snow (http://photobucket.com/albums/v713/Elenia25/Snowy%20Day/?action=view&current=Picture033.jpg)
And me, freezing my butt off (http://photobucket.com/albums/v713/Elenia25/Snowy%20Day/?action=view&current=Picture025.jpg)

That's my camera strap, BTW.

More later!

[eleanorigby]

Perhaps I am autistic.

Mika --you do not look angry in that photo--you look a wee grouchy and caught off guard.

I swear I am hopeless at reading photos for emotions (hence the autism reference).


Where are you that it is actually winter? I am looking for winter because here it seems to be lost. Anyone have any winter they don't want, please send it to Chicago (south of city). Thank you!

And thanks all for the nice words re the job. I hope it turns to nothing (the incident, not the job!). Believe me, I'll let you know (whether you want to or not).

[taxi78cab]

It's probably your printer settings that got wonky on you. Word just sends words to a print driver, then the printer has fun.
Thanks. I do know how to fix it. It's just that it didn't used to default to upside down. (Default used to be duplexing off.) So I keep forgetting that it's messed up now. And that bugs me, especially when I have to throw away 3 sets of color copies. Plus, the settings got totally mixed up - it used to be that Side Binding was the right setting for letter size paper. Now it's Top Binding. But 11x17 paper went the other way - top binding used to be right but now Side Binding is the correct setting. The whole thing's just annoying the hell out of me.

It's c-c-c-cold here. The sun is out and I want to do things outside but then I end up looking like this :( .

[Anaamika]

No, I could be grouchy. Generally, I was pouty. Which was rare for me, as I was a pretty sunny baby and kid.

As for where I am, it's Upstate NY, and Winter. Is. Here!

[Spatial Rift 47]

I'm in the same area as taxi and Mika, and it is most definitely winter here. The ground is covered in snow and slush and the only warmth in the air is coming from the heater in my dorm room.

anyrose, what's the difference between a choir and a chorus? And how can there be a bass part in an all women's chorus? I still have no idea what happened with Amy and Ryan, for the same reasons I couldn't contact them Saturday morning. From what Amy told me online about her trip, she's now heading west to see more of the USA, and she won't be home for a couple of weeks. I suppose I should send her another text message asking her to call me, on the off chance her phone is working. I promise I'll keep y'all updated on that as soon as I know more.

[ems]

Nothing to report about the weekend other than it wasn't much fun working. I did have chinese food for lunch today so here ya go:

A long held ambition will soon be met

snerk away!

[Taters]

Hm, no snow here. Just rain. We received a brief reprieve from the rain yesterday, but it's been raining all day today.

swampy, your sofa sleeper looks lovely. I hope you many nice long naps on it.

We'd like to get a sofa sleeper for upstairs in the bonus room too. In time, it's not a huge priority.

I guess that's all I've got for now.

[picunurse]

Great MMP anyrose, From the wall paper I'm guessing you grew up in the late 60s-early 70s, right? My first husband bought the red flocked whorehouse wallpaper for our travel trailer. Need I say why he's ex?
Seattle didn't break its all tme record for consecuitive days of rain. The record was 33 days, yesterday would have been 25, but it didn't rain between midnight and midnight. It stopped at 11:30 the night before and started again at 12:05 this morning. Do you know how wearing 24 days of rain can be? I hate going out for the mail. Can you say cabin fever?
All the kitties are getting along now. The kitten is calming down a little. He still insists on my haed as a pillow.
I'm going to go take a nap.

[FairyChatMom]

what does this "(but N.O.T.)" that I keep seeing next to the mention of 'smashed taters'? Near as I can figure it means "but not our taters (the doper)" Am I close?You're close enough to be right on the money!

Whew - I'm pooped. We organized about half of the basement storage area. We've got a "boat stuff" pile - to go out to the shed, a "sell" pile - to be advertised and sold, a trash pile, and a Goodwill pile. Plus there are a few miscellaneous to-be-sorted piles, and lots of trash paper and boxes strewn about. I'll be able to do some more sorting evenings this week, and the trash pile should be big enough for a dump run on Saturday. Then we can take the excess crap out of the laundry room and put it under the stairs. That will give me room for my future pottery studio. Yay!

I also packed breakfasts and lunches for us, and ran the dishwasher. My sweetie ran the vacuum and got up the big chunks of stuff from the rug. I've got the last load of clothes in the dryer. We're both pretty much crashed for the day.

Oh yeah - I got knives today! Our credit card gives us points for every dollar we charge, and I had enough points to get a set of Chicago cutlery knives in a block. They were delivered today. Good thing they were free - so far, I'm not too impressed with them. Maybe I'm just too accustomed to my Cutco knives.

And that's all I've got for today. Back to work tomorrow - woohoo. Feel the excitement. Yeah. :rolleyes:

[VunderBob]

what does this "(but N.O.T.)" that I keep seeing next to the mention of 'smashed taters'? Near as I can figure it means "but not our taters (the doper)" Am I close?


This weekend, while reading last week's thread, I came across 'smashed taters' and 'N. O. T.', and suddenly the image flashed into my mind of our Taters passed out on the floor with an empty rum bottle beside her. Unfortunatley, I couldn't get that image worked into another one of my lame jokes...

[monica]

Today was the first day back to classes after a month-long break. I was frantically trying to print my schedule last night, but my printer decided to be tempermental and not work. Finally, in the middle of my trying fixing stuff, it finally decided it was okay and began to work properly. It's a good thing, too, because I was about to just give up and do it this morning, and the internet (where I was printing it from) turned out being down!

Speaking of the internet being down, while it was down, the tech guys sent us an email with information about the lack of internet and when it would be up. An email! Come on, now- how am I supposed to access that if I don't have any internet? We have some brilliant tech guys, oh yes we do.

I woke up at 7:30 this morning. Well, to be more exact, 7:30, then 7:35, then 7:40, and so on. Apparently my roommate had a 9 AM class or something, but that whole pressing the sleep button five million times thing? It's quite annoying to the roommate who expected to actually be able to sleep in until her class this morning. I can go back to sleep if the alarm goes off once, but it's difficult to get any sort of sleep when the damn thing's going every 5 minutes. I have an 8 AM class tomorrow, though, so now I may decide to have some fun with the sleep button...

[eleanorigby]

I feel for ya, but I know what it is to be that roomie. My first college roomie had to come over to my side, turn my alarm off and then wake me--and the alarm was about 5 inches from my ear!


Upstate NY--Ihave a cousin in Syracuse. Snow tonoc here and dropping temps. Yay! (hey, I'd rather have it now than in March).



Just back from a lovely dinner with my 3 kids. We went to an Asian restaurant--more Japanese than Chinese, but it did give out fortune cookies.


Mine said: It is easier to fight for principles than to live them

Which, given my currents circs seems positively oracle-ly!

It doesn't <snerk> well, though.

Did clean the bathroom and while I was, that lady from work called and said that she doesn't think that I have anything to worry about. (easy for her to say). But she says that she and the other two consultants both stood up for the points I was trying to make and then that a whole bunch of people stood up and basically told TPTB that they were mad as hell and not gonna take it anymore......so, I've either inadvertently fomented a revolution of sorts, or I have managed to completely piss off (and corner) a very dangerous enemy.*

Ain't we got fun?! I figure no news is good news. I go back to work on Wednesday.


* I don't want to get into particulars, but the discussion in the meeting was about poor communication and lack of respect from management on down. I used an example of something that had happened to me recently. This was taken straight back to the party involved and it was brought up in another committee entirely. Sadly, the example part was (of course) not mentioned, but the "dissing" of said person was exaggerated and taken out of context. (I would never "diss" either a coworker or a boss in any type meeting--I am not that stupid), So, now it's a big mess.....

[Lissla Lissar]

Argh, eleanor. Good luck for Wednesday.


So sleepy. So sleepy all work. Alternated thinking about naps and thinking about baking naan and foccacia and brioche and cinnamon buns. Too sleepy today. I'll go to bed early.

[Lissla Lissar]

I'm thinking seriously about the names.

[gardentraveler]

OK - I can't believe this is still out there...it's been hours, people!!!A long held ambition will soon be met
in bed!
<snerk>
I'm leaving rigs's out there for some other lucky person...
Not much more done than earlier, although I did buy groceries in the hopes of eating more healthfully this week than last.
Off to read for a while.

GT

[Anaamika]

It's c-c-c-cold here. The sun is out and I want to do things outside but then I end up looking like this :( .
We went to the park yesterday. Oh, yes, we froze our little butts off but we got some nice pics and really enjoyed ourselves all the same.

[dangergene]

...pssst! Guess what?

ME BAAAAAACK!!!

[Ashes, Ashes]

How dee doodle ee oo gene baby. Now I remember whom you remind me of! You know how Grover on Sesame Street gets a bit frantic on occassion? That's you, with a little Cookie Monster thrown in. You're not scary so you aren't Animal, sorry.

Picunurse, my cousin is building a hospital (childrens' even!) right now. We could have him design a part especially for you and then they'd have to hire you since they couldn't put someone else in your office or space. And everybody would be nice to you because you're so spiffy they made an office just for you. Sheesh, your cow-orkers would have coronaries if they saw what goes on in our workroom at lunch.

Why is that particular phone an apartment phone? Also, which are oldest, wood boxish phones or the stand up skinny type? My grandparents had both and it wouldn't make sense if the box was oldest. They also had a big black phone in the foyer that grandpa used to clobber a guy who was breaking in, but that one is clear in my phone timeline.

I wish I could share a picture of the wallpaper in my parents' old bedroom. Shiny orange, yellow, flocked brown, and metallic-silver stripes in all different widths, which they put up diagonally. On every wall, over soffiets, even the door and closet. The floor was orange carpet and mom made a bedspread to match the wallpaper. I never have understood that room since they were otherwise pretty conservative with their decor.

Swampy, how on earth do you get the KitchenAid splatter guard to not make a bigger mess than without it? Maybe mine's possessed-- there is spinning and food being spewed whenever I try it. That's a good looking couch too. And please do get rid of the wicker etagiere. Bears shouldn't own wicker for many many reasons, but mainly because it catches their fur.

Oh, my mixer is a beautimous dark red and has no name as I was raised in a non-naming of appliances household. Come to think of it, we're not even so great at naming pets. A calico cat named Calico, another cat named Baby Kitty, then there was Blackie, a dog that whizzed everywhere named Whizzer and a border collie named Lady.

It's a freezy cold 47 degrees right now, which is 10pm and bedtime for this Bonzo. Gots to check the weather channel for frost advisories for tonight. Back in the twenties, it snowed here. But just once and for only a few minutes.

[gardentraveler]

dangergene! I was just wondering the other day if you were still around.... You're coming back to say more, right? Right???!!

Ummmm, Ashes, perhaps your parents weren't quite as conservative as you thought....? Diagonal orange stripes? Eeeek!

I'm up and at the 'puter to send a couple of e-mails before I head off to work, so I thought I'd stop by and say good morning. Why does it feel like a Monday? (For a moment there, I thought I should be looking for a new MMP....)

GT

[Lissla Lissar]

It ate my post.

My teapot is Achilles and my dressform is Darlene. We name things here. I'm leaning towards Matilda right now.

I went to bed at 9:30 and got up at 7. I must have been tired. I'm still a little sleepy but I'm about to have tea, and then go to the doctor. Before I leave I should throw out anything in the fridge that's become capable of spaceflight.

[anyrose]

I'm in the same area as taxi and Mika, and it is most definitely winter here. The ground is covered in snow and slush and the only warmth in the air is coming from the heater in my dorm room.

anyrose, what's the difference between a choir and a chorus? And how can there be a bass part in an all women's chorus? I still have no idea what happened with Amy and Ryan, for the same reasons I couldn't contact them Saturday morning. From what Amy told me online about her trip, she's now heading west to see more of the USA, and she won't be home for a couple of weeks. I suppose I should send her another text message asking her to call me, on the off chance her phone is working. I promise I'll keep y'all updated on that as soon as I know more.
I've always associated the word "choir" with a more religious base (church or synagogue) whereas a chorus is more secular.
And since barbershop harmony is traditionally one gender at a time, some women sing bass and some baritone - but an octave higher than in men's barbershop

[welby]

But boy howdy, I sure do! I managed a personal best over the weekend. What with being so freaking busy at work I haven't been getting a lot of sleep. So on Sunday I decided to hit the hay around 7:00pm.

I slept until I had to pee, right around 4:00am.

Then I slept until I had to pee, right around noon.

Then I slept until the wife came inat 5:30pm to make me go over to my grandparents house for a birthday party for my uncle. We're being hyper supportive of him right now, since he lost a son, my cousin, in a motorcycle accident a few months ago. So we had a nice little party, my granddad put together one of his famous slideshows, and we all ate waaaaayyyy to much cake and ice cream. Then I went home and slept until this morning. MAN I feel good.


My teapot is Achilles and my dressform is Darlene. We name things here. I'm leaning towards Matilda right now.

Odd, the only thing I name is my cars, though I'm having trouble picking out a name for my new car. In the past, I've always gone with something that seemed to speak about the car's personality, though with my last one (an Isuzu Rodeo) I think I mainly called it "You *&$%! peice of *$&^@!!"

Any idears? My new car is a Chevy Impala, and it's "Dark Silver Metallic", which is a marketer's way of calling it silver.

[swampbear]

It is easier to fight for principles than to live them

<snerk> IN BED! <snerk>

One can <snerk> at anything if one tries hard enough.

