"We came to buy cigarettes; we can't afford gas," said Kellie Houston, 28, of Bohemia. Newsday, April 27, 2006.
Talk about having your priorities in order...
Thursday, April 27, 2006
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
Reason # 389426 why I love Brian
First, a confession, I have a real weakness for old musicals. Rodgers and Hammerstein ones in particular. Brian has always been indulgent of this obsession, and really rather tolerant of it. He was even in South Pacific in highschool before we met. It scarred him badly. Remember this later. On the plus side it did teach him how to hook/unhook a bra!
So, to tonight...
He's gone off to the Y to work out and left me for a quiet night at home. I'm watching last night's episode of House when he leaves. There's a special presentation later on PBS of a live presentation of South Pacific at Carnegie Hall. Being a good wife I don't set it to record, just settle in to watch it. Just about a half hour in comes the song "Nothing like a Dame". And Alec Baldwin spectacularly flubbing a line. He did such a good job of flubbing it, I felt I had to pause it and show Brian when he got home shortly. It was that funny. The TV screen shows a number of men dressed in black with white sailor caps staged around an orchestra... So in walks Brian and the conversation goes something like this:
Me: "Brian, there's something I want you to see. I know it'll be painful for a moment, but trust me, it'll be worth it..."
Him, taking a quick look at the TV: "Nothing like a Dame, South Pacific, no thanks"
I hit play...
He puts his head in his hands realizing he was right.
The best part was Brian getting the line right as Alec Baldwin flubbed it...
And I should note, South Pacific is one I DO NOT own on DVD... it was all Brian, and not even the role he played...
So, to tonight...
He's gone off to the Y to work out and left me for a quiet night at home. I'm watching last night's episode of House when he leaves. There's a special presentation later on PBS of a live presentation of South Pacific at Carnegie Hall. Being a good wife I don't set it to record, just settle in to watch it. Just about a half hour in comes the song "Nothing like a Dame". And Alec Baldwin spectacularly flubbing a line. He did such a good job of flubbing it, I felt I had to pause it and show Brian when he got home shortly. It was that funny. The TV screen shows a number of men dressed in black with white sailor caps staged around an orchestra... So in walks Brian and the conversation goes something like this:
Me: "Brian, there's something I want you to see. I know it'll be painful for a moment, but trust me, it'll be worth it..."
Him, taking a quick look at the TV: "Nothing like a Dame, South Pacific, no thanks"
I hit play...
He puts his head in his hands realizing he was right.
The best part was Brian getting the line right as Alec Baldwin flubbed it...
And I should note, South Pacific is one I DO NOT own on DVD... it was all Brian, and not even the role he played...
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
Two more happy dances!
I just can't post photos as my camera is (finally) in the shop. It's had an intermittant problem for almost 2 years now and yesterday I actually managed to take it into the store and *show* them when it was flaking out. Unfortunately, I'll now have to wait 6-8 weeks to get it back. I LOATHE it when they change the terms of a warranty. When I bought it (3 years ago) the policy was to have it fixed or replaced in a week. If I could find the originals I could fight it, but that was 3 years ago and I'm not sure where to start looking for them. But, on to happy news:
I finished Butterfly Song tonight!
And finally did the backstitching on the Christmas piece for Bob and Sue last Wednesday!
That makes 3 finishes in less than a week! Wohoo! If I got off my butt and graphed out the names I could finish the birth announcements this week. Instead, I'm going to pull one over on Brian (I hope). Every SnB when he heads out to the Y to work out, I'm going to pull out his stocking and hopefully finish it in time for Christmas. Wish me luck!
I finished Butterfly Song tonight!
And finally did the backstitching on the Christmas piece for Bob and Sue last Wednesday!
That makes 3 finishes in less than a week! Wohoo! If I got off my butt and graphed out the names I could finish the birth announcements this week. Instead, I'm going to pull one over on Brian (I hope). Every SnB when he heads out to the Y to work out, I'm going to pull out his stocking and hopefully finish it in time for Christmas. Wish me luck!
Thursday, April 20, 2006
Random Things
Seen on Long Island Roads this week:
(and only so far this week)
Another stupid truck with those dangly blue balls. And fake bullet hole decals. It's okay dude, we know you've got problems. You don't need to overcompensate this badly...
Someone turning left while waiting at a red light. No particular reason other than he couldn't be bothered to wait the last 30 seconds for the light to change to us.
Idiot on a bike deciding to ride perpendicularly to 6 active lanes of traffic.
A school bus driver flipping me off because I honked when she tried to hit me by turning right into my lane, not hers (two parallel turn lanes). I called the company to complain, but because there were no kids on the bus, they didn't care. Did I mention that there was a full width shoulder for her if she needed more room?
