Taco Tuesday part 2

We went to Taco Tuesday last night. Boss Man and his daughter couldn't join us. But we did sit in the bar. We got a front row seat for the karaoke. Ralph was there.

Ralph always starts off the night with Open Arms by Journey. It's a nice enough song, a little sappy like most ballads of the early 80's. I've always enjoyed the song. And then Ralph sang. Boss Man pointed out a few weeks ago that Steve Perry had a high voice and the song could be a challenge to someone who doesn't have a high voice. My thought is if you don't have a high voice then why torture all these people while you attempt the song.

However, Ralph's version of Open Arms was fantastic when compared to his version of Heaven by Warrant. He stumbled through about half the first verse before he had the DJ stop and try another song. It was painful.

On the plus side, there is an older couple who also sing. They do a wonderful job. I'm not familiar with their songs but they have nice voices and understand little details like rhythm, tempo, and pitch. Now if the DJ would learn what the gain on the equipment is for, we'd be set.

The really sad thing is the older couple, Ralph and the DJ are the only ones who sing. At least they are the only ones who I've seen up there. Here's hoping for some new blood with a decent voice.

Miss Goofy's Pumpkin

This was our pumpkin for this year. Miss Goofy painted the orange pumpkin green then added the face. She has a "wart" (pinto bean) on her "nose" (stem). Her "hair" is orange and black tissue paper. She got the idea from a magazine. Next year she wants to do a cat and a mummy. I think she did a really good job with her pumpkin.

Taco Tuesday

We have started a tradition. Well okay we started it this summer. One of our local Mexican restaurants started having "Taco Tuesday". I think they were trying to increase their traffic during the week. Anyway, Music Man's buddy Boss Man, who by the way is no longer Music Man's supervisor but is still a really good friend and a lot of fun to hang out with, and Boss Man's son, Little Boss Man, discovered this restaurant does "Taco Tuesday". They have tacos for $1, originally it was in the bar or on the patio only. Now just about anywhere you sit, they'll serve them to you.

So the day after the two Boss Mans discovered this dining experience Boss Man, the big one, shared the knowledge with Music Man. Since then we have missed Taco Tuesday maybe half a dozen times.

It's not about the tacos, which most of the time are okay if not fantastic, it's about sitting at a table, eating tortilla chips, watching Boss Man's daughter and Miss Goofy get some serious cases of the sillies, and listening to really bad karaoke.

When I say really bad karaoke, I mean not enough alcohol in the bar to make this stuff sound good. There is one guy, Ralph is his name. I'm using his real name because well, I seriously doubt he'll ever read my blog and if by some chance he or a friend do read it, they'll never believe it's him. And if by some miracle he does know I'm talking about him, then he's ready to hear the truth.

Ralph, you suck. I know that sounds harsh. I know it takes guts to get up there and do that, and Lord knows I don't have that much courage. But Ralph, let's be honest, you have that much guts from all the beer you drink. Oh and the beer doesn't help your singing at all. Okay I think I'm done bashing Ralph.

That said, it's become a lot of fun to go hang out with Boss Man and his kids, we even took The Weather God and DolphinLady with us when they were in town. They may never forgive us. My advice to everyone is go find a local restaurant that does something like this and go enjoy yourself. It makes for a nice night out and if you're lucky enough to share it with friends, then count your blessings.

Enjoy the tacos

Strange Things I've Seen

That's a good title, right? I mean I've seen some weird stuff and today is no exception.

So, Miss Goofy and I went to get lunch at a fast food restaurant that specializes in sort of Mexican food. It wasn't Taco Bell. To be honest I don't know how far this chain reaches but I do know that the original restaurant was in Barstow, Ca and my brother-in-law, The Crazy Hispanic Guy, (love you!) was friends with the owners kids. I think. I think that's what he told me. I haven't talked to him in a while. He's a hoot and I love that he takes such good care of my sister and their kids, but that's a post for another time and I'm digressing.

Back to the car with Miss Goofy and I, we were listening to Kid Rock's newest CD, Rock and Roll Jesus, and having a deep philosophical discussion. I know those are two things you don't expect to read anywhere but it's true. Don't believe me? Go get the CD or google the song "Amen" by Kid Rock and give it a listen. You'll be having philosophical discussions with yourself.

Sorry, I'm digressing again. Back to the car, so we're discussing the state of the world and listening to music, when I notice there is a guy across the street and I realize he's pacing. No big deal right? Except he's in a wheelchair. So, he's pacing up and down the street in front of his house in a wheelchair.

Just when I thought it couldn't get any weirder, I noticed he was also smoking and his cigarette was nearly gone. Apparently he's a heavy thinker when he smokes. And he's got to pace. And if that doesn't start conversations, I don't know what will.

My Thoughts on SpongeBob

I used to hate SpongeBob SquarePants. In fact, I actually told my mom that she needed to stop buying SpongeBob stuff for Miss Goofy. He is annoying. Maybe annoying is to nice a word. He is so irritating I thought my ears were going to bleed at the sound of his voice. That is a much more graphic description. And more accurate. I also thought him to be completely childish and a waste of time. I wouldn't allow Miss Goofy to watch him. My mom bought her a DVD that was around 5 hours of SpongeBob. I nearly cried when she did that.

And then one day I found myself stuck in front of the TV. I think I had the flu and for some reason SpongeBob was on. The remote was across the room and I was not up to moving. So I watched SpongeBob. I learned something. He is annoying.

He also is honest, a hard worker with a good work ethic, tries to be friends with everyone, and when he does something bad, he tries to fix it. SpongeBob tries to be a good person. Sponge. Whatever. He is teaching millions of people how to behave. He doesn't lie and cheat. He works hard at his job and enjoys his job. He is friendly to everyone, including those who are rude to him. If he makes a mistake or hurts someone, he goes overboard trying to put things right.

He's still annoying. The other thing that bothered me was the waste of time watching him. Especially after I found out the show was a favorite among college students. Then one day after an especially difficult math lesson, Miss Goofy sat and watched him during lunch. After lunch, she got right back to work and didn't have any difficulties. It finally occurred to me that college students like him because he relaxes their mind. Sure he's inane and annoying. And that's why he's so effective at relaxing the mind. It's safe to relax.

So go ahead and annoy me SpongeBob. At least my mind will be relaxed.

Update on Grandma

I know you're used to hearing how Grandpa is, but, I'm sure you know that he passed away last week. So today I'm updating on Grandma. I just saw her at the grocery store.

