Come join the shout-out party, and find out your new name!

Now for the moment you have all been waiting for... You will officially be named, my wonderful followers, by the end of this blog post. So I have until then to make up my mind for sure, right? Good, because I am still debating between a couple of things, and I don't know how to handle it.

I figured I would go ahead and pimp out... I mean, give a shout-out to everyone who participated in the contest and/or decided to steal my fancy new button. Since your responses and suggestions were so great, I'm putting them all here for everyone's enjoyment. Feel free to comment and give us all a link to your blog even if I didn't link you up here so you can join in on finding some new blogging friends.

Cinderita from The Adventures of Cinderita: Fellow bullshitters (She was worried that was wrong? Not with this crew!)

Amy from This House Gets Crazy at Three O'Clock: Little Lovelies (She did the wonderful drawings on my site, by the way!)

Vicki from Glitter Frog: Bullettes (get it? like bullets but... shit, never mind, she says)

Abby from Abby Has Issues: We could be "calve-aleers" or "bullies" or something with horny in it...

Alessandra from The Life and Times of A. Nighbert: How about Tauries? You know like the Tories only better... Hey, how about Boveeners?

Oilfield Trash from Make Daddy a Sammich: I would say bullshitters but you don't have a dirty mouth. So how about Ballsy Bulls? (Ha! He doesn't think I have a dirty mouth. Tell that to my momma.)

Amber from Amber LaShell Rants and other blogs: Hmmm, maybe Talkers? Is that stupid? I was thinking Bailey Bugs, you know after your dog..but that might be just cause I was looking at a picture when I thought of it. LOL (I thought they were both cute and NOT stupid, by the way! And she did the new design for my blog.)


Yvonne from Writing my life away!: How about "Talkative Readers"?

J.Day from The Ramblings of Charlie Brown: Oh man! I was gonna say "bullshitters"! LOL Oh well, if we stick with the cow thing... um, your "herd"?

ib from The Habitual Hobbit: Krissy's Kurmudgeon's  - A curmudgeon is defined as one that dislikes humanities absurdities. But, see what I did? I replaced the (C) with a (K) to fit better with Krissy, cause it's fu... ahh, forget it. I'm suck. (You most definitely aren't suck, and I SERIOUSLY considered this.)

The Adorkable Ditz from The Adorkable Ditz' Missteps: Taurites, Cow Pies, ChatterCows, Literate Bulls...

lyndylou from The Giggle Fest: How about My Little Taureans?

Don (who doesn't write a blog but should and gives many of us mad blog love and encouragement): Name your followers "Beautiful Babes and Horny Jerks." LOL (Virtual hugs and kisses being sent your way at your request, Don.)


becca from My Life: I like the name Scoobies, or bullpen.

AbsolutelyPrimed from Over Developed, Under Exposed: Hmmmm... Bull Chasers? Running with the Bull?

The Tame One from Thoughts of an Oxymoron: Taureans! Well, except I'm a Scorp, but still. Either way, I'm your bullshitter baby. ;-) (And I love that you are, girl!)


John from Full-On Forward: Total BSFrom... or BuckOff.. How about Matadorians, or Bullfighters..

Emily from Shut Up and Smile: hmmmmm how about your pitbulls. I know it's a dog.. but I think it sounds cool. (So did I!)


Canadian Blogger Girl: Still sticking with your Zodiacs for the name of ur peeps. (She is in the process of moving, but you'll love her when she comes back if you don't already follow her.)


Kat from Tapetum Lucidum: Well naturally you know that I like Rita's "The Bullshitters." ;-) Members of the Bull Pen? Since a Taurus=Bull, Pen=writing, and it's... I'm overexplaining, aren't I? I'm so sleeeeepyyy... (I thought that explanation made it so much cooler!)


Patty from Patty Punker: Toros!

Now, before I reveal the winner that I have not listed yet, I want you all to know I LOVED all of your suggestions. It was very hard for me to choose, and I honestly needed the extra day to make up my mind on a couple of things. But I won't stall anymore... The winner came from...

Average Girl from It's an Average Life (and other great blogs!): THE ZODIAC ZOO CREW

I absolutely fell in love with that one as soon as I read it! Though it incorporates what CBG suggested with the Zodiacs, I think expanding it to The Zodiac Zoo Crew means I will actually call you my Animals for short. I hope you all like it because you are stuck with it now. I thought you all being Animals was kind of fitting since many people give me praise on their blogs for being such an animal lover, and you all know I love you all to pieces!

