I have been asked to ‘meme’.
Normally I don’t, but the list is short, and Ace is my pal.
10 Things I've Never Done
(hmm, perhaps I should add…and will not do,
and that is of course why I have not)
1. jumped out of a plane
2. jumped off anything tethered by a big rubber band
3. given birth
4. written a song
5. gone on safari
6. been shot out of a canon
7. eaten frogs legs
8. had surgery
9. broken a bone
10. taken a cruise (…well this one I actually want to do)
Friday, May 27, 2005
EB
I am pretty much a walking advertisement for Eddie Bauer. They should actually just send me clothes for free. (hmm, perhaps I will call them later to discuss). For example right now both my shirt and pants are EB – wrinkle resistant of course.
When you are a middle aged woman…and you find something that works – go with it, don’t ask questions, just whip out the credit card.
They love to send me email.
I get the mail, I click the link.
It’s a reflex, and they know that.
That’s why they send it to me…
They are marketing geniuses.
Of course I got some mail from them this morning.
Gotta go shop now.
Whaddya think of these? Ooo gotta have ‘em.
When you are a middle aged woman…and you find something that works – go with it, don’t ask questions, just whip out the credit card.
They love to send me email.
I get the mail, I click the link.
It’s a reflex, and they know that.
That’s why they send it to me…
They are marketing geniuses.
Of course I got some mail from them this morning.
Gotta go shop now.
Whaddya think of these? Ooo gotta have ‘em.
Wednesday, May 25, 2005
W
Wednesday. 'W' day.
Remember on Sesame Street they always had a letter to sponsor each day.
Today, kids is 'W' day.
W is for Weigh-In day. Can you say 'Unsightly bulge', kids.
So I am in two... well, I guess you would call them competitions. Two weightloss competitions. One here at the office, and one at home with the family.
Our family competition is fun. It started with the daughter and me. We both wanted to take off the 'last few' pounds. So we decided to do it together. Ferris wanted to get involved as he is trying to bulk up this summer in anticipation of the next wrestling season. With his numbers consistently rising we figured it would just make us look better on the chart. We later added my svelte wife as our 'constant'.
The competition is going well - the daughter has been steadily losing, Ferris gaining nicely, my wife remains steady.
At work a small group of us got together for a Weight-Off. No one in the group is particularly heavy. We all just want to drop a couple extra pounds. The goal of this competition was to loose 7% of your body weight. Today, two people in the competition will reach their goal weights. They must remain at this goal for 2 more weigh ins after today.
As for me... well, lets just say I am exploring new methods. Today's weigh-in will put me at my starting weight on both charts. But I am resilient. I am not giving in.
I have a new plan.
The really good news is that 'W' is also for Wednesday Wings Night!
Hot wings and a pitcher of beer makes everything right in the world.
Remember on Sesame Street they always had a letter to sponsor each day.
Today, kids is 'W' day.
W is for Weigh-In day. Can you say 'Unsightly bulge', kids.
So I am in two... well, I guess you would call them competitions. Two weightloss competitions. One here at the office, and one at home with the family.
Our family competition is fun. It started with the daughter and me. We both wanted to take off the 'last few' pounds. So we decided to do it together. Ferris wanted to get involved as he is trying to bulk up this summer in anticipation of the next wrestling season. With his numbers consistently rising we figured it would just make us look better on the chart. We later added my svelte wife as our 'constant'.
The competition is going well - the daughter has been steadily losing, Ferris gaining nicely, my wife remains steady.
At work a small group of us got together for a Weight-Off. No one in the group is particularly heavy. We all just want to drop a couple extra pounds. The goal of this competition was to loose 7% of your body weight. Today, two people in the competition will reach their goal weights. They must remain at this goal for 2 more weigh ins after today.
As for me... well, lets just say I am exploring new methods. Today's weigh-in will put me at my starting weight on both charts. But I am resilient. I am not giving in.
I have a new plan.
The really good news is that 'W' is also for Wednesday Wings Night!
Hot wings and a pitcher of beer makes everything right in the world.
Tuesday, May 24, 2005
44°
As I sat down to my computer this morning my little Weather Bug icon was chirping at me. The weather bug will display the current temp in the toolbar. I felt like turning it off this morning. I just didn't want to know.
But I had to look. 44 degrees.
It's the end of May folks.
Inclement weather usually doesn't bother me. I love rainy days, and I don't get all wired if we have a rainy season.
But 44... enough is enough.
But I had to look. 44 degrees.
It's the end of May folks.
Inclement weather usually doesn't bother me. I love rainy days, and I don't get all wired if we have a rainy season.