She asked how I was. Nearly made me cry, that she's worried about me. I'm doing alright. She says that today she's okay. She doesn't know how she'll be tomorrow or Saturday but today she's okay. She was in good spirits and cheerful. We talked about this weekend and she told me that several of my relatives who we weren't sure were going to be able to come to the funeral will be able to attend. That makes me so happy and proud of everyone who is coming. Even some of the family who is mourning their own loss will be with us and I am grateful to them for the effort. To those who can't make it for one reason or another please don't misunderstand I completely understand and am in no way upset with anyone. This is a difficult time for everyone and some people just can't go to funerals.

Unlike me. I was thinking yesterday while I was in the shower and I realized I have been to more funerals in my life than weddings. So either people don't like me enough to invite me when they get married, but you can't stop me from attending when you die or I need to hang around people who are way younger. Or maybe this means that everyone who is left is immortal and I won't have to attend anymore funerals. Hey I can dream, right?

In any event, thank you to everyone who has written/emailed/called, etc. to offer support and sympathy. We are okay. We will get through this.

Oh and Uncle Bunky, sorry if I confused when I called and told you about Grandma's taillight. She backed out of her parking space and I followed her out the driveway and onto the street. When she stopped to turn onto the street I noticed her taillight was out. Hopefully that made more sense although I'm not convinced it did.

Keep Grandma in your prayers and I'll see you at the funeral.

Bad Month

Yesterday I posted about having had a bad couple of weeks with Miss Goofy out of town, missing my parents and my uncle having passed away. The news keeps on coming.

I got off the phone with my uncle a little over a half hour ago. My grandpa passed away. We suffered while he had Alzheimer's and while he hadn't been Grandpa for several years, it's still a shock to hear that he's gone.

And yet I can't help but feel happy for him. While I hurt he is surrounded by family that loves him and has just been waiting for him to join them.

Don't grieve for him. Grieve for the ones he left behind. There's a lot of us who lost our hero today.

Good-bye Grandpa, we love and miss you.

Where Have I Been?

Don't you hate it when you keep checking a blog and they don't update for weeks? Me too. I do have an excuse this time.

First I was busy getting Miss Goofy ready for her trip. Then while she was gone, frankly I was enjoying being lazy. I didn't do much while she was gone.

Then Wednesday the 13th, I was having an awful day. I was so depressed. I missed Miss Goofy, I missed my mom, I missed my dad. I was really no fun. I woke up the 14th and felt so much better. I knew I had stuff that had to get done, and I was full of energy and ready to get to it. I had several errands that I had to get done.

I left the house around 10:30 and headed for my first stop: the post office. I was filling out the form that I needed when my phone rang. Now I hate when people take calls on a cell phone in public, but it was my grandma and I wasn't about to not take the call. If it had been Music Man I would have told him I'd call him back, but something about it being Grandma made me take the call. It turned out that one of her brothers had died. I remember my uncle Orin. He and his wife were always so nice to me when I was a kid. I actually have a picture of Uncle Orin and my grandpa in my grandpa's garage that I took. I took it cause Grandpa told me I need to take pictures of people when they weren't expecting it. So I took their picture. Orin is turned sideways and laughing. Grandpa has his mouth open in surprise. I don't think he expected me to take that picture. I tried to scan and post it but I'm having issues between my scanner and Vista. We won't discuss it here.

But I'm digressing. So, I knew I needed to get to Music Man's work before I lost it. I finished at the post office, went home so the dog could use the little puppy's room, called Music Man and asked him if he'd like company for lunch. He seemed concerned cause I hate coming down the mountain to the town in which he works. I told him I'd tell him about it when I got there.

I started out and realized he might be concerned about Grandpa so I called him on my cell phone (yes, I used my ear piece, I didn't need a ticket on top of everything else) and told him that Orin had passed away. He was sorry to hear to about Orin.

I got to his work and came into his office. He closed the door and hugged me. Seldom has a hug ever felt so good. I told him I wanted to go to the funeral. It's in Reno. He says okay to start making the arrangements. He put his boss on alert that he was going to need to go out of town for a funeral and they were very kind about it. Boss Man, who isn't actually Music Man's boss anymore but is still a good friend and lived in Reno gave us some tips on hotel rooms. He also checked to make sure that I wasn't leaving from the shop and that Music Man would need a ride home. What a wonderful friend. And I mean that, I'm not being sarcastic like normal.

The funeral was set for Friday the 22nd and we took Grandma with us. Oh and Miss Goofy came home too. The four of us went up for the funeral and while it's not high on my list of fun things to do, it was nice to see so many family members. It did make me and one of my mom's cousins really miss my mom though. My mom was the one who could have told us who everyone was and how they were related us. Although my cousin did a pretty good job. And a big thank you to you. You know who you are. I don't like to use people's names without their permission.

Anyway we came home on Saturday and yes, we tried to get the brakes on the rental car fixed and no they wouldn't fix them without approval from corporate which would have meant staying Saturday and Sunday night and not going to work on Monday for Music Man. So, we drove home carefully and arrived safe and sound. Although I think we had some very busy guardian angels on that trip. The rental company did take $40 off the rental for us though, so the really good deal we were getting was even better.

One good thing about this whole month, I had an idea for a story and I was able to work on it a lot the last few days. I have the outline done, now I just have to write it.

That's all the news from here. Have a good day and remember to pray for your guardian angel. They work harder than we know.

Things My Credit Counselor Has Beaten Into My Thick Skull

Wow, that's a long title isn't it? It might have been easier if I didn't have trouble hearing on the phone and a short attention span. In any event, he's taught me three things that are very important and I will share them with you now.

1. Never pay a collection agency. I know it goes completely against everything in your being, unless you're just a deadbeat. When people say we owe them money, our first instinct is to pay them so that we don't look like a deadbeat. Here's the problem and I never thought of this, you don't owe money to the collection agency. You may or may not owe money to the "original creditor" but you don't have an agreement with the collection agency, your agreement was with the "original creditor". The problem in paying a collection agency is two-fold: one, you may not really owe the money to anyone. Collection agencies frequently look in the papers for people who have died and then try to collect from the next of kin. Two, how do you know the money is actually going to the company that you supposedly owe unless you check with the original creditor. Remember it's always best to call the original creditor and pay them directly. It's in their best interest to have you pay them because then they get all the money and they don't have to pay the agency for collecting from you.

2. Don't use your debit card to pay for things. This is your money and you are giving away a lot of information about how to get your money. Use cash, a check or a credit card. It's much easier to have a charge reversed with a credit card than with your debit card. The reason is you have to sign with the credit card. You don't with the debit card.