So there ya go, my Animals. (AG, let me know what website you want your $25 gift certificate from, and I'll be sending it your way.) Thanks so much for all of the help, everyone! And for those who didn't participate, don't forget to give us your link in the comments so others can find you, too.

Update: Since AG is a woman after my own heart, she has chosen for me to donate the money instead to my local shelter. Because she was so generous to give up her shopping trip so readily for something I hold dear, I've chosen to double it. We just saved some puppies and kittens, people!

Built for speed

For those of you who are like me and have only used point-and-click type cameras, you know the frustration that led to a purchase I made yesterday. You know what I'm talking about. When you see something you just have to get on film and by the time the damn camera is ready the moment is gone. Yeah, that kinda frustration. Like my nieces and nephews doing something thoroughly adorable like this...

My grand-nephew J.. Ain't he adorable??

But what you get on camera is more like this....

Source

Sorry I didn't have one of my own pictures that fit the bill because I usually delete the ones I don't like. But you know what I'm talking about. They are too busy having fun to pose for you, for God's sake. And heaven forbid you take a picture a second too EARLY and then try to get the damn thing ready for the shot you REALLY wanted. Too late! By the time the camera is ready again, you've missed it.

Well, no more for me! I ordered this little gem yesterday, and I can't freaking wait for it to get here!

Canon EOS Rebel T3i 18 MP CMOS Digital SLR Camera and DIGIC 4 Imaging with EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens

This is the new Canon Rebel T3i that can not only snap pictures quickly, but it can also do video if I want it to. Yes, I see video taping Bailey at the water for all of you in our future. Wooo hooo! Are you excited? I sure hope so because you all are going to be graced with some awesome photos and other things once it gets here and I figure out how to use the damn thing. Let's just hope I'm as good as I always hoped I would be with a REAL camera. If not, lie to me, m'kay? My family and friends always seems to think I do a pretty bang up job with my older camera so imagine the possibilities. I am usually the designated picture taker which is another reason I'm not usually IN many pictures. Well, that and because I can't stand to see myself in pictures. It took everything I had to send Amy those pictures to do her drawings of me.

I'm sure my new photos will be fantabulous though! You just wait and see, my people. Oh, that reminds me! You've got a couple of more days to get your butts over to my giveaway and help name yourselves. I'll decide on Monday who gets the prize. I have been thoroughly enjoying the responses so far, and it takes everything I have not to comment on what I like and don't care for. But they are all great, so there's not much I didn't care for.

Don't forget to let me know if you promote it so I can pimp you out.. I mean, give you a shout-out. On that note, I meant to return the favor for my girl Thundercat over at Colorful Rants of a Fed Up Sista. She calls me Little Ms. Keep It Real, which I absolutely LOVED. She is a trip and a half, so you need to go check her out if you haven't already.

Catch all of you crazy folks later!

Half-Assed like you've never seen it before!

There have been a lot of posts lately about boobs, or so it seems. I thought I would point out something that has always cracked me up for my Half-Assed post this weekend, that I hope will entertain both the guys and the girls around these parts.

The Simple Dude's brain child

Now I know all of you aren't country music fans, and some might think this is a very hick song. Personally, the video cracks me up more than anything. My niece hates it because she says it objectifies women. I think it shows how stupid boys are and how easily they are stunned speechless and can no longer function because their lower head takes over. If you watch the video, HE isn't doing anything except losing his mind and being sexy as hell. The women are the ones rubbing all over him. I would do the same damn thing if I could get close to that body. I'm sorry, but he just oozes sex appeal and is ALL man in all of his 6'6" glory. Once you see the video, you'll know why calling this a Half-Assed post is a bit funny.

If you know anything about Trace Adkins (and if you don't, let me educate you), he is just a big nut. So I hope you enjoy this in the spirit I think the song and video were intended...

If this offends you, then feel free to press on in your Reader and I hope you enjoy your weekend. I've never been known for pleasing everyone.

Friday foolishness and a new look!

For those who weren't around last night, I revealed in stages my new look. Go check it out here and enter the giveaway, and I might be giving you a shout-out if you play your cards right. Regardless of whether you enter, come see my site and tell me what you think.

Amy over at This House Gets Crazy at Three O'Clock did the awesome drawings on my header. She does such fabulous work that you should all go follow her blog and keep her in mind for your business needs, too! She is simply amazing! What started as a request for her to draw a picture of Bailey turned into an awesome idea to help us create my new blog.

