18 posts from October 2006

Did you dress up today?  See any good costumes?

No, I didn't dress up for H'ween today.  I did see a great costume, but it was last Friday when we had our H'ween party at work.  Because I'm old and feeble, I can't take a sharp photo with my cell phone to save my life.  I know, modern technology is wasted on the decrepit like me.

This is Wayne who made this Jedi costume.  Yes, made, as in hand-sewn.  It is impressively AWESOME!  I assure you, it looks much better in person.  And not so blurry.  (Sorry Wayne!)

Jedi

...this weekend - Yes!  The only reason I'm happy is that I "get" an extra hour of sleep!  This is huge to me considering I don't get enough sleep at all.  And, I know it's my fault.  My sleep habits are really bad and I totally own up to it.  The worst thing is that I'm passing these bad habits on to my son.  (Bad mommy, bad mommy!)

I wake up - or rather, my alarm wakes me up - at 6:20 am.  In reality, I don't actually get up out of the bed for another 15 minutes.  Once I'm up and have my coffee, I'm all go go go.

Fast forward to afternoon, in the office, imagining the worst 3:00 slump ever.  It doesn't help that my dietary habits are bad also but at this point in time, I've had my daily requirements (& then some) of salt, sugar, carbs and caffeine.  I'm sitting at my desk, the sound of the fan whirring at my feet, the lull of my computer and the drop in my blood sugar are nothing but an invitation to nap.  Being that I have an office once again, it's tempting to shut the door and take advantage, but with my luck, one of the stuffed shirts will come by and crash in on me snoring away.  So, what do I do?  I ingest more caffeine.  Or sugar.  Or, in most cases, both.  Good times...

Back at home, I'm cooking/finding/making dinner, going through mail, paying bills, checking email, putting dishes away and catching my shows.  Ninety-nine percent of the time, I squeeze in a nap during that time.  Yes, I said a nap.  Unfortunately, this "nap" usually starts at 9:00 and ends at 11:30.  This is bad.  This is bad on at least a couple of levels.  First, it cuts into my quality sleep time.  I sleep soundly for a couple hours, wake up and finish my chores and go to bed at sometimes 2:00 or 3:00 a.m.  Secondly, it's a bad example for my son, who like me, has turned into a notorious night owl.  Not a good habit for anyone.

So now, with the "extra" hour of sleep I'll get this weekend, it will make all the difference in the world, right?

What's the weirdest thing you've ever eaten? 
Submitted by Megan.

When I was younger, I ate all kinds of weird ish!  It was normal for the time and place, and of course, the parents had something to do with it.  Back then, it could have been a toss-up between blood pudding or squid jerky (none of which I've eaten since).  It's no wonder that I've become the pickiest of eaters the moment I began to talk.  The "weirdest" thing I've had as an adult is eel sushi.  And I've never had sushi since.

Fend-Bend

My car is nearing it's 30,000 mile maintenance check up.  There is a dealership nearby in Tustin which is very convenient, that I take it to for routine oil changes, tire rotation, and the like.  The mechanics are decent, the prices are reasonable and it's close to Costco which I ritually swing by after appointments.  I totally believe in taking care of my vehicle.  When I got into a little fender bender a couple of years ago, it pained me to see my car so....dented.  Fortunately, it was repaired in no time, and all is good as new.

My car isn't exactly the cleanest in the lot.  Most of the time, I'm too lazy to take it to the car wash.  No matter what time of year it is, taking my car to the car wash is akin to a Native American rain dance.  My car remains clean on the average of a day before rain/bird poop/leaves/tree sap/mud/sprinklers/various other crap appears on it.    As much of a neat-freak I am, I just cannot seem to keep up the same standards for my car. To my OCD bretheren, I am a failure in that respect.

The interior isn't so bad.  I do try to keep strewn trash to a minimum, which is not easy with my son, who is the Oscar to my Felix, casually tossing straw wrappers and various other confetti-type trash around.  The only thing I have in the back seat area is an outdated Thomas Guide and a random, half-empty water bottle.  In the trunk, I have a 12-pack of Diet Cherry Coke that still hasn't made it to my office, a pair of jeans I need to return to The Limited, half a dozen Marie Callendar pie tins that I meant to return (in exchange for some more yummy pie!), various other half-empty water bottles and a car duster.  Could be worse, but because I don't exactly have a lot of room in the trunk, it does appear to be just a bit crowded.

