Hospice Austin

I have a very special place in my heart for Hospice Austin because of the help they gave our family when my dad was dying of lung cancer. This story epitomizes what the orgnanization is all about and made me want to find this woman and just hug her. God bless her.

Shoplifting Christmas Dog

This is greatness!

Video Courtesy of KSL.com

The joys of Christmas

Christmas in my family has changed so much in the last few years. After my parents got divorced years ago, we always spent Christmas Eve night at my grandparents’ house, Christmas morning/lunch with mom and then Christmas night at my dad’s house. It was exhausting, but we were lucky to have so many Christmases to enjoy.

Last Christmas was a blur – dad passed away in April last year, so nothing was the same. I don’t even really remember what we did, except that we all exchanged stockings at the grave. Stockings were dad’s favorite part of Christmas and even though we’re all adults now, we’ve continued the tradition.

This year, we did things a little differently, but it’s been lovely and I feel so blessed to have my family. We started off with Christmas #1 at my step mom’s house last Sunday – she out did herself and made brisket, ham, mashed potatoes, pea salad, and what seemed like millions of other yummy foods! We stuffed ourselves and exchanged gifts with her, it was really nice.

Christmas #2 was yesterday with the extended family, including some cousins, aunt and uncle, grandparents, etc. We again stuffed ourselves with traditional foods and watched my uncle eat just about all of grandma’s fruit salad “in the yellow bowl.” We played a Christmas Trivia game and won prizes (thanks, Aunt Becky) and then played a gift exchange game where we passed gifts around according to what our answers were to a list of questions. It was fun and we learned some things about each other. I ended up with a $20 gift card to China Wall…woo hoo! Then we went to church and ate dinner at Kerbey Lane. Somewhere in there I managed to finish wrapping all my presents.

This morning, I slept in and woke up alone…and it was awesome! Some might think that’s odd, but I have been so busy lately that this was the greatest Christmas gift of all, time to myself! If I had time to think about it, I might be sad, but how can I be? We still have Christmas #3 at mom’s house this afternoon. Plus, my sister and I leave for a week in San Francisco tomorrow! Have I packed? Nope. But who cares? It’s Christmas, I slept late, and now I’m drinking coffee and listening to Christmas music. It’s awesome.

My mom and sister let their doggies, Cali and Hero, open their stockings this morning and I thought these pics say it all. Even dogs can show the joy of Christmas!

That's my baby

So every year I get the cutest Holiday photo cards from my friends with kids. I truly believe that aside from my own nephew, my friends have the most adorable kiddos in the world. I thoroughly enjoy getting the cards, but every year I get a little jealous because I don't have little ones to show off. Well today, my 14 year old cat named Bridget reminded me that she truly is my baby. As independent as she is, there are times when she still needs my help. A few minutes ago, she somehow managed to get her head stuck in the handle of a plastic bag, so she ran into the room where I was, dragging the bag along with her. She looked up at me with her big, beautiful blue eyes and meowed the most pitiful cry. So what do I, the loving mother, do? I laugh and immediately pick up the camera! Poor baby. But don't worry, I quickly removed the bag from around her neck and gave her lots of loving. Poor baby. :)

Beef. It’s what’s for dinner – or what’s on his wrist.

I thought for sure this was a joke, but apparently it’s for real. Burger King has just introduced a beef-scented cologne for men. Yes, BEEF-SCENTED. This is just so wrong. I instantly thought about the Seinfeld episode where Jerry stuffed mutton in Grandma Mena’s napkins and Elaine ends up getting chased by dogs because of the mutton. Oh yeah, this new cologne is a great idea. ;)

Austin’s Just a Little Less Weird Tonight

Today one of Austin’s most colorful characters, Jennifer Gale, has died. She was transgendered and made a career out of running for public office. Jennifer had recently started her bid to run for Mayor of Austin. She loved to sing and loved to talk about topics of interest to Austinites. It’s been reported that Gale died of cardiac arrest. Ironically, she spoke (and sang) at a Health & Human Services subcommittee meeting just last night and mentioned her concerns about the health and well being of Austin residents. So her “healthcare initiative” may have been a little far-fetched, but at least she was passionate and used her voice to get her points across. RIP, Jennifer Gale.

Oh Christmas Tree!

Finally! My tree is up! I desperately need a tree skirt that matches my totally cute black, silver & pink theme, but this'll work for now. Took some creative pics while moving the camera...just thought they looked cool. Maybe it's because I need sleep. :)

Fa la la la

Fa la la la, my butt. I love Christmas, but I really, really hate decorating the tree. Seriously, what is so great about Christmas trees anyway? First, you have to drag everything out of the storage closet/attic, then you spend what seems like hours of unpacking all the limbs, fluffing them and trying to decipher what color their ends are painted. Inevitably, I get a couple wrong and end up with a really short limb on the same row as longer limbs. Ugh. Let's not even talk about the lights, ok? I got my tree up last weekend, but put off decorating until tonight. I couldn't even finish. HALF of a strand of lights went out AFTER I got them all up, so I had to replace them with a new strand I bought on sale last year. Let me just say whoever the yahoo was who decided to put mini white lights on white cords instead of green cords is an idiot. Scratch that - I'm the idiot for being too cheap to just donate the old tree and get a pre-lit one! ARGH! I may just scrap the tree altogether! Lights are up, but they're coming back down once I get enough energy. The white cords show up too much, especially when the lights on the bottom have green cords. If this tree ever gets done, it will be a Christmas miracle.

sleet man

We got a little bit of sleet and snow here in Central Texas tonight! One guy in Austin made this adorable little sleet man. :)

Chuck Norris Does Pflugerville!