Amber over at Amber LaShell Rants came up with the wonderful blog design and had the patience to sit through I don't know how many "ummm, I don't know what I want" conversations. This whole thing started because of her innocent Friday night Tweet asking if anyone wanted to be her guinea pig. (That statement always reminds me of the line from Dr. Doolittle where the guinea pig asks Eddie Murphy, "Why do they call me a guinea pig anyway? I'm not French and I'm not pork!" That cracks me up every time!) Anyway, I'm sure she regretted that I was the one who answered her, but I was the one with no life sitting at home Tweeting on a Friday night. Ha! I'm super grateful to her for all of her work, and rework, and she writes a couple of blogs I'm sure will catch your attention.

Now I didn't have too many bizarre things happen this week for my Friday foolishness. But I found this laying behind my desk yesterday.

It's no pot of gold, but it brought a smile to my face on St. Patrick's Day. I'm easy, I know.

The pollen is falling like crazy in our southern state. The hood of my Jeep looks like this every day when I go to leave work.

I'm waiting for the urge to claw my face off to start any day now. I'm surprised it hasn't already. When the hell did this sinus problem start anyway? I never had problems growing up around here. Stupid wildlife!

Oh, I almost forgot to tell you. I took Bailey to the river the other night with a friend of mine to introduce her to the water for the first time since the park near my house was packed with teenagers. She walked on the edges of it at first, then she stepped in a deep hole that took her all the way under. She came up with her eyes as big as saucers and it was ON! She was all over that river after that. I was splattered with mud of course, and with my work clothes on no less, but she had an absolute blast. I told Steph we should have brought my iPod to film it. We'll have to do that next time so you all can see her antics. It was hilarious. She's such a water dog that I knew she'd enjoy it. I can't wait to see her reaction to the ocean now. I'll have to do that this summer.

A friend of mine told me the next day to be careful of gators at the river if I go too close to sunset. What the...?? That crap never even crossed my mind! I would be freaking out if Bailey was innocently playing away and a gator snatched her happy ass.

Well, at least it's Friday, folks! This has been a hectic but productive week, for the most part. Have a great weekend, and go enter my giveaway now. I said GO.. What are you waiting for? You're still reading this, aren't you?

A great holiday!

Source

Happy St. Patrick's Day, everyone! Whether you are Irish or not, you have to admit this is a great holiday. There are no gifts to buy, and you have permission to pinch people. What is better than that, huh? Tell me. There's no smooching from lovers that you just want to smack. There's no discrimination against those who don't have children. (Yes, I get offended when going out to eat on Mother's Day and they give me a flower ASSUMING that I'm a mother. Well, now Bailey counts as my baby, but still..) It's an excuse to go out drinking with your friends, although we don't get off work for it.. or rather, off work the day after.

I don't drink beer so the green beer thing has never been a draw for me. I just have never been able to acquire a taste for it. I don't drink coffee either unless it's flavored coffee with some yummy caramel vanilla (or other yummy) creamer in it. Yeah, that's really fattening, so it's not often I do that either. But still...

Source

I think most of us in the US have roots that go back to any number of countries. It always cracks me up when people try to define themselves by their ancestors. If that were the case, I would be an Irish-German-Yugoslavian-Czech American who was born in Panama. Is that a mouthful or what? This country was founded by those leaving other countries, so I'd just rather call myself an American. That's what we all are, right? Granted, we'd sometimes like to send people back to where they came from, but it's the land of the free whether we always like that or not.

In Columbia, SC, they do a weekend long event that will be this weekend. They kick it off the weekend before by dying the fountain at Five Points near the University of South Carolina green every year. I have never been, but I've heard it's a real blast. They even have their own website for the event. Apparently, they take their Irishness a bit more seriously than I even realized.

Source

They have a race, bands, a parade, a beauty pageant, dancing competition, and all kinds of other fun things to enjoy. Now that I've looked all of that up, I think I need to go next year! (I will be so glad to be done with school so I can stop saying, "I'm going to have to do that next year.")

Do your states do similar fun things? I know Chicago dies their river green. What do you all do? Is St. Patrick's Day a fun thing for you? Some lifetime I am soooo going to Ireland. That is one of the places I always wanted to go, but we never did when we lived in Germany. From everything I've seen, it's such a beautiful country. And who can't love a country known for enjoying their spirits? I mean, I'm not going there to find a new liver.

Source

By the way, did anyone have trouble logging in to Blogger yesterday? I couldn't get on to save my freaking life so I couldn't respond to comments or anything. Very strange, I thought. I was just wandering if it was my internet world that was screwed up or if everyone's was. I didn't want you all to think I abandoned you.

