Ready to branch out!

I am working on getting my dot com set up and running, and hopefully, I'm going to link it here so no one will have to worry about bookmarking the new site (unless you want to, of course). However, I need some help with a Taurus or Bull that's original and/or other such artwork. Anyone know of someone who is good at graphic art or are any of you? I want my site to be something that is just for me and the Talkative Taurus followers (especially after I figure out what to call you all!).

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On the same note, what templates do you all find that are easiest to use and most varied in options?  Anyone who can help with something that is maybe a cartoon-like image of me and Bailey or something similar would be great, too! Ideas? I know a lot of you have such awesome sites, that I'm sure you can give me some helpful hints.

I hope everyone had a great weekend. I had a productive weekend which included mainly cleaning house. I still didn't get everything done that I wanted to, but I'm getting there.

Friday Wrap-Ups and other silly stuff

I have a bunch of little things I need to take care of with you all today and some funny news things I just have to address. First and foremost.. It's Friday! Wooo hooo! I am so glad because this has been a long damn week. I am ready to get my weekend started even though I have a lot to do around the house.

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Secondly, I have to announce the winner to my first giveaway. After randomly assigning you all numbers, I used one of those automated generator thingies and Jimmy from Jimmy's Opinion won the gift card to CSN Stores. Congrats! I know he will be so thrilled about this since it's what he's always wanted, I'm sure. Well, maybe he can give it to his wife or someone if he doesn't want it. If you don't follow his blog though, you should go check him out. (I'll email you the information for the gift card, Jimmy.)

Now on to more fun stuff. Did you all hear about the smugglers at the US/Mexican border trying to use a catapult to launch drugs over the border into the United States south of Arizona? Freaking. Medieval. Catapult!

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The US Border Patrol saw what was going on and informed the Mexican authorities so they could be detained. This just goes to show how desperate they are with the crackdown on Arizona borders. Those guys are sitting over there going, "Shit! How do we get our drugs in now?" 

"Fuck it! Let's just throw it over. I know, a CATAPULT!" 

"Dude, that would be classic, ese." (Don't ask me why he sounds like a combination surfer/Mexican. He just does, okay? Shaddup!)

I love that the Border Patrol guy said he had never seen anything like that, but that they are trained for anything. Huh? If you've never seen anything like that, how are you trained for it? 

On another note, someone has officially proven that it doesn't matter what your degree is in as long as you get one. A Canadian woman who attended Liverpool Hope University is the first person to get a Masters degree in Beatles studies. No, I don't mean the bugs. I mean the freaking Beatles! Someone please explain to me what the hell you do with that degree? I'm trying to think of how that conversation would have gone with her parents when she made the decision to enter that program. I know my parents would have told me I'd lost my damn mind. I'm thinking "you're an idiot" and "who the hell is going to pay you to do something with that for the rest of your life?" would have been stated at some point. 

That's about as brilliant as this sign someone put on the sink in our kitchen at work the other day.

 

Finally, I mentioned that I got an award yesterday. I actually got it from two different people. On My Soapbox and The Habitual Hobbit both think I'm funny enough to have granted me this little gem.

Thanks so much to both of you! Please go check out their blogs, because I think you'll love them. This award means a lot to me because you all know I try to make people laugh if nothing else. Even in my rants, I can be pretty humorous at times. At least I think so, and obviously someone else agrees... or, two someones. 

Now, I am supposed to give this to 7 people and tell you 7 things about myself. Honestly, I don't think I'm going to pass it on simply because I have seen this award around A LOT lately. I know there are some of you who still deserve this award, and I'm sure you will be getting it. Just not from me. Not right now. I'm being a rebel today, can ya tell? 

So Happy Friday, everyone! Have a great weekend, half-assed or not. :)

Give me an 84, and I'll raise you 1300

I have been super busy trying to get my 3 classes for this term done. I hope to finish up next week so I can enjoy Super Bowl weekend without any of that on my mind. Sorry I haven't been around much, but I've discovered by being away just how much you guys light up my days. I need this escape and the peak into your worlds to forget about mine for a while.

Just to tell you a little about my week, I am super pissed at one of my professors. He waited 3 weeks to grade my mid-term paper, and then gives me a damn 84! Wait... Did you hear me? An 84, I said!! Now, since I've been back in school I have maintained a 4.0 GPA. Needless to say, this is the lowest grade I have gotten in any class, and I just suffered through Toxicology for God's sake without getting an 84.

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I seriously think this professor is on crack. He docks points for things that no other professor has. Sometimes he gives no explanation at all, and when he does explain his reasoning it's usually something lame. On a side note, if I don't finish the course with an "A" then I don't get 100% reimbursement from my company. I would seriously have to kill the professor if that happened. It's a good thing he doesn't live near me. And now I'm thinking I really need to do that Google remove-my-real-name-from-searches-thing that Stephanie and Sam told me I could do somehow. It would totally be my luck for my professor to find this post before the final grade went in.

Anyway, if you hadn't noticed I'm a thrives-on-immediate-feedback kinda gal, so his waiting that long to get back to me in the first place was enough to take. Then the grade whammy sure didn't make it any easier. Somehow I'll make it through like I always do, but I sure need to finish this class to get me away from this joker. Lord, PLEASE do not let him be teaching any of the classes I have left! I don't think I could take it.

