Loosening Up, Letting Go & Learning to Live Again

Kitteh Pic Spam

2012-02-03T14:10:00.001-08:00

I haven’t posted in awhile, and when I seem to do, it’s always so much doom and gloom. Going to change that today.

We’ve had Buddy for a year now and yet, I still don’t remember to post very many pictures of him. Tragedy.

February 2011. A few weeks after we brought him home. He was just barely a year old.

June 2011.

Um… hello Mama. No, I wasn’t reading your books. Not me.

See, even my cat supports reading in all its forms. (That’s my Kindle on top of two hardback and one trade paperback)

July 2011.

November 2011. Me and my Kitty. And yes, I do need two drinks, thank you.

January 2012. Buddy keeping watch at my feet.

This was January also. Buddy helping Zan empty the dishwasher.

…and clean the fridge, too.

And finally… Princess found this car magnet at our local, independent pet supply store. Zan, of course, bought it for me.

~The Crazy Cat Lady (it’s official now)

Things That Annoy Me Today

2011-12-12T12:13:00.001-08:00

Or, rather, things that annoy me every day but are even more annoying today.

1. “When you have time could you…” and then they stand right in front of you until you stop whatever it is that you’re doing and do what they’re asking.

2. “We need to get together on this and figure something out.” You reply with, “This is what we decided on last time,” meaning that this is what they decided on last time. “Oh. Well, it’s not enough. We need to change it.” Again. And by the way, thanks for friggen telling me. Can you please just make up your mind and stick with something for once?

3. My cat, constantly underfoot and meowing. Yes, I know, he can’t help it, especially when I’m the only one up and about, but some days I just can’t take it.

4. Having to effin’ work. Well, this doesn’t usually annoy me as I do enjoy my job, but I’m not in the most sociable of moods today, so I’m much better off in a cold, dank cave somewhere off the coast of Ireland. Or Iceland. Or somewhere. Really.

5. Constantly being annoyed at every. Little. Thing. that happens. GAH.

~The Crazy, Easily Annoyed Woman in the Corner Bawling

Oh hai!

2011-11-01T09:30:00.001-07:00

So, you’ve noticed that I’ve changed my blog title after all this time, huh? Yeah. Well, there’s a reason behind that. Three to be exact.

There are three parts to my new blog title, and three new goals in my life: loosening up, letting go, and learning to live again. These are the things I wish to accomplish over the next twelve months. To be able to loosen up and have a little fun, even when things look bleak. To be able to let go of the things that hold me back, whether they be fair-weather friends or my husband’s unemployment. To learn to live again, to embrace life like I once did before everything went into the toilet so spectacularly on December 31, 2009.

I’m on a mission to find me again, if it kills me.

~TCL

Solar Eclipse and the State of My Life

2011-07-01T10:00:00.001-07:00

Very few people really know all that’s going on in my life right now. And even the ones that are nodding their heads right now, reading this, thinking they do, really don’t know the half of it.

But that’s just life. I get to a point where my misery is so much that I can’t even stand to listen to myself, so I clam up and just stop talking about anything serious. It all becomes about trivial things. And while that can be good, by getting my mind onto other topics, it isn’t always the best course of action, either.

What can you do?

Today’s horoscope:

Today's Solar Eclipse can be a harbinger of an energetic shift within your family. You could bury your head in the sand and be totally surprised by what happens, or you can co-create your future by living the change you seek. Start by sitting down and writing a list of resolutions, as if it is New Year's Day. Focusing your intentions during the eclipse plants significant seeds of thought in your fertile imagination.

Hmm. Interesting idea. A list of resolutions? How much space do I get? LOL I suppose it can’t hurt to give it a shot though, can it? Therefore, I present you with my list. Some are short term, some are very much long term, but these are all things that I think need to be resolved eventually.

1. Find a manner of relaxing that will actually allow me to relax.

2. Get better at planning healthy meals. I’m pretty good at this already, but the bad meals call to me far too often these days.

3. Become financially stable. This year has brought some serious upheaval to my already financially weak life. I guess the good news is, it’s finally July and we’re on the back-side of the year now.

4. Move, if we have to. If not, make the house nicer.

5. Pending the outcome of #4, paint, get new carpet, buy some damn curtains and/or new vertical blinds. LOL

6. Write more.

7. Publish more.

8. Find a way to start liking myself again. It’s been more years than I can count since I was able to look myself in the face and be content with the person I am.

9. Get healthy. This doesn’t necessarily mean ‘lose weight’ either. If I get back into the weight training, I’ll probably gain a bit, but be healthier overall. Make sense?