A school bus driver crawling up my rear and honking because, heaven forbid, I actually obey the 20 mph speed limit in front of the highschool. Couldn't call the company to complain because he was so close in the rear view that I couldn't even see what company he was, let alone a bus number.
An idiot super agressively passing me in said school zone because I was just waaaayyy too slow for him and wouldn't speed up when he leaned on the horn. And zipping between lanes to pass several others approaching the highway. The best part though was getting up to the lights at the highway just as he tries to signal to get into my left turn lane... behind me.
I can't wait to move to somewhere where they know how to drive!
P.S. Just so you don't think all school bus drivers here suck, I have seen many, many good drivers. We live between a large high school and an elementary school. We see them all the time and for the most part they're good.
(and only so far this week)
Another stupid truck with those dangly blue balls. And fake bullet hole decals. It's okay dude, we know you've got problems. You don't need to overcompensate this badly...
Someone turning left while waiting at a red light. No particular reason other than he couldn't be bothered to wait the last 30 seconds for the light to change to us.
Idiot on a bike deciding to ride perpendicularly to 6 active lanes of traffic.
A school bus driver flipping me off because I honked when she tried to hit me by turning right into my lane, not hers (two parallel turn lanes). I called the company to complain, but because there were no kids on the bus, they didn't care. Did I mention that there was a full width shoulder for her if she needed more room?
A school bus driver crawling up my rear and honking because, heaven forbid, I actually obey the 20 mph speed limit in front of the highschool. Couldn't call the company to complain because he was so close in the rear view that I couldn't even see what company he was, let alone a bus number.
An idiot super agressively passing me in said school zone because I was just waaaayyy too slow for him and wouldn't speed up when he leaned on the horn. And zipping between lanes to pass several others approaching the highway. The best part though was getting up to the lights at the highway just as he tries to signal to get into my left turn lane... behind me.
I can't wait to move to somewhere where they know how to drive!
P.S. Just so you don't think all school bus drivers here suck, I have seen many, many good drivers. We live between a large high school and an elementary school. We see them all the time and for the most part they're good.
Wednesday, April 19, 2006
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
Great Big Happy Dance!!!!!
Queen Anne's Lace is done!!! Well, all the stitching anyways. I still have to add the beads, but will get that done probably tomorrow night. Shouldn't take more than a couple of hours, but I shouldn't be starting them tonight!
Wohoo!!!!!!!!!!!!
And I topped it off with black forest cake I made for Brian's birthday today. Happy birthday to him and happy dance for me!
Monday, April 17, 2006
Update!
I know, I know, the blog’s been getting heavy on fun stuff and light on content. Life gets hectic!
The head of HR has now “rescheduled” my meeting twice. We’ll see if I actually get to see her before she has the baby. She’s very pregnant. We know nothing new on that front, and thus have no news to share. Nothing on the semi-active job hunt either. I’m not really working on it yet though.
We went out walking yesterday at Heckscher State Park. The weather was gorgeous, warm and sunny. I enjoyed it so much we went ahead and bought an annual State Parks pass. Now we can just zip through the lines and not pay each time! Unfortunately it was soooo bright that none of my digital photos turned out. They’re all massively over-exposed. I think I have probably outgrown this little digital camera, but we have so many other priorities for our money it’ll probably be a while before I get a new one. It’s (mostly) done well by us though for being over three years old.
There are now two tickers at the top. They don’t have any “easy update” ability (I have to go create/copy/paste new code into the blog template each time I want to update them) so they’re not always going to be exact, but they should be close. If anyone knows of any that are easier, please leave me a message in the comments! The weight loss one in particular I’m looking at to help encourage me and see how far I’ve come. I’ve updated it to show how much I’ve lost since I first started this journey. By the time I’m done, I’ll have lost a whole (small) person! I find that motivation is getting to be really a problem right now. I’ve got a friend who had gastric bypass surgery in January and is doing great. But he’s already lost more weight than I have since I started. I KNOW surgery isn’t the right choice for me, and I know my way means I’ll keep it off in the long run. I wish him nothing but the best on his own efforts. It’s just a little jealousy that he seems to be doing it “the easy way”. I know it isn’t, and that the reaction isn’t rational, but it’s a feeling. Feelings don’t have to listen to my brain. Add to that that I’ve irritated the arthritis in my knees with the rowing last week (but it felt soo good at the time!) and it’s getting hard to want to move. When standing up from sitting hurts, it’s discouraging. I’m hoping the weather will stay nice so I can go walk at the parks more. HSP is really close to home and has miles of paths, so keep your fingers crossed for me. I also wouldn’t have to change clothes for it either like I do for the Y, so I’m going to throw a pair of runners in the trunk of the car. I love all the improvements in myself overall, it’s just very hard sometimes to go when you know you’re going to end up in pain for your efforts.
