MizAngie has left the building...

I could adjust to all of the changes msn made except the one allowing my comments on other spaces to be viewed on my home page. If I had wanted a facebook page I would have made one... I hope y'all will stop on by my new digs sometime and bookmark it for regular visits...

 

 

 

I saw Paula Deen on a show the other day talkin' about how you shouldn't waste anything. For instance, she was gonna boil her turkey carcass to make lovely stock for soups. Tonight I looked at the turkey breast and just couldn't bring myself to have one more turkey sandwich for supper. However, growing up with parents who lived through the Great Depression I also have issues with wasting things. (Which also explains why I sit around in the dark a lot and get antsy if guests use lots of toilet paper.) So - you got it - I decided to boil that sucker down for stock and then tomorrow night I would fix dumplins or noodles to go in it. Except that I started reading blogs and let the darn thing burn up on the stove. Shoot! Now all I'll manage is to scrape some meat off the bone to give to Timber. My house, once steeped in the apple cinnamon smell of a Yankee candle, now wreaks of burned pan. The pan that's probably ruined. I swear - sometimes I don't have the sense to pour piss out of a boot with the directions on the heel! I'm so pissed I could mad all over.

 

This was a typical Monday after a 4.5 day weekend. Bleah. Hectic. Tons of mail. I sent Jared on an errand across campus and while he was gone forgot he was even at work today. In my defense, he was gone a long time! He came in and I said, "Well, hello!" before it dawned on me that he HAD been there but wasn't in the office, so I said, "Wait! WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?" To which he replied, "MizAngie, you sent me on an errand, remember?" Well, I didn't at first but it all started coming back to me so I laughed and said, "Of course I remember...silly!" But really I was thinking to myself, "Holy hell! I need to pull my head outta my arse!" I have a friend who worries herself to pieces when she forgets something. She's convinced she's getting alzheimer's. I keep telling her it's because she tries to do too much but she still worries. She really does believe that she killed off so many brain cells back in the 70s that it's comin' back to bite her on the butt. Ha! I suggested she get her address tattooed on her butt in case she gets lost but she didn't go for that.

 

All the visiting dogs went home yesterday and Timber and I slept like logs alone in our own bed last night. Nellie's owner promised he would take care of her. I think he was ashamed of himself for letting the dog get so skinny and stinky-breathed. I still may end up with her in a few weeks if he realizes he really can't maintain her, but for now Timber and I are livin' it up.

 

We have a basketball player from New Orleans. There are only a few people who can understand him when he talks. If you've never talked to anyone from New Orleans then you don't know what I'm talkin' about but - trust me - it's different. It's southern, cajun, ebonics, and something no other part of the country has all rolled into one. The other day a friend was in my office when Byron came by for his daily hug. He comes in smilin' real big (he's a good-looking young man), puts his arms around me while saying, "Heh MizAaaaaaan. Hayadoonday? Yoodoongoo?" To which I replied, "Hey, Byron. I'm doin' good." I kissed him on the cheek and he went on about his business. My friend stared blankly at me and said, "Did you really understand him?" Me, "Yes. He said Hey MizAngie. How ya doing today? You doing good?" It's hilarious. And you should hear him when he gets excited. Ha!

 

Addie and I went to Santaland last Friday night with her parents. It was GREAT. Santaland is a drive-thru light display. It was started by a family to make a little extra money and now they make enough between Thanskgiving and New Year's to support them in high-style all the rest of the year. My favorite thing is a tunnel of twinkling Christmas lights that you drive through. The lights reflect off the car and our eyes and, well, I love it. This year they synced some tree lights to music played on a radio station so there were two rows of huge light-trees that appeared to be dancing. Addie pointed out to us that the trees were dancing. She's two. The couple who opened the light display lost a son when he was 18. Several of their friends and acquaintances had also lost children. Part of the light display features little characiture figures made of wood painted to represent these deceased children. It sounds a little creepy but if you don't know the story all you see are little angels - a baseball player, a fisherman, a football player, etc. I always get a little choked up in this section because I knew several of the kids represented and/or their parents. Over the years the display has grown from Elfland and Santaland to include Texas Christmas displays and bible scenes. They've built scenes from the bible tracking events in Jesus' life. The nativity, Last Supper, Mary Magdalene at the well, Jesus walking on water (there's a pond), Jesus carrying the cross, Jesus' tomb with the stone rolled away from the entrance. It's a full-blown display of Jesus' birth, life, death, and resurrection. No need to worry about political correctness or offending anyone as it's a Christmas display smack dab in the middle of the East Texas Bible Belt. I like it - we go every year. However, the Jesus figure walking on water is a tad bit creepy looking the first time you see it. There's a spotlight on it, he's realistic looking, and the first reaction is always, "Whoa! Dude on the pond!" Anyway, it had been raining. As we're coming over a slight hill someone mentions that we're glad the dirt road is solid and not slick from the rain or else we might slide off into the pond. My crazy nephew says not to worry - if we slide into the pond Jesus can walk over there and help us to safety. Ha!! We're probably going to hell...