To make myself feel better, I went on the Sears website yesterday to look at my dream washer and dryer again. For those who haven't been around since I mentioned it before, I want one of those new steam sets. (They say the dryer works as fast as the washer.) They were having a one day online only sale, and I got the set $500 cheaper than regular price! Soothing my pain apparently costs $1300 (after tax and stuff), but that's better than the $1800 it would normally be.

As you know from prior posts, I really don't care for laundry, but I figure I'll look about as stupidly happy as this lady for about the first month.

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They won't be delivered until the 15th so my impatient self will just have to wait. I might just have to go buy the new furniture I've been wanting, too.

Now, I must get back to less enjoyable things, but I wanted to mention that two people think I'm funny enough to have given me an award. The thought just floors me, but I'm so excited! I'll fill you in on that later because I didn't want my first post of the week to be, "Hey, sorry I haven't been around but someone thinks I rock anyway!" Holy crap! I can't believe it's Thursday and this is my first post of the week. I'm beginning to think I don't rock so much as I suck this week. Now let me go try to catch up on what you all have been doing. 

Super Bowl Bound!

There is so much I could say tonight, but my Steelers are going to the Super Bowl in Dallas! And I know that burns Jerry Jones up!

I think there is so much that goes back to our asshole Commish like the article I wrote before about him being a douche.  After that he tried to fine my players all season long. I guess we'll see what happens in the Super Bowl in Dallas' new crazy stadium. :) Anyone who has a legit reason to argue about Ben never being charged with anything is welcome to speak up!

Spartacus is back!

If you didn't watch Spartacus: Blood and Sand last year, you need to. Talk about an intense drama series! It was on Starz, and I watched it on Netflix. Personally, I think there's a lot for both women and men to enjoy the show, and every episode left me wanting more.

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When the star, Andy Whitfield, went in for a physical to start filming the second season, they discovered he had non-Hodgkins lymphoma. He fought the cancer aggressively, and they decided to start filming a prequel they are calling Spartacus: Gods of the Arena. This short season will show the rise of the House of Batiatus before Spartacus came along. It starts tonight! And it looks like we'll be able to see it on Netflix tomorrow. I am so excited!

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However, I am sorry to say that it looks like his cancer came back in September, so Andy will not be filming any time soon. It's a shame because he was working hard to get in shape and train for the show when it showed back up. I sincerely wish him and his family all of the best, whether he can come back to the show or not.

After just Googling it, it looks like the producers decided to replace him 3 days ago, and Andy approved of the replacement. It's Liam McIntyre, who I've never heard of, but they said he used to be on Pacific.

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Most of the other pictures I found weren't as flattering as that one, but I hope this joker bulked up like they say he is. He has some big shoes to fill... er, loincloths... er, armor to fill because Andy was hot, Hot, HOT! It says that Dominic Purcell and Wentworth Miller were considered, so I hope they didn't make a mistake.

Wentworth and Dominic source

I almost think Wentworth would have been too "pretty" for the part of a Gladiator, but he was pretty intense on Prison Break. Dominic however... *sigh* ... I wouldn't even need to watch him as much as hear that sexy voice. (Wiping my chin and trying to get it together here.) Okay, who am I fooling, he's not hard on the eyes at ALL! I think they wanted someone a little less known though to take over the role, and I can understand that.

Which brings up something I was meaning to post about when I found out Spartacus was coming back tonight. What is it about men/women that attracts you? As far as body parts go, I love a nice chest. Muscular arms are a plus, too. But honestly, a beautiful smile is a must and if it is surrounded by dimples all the more better! 

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My sister picks on me all the time because sometimes I'll say someone is hot that she doesn't understand. Normally, it's a voice that will tip the scales for me. Dominic has one of those voices, deep and powerful. But some you might not have thought about before are....

Max Martini is that handsome fellow to the right, and he used to be on the TV show The Unit. Even his name is yummy. My sister never understood why I found him sexy until she started watching the show with me. Now she gets it. He just has this gravelly, deep voice that can make my ovaries stand up and applaud! 

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I just watched the movie The Losers over the weekend. I don't think I had even seen it advertised, but it was one of my Netflix suggestions, so I watched it. Enter Jeffrey Dean Morgan into my life, and bring your booming voice with you! It looks like he has a bunch of movies coming out soon, so you might see him more. Unfortunately, he played a quiet-type in the movie I just saw, so I didn't get to hear nearly enough of him. Oh, and he has perfect pearly whites and dimples. 

Okay, so I'll quit boring you for now with who makes me drool. Tell me what kinds of things you are attracted to in a person. And yes, this is your chance to be completely shallow! So don't be giving me cheesy things. I'm sure I'll get accused of being horny again, but I couldn't help myself when I realized Spartacus was premiering.

Oh, and don't forget to tell me how you feel about Spartacus if you watch it. If you don't watch, you are missing out!

UPDATE: I just hit 50 followers today, so you all rock! I hope you all decide to stick around because I am thrilled to have you here. More funny Mom stories and things to come.

A day in the life... of Bailey

Bailey had such a hard day yesterday that you just wouldn't even imagine. First, I took her outside when I got home from work and apparently she thought it was way too quiet. So she barked down toward one end of the street..

And then barked to the other end of the street to get a stereo effect going...

She is so fierce! Of course, everyone in the neighborhood was very impressed by the time we went inside, especially the other dogs who were singing her praises long after we were gone. 