Chuck Norris visited my alma mater, Pflugerville High School, last night! But apparently he got lost on the way.

Color of the Year

Who knew there was such a thing as a “Pantone color of the year?” Especially one that “Embodies Hopefulness and Reassurance in a Climate of Change!” This year’s color is called Mimosa – I say give me 3 or 4 Mimosas and my hope and assurance in all things will be restored! ;)

http://tinyurl.com/5kb6ol

Polar Bears Have Outies!

According to an article in Slate, polar bears have “outie” bellybuttons and their gender is hard to determine. I don’t care if they are boys are girls, they are darn cute! Plus, it gives me a chance to point back to an earlier blog I wrote about Polar Bears Against Palin. :)

The "smart" thing to do

I've had my cell phone for almost two years -- only two years -- but lately I've been feeling slightly behind the times. My cell phone doesn't have a camera, can't play videos, doesn't even have an alpha keyboard and can't even access the Internet. I don't need all those things, I reasoned.

Well, when my sister, who works at Apple, got her iPhone, I had serious smart phone envy. Then my nephew got a smart phone. Still, I resisted. I did, however, get a text messaging plan about a year ago. People laugh at me when I text -- it takes forever! But I embraced it and I swear I even have traces of "texting thumb" already!

I just read this article (http://www.statesman.com/life/content/life/stories/other/11/29/1129phoneshame.html) and now I'm convinced. It's time to get a smart phone. It's the smart thing to do! (I called today and found out that I can upgrade to a new phone after December 8! Woo hoo...smart phone, here I come.)

body suit

I saw this on The Today Show this morning while I was about to leave for work. Yeah, I pretty much hate anyone who can pull off a body suit...especially while dancing! I'm guessing Beyonce won't be pigging out on turkey & dressing like I will this Thanksgiving.

I almost took down the new Dancing With the Stars champ!

In August 2005, my friend Jennifer & I flew to Vegas for a week long vacation. (Way too long for Vegas, but that’s another story.) I was completely obsessed with the TV show Rockstar INXS at the time & got the hair-brained idea that we should drive to LA and wait in line and be in the audience at one of the live tapings. So that’s what we did!

Our friends Kristen and Brian drove up from San Diego to meet us – they’re a cute young couple so I swear that’s how we ended up on the floor of the studio. They were shuffled to the stage, but me and Jennifer ended up a little farther back, just in front of the little platform where all the contestants sat while waiting to perform. It was pretty fun and of course interesting to watch the process of making a “reality” show. During one of the breaks, I was hot, so I lifted my hair off my shoulders. When I brought my arms down, my elbow smashed into someone – I was horrified when I turned to see that it was the show’s host, Brooke Burke! She was walking through the aisle to get set up for her next shot when Bam! My big ol’ arm crashes into her! She’s a tiny little thing, even for a Hollywood type, so it startled her and even stopped her in her tracks for a second. I apologized profusely, but she just smiled and kept walking.

Last night Brooke was crowned the Dancing With the Stars winner. Just think – I almost took out the DWTS champ three years ago! Leave it to me.

Here’s footage of Brooke introducing my favorite contestant from Rockstar INXS, Jordis Unga: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVnTfZFP4yU.

Sunshine on my shoulders

I'll tell ya what I'm thankful for...some fall weather! Today in Austin it was sunny with a low of 47 and a high of 74! Perfection. Of course I liked the 47 end best, call me crazy. What irks me is that I actually heard several people complaining about it being too cold! Seriously? Are you kidding me? We spend what to me seems like 360 days a year being at 90 degrees and above, can't we be thankful for this delicious weather? No rain, no snow, no sleet. Sunshine and cool, crisp air. I've been humming "Sunshine on my shoulders" all day. And it does make me happy. :)

in the woods

If someone plays a piano in the woods, does anyone else hear it? http://tinyurl.com/6mptsd

Embrace the crazy!

Whenever I see Jeffrey Dean Morgan on TV or in a movie, my knees literally go weak. He is a hunka hunka burning love, the bee’s knees and all that and a bag of chips! I mean it, he is Hottie McHot Hot! He may soon take over John Cusack’s lead to one day be my husband. If you don’t know who JDM is, he played Denny on Gray’s Anatomy, played husband to Mary Louise Parker on Weeds & played an uber-sexy, backside-showing Irish man in the movie “P.S. I Love You.” Sexy, sexy, sexy.