 

I have a crick in my neck. Does anyone know why it's called a crick? Seriously. Is that just a Texas term or does everyone everywhere call a stiff neck "a crick"? Just wondering...

 

Ah, but not long enough! I need another 5-10 days to make it a really quality long weekend. Ha!

 

So I was telling my SIL about cookin' Thanksgiving dinner for my non-lesbian friend (D) and the twin football coaches. She says, "Aw, that's nice of you. You're just everybody's mama, aren't you?" Ever stick a needle in a balloon? That was kinda how that statement felt. I said, "Well, D and I were thinking more along the lines of Thanksgiving Cougars but you just threw a bucket of cold water on that by slinging the mama word on me." Ha!! Then she poured salt on my wounded ego by laughing right in my ear - as if there's no way I could be a cougar! So I tell D about this conversation, which makes us start talking about the moral line between "cougar" and "pedophile." Where IS that line? Is anything above statutory rape age fair game? Or should there be no more than 10, 15, 20 years difference in ages? I told her I wasn't sure but if one of those cute little ol' coaches ever looks at me sideways I'm gonna jump on him like a duck on a June bug. He won't know what hit him. Ha!! We got tickled because we had a mental picture of the poor little feller being found naked in a ditch cryin' and shiverin'. *giggle* Then we began the reality checks...you know..."don't get your honey where you get your money" and "don't get your meat and bread at the same store." We talk a big line but we'd be just as freaked out as the little fellers...

 

Nellie's owner took her home today. I got a little choked up after they left, but I have a feeling she'll be back as soon as she pees on something. She's a pretty little bulldog but after delivering a few litters of puppies in a puppy mill she has some "issues." Her teeth are awful, even after having six pulled. Her breath will stop a freight train if she doesn't get a weekly brushing. And I think this pissin' thing is a result of too many pregnancies. Maybe a little bit incontinent, I'm not sure. It could also be a result of living in a small utility room for three or four years and going at-will on newspaper. Yech - I can't imagine how those people's house smelled.

 

I had four dogs in my little house this weekend. I had my Timber, Nellie and her cousin Brady (a chocolate lab), and Genny (Timber's girlfriend). The twin coaches were out recruiting, and Genny's people went to Houston for the long weekend. It's amazing how small this house is with that many dogs in it. Luckily the weather was good on all but one day so they spent a lot of time outdoors. I tell ya what, though...last night I was layin' on the couch watchin' a movie and all the dogs were layin' around asleep...incredibly soothing and peaceful. Well, until Nellie attacked Genny again and all hell broke loose.

 

The one good thing about havin' company is that I get the house real clean. I was gonna get a lot of sewing done this weekend but I shot my wad [of energy] cleanin' and cookin' on Thursday.

 

I was chattin' it up with a friend of mine the other day. We talked about how people protect themselves by being reserved and even withdrawing themselves from a potential friendship if they start feeling too close. I think it's a very normal thing. Ya hear about it a lot more with romantic feelings than with friendship feelings but it's nearly the same thing. You know - your heart gets broken so you don't want to lay it out there to get hurt again... It's difficult to put yourself at risk for heartbreak but if you don't ya miss out on all that goodness, too. I'll misquote Shakespeare here, "Tis far better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all." Feelings are complicated anyway so it's usually best not to overthink 'em. If I analyze feelings too much I can talk myself right out of 'em. Ha!! Reality bites, though, and we never know when things can turn to poo. Everyone has ideas of their own, insecurities of their own, that can have an effect on how they relate to other people, situations, etc. Add the unknowns of fate, destiny, bad luck, whatever, and it feels like we're walking on a keg of dynamite all the time. So, enjoy people while you have them for as long as you have them - and let them enjoy you. Okay, I've written this down so I hope that helps me remember it because I'm the world's most insecure person with the world's largest inferiority complex. Ha!! But, for all that, what you see is what you get...