Monthly Goals:
Last months goals accomplished:
Finished secret project
Walked >40 miles
Lost 2 lbs (and dealt with massive normally-overeating-inducing stresses)
Goals for April (even if we’re half way through…)
Finish Queen Anne’s Lace
Work on Butterfly Song
Work on HAED Frog Prince (10 hrs?)
Walk 40 miles
Lose 3 lbs
Try not to kill Brian as he goes through his annual April freakout…
Don’t buy too much at Reba’s store this coming Saturday.
Current state of stitching:
Queen Anne’s Lace: I’m getting so close to finishing this one. If we hadn’t gone to the park, I probably could have finished all the stitching on her then. Maybe by the end of Tuesday’s SnB! Then will come the beading, but it shouldn’t be too bad. I just can’t see framing her right now though. I’ll be really proud and glad when she’s finished, but she’s just not my taste anymore.
Baby Announcements: I have two that have all the main stitching complete. I need to graph out and then stitch the names then add the buttons.
Butterfly Song: Coming along. I got to work on it a little two Saturdays ago. Got those three lines for March done!
The Phoenix: No work done, but going to become my main “travel” project once QAL is done.
Frog Prince: Coming along quite nicely, even if what’s done is only a section of wall and thus doesn’t look like much. Will become main home project once QAL is done.
The head of HR has now “rescheduled” my meeting twice. We’ll see if I actually get to see her before she has the baby. She’s very pregnant. We know nothing new on that front, and thus have no news to share. Nothing on the semi-active job hunt either. I’m not really working on it yet though.
We went out walking yesterday at Heckscher State Park. The weather was gorgeous, warm and sunny. I enjoyed it so much we went ahead and bought an annual State Parks pass. Now we can just zip through the lines and not pay each time! Unfortunately it was soooo bright that none of my digital photos turned out. They’re all massively over-exposed. I think I have probably outgrown this little digital camera, but we have so many other priorities for our money it’ll probably be a while before I get a new one. It’s (mostly) done well by us though for being over three years old.
There are now two tickers at the top. They don’t have any “easy update” ability (I have to go create/copy/paste new code into the blog template each time I want to update them) so they’re not always going to be exact, but they should be close. If anyone knows of any that are easier, please leave me a message in the comments! The weight loss one in particular I’m looking at to help encourage me and see how far I’ve come. I’ve updated it to show how much I’ve lost since I first started this journey. By the time I’m done, I’ll have lost a whole (small) person! I find that motivation is getting to be really a problem right now. I’ve got a friend who had gastric bypass surgery in January and is doing great. But he’s already lost more weight than I have since I started. I KNOW surgery isn’t the right choice for me, and I know my way means I’ll keep it off in the long run. I wish him nothing but the best on his own efforts. It’s just a little jealousy that he seems to be doing it “the easy way”. I know it isn’t, and that the reaction isn’t rational, but it’s a feeling. Feelings don’t have to listen to my brain. Add to that that I’ve irritated the arthritis in my knees with the rowing last week (but it felt soo good at the time!) and it’s getting hard to want to move. When standing up from sitting hurts, it’s discouraging. I’m hoping the weather will stay nice so I can go walk at the parks more. HSP is really close to home and has miles of paths, so keep your fingers crossed for me. I also wouldn’t have to change clothes for it either like I do for the Y, so I’m going to throw a pair of runners in the trunk of the car. I love all the improvements in myself overall, it’s just very hard sometimes to go when you know you’re going to end up in pain for your efforts.
Monthly Goals:
Last months goals accomplished:
Finished secret project
Walked >40 miles
Lost 2 lbs (and dealt with massive normally-overeating-inducing stresses)
Goals for April (even if we’re half way through…)
Finish Queen Anne’s Lace
Work on Butterfly Song
Work on HAED Frog Prince (10 hrs?)
Walk 40 miles
Lose 3 lbs
Try not to kill Brian as he goes through his annual April freakout…
Don’t buy too much at Reba’s store this coming Saturday.
Current state of stitching:
Queen Anne’s Lace: I’m getting so close to finishing this one. If we hadn’t gone to the park, I probably could have finished all the stitching on her then. Maybe by the end of Tuesday’s SnB! Then will come the beading, but it shouldn’t be too bad. I just can’t see framing her right now though. I’ll be really proud and glad when she’s finished, but she’s just not my taste anymore.