And stay tuned for a new look here at Talkative Taurus. I am so excited that it's about to roll out anytime now! I can't thank the ladies who have been helping me enough, but I will attempt to by pimping them now and later..

Go show Amy at This House Gets Crazy At Three O'Clock
and Amber at Amber LaShell Rants some serious love. These ladies have been putting up with my pickiness and helping me above and beyond the call of duty. Thanks so much, ladies! It truly means the world to me that you'd help pretty up this joint.

So everyone, enjoy your St. Patrick's Day! Have a cocktail or green beer in my honor, as I plan to do the same for you. I'm a giver like that. (Notice I showed you the pooch way to do St. Patrick's Day. You knew I had to be original about it!)

Some house cleaning.. the fun kind!

I have been forgetting to do some things for a while now, so I figured I'd use today to take care of them.

First of all, I don't think I ever formally thanked Mynx over at Dribble.. I won a hot firemen calendar from her a couple months ago that I have been trying not to drool too badly on in this wonderful year of 2011. Just so you know I really got the calendar from my friend Down Under, I'd like you to meet Shane.

Doesn't he make you want to get stuck in a car just so he'll come cut you out of it? Well, I do. I'm willing to work for my eye candy! As long as he does his job with his shirt off like in this picture.

Holy crap! I'd probably need mouth to mouth after he cut me out. No, I would DEFINITELY need mouth to mouth after he cut me out.

I put the calendar beside the fridge. What better incentive than to see hot guys looking at you when you go for the fridge, huh? I'm pretty smart that way.

Okay, I'm pulling it together now.. I think. Isn't he purrrrty? Thanks, Mynx!

My next house cleaning chore is to thank Megan Crane (the author) and especially my blogging and Twitter girlfriend Canadian Blogger Girl. She did an interview with Megan a while back on her blog, and I won an autographed copy of one of her books. It came in the mail this week so I thought I'd share it.

And for those who wanted to see the personalization which I absolutely loved about it...

I thought it was pretty damn cool. Thanks, CBG and Megan (not that Megan will probably ever see this)! I will cherish it forever, and I'm sure I'll be singing her praises once I read it.

Finally Vicki at Glitter Frog thought I was special enough to get this little gem.

It came with some instructions I'm sure, but it's Saturday dammit! I am tired and I have homework to do, unfortunately. So I'm sorry if I'm being a slacker on this one. I REALLY love it though, Vicki! Thanks so much, and you all should go check her out. Go on!...  Wait!... Comment here first, 'cuz I'm a comment whore.

Childhood Dreams

Source

Most of us can remember things we dreamed of doing as kids. In fact, some of us even had more than one dream so it was hard to imagine which one to pick.

I will say, that's one awesome thing about living in a free country. You can dream of becoming anything you want to be. The possibilities are endless, right? I mean, I swore I was going to be a teacher. Mom says that from the time I was little, I always played "school" and I was always the teacher. Am I a teacher? Nope! That's a whole other story for another day.

Mom believed strongly in keeping kids busy to keep them out of trouble so we were all signed up for things all the time. My sisters were always so athletic and involved in so many things. They played volleyball and softball among other things and they rode horses. I was always kept busy too, but mine was more in gymnastics, dance classes, and for a while cheer leading. Mom even put me in swimming classes which I hated for some reason. I don't know if someone tried to drown me once or what, but I could not learn to swim in that class.

I was always kinda jealous of my sisters because they were so athletic. Sister #3 always picked on me, and still does to this day, that I did gymnastics and other things because I wasn't coordinated enough to play sports. Really? Let me see your ass do a flip on the uneven parallel bars with no coordination, missy! You'd end up looking more like this...

Source

The balance beam was no picnic either, believe me. But gymnastics definitely gave me flexibility which according to ib over at the Habitual Hobbit makes me naughty (in his post a while back) because I can still bend over and put my hands flat on the floor.

When we moved to New Mexico, it became a big thing for me and my friends to go to the base pool every day. We spent hours cooking in the desert sun, and it was hot as hell for someone who didn't really know how to swim. I mean, I could tread water and do the strokes, but anything that involved putting my head underwater was not happening. Needless to say, I got my ass kicked when I would try to race friends.

Source

I think I finally asked Sister #3 one day how she was able to hold her breath under water without holding her nose, and she just kinda told me to blow out through my nose while I was underwater. I ended up teaching myself how to do it, basically. After that, I was the SHIT in the swimming pool. That one little thing had eluded me since I was a young child, and just setting my mind to it by myself was all it took.