Anyway, Morgan’s character Denny has returned on Gray’s Anatomy for the last few episodes even though he’s dead. He appears to his former fiancé, Izzy, as a ghost. Izzy is very disturbed by this and thinks she is losing her mind. Although she did spend an evening in bed with her late fiancé’s ghost on the last episode, she has now decided to ignore Denny and pretend he’s not there.

Well I say if crazy is making out with a ghost who looks like Denny/Jeffrey Dean Morgan, GO FOR IT! If he appears to me, I am just going to embrace the crazy! Who cares what the world thinks, I’ll be making out with Mr. Hotpants!

PS – I have much respect for Mr. Morgan and do not just idolize his body. I like his brains just fine too.

Ding, dong the witch is dead, the Witch is really dead!

Tonight something incredible happened. I sold the infamous Couch of Many Colors!

Many of you know that this couch was a hand-me-down from a friend. It served me well for many, many years. It served her before me for many years and served someone else for many years prior to that. I've given it away to friends a couple of times, tried to sell it several times, but somehow it always made its way back to me. A few months ago, I found an incredible deal on three pieces of living room furniture at Ikea, so the COMC has been sitting in my garage. I made arrangements for the Salvation Army to come pick it up one weekend, but Hurricane Ike interfered. They called and cancelled the pick up because initially, we were expecting bad weather here in Austin. It never came...and the couch never left. I began to think there was some cosmic reason why this couch wouldn't leave!

But tonight it was loaded onto a truck...I watched it leave. And this time I don't think it will return to me. The COMC is bound for a guest room in Mexico! So unless it gets stopped at the border and sent back to me (oh God, please no), the COMC is gone!

Ding, dong the witch is dead, the Witch is really dead!

The New Generation: Moat People

I thought I noticed this trend myself, but couldn't quite put it into words. Interesting. http://tinyurl.com/6mdbrs

Feeling lucky...and big and chunky ;)

This weekend I attended an engagement party for my friend Charlotte and her fiancé John – it was so much fun to see how happy they are and to catch up with lots of old friends! They had cupcakes from Hey Cupcake at the party, which were a big hit. My friend Laura, one of the hostesses, placed little charms in each of the cupcakes that symbolized something different, depending on the charm. My charm was a money bag, indicating good fortune. Can’t complain about that! ;)

I didn’t really think about it until last night, but I think the charm did bring me some good luck. On Sunday evening, I went to see Madagascar 2 with my brother’s family and found a dollar on the floor of the theater. Then, after the movie, which was hilarious by the way, I was driving home and heard on the radio that they were giving away prize packs to a bowling alley. I have no idea why, but I picked up the phone and called the radio station. Surprisingly, I won the prize! I haven’t called into a radio station except to do interviews for work (!) since I was in high school and I’m not a good bowler AT ALL, so I’m not sure what possessed me to call in, but oh well! Bowling, anyone? I chuckled about my “good fortune.” Then I thought I should aim higher, so I went and bought a Lotto ticket with the dollar I found on the floor. We’ll see what happens. Drawing is Tuesday. ☺

PS – My brother and his girlfriend have decided that I remind them of Gloria, the hippo in Madagascar. Not because of her ahem, size, but apparently our personalities are similar. I could not stop laughing at one scene in the movie where Moto Moto, a big male hippo, flirts with Gloria. I’ve dated that guy, I swear. Click here to see the song he sings to Gloria in the movie. Hysterical – and it’s about time big and chunky gals got their own song. ;)

Poison or Profit?

This 60 Minutes story about e-waste from the United States made me sick to my stomach.

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=4586903n

Little miracles

Today marked one year since these beautiful boys were baptized. I was lucky enough to have dinner with them, their mom and their aunt tonight. They truly are little miracles and I feel lucky to be honorary "Aunt" Jenn.

Family Photo Shoot!

Spent the day with my brother's family today taking photos for their Christmas cards. We had a good time...I enjoyed shooting photos again. And I think they turned out pretty good...here are a few of my favorites. The top photo is my nephew, my favorite person in the entire world. I cannot believe he is 14 years old -- look how handsome and grown up he looks!

Why I live in Austin

It's taken me a few days to blog about it, but I am still over the moon about Obama getting elected president! Woo hoo! I am reading his book, "Dreams of my Father," and have been moved to tears many times already. One part in the book details how his white grandparents, who were from Kansas, once moved to Texas. They were shocked by the level of prejudice they saw and eventually moved to Hawaii. And this was long before their daughter married an African student she met in college, Barack Obama, Sr., and eventually had Barack Jr.

As a native Texan, I've always struggled with the level of ignorance in this state. And the hatred, simply because of the color of someone's skin or their religion. I've never understood it. I'm a white, protestant girl from Texas with Irish, German, French and American Indian roots...and who knows what else! We're all "mutts," essentially. (Obama had a press conference today and when answering a question about the dog he promised his daughters, he called himself a mutt.) It makes me very sad that many Texans -- not all -- still have such hateful beliefs. I'm proud to be a Texan, but not when we exhibit ignorance. Anyway, this map shows why I live in Austin...in case you can't tell, Travis County, where Austin is, is completely blue. :)

By the way, Obama's book is a very compelling read. (I hear they all are.) He's had many life experiences and has a very diverse cultural background -- in my opinion, a good quality for the President of the United States to have. Couldn't be a bad thing to have perspective from various points of view, could it? He looks at every issue from many different angles, a trait that I'm sure wil also come in handy.