I went into my room to change clothes, where of course, she decided it was wrestling time! Granted, this is kind of a daily routine with us, but she was in rare form last night.

This is her "you should be very scared" face. I couldn't quite get one with her cutting her eyes at me. 

She's really getting mad at me at this point. Can ya tell? 

My neighbor ended up coming over to ask if we wanted to go to the park. There's a park not too far away where they have recently made it so we can close all of the gates. Bailey and I hadn't been yet, but I knew she would love being able to run free so we went. I left those pictures at home on the camera so you'll just have to imagine her running her legs off so hard that her tongue was pretty much hanging on the ground by the time she was done. She had the best time, and the park is going to be seen a lot in our future.

When we got home, she drank a whole bowl of water (and yes, I made a mental note to take water to the park next time, so don't nag me about it!). This was her the rest of the night. 

And when she needed a change, she looked like this at my feet.

I think I can see now what I need to do on nights when I have homework to do, and I don't want her to be barking at me all night. That park is now officially a dog park for us! Suffer, neighbors. Bailey is here to stay. Wasn't that a rough day? It sure wore her out. She packed a lot of stuff into her evening.

Now, Jumble Mash is having a really cool giveaway over there, so go check her out and get yourself entered! You'll enjoy being over there anyway, because she is one cool chica. So cop a squat and stay awhile. You have to to enter anyway. 

And don't forget about my giveaway. It's not as cool as hers, but you can enter on the post I put up yesterday. 

Redecorating with a giveaway!

My house needs a serious makeover in the furniture department. My living room furniture is ancient, my bedroom furniture has needed to be replaced for some time, and I need a new washer and dryer. Where do I begin? I've heard those steam washer and dryers are awesome, so when I get a new set (which will probably be soon) that's probably what I'm going to go with. I've heard the dryer finishes faster than the washer! I've got to see that to believe it.

I've been looking at furniture off and on for several months, but I couldn't be as lucky as my sister. She found a sectional at a garage sale for like $100! It's beautiful, too. She was actually there looking for other things with my niece and saw it. I just don't get lucky like that.

My bedroom needs some serious help too, and I'm thinking I don't sleep well because I need a new mattress. I was dating this guy once who had a mattress that felt like you were sleeping on a cloud. I swear, you hardly even felt the thing touching you.

The folks at CSN Stores has given me a $20 gift certificate to give to one of my awesome followers as my very first giveaway! This doesn't include shipping, but some of their stuff has free shipping anyway. They have over 200 sites that you can use it on, and you can go check out their modern furniture. In order to enter, just tell me down there in the comments what room you purchased furniture for last or if you managed to get a good deal somewhere.

Good luck! I hope to get some pointers from some of you decorative people.

I'm feeling the love!

I am so blessed to have such great followers and blogging friends! Over the weekend, I ended up getting TWO awards so my week started off wonderfully. However, I was so busy yesterday that I didn't get a chance to tell you about them here. I also have a giveaway (my first ever... yay!) coming up probably tomorrow so make sure you check back for that. I'll address the awards separately since they have different rules to them.

Canadian Blogger Girl thinks I'm stylish or likes my blog anyway, but she thought enough of me to give me this awesome award. I think she was one of the earlier blogs I started following, so you should go check her out. She has some great stories about her wacky neighbors, but I think she deserves an award for living next to them!  I guess if I'm going to have such a snazzy award on my blog, I better spruce up the place. Expect that soon, since I've been meaning to do so anyway. In any event, thank you CBG! You rock, woman!

Here are the rules for the award:

1. Thank and link back to the person who awarded you this award
2. Share 5 things about yourself
3. Award 5 recently discovered great bloggers
4. Contact these bloggers and tell them about the award 

Five things about myself... I'm trying to come up with things that you all don't know about me yet.
1. I've worn glasses since before I could walk.
2. I have always secretly wanted to become an author.
3. I record General Hospital religiously every day though I'm insanely behind on watching it.
4. I listen to Country music more than any other type normally.
5. My favorite board game is Monopoly.

Recently discovered great bloggers.. There have been so many since the holidays that I found, but I guess I'll have to go with these folks. It's so hard to choose, and I'm trying to spread the love a bit to those I don't think have gotten the award. Please go check them out!

1. Vicki at Glitter Frog .. I found her on Twitter recently, but she has been so worth it. Go read about the crackhead she met recently, and vote for her in a competition she's in if you don't mind.
2. The Adorkable Ditz.. She is young but is wise beyond her years. And she always leaves great comments.
3. Robyn at Life by Chocolate.. She is about to embark on a great new career, and I can't wait to read about it. Don't miss her! I think I found her on Twitter, too.
4. Alessandra at The Life and Times of A. Nighbert.. I simply love her, and I'm sure you will, too. Another great one for comments. :)
5. Average Girl at It's an Average Life.. Okay, this one is my "fudge" on the rules. I didn't find her recently (unless you consider my entire blog to be recent), but she needed to be given an award called "Stylish." She has a new, really nice look to her blog, and I thought she needed some lovin'. Go check her out.

Ib at The Habitual Hobbit totally caught me off guard with this award. I guess I just haven't talked to him much, so I wasn't expecting it. But I was so excited, and it looks like it's been going around a lot lately. His blog is pretty great, and he actually informed me I'm "naughty" the other day. You'll have to go read it to find out why.

For this award, I have to link back to the award giver, answer some questions, and pass the award on. Here are the questions I'm supposed to answer.