 

Ugh - I'm boring myself. I think I'll leave a slimy trail back to the couch...

I'm beginning my Thanksgiving day in basically the same way I've done every year of my life... Macy's parade is on tv and the smells of holiday cooking are in the air. The only difference is that, when I was a kid, I could lay in bed or on the couch and all this fabulous stuff happened around me - now I'm the one who turned on the parade and began the cooking. I'm not with my family this year (I'll see them next weekend so it's not a depressing thing) but I feel them in every pore on my body. Memories of all of them waft in and out of my senses just like the smell of the pumpkin pie that's in my oven. I may not be with THEM today but they sure are with me...

 

I guess because I'm getting older it's not such a chore to think of things I'm thankful for this year. When we were kids our parents would go around the table asking everyone to name one thing for which we were thankful. "Uhhhhh...I'm thankful I have the day off from school today" or "Maaaaaamaaaaaa, I can't THINK of anything...". Today my mind is flooded with things, all the way from "I'm thankful I have the day off from work today" to "I'm thankful that, right now, everyone in my immediate family is healthy and happy." I've realized that I have a laundry list of things everyday for which I'm thankful, and I acknowledge it instead of taking it so for granted like I did when I was younger. I haven't felt so thankful every year. I totally skipped Thanksgiving a few years after I lost a parent or two. I was still thankful for things those years, I just didn't feel like making a production of it...or anything else for that matter.

 

I have some friends and family who are weighing heavy on my mind today. Stephanie is experiencing her first Thanksgiving as an orphan. Nadine suddenly lost a 4-month old ray of sunshine from her family. My uncle is not well and this is more than likely his last holiday season on earth. My cousin is fighting breast cancer while watching her dad lose his battle with cancer. Jean toughs it out everyday with challenges that would knock most of us on our butts - and she does it with grace and cheer. I'm humbled by all of their struggles and by their strength of spirit.

 

There are so many online friends for whom I'm thankful that I couldn't begin to list them all. Most of you probably aren't even aware of how your posts, IMs, and emails enrich my life and turn a mediocre (or rotten) day into something wonderful (or bearable). My "local" friends are amazing. (Please note I did not say awesome as I have recently been told Americans overuse that word. Ha!) Sometimes I feel very "Steel Magnoliaish" or "YaYa Sisterhoodish" with my friends here in town. They are a source of strength and joy that is immeasurable.

 

So, you get it, right? I am frickin' THANKFUL this year. Ha! I feel so thankful and LUCKY that I'm gonna go buy a lottery ticket tomorrow.

 

I haven't told a Raegin story lately, so here's a good one that happened last week. The twin football coaches, Raegin, my other student worker Jared, and I were goofing off, I mean working, in the office. We were discussing possible cold weather, cars, and other random things. Here's a portion of our conversation:

Me: I need to go see [garage guy] next week to get my truck winterized.

Raegin: WINTERized?

Coach to Raegin: You haven't done that? I bet you haven't even had your headlight fluid checked.

Raegin: Headlight fluid? They have fluid?

Me: Uh, Raegin, stop being silly. Everybody knows THAT. {sarcastic giggle} I bet you haven't even had warm air put in your tires.

Raegin: Noooo, I haven't! Where do you have that stuff done?

Me: Superlube can change your tire air and headlight fluid, but you'll have to go to a garage for new antifreeze in your radiator.

Raegin: Why have I never heard of this?

Me: Your Daddy probably took care of all that stuff for you.

Raegin: Oh, yeah. I bet he did.

Coach: Call Superlube and see if they can do that for you so you won't get caught with weak fluid and no warm tire air if it gets cold this weekend. [Looks up the number for her.]

*ring*

Superlube: Superlube - Hello.

Raegin: Do y'all replace headlight fluid?

Superlube: Do we what?

Raegin: Do y'all replace headlight fluid? Or can you put warm air in tires?

Superlube: *laughing* No, ma'am, we don't do that.

Raegin: {still with phone in hand, turns to us} Did y'all make that up?

Us: laughing hysterically

Superlube: laughing hysterically

Raegin: {As she hangs up the phone} Y'all all SUCK!

 

Enjoy the day, enjoy your friends, family, and/or pet, enjoy a peaceful solitude. Enjoy the fact that you're somewhere with electricity. Happiness is more often found in the little things of life instead of some big gift or event.

 

Okay, I had to take a break to go tell two little boys from next door to stop throwing crap into my tulip tree. Now THEY have something for which to be thankful as I did not kill them...