But 44... enough is enough.
Friday, May 20, 2005
Priorities
In my never-ending battle with my middle-age spread I have incorporated a daily walk into my regular work day routine. I have heard, or maybe I read it online somewhere that diet and exercise are key to weight loss (huh).
This walk however, changes my routine. I am all about routine. Rainman had nothing on me. So now I am walking when I am normally blogging. This puts a wrinkle in my universe, but its the best I can come up with.
I considered a walk before work, but this would change my morning routine. Not good. Mornings must remain as morning are. A change in my morning routine could throw off evolution as we know it. If you believe in the premise of Its a Wonderful Life; how the course of one life affects so many others - then really you don't want to go messing with my morning routine.
After work is fine - and actually my fit wife and I do walk 3 to 4 times a week together with the Free Dog. This is a whole diffent kind of walk and really that is a whole 'nother entry....more on this later.
My daily work-walks are really just so I get up out of my chair each day and let the blood actually get from one spot up through the heart and out to another. Remember, if you don't have your health....
So, in order to blog I will have to displace some other part of my day.
What is the obvious answer...yup. Work.
Gonna have to sacrifice some actual work.
I imagine this will take some time to adjust to - so if my blogging is sparce for a week or two, this is why. I am simply adjusting.
Will I be getting any thinner while I adjust - this remains to be seen.
This walk however, changes my routine. I am all about routine. Rainman had nothing on me. So now I am walking when I am normally blogging. This puts a wrinkle in my universe, but its the best I can come up with.
I considered a walk before work, but this would change my morning routine. Not good. Mornings must remain as morning are. A change in my morning routine could throw off evolution as we know it. If you believe in the premise of Its a Wonderful Life; how the course of one life affects so many others - then really you don't want to go messing with my morning routine.
After work is fine - and actually my fit wife and I do walk 3 to 4 times a week together with the Free Dog. This is a whole diffent kind of walk and really that is a whole 'nother entry....more on this later.
My daily work-walks are really just so I get up out of my chair each day and let the blood actually get from one spot up through the heart and out to another. Remember, if you don't have your health....
So, in order to blog I will have to displace some other part of my day.
What is the obvious answer...yup. Work.
Gonna have to sacrifice some actual work.
I imagine this will take some time to adjust to - so if my blogging is sparce for a week or two, this is why. I am simply adjusting.
Will I be getting any thinner while I adjust - this remains to be seen.
Tuesday, May 17, 2005
It doesn't take much
I am all freaked out about the environment again.
I had a doctor’s appointment yesterday, and she got a bit behind in her schedule, leaving me in the waiting room for ½ hour with a National Geographic magazine. I should not be left unsupervised with such magazines.
I read this article on oil consumption and supply. It had charts and diagrams and pictures of 10mpg SUV’s. It basically outlined how we are heading for crisis, and that we are forced to find oil in more far reaching places. There were lovely graphics showing just how much oil is left and where. Do you know how much oil you use each day? Each person in America uses 3 gallons a day. And there are A LOT of us.
My environmentally friendly wife read me excerpts from a similar article in Time magazine last week. The news is not good folks. We really should be paying a little more attention.
Add to this, that this morning I started to read an article about the rising sea levels caused by global warming. Evidently, folks seem to think that we have made such environmental progress since the 1970’s (which we actually have – our water supply and air are in fact cleaner) that they no longer need to really pay attention to what’s going on now. All that trapped contaminated air up there eating at the ozone, ever so slightly warming up the polar caps causing a bit of melting action, raising the sea levels a little at a time.
We had actually been thinking of buying a little cape close to the shore. But now, maybe we’ll just wait. See how this whole thing plays out. We may be just sitting on some beach front property.
I had a doctor’s appointment yesterday, and she got a bit behind in her schedule, leaving me in the waiting room for ½ hour with a National Geographic magazine. I should not be left unsupervised with such magazines.
I read this article on oil consumption and supply. It had charts and diagrams and pictures of 10mpg SUV’s. It basically outlined how we are heading for crisis, and that we are forced to find oil in more far reaching places. There were lovely graphics showing just how much oil is left and where. Do you know how much oil you use each day? Each person in America uses 3 gallons a day. And there are A LOT of us.
My environmentally friendly wife read me excerpts from a similar article in Time magazine last week. The news is not good folks. We really should be paying a little more attention.
Add to this, that this morning I started to read an article about the rising sea levels caused by global warming. Evidently, folks seem to think that we have made such environmental progress since the 1970’s (which we actually have – our water supply and air are in fact cleaner) that they no longer need to really pay attention to what’s going on now. All that trapped contaminated air up there eating at the ozone, ever so slightly warming up the polar caps causing a bit of melting action, raising the sea levels a little at a time.