3. Always look over your bank and credit card statements. If something doesn't look right, investigate it. Report possible identity theft immediately. Look at your credit report periodically too. You have the right to challenge anything on your report that you think is inaccurate. Remember that time you paid your credit card one day late? Check your report does it say you were 30 days late that time? That will hurt your credit score and the three credit reporting agencies have to report it correctly and accurately. That means it must say you were one day late, not 30.

Miss Goofy Goes on Vacation

Sounds like the name of a children's book, doesn't it? I can picture it now, Miss Goofy getting into all kinds of trouble in New York City. Maybe a Nora story?

Anyway Miss Goofy is leaving either Saturday or Sunday to spend either 9 or 10 days with our good friends TheWeatherGod and DolphinLady. So, what should I do with myself while she's gone? I'm thinking enjoy the quiet and miss her terribly. Music Man is always a mess when she goes to spend time with someone else. He misses her a lot. I do too, but I try to stay busy. Poor Music Man is stuck at work all day with nothing to do except worry about his Miss Goofy. And you know payroll, invoicing, billing, write his paper for school, and whatever else Mr. Division Manager throws at him.

Oh I forgot he's also looking for houses in his spare time. Cause we're moving. Eventually. Someday. Somewhere. Maybe. If we find a place. And he doesn't lose his job pining for Miss Goofy. And pretending to write his paper.

Thatcher and Mom's Table

This is Thatcher. He is laying on the coffee table. I don't know why exactly. I just know that Miss Goofy saw him and snapped a picture of him before he moved. I do know that if my mother had caught him on her coffee table when I was a teenager I would be mourning the loss of my cat. However before she passed away she had relaxed a lot about this table and cats. She actually thought it was funny when Dad's cat would crawl up and stretch out on the table. Just on the coffee table though, she still got upset if he got on the dining table.


Maybe her relaxed attitude came from the relative peace and quiet of the mountains. Maybe she was just mellowing. Maybe she had decided that she'd had that table long enough and it was time to move on. For the record, she bought that table after my real dad passed away. It was in a box and she had to assemble it. The kit included 2 end tables and she assembled all three of them and was so proud of herself. Jujube (aka, my sister) and I were proud of her too.

My desk

Once again my desk is a mess.

I've had plans to booby-trap it. I've had thoughts of taking everything off of it and not letting anyone near it. I've even tried leaving it full and messy. Then I had to find something. It's weird because I didn't think I used my desk that much until now. I now see that I use my desk a lot during the day. A whole lot more than I thought. I always thought my desk got messy because it was so small. Now I marvel at how I kept everything on it without a major avalanche. I also am realizing that my desk is more than just where I keep the computer. It's where I start my day and check in on the world. I make my daily list here. I set stuff here to deal with later, not because I'm procrastinating but because I'm in the middle of six things at once.

It's the heart of my day. It's where I go when I need to rest. Or to see what I need to do next. It's where I make plans. It's where I dream. It's where I write.

So, please stop putting stuff on it!!!! I know I told you to, ignore me. Make me deal with whatever it is now. My desk needs to be clean. For all of our sakes.

California is shaking again

7:42 am on October 1, 1987 in Whittier, Ca a magnitude 5.9 earthquake hit.

5:04 pm on October 17, 1989 near San Francisco, Ca a magnitude 6.9 earthquake hit.

4:31 am on January 17, 1994 in Reseda, Ca a magnitude 6.7 earthquake hit.

11:15 am on December 22, 2003 near San Simeon, Ca a magnitude 6.6 earthquake hit.

11:42 am on July 29, 2008 near Chino Hills, Ca a magnitude 5.4 earthquake hit.

We had an earthquake today. To my family in LA, I know you know about the quake. I hope you're all safe. Email me when you can. You are in our prayers.

These are the earthquakes that I have felt in recent years. I know I've felt others, but these stick out in my mind.

The Whittier quake I was in the car on the way to school. I didn't really feel it, but the wheels on the car tires did feel weird. For the San Francisco quake, we felt it. It was weird though because we knew it wasn't near us. The Reseda quake or as it's more commonly called the Northridge quake I was on the second floor of the motel that we worked at. I was also pregnant with Miss Goofy. That one we felt. Boy did we feel it. It was hard enough to walk across the floor being 7 months pregnant, but the shaking building really didn't help. The San Simeon quake I remember only vaguely. It was so close to Christmas I think I was more worried about other things. I did go see Hearst Castle a couple of years later and was sad to learn that some other property had been damaged by the quake. Today's quake, I will remember mostly cause it made me really dizzy afterward.

I do love the fact that one hour after the earthquake there are people all over LA talking on the news about how they were shook up but life goes on.

The biggest blessing comes from the quake not causing more damage and as of now only minor injuries and no deaths. That is subject to change, but for now, minimal damage and injury.

By the way, Courage is fine. Thatcher was pretty freaked out but is now napping. Courage would probably be better if I hadn't stepped on his tail. Poor dog. Survived an earthquake and then panics when I step on his tail.

What Kind of Fish Are You?

So, what kind of fish are you? (I know we're people, not fish, but I'm going somewhere with this.) The way I see it there are really only two sizes of fish. And two sizes of ponds. I'll illustrate.

I worked for a flower shop. Not for a long time by any means, nor would I say I was exceptional at my job. I did an okay job considering what the conditions of the job were. We had a customer, she and her husband owned a construction company. They were very well off for the standards of this town. While this town has become a major city it still feels more like a small town, especially to most people living in cities like Los Angeles. This customer called and told me that she was taking her sister to lunch at one of the 2 exclusive restaurants in town and would like a nice big bouquet of flowers to be delivered to the restaurant. I took down the information on the date and restaurant and asked what time was the reservation, so that we could get the flowers there a little early. She said in a rather appalled voice, "Lunch is at noon".

I got off the phone and went to tell my floral designer's about the order. They howled. Apparently this is normal for this lady. "Breakfast is at 8, lunch is at noon, dinner is at 6", is what they told me.

I have laughed over the years over this woman's absurd comment. But it got me thinking, she's acting this way because she's a big fish in a little pond. Her husband's construction business was successful in our little town, but it probably wouldn't be in a major market.

Music Man had a friend who like Music Man plays trumpet. One day this friend, who I will call Mr. Braggy, said to Music Man, "Reno has a lot of gigs and they pay very well. We could earn a living there without any problem." It would have been a dream come true for both of them. Music Man thought it over for a few weeks. He realized that Mr. Braggy had enough contacts from all the gigs he was playing around town that they probably could earn a living playing music in Reno. Music Man and I discussed it and decided that if we could get it set up, that was what we would do.