 

 

A couple of minutes after I signed on this evening, I was tickled to get an IM from my oldest niece in Virginia. We chatted for a minute about nothin' much when the conversation took a turn toward Christmas...

 

Me: So tell me more about [this thing regarding her oldest son].

Niece: Okay. But what did you get the boys for Christmas?

Me: Uh - gift cards.

Niece: Cool. How much?

Me: one each [deliberately being silly]

Niece: Ha. How much on each card?

Me: $25 - Best Buy.

[At this point I began getting suspicious.]

Niece: What did you get [Niece's Husband]?

Me: Hold on. Who is this?

Niece: [Name]

Me: Okay, then, tell me something only [Name] would know.

Niece: [Sister's name misspelled] and I sang Dirty Deeds when we swang.

Me: What song did we choreograph at the apt on Paluxy?

Niece: I don't remember. That was too long ago.

Me: WAIT! You misspelled [Sister's] name! WHO IS THIS???

Niece: It's [Niece's Husband].

 

There followed after that a conversation about how he wouldn't be getting a Christmas present after all because he tried to trick me. Then I get this...

 

Niece: OH my tum tum.

 

Uh-oh. This is something that my oldest great-nephew and I say to each other. When he was three he jumped onto my belly, knocking the wind out of me, and I said "OH, my tum tum!" He thought it was funny and has never forgotten it. Now it's how we tell each other we love the other because it's just ours. He's 13 now, almost 14.

 

It was then I knew. I had not been punked by my niece's husband. I was punked by a 13-year old! DANGIT. The little fart now knows what his Christmas present is. Was. I told him that since he tricked me that he's now getting a HannahMontana cd and a pink tshirt. Ha!

 

This really got off with me. I said this about something else the other day to one of the coaches born & raised in Oregon. "What did you say?" I said, "That got off with me." Coach, "What does THAT mean?" He had never in his life heard that expression. Thankfully, my friend who grew up in the same part of the world as I knew exactly what it meant. So, fyi, to be "got off with" is to be surprisingly aggravated by, completely knocked off your feet/caught off guard, bothered. It has NOTHING to do with getting off. That's a whole 'nother thing.

 

There's been much talk at work lately of woman's ability to use the "dog whistle" form of communication. You know, the other hears what we're saying but we never make a sound. That's dog whistle communication. It seems that my friend and I use this even more than we were aware. We've been friends for years. We've discussed everything that's discussable, and many things that most civilized people don't discuss. So, we are on a certain wavelength. Sometimes we see things that we want to comment on but can't because we're in public, so we communicate nonverbally with a raised eyebrow, maybe two raised eyebrows, head tilt, ironic smile, perhaps even a snark. We're now getting called on it. The menfolk are watching us and seemed quite amazed by our natural ability. It has become somewhat of a contest to catch MizA and MizD in the midst of dog whistling. We've been caught several times in the past coupla weeks. But it doesn't matter because, although we might get caught doing it, the poor things don't have a clue what we were talkin' about...

 

 

Someone quite brilliant sent me the following information. I've had this described to me several times lately by friends, so I hope this will help someone.

 

People & Loved Ones,
 
I'm sending you this to warn you about an incredibly nasty internet virus/bug/scheme that has become more and more widespread.  This is not a foward, not a joke or anything like that - I usually refrain from things like this, but I have seen two attempts at what I describe below in the past 24 hours.  This not something that I usually do and most of you know that my help desk days are way behind me.  So, please take that as an indicator as to how serious I think this is.  I would prefer that if you feel like you need to share this info with other people, then do so after removing everyone else's email addresses or personal references. 
 
If you EVER see a pop up message on your computer that says something about your computer being infected and needing to download/install something along the lines of "Anti Virus 2009" (there are variants Antivirus 2008, XP Antivirus, etc), you need to IMMEDIATELY stop what your doing (removing your hand from your mouse wouldn't be a bad idea, as you don't want to accidentally click anything at this point) and CAREFULLY READ THE MESSAGE.  If you see anything that isn't grammatically or culturally correct (they tend to spell "behavior" like the english "behaviour") or if it just seems fishy, DO NOT CLICK EITHER THE CANCEL OR CLOSE BUTTON.  Clicking EITHER will result in you being taken to a FAKE "virus scan" webpage.  Once you're here, if you try to click anything or even close the window, they will pop up a message box that tells you that you need to download their virus scanning software and only has an OK button.  The only way out of the box is to click the OK button which will install their applicaiton on your computer - DO NOT CLICK THAT BUTTON.
 