Anyway, I'm thrilled and excited to see what comes next. Obama is intelligent, compassionate & charismatic and has already restored a little bit of hope for our Nation. I'm glad that so many people got involved and VOTED in this election. No matter who they voted for, at least they let their voices be heard! Rock on, America! Rock on, President-elect Obama! :)

Bestest Halloween costumes ever

Had to share this hilarious photo of my dear friend Linda and her two gorgeous twin boys in their Halloween costumes. :)

a perfect pedicure

So I was doing laundry tonight and the TV was on in the living room, but I wasn't really paying attention to it. Then I hear the announcer say something like, "a perfect pedicure in just minutes!" So I turned my attention to the TV immediately. I'm in desperate need of a pedicure, after all. My excitement was immediately squelched, however, when I realized it was actually an infomercial for this product:



Ugh.

"wastes of oxygen"

I know I’m not supposed to pass judgment on people, but when I read this story, I couldn’t help myself. This idiotic woman in South Austin was yelling at her three kids at the bus stop and then THREW HER FOUR YEAR OLD CHILD INTO THE STREET in front of a moving vehicle! Thank God the driver of the suburban was paying attention. I am livid about this incident, but so thankful the child didn’t suffer physical harm. Don’t get me started on the emotional damage this terrible woman has done to her kids. It irks me that this woman is allowed to have children, but I may never get to have kids of my own! Or that so many loving couples cannot have children and then this woman clearly doesn’t appreciate the amazing gift she’s been given to be a mom.

This incident reminded me of something my friend Robin & I witnessed several months ago at a fast food restaurant in South Austin. As we were eating lunch, this young lady walked in with a baby carrier. Her daughter was decked out all in pink and had on cutesy matching shoes and even wore earrings. She seemed like a very pleasant baby, very content. The first thing we noticed was after the lady ordered at the counter, she put the baby carrier down on the floor and walked about 10 ft away to go fill her drink. Meanwhile, lots of people were coming and going, passing by the baby – any one of them could have grabbed her so easily. After she got her food, she set the baby carrier down on the table, set her food down, then grabbed her purse and went into the ladies room. SHE LEFT THE BABY ALONE ON THE TABLE!!! We were in shock! I wanted to call Child Protective Services. Seriously, she took her purse (God forbid someone take that), but left her child, a precious human life who cannot defend herself, at the table all by herself. This incident still makes me mad to this day.

In my opinion, these women are simply “wastes of oxygen,” as my dad would have said. I don’t know why these things still surprise me, but they do. I can’t believe that people can be so blasé about their parental duties. People make mistakes, I get that. But these actions are unforgivable in my book. I know writing this won’t make these people change or make things fair in the world, but at least I got to vent.

Happy freakin’ Halloween.

Old School Baller

I can only hope that I am still breathing at 73. Bless him.

http://tinyurl.com/5hnzht

avatarcide

What is our virtual world coming to?

http://tinyurl.com/6a84uj

It Happened at McDonald’s

I’ve decided that I have lots of funny stories that happen at fast food restaurants. I wonder what this says about me? Oh, I think it means I eat that crap too much and it’s the Universe’s way of reminding me that I don’t need to be there!

One of my favorite memories with my dad was one time when he and I were out car shopping all day. We decided to stop at McDonald’s for lunch and I wasn’t that hungry, so I ordered a Cheeseburger Happy Meal. The clerk, who could not have been more than 15 years old, then asked me the inevitable question, “Do you need a toy for a boy or a toy for a girl?”

“Oh it’s for me, so I don’t really need a toy,” I said.

Her eyes grew wide as she said, “But it comes with a toy.”

“Oh I know, but I don’t need one, so you can just save it for a kid.”

She repeated, “But it comes with a toy,” as she frantically searched the keypad for the “happy meal without a toy button.”

At this point I look over at my dad, who is snickering. I was so frustrated with her, but I couldn’t help but laugh at the situation. Somehow I managed to tell her that a toy for a boy was ok.

Another McDonald’s story
Back in like the year 2000, my sister Jill and I decided to take a trip to Las Vegas. Well, we started out there, but decided after a few days to rent a car and drive to Los Angeles because neither one of us had ever been there. It was very impulsive for me – I like to have plans and an itinerary. Jill, not so much. So with no hotel reservations or any plans, we just looked at a map and drove until we got to the ocean. That eventually landed us in Santa Monica and we had a blast. We had to evacuate our hotel because of an arson fire next door one night and had a couple of brushes with celebrity, but that’s another story.

On our way to LA, we stopped in Rancho Cucamonga, California at the McDonald’s for lunch. As we were eating, a man came in and started yelling profanities. It was like he had Turret’s Syndrome or something. I think he was yelling in both English and another language, maybe Portuguese. The staff seemed to know him and be used to him, so at first I wasn’t worried. But he kept moving closer towards our table and we decided to leave. I remember severely scratching my leg on some dry, desert bush in the parking lot on my way back to the car. But we were just glad to be out of that McDonald’s!