When Music Man went to Mr. Braggy and said, "I've thought about it, let's do this, let's move to Reno. We can put together a group and play. It will be awesome." Suddenly Mr. Braggy started backtracking. He didn't know where any of us would live, what about all our stuff, excuse after excuse until finally he said he liked playing the local gigs he got. A light went on in Music Man's head. Mr. Braggy was a big fish in a little pond and he liked it that way. He had just been bragging to Music Man trying to show him how big a fish he really was.

So, are you a little fish in a little pond, a big fish in a little pond, a little fish in a big pond or a big fish in a big pond? What is it about your pond and your place in it that you like?

As for Music Man, he's working toward, big fish, big pond. I think he can do it. I know I'm biased but I really do.

Challenging Myself

I have given myself several challenges since I started blogging in March. Both for weight loss and in my everyday life. Right now my current challenges are to exercise 1,000 minutes before Labor Day weekend and to complete my daily task list 45 times before Labor Day. The exercise challenge has good days and bad days. I really am enjoying exercising and like the way it makes me feel. I also seem to be fixated on Peanut Butter M & M's and $1 Taco Night at a local restaurant. Those were good tacos. We won't even talk about the M & M's.

My Daily Task List challenge came about because I was writing myself a daily list of the stuff I needed to accomplish but then I wasn't doing any of it. I figured if I made it a challenge then I might actually accomplish stuff. So far, I'm doing pretty good with it. I've got 15 days completed and have 30 left. The weekends are hard cause with Music Man home I never know what we're going to be doing. Once in a while we make plans and they change suddenly, but more often, we just do whatever we want on the weekends. We've been going grocery shopping on Saturdays, and just goofing off on Sundays. I need to make a more relaxed list for the weekends. Maybe just put one or two things on it.

So I'm looking for a new challenge idea for my everyday life. One that I can track here. Being accountable here really helps me. Even if no one reads my blog, I still know it's out there and I have to be accountable to myself. So, now I just need some ideas. Any thoughts?

Look at what I bought Music Man

I bought this for Music Man yesterday:




He had wanted to start taking his lunch and I found this little tray. It included the fork and knife and well, frankly, I thought it was cute. So, I bought it so he could take his lunch this morning. I even bought him the "Beefaroni" he requested. Hey, it's his stomach, he can eat that stuff if he wants. He is a grown man after all. Of course if he complains about how it didn't sit well, I'm inclined to laugh, but that's another story altogether.

However, I did want him to know that he forgot his lunch. Which is the reason for the post. Have a nice lunch out, Honey.

Ponderings

I’m listening to “Redneck Woman” by Gretchen Wilson, and there is a line in there that goes: “and I keep my Christmas lights on on my front porch all year long” and that got me thinking. Why is it that it’s a redneck thing when it’s the front porch and a high class thing when it’s backyard and it’s twinkle lights”

Why is it my dog can be completely ignoring me for a full 6 hours, but as soon as I close my bedroom door, he suddenly needs my attention?

As a child we are told to grow up, yet when we reach adulthood, our parents all say the same thing, “They grow up so fast.” Maybe we shouldn’t tell our kids to grow up?

Why doesn’t truth in advertising extend to things like “hot dogs” and “Girl scout cookies”? There aren’t any dogs in the hot dog and there aren’t any girl scouts in their cookies. At least I hope there isn’t any dog in my hot dog. Maybe I shouldn’t have brought it up.

Why is it I type faster when I go back and correct my mistakes than when I don't?

Why do I still keep saying yogurt when I try to say yoga? And why do I keep putting the u in the wrong place for yogurt and why do I keep putting one in yoga at all?

Music Man

My husband has worked so hard this week. In addition, he's been fighting the flu for about 2 weeks now. He was so tired after dinner that The Cranky Old Man and I told him to go lie down for a little bit. He'd feel much better. I had to disturb him and put some laundry away. Then the lion attacked him. Poor guy. He's going to kill me when he finds out I got bored and took his picture. Actually, that won't bother him. Posting on the blog, that might get him.


I think the pink blanket brings out the white in his sock, don't you?

Thatcher Again

I came into my bedroom a few days ago and found the cat like this. I wondered why he was laying like this. It really baffled me. Fortunately, I have a digital camera and can now share this with the world. You're welcome. So what is he doing?


As you can see from this close-up, he's taking a nap!


Kind of sweet. I have often marveled at how a black cat loves to lay in the sunshine. I had the window open and he was enjoying the fresh air and decided to take a cat nap. Get it? A cat nap? And he's a cat! I crack myself up.

My Music Obsession

As DolphinLady will tell you, I tend to get obsessed about bands and songs. If a song appeals to me for whatever reason, I will play that song until the obsession passes, which can take months. Right now, I seem to be obsessed with Toby Keith's "Get Drunk and Be Somebody". Not that long ago, I was obsessed with "Who's Your Daddy", also coincidently by Toby Keith. That one invokes naughty thoughts in my head, and makes me giggle when Music Man sings it to me. I had a mini obsession with "She's a Hottie" (again by Toby Keith), but that one I know is caused by him singing it in such a deep voice. I love a deep sounding voice. Over the years some of my other song obsessions have included: Hypnotize the Moon by Clay Walker, Born to be my Baby by Bon Jovi, Nothin' Better to Do by L.A. Guns, and On the Verge by Collin Raye. I know there have been others, but looking at my CD collection those are the ones that jump out at me.

What I'm trying to say is when I hear a song and it stirs something in my soul I tend to go overboard. And make everyone around me, hate whatever I'm obsessing about. I don't really have a problem with it, but the people around me tend to. It's kind of funny in a pitiful way when your 3 year-old looks at you as you play a song you're obsessing over for the 30th time that day and says, "NO MORE!!!" and covers her ears. That was about when she ran out of the room and I took the opportunity to listen to the song again without her complaining.

Of course Miss Goofy is not without the same quirk. Between 2 and 4 years of age, she watched Disney's Beauty and the Beast everyday. Sometimes twice a day. Now, she has a play list on her computer with nothing but the Macarena. It's on there for something like 2 hours straight. Seriously, doesn't she know what the repeat button is for? What is wrong with that kid? It's not like when I was a kid and we had to rewind our tapes to keep hearing the same song. She just pushes repeat and poof, no rewinding!

Okay, time to go do some schoolwork. Right after I listen to Get Drunk, I'm only up to 25 times today.