1. If you blog anonymously, are you happy doing this? If you aren't anonymous, do you wish you started out anonymously, so that you could be anonymous now? I am semi-anonymous, but I wish I had started out 100% anonymous. Some of my friends and family have the link to my blog and occasionally pop over to read it. Unfortunately, if I Google my real name some of my early posts come up when I used to have my full name on it. So I am limited on things I can vent about, especially work if I ever wanted to. I am loving the blog world though, so I wouldn't change finding all of you. I might start a completely anonymous one sometime though.


2. Describe an incident that shows your inner stubborn side. Seriously? You're asking a Taurus this question? Ummm, which one do I pick? Okay, I firmly believe that M&M's are the best candy ever, and no one will convince me otherwise! Yeah, it's cheesy, but I'm stubborn about a lot of things.


3. What do you see when you really look at yourself in the mirror? I see a woman who cares very deeply for her family and friends. She can be stubborn, but she will stand up for those she believes in to the end. She needs to take care of herself more and have fun more often like she used to. 


4. What is your favourite summer cold drink? Iced tea, without a doubt!


5. When you take time for yourself, what do you do? Normally, I curl up to a good book or movie. I'm thinking bubble baths need to get back into my life, so I see them making a comeback. I haven't done that in forever! (Is Bailey going to try to get in the tub with me?)


6. Is there something that you still want to accomplish in your life? So many things... I think I mentioned above that I'd love to be a published author. Maybe my publishing world will be the internet through a blog that can make me some change, but who knows? I would seriously love to buy a house someday though. I also hope that I can leave this world having made an impression on my nieces and nephews. I love them all more than they'll ever know. 


7. When you attended school, were you the class clown, the class overachiever, the shy person or always ditching? I guess I was a bit of the first two. I finished pretty high in my class, and I was always out to make sure everyone had a good time. I was pretty outgoing.


8. If you close your eyes and want to visualize a very poignant moment in your life, what would you see? I think it would have to be holding my oldest nephew for the first time. I was only 12, and I remembering being so fascinated with this little person. I am now fascinated by the man, husband, and father he has become. 


9. Is it easy for you to share your true self in your blog, or are you more comfortable writing posts about other people and events? Well, I have to make myself open up sometimes, and I tend to joke about things to keep my life from getting too intense. So I guess I do share my true self in my blog in that way. Honestly, I don't think I can be too honest about emotions and feelings without it hurting me or someone else in my life because I am not anonymous here, but isn't that the ironic part? As far as sharing experiences though, I'm pretty much an open book.


10. If you had the choice to sit down and read a book or talk on the phone, which would you do and why? I would definitely read a book. I really don't like talking on the phone much, so that's something that's usually reserved for when I've had a few cocktails. 


Okay, are you bored to tears yet? Last thing and I'll let you go! Who do I pass this one to?


Sam over at A Redhead Named Sam.. She said she could help me spruce this place up (and I'm about to take her up on that), and I've enjoyed her posts since the first day I stumbled onto her blog. 


Stephanie over at Seriously??... Reeeally?... Seriously?.. She was an early find for me, and she has always cracked me up. She's a fellow animal (and especially dog) lover, and I feel so terrible for her recent loss. So go give her some blog love, but please be respectful of her wishes on her Scooby post. 


I'm all done for now. You can go if you must. 

What ever happened to...?

Everyone seemed to like my post about some of the 80's rockers and what they look like now so it gave me an idea. Considering how much I enjoy doing research and looking stuff like that up, I thought I'd let you give me a focus. Tell me who you would like to know about and I'll see what I can find out. Did you ever wonder where a certain character on your favorite show ended up? What about a favorite singer or group that just seemed to disappear and you never had the time to find out what happened?

It doesn't even have to be someone who is famous, although historical figures could be considered famous, too. Is there a court case/true crime event you never heard the outcome for? Ever heard a phrase that you always wondered about or a tradition and wanted to know where it came from? I am one of those crazy people who just looks it up!

So let me know here in the comments what you'd like me to get information on, and I'll do my best "Sherlock Holmes of the Internet" impression to find out.

Of course, I'll try to make the posts humorous unless they met some untimely end that I just can't spice up. Don't feel shy about suggestions either. Sometimes I have no clue what has happened to people when it seems everyone else on the planet already knows. If you want to, you can always email me at talktaurus@gmail.com. You know if you all don't give me some direction, I'll just have to bore you with people who interest me. I came up with this after looking up Allison DuBois who I posted briefly about yesterday and who is apparently a huge fraud (or so I got the impression). If you'd like to know more, let me know and I'll share what I found.

On a similar note, I seriously think I'm going to try to look for a research and/or editing job. I keep saying that's what I enjoy doing, so why not, right? Surely there's an author out there somewhere who could use cheap labor, until I get some experience anyway.

For now though, I thought I needed to give you all some laughs so here are some cute things I stumbled on that should be good for a chuckle or two.

Since you all love my Bailey stories (and if you don't, just sit there and take it!.. Yeah, I said it! No, wait. DON'T LEAVE ME!)... This morning she decided I wanted to get up an hour early because she heard something outside that got her barking. She actually grabbed my Nike from the floor, jumped on the bed, and threw it at me! I couldn't believe it. For those who don't know me very well yet, I cherish my sleep time in the mornings. I was not amused when I went outside and there was nothing there that interested her.