One day my best friend and I were racing in the pool. I was kicking her tail, as was the trend since I had conquered the water. When we got out of the pool to rest for a little bit, Amy went to get us something to drink. This grown man walks up to me and tells me he had been watching Amy and I in the pool. Well, this was before the days of "Stranger Danger" and we really didn't find anything creepy about that statement. It turned out he was a swim coach who was trying to put together a swim team on base. He was impressed with our swimming abilities and wanted us to come try out.

We were so excited! We would get to swim in a much bigger pool, and we would basically be training by doing exactly what we did every day anyway. We showed up and quickly learned that the hardest part of racing was learning how to dive in the pool properly.

Source

You don't get to just dive in and think you are going to look like this. I mean, you notice the one that went the deepest in that picture? Yeah, that person will probably LOSE that race all because of the dive. You can't go too deep or it slows you down majorly. So Coach would make us dive into the pool in the shallow end to scare us out of going too deep. I mean, scrape your face on the bottom of the pool one good time, and you'll learn not to do that anymore! Yeah, I did it. 'Cuz I'm adventurous like that. But I belly flopped more than anything trying to make sure I didn't go too deep.

Anyway, we had a blast that summer. I was probably in the best shape ever because of all of the swimming I did, and I'd ride my bike to the pool every day. I was a bit high on myself because I found that I could beat other people besides Amy. I was actually pretty damn good.

Unfortunately, the Air Force had another visions for us... or at least for our fathers. Both of them got orders to move to other bases. We moved to South Carolina, and I can't remember where Amy moved to. Because my father was planning to retire here, they ended up buying a house so we didn't live on base for the first time in my life. Of course, this meant I had no freakin' access to a pool. They really didn't have one in town except at the YMCA, and their pool wasn't that big. They also didn't have swim teams or any open swimming times. I was crushed. Out went my childhood dreams of becoming a competitive swimmer, and to me, doing something that was a hell of a lot more athletic than what my sisters had done.

Source

The Olympics were always a big deal in our house, especially when it was only every 4 years. Watching the gymnastics and the swimmers was always huge for me. Now I will pretty much watch every bit of it. I live vicariously through these athletes, and I feel so much emotion with their wins and losses. I don't know how many times I've cried from watching them. At least I get to help root for them to make all of their childhood dreams come true.

(As a side note: I was VERY disappointed in NBC's coverage of the last Olympics. Where the hell were all of the personal interest stories we usually have to give us more background on the athletes?? They have two jobs in the world of sports... Horse racing and the freakin' Olympics! Get it right next time.)

So what were your childhood dreams? What did you crazy folks want to be when you grew up?

Why I'm going to hell.. or at least one reason..

Katsidhe over at Tapetum Lucidum cracked me up yesterday (as she usually does) with a post about prudes that we are surrounded by who can't handle it when we get a bit potty-mouthed at times. Okay, she gets a lot potty-mouthed, but so can I on occasion. I should do that NOW since I lost TWO freaking followers because of my stupid news post yesterday. I mean... What. The. Fuck?! Did I offend 2 meth heads or 2 battered women or what? I don't get it. I'll get over it, but making my way to 100 does not happen by going backwards. Although I think I got a new one yesterday so that took some of the sting away. You didn't come here to hear me rant though, so I'll get on with it. Ahem!

Anyway, Kat's post made me think of something that happened several years ago when my potty mouth tried to get me in trouble with the Lord. Well, kinda... We used to have season tickets to our local minor league hockey team who are no longer here. We had a blast at the games, and pretty much everyone in our section had been season ticket holders in the same seats since the start of the team several years before that.

Source

If you've never been to a minor league hockey game, hockey fans are a hoot! We can be a rowdy bunch, much like the players because these guys are trying to make it to the big leagues so they play hard. We got many people hooked who hated hockey before actually attending a game.

However, this particular night our top goalie was out with a major injury and wouldn't be back for months, if ever. We were all pretty upset about it, but they had to put in the rookie who was this punk kid from Harvard who hadn't had to start a game yet. As a person, I loved him. As a player, he hadn't proven a thing to us yet. Being the minors, we had to have an amateur (someone who just played in the local men's hockey league) dress as backup on the bench that night because you can't just pick up a goalie overnight like you can in the NHL.

I am normally a very supportive fan, but there is only so much a girl can take. This goalie (who we called Luc-pronounced "loosh") was having the worst game in the history of our team. We were down like 6-1 and our goalie let in another puck. After which, I promptly stood up and screamed, "Luc, you are a sorry sack of SHIT!" I'm sure I looked something like this at the time.