Blogging already old news?

This was an interesting article. So I just discovered that this little blog I just started a month ago is already out of date! How's a girl to keep up? Good thing I started Twittering about the same time!

http://www.wired.com/entertainment/theweb/magazine/16-11/st_essay

The inevitable

I can’t even tell you how long it’s been since I last washed my car, but yesterday I took it to get an oil change and car wash. One bad thing about car washes: after the dirt is cleared off, you can see every scratch, knick and dent. Time to get out the car wax, I guess.

The other bad thing about car washes? It’s inevitable – it either rains (which I would not have minded since we need it so bad) or a bird poops on it. Yep, you guessed it. Just a few hours after my shiny car got a bath, some stupid bird somehow found the clean windshield. It was only parked outside for about three hours! Seriously, it’s like the damn birds look for clean windshields! Argh.

Whaddya want? A cookie?

Everyday, as part of my job, I scan several news sources about recycling and garbage services, among other things. Today in Waste News’ Waste Daily E-mail, this column cracked me up! I’ve always said this about what the author calls proclaimers. It’s one of my biggest pet peeves – people who walk around telling everyone how great and wonderful they are!

Mr. Fehrenbach has a much better attitude about these people than I do. But you know what? I’m a good, forgiving person, so I’m gonna go eat a cookie and just try to forget about all the proclaimers of the world! ;)

From Waste News In Box:

Let´s start today with a cleaned-up version of comedian Chris Rock´s devastating rap on -- hmm, what to call them? -- deadwood, I guess. Loiterers. People who sleepwalk through life taking five.
[Deadwood] always want credit for doing things they´re supposed to do. They´ll brag about stuff a normal person just does. They´ll say something like, "Yeah, well, I take care of my kids." You´re supposed to, you [idiot]. "I ain´t never been to jail." Whaddya want? A cookie? You´re not supposed to go to jail, you low-expectation-having [expletive deleted].

I´ve never been much of a proclaimer. Sign-wearing isn´t for me. It´s how I was raised. Low key. Do what you´re supposed to do. Treat people as you want to be treated. Be polite, work hard, give a good effort. And never waste energy jumping up and down yelling "Look at me being polite, working hard, giving a good effort."

A key corollary to treating people as you want to be treated is living and letting live. As long as no one is being harmed or cheated. Some people need to proclaim. So let them. Let them have their bumper stickers and lawn signs. Let them broadcast their allegiances to their heart´s content. I won´t snipe about them. Not much, anyway.

Three weeks from today a lot of people will be walking around wearing "I voted today" buttons. That´s perfectly OK. Good for them. I will vote too. I always do. I doubt I´ll put on the button, though. Voting is something you´re supposed to do. (I usually give my "I voted today" button to one of my sons. They love wearing buttons.)

Recycling is another thing you´re supposed to do. So my kneejerk reaction to a story like this -- in a nutshell, a convention center in Pittsburgh hands out buttons to people who recycle -- is: Whaddya want, a cookie? But then I remember: Live. And let live. A public good is being served. People are being -- as our president likes to say -- incentivized. Incentivized to recycle.

If buttons incentivize people to recycle, hand them out. Proclaimers need to proclaim. So let them.

Would I put on the button if I had the occasion to visit the convention center in Pittsburgh? I´m not sure. Probably. Maybe. I am sure I´d recycle, though. I always do.

Almost always. My wife, the real stickler for recycling at our house, reads this column sometimes.

Pete Fehrenbach is managing editor of Waste News. Past installments of this column are collected in the Inbox archive.

Even an elephant can do it

I’m always amazed when I see examples of how wild animals and humans have acclimated and learned to coexist. But I live in the suburbs, so I usually only see the occasional deer, raccoon or possum scampering across a busy street. I giggle when I go see my friend Linda in Dripping Springs, southwest of Austin, and see the “Loose Livestock” signs. Not sure why that cracks me up.

But in Kenya, “loose” animals have actually caused a lot of trouble. Apparently some elephants that are near extinction were wandering onto local farmers’ land and destroying their crops, their entire livelihood. Modern technology has come to the rescue! Check out the article here to see how the elephants now send text messages to park rangers when they stray towards private land.

Yearbook Yourself!

Oh, this was just too much fun! Go to yearbookyourself.com and see what you would look like back in the day. Here are my favorite years:

1962












1964


1966 (I think I like this hairdo on me! Scary!)


1968


1972


1978

Google-worthy

When I logged onto Google today to search for something, I saw that they are celebrating their 10th anniversary. For some reason, it seems like we’ve been googling for more than 10 years, doesn’t it?

Google is a fascinating business model – they took what seemed like a simple business idea and it exploded – Google is everywhere. I don’t know what I’d do without Google to help me find information. I literally use it everyday.