Sean we didn't get fortune cookies. We forgot! See, at this place you get them at the counter when you pay on the way out. They sit right there with a sign that says "One Per Customer, Please." We were actually in the furniture store when we realized we forgot to get our cookies. We were devastated! Just devastated I tells ya! Finding my beee-yooo-tee-ful sofa made up for it though.

Thanks for all the sofa compliments everybody. The pillows do come with it. They are the funky design on one side and match the sofa on the other side. I can mix and match! How exciting is that! Ashes2 the purpose of the spatter guard is not to have spatters. Mine works just fine at doing that. No KitchenAid spatters for me.

Howdy dangergene! Do drop back by and catch us all up on your life.

Did I tell y'all I scored the coolest item for the silent auction/chocolate classic fundraiser we have coming up next week? I got a Harley-Davidson leather jacket donated! It's hanging here in my office as we speak. It's a small so I can't try it on but still nobody else will get anything cooler than that. I know it. It's cool! It's jake even!

[chaoticbear]

Lissla, I've wanted a KitchenAid mixer for years! I do envy you, as you wanted to be envied.

swampy, all of your pictures led me to believe that you wore a small.

[indecisive1]

Any idears? My new car is a Chevy Impala, and it's "Dark Silver Metallic", which is a marketer's way of calling it silver.
We had a silver car named The Silver Bullet. Feel free to use the name, our Silver Bullet has gone to the giant junk yard in the sky. That car knew it was on its way out too. On the last day I had to drive it, the hood came loose and flew up completely blocking my view at 65 mph!

I made cheese straws last night (thanks SwampBear) They where so good that they disappeard almost instantly. IndeciGuy insisted on squirting squeeze cheese on them. Classy guy, huh? But I love him, and he gives me all his paychecks so I let it slide.

[welby]

It's cool! It's jake even!

Whoa whoa whoa. Jake? Are you sure? Jake isn't a compliment to just be tossed around lightly.

I think you need to send it to me so that I can decided on its Jakiness.

[swampbear]

donkeybear what part of large hairy gay man led you to believe I was small? :dubious: Besides, what with you stalking me and all, I woulda thought you'd have that figured out by now.

welby go to your nearest Harley-Davidson store and check out the leather jackets on display. I believe that will lead you to the conclusion of jake! I have definitely locked up the coolest auction item title. I also kinda locked up the kee-yooo-test auction item title because I got two cute baby strollers donated. Is it not interesting to know that I know somebody who sells Hawgs for a living and somebody who sells baby stuff for a living? How's that for extremes!

Oh, and speaking of my new sleeper sofa and curio cabinet, I was faced with the dilemma (close enough) of what to do with the futon and the wicker etagere. Friends of mine who have a cabin at the river allowed as how they could use 'em at the cabin, so they are going to come and get them. The futon frame is kinda ratty but they're handy type folk so they reckon they can fix it up to be a bit more sturdy. The futon itself is in good shape. The etagere is in good shape as well. They will be lovely additions to the cabin and will have a good home there.

indie (that's your nickname now) I'm glad the cheese straws were a hit. Squirt cheese on cheese straws is not a bad thing. Mind you I've never done it, but I might now that the idea has been planted. :D

[swampbear]

I forgot to mention that today I get to talk to a bunch of parents about transitioning from school to work and the community. Those parents are in for such a thrill. I also get to do it again on Thursday for a bunch of parents and teachers. Oh well, at least I get a free lunch both times.

[Lissla Lissar]

Gandalf. Gandalf the Silvery-Gray.


Have you ever sat staring at a piece of paper, trying to remember all the things you had to write down so you wouldn't forget them? That's me. What did I need to remember.

[Lissla Lissar]

With a question mark, not a period. Like this--> ?

[VunderBob]

Y'all think I should get some new swimming trunks? I seem to be mooning the lifeguard on a regular basis these days, and I'll have to stop swimming to re-tie my suit.

Is the world ready for Bobbio in Speedos? Snerk away, MMPers...

[Draelin]

I'm alive, I'm back at work, and the Bell Tower is faaaaabulous. The phone and internet don't work yet, which is why I haven't posted pictures yet (also, can't find the camera), but I'll be back to tell you all about it once I plow through the work nobody else did. :)

[Anaamika]

I'm back at work, too, and it's cold up here in Upstate NY! The water bottle I forgot in my car is frozen solid (it was only half-full, and certainly not capped). And it took forever for my car to thaw out. Brr!

[swampbear]

Y'all think I should get some new swimming trunks? I seem to be mooning the lifeguard on a regular basis these days, and I'll have to stop swimming to re-tie my suit.

Is the world ready for Bobbio in Speedos? Snerk away, MMPers...
Maybe you should ask the lifeguard if he likes being mooned first. :D

I say buy the speedos, put 'em on, take pictures and post 'em so we can judge. How else are gonna be able to tell?

[eleanorigby]

Drae's internet doesn't work, so she is communicating with us telepathically.

Now, THAT'S jake!




hello there, dangerene --when come back, bring words!



Off to grocery store, in the rain (not snow-grrrrrrr).

Not much going on today over here in Strawberry Fields. Need to look at the application for grad school and start it. Laundry and that's about it.

Ooh, took #1 son (with #2 son; #1-and only- daughter was studying at the coffee shop) to Office Max and got us some computer desks! He has saved and worked for 3 years for his new computer (don't ask me what it is, but it costs $1000 buckaroos). We are spotting him the desk--he has agreed to work if he wants a new chair.

[Anaamika]

By the way, no one congratulated me on my sewing projects! A pillow and a drawstring bag! Come on people, who else can I turn to for affirmation? Hel-LO?

:)

[Tupug Anachi]

I name my cars also , welby. I had a Fifth Avenue that I named the Queen Mary cause it was so big it needed tug boats to park it. After that came a Buick named Fergie cause it was a real princess of a car working on it's second lifetime. Now my Jeep Grand Cherokee is named Willy. I think you should call your Impala "Silver" like the lone ranger's horse.

I don't name my appliances but when we put in the the granite countertops, Mr. Anachi insisted...INSISTED...that all the small appliances be black, stainless, or both...thereby banning a perfectly working (however white) coffee grinder from the top of the counter. :smack:

I have a nice little loveseat sofa bed that's a Lazy Boy. It's got the most comfortable mattress I've ever tried on a sofa bed. It's in my spare room.

Narnia was good. At the risk of tremendous ridicule, I must state I would really like to have a talking pet beaver.

Hi, gene. What's new on the other side of the world?

Tupug

[Anaamika]

Oh, dear Og, you knew this was coming


Narnia was good. At the risk of tremendous ridicule, I must state I would really like to have a talking pet beaver.

<snerk>

Also, I only named my first car, my ticket to freedom and really wild things. I just called it Baby but it was my baby and oh-so-precious.

I miss that car. :(

[indecisive1]

At the risk of tremendous ridicule, I must state I would really like to have a talking pet beaver.
I think I better leave this one to more experienced MMPers.

[indecisive1]

By the way, no one congratulated me on my sewing projects! A pillow and a drawstring bag! Come on people, who else can I turn to for affirmation? Hel-LO?

:)
You Rock! You're a sewing God!
:)

[Walkabout]

Hello, mind if I play?

I just wanted to mention to anyrose that I'm in a SA chorus, too. This (http://www.mountainharmony.org/) is mine. It's just a little chorus, but we have fun. I sing baritone, and we, too, are starting to get ready for our regional competition, which is in April.

In another stunning coincidence, my family once had a Volvo decorated with flowers, too. Ours were more like this (http://www.pophouse.com/display.php?cat=36&item_id=FPDGS01), though.

[Tupug Anachi]

Oh, dear Og, you knew this was coming

<snerk>
Of course! Of course! I'm just surprised that one of the boys didn't beat you to it. ;)

[susan_foster]

Oh yeah - I got knives today! Our credit card gives us points for every dollar we charge, and I had enough points to get a set of Chicago cutlery knives in a block. They were delivered today. Good thing they were free - so far, I'm not too impressed with them. Maybe I'm just too accustomed to my Cutco knives.


In a stunning coincidence, I also got knives this weekend! I paid for mine, though. They were on sale. I got a long chef's knife and a santoku knife, which is one I've wanted for a while. I promptly christened the santoku by cutting myself. Ouchie! And even though the cut was done last night, I still managed to get a little spot of blood on my tan turtleneck. But it's alright; I saw the problem before I left for work and was able to switch to my off-white turtleneck. Fashion crisis averted!

I hate meetings. I will have three by 11 am today. Why me?

Susan

[Anaamika]

You Rock! You're a sewing God!
:)
Thanks, I feel affirmed!

Tupug, I am the Poster With No Name (Anaamika). I'm as quick on the draw as the Man With No Name. ;)

[taxi78cab]

KeithT got a KitchenAid mixer when he returned his Cuisinart since we both got Cuisinarts for Christmas. (And mine's bigger <snerk> so his got returned.) He's baking up a storm with it. Made incredible (according to him... I'm not there to judge) pizza dough over the weekend and whole wheat bread last night. We're both excited about our new gadgets. My Cuisinart got to make pesto over the weekend. BOY is that a LOT simpler than making pesto in the blender!

That's it for kitchen gagetry stories from me. And no, we haven't named either gadget. My car, though, is named Civi 'cause it's a Civic, and it needed a cute name 'cause it's a cute car.

[Draelin]

Okay, so it's not really a saga, just a long, semi-boring story. But I like giving things fancy names. I also name my cars (my first car was Dunkin {after the donut shop, natch}, and eventually came to be known as Dunkin MacHyundai of the Clan MacHyundai because nothing could ever kill that car--my current car is named Kal because I'm a ridiculously obsessed Superman fan), and have named appliances in the past, so I'm right there with you, Lissla. My first apartment contained a microwave named Chernobyl.

Oh, I'm telling a story, aren't I? Okay, let's get back to that ...

Thursday of last week, I woke up (because that's a good way to start the day) and went to see my insurance agent about my homeowner's policy. I arrived fifteen minutes early, spent ten minutes signing papers, then got lost on the way home, like I always do. Then I went out to the walkthrough, which was lovely, and met the people who were moving out of the Tower. They were very, very nice, and showed me where they hid the spare key in the common area because locking oneself out sucks. They left me the phone books and a little list of delivery places and were just good people in general. I liked 'em. Then they left, and I wandered around the house trying not to squeal like a little kid in front of the real estate agents. Then I headed out to the closing. Both my lawyer and my real estate agent were inherited from my parents, and since my Dad paid outright for the condo (yes, I know, smack me around if you must), there was no mortgage and I was all but incidental at the closing. I signed my name a few times and became the proud owner of a bell tower. Then I went back to the condo and danced around until my future-roommate got off work and came over to dance with me.

Friday began badly. The movers were expected at 8, meaning I wanted the cats drugged and locked in the closet by 7:30. Because of the vomit incident when I tested the Kitty Tranqs, I decided to take their food away before I went to bed on Thursday, which prompted a midnight complaint from Khan--in fact, the little bastard woke me up every half hour until 6 a.m., at which time I gave up and got out of bed because I was too excited to sleep anymore. I drugged the boys and watched them slow down incrementally as I wandered about the house finishing up little bits of packing and watching Pirates of the Caribbean to kill time.

The movers arrived on schedule, and the foreman was an eerily accurate Latino version of my ex-boyfriend, which was mildly creepy yet wholly comforting. Things were pretty uneventful except for pitiful, tranquilized cat crying. The movers, bless their muscley hearts, managed to get my bed up the spiral staircase (I don't know what I would have done if they couldn't), but not the dresser, so now I get dressed in the back hall, which is still pretty private, so I'm cool with it. :)

There is, of course, much, much more, but I know the attention span of the average MMPer has already been exceeded. And I really have to weewee, so I'll finish up later. :D

[taxi78cab]

I promptly christened the santoku by cutting myself. Ouchie!
Hey, I did this too! My parents gave me a santoku knife for Christmas, and I sliced my hand on Thursday. At least such a sharp knife makes a clean cut which heals quickly. :rolleyes: You'd think I'd know better and would be more careful!

[welby]

I miss that car. :(

I miss my first car too. I firmly beleive that, had it not taken an unplanned journey across 4 lanes of the beltway and into a tree I'd still be driving it today. Funk Monster was a 1977 Chevy Malibu Classic, pale blue with rust highlights. I loved that car. It was a huge old boat, and I could fit 7 girls plus me in it. I mean, what better use for a car when you're a teenager?

welby go to your nearest Harley-Davidson store and check out the leather jackets on display.

Oh no no no no no. It doesn't work that way. I'm trying to determine the Jakeosity of that particular jacket. I'll send it back. I SWEAR.

Tups, I thought of that, but it's kinda generic. Plus it was my wife's suggestion, and we all know that you can't take the wife's advice on stuff like naming a car. Names of cars I've owned, aside from Funk Monster:

Toad: Pea Soup green Mazda 626.

Soapy Soapbox: White Nissan Stanza, which I decided looked like a Soap Box Racer

Roach: Black Isuzu Pickup Truck, suggested by a friend.

[gotpasswords]

Why is that particular phone an apartment phone? Also, which are oldest, wood boxish phones or the stand up skinny type? My grandparents had both and it wouldn't make sense if the box was oldest. They also had a big black phone in the foyer that grandpa used to clobber a guy who was breaking in, but that one is clear in my phone timeline.
It's not obvious from the photo, but the bottom section of the phone has a switch for outside lines and inside lines. On the right-hand side, it's got buttons for the manager (landlord, super, etc) and door, so you can buzz someone in.