Source

A man who had been sitting in our section for years with his wife and sometimes with his granddaughters who did nothing but color or sleep at the games got up and came over to my seat. He stood in the row in front of me and leaned over so far that I had to lean back to keep him from being too close to my personal space.

He proceeded to go on and on about how he was a preacher and he didn't appreciate my language in front of children. Of course, I looked over his shoulder and his granddaughters were sound asleep. I let him go on for a few minutes, before I stood up so he would back the hell off.

Me: Are you finished? Because I'd really like to say my peace now. You are at a HOCKEY game, Mister. You have sat in this section and renewed your season tickets year after year when you could move anywhere else in this arena. You know how all of us are in this section, and we have never sat here quietly watching the games. Those kids with you are oblivious to what's going on to the point that they could get nailed in the head with a puck! Feel free to move your season tickets, and I'm sure you'll hear much worse than what has come out of my mouth. So you can go back to your seat, get out of my face, and kiss my ass! I am not in church, and I don't appreciate you coming over here to preach at me.

He went back to his seat with a glance at my parents who were sitting beside me who just looked on stunned that he had even approached us. My mother patted me on the back (gotta love that woman!) and my friends who sat in front of me turned around to ask what the hell he had just said to me. Misty, who had 2 small children of her own, promptly turned around, looking right toward him and said, "FUCK HIM!" God bless her. I wanted to kiss her at that point.

Source

I mean I'm probably going to hell now, but at least I managed to hold my tongue with the man with the exception of telling him to kiss my ass. It was a hockey game after all, regardless of whether or not we live in the Bible Belt. And I'll have plenty of friends there with me when I go, I'm sure.

By the way, he never changed his seats to another section.

P.S. Kat showed her puppies for all of you menfolk's heart health like Oilfield Trash requested. I didn't want to tell you before now because I wanted to finish my damn story. So go enjoy and show her some love for the sacrifice.

Survey says!

My bloggy friend lyndylou over at The Giggle Fest has an inquiring mind and wanted her stalking victims blogging friends to do this wonderful little survey. I think she's trying to get into my head, but I'll play along... for now. She seems harmless enough, and that Scottish lass is a good distance from me just in case. No seriously, go check her out! I love her to pieces, and I hope to not be cut up into pieces in the future. 

Source

As an aside, the article that picture was attached to said women over 40 have the best sex. Good news for some of us you. Since I ain't been gettin' any, I guess I don't fit into that category. But I digress...


On with the survey questions...

1. If you have pets, do you see them as merely animals, or are they members of your family? 
Ummm.. Hi, I'm Krissy. Because if you have to ask me that, we apparently have not met. Of course, my baby is Bailey. Now I don't dress her in clothes or anything, but she sleeps with me and is with me more than most people I know. 

How could you not love that face??

2. If you can have a dream to come true, what would it be? Besides my family all staying healthy (yes, I know it's cheesy and not what you read this blog for), I would say to be a published author. It has always been a dream of mine to be able to make a career of writing and owning a ranch with horses and dogs all around me. Did I mention that I haven't gotten any in a while? Wait, what? You don't want to know about that.

3. What is the one thing most hated by you? People who hurt kids or animals, and of course, stupid people. Although stupid people bring me hours of joy sometimes. Oh crap. You said ONE thing. Well then, that was just a stupid question because there are so many things to hate in the world.

4. What would you do with a billion dollars? After I quit my job, I would pay off my student loan which I will be paying for until the day I die. That is my only debt right now. Then I would take all of my friends and family on the vacation of a lifetime. When I got back, I'd build the most amazing no-kill animal shelter, and the ranch that I mentioned above. Of course, I'd have to spoil my parents and probably pay off all of their bills for all they have done for me in my lifetime. And I'd set up college funds  (or help pay off college loans for) all of my nieces and nephews. 

5. What helps to pull you out of a bad mood? I can usually find humor in a lot of things, but sometimes it's just a look that Bailey has when she doesn't even know I'm paying attention to her. It will crack me the hell up! Luckily, I grew up in a family (as you've probably read here somewhere) who can laugh at the strangest things. You have to learn how to laugh at life, or you're going to put yourself in an early grave. Can I add that another thing I hate is serious people?

Source
If someone can tell me how you "masurbate," that would REALLY amuse me.