Baby Announcements: I have two that have all the main stitching complete. I need to graph out and then stitch the names then add the buttons.
Butterfly Song: Coming along. I got to work on it a little two Saturdays ago. Got those three lines for March done!
The Phoenix: No work done, but going to become my main “travel” project once QAL is done.
Frog Prince: Coming along quite nicely, even if what’s done is only a section of wall and thus doesn’t look like much. Will become main home project once QAL is done.
Friday, April 14, 2006
I present to you....
the funniest Easter thing involving Peeps since peep jousting. Just click the title post to see. I seriously need to get myself a life. Right after I hop myself up on a few of those. Might even make peeps worth eating!
For more entertaining peep research see:
Peep Research
For more entertaining peep research see:
Peep Research
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
HAHAHAHAHAHAhahahahahahahahahahahahaha
| You Are an Excellent Cook |
 You're a top cook, but you weren't born that way. It's taken a lot of practice, a lot of experimenting, and a lot of learning. It's likely that you have what it takes to be a top chef, should you have the desire... |
No, not really... excellent baker, yes, cook, no. I love to bake, and will do the most complex, intriguing, kitchen destroying things I can find to try, but cook? Not so much.
Friday, April 07, 2006
Brain Twister
Here's a neat brain-twister for you
This picture was done as advertising for Virgin Records. It illustrates the names of (apparently) 70 odd bands. How many can you get? I'm no where near close to getting them all, but here's what I have so far:
Led Zepplin
Rob Zombie
The Monkees
The Eagles
The Black Crowes
Guns and Roses
The Sex Pistols
Lemon Head
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Green Day
Alice in Chains
The Cars
The Rolling Stones
The Beach Boys
Talking Heads
Matchbox 20
U2
The BeeGees
Smashing Pumpkins
Blur
The Blues Brothers
Whitesnake
Seal
Mother and Child
The B52's
The Eagles
Guns & Roses
Blind Melon
Things driving me nuts:
Orange/Tangerine crates with *something* in them
Pink scissors walking
What is coming up from the sewer grate?
Leave me any others you get in the comments section!
This picture was done as advertising for Virgin Records. It illustrates the names of (apparently) 70 odd bands. How many can you get? I'm no where near close to getting them all, but here's what I have so far:
Led Zepplin
Rob Zombie
The Monkees
The Eagles
The Black Crowes
Guns and Roses
The Sex Pistols
Lemon Head
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Green Day
Alice in Chains
The Cars
The Rolling Stones
The Beach Boys
Talking Heads
Matchbox 20
U2
The BeeGees
Smashing Pumpkins
Blur
The Blues Brothers
Whitesnake
Seal
Mother and Child
The B52's
The Eagles
Guns & Roses
Blind Melon
Things driving me nuts:
Orange/Tangerine crates with *something* in them
Pink scissors walking
What is coming up from the sewer grate?
Leave me any others you get in the comments section!
Wednesday, April 05, 2006
News news news...
I have lots of news going on right now and very little time to update this blog. Posting will be much less frequent than I've been lately. I'll be putting in close to an 80 hour week this week (I'm on "sanity break" right now) and it includes driving to our lab 50 miles (80km) away from home. Oh joy! Nothing out of the ordinary, just work that got backlogged while awaiting equipment repair. I have to find time to add two new blogs to my sidebar. James (my BIL) and Bonnie (my sister) have both started keeping blogs. I hope BJ has fun and uploads lots of photos! We're back to being in immigration limbo. Any progress we thought we had made was purely a mistaken assumption on the part of my HR representative. Who just doesn't *get* that this is serious business for us. We haven't had any true delays etc. and are right where we thought we were. Waiting. I've seen photos of our new nephew William, but haven't heard from mom or dad yet that it's okay to post them. I suspect they're a little busy right now getting accustomed to this massive change in their lives. He's happy and healthy, and that's what matters. I've added a "weight loss ticker" to the top of the blog and hope it will help encourage me to get over this plateau. So long as I keep moving and eating less, I know it'll budge eventually! I've crossed the 150 mile mark so far for the year, and am adding in more rowing. I still loathe spending the time going to the Y and working out, but I love the results.
Gotta run!
Heather the insane...
Gotta run!
Heather the insane...
Sunday, April 02, 2006
Someone want to help me find a job here?
| You Belong in Paris |
 You enjoy all that life has to offer, and you can appreciate the fine tastes and sites of Paris. You're the perfect person to wander the streets of Paris aimlessly, enjoying architecture and a crepe. |
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