And the biggie:

10. Learn to let go. I have a few so-called friends that are more toxic than helpful and yet, I can’t let them go. Why? Because there isn’t anyone left to take that space. I need to learn to be okay with the fact that I have only one or two real, true, honest-to-goodness friends. I need to be okay with that. Why? Because those two friends? They are amazing. And when your friends are that amazing? You don’t need any more than two.

As a side note, I have some very amazing online friends, too. Please don’t feel slighted if you think you don’t count ‘cause you do. All of the love, support and honesty you’ve given me over the years is irreplaceable. The sad part of this is, the few that I’m referring to, won’t know it’s them (and/or are too modest to broadcast it LOL) and those that are of the toxic variety will immediately believe it’s them that I mean. Gotta love that crazy Catch-22 of the Internet world, right?

Thanks for listening/reading. Amazingly enough, I actually do feel better than I did just an hour ago. Thank you.

~TCL

*Today’s post is brought to you by the word ‘amazing’ and all it’s variant forms.

Facebook…

2011-06-14T15:20:00.001-07:00

Has stolen my ability to blog, I think.

I’m going to try and fix that now, as I really do enjoy blogging, even if no one out there is really reading this any longer. I don’t care. I like talking to myself. Just ask anyone I work with. *G*

Anyway, things have been rough in this neck of the woods, so I’ve put off posting to keep from being a whiner. Not that that’s helped, it’s only helped keep me from being a public whiner. But I digress…

Look this way in the near future for witty commentary, amusing anecdotes, and mass hysteria.

I only promise that the last one will come true.

Until later,

Your very sorry crazy hamster-cat-book-foodie-Lady

Sad Days

2011-01-10T10:46:00.001-08:00

It’s been a few days and hopefully now I can get through this without breaking down.

Last Wednesday, January 5th, we lost our beloved boy, Tiger. He’d been not feeling well for awhile, but over the weekend, he’d started to come back to himself. We’d thought he was getting better. We were wrong.

When I got up Wednesday morning, he was lying on his side in the girls’ toy room. I reached down to pet him and he barely moved. He did nothing but lie in Troy’s arms all day where he eventually passed.

His passing was the hardest thing I’ve had to face, animal-wise, since he was utterly and completely my kids’ cat. He’d follow those two kids around everywhere. He spent every night curled up beside them in their beds. You’d tell him, “Tiger, your girls are in bed,” and he’d do a quick scan of the living room and then head upstairs to join them. And heaven help you if they were somewhere else for a night… poor cat had no idea what to do with himself. So, he’d terrorize the other cats and spend the night knocking things over.

I’m going to miss that cross-eyed little freak cat. He was a very special animal and we’ll never forget him.

We love you, Tigey.

~Mama, Daddy, Taylor and Madison

(with a special wish from Darby, Cali, and Noelle)

‘Tis the Season

2010-12-21T13:03:00.001-08:00

For reflection, remembrance, and looking forward.

I’m all about looking forward this year. In a little over a week, it’ll be a year since my husband lost his job and the struggles that we have faced this past year have come close to overwhelming me to the point of breaking. However, despite it all, we’ve managed to not just remain together, but remain strong as well. In my opinion, that’s nothing short of a miracle.

When I look back, however, I know that we have come a long way and that things will eventually have to get better. I know this. It’s remembering it that is hard. But, that said, this isn’t the first time I’ve lived through hard times – we had a lot of them when I was a kid. And honestly, those past hardships are what have formed me into the person I am today. I just hope that, in the future, my kids are able to take something positive away from all this.

And now that this is beginning to sound like a rehash of my last blog post…

It’s been a little over a year since my grandfather passed and, for the most part, I do okay in the day-to-day without him. However, when I’m gathering my Christmas recipes together, I can’t help but think of him, and to constantly remind myself that I’m not making him a basket this year just kills me. He was always all about the sweets and I know he’d love some of the new things I’ve tried this year. I guess he’ll just have to live vicariously through his great-grandchildren until I’m able to bake for him again.

And speaking of baking… my gods, have I been doing a lot of it! In addition to all the cookies, fudge, Chex Mix, pepperoni bread and what not, I made a three-layer birthday cake as well. What was I thinking? Oh, yeah. That’s right. It was peanut butter and chocolate. I wasn’t thinking. LOL Oh well, it was well received and that’s all that matters.

Okay, so now that I’ve depressed everyone yet again… I’ll end this with some fun and happy pictures. K?

First are my Red Velvet Gooey Butter Cookies. These things rock. The recipe is here: Red Velvet Gooey Butter Cookies. I loved these because they reminded me so much of my beloved Chocolate Crinkles that my mom makes every year, but with yummy Red Velvet instead. Win.