Anti-Procrastination Day

FlyLady defines Anti-Procrastination Day as: The day you do what you've been putting off. Or something like that. So, in honor of my anti-procrastination day, I'm adding a daily list for myself to my blog. And since I think the only thing I did on my list yesterday was make dinner and swish n swipe the bathroom, I'm making my weekly home blessing the thing I add to my daily list for today. And then there's this:


And this:


Music Man and Miss Goofy spent 5 and 1/2 hours assembling Miss Goofy's new bed and bookshelf headboard on Saturday. Good thing I hadn't wanted to you know go do grocery shopping or anything. Okay I did and I was very annoyed when it took so long to get the dumb thing built. And before you ask, yes that is a black comforter and a black pillow. The sheets are pink as is the throw blanket that she has so carefully laid on the foot of the bed in that way that is supposed to look casual and just makes me want to go straighten it. I think I'm going to go buy her the same sheets and comforter only reverse the colors, so she has black sheets and a pink comforter. I'm not sure I can find a black throw like this one though. In case you're wondering why she chose pink and black, then look here:


Apparently if it's good enough for Avril Lavigne, then it's good enough for Miss Goofy. I have no problem with the pink and black and I actually like Avril Lavigne's music, which by the way, both pleases and horrifies Miss Goofy. I'm actually glad that this is my daughter's role model. If only because now she likes pink.

ETA: Music Man also did an awesome job of fixing Miss Goofy's stereo. It seemed when she was taking all the stuff out of her room, she attempted to move her stereo with a CD in it. The CD then got stuck. Music Man had to break the CD in order to free it, and then the part that turns the carousel for the CD's quit turning. He took apart the stereo and fixed the carousel. Thank you Music Man.

Best Parents Ever!!! WooHoo!!!

So, Music Man and Miss Goofy found a new bed frame for her a couple of weeks ago. We told her that we would buy it for her but it had to wait a few weeks. Last night Music Man came home with her new bed. I sent her to shower and helped him move the box onto the front porch. And by helped I mean stood there happily chattering while he grunted and cussed. The box was around 173 pounds. He finally got the box up the steps and on the porch. At this point in time Miss Goofy doesn't know that we bought her the bed. We needed to run to the grocery store to pick up something for dinner. Before we left I told Miss Goofy to walk the dog. I knew she would have to go on the front porch and would see the box for the bed.

When we got home with Domino's pizza instead of something I had to cook, (that alone should qualify us as the best parents ever) we got attacked by Miss Goofy and told we were the best parents ever. WooHoo! Now my life is complete.

We ruined it about an hour later when we made her sit and watch "Revenge of the Nerds". I know it's inappropriate for her. But the movie is so stupid that it's funny. And you'd think we'd still be the best parents ever since she got out of doing her chores for an hour and a half.

Oh and when she got up and went to the bathroom partway through, when she came back, she asked questions regarding what she missed. Yeah, she hated the movie.

Music Man's Father

Music Man's father passed away almost three years ago. He was an interesting person. And by interesting I mean he did some things that were really funny cause they happened to someone else. He was a Viet Nam vet who loved to tell stories that began, "You're not going to believe this s***." Which he told me means that the vet is lying. When Music Man was somewhere around 14 or 15, he was out in the back 40 mowing the lawn. He was wearing the straw, San Diego Zoo pith hat that his dad had given his grandma and had somehow wound up belonging to Music Man after she died. Apparently, the hat looked like something that the enemy in Viet Nam wore. I know this because while my husband was happily tooling along on the ride-on mower, he suddenly hears an odd sound. It was only a few seconds before he realized it was the sound of a 9 MM and it was being fired at him. Music Man dove off the mower and took cover. His father stopped firing when Music Man finally threw the hat in the other direction. I've told this story for a reason. Tonight on the way home from dinner, my husband was explaining his lack of empathy for gang members.

"Oh, you poor thing, did your daddy beat you? Really, too bad, mine fired a 9 MM at me. Quit whining and get a job."

I cleaned that up a bit. There was quite a bit of language that shouldn't be repeated on a family friendly blog.

God, I miss my father-in-law.

Turkey Toes, I mean Nora in her costume

Hi, I'm Nora. This is me in my turkey costume. I'm adorable I know.



Here I am showing off my tail feathers.


My momma wrote a story about me in my turkey costume. If you want to read it, then leave her a message and she'll email it to you.

Gobble, gobble, gobble!!!

4th of July and My Driveway

We had a very nice 4th of July. We went to Grandma's house and had a late lunch. Music Man barbecued Tri-Tip, and I made a Key Lime Pie and brought some rolls. Grandma made her special potato salad and her carrot and raisin salad. We had a very nice visit with Grandma and my uncle and one of my cousins. We left around 6:30 and brought the grouchy old man some dinner. He had an ear infection and stayed home. Around 8:45 we got in Music Man's truck and headed toward the airport. That's where the fireworks were being launched from. Aside from the train blocking our view part of the time, it was a really pretty show.

And then Miss Goofy walked out the back door to throw something away. This is a picture of what she found at the end of the driveway. I am really glad my uncle had snakes when I was a kid. I didn't freak out at all. Not that I went over to make friends, but I was still more calm than Miss Goofy.


He really is kind of cute in a reptile sort of way.

Annoying Email

Have you even gotten an email saying "We will have a major announcement on this day, the email will be in your box then."?

I have a couple of questions for those companies. Why do you send me an email saying you're going to send me an email? Just send me the "big announcement". Here's my reasoning on this point: 1) I won't remember to watch my inbox for your announcement. Sorry, I have a a life (okay I don't but I still won't remember), 2) If it's such a big announcement then just announce it. I mean if it's that important, shouldn't you just tell me whatever terrible thing is happening?

Question 2: Why do you think I care? I may have signed up for your newsletter, but give me a break, I really don't think I meant for you to send me emails telling me you're going to send me emails. That just seems redundant.

Question 3: Remind me why did I sign up for your newsletter? I may not care about whatever you're telling me anymore. Or worse yet, perhaps you've moved on to other things that I don't care about and you're just annoying me.

Question 4: Why do I keep opening your stupid emails? I must think hard on this one.

Ramblings

It's weird how somedays you sit down to write and have no problem and other days you sit down and while your mind isn't a blank, there isn't anything there that you want to write about. I think I'm having one of those "other days".

I do have a lot of Random thoughts floating around. Here are a few:

1. Maybe if I leave my desk a mess, no one will put anything on it for fear of losing whatever it is.

2. There has got to be a better system for revolving around the planet than the one we have.

3. I need to find a fun and creative way to store my CD's.

4. I really should be doing some math.

5. I still need to send an email to DolphinLady.

6. At least the bathroom is clean.

That's about all from here. Hope you're having a great Monday.

What is Thatcher doing?