Crazy As a Loon

Dear Crazy As a Loon,

You have been in my life for a long time, and you have hurt many people that I love and care about. But, ya know what? I am done! Your words will no longer get my blood pressure up because you are not worth my time.

Your actions will definitely no longer surprise me because I hope to not have to hear about them anymore. I'm very grateful that at this point you can no longer breed anymore, however. Although I love all of your children, we don't get to pick our family so they are never to blame for what you do. They will all come to know the person you are as they get older.

I have heard the word selfish thrown around many times in my life and aimed at many people, including myself. I know that I am nothing like you, and I never thought anyone could be at the level of selfishness that you are. Of course, you have surpassed all of my expectations in so many ways that I can't even describe it here.

While there is no need to air our dirty laundry on the internet, I felt the need to get my basic thoughts down in black and white to get this off my chest. I always feel better after doing so, even if it's just to my blogging friends. Sometimes they give the best perspectives simply because they aren't in the situation to begin with.

I feel sorry for the next person you feel you need to lie to because we haven't bought your crap for a long time now. Trust is something you have to have with loved ones, and that we lost long ago. So enjoy your life and we will happily enjoy ours. It's funny but events are so much less stressful without you around, which we have come to discover recently. If you had only tried to learn to take care of those who depend on you, your life could have been so much different. Good luck!

Very sincerely,

A Fiercely Loyal Taurus Who Has Been Pushed too Far

We will now return you to your regularly scheduled blogs, and this one will return to the fun-loving one you are used to now that the Taurus has gotten that out of her system. :)

Crazy Housewife of Beverly Hills

I feel like I have been neglecting my blogging friends this week. I have two papers that were due the other day that I luckily got an extension on, but I wanted to write you guys a little something. I am trying to catch up on your blogs when I can, so please don't think I'm ignoring you if you haven't seen me comment much. I keep telling myself I only have until the end of June and then I can be done with school forever! For any young people who are thinking of not finishing now, DON'T DO IT! Just get it over with, and then you can live your life. I was one class shy of my degree when I stopped going when I was young. Yes, I know! I've heard it from my family and friends my whole life, but now I should be done by June. The only thing is right now I have a 4.0 GPA, and I was in the mid 3 range back then. Maybe I'll do a "why I never finished then" post when I'm done... or maybe before then.

Anyway, I have never watched those Real Housewives shows until a few months ago. I was bored and saw the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills on my Primetime on Demand channel so I decided to watch an episode to see what it was like. Now I watch this show, and I think Camille is one of the craziest people I have ever seen. I mean, come on! Have any of you watched this show? When she said that Kyle told her no one wanted to be around her without Kelsey, that was just BIZARRE! (For those who don't know, Camille is Kelsey Grammer's soon to be ex-wife.) They play a clip of her saying at the beginning of every episode that it's time for her to step out of her husband's shadow to shine. So... HELLOOOOO! That is in YOUR head, not Kyle's.

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From left to right in that picture are Kim, Lisa, Adrienne, Kyle, Taylor, and Camille. Camille is bat-shit crazy as far as I can tell. She talks about what a sweet person she is, but when does she show us that side? She acts like if she talks in a soft, calm voice then it doesn't matter what she says. What the.. ?? 

And get this... You know the show Medium? Camille and Kelsey apparently created that show based on their real friend, Allison DuBois. She was on the show, got drunk, and said some things I would never say even about people I can't stand.

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Personally, I'll never watch her show again simply because of the way she acted, but anyway... This is supposed to be a really good friend of Camille's. They talk about how she can get into people's heads and tell if their husbands are cheating, etc. Explain to me why she never told Camille (who should have had 100 clues beforehand) that Kelsey was cheating on her? What the hell good is there to have a psychic (or sidekick as Lisa called her) or medium as a good friend if she can't save you some pain by telling you something like that?

 

Anyway, there is my guilty pleasure rant for the day for your amusement. If you don't watch the show, you should. Tonight I think is when they reveal the episode where Kelsey tells her he's done with their marriage. Give me your thoughts if you watch the show, or even if you don't. Personally, I love Kyle. She's my kinda people, and I love that she doesn't take any crap. Next in line, I really like Lisa and Adrienne. 

Back to school work, I guess. (In my best whiny voice possible...) Do I really have to??

South Carolina is back in business... kinda!

If you weren't aware of it, we have had some wonderful winter storms down here in the south this week. Now before you fuss at me to stop my whining, let me put this in perspective for you. I know some of you great folks live in areas where snow is a regular occurrence. I actually enjoy snow, and I'd love it if we got more of it. Unfortunately, our state is not equipped to handle snow. We don't have snow plows or salt trucks to clean the roads or make them a little more drivable for us. Another problem is that most of the time we don't get this...

Scene out of my kitchen window last winter...

We get something that looks like this instead.

It took me 30 minutes to thaw out my vehicle for it to be drivable to work Tuesday. It takes me 6 minutes to get to work, so do you see why I wasn't amused by this?

We lost power because the trees are so freaking heavy with ice that they SNAP! Have you ever heard a bunch of trees just snapping? It sounds like really loud thunder as they all just fall. At least this year it wasn't as bad as the ice storm we had 7 years ago, but still. Why can't we get NORMAL cold weather, ya know? I was so thrilled when we had that snow last year, but that is a rare occasion. And it never lasts for more than a day, if that. Usually it's all melted the same day.