We had actually been thinking of buying a little cape close to the shore. But now, maybe we’ll just wait. See how this whole thing plays out. We may be just sitting on some beach front property.
Monday, May 16, 2005
Real TV
This is not the first time that TV has ticked me off. Surely won’t be the last.
On Saturday afternoon, Ferris was recouping on the couch.
He was flipping around the channels, bouncing around to a couple ball games, some action/thriller type movie and MTV every once in awhile – typical TV watching with Ferris (which is why I rarely watch TV with him).
On one of my trips through the room I noticed this show he was watching about kids of celebrities. I sat down for a moment to watch.
The show seemed to be about just how fantastic their lives were. So posh and full of everything a kid could want. One segment was on the Travolta kids. They told an anecdote of the first time their daughter took a commercial flight – she wanted to know why there were all those people on the plane. Because of course, she is used to just the family being on Dad’s luxury jet. They showed pics of his jet too. Now I don’t know much about private jets – but this was a pretty amazing plane.
They also interviewed some rappers kid who is on his local football team, and the dad spends gobs of money on the team and chauffeuring them around in limo’s and such to their games.
I have a real problem with this type of programming aimed at kids and adolescents.
Its one thing if an ADULT wants to watch Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous. Some I suppose watch to torture themselves, others may watch just out of morbid curiosity. Some simply find it interesting or amusing.
Either way – we are ADULTS. Whether we have a grasp on reality or not, we process this sort of information differently. I can watch Animal Planet all day and not run out to the local shelter and bring all the pets home (ok, well there have been some close calls there). Kids don’t have such emotional restraint. Kids don’t have a grasp on their own socio-economic status. Kids don’t have the maturity to deal with the pressures of economic standing. And really …why should they – they’re kids.
I know, I know, before you start commenting on how parents should be limiting what their children watch… I completely agree. My point is – who thinks this stuff up, who approves it, who creates it – that’s a whole huge team of really stupid people. If one of you out there reading this blog created this show, you will hear no apologies from me. I suggest you find other work, might I suggest the Peace Corps, or perhaps simply a little community service.
I think this kind of television is more damaging than R rated movies.
Now Disney has been making movies about rich kids for ages. They are feel good movies where the kids get to figure out that it’s not the money that’s important, and then they adopt the butler or some such nonsense. It’s cute, it’s not real, it’s a STORY – usually with some semblance of a moral.
This show is reality. The cold hard facts that some are rich and most are not. And those who ARE rich have great stuff, and great lives and get to have TV shows made about them.
I hate TV.
On Saturday afternoon, Ferris was recouping on the couch.
He was flipping around the channels, bouncing around to a couple ball games, some action/thriller type movie and MTV every once in awhile – typical TV watching with Ferris (which is why I rarely watch TV with him).
On one of my trips through the room I noticed this show he was watching about kids of celebrities. I sat down for a moment to watch.
The show seemed to be about just how fantastic their lives were. So posh and full of everything a kid could want. One segment was on the Travolta kids. They told an anecdote of the first time their daughter took a commercial flight – she wanted to know why there were all those people on the plane. Because of course, she is used to just the family being on Dad’s luxury jet. They showed pics of his jet too. Now I don’t know much about private jets – but this was a pretty amazing plane.
They also interviewed some rappers kid who is on his local football team, and the dad spends gobs of money on the team and chauffeuring them around in limo’s and such to their games.
I have a real problem with this type of programming aimed at kids and adolescents.
Its one thing if an ADULT wants to watch Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous. Some I suppose watch to torture themselves, others may watch just out of morbid curiosity. Some simply find it interesting or amusing.
Either way – we are ADULTS. Whether we have a grasp on reality or not, we process this sort of information differently. I can watch Animal Planet all day and not run out to the local shelter and bring all the pets home (ok, well there have been some close calls there). Kids don’t have such emotional restraint. Kids don’t have a grasp on their own socio-economic status. Kids don’t have the maturity to deal with the pressures of economic standing. And really …why should they – they’re kids.
I know, I know, before you start commenting on how parents should be limiting what their children watch… I completely agree. My point is – who thinks this stuff up, who approves it, who creates it – that’s a whole huge team of really stupid people. If one of you out there reading this blog created this show, you will hear no apologies from me. I suggest you find other work, might I suggest the Peace Corps, or perhaps simply a little community service.
I think this kind of television is more damaging than R rated movies.