What is Thatcher doing? That is the question that has been asked more times than I can count. And I'm just talking about in the last week and a half. All of a sudden he is in my bathroom on this rug nearly constantly. Trying to use the bathroom with him parked there is a challenge too. But, I digress. He has been in there and while Music Man suggested it was one hell of a bender he'd been on, the truth is even funnier.

It turns out that we have little black ants that are walking right under the baseboard to the tub to get water. My first instinct was the kill the little buggers. But, it turns out they provide great entertainment for the cat. He watches them for hours. He pounces them and knocks them all around the room. He even occasionally eats them. Unfortunately black ants don't agree with his tummy cause it isn't long before he throws up. Charming cat, isn't he?

An Explanation of Nora

Nora told me last night that I need to explain about her. I ignored her and went to bed. This morning she told me I need to explain about her. Again I ignored her and made breakfast. After breakfast she told me I need to explain about her. I asked if she just needed some attention. She said, "Yes. Now go explain about me." I ignored her and finished cleaning the sink. I don't know where she got the shotgun, but I am now sitting here hoping she can't read very well. (Just kidding about the shotgun.)

So without further ado, may I present:

The Creation of Nora- A Tragedy, I mean a Comedy, I mean, well you'll see.

About 4 years ago I took a job as the manager of a flower shop. I had no floral experience but I did have office and accounting experience and we had 2 floral designers. Truthfully, I was hired to be the manager, then it was the assistant manager, finally I was the accounts manager. What I actually was was the office manager and errand runner for a woman who was only slightly less psycho than her father. Her father actually owned the shop but due to several illnesses and poor decisions he was semi-retired and she had been running the shop. She was on her way to a state university to attend a Master's degree program. So, I had been working there for 2 months when I discovered drug paraphernalia in one of the desks in the office. Realizing that I didn't want to expose my daughter to this world I began to rethink this job. Two weeks later when I realized I wasn't going to be able to meet payroll without a miracle, I knew I needed to leave. I liked the floral designers but I couldn't take this anymore. The daughter would call with weird requests, her dad would come in over night and move stuff all around, he'd take checks out of the checkbook at random, he took money out of the business savings account and never tell me he had done any of it. Money would just be gone. I finally had enough. I called Music Man, who was working just down the street, and told him everything. He told me to leave. I explained I needed to finish the billing I was doing and would leave as soon as I was done. He said okay, he'd be down in a bit to check on me and to call if I had a problem. I was not to be there when the owner got there. He was worried about my safety. Miss Goofy was visiting my mom.

Music Man was good to his word. About 30 minutes after I talked to him he brought me this:


He told me she was to comfort me while I was there and scared. He also told me to get the hell out of there asap. Nora didn't have a name yet. She did snuggle me a lot and made me feel much better.

I finished up and left as quickly as I could. Fast forward a few days I went to pick up Music Man at work with Miss Goofy. She and I were deciding what to name my lion, who already went nearly everywhere with me. I had no idea what to name her. Miss Goofy wanted to name her Lenny and then con Music Man into buying another one to name Carl (Thank you Matt Groening). She said "Either Lenny or Lenora." I said "then her name is Lenora, cause we're not conning your dad into buying another lion." (Your welcome, Music Man)

I hadn't really thought about the fact that the lion was obviously a male lion. So, I would tease Miss Goofy with Lenora and make up a voice for her and everything. Originally, Music Man and I both did her voice. We had a lot of fun playing with Miss Goofy and pretending that Lenora was going to eat Miss Goofy's pretend llamas. (Don't ask.) Lenora eventually joined Llamas Anonymous and discovered that "Llamas are friends, not food". (And we can thank Disney/Pixar for that one.)

Eventually Lenora's true personality came out, as well as her nickname of Nora. Given the fact that I can't seem to get the attitude for her right, Music Man now does her voice. He also does the voice of Pepito (Pito), Nora's best friend and partner in crime and also a llama. (I told you she reformed) I however, do the voice of Elsie, Pito's elephant. Well, she started as Pito's and was very quiet and shy. Then she hung out with Nora. Now she's neither quiet nor shy.

I'm writing a children's book with Nora and all of her friends, seeing as I now have two small laundry baskets full of them. I have toned Nora down in the book though, I object to that much swearing in children's books.

Um, yeah, I don't think this will work with my family

Okay, so I was reading an article on WikiHow. It was actually pretty funny and I know it wasn't intended to be, but you should read it anyway. It's pretty well, self explanatory. So, I thought I would comment on this article. I can't help myself.

Let's start with the title of the article. (Really you have to read it. I'm not giving anything away here) Seriously, if you can't do this already, I don't think this article will help any.

Step 1 in my house is likely to get a sarcastic remark. Please don't state the obvious around us. We're likely to decide you're an idiot and stop listening.

Step 2A, um, can you say tough? Really, you think this will work? Have you met my family? Not to be unsympathetic or anything, but grow up, life's going to be like that sometimes.

Same with step 2B.

Step 3. As my now deceased father would say, "How's it feel to want?"

Step 4. Good luck with that.

Really and truly I understand the point of this exercise. I know some people need this information. But seriously if you are reading that article going, "Wow, I never thought of that," then you're probably related to me and there's really no hope for you. If you're reading that and thinking it sounds stupid and pointless and your fists are a better way of getting your point across, then yeah you might need anger management classes but I doubt this article will help much. I think most articles like this are written by someone with someone in particular in mind. Let's face it, the person you're thinking of won't read the article. It's just going to be someone like me who is laughing myself silly at you. Sorry, if you're a woman, then get it through your head, either he's a guy and he's not going to change, get over him. Or you're a guy and you need to grow a set. Good luck either way.

Helping The WeatherGod and DolphinLady Move

I know I've been home for days and haven't posted anything. I needed time to recover and think of really good captions. So, first I need to add that there are 2 new people in these pictures. One is, as Music Man calls him, The Butcher of Berkley. Okay they don't live in Berkley, but he does run the Gross Anatomy lab at a University near but not in Berkley, there are others around there. The other is his wife, Miss PT. PT is standing for Physical Therapist. These are 2 of my favorite people in the world and I don't say that about just anyone. Nor am I saying it because Miss PT volunteered to help us when we finally get to move. Okay, now on to the pictures.

Problem #1- The Cabinet. This cabinet was right against the stairs in the old place. To get the box spring up the stairs when they moved in we had to tip this cabinet out of the way. To get the box spring down the stairs, we moved the cabinet to one side. That is Miss PT holding the cabinet.


The WeatherGod and Miss PT easily brought the box spring down the stairs. That's the WeatherGod holding onto the box spring.