My neighbor was mad because when the power went out Monday, she decided to run to the bank. Ummm, this is South Carolina, chica! The banks are closed. Everything is closed. I love how the news reports say "schools and government offices had to close." Since when does the government need an excuse to close? Most of those offices get more days off than the rest of us chumps.

I also hear about how we can't drive in this crap. Well, NO ONE can drive on ice! I don't care who you are. No, we don't have the practice of driving on snow, but we also don't have the equipment to help with that either. People down here might not be able to drive, but at least they are MY non-driving people. I know what stupid crap they are going to do, so I know what to look out for. My preference is to stay home and curl up on the couch during this madness. If only my employer would agree with that notion...

Screwy Street... My Half-Assed Weekend Post

I've decided to jump on the Simple Dude's bandwagon and try my hand at his "My Half-Assed Weekend Post."

I am all about editing and criticizing pointing out stupid things in movies and the world that aren't right. You know, like a car going around a corner in a high-speed chase with a dent down the side of the car, and when they go around the next corner, no dent. Those types of things drive me bananas! I really need a job as an editor and/or researcher, so speak up if you know where I can find one.

Anyway, I've posted before about things that I've seen in my world or on TV that are not right like in my "Something's Wrong with this Picture" post. Most of you weren't around back then so check it out. It's short and sweet, but if you're anything like me (and you must be to be here and reading this), you'll enjoy it.

To get to my point, there is this town near mine that I have to go to on occasion because they have a Walmart and we don't. The quickest way to get to many of the things in that town that I want to see is through a bad neighborhood, so I don't dilly-dally in that area. But, as I was driving out of that town one day, I happened to glance down a side street (because you don't want to be caught looking at the drug dealers) and saw something that amused me.

Now, as you can see, this is a one-way street. Why the hell is there a stop sign at the other end? Is it because they KNOW crackheads are going to be driving the wrong way down this street, and they want to make sure they know not to just drive across the other street? I'm sorry, but that just gave me a chuckle. And I love all of my followers, but I am NOT stopping beside two crack houses to take a picture. I really don't know what you all would do without me if the drug dealers shot me because they think I'm a narc. Well, not that I think your lives would be devastated or anything, but it's nice to think you'd at least notice if I was gone. There are many ways I've thought of leaving this world, but being killed trying to get a picture for my blog is not one of them!

My baby is so smart!

I am having some serious writer's block today, so I am just going to tell you about something my family found very amusing during the holidays. By the way, for those who have recently joined us, welcome to my little slice of craziness life. So glad you decided to pop in and stay awhile. By the way, the bar will be open around 5:30ish tonight. It is Friday after all! So kick back and enjoy...

When I went to my parents' house for Christmas, I took one of those big Rubbermaid containers to put all of the presents in. I thought it was a pretty great idea so they wouldn't get squished and I could pretty much get them all in one container. It would also give me an easy way to bring presents I received home with me. Christmas Eve I'm there wrapping presents, and I went to stack all the ones that were already wrapped under the tree. Of course, you know my girl Bailey went with me, so she's taking every opportunity to walk all over the wrapping paper. Don't ask me why I decided wrapping should be done on the floor. It's just easier to spread out that way with those stupid big rolls of paper. But on the table, I know she couldn't have gotten to the paper, so shaddup about it! Anyway, this is Bailey since I think you all have mostly just seen baby pictures of her.

This is usually what Bailey looks like when I'm playing around on my laptop. She stares and barks at me because this Princess is supposed to be the center of attention at all times, don't ya know? (For some reason my iPhone is not giving the best color to my pictures lately, but you get the idea.)

Back to the story.. I'm unloading these presents, and Bailey is looking over my shoulder into the container the whole time. This isn't anything new because any bag or other type of thing you can bring into the house she assumes has goodies for her in it. (That has nothing to do with the fact that her momma can't seem to go to the store without buying her something. Ahem!) I get close to the bottom and Bailey starts wagging her tail all excited-like just when I notice that there are one of her toys and a bone in the container. My dog packed her own things for the trip! She knew we were going somewhere even before being told we were going to my parents'. (She knows who Grandma and Poppop are.. No comments from the Peanut Gallery on that either! So I only gave them furry grandchildren. Mine are much lower maintenance and cheaper to love.)

Of course, my father just found this so funny and made sure every family member who called and came to visit knew what a smart girl my baby is. By the way, she also packed a toy in my computer bag when we went back for New Year's. At least I caught her putting that one in. I wish I had pictures of her getting her new toys that were in her stocking. Her face was priceless! Needless to say, she had a great Christmas and a captive audience.

I'm Irresistible! .. Wait, is she laughing at me?

Lyndylou over at The Giggle Fest gave me an award this week which totally brought my New Year in with a bang! Since she likes to giggle, I'm thinking she was being ironic by giving me this award?

But I guess I just make her laugh with my mom stories, and she loved my Then and Now post last week. Isn't the award yummy?! I forgive her for giving me sweets since she didn't know I was trying to be healthy before she gave me this award, but hey, it has strawberries. So it can't be too bad for me, right? RIGHT? I thought so, and I'm sure Dr. Oz would agree. I'll have that dessert with my wine and it will be even healthier. Thank you so much, lyndylou! I love it.