So why do I dread taking my car to the dealership, or the car wash, or anywhere anyone can see the inside of it?!  There is a stain in it.  Stay with me here.  The inside of my car is navy blue (to contrast the steel-metal blue on the outside).  The dark color typically hides stains quite well.  I rarely eat in my car, and certainly don't try especially if I have to drive at the same time!  My son eats in my car, but he knows better than to spill anything anywhere.  However, I have a penchant for Coldstone Ice Cream.

People who are familiar with Coldstone will know that THAT is ice cream!  I typically get the "gotta have it" size (translation:huge).  For awhile, my favorite was cake batter ice cream with toasted almond pieces mixed in.  (I've since been addicted to the Banana Split Decision creation!)  And I wonder why I find it hard to lose weight - BAH!!

I will drive to Coldstone, get my "gotta have it" - sized ginormous ice cream creation and carefully try to balance it on my lap as I attempt to drive home while eating/balancing/trying not to get it all over myself.  On one particularly hot day in the inland area, I was cradling my much-coveted Coldstone ice cream in its chocolate-tipped waffle bowl between my legs as I was driving.  Much, much to my chagrin, a lot of it had spilled onto my pants...and onto my car seat.  I was sad that my precious ice cream went to waste on my clothing, but what I didn't realize until much later, was how embarrassed I would be at the white stain the ice cream would leave on my car seat!

I tried water, soap and water, Oxy Clean and Resolve all to no avail.  Though not as noticable as it was at first, there is no mistake that there is a big. white-ish. stain on the SEAT of my car.    (sigh!)   If anyone has any suggestions as to what will get rid of it without discoloring the seat or drenching it entirely (I still have to drive it everywhere I go), it would  be greatly appreciated.

In the meantime, out of sheer embarrassment, I will continue to avoid direct eye contact with mechanics and car wash employees.

How many computers do you have in your house? 
Submitted by Foomper.

If we're talking PCs, there are two - my laptop and my son's desktop.

What are your top 25 most played songs? 
Submitted by Cooxie.  

A few I'd like to argue, but according to the Authority known as my iPod :

1. Don't Stop Me Now - Queen

2. Push It - Salt & Pepa

3. Push It- Static X

4. We Like To Party - Venga Boys

5. Lady Killers - Lush

6. Dream Team Is - LA Dream Team

7. Ladykiller - The Vandals

8. Under Pressure - Queen & David Bowie

9. Rock Lobster - B52s

10. I'm Not Ok - My Chemical Romance

11. Istanbul (Not Constantinople) - They Might Be Giants

12. Why Don't You Get A Job - The Offspring

13. I Want You So Hard - Eagles of Death Metal

14. Pretty Fly (For A White Guy) - The Offspring

15. Jump Around - House Of Pain

16. Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen

17. Walk This Way - Aerosmith & Run DMC

18. Renegades of Funk - Rage Against the Machine

19. The Walk - The Cure

20. Bombs Away - Paris, Texas

21. Uncle Harry (Pissing in a Bar) - The Living End

22. Hate - Plain White T's

23. Killing In The Name Of - Rage Against the Machine

24. Welcome to The Black Parade - My Chemical Romance

25. London Bridge - Fergie

Which cartoon character best represents you? 
Submitted by Know It All.

 

 

Happy Ren

Except for the fact that I'm not a gay male afghan-hound chihuahua, l mostly identify with Ren Hoek from Ren & Stimpy.  He's tense, highly irritable and often tells people [they're] "stupeeed eeeeeideeeot[s]." I especially feel his pain when Stimpy invents the hat that makes him happy against his will and ends up dancing to Happy Happy Joy Joy.

What's your favorite thing to shop for? 
Submitted by JadedButterfly.

If I'm shopping for myself -- everything!  I know what I like.  Otherwise, if I'm shopping for a gift, unless I know exactly what to get, it can be a frustrating experience.

If you are going to dress up for Halloween, what will you be? Why? 
Submitted by Auweea.

I don't need to "dress up" for Halloween -- my everyday look is scary enough as is!

What was your very first job? 
Submitted by Laurel.

Retail.  A little clothing shop in the mall.  As much as I loved to shop for clothes, waiting on others was just boring and thankless.  If there's anything I learned, I enjoy being the shopper much more than the clerk.