Making it very easy for Music Man (he's the bald one), and The Butcher (he's the one grimacing) to hold the box spring and bring it the rest of the way down the stairs and out the door to the waiting truck.


Here is The Butcher guiding the cabinet back into it's spot. We managed to mess up the linoleum moving that stupid cabinet. Oh and The Butcher is the one who was guiding the cabinet because he was the one who could fit back there.


Problem #2-The Railing and a turn. Okay so Music Man had a plan. We'll call it plan A. Take off the front door and the door to the entry closet. Then hope the box spring will make the turn right there by the front door.


Here's that pesky closet door coming right at me. I was doing what I do best, avoiding physical labor by claiming someone had to take pictures. Music Man only aimed for my head with the door a little. And yes, the WeatherGod is laughing at me trying to scramble out of the way while I take a picture.


Out the front door and up the stairs. We hope nice and easy.


So much for nice and easy. See in the middle of the picture, that's where the box spring got caught on the railing.



Time for plan B. Which really was plan B1 and B2, they were the same plan just turning the box spring.


Let's just say that when the swearing was over we moved on to plan C.


What are they doing you ask? What anyone would do at this point. Making DolphinLady very unhappy and worried.


And this is how we got the box spring up the stairs.


Yes, we removed the railing. It was the only way. And we didn't break anything. Although I am sure we amused the hell out of The WeatherGod and DolphinLady's new neighbors. All in all it was a lot of fun and has made me really miss them all. I could do without helping anyone move for a while. Now you may be asking why Music Man was so willing to help given the difficulties. Here's why:


This was my mother's piano. My dad, the cranky old man, gave it to my daughter when Mom passed away. My daughter started piano lessons a couple of years ago. The harp in the piano is wrought iron. The two front legs, you can only really see one of them in the picture, are for decoration only. You can't put any weight on them. It is a heavy piano and it is fast approaching antique status depending on how you define an antique. It is 45 years old and both my daughter and I love the thing. We are lucky to have several volunteers to help us when we finally do move. Thankfully. Oh and Music Man told me the other day, it's okay he has a plan for moving it. DolphinLady, when we're ready to move would you please distract me while they move the piano? I'd really appreciate it.

10 Years Ago

This is what happened 10 years ago today:


We went from being individuals to a family.


I love this man so much for being ready to be a husband and a father. Wasn't Miss Goofy a cute little thing? Not that she's not now, now she's just taller.

(Forgive the pictures being slightly crooked, I was in a hurry and my scanner is weird about that sometimes.) But at least I included pictures of myself this time. I'll put up some of us today when we get back from our trip.

Nora is excited

Nora wants me to tell you:

She's excited about our trip this weekend.






Pito wants me to tell you:

He's much calmer than Nora.
(But he's still excited, he'll be bursting soon!)

Random Pictures

Okay so Miss Goofy and I have way, way too much time on our hands.

This is our dog, Courage. He likes to sleep on the bathroom floor. Especially when it's over 90 outside. He's a rather large dog.



This is my cat, Thatcher. He is also of the large variety. And he likes to sleep on my dad's bed, probably to get away from the dog.



I know it looks sort of like the same cat, but this is my dad's cat, Scrawny. He's the old man of the group.

There was a picture that Miss Goofy took of me saying, "If you're going to take the picture, do it already!" I left that one off. It was terrible. No offense Miss Goofy. You take fine pictures of the cats, however I'm not a cat. Better luck next time.

On My Mind 2

I have a lot on my mind. Sadly it seems to be mostly songs.

We're getting ready to go help The Weather God and DolphinLady move this weekend. It should be fun. Especially since DolphinLady tells me that they are already 80% moved. It's mostly the heavy stuff that we need to take care of. And you know what that means, I don't have much to do! Yeah!!! I am going to take my camera and plan to take lots of pictures, which means I will probably forget the camera in the car and take like 2 pictures of my toes. I need a life.

Speaking of pictures, here are some from our trip. This is the turtle that was in the middle of the road at one of the rest stops. Isn't he cute?




This is Music Man waving at me so I'll stop taking his picture while he's driving.



This is Miss Goofy sleeping.


This is Miss Goofy not appreciating me taking her picture while she was asleep.



This is Nora and Pito. They go on long trips with us. And short ones too. Like down the street to look at the sheep grazing in the field next to us, and to KMart to buy new batteries for the camera, and to Sonic for Hot Fudge Sundaes and to the big city for grocery shopping. By the way, never take a lion and a llama grocery shopping.



And by the way they belong to me, not Miss Goofy.

These are my toes.


Bet you thought I was going to show you what I look like, ha ha! And those funny spots on my feet are from my sandals. My feet don't normally have weird patterns like that.

This is part of the thunderstorm that hit us while were driving.



And that's about all the pictures I have for today. Just thought I'd share before I go out of town.

Fathers

I wanted to take a few minutes to talk about fathers. The way I see it there are two kinds of fathers: Fathers and Dads.

Father: someone to whom you have a biological connection
Dad: someone to whom you have an emotional connection

Further there are two kinds of Dads: those who start as a Father and grow into a Dad and those who start as a friend and grow into a Dad

Music Man is not Miss Goofy's father. Technically he is her step father and has been for nearly 10 years. However, if you have seen them together, you may not know this. I've been out with the two of them and they've been goofing around together or chattering and agreeing on odd topics and heard people talk about how nice it is to see a father and daughter get along so well. Or been told by store clerks and waiters how my step daughter and her father look so much alike. It really is quite amusing. I love the fact that MM is her dad. She looks to him for guidance and for her value as a woman, something all little girls do. I was very lucky to find MM when I did. My baby was growing up without that and it pained me so much.

The Cranky Old Man is my step father too. My own dad died about a month before I turned 13 and although I had a wonderful father, that hole that was left when he died is still there. It's eased only by a wonderful man who also took up the role of dad. I can go to him and talk to him about anything. He's kind and understanding and never set out to take the place of my dad. He set out to be my friend and became my dad quickly. I have a lot of memories of my father and will always love him, but I count myself blessed that after he was gone, my mom was able to find someone who would become my dad.

And recently there is a new man in my life who has the potential to be a dad/granddad to me. MM's uncle is a kind, wise man. He is helping to fill the void left by my grandpa's illness.

Then there was the original Cranky Old Man. My Dad's step father. My biological dad's step father that is. He insisted that my mother never call him "Grandpa" around us kids. He wanted it to come from us kids, if it came at all. It came very early and was heartfelt.