Now Disney has been making movies about rich kids for ages. They are feel good movies where the kids get to figure out that it’s not the money that’s important, and then they adopt the butler or some such nonsense. It’s cute, it’s not real, it’s a STORY – usually with some semblance of a moral.
This show is reality. The cold hard facts that some are rich and most are not. And those who ARE rich have great stuff, and great lives and get to have TV shows made about them.
I hate TV.
Sunday, May 15, 2005
Friday, May 13, 2005
Prom Night
We live on one of the main roads in town. I enjoy this tremendously – well… except for the obvious street noise. When we are out in the front yard someone always drives by and beeps. On a warm sunny day, folks will stop on their way by to chat for a moment through the car window. Everyone knows where we live, everyone knows its Ferris’ house. And EVERYONE knows Ferris.
It can be fun to know that most folks in town will be driving by your house. When our PeeWee Pop Warner football team won the State game – we hung the Championship banner on our house; when the daughter graduated high school we hung a banner high up from the second floor windows proclaiming her achievement. Everyone in town got to see them – you can’t do that living on a cul-de-sac.
Tonight is Prom night in our town.
In years past, we would get all excited on this spring Friday night. Grab a cocktail and a rocker on the porch and watch the limos go up and down our street, trying to peek in and see the kids all cleaned up and spiffy. The flurry would only last ½ hour or so. And then we knew they were off on their way… all nervous and smelling pretty – perhaps having a little pre-dinner cocktail themselves.
This year Ferris will be in one of those limos. We will watch them drive by hoping to peek in and see the kids all cleaned up and spiffy.
Thankful for the limo driver while we all enjoy our pre-dinner cocktail.
It can be fun to know that most folks in town will be driving by your house. When our PeeWee Pop Warner football team won the State game – we hung the Championship banner on our house; when the daughter graduated high school we hung a banner high up from the second floor windows proclaiming her achievement. Everyone in town got to see them – you can’t do that living on a cul-de-sac.
Tonight is Prom night in our town.
In years past, we would get all excited on this spring Friday night. Grab a cocktail and a rocker on the porch and watch the limos go up and down our street, trying to peek in and see the kids all cleaned up and spiffy. The flurry would only last ½ hour or so. And then we knew they were off on their way… all nervous and smelling pretty – perhaps having a little pre-dinner cocktail themselves.
This year Ferris will be in one of those limos. We will watch them drive by hoping to peek in and see the kids all cleaned up and spiffy.
Thankful for the limo driver while we all enjoy our pre-dinner cocktail.
Thursday, May 12, 2005
Earth Friendly
This morning on my way to work I was behind someone driving one of those Toyota Prius cars. It had a bumper stick that said EAT MY VOLTAGE.
I covet this car.
The styling leaves a little to be desired, but I would drive a Prius before one of those unbelievable cute Mini Coopers.
I covet this car.
The styling leaves a little to be desired, but I would drive a Prius before one of those unbelievable cute Mini Coopers.
Wednesday, May 11, 2005
Environmentally sound
When I went to cut the grass for the first time this season I found my hand mower in a distressing state...
You see, some years back we made a decision on lawn care.
The decision was to simplify. The lawn is too big. So barring moving we wanted to find a way to make it easier for us as we get older (oh..shushies).
I was getting tired of doing full tune ups to small engines each spring. At the time we had two tractors (yup…one for cutting one for hauling) a self propelled hand mower, weed whacker and leaf blower. It was a fleet.
It was… a pain in the ass.
So – Plan A was to get rid of all the equipment and hire a lawn service.
I spent an entire season trying to get accustomed to having a service.
‘Pros’:
- we no longer had to cut the grass
- no more spring tune ups for the fleet
- no more breaking down in the middle of a cut…and wondering how to finish
'Cons':
- no control over the schedule (the lawn should be tidy before entertaining)
- no control over quality (patterning, trimming, clippings etc)
- no control over mishaps (don't get me started)
- the weekly cost(very pricey)
Cost... and me being a control freak led to Plan B.
Plan B was to buy a new tractor… with the caveat to have it serviced each year.
We bought an electric string trimmer -- no engine to deal with (of course we had to make some adjustments to the gardens and edges so that an electric trimmer would suffice) and we bought a non-self propelled hand mower (cheaper, less to break).
Welp. Its seems that ‘servicing’ said hand mower sorta fell through the cracks.
This spring I found it sitting in a puddle of its own oil, gummed up and unwilling to turn over.
Hmm.
I went back out the week after, and tried more fervently to get it to go. Cuz you know, sometimes if you pull harder or faster that works.
Nothing.
I tried just this past weekend again. Just to be sure.
Its over folks.