And these lovely little flat things are Brownie Cookies, courtesy of my pal, Deena. Recipe is here: Brownies & Cream Sandwich Cookies (although I didn’t sandwich mine). These cookies rock on so many levels. Easy. Tasty. Crispy. Chewy. Everything a good brownie should be, but in cookie form. Double win.

These are S’mores Cups from my other pal, Alana. Recipe is here: S’Mores Cups. These are great for when the kids want to help out. Quick, easy, almost instant gratification. Win again. Although, yeah, mine don’t quite look as pretty as those in the picture on the website. LOL

Gift bags for the kids’ teachers. I almost fainted when I realized Princess has FOUR teachers this year. Thank the gods for cookies!

My plants growing in the garage. Yeah, in December. They’re really doing well, considering the time of year.

And lastly, the Christmas tree at the District. Pretty, isn’t it? The lights would change color and flash in time with the music being played.

Merry Christmas, Happy Belated Hanukkah, and a Blessed Solstice.

Oh, and Happy New Year while I’m at it.

~Crazy Baking Lady

It’s Been Awhile

2010-10-21T12:42:00.001-07:00

Yes, I know, and I’m sorry. But then, I doubt anyone’s actually been reading lately anyway, so does it matter? LOL Probably not.

So, what’s been keeping me away? Well, what hasn’t? Mostly, its been my emotional roller coaster of a life keeping me away, but also, I’ve been very down over some personal things and haven’t wanted to really inflict that upon anyone anymore than I needed to.

However, despite feeling like my life is at a dead end and nowhere to go but down, I’ve been making an active effort to be a better person. To be happier, not so judgmental, and more than anything, to just not let things bother me so much. And well, to be quite honest with you, it’s not been working very well. LOL It seems that the people surrounding me are bound and determined to bring me down.

And yet, I keep trying.

However, there are some good things in my life. Both of my kids are happy and healthy. They’re both also actively looking forward to Halloween as well. But then, who isn’t? My husband and I are as happy as we can be and are getting along well, despite the financial crush we’re under. My cats, despite almost losing Darby a few months ago, are as fat and obnoxious as ever. The hamster? She’s as tubby as can be and happy. Hell, even my fish are happy.

So, I’m trying. I really, really am.

And to ease the pain of my griping, here are some happy pictures.

Cali watching Noelle.

And my favorite fish, Morgan. And see, doesn’t he look just ecstatic??? LOL

Dashboard Confessional Part 1

2010-04-04T16:05:00.001-07:00

I often get discouraged living in the city like I do. You tend to see nothing but buildings and billboards and stuff blocking up the skyline. You focus so much on the grey and the bland and the yuck and you forget to look for the beauty.

Lately, however, I’ve suddenly rediscovered it. From the windshield of my truck.

Most of these were taking on my way to work. And although there’s a Walgreens or the like in the picture, there’s still that beauty that you too often miss.

Leaving the complex I live in…

And again, I think this is leaving the complex. Almost looks like I live in paradise… Almost.

I have a sick fascination with taking pictures while at stoplights, so look for more similar posts from me. And yeah, I know. I’m a dork.

~Crazy Lady

Some Days

2010-03-08T09:21:00.001-08:00

I think that I should re-title this blog to something along the lines of “Crazy Lady’s Handbook for New Secretaries Dealing With Plumbers and Other Construction Personnel”.

Why?

Lookit. (Please click on the picture for a full-sized view)

What’s that third word? Persuaded? Pursued? Ohhhh, that’s right, it’s provided. It’s an owner PROVIDED used water softener.

Whew. And here I was imagining the owner trying to convince this poor, used water softener to come live in his building, soften his water, and get some good quality salt… LOL

Although, I am a bit saddened that it’s not pursued. I think that watching the owner chase the water softener down and then persuade it to come work for him might have been fun.

Until the next service ticket lands on my desk…

~TCL

Lost

2010-01-28T15:47:00.001-08:00

Have you ever felt like you didn’t fit in? That you were the square peg society kept trying to shove into that round hole? Well, that’s me on any given day. And while I’ve generally learned to live with it, sometimes it sneaks up and kicks me in the rear, causing a face-plant in the cement before me.

Anyway, for a period of several weeks, I’ve felt even more out of place than I usually do. Mind you, I know that I don’t have a place – my sense of humor is a bit left of center and my personality leaves something to be desired most of the time, but hey, I’m who I am and I’m okay with that. Thus, the getting used to not quite being accepted.

So, back to the subject. I think.

I feel isolated, alone, and well, lost. I keep reaching out to people and they keep stepping out of my grasp. And it’s not their fault – they have lives, obligations, other friends… and yet, knowing that doesn’t seem to help. So, what can you do?