So, to all the men in my life past and present, Happy Dad's Day. You are the backbone of my life and I love and adore you all.

Our Song

I will celebrate my 10th wedding anniversary in 9 days. Okay Music Man and I will celebrate our anniversary in 9 days. In all that time we've never had "Our Song". We've had songs that express something about how we feel about each other, songs that struck a chord within us for some reason, songs that we both love. We never found one that perfectly explained us. If you ever wanted to know how Music Man and I got together than listen to "Some Girls Do" by Sawyer Brown. The situations were different but it captures the essence of the beginning of our relationship.

On My Mind

So, I’m trying to figure out what to write today and I’ve decided I should just put down some of the random thoughts I’m having this morning.

1) I never did get an email confirming the e-card I sent my uncle. I don’t think it went through for some reason. I think I need to resend it.

2) Its weird how just eating real food makes me feel so much better and I’m not gaining tons of weight.

3) I wonder why Garth Brooks radio on Pandora radio doesn’t play Toby Keith.

4) Hey, my Travis Tritt song, “It’s A Great Day To Be Alive” is on

5) I need to run the shower cleaner again

6) I must remember to pack the first aid kit when we go help DolphinLady and The Weather God move

7) I miss Music Man

8) I’m getting all sappy

9) My desk is a mess – I better add clean desk to tomorrow’s list

10) I had to create a Toby Keith Pandora station

11) Why am I in such a good mood in the morning and so emotional when Music Man gets home from work? (Music Man might want an answer to this one too)

12) I must get up early tomorrow morning and do the yoga workout on Lifetime

13) Why do I keep saying yogurt instead of yoga?

Okay, this could get really long and boring and I think I should stop for now. Besides I just realized I can dust the house now and then I don’t have to do it later. Not the brightest crayon in the box, am I?

Helping Those In Need

I should be a better person. I should help those in need more often. Over the weekend, I reached out to someone in need. I felt compelled to help someone less fortunate than I. Mainly cause Music Man woke my snoring self up and made me go with him. So, maybe compelled isn't the right word. Maybe poked, prodded and threatened until I finally got out of bed, dressed and had staggered to the truck. Then I was ready to go. Back to bed and avoid the whole thing.

Just kidding. Mostly. Anyhow, we did drive to Boss Man's house and help him move his almost ex-wife to her own duplex. That he pays for, furnishes, and does all kinds of general repairs. All I could think was, "Man she's got a sweet deal". When my ex-husband and I split up like 14 and a half years ago, I paid for the apartment, the furniture, did the repairs that needed to be done, and still managed to send him a "loan" to get his car running. I think I got robbed. Of course we were only married for a total of 13 months before we officially split up. Still, Boss Man's wife is lucky that he's a nice guy.

It wasn't too bad helping them get her moved, I really didn't do much but take a couple of drawers and some pillows in the house. I also gave Boss Man a bandage when he got a cardboard paper cut and was bleeding all over his truck and her boxes. Fortunately, I've moved with Music Man before and I was prepared with a first aid kit. Not that I'm saying MM is clumsy or accident prone, just that I should have been a girl scout. All in all it wasn't too bad, Boss Man was in pretty good spirits, probably because he's tired of arguing with her, and she was very polite and nice to me. She was little snippy with Boss Man and MM got to experience her less than nice tendencies, but it could have been a lot worse. She was a little horrified to accidentally call him "Babe" once but it happens. It's a hard habit to break.

I watched most of Game 6 of the Stanley Cup final on last Wednesday. It wasn't as exciting a game as last Monday's. Except for Detroit winning the Cup. I would have enjoyed a game 7, but as we went grocery shopping Friday night, I wouldn't have been able to see the game, so it worked out in the end. I was happy for Detroit though. They are one of my favorite teams.

On Sunday, the Cranky Old Man, was thinking it was Father's Day and suggested we all go out to breakfast. Should we have told him it wasn't Father's Day yet? Just kidding, Music Man told him, before we left the house. After breakfast MM and I ran over to the nearest Mart. Not the one with a Wal, the one with a K. He had seen a few things in the ad that he wanted to look at and decide if he wanted. And while the weight bench that he chose was too light weight for him, we did get a new chair for the bedroom. It's a swivel-rocker-glider with an ottoman. It's very comfy. If only they had drilled the holes for the armrest correctly. It would have made the assembling of the chair much easier and faster. Oh well, the chair is assembled and I have had a lot of fun, sitting in it, gliding and saying repeatedly, "Wheeeee!" Poor Music Man, he had no idea how easily I was amused before this, you'd think after 10 years he'd have known.

On a sad note, I hope everyone will pray for my sister, her husband and her husband's family. Her husband's only brother was killed recently in a motorcycle accident. To further complicate things he was out of the country when he died and having his remains shipped home was proving to be very stressful. Just keep them in your prayers that they will be comforted during this painful time.

Trees, Trees, Everywhere There's Trees

So, for 10 years Music Man constantly went on about how many trees there were in Oklahoma. And how there aren't enough here in California. It got kind of old if you want to know the truth.

We finally got to go to Oklahoma last month and what did Music Man say about the trees? "There's too many trees here", "When did all these trees get here?", "I don't remember all these trees".

It was really kind of funny. Now the part of Oklahoma that Music Man is from is heavily wooded and is on the edge of the Ozarks. So what he was expecting must have been from a child's perspective. My only other theory is that he got hit harder on the head 4 years ago than even I thought. Either way, there are a lot of trees in that part of Oklahoma. I really loved it. Except for the allergies.

I didn't even mind them too much. Although I may have to learn to function with Claritin in my system if I go back. Or rather when we go back and visit again. I found the place to be really beautiful. I would love to put pictures of the trip up and show everyone how beautiful it was, but I didn't take any pictures of Oklahoma. I don't know why. I just know I didn't.

I did however get some wonderful shots of Nora and Pito. If you don't know who they are, count your blessings. Maybe I'll post those pictures. We'll see.

Now, I'm gearing up to drive (no, not again!) to the Bay area and help DolphinLady and The Weather God move, only 16 more days until we leave.

That will make 2 moves for friends this month. The Weather God and his goddess, and Music Man managed to get conned into helping his boss with moving his soon to be ex-wife into an apartment. When he realized he'd been conned, Music Man said something along the lines of "I have a piano you get to help me move." I believe Boss Man will attempt to be busy that day. That's okay, Music Man knows where all Boss Man's files are located and how to delete them. (***Not that Music Man or I would ever do that sort of thing or suggest anyone else do that***)

And as of now, we're looking for a house. We've found a few but we're still looking around and deciding exactly where we want to be. More about that another time.