Candlestick phones and wood wall phones are generally from the turn of the century to the early 30's and existed simultaneously for the most part. And why not? They used the same parts - it's just what holds them together that's different. The amazing thing is that those old phones can still work on today's lines.

They had plugged all of their equipment (two sets of lights, a big box fan, shop vac, boombox (gotta have the Metallica playing when you install, don't cha know) circular saw and a compressor) into the bedroom oulets only. When all of them were turned on at the same time, the current melted some wire nuts in a j-box in the attic feeding that room.
That's sort of a mixed blessing in that they "found" a bad bit of wiring and managed to blow it completely, rather than having it be all hot and smoldering up in the attic for a long time until something starts burning.

[Anaamika]

I miss my first car too. I firmly beleive that, had it not taken an unplanned journey across 4 lanes of the beltway and into a tree I'd still be driving it today. Funk Monster was a 1977 Chevy Malibu Classic, pale blue with rust highlights. I loved that car. It was a huge old boat, and I could fit 7 girls plus me in it. I mean, what better use for a car when you're a teenager?


Heh, none that I can think of. Mine was a 1990 Toyota Corolla, and the color was "Topaz". More sort of gold, but the cool thing was, no one else picked that color so it was really easy to see in a parking lot! It was beautiful, and as I said, took me away from constrictive parents and into the real world.

[VunderBob]

Sean Factotum, about the monkeys who laid a floor and blew up the house


Laid a floor?!? <snerk>!

(not you, sean)


I think I'm about to out-juvenile Swampy here...

[indecisive1]

Hello, mind if I play?

I just wanted to mention to anyrose that I'm in a SA chorus, too. This (http://www.mountainharmony.org/) is mine. It's just a little chorus, but we have fun. I sing baritone, and we, too, are starting to get ready for our regional competition, which is in April.

In another stunning coincidence, my family once had a Volvo decorated with flowers, too. Ours were more like this (http://www.pophouse.com/display.php?cat=36&item_id=FPDGS01), though.

Hey! Speaking of co-inkey-dinks, I darn near married a guy who's mom was a Sweet Adelline (sp?) I went to one of her shows and just loved it! What a family. All of them well over six feet tall, The tallest was 6'7". And not only was it a tall family it was a big famly too. Lets see, (counting fingers) 8 kids. Actually, I think I liked the family better than my almost husband. I still miss them after 20 years.

[eleanorigby]

Goodness! I have been remiss.

I have never named an appliance or a car, ever. I am their overlord, and as such, I do not deign to dignify their existances with a moniker. :cool:

My first car was a Datsun 200SX--blue two tone, dontcha know. It had a voice that alerted the driver to all manner of things like "door is ajar" (which we never heard but to say "no-a door is a door!" We are very funny)--it died in a small fender bender with a truck tow-truck. Pushed the wheel base back 3 inches. Totalled.

Next car was a Honda Accord--man, I loved that car.


Never mind the rest of them--I am not all that enamoured of cars. I like my current Volvo (no flower stickers, just an Amnesty sticker on the bumper).


Rain has turned to sleet--I think I need more candles for the Winter Ritual.



Drae --how do the kitties like their new digs? And what are you to do about that dresser? I thought you would be living there alone. Is this roomie a nice person of good family? Answers, we want answers!

[Taters]

Morning all, not much time to chat. I have something that needs to be handled pronto, so I'll need to to do that, pronto!

dangergene! It's so nice of you to streak on by. Please drop in with an update on how you've been.

Drae, I'm glad the move was, for the most part, uneventful. Eventful moves are NOT good.

I have never named my cars or appliances. Some of my cars have been called POS, on occasion, but that's about as close to a name as they came.

Well, need to dash.

[Draelin]

Drae --how do the kitties like their new digs?
The kitties were monumentally pissed for a few hours, and I thought I'd never get Sirius out from under my bed, but they have adjusted and are now embracing all the precarious possibilities provided by spiral staircases and lofts and ledges. We found Sirius on top of the refrigerator the other night, looking as if he wasn't at all sure how to get himself down. He managed. :)
And what are you to do about that dresser?
The dresser thing isn't a problem, really. The way the back hall is configured, I can stand there and get dressed without having to worry about anybody seeing me unless they have a sudden compelling need to do laundry. I'm cool with that. I think there probably wouldn't be enough room in the bedroom for the dresser, anyway. I keep my underwear and pajamas in the tower, and everything else at the bottom of the stairs--where it is significantly warmer than my room. :( (Not sad, just cold.)
I thought you would be living there alone. Is this roomie a nice person of good family?
I am living with my best friend, who is renting the loft bedroom from me. I've known her for nine years (although due to a misunderstanding on both our parts, we didn't speak for five of them). She's not necessarily a nice person, which is why I like her. I'd say she's from a pretty good family. The older of her younger brothers is one of my best friends (and carried my television up a spiral staircase for me on Friday night), and her sixteen-year-old brother is a riot because he's grown half a foot in an incredibly short amount of time and therefore doesn't know how tall he is, which makes him hit his head on things on a near-constant basis. I think I'm safe in the roommate department. We have a contract which basically consists of "Mandi pays Jessie X dollars per month for the room. All parties are required to call first when bringing unexpected guests into the house, because dancing in the living room while scantily-clad is a constant possibility. If one party gets lucky, the other party is allowed to smirk knowingly at the Overnight Guest over coffee in the morning."

[Anaamika]

Goodness! I have been remiss.

I have never named an appliance or a car, ever. I am their overlord, and as such, I do not deign to dignify their existances with a moniker. :cool:

I used to talk to cars. I used to pretend I was the Queen of all cars, and when they met me on the roads, they'd pay homage.

Yes, I was a lonely only child.

[anyrose]

Hello, mind if I play?

I just wanted to mention to anyrose that I'm in a SA chorus, too. This (http://www.mountainharmony.org/) is mine. It's just a little chorus, but we have fun. I sing baritone, and we, too, are starting to get ready for our regional competition, which is in April.

In another stunning coincidence, my family once had a Volvo decorated with flowers, too. Ours were more like this (http://www.pophouse.com/display.php?cat=36&item_id=FPDGS01), though.
omigawd! How 60's can you get? I had those stickers all over my bedroom furnature, and my mom copied them for the Volvo Flowers

[Draelin]

I used to talk to cars.
I still talk to my car. And my cats. And my coffeemaker. And the hair dryer, if it gives me a problem. And most of my furniture, and my keys when they get persnickety about fitting into locks and the television remote (usually "Hey, remote, where are you?")

[taxi78cab]

Can someone tell me more about the Sweet Adelines? I miss being in a chorus and would definitely be interested in joining once I move to Minnesota.

[anyrose]

my first car was my sister's '80 VW Jetta. My dad refused to teach me manual transmission (he was all ready none to happy I had a license at all) so one of his friends did. My ex-bf named it Jenny. I drove that car into the ground. Long story that ends up wiht me ignoring the oil warning light and seizing the engine.
Then I drove my mom's '77 Chevy Nova - 8 cyl, RWD, gas guzzling, dark orange colored monster I had named Rusty Pumpkin. If it had 8 inches ground clearance that was a lot (well, perhaps I exaggerate, but you get the idea) That one died a slow death.
Then I got a used '88 Ford Taurus, that I had to put a lot of work into, but after that it ran like a dream. Then in '99, I decided it was time for my first new car. So because it was the end of the sales year, I got a very good deal on a '99 Taurus. I have a short commute so I barely put 10K miles a year. But it's a good car. And I'll probably drive this one into the ground Unless I suddenly come into a sheetload of money.

[anyrose]

Can someone tell me more about the Sweet Adelines? I miss being in a chorus and would definitely be interested in joining once I move to Minnesota.
Oh you will LOOOOVE it
here (http://www.sweetadelineintl.org/chaptersinfo.cfm?state=MN) is a list of MN chapters.
What can I say? It's fun. There's a lot of work, but a lot of commraderie. And you get to wear glitzy costumes. Email me (from my profile) with any specific questions. I'll be happy to answer them.

[eleanorigby]

Drae -I was hoping that roomie wouldn't be nice or of good family...that is always so boring!

I think in addition to the Pact you have made, that you should agree when an unwanted person calls (like a soon to be ex, your mother or similiar), the roomie should turn her back on you and state into the phone, "Nope, I don't see her" to CYA.

Worked for me and my roomies in college, I tells ya......


I am being bad and not doing my app to grad school. Must do so after lunch.



Maybe I should name my car? I talk to it all the time (these mechanical slaves need lots of direction), but I have never named it. It's a black station wagon with gray interior, sun roof.

Maybe Mariah.....heh.

[eleanorigby]

Drae -I was hoping that roomie wouldn't be nice or of good family...that is always so boring!

I think in addition to the Pact you have made, that you should agree when an unwanted person calls (like a soon to be ex, your mother or similiar), the roomie should turn her back on you and state into the phone, "Nope, I don't see her" to CYA.

Worked for me and my roomies in college, I tells ya......


I am being bad and not doing my app to grad school. Must do so after lunch.



Maybe I should name my car? I talk to it all the time (these mechanical slaves need lots of direction), but I have never named it. It's a black station wagon with gray interior, sun roof.

Maybe Mariah.....heh.

[eleanorigby]

oops!

Could someone fix that? (do mods ever come into MMP?)

[Draelin]

I think in addition to the Pact you have made, that you should agree when an unwanted person calls (like a soon to be ex, your mother or similiar), the roomie should turn her back on you and state into the phone, "Nope, I don't see her" to CYA.
I don't think the CYA is necessary--we lie to save each other all the time. :) I got a call from her last week saying "I called in sick today, and if you happen to talk to my brother, tell him I'm coughing up a storm." And she once backed me up on a highly improbable story (that could be true because these kinds of things happen to me) involving a tiki torch and the sudden disappearance of half my hair just so my mother wouldn't find out I'd cut it off myself while sleepwalking and send me to some sort of dream clinic for the deranged.

[indecisive1]

oops!

Could someone fix that? (do mods ever come into MMP?)
I think it might be like the Grinch. Their little hearts would swell to six times normal size from all the love, manners and good natured fun. Then they would go shooting down the mountain with their dog flinging presents and food. Then they would all quit moding and we'd be screwed, so hush.

[Anaamika]

Are there any mods that participate in the MMP, ever, or regularly?

[VunderBob]

Are there any mods that participate in the MMP, ever, or regularly?
I think Lynn Bodoni showed up once or twice, long ago...

Face it, we're that boring and uncontroversial.

[taxi78cab]

Oh you will LOOOOVE it
here (http://www.sweetadelineintl.org/chaptersinfo.cfm?state=MN) is a list of MN chapters.
What can I say? It's fun. There's a lot of work, but a lot of commraderie. And you get to wear glitzy costumes. Email me (from my profile) with any specific questions. I'll be happy to answer them.
Thanks for the info. Your profile says your email's not available. Email me and then I'll email you. :D

[swampbear]

I am shocked shocked shocked I tell you! That meeting I went to was actually a very good and informative thing. Everyone enjoyed my talk and asked lots of questions. I got a lot of great feedback from folks telling me my presentation was well done and made sense. I made sense! Whoda thunk it! Lunch was from Chick Fil*A which was ok. Hey, I don't complain about free lunch. Never complain about free lunch is my motto.

welby, see, the jacket is no longer in my possession. It has now gone into the Room Where All The Auction Stuff Is Stored. The RWATASIS is hallowed ground upon which noone but the Keeper Of The Auction Stuff may enter. I am not the KOTAS, so I may not enter. So, you'll just have to take my word for it on the jakeiness of the jacket.

[Taters]

I think Lynn Bodoni showed up once or twice, long ago...

Face it, we're that boring and uncontroversial.

You say that like it's a bad thing. I, for one, am glad to lie low. If I want to flame, I'll attend a pitting, thanks very much.

Guess what? It's raining! Isn't that just a huge change from the last, oh, I don't know, 28 freakin' days? Seattle got a brief reprieve on Sunday, but technically, it did rain here in Puyallup, so I've gone 29 or 30 days with rain now. Blech! I think I'm turning moldy or rusty.

My first car was a sorta of limey, sorta metallic green 1967 Ford XL. (A fancy Galaxie as far as I can make out). That thing had a 390 engine in it and could really go. Unfortunately, some dumbass lady rear-ended me and my car was totaled. I had to drive it around until I could afford to buy another car. That's what I did with my first two months of salary after going to work on Ft Lewis. I bought a 78 Mustang Ghia. Yes, it was a "girl" car. A little four-cylinder, four speed, car. It was white, with a red half top, and red interior. It was definitely girly, and definitely gutless. I finally got rid of that thing too. I had fun with it, but it sure couldn't race or anything.

[Sean Factotum]

Narnia was good. At the risk of tremendous ridicule, I must state I would really like to have a talking pet beaver.
That's your opinion. I think it's bad enough that the other end has a mouth. If the beaver talked, I'd never get any rest.

I named my first car also. It was a 1970 Chevelle, and it cost my dad $50 to buy and have towed home. We then spent four months rebuilding the engine, transmission, drive train, body and floor. I paid for all the parts/materials, insurance, gas, and had to be there with my dad as he did work on it. I thought it was a fair deal. All of my other friends in HS shared a car with siblings or borrowed their folks's car - I wa the only one of my group that had his own car.