I could probably have it fixed up for just under a hundred bucks… but that would still leave us with a gas engine to deal with.
Pfft.
So as an amendment to Plan B – we will add THIS to our fleet.
You see, some years back we made a decision on lawn care.
The decision was to simplify. The lawn is too big. So barring moving we wanted to find a way to make it easier for us as we get older (oh..shushies).
I was getting tired of doing full tune ups to small engines each spring. At the time we had two tractors (yup…one for cutting one for hauling) a self propelled hand mower, weed whacker and leaf blower. It was a fleet.
It was… a pain in the ass.
So – Plan A was to get rid of all the equipment and hire a lawn service.
I spent an entire season trying to get accustomed to having a service.
‘Pros’:
- we no longer had to cut the grass
- no more spring tune ups for the fleet
- no more breaking down in the middle of a cut…and wondering how to finish
'Cons':
- no control over the schedule (the lawn should be tidy before entertaining)
- no control over quality (patterning, trimming, clippings etc)
- no control over mishaps (don't get me started)
- the weekly cost(very pricey)
Cost... and me being a control freak led to Plan B.
Plan B was to buy a new tractor… with the caveat to have it serviced each year.
We bought an electric string trimmer -- no engine to deal with (of course we had to make some adjustments to the gardens and edges so that an electric trimmer would suffice) and we bought a non-self propelled hand mower (cheaper, less to break).
Welp. Its seems that ‘servicing’ said hand mower sorta fell through the cracks.
This spring I found it sitting in a puddle of its own oil, gummed up and unwilling to turn over.
Hmm.
I went back out the week after, and tried more fervently to get it to go. Cuz you know, sometimes if you pull harder or faster that works.
Nothing.
I tried just this past weekend again. Just to be sure.
Its over folks.
I could probably have it fixed up for just under a hundred bucks… but that would still leave us with a gas engine to deal with.
Pfft.
So as an amendment to Plan B – we will add THIS to our fleet.
Monday, May 09, 2005
The Zone
Did you watch the Derby on Saturday?
The 131st running of the Kentucky Derby.
The most exciting two minutes in the world of sports.
Whew…what a race, huh.
We saw it from the best seats in the house at the ESPN Zone in Times Square.
We took Ferris and a buddy for his birthday – and literally we had the best spot in the joint… we had the center booth in the ‘screening room’ with two 16 foot screens and a dozen smaller ones each with a different ESPN feed, surrounded by stats and scores on either side. Also there was TV on our table, speakers in our headrests…TV’s in every stall in the bathroom (I will assume over every urinal as well). Not to mention the entire 3rd floor is a grown up video arcade. What a place.
That is …if you like sports.
And what a place to see the race! The place filled up about ½ hour before post time with people pouring in off the streets to pack the bar behind us. The roar when the race started was unbelievable. Barring being right at Churchill Downs – this was the spot to be.
Ferris placed a bet on ‘the rabbit’ cuz he is just that kinda guy. (anyone know who the rabbit was?).
He didn’t win… but he was the front runner out of the gate.
The 131st running of the Kentucky Derby.
The most exciting two minutes in the world of sports.
Whew…what a race, huh.
We saw it from the best seats in the house at the ESPN Zone in Times Square.
We took Ferris and a buddy for his birthday – and literally we had the best spot in the joint… we had the center booth in the ‘screening room’ with two 16 foot screens and a dozen smaller ones each with a different ESPN feed, surrounded by stats and scores on either side. Also there was TV on our table, speakers in our headrests…TV’s in every stall in the bathroom (I will assume over every urinal as well). Not to mention the entire 3rd floor is a grown up video arcade. What a place.
That is …if you like sports.
And what a place to see the race! The place filled up about ½ hour before post time with people pouring in off the streets to pack the bar behind us. The roar when the race started was unbelievable. Barring being right at Churchill Downs – this was the spot to be.
Ferris placed a bet on ‘the rabbit’ cuz he is just that kinda guy. (anyone know who the rabbit was?).
He didn’t win… but he was the front runner out of the gate.
Friday, May 06, 2005
Endorsement
Scotts Lawn Care products DO work!
My neighbors lawn:
Our lawn - using Scotts:
Ooops - one slipped by....
Yesterday we took a day off to tidy gardens:
My neighbors lawn:
Our lawn - using Scotts:
Ooops - one slipped by....
Yesterday we took a day off to tidy gardens:
Wednesday, May 04, 2005
Tuesday, May 03, 2005
Somebody please...
...stop this ride so I can get off.
work is nuts today. posting is not going to happen.
dammit.
work is nuts today. posting is not going to happen.
dammit.
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