If you find yourself at EITHER of these message boxes, AGAIN, UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD YOU CLICK THE OK BUTTON (or anywhere on the webpage for that matter).  Doing so will install their software which will hijack your computer, then they will try to get you to buy their software to remove it.  Once that happens, someone in a former soviet republic now has your credit card information.
 
If you see something like one of these popups on your screen, you can do one of the following:
Option A
1. Hit CTRL-ALT-DEL on your keyboard and bring up the Task Manager.
2. From Task Manager, Click on the Applications tab.
3. In the task list under applictations, locate Windows Internet Explorer and click it.
4. Click the END TASK button.  You may get another message that says that the application has become unresponsive.  From there you click END TASK.  This should shut down your web browser.
5. If you still have Internet explorer open or think you may have missed something, proceed to Option B.
 
Option B
1. TURN OFF YOUR COMPUTER.
 
In the past two days, this popup has hit me at work AFTER sending an email from Hotmail.  Today, a person got the same popup on our home computer while browsing FoxNews.  There are reports of it hijacking people when they're veiwing Google, MSN, Yahoo, etc...
 
Again, if you see something like this on your computer DO NOT CLICK ANYWHERE ON THE POPUP MESSAGE.  If you're not that savvy of a computer user, just cycle the power on your computer.
 
If you already have this on your computer, then you're on your own - there's almost nothing you can do to clean it up that doesn't involve hours of time and probably $50-100 on cleaning software.
 
-Very Smart and Amazing Person Related to MizAngie

I agreed to attend another high school football game last night, this time in Mesquite. (You know, home of the Mesquite Rodeo which can be seen on FOX Sports Southwest. Excellent bullriding can be seen there.) Anyway, I knew the temperatures would be dropping as the weatherman showed me a cold front on the weather map - so I wore a thermal shirt and my sweatery, jackety hoodie thing, jeans, and warm socks. [I don't own a real coat. I had one a few years ago when my nephew was living with me. One morning as we were leaving for [me] work and [him] school I see him carrying my coat. "Joe, what're you doin' with my coat?" Joe, "I get extra credit in my science class if I bring a coat for the winter coat drive." Me, "Well, that's MY coat." Joe, "I don't ever see you wearing it." Me, "It's September. It's 90 degrees outside." Joe, "But some poor, cold kid NEEDS a coat." And off he went with my big ol' warm coat over his arm. I sighed and thought what a sucker I am. I thought it again last night as I froze my ass off.]  I probably woulda been fine at the ballgame if the wind hadn't been blowin' a gale. Holy crap! It was a horseshoe stadium and the wind was blowing in from the open end and swirling around the horsehoe so we were gettin' hit comin' and goin'. Wish I'd remember things like, oh, gloves. That woulda helped a bunch. I'm tellin' ya, though...if you've never been to a high school football game, especially in Texas, then you're missin' a slice of Americana that is SO MUCH FUN. Even if you don't have any ties to the school, and even if you don't like football. The bands, the cheerleaders, the comraderie, the spirit, the obvious social implications of cheerleader vs not one or jock vs not a jock, parents living vicarously through their children. I find the whole thing so interesting to watch. It always amazes me, especially in small towns, that the one time racism and prejudice take a backseat is at the Friday night football game. 

 

Just ten days and I'll get a 5-day holiday. I need it. People are getting on my last nerve. It's not ME. Well, sorta. People are definitely being dipshits, but my reaction to them is my problem. Normally I can either laugh off a dumbass, or ignore them as if they don't exist. Lately, though, I want to bite their heads off and shit down their necks. That's not good. It keeps me in an internal tizzy. I need to hibernate for a few days so I can regroup. It's those same weird-ass people that are hanger-onners at the gym this time of year, and I bitch about 'em every stinkin' year. They drive me NUTS.