And mika, Yea For You And Your SEWING Projects!!!

I'm watching the non-liftoff of the Pluto probe today. T-4 minutes and holding. It keeps getting puched back because it's a blustery day at the Cape.

[welby]

welby, see, the jacket is no longer in my possession. It has now gone into the Room Where All The Auction Stuff Is Stored. The RWATASIS is hallowed ground upon which noone but the Keeper Of The Auction Stuff may enter. I am not the KOTAS, so I may not enter. So, you'll just have to take my word for it on the jakeiness of the jacket.

I'll let it go this time. . . but next time you're in HOT water young man!

[Draelin]

Speaking of hot water, we made an interesting discovery on Sunday night--there is only enough hot water at any given time to fill the bathtub once. Then I waited an hour and a half and tried again--ran out halfway. That tub is deep. I'm still waiting for the opportunity to take a luxurious bath 'cause I told Roomie she could take a nice relaxing bath first, while I organized the pantry. Then I get no bath. :( Maybe I'll do that tonight.

I went to Target at lunch, naturally. It's like a compulsion, these days. Do I have ten extra minutes on my hands? I'd better get to Target. I got a mirror for my bedroom (one of three things that were always on the list for any shopping excursion this weekend yet never got purchased), ice cube trays, tupperware (which we discovered a need for last night when I overdid it with the pasta), a space heater for my bedroom (with a timer on it so I can make my room warm before I go up to bed--I suppose I could accomplish that by simply taking a trip upstairs an hour or so before bedtime, but it's got a timer and a remote control!!), toilet paper, and the second season of Lois and Clark on DVD, because I happened to walk past it and couldn't not buy it.

Total for this trip: $127.46. :)

[Anaamika]

I still talk to my car. And my cats. And my coffeemaker. And the hair dryer, if it gives me a problem. And most of my furniture, and my keys when they get persnickety about fitting into locks and the television remote (usually "Hey, remote, where are you?")
I swear, I think you're me. You must be me.

And thank you, Sean! Wow, what a pretty color!

[swampbear]

I'll let it go this time. . . but next time you're in HOT water young man!
What? You gonna make me go sit in my hot tub?

Mika good on the sewing stuff! Did you prick <snerk> yourself with the needle? That always hurts.

I'm not sure if we gave anyrose a definitive answer as to what "but N.O.T." means. It does indeed mean "but Not Our Taters." It is used when a reference to taters is made. For example: Tonight I'm making my famous company smashed taters (but N.O.T.). Our Taters may indeed get smashed (I once even sorta saw that. Several of us got sorta kinda tipsy though), but it's not cause we smashed her. That make sense?

[Anaamika]

Mika good on the sewing stuff! Did you prick <snerk> yourself with the needle? That always hurts.

*with pride* Nope, I did not, as a matter of fact. That needle would be hard to prick yourself with, anyway, as it's almost impossible to get a finger underneath it by accident. Anyway, I'm done with those days! I pricked my finger plenty when sewing by hand.

"I always thought one of the dangers was having your daughter get a prick."
There was silence as the crowd mulled over this.
"And falling sleep for a thousand years."
"Ah," the crowwd said, unaccountably relieved.

-Terry Pratchett, Guards! Guards!

[Taters]

Draelin, I am the owner of one huge, giganto bathtub too. In fact, it's so big, the water would start turning to cool, and finally cold about halfway through filling it up. You might want to turn up water heater, just a tad. I know, it doesn't make sense, but it worked.

We are in lock-down mode for spending, so there will be no trips to any stores to buy anything other than food or a NECESSITY. I hate trying to play catch-up. On the other hand, our Christmas was not put on credit, so that's a good thing. Now, I just get to sweat for a month or so trying to juggle our bills. I wish I could win the lottery so I could just pay everything off. It would be nice to be financially comfortable enough to know there is always enough money to pay the bills exactly when due if not early, with extra leftover for savings and some fun.

Originally posted by Sean
That's your opinion. I think it's bad enough that the other end has a mouth. If the beaver talked, I'd never get any rest.

You say this like it's a bad thing. ;)

I'm not sure if we gave anyrose a definitive answer as to what "but N.O.T." means. It does indeed mean "but Not Our Taters." It is used when a reference to taters is made. For example: Tonight I'm making my famous company smashed taters (but N.O.T.). Our Taters may indeed get smashed (I once even sorta saw that. Several of us got sorta kinda tipsy though), but it's not cause we smashed her. That make sense?

I was not smashed Swampy. I was sorta tipsy for awhile, but then dinner took care of that feeling. I couldn't have gotten smashed in front of you, the Bumbas , and the contingent of Seattle dopers who showed up for our shindig. That would have been TOO, TOO embarrassing. I wouldn't have been able to show my name here in the MMP, and that would have been bad, 'cause I like all of you.

[VunderBob]

Speaking of hot water, we made an interesting discovery on Sunday night--there is only enough hot water at any given time to fill the bathtub once. Then I waited an hour and a half and tried again--ran out halfway. That tub is deep. I'm still waiting for the opportunity to take a luxurious bath 'cause I told Roomie she could take a nice relaxing bath first, while I organized the pantry. Then I get no bath. :( Maybe I'll do that tonight.



Drae, I'll bet your water heater is full of scale 'cuz it's old. Sometimes you can disconnect it and hook up a garden hose to the bottom and flush it out, and it will heat better. Other times, the beastie is about shot, and it's time for a new one.

If you have to replace it, get a bigger 'un...

[eleanorigby]

I have forgotten: what is the cover charge for Target, again?

I think in my area it's like $60, but it might have gone up.


I must have hot water for the tub. Otherwise, life it too ugly to comtemplate.



Coolness! A space heater with a remote! I am in awe.



It's now snowing here like the Dickens (and just what IS a dickens, pray?)--yeah! my Candle Ritual worked. Now, to solve world hunger or at least my own......



I did indeed start to attempt to navigate the strange and confusing world of graduate school admissions. There are many links and more than one web site--and my 'puter crashed halfway thru. I will try again on Thursday.

I paid off my Dad today--all $9,865.58. I feel good. (of course, I might have to borrow it right back for grad school, but.....)


Dinner is already in the oven. I made Hashed Brown Potatoes (N.O.T. ) Casserole. Recipe available on request.

[FairyChatMom]

Well, swampy, obviously you didn't read this whole thread, (http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=7003711&postcount=54) you big poopyhead! :p

First day back to work after a long weekend, and all I can say is: "Is it Friday yet?!?" Not that it was a bad day or anything, but after sleeping in till 7 for 3 days running, 4:45 was not a happy time. Then this idiot who just retired and has 2 days to get checked out (military guy) was making copies of dog-eared pages and one got stuck in the feeder. Instead of asking for help or reading the instructions on how to clear a paper jam, he punched buttons (literally - I heard him) and recycled the power a couple of times. Then he was amazed when one of the women in the office went to make copies and cleared his stupid jam. I'll be so glad when his 2 days are up and he's out of here. Our gain is Texas' loss.

I've made an appointment for a once-over by my doctor. I shoulda called sooner this month - I like having it done near my birthday so I don't forget when it's due, but the earliest he had available was Feb 8 - like 2 weeks late. Oh well...

Lessee, what else? It's dreary and cold, but I'm too lazy to bring in firewood, so no fire tonight unless FCD does the log-totin'. Salmon for dinner. I need to water my house plants. Oh yeah - and we keep getting this computer-generated phone call - it's left 2 partial messages on our machine. I'd call them up and cuss them out, but I don't want to talk to telemarketers. Buncha idjits!

Mika - if you want affirmation, you gotta post pics. How can we ooo and aaah over something that only exists in our imaginations? Sheesh, get with the program! Unless you did post pics and I missed them, in which case, never mind...

gene, dahlink, come back! We miss you!

welby! Hi! That's all, just hi!

I think that's all for now.

[Anaamika]

Mika - if you want affirmation, you gotta post pics. How can we ooo and aaah over something that only exists in our imaginations? Sheesh, get with the program! Unless you did post pics and I missed them, in which case, never mind...

Pics of my sewing? Requested from the Master of Sewing? But...but...OK! I will - maybe even tonight!

[eleanorigby]

I ooh and aah over all kinds of stuff in my imagination......<snerk>



I thought Lisslar was our Sewing Overlord? FCM is an all round Domestic Goddess.




Does anyone else talk to the computer as you post? or is this a sign of something for me?

(don't answer that)

Husband is stuck in Miami, on a plane due to weather this end.

He doesn't want to leave (us, not Miami)--more later, if mudane enough.

[Sean Factotum]

Drae, I'll bet your water heater is full of scale 'cuz it's old. Sometimes you can disconnect it and hook up a garden hose to the bottom and flush it out, and it will heat better. Other times, the beastie is about shot, and it's time for a new one.

If you have to replace it, get a bigger 'un...
YTeah. I saw Richard the Plumber this weekend on This Old House talking about water heaters, problems with them, and how if you flush them every two years from when it's new, it'll last a good long time. But if'n you wait until the thing is ten years old to start doing that, you're just wasting time cause it'll need to be replaced now. Flushing just delays the inevitable by about a couple months. Replacng electric water heaters are easy. It's the gas ones that bite BTUs (see, BTU and BUTT are kinda close. I made a funny.)

The New Horizons lauch was scrubbed with just 2 minutes or so to go in the launch window. Guess I'll queue it up again tomorrow and see if it happens.

[taxi78cab]

Oooh! Oooooh! I just remembered... my home phone's being turned off today! No more annoying telemarketers calling me! Yay!

[welby]

What? You gonna make me go sit in my hot tub?

It is impossible to put the fear of welby in such an irreverent person.

[FairyChatMom]

It is impossible to put the fear of welby in such an irreverent person.

Fear of welby?? :confused:


:p

[Tupug Anachi]

That's your opinion. I think it's bad enough that the other end has a mouth. If the beaver talked, I'd never get any rest.
Oh, just be glad it doesn't have teeth. ;)

[Lissla Lissar]

I'm the resident Sewing Goddess, and FCM is our wonderful, cuddly, Pottery And All-Round Domestic Goddess. We both want pics, mika.

I have used my KitchenAid[/b]! I made naan (Attacks Husband came over for a naan-making course) and white bread with cracked wheat and cardamom-cinnamon raisin walnut bread. On Thursday I'm making cinnamon buns. I love it. It's so easy to use and so pretty. Not [i]it, sorry. She. Matilda. Now I just have to wash the dishes. It is easier to clean than the Cuisinart, so I shouldn't complain.

Creamed chicken for dinner. I have daal with spinach and naan left over from lunch, but I want chicken. Maybe I''ll do chili tomorrow.

[Lissla Lissar]

Coding Error, aisle three.

[Spatial Rift 47]

By the great loogies of Splorch, I go to class for a few hours and there's a whole page and a half added onto the MMP when I get back. You people need to get lives or something. :p

Tupug, like this? (http://www.rotten.com/library/sex/vagina-dentata/) (WARNING: Not work safe. Not sanity safe either. You're better off just not clicking on it.)

rigs - cover charge for Target? Did I miss a memo? I thought Target was just a store where you go and buy stuff. And get to work on your application young lady!

The Spatial demands photographs of Mika's sewing projects. The Spatial has spoken.

[Anaamika]

The Spatial demands photographs of Mika's sewing projects. The Spatial has spoken.
I'm working on it! :p I have a question first, for the men Dopers:

My aunt asked me to buy my brother (adopted - long story) a tie clip. I only liked this one. Is this nice? Would you wear it? He's a simple sort of guy, but very handsome.

Tie Clip Photo 1[/url[
[url=http://photobucket.com/albums/v713/Elenia25/?action=view&current=Picture048.jpg]Tie Clip Photo 2 (http://photobucket.com/albums/v713/Elenia25/?action=view&current=Picture059.jpg)

They're a little blurry, lemme know if you guys need a cleaner pic.

[Anaamika]

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!


How did I do that? Take Two:

One (http://photobucket.com/albums/v713/Elenia25/?action=view&current=Picture048.jpg)
Two (http://photobucket.com/albums/v713/Elenia25/?action=view&current=Picture059.jpg)

[FairyChatMom]

I like the tie clip - not too plain and not at all fussy.

And I do sew, but lately, it's mainly repairs and simple household or boat projects. I did sew a few of my daughter's prom and homecoming dresses, and when I was in high school, I used to make most of my clothes. But most definitely not a sewing goddess. Heck, as bad as my eyes have become, it's murder threading a needle...

I'm also not a domestic goddess by any stretch. However, I do raise some bodacious dust bunnies!

[swampbear]

Cool tie thingy mika. I own one and it's sorta like that. Ok, it's a stick pin rather than a clip but it's gold and has two bands of diamond chips on it. It was a gift from an ex. I hardly ever wear it cause if I don't wan't my tie flappin' around, I button my coat.

Taters I didn't say you were smashed I said kinda tipsy. Several of us were during the tour. I think that made it more fun. I want some salmon hash. Thinking about that made me think of salmon hash which I ate a lot of that week. Yummy stuff!