I remember the day I told my mom to “google” something. I’d been using the word as a verb for a while at that point without even thinking about it, but it was still unknown to her. I think it’s an interesting study of how a company can make such an impact on the world. Not only change the way people search for information, but change the English language too!

Google has made our lives easier, but they are also known for being one of the greatest companies to work for – and for continuing to encourage groundbreaking, creative ideas. In fact, they are hosting a contest in honor of their 10th birthday, soliciting ideas from users. Wish I had some google-worthy ideas! See, I just used the word google in another way! It’s a great word.

Happy Birthday, Google!

300 people missing!?!?!?!?!?

Sorry to steal a topic from you, Leslie, but I just read an article on CNN about how there are still 300 people missing after Hurricane Ike! Holy cow! I’m amazed that his is the first time I’ve heard this news!

I guess it’s gotten lost with all the financial crisis and election coverage, but I am seriously shocked that there isn’t more news about this out there! After Katrina, it’s all we heard about for months. And that was a good thing – at least the stories about trying to locate loved ones. I know that in some cases, the media coverage helped find them.

It’s hard to imagine being without technology like television, cable, internet, cell phone for three weeks. Not having a way to contact my family? Heck, I’d have a panic attack if I went 30 minutes without at least one of those items! Sad, but true. And I wouldn’t last an hour without running water and air conditioning. Thank God in Heaven that I’ve never had to endure a natural disaster. Camping is about as close as I ever want to get to those conditions. Let’s face it, I’m a weenie.

My heart goes out to the people who lost homes in the storm and to the people who are still trying to be sure their loved ones are ok. I guess one thing we could do is donate to the American Red Cross or to the Laura Recovery Center, the organization based in Friendswood, TX mentioned in the CNN article.

But then again, there’s a financial crisis going on and if you’re like me, you’re broke too. Hmm. I need to think of a creative way to help. Manning the media desk at the convention center shelter for a couple hours just wasn’t enough for me. Sigh...

Dreaming of electoral votes...

See CNN's electoral vote calculator at http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/calculator/.

See my electoral vote wish here:

WaMu Schmamu

Unbelievable.

http://blogs.moneycentral.msn.com/topstocks/archive/2008/09/30/the-best-temp-gig-in-history.aspx

Polar Bears Against Palin

Polar Bears are just funny. Period.

http://polarbearsagainstpalin.wetpaint.com/

Pinky & the Brain

Apparently it’s National Unmarried and Single Americans Week and according to ABC television, it’s also National Stay at Home Week. As an unmarried and single person in America, I feel uniquely qualified to go out on a limb here and suggest that one reason I am still unmarried and single is because I celebrate National Stay at Home Week every week. ;)

Actually, I’m hardly ever home – I keep myself pretty busy. No, I’m not out painting the town, although I do attend the occasional happy hour. I could write a book about how people I’ve known my entire life suddenly act like they can’t hang out with me, the swingin’ single gal (ha!), because they are now married. It’s silly, but it happens. Bygones, I’m over it.

The thing that amazes me is the facts about single people. For example, did you know that there are 92 million single adults in the US? So why is it so hard to find a mate? NINETY TWO MILLION PEOPLE! Come on!

But more importantly, in 2005, there were 55.9 million households headed by unmarried adults. Ahem, that means we are now the majority of all households in the nation! I think it’s time for the rest of you to start paying attention to us! In the 2000 presidential election, 35 percent of voters were unmarried. I’m gonna make a prediction that in the 2008 presidential election, that number will be a lot higher. Hmm, maybe instead of trying to get a married woman or a married black man into the White House, we should have been focused on getting a single person elected!

I’m suddenly picturing Pinky and the Brain (who were single, by the way)…

Pinky: "Gee Brain, what do you want to do tonight?"

The Brain: "The same thing we do every night, Pinky—try to take over the world."

Muuuuuaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh!

fOuRtEen!?!?!?

My nephew turned 14 today. Unbelievable. I’ve felt a little panicked all day, wondering if the next 14 years will fly by as quickly. Probably, but I know that Zachary will continue to bring me joy…and annoy me…all at the same time. I love this kid. Thank God he came into our lives. Happy Birthday, Zach!

Zach as a baby


Zach at 14 with his dad, being silly

Hootie's gone Country

Listening with my eyes closed...

Most of you reading this know that my dad passed away about a year and a half ago. He was a big John Denver fan – not a day went by in my childhood without hearing a John Denver song. Instead of hating the music, though, I actually LOVE John Denver – and I don’t care what anyone thinks. We even played a John Denver song at my dad’s funeral. It would have been wrong not to play one.

An overwhelming sense of peace washes over me now when I hear a John Denver song and I think of my dad and smile…and sing along! I guess that peace is what dad always felt. I get it now, dad.

So tonight I was searching YouTube and came across a fairly obscure JD song called, “Zachary and Jennifer.” This song always brings me to tears because I very vividly remember the first time I heard it. And because my name is Jennifer and my nephew’s name is Zachary…and it’s just a beautiful song.