 

So one of our hanger-onners takes it upon himself to go to my boss's boss to exercise his right as a taxpayer to voice his opinion about stuff. One of his opinions was about cheerleaders and the fact that we seem to have a higher than usual percentage of gay guys on the squad. Well, we have a new cheer coach who is gay. One of those pushy kinds of gays who refuses to stay in the closet for the comfort of homophobes. So cheer coach gets wind that this guy who hangs around the gym a lot complained about gay cheerleaders. He gets it in his mind that I sent the guy to complain about him. Wh..? So MY boss asks me a few questions to get my response, trying to figure out if I did this thing. "What do you think about the number of gay cheerleaders on the squad?" I shrugged my shoulders. "Well, if I were a macho teenage boy it would probably deter me from becoming a member of the squad, but I certainly don't believe anyone should be denied their right to participate. They need guy cheerleaders for the stunting and those are the guys who tried out. Why?" [A little background. Growing up in small Texas towns, the only guys who were ever cheerleaders were light in their loafers. As a result of my developmental history, I'm always a little suspect of male cheerleaders and drum majors - and guy twirlers might as well wear pink alllll the time. Sadly, it's such a part of my thinking that I don't even classify it as prejudicial thinking, though intellectually I know it technically IS prejudical. I don't think it to be mean-spirited, I just think it.] So then my boss tells me about the hanger-onner. UH! "You really thought I sent that dumbass to the veep?" "Well, no, not really." Me, "WhatEVER. I don't even like to talk to that nut-job." I do and say things that get my own tail in a crack, and I take responsibility for those things - but MAN it pisses me off when I get accused of something I didn't do. So now I'm aggravated at the whole bunch - the hanger-onner, cheer coach, veep - all of 'em. After I found out about all this, I didn't really have anything that I could say to anyone involved. I didn't feel I needed to apologize as I didn't do anything. I didn't want to stoop to telling the troublemaker to eat shit and bark at the moon. I did, however, feel the need to reach out in some way to the cheer coach as I do NOT like people's feelings to be hurt. At the last football game I was walking on the sideline and passed the cheer coach talking to his squad. I reached over and patted his back and kept walking. No email, no blahblahblah, just a simple touch. I'm pretty sure he understood. As for the hanger-onner...pffft...I won't tell him to eat shit. In fact, I won't tell him anything. I'll say only what is required for work duties and after that he can kiss my ass. Good or bad, that's how I roll.

 

Wellll, let me get off this dang computer and get some chores done. It's Saturday, after all. Y'all take care now...

 

 

I worked Saturday since all the men-folk had places they needed to be. I didn't have to DO anything other than just "be there" in case something came up. So I stood around looking like I was an authority on everything athletic and totally in charge. Ha!! I guess it worked since nothing bad happened. Because I covered the gym this weekend my boss told me to take a half-day off today as comp time. Wellll, it was overcast and rainy so sometime around 10:30 this morning I sent this email: "I would like to trade my 'free' half-day for a whole sick day. However, if there are pressing issues with which you need my assistance, just let me know. I feel certain that if I'm needed there could be a rainy Monday morning miracle, allowing me to rise up out of my sick bed (or couch) and drag my weak but dedicated ass to the office to faithfully serve your office needs." His reply: "LOL. Stay home." Nice guy. He probably deserves a medal for all the crap he puts up with from his slightly off-center staff.

 

I now have over 75 white dots on my DLP tv screen. Too many to count. I went to the Samsung website and chatted live with Peter, a customer support guy. I won't say that Peter was a peter, but he sure wasn't much help. After asking the model number and what was happening, he very supportively told me I need service on the tv. Gee, Peter...YA THINK? After reading a bunch of stuff on the troubleshooting part of the website, I've determined that my mirrors are stuck. Now, Peter couldn't tell me how much their service guy would charge to come here, and he couldn't tell me if there is an authorized repairman locally - all he could do was have someone else call me. And then I thanked Peter for his time and assured him that he was zero help in this matter. I definitely felt pandered to by Samsung. Those "chat live" people don't know anymore about this damn tv than I do - maybe less since I've actually researched the problem online. I was relieved last night, though, that the television was not blowing up - literally. There was a commercial on that had a beautiful starlit night sky when all of a sudden a flash of light went flying across the screen. I was positive that the tv was on its last leg...until it dawned on me that what I saw was a shooting star in the commercial's sky. Duh.

 

My house smells reallllly good right now. I had some rotting bananas on the cabinet so I made banana-nut bread. Wow. It's not bad. I cut the sugar in half so it's not as soft as it normally would be, especially since I used 3/4 whole wheat flour and 1/4 regular white flour, but, it's healthier. The guys at work will enjoy it with their morning java. It smells really, really great in here. It smells holiday-ish.