FCM I thought somebody had 'splained "but N.O.T." but I couldn't remember and no I did not go back and reread everything to find out. So There! :p

I made my Spanish rice concoction for supper. It's Spanish rice with ground beef and mushrooms in it. It's good! Plus I made some biscuits. ACBG came over to eat but he's gone cause he has a lot of paper work stuff to do tonight. Besides, it's sorta yucky rainy here right now. I'm considering a soak in my big ol' bath tub with perhaps a glass of wine then crawling in bed to watch tv for a bit. Bet I'll be asleep by nine o' clock. Tomorrow I get to torture test a couple of folks and start writing up reports all about it. It's good to be all rested up to torture test.

[anyrose]

Thanks for the info. Your profile says your email's not available. Email me and then I'll email you. :D
is did

[Taters]

Okay, guess I misunderstood, Swampy. I saw smashed and immediately thought you meant me. It would be ever so cool if you could come back up this way. I had a blast.

Spats, that picture is just plain WRONG! Good grief!

Mika, I couldn't see the second pic, but the first one looked nice. Simple elegance.

I'm making jambalaya for dinner. It's what I have the ingredients on hand for. Speaking of cajun food, Mr. Taters and I were very disappointed in our favorite cajun restaurant on Saturday. We felt bad because we took some friends there and it was their first time. Everything tasted, I dunno, off. I thought it was just me, but Mr. Taters wasn't happy either.

Salmon..salmon. I really don't much of it anymore. I grew up eating salmon ALL THE TIME and just got sick of it. I do splurge when the copper river salmon is in season. I like that. I know salmon is good for you, but I just ate too much of it as a kid. We fished all the time and consequently always had salmon in the freezer.

I think I'm gonna do some reading now.

[Anaamika]

Ok, both swampy and FairyChatMom think the clip is nice, so does my SO, that's good enough for me. Everyone else's opinion is welcome, of course!

Here's the very beginning of my sewing:

Project 1. (http://photobucket.com/albums/v713/Elenia25/Sewing%20Projects/?action=view&current=Picture040.jpg) This is the little pillow, and it's woefully unimpressive. It was just to figure out where the string goes, and make sure I threaded it right.
Project 2. (http://photobucket.com/albums/v713/Elenia25/?action=view&current=Picture056.jpg) My first project of any ambition. It's the drawstring bag.
Project 3. (http://photobucket.com/albums/v713/Elenia25/?action=view&current=Picture061.jpg) This is a sarong. I purchased some fringe, and attached it to the edge. I did this last year by hand for my Renaissance Faire Costume (I dressed as a gypsy) and I decided to take it all apart and do it properly via the sewing machine. I also attached the little gold decorations, one on each side, although you can't see the other one. It makes for a perfect gypsy head piece!

Amazing how it took two weeks to sit there and sew it on by hand, and one evening to do it by the machine.

Next - an apron!

[gotpasswords]

if you flush them every two years from when it's new, it'll last a good long time. But if'n you wait until the thing is ten years old to start doing that, you're just wasting time cause it'll need to be replaced now. Flushing just delays the inevitable by about a couple months. Replacng electric water heaters are easy. It's the gas ones that bite BTUs (see, BTU and BUTT are kinda close. I made a funny.)
Yeah. My heater's 16 years old, and apparently it's never been flushed or drained once in its life. It thunks and rumbles frequently. Only problem is the cost to replace. Sears wants $270 for basic labor, the county wants $56 for a permit, the dump wants $15 for disposal if we haul the old one there, and that's all on top of the cost of the replacement heater itself, which is in the area of $400. Last I checked, it's about $800 all told. :mad:

Oh, plus we might need a waiver for PENC - Pre-Existing Non-Conforming - as our heater's not as far off the floor as the current code demands. We can't raise it any without moving the furnace and its ductwork. :eek:

[anyrose]

I still talk to my car. And my cats. And my coffeemaker. And the hair dryer, if it gives me a problem. And most of my furniture, and my keys when they get persnickety about fitting into locks and the television remote (usually "Hey, remote, where are you?")
talking to your cat is normal, sweetie.
the other things - I suppose cases can be made for talking to any inanimate object. It's when they start to talk back that I'd worry.

[Anaamika]

talking to your cat is normal, sweetie.
the other things - I suppose cases can be made for talking to any inanimate object. It's when they start to talk back that I'd worry.
Or when you lose the arguments. :eek:

[Rue DeDay]

Hey, I did this too! My parents gave me a santoku knife for Christmas, and I sliced my hand on Thursday. At least such a sharp knife makes a clean cut which heals quickly. :rolleyes: You'd think I'd know better and would be more careful!
When you give knives as gifts you're supposed to tape a penny to 'em. Then the lucky recipient takes the penny and gives it to the gifter. That way they "buy" the knives and they won't "cut the friendship", or take a "blood price". Something like that.

Anyway, you're supposed to give the penny back. Which is OK since you can't even get bubble gum for a penny anymore.

[susan_foster]

So I cut something else today. Or actually got it cut. I am shorn of my locks. In other words - hair gone. It used to reach my shoulders, but when it gets that long the natural curl becomes natural frizz. So I got it cut. Now it reaches just to the bottom of my ears. I like it a lot. I just have to see if I can make it as nice as it did coming out of the hair dresser. Of course, I never can.

I also ordered a new TiVo. I had to return the one I got for my birthday. I got it just a month ago, and it was freezing on me. I did call TiVo technical support - I now have a case with them, so when I get this new one, the lifetime service can be transferred. I liked the TiVo service - now I really want to have a box that actually works.

Susan

[Spatial Rift 47]

I did warn you, Taters. It's almost enough to scare a guy out of having sex, I tells ya. Almost.

While I'm on the subject, where did this "I tells ya" trend come from on the SDMB? I mean, I like it. I'm just curious.

Or when you lose the arguments. :eek:

Or when it jumps onto your head and latches into your brain and starts controlling your thoughts and making you go buy lottery tickets in Granny's dress and making you do all the cleaning and cooking and washing while all it does is sit in its underwear and watch sports and drink cheap beer (which you have to buy, this time in a plaid leisure suit) and you give and you give and you give and it takes and it takes and it takes and meanwhile the wound from where it went into your skull got infected and it's all festering and pus-filled and oozing different colors and you DIE.

Man, I hate it when that happens.

[Anaamika]

Er...does that happen to you often?

*runs and hides under the desk*

[anyrose]

I did warn you, Taters. It's almost enough to scare a guy out of having sex, I tells ya. Almost.

While I'm on the subject, where did this "I tells ya" trend come from on the SDMB? I mean, I like it. I'm just curious.



Or when it jumps onto your head and latches into your brain and starts controlling your thoughts and making you go buy lottery tickets in Granny's dress and making you do all the cleaning and cooking and washing while all it does is sit in its underwear and watch sports and drink cheap beer (which you have to buy, this time in a plaid leisure suit) and you give and you give and you give and it takes and it takes and it takes and meanwhile the wound from where it went into your skull got infected and it's all festering and pus-filled and oozing different colors and you DIE.

Man, I hate it when that happens.
that was *you*?? :eek:

[Spatial Rift 47]

that was *you*?? :eek:

Ssshhhh!! Keep it down! :dubious:

[gotpasswords]

For those that wanted to see me lay a floor - hey, stop snerking! - I stuffed a few pix (http://photobucket.com/albums/e347/gotpasswords/) up onto the web.

Couple bonus shots of my apartment phone, rather than one that I just found via Google, and a ten-button phone before they invented the * and #. Check out that stripe of bright, clean kitchen tile and carpet that I found when I pulled up the metal strip that held the two together. That's 17 years of piss-poor housekeeping by the previous owners for you.

[eleanorigby]

Mika --very nice job on the sewing. I can sew a straight seam, and hence, I sew the kids' Halloween costumes each year. That is the limit of my skills.

I lose arguments with appliances regularly; in fact, they mock me.



Off to work (I may be home quite soon!)--I so wanted to call in, but can't afford the PTO.



Spats --HOW would you come across such a pic? Never mind, I dont' want to know. Printed out most of the app yesterday--am going to do it with a woman who is already in the program, probably on Friday. It's due March 1, so I have some time (not alot, but some).

[eleanorigby]

Oops! Forgot to say: NICE FLOOR!

I love hardwood floors.

Oh, and nice tie clip--nice and simple.

[indecisive1]

Anaamika I love the sarong thingy. I'm a big fan of beaded fringe. I have miles of the stuff. None of it actually applied to anything. It's a sickness. I've even bought fringe because I thought it was the ugliest fringe I'd ever seen. I have the same problem with fabric. I just love fabric. I buy fabric and drape it around the room and just look at it. Then when it starts to get coated with dog fur, I pack it away.

::sigh::

[swampbear]

Nice stuff mika. I like the fringey sarong.

Gotti nice floor. Nice pick of you too. *ROWR* We had a baby blue rotary phone in the house when I was growing up. Everybody else in the 'hood had the standard ol' black ones but we had a baby blue one. My parents were avant garde, what can I say! :D

[welby]

Fear of welby?? :confused:


:p


Careful, FCM, when I bring down the Wrath of Welby my aim isn't so good. It might be one of the hecklers who get brought down with the Curse of The Early Morning Cold Bathroom Stubbed Toe, or the Paper Cut in the Bend of the Finger Right Before Peeling an Orange instead of Swampy.

I have powers, and I'm not afraid to use them.

[Sean Factotum]

Yeah. My heater's 16 years old, and apparently it's never been flushed or drained once in its life. It thunks and rumbles frequently. Only problem is the cost to replace. Sears wants $270 for basic labor, the county wants $56 for a permit, the dump wants $15 for disposal if we haul the old one there, and that's all on top of the cost of the replacement heater itself, which is in the area of $400. Last I checked, it's about $800 all told. :mad:

Oh, plus we might need a waiver for PENC - Pre-Existing Non-Conforming - as our heater's not as far off the floor as the current code demands. We can't raise it any without moving the furnace and its ductwork. :eek:Well, youu can always cut up the old heater and put it in your garbage can in pieces, a few ata time until it's all gone.

This brings to mind a conversation I've had with some friends of mine. Literary types, no mechanical knowledge or ability at all. They are constantly paying professionals to come into their houses to do work, or go without the repair. I told them that they aren't making enough money to keep paying other people, and that they have to learn how to do basic home repairs and projects themselves. My dad, when I was a kid, was one of the guys in our neighborhood that could do all of that, and I learned a lot from him and just as much on my own when I bought my first house. You might have to just bite the bullet and try to do a lot of the work yourself. (Yeah, I know, easier said than done.)

[welby]

Well, youu can always cut up the old heater and put it in your garbage can in pieces, a few ata time until it's all gone.

This brings to mind a conversation I've had with some friends of mine. Literary types, no mechanical knowledge or ability at all. They are constantly paying professionals to come into their houses to do work, or go without the repair. I told them that they aren't making enough money to keep paying other people, and that they have to learn how to do basic home repairs and projects themselves. My dad, when I was a kid, was one of the guys in our neighborhood that could do all of that, and I learned a lot from him and just as much on my own when I bought my first house. You might have to just bite the bullet and try to do a lot of the work yourself. (Yeah, I know, easier said than done.)

This was one of my larger hurdles to becoming a grown up. I knew some of the really basic stuff (I change my own oil, can troubleshoot an non-working mower, etc.) but with appliances I just picked up the phone. Over time I've learned by trial and error what to do to fix a lot of crap around Casa Welby. Sean's right, it's easier said than done, but I' haven't paid a guy for labor I could do myself in years.

On the other side, I'm having my water heater replaced. It's gas, and has to have ducktwork for a fan to shoot the exhaust or gasses or whatever out of the house. I'm paying to have that done, but mainly because the wife beleives that explosive gasses and welby are not a good mix.

She's probably right.

As usual.

[Spatial Rift 47]

Goodness, I totally forgot yesterday to say that I was very impressed with your sewing, Mika! That sarong looks wonderful, and the drawstring bag could be very useful. The pillow ... well, it's cute. :) You win a cookie.

rigs, let's just say that the google fu is strong with me.

[Draelin]

We have a phone now (yay), but the internet doesn't seem to be working (boo). I don't know what the hell is wrong. Of course, I only spent a few minutes because I couldn't bring myself to care too much when I was so hungry. And then I had to watch TV so I never got back to it. But I'll make my friend Robyn come over and fix it. She does that kind of thing for a living.

How can I have gotten at least eight hours' sleep and still be so tired??

[Tupug Anachi]

Tupug, like this? (http://www.rotten.com/library/sex/vagina-dentata/) (WARNING: Not work safe. Not sanity safe either. You're better off just not clicking on it.)

rigs - cover charge for Target? Did I miss a memo? I thought Target was just a store where you go and buy stuff. And get to work on your application young lady!
rifty, I am going to take your advice and just not go there. I am out of brain bleach at the moment.

See, the cover charge for Target is the amount you can't get out of there without spending. Normally, it's about $60 but must be much higher in drae's neck of the woods.

Loverly sewing mika! I must get my machine fixed. I find sewing therapeutic plus I need some curtains for the Master bedroom and guest room. They's easy. Just buy some flat sheets you like, spllit em up the center, run a seam along the cut side, fold over the top and run another seam for a curtain rod et, voila! les curtains! :D

Wood, floors, not so much. Good job, gotti

welby, Mr. Anachi is very handy but has finally decided it's worth paying somebody to do the really tough jobs that would leave him sore and hobbling for days.