My dad was a very spiritual man, but maybe not in the sense that most people think of. He would find deep meaning in music and in words – and he tried to share it with us from time to time. He often would make us sit down, close our eyes and stop talking. Then he would play a song and tell us, “Listen to the words. I mean, really listen to the words and what they’re saying.” Most of the time, especially as kids, we would roll our eyes or snicker. But the time he sat us down to listen to this song, we took it seriously.

It was almost 15 years ago – I had just found out that I was going to be an aunt. We were all so excited! I remember dad sitting us down at the old house on Maye Place. We all just looked at each other and from then on, the baby's name was Zachary. Or at least that’s how I remember it. He’s my only nephew and will be 14 on Wednesday. I know we’ve told Zach about the John Denver song, but I bet he doesn’t remember it. And I’m certain he doesn’t get it yet, but someday he will. He reminds me of my dad in little ways that I can’t quite explain yet.

I would give anything if I could sit and close my eyes and listen to John Denver again with my dad. Maybe I’ll do that now.

Have a nice day!

So today on my way to my nephew’s birthday party, I ran into a store to buy a gift bag to put his present in. I was running late and had no makeup on yet, so I’m sure I looked a little like this lady:



As I was leaving, this older gentleman shuffling in with a walker said, “Excuse me, ma’am.”

I turned around and he slowly asked me, “Did you know that part of your face…”

Ok, at this point, I was ready to put down my bag and purse and deck the guy – I was sure he was about to say something mean about my Rosacea-riddled, non-makeup covered face. But he continued with, “…is about to explode into a huge smile!”

I’m not really sure what I said to him, but I do remember that it did make me smile – in that kind of “Oh my God, this man is a weirdo,” uncomfortable sort of way. I think I said thank you and have a nice day or something, then quickly rushed out the door to my car, where I burst into laughter. “These sorts of things only happen to me,” I thought. “The weirdos always know how to find me.”

The closer I got to my brother’s house for the party, I realized that I really should smile more. I try to remember to smile while driving to work and in the shower. Sound weird, I know, but I’m trying to fight off the downward curvature of the corners of my lips that almost all women get…I hate that! Anyway, that man made me think. No matter how bad I might be feeling or how rushed I might be, from now on, I will pretend that I am Kate Hudson and will smile like this:

Have a nice day and just a reminder to all you parents out there…do not force your babies to smile!

Jesus really does want us to lose weight

I don't really see it, but apparently these women see Jesus in the ceiling at their weight loss clinic. Hmmm...

“My cat is stuck in the toilet”

Thankfully my cat, Bridget, has never gotten stuck in the toilet like the one in this story, but she has gotten herself into some pickles. Several years ago, while staying in a temporary business housing until my apartment was ready, Bridget got stuck in between the kitchen cabinets and the walls. I of course wasn’t supposed to have an animal in the temporary housing, so I had to sneak her in and play the TV all day long to muffle her meows. She’s part Siamese and very vocal, so this was no easy task. And when she was younger, she loved to climb and explore any nook or cranny she could find. Well, I guess she found a big enough hole to climb through. I don’t remember how I got her out of the wall, but thankfully, it didn’t involve destruction of anything or calling 911!

And then there was the time Bridget looked up at me from the floor while I was trying to fall asleep. Ok, she does that every night. And usually, she jumps onto the bed and I pet her for about two minutes, then she jumps off and goes to her little bed in the closet. But this night, her equilibrium must have been way off, because she jumped and smacked her little kitty head square onto the side of the mattress. I mean she really missed her mark! I couldn’t stop laughing long enough to make sure she was ok, but thankfully, she was.

My last story about Bridget is probably my favorite. Many years ago, my friend Cheree was cat sitting for me while I was out of town and would go check on Bridget every day. One day, she walked all over the house and could hear Bridget meowing, but couldn’t find her anywhere! She opened the oven and all the cabinets, thinking that maybe the cat had climbed into one of them. She said she could hear Bridget’s meows the loudest in the kitchen, so she stood there, puzzled for a few minutes. All of a sudden, Cheree felt something gently touch her head. She said she jumped out of her skin…she looked up and there, on top of the refrigerator, sat Bridget. I would have paid good money to be a fly on the wall watching that unfold. I’m positive Bridget planned the whole thing and got a good laugh out of it at Cheree’s expense.

Damn cat. But I love her – and for the record, yes, I would bust up my toilet too if she got stuck in it.

Sperm Bank Chatter

So me, my mom & my sister had dinner at Luby’s tonight. For some reason, the conversation turned to sperm banks and how relatively inexpensive it is to get “sperminated.” The next thing I know, this guy walks in…I kid you not:





Yep, that’s right. David Crosby. As in the legendary musician who famously provided the sperm donation for Melissa Etheridge and her then girlfriend Julie Cypher. So was it just a coincidence that David Crosby showed up just when we were talking about sperm donations? I think not! ;)

Sliced Bread

So after hearing social media and communications expert Shel Holtz speak today about incorporating social media into communications, I became keenly aware that technology could very quickly pass me by. Or has it already? ;) I think I’m doing ok – I’ve had a MySpace page for years and I now have a facebook page, I’m a Linked In member, I have a photobucket account, I text message, and just today, I became a twitterer! I’m so proud of myself!