 

The weatherman warned of possible tornadoes tonight. WHAT? In November? Good grief. I had my thermostat set on 65 so the heat would come on every now and then to keep the chill off the house, but tonight I moved it down to about 60 so I could play like it's winter. Ha! I made a pan of Irish oats with cinnamon. Mmmmmm.... I need to go to the grocery store. I'm down to a sack of frozen carrots, a dozen eggs, and not much else. Not even any bread or milk. Ugh. I meant to go this past weekend but I was busy at work and was doing chores when I was home - not to mention some good college football games on tv! Well, there's nobody to blame but myself for being too frickin' lazy to go to the store. I just hope I don't develop scurvy before I drag my lazy ass to W-mart. GAG.

 

I read on a friend's blog that he's already begun thinking of the impending holidays and how they're filled with warm memories that, while beautiful, make him miss loved ones not with him anymore. Yeah...me, too. I know there are many who have a lot harder time than I this time of year (and that's saying a lot). We'll make it. I plan to enjoy the fabulous people currently in my life as a tribute to the ones not here.

 

If I don't kill somebody first. I've noticed an increase in my own road rage and overall impatience with people (like ol' Peter in customer support). Yesterday I went with a group of women to a movie. We saw "The Secret Life of Bees." It was good. It would have been a lot better if the two teenage girls who were there talking (not whispering...talking) through the entire movie had saved their money and stayed home to visit. I came so close to getting up and going to them specifically to tell them to shut up, but...well....they were black, and the underlying themes in the movie about accepting people and race relations intimidated me and kept me in my seat. Seething. And now I'm mad that I let myself be intimidated by race enough to let common decency and consideration for others fly out the damn window. Bad behavior is bad behavior - no matter race, creed, or color. I'm certainly not the behavior po-po nor did I want to start any shit at the movie. And in the ten-screen theater it's a good mile walk back to the manager's station to complain. {sigh} I need to take a chill-pill. Ha!

 

I guess, if the tornadoes don't blow me away, I'll go to work tomorrow. If nothin' else it'll keep me outta the pool hall...

 

 

First, an explanation of the photo album. A month to six weeks ago this very random lily appeared in my backyard. I believe that it blew in on some fairy dust sent on a journey when Mother Nature sneezed, settling in the fertile loam of my otherwise naked backyard. That, or a bird pooped a seed. However it got there, I'm tickled pink. The whole thing just showed up - stem and all - in a day. It blew me away! It's hard to get things to grow in my backyard because of the dog and the fence, and my brown thumb that kills any plant I try to nurture. {sigh}

 

I was also blown away last week when I was told that one of the football players requested that I escort him onto the field on sophomore day. If you've read my blog for any length of time, you may recall the story of the football player who sold his scholarship books to the bookstore (an act equal to a Class C misdemeanor). He was a very large offensive lineman. I made him cry when I chewed his ass. I've become famous around these parts for making Fonda's life flash before his eyes. Here we are, two years later, and when Coach told the guys to select an instructor to escort him, someone who had impacted his stay at our college, Fonda asked for me. Of course I did it. I love that big ol' boy.

 

I'm totally blown away by the reaction we've had around here to the election results. Holy shit. Racial slurs on school buildings, threatening graffiti, people wearing all-black to symbolize our country's death as a result of electing Obama, kids getting sent home from school for chanting "Obama," and many predictions of "the end of the world" as foretold in the Bible. I naively thought that after the election people would move on. I guess I'm an idiot. There are many around me who know how I voted that would agree - even my own peeps. I won't apologize, though, for having a mind of my own. I don't think I'm capable of feeling so strongly about politics, religion, or much of anything else, that it would force me to alienate myself from friends and family I care about just because we have different opinions. NOTHING is worth that. So there are topics I don't discuss with my siblings, nieces, nephews, and some good friends. There are lots of other things to talk about - we don't have to go there. We all have our own life experiences, beliefs, influences that help us form our opinions. If you think about it, it's a pretty fascinating process.

 

I haven't been a Palin fan but I'm beginning to feel a bit sorry for her. The GOP yanked her off the frozen tundra of Alaska to try to save a flailing campaign and now that it's over they're trying to blame her for McCain's loss. I haven't heard McCain blaming her but his election staff seems to be doing so. What a difference a day makes, eh? Maybe if they stir up enough dust around ol' Sarah nobody will turn to point their finger at them. It's a bum deal. Yep - you betcha!