I have a cold. :( I am not happy. I should have contracted every possible rhinovirus known to man by now. This must be a mutation. :p

Tupug

[Anaamika]

Thanks, everyone! I'm finding it really is fun, although yesterday after swampy said it, I managed to scratch myself on the needle.

gotpasswords, nice floor, but I'm likin' the dog, too. :)

And thanks for the cookie, Spat (I like this nickname - it sounds like something gooey hitting the floor)! Yum!

[Draelin]

I love the sarong, Mika. I'd wear sarongs if I could get away with them. Or knew how to make them stay where they're supposed to. Sudden nakedness in public has never been one of my favorite ways to spend the day--despite how often it's happened to me.

[Spatial Rift 47]

You're quite welcome, Mika. As for the nickname bit, well, thanks, I think.

How often is that exactly, Drae? :p

[Draelin]

How often is that exactly, Drae? :p
I spent several years as part of a Rocky Horror cast, sweetie, there is always accidental nudity. Sometimes corsets just plain fall down, and you don't notice until you realize the audience is paying a great deal more attention, and you're feeling a bit of a breeze. :D

[Lissla Lissar]

Very nice, mika! Welcome to the wide world of sewing!

[Ellen Cherry]

Hi, hi, hi! I'm late to the party. I already forgot who made my Texas Caviar, but Whoever You Are (and I'm sorry I forgot!), I'm glady you enjoyed it.

Not much going on with me. It snowed here last night, just a dusting. But it looks pretty. Pore lil Baby Cherry is sickie, so I am home with him today. :( Doesn't look like more than a cold.

I am impressed with all the sewing MMP'ers. I'm not a sewer (ha!) ... sew~er, make that ... but I like good stitchin' when I see it.

News Flash I am on a diet. The Zone Diet. Hubby and I are doing it together. There is all together too much meat eating in it for me to like it much, but just poking around trying to get rid of The Horrible 30 Pounds of Babyweight I've been dragging around for 16 months :eek: just wasn't enough. I miss my old wardrobe. I'm sick of Zee Beeg Butt. So Zone Dieting I go. Wish me luck!!

[swampbear]

Zone diet? How does that work EC? Is it like how they board airplanes? How long do you have to wait if your diet is in Zone 7? Speaking of boarding airplanes, it's really funny at our local teeny airport. The tickets always have a zone number for boarding on them, yet all the planes are those Canadair Regional Jets that seat a whopping 60 people. I keep wanting them to board us by zones, though I can board ahead of others because I am a Delta Medallion member and they let us go first for some reason. The flights out of Albeeny are Comair flights. They used to be ASA but now it's Comair. Like I care cause the only place they take me is Etlanner, though there is a rumor that soon we will be able to fly directly to Cincinnati and maybe Milwaukee because of the P&G and Miller Brewery plants here.

I'm through torturing testing. Now I need to go back and score stuff and interpret it and write up a boring report to send to the funding source that's paying me to do all this. I'll do that later today. Right now, I need to do some other stuff plus I don't feel like scoring and interpreting right now cause my sinuses sorta kinda hurt.

I see Rue chimed in during the night but didn't have any projectile animal stuff to share.

[scout1222]

It was me with the Texas Caviar! It's my lunch all this week, so I'm still enjoying it.

I'm tired this morning. Must get more coffee, I guess.

[Bumbazine]

I'm in the Pacific zone myself. Does that mean iffen I visit, say, the Mountain zone I don't get to eat there?

So Drae usta get suddenly naked during the Rocky Horror Picture Show?
I always wondered why that show was so popular.

Got a 9am meeting and I haven't even showered yet. Back later.

[Taters]

Ya know, just once, just ONCE, I'd like to come in here full of happy go lucky good cheer.

I was gone yesterday but came in to an e-mail that has sent me right to pissed-off-beyond-all belief land. I have a monthly report that generally takes almost two weeks to pull together. It is due Friday. This report deals with data for LAST MONTH. This report is a huge pain in the ass, AND, since it's inception, we've been telling them, that at a minimum, we should be reporting data from TWO months ago. In other words, report November referral data in January. NOW, FREAKIN' NOW, they decide this is what they're going to do. TWO G-D days before the report is due! My suspense hasn't changed, but the criteria has, A-FREAKIN' AGAIN! ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGHHHHHHHHH!
What rarified air are they breathing at HQ that makes them feel we can pull this out of our asses at this late date?!

Wait, you say. You should ALREADY have this data as you reported it last month. Not really, the database changes as things are added. So, last month, let's say I reported 576 prime referrals for November. As of this morning, by running the same criteria (healthcare delivery code, dates from 1-30 Nov, etc), I now come up with 619 referrals. I also have several other data sources I must go to, one of which takes me several days to sort and clean-up.

Okay, enough with the whining. I only feel slightly better.

I'm going to be all sunshine and light, lalalalalalalalala! Yeah, right.

[gotpasswords]

You might have to just bite the bullet and try to do a lot of the work yourself. (Yeah, I know, easier said than done.)
Water heaters should be a piece of cake. I've installed gas appliances (cookers and clothes dryers) and even replaced a furnace once, so I'm not afraid of gas. On the furnace, the inspector even commented that it was unusual for a DIY-er to use the proper yellow teflon tape for gas lines. :cool:

Problem with this heater is that it's been caged in by stupid plumbers. Whoever replaces it will have to cut and re-assemble a soldered-together copper drain line running vertically in front of it and lift the heater about 6" to clear a gas line that's running side to side in front of it. It's just going to be a physical pain in the ass, and the labor cost for Sears is probably not much more than the chiropractor bills to fix my back after wrestling the thing out and its replacement back into that screwball space. The galling part is the usury tax permit. I pay the county $56 to say "I've replaced the water heater" AFAIK, they don't do a site inspection or even give me a sticker or anything to put on it.

[VunderBob]

Hi, hi, hi! I'm late to the party. I already forgot who made my Texas Caviar, but Whoever You Are (and I'm sorry I forgot!), I'm glady you enjoyed it.


I made it, too. My only gripe was that I made way too much, and wound up tossing about half during my weekly fridge cleaning.

The eaten half was [Monty Burns]Excellent[/Monty Burns].

Good luck zoning. The only difference between that and Atkins is the marketing...

[VunderBob]

Water heaters should be a piece of cake. I've installed gas appliances (cookers and clothes dryers) and even replaced a furnace once, so I'm not afraid of gas. On the furnace, the inspector even commented that it was unusual for a DIY-er to use the proper yellow teflon tape for gas lines. :cool:

Problem with this heater is that it's been caged in by stupid plumbers. Whoever replaces it will have to cut and re-assemble a soldered-together copper drain line running vertically in front of it and lift the heater about 6" to clear a gas line that's running side to side in front of it. It's just going to be a physical pain in the ass, and the labor cost for Sears is probably not much more than the chiropractor bills to fix my back after wrestling the thing out and its replacement back into that screwball space. The galling part is the usury tax permit. I pay the county $56 to say "I've replaced the water heater" AFAIK, they don't do a site inspection or even give me a sticker or anything to put on it.

Then why even pay the tax? Rip out the old one, replace it with a piece of pipe, and DIY demand heaters in the bathroom and kitchen. No one will know the difference. Well, except for the electrician that runs the 220V...

[VunderBob]

[QUOTE=Bumbazine]
So Drae usta get suddenly naked during the Rocky Horror Picture Show?
I always wondered why that show was so popular.
[QUOTE]
Easy there, Bumba. You don't want another heart attack...

[Draelin]

Easy there, Bumba. You don't want another heart attack...
As much as it pains me to say it, I'm not exactly heart-attack-inducing material. Unless you like chubby pale chicks. ;)

[Sean Factotum]

gotti I understand what you're saying now. I thought you were a DIY-er, and then you posted the pics on the hardwood floor (not something I wanted to handle myself - didn't have the tools, and the price seemed right at the time).

Mandy the Martian is gushing about how great American Idol was last night. I told her it was proven that you lose IQ points every time you watch it, and can never get them back. I don't care if she still watches it, I just hope she shuts up about it when I'm around.

[Spatial Rift 47]

Ouch, Taters. That's harsh. Good luck with that.

Drae, if you were still doing shows, I'd totally go see them. :) And now, I'm off to lunch.

[Draelin]

Since we're talking all the DIY right now, I have a question. Is there anything I should "know" about painting my bedroom? I'm taping up the molding, I've got primer, I've got paint, I've got brushes and rollers and dropcloths. I've just never painted anything before, and I'm concerned that I will forget some minor but crucial step like only stirring the paint clockwise unless it's a primary color and screw the whole thing up. I'm going to be doing a great deal of painting over the next few months, so I could probably use all the advice I can get.

Oh, and Spats, that's almost enough to make me dig out my corset and fishnets--but then I remember that I burned them in a cleansing freedom ritual about five years ago. :D

[Lissla Lissar]

[Random Stupid Question] What's the name of the American city that's on Niagara Falls? Best Friend (other than Quasi-Daughter) had the bright idea that maybe we could go to Niagara-On-The-Lake with the inlaws, and have them drop us over the border. Then we could take a train or bus to Philly. Is this feasible? Any advice?

[VunderBob]

As much as it pains me to say it, I'm not exactly heart-attack-inducing material. Unless you like chubby pale chicks. ;)
How you doin'?

;)

[VunderBob]

[Random Stupid Question] What's the name of the American city that's on Niagara Falls? Best Friend (other than Quasi-Daughter) had the bright idea that maybe we could go to Niagara-On-The-Lake with the inlaws, and have them drop us over the border. Then we could take a train or bus to Philly. Is this feasible? Any advice?

Uh, Buffalo?

[Draelin]

Lissla, I believe that would be either Niagara Falls itself or possibly Lewiston, NY. (I think.) But if you're planning on taking a bus from there to Philly, I seriously hope you're not thinking it's something you can do in a day--it's about seven hours one-way. :)

[anyrose]

Taters - been there, done that, have the headaches to prove it

Ellen Cherry - I missed the Texas Caviar recipe - could you post it again?

Lissla Lissar - you're better off with a plane ride. It's at least 7 hours by car - about that much by train. but if you're not in a hurry - go for it.

[Ashes, Ashes]

HEY! Looka here! I'm posting from work! There is no rhyme nor reason to our security filter and this time I approve. No more giant posts of saved up drivel. Now the drivel will dribble throughout the day. Aren't you all so glad?

Dear me. You do realize you didn't christen your knives, don't you? You gave them a taste for blood is what you did. Best just name them Audrey and decide which body parts you can do without.

Tonight I'm starting beouf boingingboing and then thursday it's orange ducky. Yum! I hope. I've never made duck myself and only know to anticipate some greasy clean up.

[Anaamika]

As much as it pains me to say it, I'm not exactly heart-attack-inducing material. Unless you like chubby pale chicks. ;)
I think you're perfectly lovely. :)



Here's a cute little article:

Hamster befriends Snake (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10903211/)

The best part was they named the hamster "Gohan" which means meal. <snerK.

It's also pouring buckets out here. Yuck, yuck, yuck. And cold. Oh well.

[gotpasswords]

Draelin - Your first mistake was taping the moldings. :D Well, since you're new to painting, I'l let that slide, but I don't tape off when I paint. Learning to cut in with a 2" angled sash brush is a worthy skill to have. It's so much faster than taping, painting, drying, peeling off tape, touching up the molding where the paint sneaked under the tape or where the tape pulled paint off. :smack:

Practice a bit in somewhere like behind the door. It seems odd, but you want the brush wet with paint. Not dripping, but not dry either - a dry brush will be harder to control.

Drape and tarp is essential, especially if you'll be using a roller. Those things can send tiny splatters for several feet. A two- or three-foot extension handle for the roller makes it easier to handle with less reaching and stooping. Get a bunch of the plastic roller tray liners so you don't have to wash the tray. Buy the bulk pack of roller covers so you can just toss them. Those things are nearly impossible to wash out.

Use high-quality tools! Cheap brushes will leave more bristles than paint on your walls, and cheap roller covers can leave a clumpy finish, lint and even swaths of pinhole bubbles revealing the old paint below. The roller itself can be cheap.

If you're painting a different color than what's already on the walls, be prepared to do a second coat.

Take off the plates around outlets and switches, and tape over the outlet/switch in case you swipe it with the roller later on. Nothing says "I'm an idiot" louder than painted-over outlets and switches, especially when there's so much paint in the outlet slots that you can't use it any more.

Keep critters out of the room unless you want painted paw prints through the house.

[Ashes, Ashes]

HEY! Looka here! I'm posting from work! There is no rhyme nor reason to our security filter and this time I approve. No more giant posts of saved up drivel. Now the drivel will dribble throughout the day. Aren't you all so glad?

Dear me. You do realize you didn't christen your knives, don't you? You gave them a taste for blood is what you did. Best just name them Audrey and decide which body parts you can do without.

Tonight I'm starting beouf boingingboing and then thursday it's orange ducky. Yum! I hope. I've never made duck myself and only know to anticipate some greasy clean up.

[Draelin]

Well, gotti, the only problem I'm seeing thus far is that there's no door to practice behind or keep the critters out. But I'll practice behind where the bed's going to go and find a way to corral the cats. I considered doing the molding and the ledges without tape, but there are sixteen windows, a chest-high ledge running around the room, and a steepled ceiling. Since I can be clumsy at best, I thought it would be a good idea to make sure the paint only gets where I want it to be. (And no, there's no way in H-E-double-hockey-sticks I'm painting that ceiling. Five foot woman plus thirty foot ceiling equals trip to the ER.)