6. Which is more blessed, loving someone or being loved by someone? I think people are misunderstanding this question. Yes, it's great to feel loved, but I've been loved by people that I didn't want to be loved by before. But without the crazy-stalkerish-I-would-like-you-to-not-love-me kinda thing, of course it's great to feel loved. Loving someone else is a great feeling, unless they don't love you back or there is loss involved. So... *sigh* .. How to answer this one? I guess it would be great to have it both ways. Yes, I prefer to have my cake or brownies and eat them, too! Call me selfish that way. 

7. What is your bedtime routine?  First I put on a sexy negligee, and I cuddle up to my man. Oh crap. You all already know that he doesn't exist. Why didn't I keep this blog all fantasy again? I normally take Bailey out, then I shower (on weeknights because I end up hitting the snooze so much that it prevents me from being late for work in the morning if I'm already clean-like). Then I curl up in the bed on as much space as Bailey will allow, and I go to sleep, normally to comedies or Law and Order type shows. You're turned on now just thinking about it, aren't you?

8. If you are currently in a relationship, how did you meet your partner? Since you all know there is no man in my life, I met my significant other at the animal shelter. How pitiful is this questioning to you so far?

9. If you could watch a creative person in the act of the creative process, who would it be? Hmmm.. I'm not really creative, so that's a hard question. I think it would be my mom who has the greatest ideas that just come out of nowhere. Was that lame?

10. What kinds of books do you read? I read so many different types of things. Right now in my Kindle I have anything from Jennifer Crusie to James Patterson to I don't know what else. Sometimes I like fun-loving stuff, and sometimes I like things that make me think. It just depends on what kind of mood I'm in. 



11. How would you see yourself in ten years time? You mean if my billions don't come in or if I'm not a published author by then? Then I guess, I hope I am in a better position with the company I work for (or at another one) with a much higher status than what I have now. Oh, and I better have found the right sexual partner by then to have fulfilled the article I mentioned earlier!

12. What’s your fear? Finally, an easy question! I am petrified of snakes! They wouldn't even have to be poisonous because I would die of a heart attack if they got close enough to me. Dammit! Now I'm going to have a nightmare about snakes tonight. Thanks for that question!

Source

13. Would you give up all junk food for the rest of your life for the opportunity to visit outer space? What the...?? Are you out of your mind as well as this atmosphere? Hell no! 

14. Would you rather be single and rich or married but poor? Am I getting sex on a regular basis in that rich scenario? And I don't mean Charlie Sheen kinda paid-for sex. What the hell? I have enjoyed being single, so I would say single and rich. If I were rich, I could surely find someone to have a friends with benefits situation, right? I've been married and poor (long ago) before, so I am over that romantic notion.

15. What’s the first thing you do when you wake up? Is it a weekday or not? During my work week, the first thing I do is hit the snooze button, repeatedly. After that or on the weekends, it's going to the bathroom and brushing my teeth because I can't stand a yucky mouth. Did that excite you to know? Are you complete now?

16. If you could change one thing about your spouse/partner what would it be? I would like him to exist. Can you make that happen?

17. If you could pick a new name for yourself what would it be? I don't know why, but Tori. My best friend in junior high and I used to write creative stories about each other, and I was always Tori in the stories she wrote about me. Other than that, it would require too much brain power to think of.

18. Would you forgive and forget no matter how horrible a thing that special someone has done? Hell no! Why would he have done something that horrible that I'd still want to be with him? Especially if it was something he did to hurt me or someone I love. I am fiercely loyal to those I care about. Hello! I'm a Taurus! Again, have we not met before?

19. If you could only eat one thing for the next 6 months, what would it be? Italian food, specifically Olive Garden. We don't have one here, but I could eat there every freakin' day! 



Now, do you feel educated about me? I sure hope so. Geez, that took a lot of brain power. Hey! Wake the hell up! That was supposed to be entertaining and informative. Now go answer those questions on your blog so I can make fun of your answers like I know some of you will here. 

I wouldn't lie to you!

I got this little ditty from lyndylou over at The Giggle Fest on Friday. Ain't it cute? She is a funny Scottish lass who you will really enjoy so go check her out. Wait, now. After you read this, and comment. Then you should go check her out. Sometimes she doesn't wear anything under her kilt, fellas. Honest!

Now I have to tell you 4 lies about myself and 1 truth, and it's your job to figure out which one is the truth. This immediately got my evil mind to working. Hmmmm... Oh, the web of lies I could weave. Wait, I hate spiders. Get that out of my head now! Awwww.. Look at the cute bear on the picture. Much better... Ahem.

So here I go with the lies... or are they lies?