 

The former athletic trainer (who now works in the Phillies organization and, yes, he's getting a World Series ring) is here visiting. He came in yesterday and pointed at me and said, "Whoa, MizAngie...you tryin' t'get a little raise? Woo-ooo" Clueless, I said, "What?" He pointed his finger in a circle toward my chest area, so I looked down and realized the "V" on my v-neck shirt was revealing a pretty good view of my cleavages. "OH!" And as I shifted my shirt I waggled my finger toward his crotch and said, "Wellll, I see I got a little raise after all!" Ha!!

 

My beautiful big-ass tv is acquiring more and more white dots of light on the screen everyday. Anybody know anything about DLPs? I've read that it could be dust on the something, a glitch on my chip, or dying mirrors (also related to the chip). I snagged a can of air from work and will attempt to remove the back of the tv in order to give the thing a blow-job. I'm hoping it's dust. If it's the other two things it will be cheaper to replace the tv than to repair it. Shit. A $1200 tv that's three years old. Granted, I watch it a lot but I was thinking it would last a lot longer than that. $400 a year is rough. If I have to replace it I sure won't get another DLP even though the picture is great. Well, it was. Right now it looks like a planetarium display with constellations across the screen. What's bad is that I can't watch tv without counting the frickin' dots everytime the screen gets dark. I started with two dots a week ago - I'm up to 28 today.

 

We're almost to the weekend. Awesome. I have lotsa chores t'do. A dress to make for Addie, work on a few other projects, household crap. Ugh. I don't want to waste sewing time by doing chores, but won't enjoy sewing until the house is back in order and my chores are complete. I'll have to build a fire in my ass to get it all done.

 

Later...

The pix I posted today are of CeeCee modeling her prototype outfits. Don't blame my niece for sticking shiny pink shoes on the baby with a black & orange outfit. No, no... Miss Priss INSISTED she would wear the pink shoes. She likes 'em. I have no idea where this tiny little girl gets that stubborn streak. {giggle} I had hoped I would get pictures of Addie wearing her prototype dress, but that didn't happen.

 

So we're talkin' about "The Vote" today at work. "You vote yet?" "You voted?" "Who ya votin' for?" "Who do you think's gonna win?" I make the comment that I plan to leave a little early to go vote, timing my arrival at the polling place located in the gymnasium of a local middle school for after the kids are gone but before most people get off work at 5:00 pm. Just about everybody who knows me knows I'm a yellowdog democrat living in a super-conservative republican dominated Bible-belted county/state, making this statement from a coworker particularly galling; "Go ahead. Go cast your vote that won't count anyway." AAAAAAAAGH!!!! Turd. My response, "Yes it does, too, count you piece of shit!" He just giggled in a very superior manner. Piece of shit. Ha!!

 

There were tons of vehicles at the polling place when I got there. Great. I've heard all the talk about the lines and seen the reports on the news, so I figure I'm there for the duration. Visions of standing in line for hours to vote for Carter only to hear the election had already been called for the other guy before my polling place even shut down passed through my mind. So I trudge across the schoolyard to the gym expecting to see hoards of voters. Nuttin'. I was the only voter. Hmmm. I signed in and as I did so one of the election judges decided to take that opportunity to vote, too. Another election worker said kiddingly, "Sorry, sir, you can't vote." The guy got the most bewildered look on his face and said, "It's so sad. Us old white men are members of a dying breed." He said it kiddingly, and we all laughed, but then I said, "Thank goodness! It's about time for somebody else to ride that gravy train." Hahhahaa... The women working there didn't know whether to shit or go blind, so they just shut one eye and farted as they ducked their heads and snickered.

 

If you read my blog you know I kinda struggled last week. But I did okay, and I'm fine. Seriously. Some really cool things happened that reminded me how absolutely blessed I am to have caring people in my life:

 

 

 

 

Thing Four: My bestest friend (aka BFF) hauled me to Dallas to watch her nieces perform in their high school band at the football game (Friday Night Lights). It's pretty dadgum difficult to get bogged down in sorrow in that atmosphere. For those of you who don't know about it, high school football in Texas is quite a spectacle. This is the same friend who bought season tickets to the Dallas Mavericks the year Daddy died and made me get out of the house to go with her. She knew I would otherwise sit at home being depressed. Even tho our seats were so high up in the nosebleed section that we couldn't even hear the basketball bounce, we had a great time. We planned our imaginary weddings and how we would spend huge lottery wins. We spent more time looking through our binoculars and making up stories about the people with courtside seats than we did watching basketball. Anyway, she's an awesome buddy.

 

So life goes on. Still. And as Martha*Stewart would say, "That's a GOOD thing."