So I guess there are a couple of rules to this award. I have to tell you of 5 guilty pleasures and pass it on to 3 bloggers. Now you know with my new healthy living thing, this is going to make me think of things I really shouldn't have, but it's not all about food! I'm sure there are other guilty pleasures I have. I just have to think of them. Surely they'll come to me... Right?.. Here goes...

Guilty Pleasures
1. The sweetest sound in the world is a baby's laugh. As most of you know, I'm single with no children of my own (except the furry kind) so I live through all of my nieces and nephews. Hearing any one of the babies laugh just brings a joy to me that I can never explain. I can even be in a grocery store or something and hear a baby laugh, and no matter what kind of mood I'm in it will make me smile.

2. Watching sports is another love of mine. Watching my Steelers or Penguins (especially those two, though I have other loves) win a Championship is one of the greatest feelings in my life. Luckily, they've given me a lot to celebrate in my lifetime. Now if I can just get the Pirates to sell to Mark Cuban, maybe we can get them to win again!

3. Puppy breath! What is it about puppy breath? I just want to eat them up and hug them to pieces. I am seriously thinking about getting another puppy since the cat thing didn't work out with Bailey. I'm still trying to decide.

4. Chocolate, chocolate, and more chocolate! You knew I had to throw a food in there, and chocolate is the bestest food ever! I usually limit myself to chocolate ice cream being in the house when I have a craving, but I could pretty much hurt myself on anything that involves chocolate.

Okay, this lady has to be on crack!

5. Reading has to be in my top 5. Curling up on the couch in cozy pajamas, under a blanket, on a rainy day is one of the best ways to spend time. With my Kindle now, it's even nicer because I don't even have to have a free hand to hold the book or turn pages. All I have to have is a free finger to hit the button. Heaven!

 Image from here.

So now who do I pass this gem off to? 

1. Barb over at This and That (As I Bounce Thru' Life) because she is such a sweet person and always has a kind word to say in comments to people. She is also a fellow South Carolinian (well, she lives here anyway) which is what first caught my attention about her. I love her so go check her out! I'm sure she's probably gotten this award before, but she came to mind first.

2. The Tame One over at Thoughts of an Oxymoron because she makes me laugh and I can't resist her blog. The things she says on her blog and in comments makes me feel like I've found a kindred spirit. I hope that doesn't scare the bejeezus out of her. She will make you laugh even if you aren't as crazy as we are.

3. Jimmy over at Jimmy's Opinion because he is such a family man and always has encouraging words to say to everyone. He'll warm your heart and always makes you feel like there's someone out there who cares about what you have to say.

Okay, enough mushiness. I love the award, lyndylou! Those guilty pleasures used up all of my brain power for the day. I wonder if that burned calories? I lost 3 pounds, by the way. Yay, me! Not bad in two days...   

Bringing in the New Year the way Dr. Oz intended

I see I have gotten more followers since the New Year weekend. Welcome to you all, and I'm so glad you are here! I seriously think I need to go away more often since I have more than doubled my readership since the holidays. I still don't know what to call you all yet, because Taureans just isn't right, since you aren't all Taurus-like. I need some help with this one, seriously.

I had a pretty great New Year with my family. Several of us have been talking about trying out wines lately since Dr. Oz says it's good for the heart and lungs, and who doesn't want to take care of their tickers and breathing apparatus? I mean, hey. Who am I to go against a doctor who tells me to drink?

If someone could help me find a glass this size, you'd be my BFF!

Although I do try to block from my mind that he got his start with Oprah because, after all, she is the Devil! I am so glad she's going off the air. I don't think I could take one more story from Mom about what she saw on Oprah that day that is what Mom was able to equate to the problem with me. According to Oprah, I have so many conditions that you all should stay far away from me.

But wait! Don't run off now. We all know Oprah is full of herself and it's everyone else with the issues, right? RIGHT? Okay, you don't have to agree with me, but it would be nice. Just sayin'...

Let's press on and get back to Dr. Oz because I love him. He's already managed to get it through my head that I don't need to diet. I just need to be healthy. My sister and I are getting back on track with following his advice on things now that the holidays are behind us. My nephew and his wife are going to do the same, so we have an encouragement chain going. It's so much easier to do when you know you aren't in on this mission alone.

I'll give you my food advice that I've gathered from him another day, when I think you all are already bored are interested in hearing it. For now I'll tell you about our wine experiment a bit. I thought it would be fun to ring in the New Year with a little wine tasting of our own so I brought over 4 different kinds of wine. I wasn't sure how it would go over, but everyone who was interested in starting to drink wine was all for it. This would include my mom, my oldest sister, and 2 of my nieces. Yes, they are of age even though I'm a young pup! Yes, I AM a young pup, no matter what those sisters of mine will tell you. (Psst! They are all OLDer!)

My dad even had a sip or two, and just so you know my parents don't drink. Dad was worried he shouldn't drive though we assured him that a couple of sips 5 or 6 hours before he was to drive us all home safely was not a hazard in a man who is 6'3" and over 200 pounds. Thank God, since the rest of us were in NO condition to drive. I must say that playing pool, air hockey, and ping pong after having a wine tasting and then switching to my lover favorite beverage Captain Morgan can be a blast! I think a good time was had by all. I don't think my competitive father was too happy about losing to intoxicated individuals, since he can't stand to lose EVER. (Thus the reason for me buying him a shirt this Christmas that said, "Winning isn't everything, it's just what I do.")

So the next time you are thinking of having a beverage, or not thinking about it, do it anyway and choose wine! Dr. Oz says it's good for us so it must be. He wouldn't lie to us like that Oprah woman!