1. I own 3 guns and plan to take the class to be able to carry a concealed weapon.

2. I once dropped a pickle jar on my foot and my sister came in to help but passed out from seeing all of the blood.

3. I was pregnant once.

4. I performed the wedding ceremony to marry my nephew to his wife.

5. I have been caught by the cops having sex in a car 3 times.

Which one is the truth? I hope I made it hard enough for you to throw you off the scent. I'll pass this on tomorrow, but feel free to tell me if you haven't received this one so I'm not making people repeat the same award they've just gotten.

Bailey has a Playdate!

Bruce and Tucker over at JADIP have been nice enough to let Bailey go over there for a playdate this evening! I think Bailey was getting a bit jealous that Tucker always got to have so much fun with Bruce's followers so she was excited about getting a chance to participate. Head over and check it out!

Isn't Tucker's new button cool?!

You might want to stick around if you don't already follow Bruce. He's got several blogs so he has something for many different tastes, and Tuck posts every Tuesday. I think this is the first playdate they've had in "puppydise", so I was thrilled that Bailey got to be a part of it. Thanks so much, Bruce and Tuck!

Some Linkage and Giveaways!

Okay, now that I wasted so much time trying to do something simple like set up a Facebook account, I think I got it done finally! Geez, Facebook was being testy about verifying my email address. It's hard enough to keep my personal, work, and blog emails straight without them messing with me about it! Anyway, you can go here to follow me there now.

If you aren't following me on Twitter, you should! I've been having some fun conversations over there lately with Canadian Blogger Girl, Amber, and Simple Dude. Well, it's mostly been us picking on him, but it's been fun anyway! So click on this to follow me so you don't miss out!

Speaking of CBG, she is having a giveaway on her blog, and she's got a bunch of exciting things going on over there. Go check her out and today you can even read a guest post by the crazy Simple Dude, too.

I've heard some blogging friends getting frustrated with losing followers lately. I have been lucky and haven't had that problem (and please tell me I didn't just jinx myself!), but I was wondering. What makes you leave someone you're following? Do they say things that offend you? I mean Average Girl had a FANTASTIC idea that involved a battle of the sexes on posts and she lost followers for it. What the ...? I didn't think any of my followers were that sensitive, but I could be wrong. Honestly, the only ones I think I've ever left are ones that I started following when I first got onto Blogger, and they just didn't interest me anymore. Seriously, you all aren't picky people, right? If so, I'm sure I'll offend you at some point. This is my stress free zone!

Source

I finished up my classes last night. Yay! Unfortunately, I only get one week off before I have to start three more though. Geez, is it June yet? I am sooooo ready to be done with school. Now, if my slow ass professors will post my grades, I will be a bit happier.

Oh, Studio30Plus is having a giveaway for reaching 500 members, too. So click on my button over there, join us, and go sign up for the giveaway! It's a great little community that's coming together nicely.

Tomorrow, Bailey and I have a little surprise for ya. I think you'll all enjoy it, and we got a little help from Bruce and Tuck.

Final thought.. I think the Frito Lay guy who put these signs up in a store near me knew the Super Bowl was going to be shitty. What do you think?

 Honestly, it was a good game. It was just not a good outcome for me and those who love me. *sigh*

Super Bowl Sunday!

For those who don't like football, bear with me. It's a big day, and the season is almost over. But I have to say....

It's finally here! The Super Bowl is upon us as my Pittsburgh Steelers face the Green Bay Packers in what I'm sure will be a fantastic game. This has been a horribly long week, but I'm glad the day is here. It's time for me to start making my signature dips to take to the party and get ready to go.

Source

At this point, it doesn't matter what any of us think of players on either team. It doesn't matter that the commissioner is a douche and has tried everything he can to get in the minds and wallets of the Steelers this season. All that matters is who walks into that stadium the most prepared mentally and physically and who can play with the heart of a champion. At least, I hope that's all that matters. Let's NOT let this game be something that comes down to a bad call, for the love of God!

I've noticed a few of the players tweeting that they are starting to get moving today. I hope they all slept well and play hard today. Here we go, Steelers. Here we go!

For those who are going to be home or at parties today to watch the big game, please be safe. Even if you aren't doing something crazy, there will be a lot of idiots who are tonight. Enjoy the game!

Also, feel free to stop by Studio30Plus today. I was featured yesterday, and Simple Dude was featured today among others. There are some great posts, so go check out the Weekend Spotlights. You might find some great new people to follow, and I hope those who pop in here decide to stick around!

Update for Steelers fans: My nephew shared this video with me on Facebook, so I thought I'd share it here.

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.

Source

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!

Source

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. :)

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. 

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.