And thank you, Mika. That's why you're my favorite. ;)

[Anaamika]

Hey, does anyone know if "Bongkot" is a boy's name or a girl's name? I've only ever conversed with this person via e-mail, and I can't ask them, how rude.

[gotpasswords]

Google trends this to be female. I plugged in "Mr. Bongkot" and got 8 hits. "Mrs. Bongkot" had 28 hits, and "Ms Bongkot" has 24 hits, almost all of which seem to be in the form of "Contact Person:, Ms Bongkot Pongnarai" or similar.

[Bumbazine]

Easy there, Bumba. You don't want another heart attack...
Not to worry Bobbio. I do not find the sight of naked women heart attack inducing, rather I find them soothing, kinda like examining at ones leisure a piece of fine art at the museum.

[Anaamika]

Thank you, gotpasswords. I'll go by it, since the chances are high for her being female anyway...we work in a nfp and nearly everyone is female...or highly effeminate. ;)


That was kind of mean, wasn't it? :o

[Taters]

Drae, another tool that may help you with edging, is an edging pad. The one I used had little wheels on it. This is a super tool for those of us who do not have hands like surgeons, i.e, steady hands. Don't get a cheap one, get a good quality one. This thing was great, especially near the ceiling. No "oopsies". We had a cheap one and ended up with a couple of oopsies. Once we got the better quality one, no more oopsies, nice line, etc.

[indecisive1]

Painting advice: Paint the walls and the trim the same color.
Do not paint in low light, when tired, or when drunk.

[welby]

As much as it pains me to say it, I'm not exactly heart-attack-inducing material. Unless you like chubby pale chicks. ;)


Thumpthump, thumpthump, thumpthump,thumpthump,thumpthump
thumpthumpthumpthumpthumpthump









:confused:
















:eek:

[scout1222]

Note to self: SF Bay Area isn't that far away. Try to finagle gotpasswords into painting my condo.

;)

[welby]

Painting advice: Paint the walls and the trim the same color.
Do not paint in low light, when tired, or when drunk.

Also:

1. If you're getting several 1-gallon cans, find something to mix them together in so that the color is uniform.

2. Don't drip on the carpet.

3. Don't invite me to help. (See #2)

[indecisive1]

And now for something completely different.

Here is my very first picture I took with my brand shiny new camera. I hope this works cause it is also the very first time I used one of those photo site places and tried to link to such.

I present my swweeet dog Hannah chewing on my last pair of wearable shoes.
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e230/JennyGAH/HannahLittle.jpg

[Spatial Rift 47]

Cute dog. She chews with her left paw? :: d&r ::

[chaoticbear]

donkeybear what part of large hairy gay man led you to believe I was small? :dubious: Besides, what with you stalking me and all, I woulda thought you'd have that figured out by now.


A joke. Jeez.

First day back to school was interesting. Winter break felt longer than summer break, and I really didn't want to come back.

I have to cook Anagramless Guy dinner tonight. I want to make up a recipe. I'm thinking... manicotti with spinach and italian sausage? Sounds good to me.

[indecisive1]

Cute dog. She chews with her left paw? :: d&r ::
Hey! I Said it was my first picture! So I'm a little slow. Jeesh!

[swampbear]

donkeybear I know you were kidding. Also, a helpful hint. Don't experiment with dinner too early in a relationship. Stuff like that sets off the weird alarm sometimes. Just sayin'.

Oh and Drae, one more word of advice, not related to painting, but still important. If you plan on doing any drywall, don't invite welby for that either. :D

[Ellen Cherry]

Hannah looks awfully guilty.

swampy (and anyone else interested), here's a link about the Zone Diet (http://www.drsears.com/zonefaqs.page). We have a book; I haven't looked at this site, but it appears to be the site of the doc who wrote the book. Hubby lost weight and kept it off on this diet, and he's got a lot of the recipes memorized. So, I'm all for husbands cooking dinner.

anyrose for you my dear, starter of this week's MMP ...

Texas Caviar

1 (15 oz) can blackeye peas, rinsed and drained
1 can black beans, well rinsed and drained
1 (15-1/2 oz) can white hominy, drained
2 tomatoes, seeded and chopped
4 green onions, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced (I use at least 4)
1 medium-size onion, chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 (8-oz) jar hot picante sauce (I use salsa)
2 tablespoons lime juice (optional)

Combine first 9 ingredients, and, if desired, lime juice.

Cover and chill at least 2 hours. Serve with tortilla chips, or wrap in flour tortillas.

Yield: 4 cups.


I had to search old posts to get the recipe (because it's on another computer) and just now I notice an option that I can display my post in searching all threads I've posted in. Until now, I scroll, scroll, scroll, until I find where I posted, then read from there. This is SO MUCH FASTER. Um, how long have I been I member here? 1999??? :smack:

[welby]

Oh and Drae, one more word of advice, not related to painting, but still important. If you plan on doing any drywall, don't invite welby for that either. :D

For that matter, if it requires anything resembling competence and home repair, it's best to live in another state than I do.

[anyrose]

thank you Ellen Cherry - it looks yummy

here, I was thinking it was some kind of BBQ omelet with a capsicum kick

[Lissla Lissar]

I do know how long it takes to get from Toronto to Philly. It'll be around 14 hours by bus. It's $250 for two people roundtrip by bus, and about $600 for the plane. We are poor, and have time but little money. If we could find a $250 roundtrip plane trip for two, we'd go for it.

Canada has weird ariport taxes which make flying expensive.

[FairyChatMom]

Today, FCD was shot in the neck. By a doctor. With a needle full of drugs. To help him feel better. I took half the day off to go with him, which was probably a good thing, since he slept most of the way there and back.

And on the way back, we stopped at the LaZBoy warehouse and picked up our new love seat. So when we got home, we had to take the pink love seat out of the living room, put the brown and blue couch where the love seat was, and put the new love seat where the brown and blue couch used to be. The pink love seat is now in my van - I'm going to try to sell it at work, and it'll help if it's there when I post the ad. Plus there's room in the van, so why not?

And speaking of knives, I hate the freebies I got. I tried to cut a cucumber in half, and the stoopit thing kept deflecting to one side, giving me uneven halves. FCD found the same thing when he was trying to carve the ham I got for dinner. :( So it looks like I wasted my 6500 freebie points.

Mika - love the sarong! I also like the primative touch of the pillow... ;)

Is it Friday yet?

[Taters]

Oh, suuuuuuure you're putting the couch in the back of the van to sell it, FCM. ;) What's next painting the outside with some fabo art and installing fur on the front seats?

How's FCD feeling now, FCM ? Is he feeling a little better?

Today sucked big ol'..., well, you get the idea. Tomorrow is shaping up to be more of the same.

You know, most of the time I don't mind this job, in fact, I like it, but days like today really take it out of me.

[FairyChatMom]

FCD is hurting, and under strict orders not to have excess heat on his neck for 72 hours. He who loves long, hot showers is gonna be crabby the next coupla mornings. But the doc promises he'll feel better by Sat. Here's hoping!

Incidentally, did you see what I said to you in the cell phone thread in the pit??

[Spatial Rift 47]

Okay. I'm very excited at the moment. I figure I need to counter the depressing-ness of the last few posts, so here's some good news. I met with my physics professor earlier today (side note: When I left for break he had a beard, which I assume he's had for decades. Today, no beard. I was almost stunned. He looked like a different person. He's growing it back because his wife doesn't like his new shorn look. Women.) and he told me that the program in Amsterdam that I told y'all about a couple of weeks ago is absolutely first rate. A master's from there will get me anywhere for my PhD. :D :D :D :D :D :: dances ::

But wait, there's more! The project I'm working on for him has changed its plans. I'm unfortunately not going to be going to the conference in San Francisco, but instead the paper is going to be published in an actual, honest-to-Og journal! Ima get published! Wooohoooo!

[gardentraveler]

Lissla, it's probably Niagara Falls, NY (http://www.niagara-usa.com/) you're thinking of. I spent a couple of nights in a youth hostel there about a million years ago, meeting up with some friends. We had fun, although we didn't get to go over to the Canadian side of the falls because my non-U.S.-citizen friend had brought his passport, but not some vital piece of bureaucracy that would have let him back into the U.S. Buffalo is nearby and probably has more transportation opportunities to Philly... (Could you fly cheaply from Buffalo to Philly?)

I had a couple of Chicago Cutlery (although I think they were bottom of the line) knives before I bought REAL KNIVES. Cut myself once with the Chicago ones - badly. Never with the real ones. Yet.

A friend of a friend used to sell Cutco knives and I bought some from him. EXPENSIVE, but they cut everything properly and easily. I've had them for about 4 years now and don't ever plan to buy another set. The handles fit my hands nicely and they're actually sharp, which is a good thing. Also, they stay sharp a long time. Saw a knife-rating article at some point and they compared well to all the frou-frou brands. I think knives are a matter of taste, though, not brand. (No, you should not try to taste your knives!) If they feel right in your hand, then they're good... It drives me nuts when I go to long-distance best friend's house because she has the crappiest knives ever. Short, dull, thin blades. There: I think those are all of my thoughts on the important subject of knives.

gotti, will you be in Ohio any time soon? Because I really want to tear up my carpet and put hardwood in. Thought I could maybe schedule you in to help. :D

Today's food section has a cover article on "superfoods" such as dark chocolate. Since they recommend it (although they recommend limiting intake to 1 oz. per day), I felt justified in eating 1/4 of a dark chocolate with hazelnuts bar (just less than 1 oz.). Also, nuts are good for you too.

Sorry work is frustrating, Taters. Amazing how people think they can snap their fingers and get the numbers they want, isn't it?

Drae, have fun painting! I'd say start with the room you care least about so that you've got some practice and skills by the time you get to the rooms you think most people will notice. I'm about ready to start planning the next round of painting (we took down wallpaper and painted just about everywhere before we moved in) and general re-decorating/re-finishing. There's lots of wood molding that really needs to be refinished (won't that be fun!). We'll see when I actually get to it.

Hope the shots are really helping FCD, FCM.

Cool news, rifty! I'm envious. Hope everything with Amsterdam works out. (I spent a year in Berlin when I was in grad school and it was wonderful.)

Hi to anyone else I missed.... I'm ready for it to be Friday too!

GT

[Lissla Lissar]

(((Hugs for Taters))) Go punch something or eat a lot of chocolate.

If we go, I wouldn't want the inlaws to have to drive us farther than they have to. Buffalo is more than an hour and a half from Niagara-On-The-Lake. I don't want them to have to make a very long trip on their day off.

Cash donations to the Send-The-Lissars-To-Visit-Their-Best-Friends fund are welcome! Plane tickets also accepted! :D

Attacks Husband and I made two big chicken potpies from scratch. We ate some for dinner, but I'm hungry again. Maybe I'll do some exercising, tidy the kitchen, and then eat more.

[Anaamika]

You guys, I just finished Shogun, by James Clavell. Any readers in here, I highly recommend it. I was hesitant, then got pulled in, and I just finished the last 250 pages tonight. I am stunned and awed at what a good book it was.

Not a light task, though, as my copy has 800 pages. But well worth it.

[Dolores Reborn]

Hi, guys! I'm so dang busy at work I don't seem to have any time to post.

So you get the semi-drunken version.

Floors: We have a new 8' x 10' rug to cover up the ugly carpet that we can't afford to replace - yet.

Mika - gorgeous stuff! I can barely sew on a button.

FCM - I hope FCD is feeling better soon. And good luck selling the love seat! We are planning a garage sale -weather permitting- and intend to sell a sage (on topic!) couch and overstuffed chair. And a motorcycle, and a bed, coffee table, end tables, and assorted other junk.

Weather: It rained!!!!! It really rained! We even had a power outage. Woo-hoo!

Knives: We bought new knives a while back. I wish I knew how to sharpen knives. They are getting dull. I don't know how to use the steel very well.

Indy - cute pic of Hannah!

Ok - that's all for now. 'Cept I made some awesome chili for dinner!

[Lissla Lissar]

Still hungry. I have, however, dug up an unfinished sort of fifties sundress, and am trying to change it and make it wearable. I think I started it four years ago, and I've gained... well, let's say ten pounds. It's a sleeveless wrap dress, and very very simple, with a circle skirt. If I do decide to finish it I'll post pics.

[swampbear]

Here's hopin' FCD feels better soon. That kind of stuff is never good. Matter of fact it's a <snerk> pain in the neck! <snerk>

Taters want we should come out there as a group and tell them to just stop all this nonsense? We could make 'em stand in the corner if all of us got together. Hope work stuff gets better soon. Speaking of work stuff, I wonder how things went for rigs.

YAY Rifty! Good for you! WOOHOO!!!!!!

I'm wearing a tie today! I don't do that often for work but since I get to go talk about stuff and all today (I'm going to Lumpkin, Jawja, envy me!) I figured I'd spiff up a bit. My tie has a golden retriever on it. It's cute.

[anyrose]

elenorigby - what happened at that meeting with the brass yesterday?

[Sean Factotum]

mika I read most of Clavell's stuff when I was in high school, around the time Shogun was first on television as a mini-series. I was watching the first episode, saw Toronaga whiz on Pilot, and said to myself, "Now that's got to be an interesting book." Being the sheltered white suburban teenager at the time, I had no idea that was something some people pay good money for, so that had nothing to do with my decision to read the book. Then I got into Noble House, King Rat, annd a few of the others. But I haven't read them since then.