My Grandpa D. lived to be 95 years old. I remember one day, when he was about 94, he asked me about CDs. He knew all about “Certificates of Deposit,” but these shiny round things that played music were new to him, so I explained them. We then started talking about the Internet. He just shook his head. He couldn’t fathom it. Grandpa was born in 1907 and in his lifetime had witnessed the invention of the assembly line (holy cow!), the aerosol can, the atomic bomb, the television, traffic lights, the fluorescent light bulb, the jet engine and literally, sliced bread!

My nephew, who is 14, recently asked me what kind of cell phone I had when I was his age. I just laughed. Apparently instead of “wear pajamas to school day,” they now have designated technology days for kids – days when they can bring their cells, iPods, etc. to school without getting in trouble. My nephew says he’s bored a lot. I can’t fathom that. I don’t ever remember being bored when I was his age. There was always something to do…and when I was his age, I didn’t have cable TV, an iPod, cell phone or even a computer!

You heard it here – I’m making a vow to never let technology pass me by. I will at the very least read about the latest trends! ☺

Welcome...and...Love that chicken at Popeye's

Welcome to Jennericgirl's first official blog...from my shiny new iMac! That's right, I finally updated from my 8 year old PC. I have some blogs saved from the last couple of years that I've posted in other places, like MySpace, so while I'm getting the blog started, I'll share some of them with you. Below is one of my favorites, "Love that chicken at Popeye's," which I wrote shortly after joining Weight Watchers. Enjoy!

Love that Chicken at Popeye’s…

So I decided to eat lunch at my desk today, thinking that I had a Smart Ones meal in the fridge here at work. Turns out I only had a package of Brussels sprouts, which were yummy, but I was still hungry. So about 1:30 I set out to get a nice, healthy, Weight Watchers points-friendly sandwich from Thundercloud. But my car turned in the direction of Popeye’s instead…I’d been craving chicken strips and gravy for three days, so I decided to compromise and order the “naked” strips and green beans.

As I pulled up to the board to order, I could hear chatter from inside the restaurant coming out of the intercom. Funny, I thought…they don’t know I can hear them. I grinned. Somebody was having a good old time! Finally, the very chatty lady asked me for my order. I was feeling guilty for deciding to “cheat” and eat fast food, but hey, I thought…it’s NAKED chicken! How many calories could be in NAKED chicken for goodness sake? Trust me, it took all the will power in my body to not order the regular breaded and fried chicken strips with the red beans and rice or mashed potatoes.

When I drove up to the window to pay, I was greeted by the friendly intercom lady, who was wearing a gold, bejeweled handkerchief around her hair and sported thick, black eyeliner and gold eye shadow. She greeted me with, “Girl, that is a pretty and colorful blouse!”

I smiled and said, “Thank you.”

As she handed me my drink – iced tea, no sugar by the way – she tells me, “Cause I’m your size, ya know….that pretty shirt would fit me too. Um hum. Sure would.”

I just keep smiling, feeling a little uncomfortable now. So there goes my dream of sneaking to the Popeye’s incognito, I thought. If no one I know sees me get the fast food, I will feel better about it, I reasoned. My guilt about cheating was really sinking in.

“Do you ever go to the east side?” overly-friendly intercom lady asks.

“What? Oh, um…yeah…sometimes,” I lied, shaking my head profusely.

She looks me up and down as if she knows full well I NEVER go to the east side and I bend forward, looking into the kitchen wondering why it’s taking so long to cook NAKED chicken.

“Simply Fashions. That’s where you need to go. That’s where the big girls shop. Me and you. Uh huh…we’re the same size, girl. That’s where I shop. You ever been there?

I shake my head no, suddenly feeling very fat. How badly do I really want these chicken strips?

“Over by Fiesta? You know where that is? Well, you gotta go to Simply Fashions. I got me some $15-16 shirts there for like $5. Big girls like us go in there and they come out looking sharp, I tell ya.”

Oh God, please don’t ask me where I got my outfit or how much I paid for it. Suddenly I’m feeling very privileged – and ashamed of it. And still fat.

“And then of course there’s Rainbows,” she looks at me, seeing if I knew about the store. “You ain’t been to Rainbows? Girl, you gotta go there. You gotta come over to the east side sometime! They got all sorts of stuff for big girls like us. I mean they got regular stuff too, but it’s all big girls that go to Rainbows, like me and you. Uh huh.” She smiled, revealing a shiny gold grill on her teeth.

Suddenly I’m feeling…well, I’m not sure what I was feeling. But now I wanted those damn chicken strips even more. And the biscuit I was going to give away or throw away and not eat? Forget it, I’m eating it.

Finally, she hands me the box of NAKED chicken strips and green beans and tells me something like, “Now you gotta come back again, girl.”

“Thanks…I will," I muttered, thinking to myself that I’ll never visit Popeye’s again. Ever.

So now I know why they call it Weight Watchers…Ok, I get it. Not supposed to eat fast food. Or maybe I just need to watch out for over-friendly intercom lady.