By the way, we tried Woodbridge Moscato and then three of the Yellow Tail Australian wines - Merlot, Pinot Grigio, and Shiraz. Although, now that I think about it, we didn't make it to the Shiraz. But of the others we tried, we enjoyed the Moscato the most. My niece even had a recipe for a "Lolita" that combined the Moscato with the Captain and it was awesome! I must admit I had to put a splash of Sprite into the Merlot to drink all of mine. Does that make me sound redneck? Oh, maybe I should send that one to Jeff Foxworthy. Would I get royalties for that? "You might be a Redneck if you make a Spritzer out of a really good Merlot." Would some rednecks even get that?

Anyway... We are thinking of taking a wine-tasting class together, if we can find one we can all attend together since they live in another town. I can't be driving after a wine tasting, after all. That would not be the "healthy" effect Dr. Oz wanted me to get.

Does anyone have any advice on wines? I basically know nothing, so you have a clean slate to brainwash educate.

Guest post by Jimmy.. Dad Said A Bad Word

Jimmy over at Jimmy's Opinion has decided he wants to participate in the guest posts about funny things our parents have done. Go check out his blog when you are done here. He's great and tells some wonderful stories. If you'd also like to do one of these posts, just let me know. I especially enjoy having one to kick off the week since I'm so cranky slow to get moving on Mondays. Thanks, Jimmy! Amusement parks are awesome so I love this story, and I think everyone else will, too. 

Dad Said A Bad Word

I love telling stories about my family and my Dad is one I most likely have a million about. My wife, Cindy, and he have had a few practical jokes bounce between them over the years. When she and I were first married, they started giving each other a hard time even though they had never met face to face. They had been talking on the phone since we married about who was better than the other and which one was going to “Get” the other first.

We were living in New Mexico at the time and took a trip to South Carolina so Cindy could meet everyone. Just as we were driving into the town my Dad lives, he calls to see if we were close. Cindy tells him we are somewhere in North Carolina. We were actually on his street. She hands me the phone begging me to play along. We are now sitting in his driveway and I find myself saying that we had some car trouble in Cherokee, NC, and we were going to need some repairs once we got there. This was not actually a lie as the rotors were warped and we were planning a brake job the next day. While I am talking to him, Cindy goes to the door and knocks. I can see her go inside while I am still talking. My Dad was sitting on the back door steps and Cindy is going through the house begging everyone to keep quiet. I want you to know that at this point she had not met anyone face to face here. She goes out the back door and leans down to my Dad’s ear and whispers “Can I Talk To Jimmy.” I hear the phone fall and realize that my call had suddenly been dropped.

My Step Mom says that he turned to look at Cindy as she leaned close and said “Gotcha.” He replied, “I’m gonna kick your *&#” for the next couple hours. This was all the man could say. Anytime anyone said anything he looked at Cindy and said, “I’m gonna kick your *&#.”

On our way home, we decided to go through Atlanta. By doing this, we could take the kids to Six Flags over Georgia. My Dad thought this was a good idea and said he would go to Six Flags with us. On the way, we were all excited and talking about the rides. The plan was to all ride one of the Roller Coasters at the same time. The lineup was that I would ride with Tim because he was pretty small at the time and I could protect him, Melissa would ride with Randy because they were both tough and could protect each other, and Cindy would ride with Dad so he too would be protected.

“The Georgia Cyclone” was the choice. We were all excited to ride this old wooden roller coaster, and the ride was quite intense as it about beat me to death. This was just on the initial climb before we were released to suffer/enjoy the thrill that is “The Georgia Cyclone.” Melissa told us that we were exaggerating how rough it was while we stood in line for the pictures, but they say a picture is worth a thousand words and those pictures showed the skin on our faces stretched all the way around to the back of our heads so I feel we were not exaggerating. My Dad suggested going home and headed toward the parking lot. This was only our first ride and Cindy goes after him with the promise that the next ride will be slower. We will ride one where we can all sit back and relax. A slow ride down the river just to recuperate from the roller coaster she tells him and also promises that he “shouldn’t get too wet.” I see you are thinking that he should have known better right there.

“Thunder River” was the choice she made. You know the ride with the large tube where the seats all face inward. Half of the seats are wet and the other half are not, so Dad picks himself the dry seat and grins as Cindy and I have to sit in a wet one. The ride started off calm until we hit the rapids. A big splash of water went right over both Cindy’s and my head hitting Dad right square in the face, and here comes the line he made us familiar with earlier “I’m going to kick your *&#.” Cindy, through her laughter, tells him it’s a fluke and he shouldn’t get any wetter than he is now.

OK, now we are hitting the rapids again, and when he missed the next drenching, he is smiling. The river slows to a relaxing pace and he is trying his best to get the water off of his glasses from the first splash. All of a sudden, there is a rock formation with water flowing over it. We are now looking at a small waterfall. Dad is eyeing this and breaks into a grin as Cindy and I are traveling backwards right towards it. He is almost laughing at this point. Then his whole expression suddenly changed as the tube stops and makes a 180 placing the water falling right on top of his head. Sad thing is he was still wiping his glasses when the tube emerged out of the water fall. He never looked up and you know exactly what he said. Yes, Dad said a bad word, and this was the last theme park trip he made with us and to this day we get the same answer when we invite him.

Jimmy