Ashes2 it looks like you traded software that prevents signing onto The Dope for software that randomly double posts for you. Is that a good trade?

Drae you're in a whole new world now. As a homeowner, you never have to worry what you're going to do with your vacations abd days off ever again.

VBob how's it hanging at the new job? Getting used to P-Town yet? I've got a few pressure gauges that need to get delivered to one of the cutters over there, but since they're at sea, they probably won't be getting them today.

Ashes2 it looks like you traded software that prevents signing onto The Dope for software that randomly double posts for you. Is that a good trade?

[indecisive1]

If we don't get some sun around here sometime soon I am going to lose my mind. Who is that in the Chicago area? You know what I mean. Oh suuuuuure the warm weather is nice, Actually no it isn't. Warm in Wisconsin in the winter is not all that warm. Blah!

[VunderBob]

VBob[/B] how's it hanging at the new job? Getting used to P-Town yet? I've got a few pressure gauges that need to get delivered to one of the cutters over there, but since they're at sea, they probably won't be getting them today.

Not much to get used to. It's almost a straight shot from the MM bridge to the base, and I haven't gone exploring yet, save for finding the Portsmouth YMCA.

Can't help you get your gages delivered, either.

[Spatial Rift 47]

Ashes2 it looks like you traded software that prevents signing onto The Dope for software that randomly double posts for you. Is that a good trade?

<snip>

Ashes2 it looks like you traded software that prevents signing onto The Dope for software that randomly double posts for you. Is that a good trade?

*snicker* Oh, the irony.

I have class in an hour. This bothers me. Why does it bother me, you ask? Well, I'm glad you asked. I'll tell you why it bothers me. It bothers me because my first out of three consecutive classes is all the way on the other side of campus, and I'm lazy. Why can't they just have everything right near me? :mad:

[Draelin]

Let's see ... here's hoping FCD feels better soon--and he can use my shower, because I ran out of hot water with my hair still soapy this morning. And I'm having Taters' day today--I also blew the circuit breaker in my room by trying to dry my very cold hair with the space heater on.

I was this close to just giving up the day as useless, calling in sick, and crawling back into bed. I cowgirled up and came to work, though. Gee, I'm certainly glad I did. *grumble*

Spats, the college I went to had classrooms in about seven different buildings staggered all over the Back Bay. First Monday morning class in the BAC, about three blocks from the dorm, second class was three blocks from the dorm in the other direction, third class in the main building (which also happened to be my dorm, so I could go right upstairs afterwards and take a nap). I feel your pain.

[welby]

Let's see ... here's hoping FCD feels better soon--and he can use my shower, because I ran out of hot water with my hair still soapy this morning.

HA! No such problems in Casa Welby, since the water heater types were by yesterday and put in our new heater. I took a looooooooong, hoooooooooooooooot shower this morning. Then I though about taking another one, but I was already late for work.

[eleanorigby]

Yay! Spats --congrats on getting published! :eek: (amazed and awed smiley there)



anyrose --not much happened at work yesterday. First thing, I was told that the VP of Nursing would be on the floor to "look at things"--whatever that meant. So, I spent the next 12 hours kinda waiting for the shoe to drop.....never did. It was crazy busy at work--but I am off until Monday now!

I don't know if or what or when anything is going to happen. I think it would have happened, if I was going to be fired. But, this has given an insecure and arrogant woman ammo against me (even though it was all taken out of context etc), so that's not real comfortable for me.

Life sure is interesting, no?


Need to put together a computer desk today, right after I go work out.


Taters --Gack! that sounds terrible. Eat chocolate AND punch a wall.

Drae --I like to paint (well, I do until I am on the second coat and then I am sick of the whole project). Get a damp rag (get a few) and use them to wipe up any flecks or spills right away. I don't reccomend oil based paint--it's a bitch to clean up and the smell lingers for weeks.....


We went to Niagra Falls 2 years ago. We stayed on the Canadian side. (can we say tacky shit?). NF is a moment--an Aaaaah! look at that! (and then that's that) kind of place. We stayed for 2 days of frigid March weather, IMS. Got a nice sweatshirt, though....

I need dinner suggestions. I don't like beans or peppers. Suggestions?

[Taters]

spats! Congratulations! That is great news!

eleanor, I hope things work out.

FCM, I did see your post in the cell phone thread. The other reason the hubby wants a cell phone is so he can call me at work from the boat on nice days so that I can meet him after work. I hope that FCD starts feeling better BEFORE Saturday.

Swampy, I appreciate the offer of the Kool Kids gang ganging up on the el stupidos that are making me do this. However, you'd have to go to San Antonio to do it, since that's where our higher HQ is located. You might have to travel to DC as well, since that's there the TSG is located. So, you'd have to do it twice!

I have sucky, sucky knives. I have only one knife that I like. I use it for everything. It's just the right size and weight for chopping, cutting, everything I need. The rest of my knives sit in my knife drawer, useless.

Incidentally, I did break down and eat chocolate yesterday. I would have preferred a liquid lunch. Unfortunately, today does not promise to be any better. I will suck it up and drive on, though. Why? Because that's what I do. Spew vitriol on a board and move on...that's me.

The daughter is home sick today. I'm going to call her in a short while to check up on her. I hope she's feeling better.

[anyrose]

gee - maybe you can catch what she has and stay home tomorrow... ;)

[Taters]

gee - maybe you can catch what she has and stay home tomorrow... ;)

Yeah, that would be nice, but I can't do that. Pissed as I am, it's still my job to do what needs to be done and do it well and on time. So, I'll do it. I might mumble under my breath a couple of times, but no one will hear me.

[Anaamika]

*snicker* Oh, the irony.

I have class in an hour. This bothers me. Why does it bother me, you ask? Well, I'm glad you asked. I'll tell you why it bothers me. It bothers me because my first out of three consecutive classes is all the way on the other side of campus, and I'm lazy. Why can't they just have everything right near me? :mad:
Oh, you silly boy. Your campus is smaller than most colleges. You're just complaining because it's all uphill (or downhill, as the case may be). :p

[Old Fart Mode] Why, when I was your age, I used to have to walk miles and miles every day, all over campus, in a wind tunnel. Since the campus of SUNY Albany wasn't meant to be in Albany but in a warmer city, so all those tall towers in a square cause lovely wind tunnels! [/Old Fart Mode]

Which reminds me, how the hell did I get so old? Gah! I guess it's better than the alternative.

But anyway, congrats on getting published...good job!


Sean, I don't know how I missed Clavell up to now. Maybe because I mostly read sci-fi & fantasy, and this is kind of historical fantasy. But damn, it was so good. I am touched.

[Sean Factotum]

*snicker* Oh, the irony.
Intended that way. Glad you liked it.

[Tupug Anachi]

I feel crappy. My nose is all snotty and my chest hurts. This sucks! :(

Shogun was the only book I've ever read that I got so into that when I'd quit a spell of reading, I'd be all discombobulated about what language I should speak. It was a good story, too.

Mr. Anachi bought new stainless knives in a black knife block when he was all into the color coordination for the granite countertop. We don't actually use them. They are just for show. :rolleyes:

I'm being taken out to lunch at Macaroni Grill. I need to find something between 300 and 500 calories there to order. Suggestions?

fcdad feel better. taters (O.T.), feel better. riggs, feel better. Anybody else who's having a crappy day...feel better. :)

I'mma gonna go blow by dose.

Tupug

[Lissla Lissar]

You're tough, Taters. I admire your courage and fortitude. I would have called in sick and gone back to bed.

How is FCD this morning? Updates?

Knives for show, Tupug? Why would anyone want knives they couldn't use, that are taking up counter space?


Right now I am waiting for cinnamon bun dough to rise. It must be done by the time I go to work, because I am making them (well, some of them) for a co-worker who did me a favour on Monday. She talked to one of my least favourite customers for me. He phones once week to ask about "new and interesting publications about Winston Churchhill", or the complete works of Thomas Hardy, or Obscure Impressionist Painting History vol. 5 through 13. He talks for a very long time and always wants to know about the quality of the bindinh and the paper and the pagination.

He's bought something once in five years. I don't really care if he buys anything or not, but I do wish he's stop calling.

[welby]

He phones once week to ask about "new and interesting publications about Winston Churchhill", or the complete works of Thomas Hardy, or Obscure Impressionist Painting History vol. 5 through 13.

So? Are there any new ones?

[Sean Factotum]

The Obscure Impressionist series really went downhill after Vol 4. The plots get really ham-fisted, and the characters are caricatures.

Clouds are too low at Cape Canaveral right now. The launch has been delayed until 1:25 Eatern Time. Hey guys, they're clouds! Made of soft fluffy water vapor, not hard unyielding granite. I've never been in a rocket, but I know that much. Sheesh!

[scout1222]

I've never been in a rocket.

I've never been in a Macaroni Grill either, but from what I hear, trying to find something between 300-500 calories might be a dicey proposition. Have you checked their website? They may have nutrition information available.

My stomach is already rumbling and it's quarter to 11. This isn't a good sign.

[anyrose]

I've never been in a rocket.

I've never been in a Macaroni Grill either, but from what I hear, trying to find something between 300-500 calories might be a dicey proposition. Have you checked their website? They may have nutrition information available.

My stomach is already rumbling and it's quarter to 11. This isn't a good sign.
well, it's 1:45pm in New York, so it's really past lunch hour. *That's* why you're hungry :D

[Tupug Anachi]

Knives for show, Tupug? Why would anyone want knives they couldn't use, that are taking up counter space?
See, liss, Mr. Anachi is an alien. As such, he occasionally exhibits puzzling behavior that leaves the human faction scratching their heads...sometimes even the dogs are perplexed. I have a drawer full of knives in perfect working condition but they came in a wood knife block which would have been a major faux pas with the Ubatuba. Sometimes I just let him have his harmless little fun. It beats him hanging out in the bars. ;)

[Bumbazine]

Everybody who feels bad, icky or overworked; stop it! Right now!

In another life, I used to work for a company that fancied themselves a major player in the knife manufacturing business, so we've got knives we haven't even used yet. However, Wifey decided recently she'd like one of those Santoku knives all the FoodTV chefs are using (and selling) now, so I got her one for Christmas. She loves it, but it bothers me. I always feel like it oughta be 2" longer. Nice knife though. FWIW, the $20.00 kitchenaide version is every bit as good as any of the $100+ ones out there iffen you ask me.

Puggy forget about the calorie count at Macaroni Grill. The rolls they bring to everybody's table prolly have more calories than that, and you must try them. They are tres yum! BTW, do not keep knives in a drawer. It's very bad for them to bang against one another.

I just got an invite in the mail to the 2006 National Hardware Show (and Lawn and Garden World) in Las Vegas in May. I So want to go. It's a guy thing.

[anyrose]

any excuse to go to Vegas is valid

[Anaamika]

I just got an invite in the mail to the 2006 National Hardware Show (and Lawn and Garden World) in Las Vegas in May. I So want to go. It's a guy thing.
Are you going?


...



Can I come?

[Walkabout]

We went to the Homebuilder Association convention in Las Vegas a couple of years ago. It was great. The convention wasn't bad, either. Don't forget to take a helicopter trip to the Grand Canyon.

[eleanorigby]

I am not putting together the computer desk.

It lies in the living room, mocking me.


I did go work out, though.


I have absolutely nothing to add to this thread.

But does that stop my posting?

Au contraire.....

[Tupug Anachi]

Puggy forget about the calorie count at Macaroni Grill. The rolls they bring to everybody's table prolly have more calories than that, and you must try them. They are tres yum! BTW, do not keep knives in a drawer. It's very bad for them to bang against one another.
Actually they have about four lunch items that are "healthy." I had a grilled boneless chicken breast on a bed of baby spinach, cucumber, tomatos, and fat-free feta with vinagrette dressing. It wasn't half bad. I did NOT eat the rolls. Them things is carb bombs!!

Oh, yeah, and the knives in the drawer are cheap serrated knives. When they get dull, maybe I'll break down and use the new ones.

[scout1222]

Actually, that sounds like a good lunch, there Puggy. I'm glad you found something suitable.

[anyrose]

you know who has really good rolls? Damon's Grill. They're baked with Garlic Butter. mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm :)

[Ellen Cherry]

Your Friendly Online Knife Maven™ also cautions you to never put your good knives in the dishwasher. It'll chew the sharp edges to bits! And don't put your Calphalon in there, neither.

I am being begged by some online buddies to meet for a wild girls' weekend in Las Vegas sometime in '06. I would rather chew raw bacon than go to Las Vegas. Does that make me, like, un-American or something? Everyone seems to think it's the be-all and end-all of destinations. Same with Disney

Of course, the progeny see that last a bit differently. They claim they're the only ones [i]in the whole school who haven't been to Disney World. Piffle.

[Taters]

Gotta say I'm with you Ellen. I have no big desire to go to Vegas and have never been there.

My attitude right now about the aforementioned STOOPIT report is REALLY, REALLY bad. I'm dropping F-bombs. If I'm dropping F-bombs at work, I'm really, really, really, pissed. I want to just say eff it, the G-D thing can be late and I'm not doing it. But, I can't DAMMIT. My conscience and sense of ethics won't let me. The people I need to talk to in order to get this thing complete are not friggin' here again. They have a really bad habit of being gone whenever this damn thing is due.

I had salad for lunch. I checked in on the daughter and she's doing slightly better.

[scout1222]

I don't like Vegas either. Sensory overload! Too expensive! I don't gamble!