Me, I tend to drown my sorrows in Starbucks, peanut butter M&M’s and indulge in some writing. But even that doesn’t seem to be helping lately. Matter of fact, it’s only turned my writing maudlin. Just what I need… a heroine that’s depressed. LOL Boy, her hero better have some pretty broad shoulders because he’s going to need to take the weight of her world onto his shoulders here before long.

And now? I’m done whining. For now. Tune in tomorrow, things could change.

Hamster Watch

2010-01-07T06:40:00.001-08:00

So, anyone tired of this little one yet?

I hope not, because I’m having a ton of fun with her.

So much so, I even video taped her stuffing her pouches. Yeah, I need a life, I know it…

Friendship Quotes for the New Year

2010-01-05T13:13:00.001-08:00

I have a hoard of these stashed around my office. My very best friend had a desk calendar in 2008 that was all just wonderful quotes and every now and then, she’s gather a bunch and send them to me. And yeah, while I know it’s now 2010, I stashed them somewhere and only just found them again. LOL

So, here are a few to make you smile and hopefully think of your best friend.

“Friendship is the golden thread that ties the heart of all the world.” - John Evelyn

“A good friend – like a tube of toothpaste – comes through in a tight squeeze.” - Anonymous (and LOL!)

“Friendships are fragile things, and require as much handling as any other fragile and precious thing.” – Randolph S. Bourne (something I think we all need to keep in mind)

“Along with my favorite memories, and right beside my highest hopes, I keep a very precious reminder that… we’ll never be apart.” – Jenn Davids

“A friend is someone who knows the song of your heart, and can sing it back to you when you have forgotten the words.” – Anonymous (and in my case, it’d probably be sung back way off key…)

“Did I choose you? Did you choose me? And what difference does it make? All that really matters, friend, is that we chose together.” – Lois Wyse

“Only you… think I’m funny upside down on an arm chair at ridiculous hours of the morning.” – Dorothy-Ann Parent

“A friend is one before whom I may think aloud.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson (dedicated to Red because the gods only know, she’s heard more than her share)

“Friends are God’s way of taking care of us.” – Anonymous

And lastly, a quote from one of my favorite sources:

“‘Friendship,’ said Christopher Robin, ‘is a very comforting thing to have.’” – A. A. Milne

And that’s it for today!

~TCL

Out with the Old…

2009-12-30T09:43:00.001-08:00

And in with the new, or so they say. I, for one, stopped making resolutions years ago. What’s the point? Sometimes you can stick to them, and often you can’t. And I don’t know about you, but when I promise to do something and fail, it affects me horribly. So, I stopped making resolutions and just started trying to be a better person. I hope that I’ve succeeded so far.

However, while reading one of my daily e-mails from Yoga Journal, I was inspired to make one resolution for the coming new year, one I honestly think I can achieve. And one I want to challenge each and every one of you to do as well.

(copied and pasted from My Yoga Journal – Out with the Old e-mail, dated 12/30/09)

Out with the Old

It's the same thing every year: This year, I'm going to be healthier, lose weight, get organized, and finally touch my foot to the back of my head. Yes, this year will be different—I can feel it!

Just as you might take a moment at the beginning of a yoga class to set an intention, it's wonderful to have healthy goals for the New Year. However, it's also important to remember that yogic wisdom tells us to strive for contentment. That means we should accept ourselves as we are—even with our flaws.

This week, practice acceptance of yourself and your situation. If you set an intention for the New Year, don't forget the positive aspects of your life. Finally, give gratitude for your many blessings.

Namaste,
Erica Rodefer

While I doubt I’ll EVER be able to touch my foot to the back of my head (no matter HOW short a distance it may be), I really do think that I can learn to be content with my life as it is. After all, I have a great family, a good job, a wonderful and loving husband, two obnoxious girls that love me, and a home full of furry love. Not to mention a ton of good books just waiting for me and a great group of online friends. What more could a person want or need? I’m spiritually sound and healthy. I really do have it all. When you look at things in that perspective, gratitude should flow.

So, my goals for the new year are to be content and grateful for what I have and have lost over the course of my life. Am I where I pictured I’d be at 35 and counting? Not exactly. But am I in a good place? You’d better believe it.

In love and light, and full of hope,

Amy, the Crazy Lady

Noelle, Nooooellleee…

2009-12-28T14:48:00.001-08:00

LOL

Yeah, and when I sang? She came to me. *G*

So, we tallied the votes on all the fun names and Noelle was the winning name. Despite the fact I thought Killer was perfect, even Zan vetoed me on that one. Oh well, Noelle works. It’s cute and it’s very holiday-ish.

Here’s Cali keeping an eye on her. I guess the kitty is afraid she’s going to escape or something… not that that’d be a surprise or anything, Destiny (our last hamster) was a freaking little Houdini in training.

Playing under her water bottle.

Hiding in her maze…

…but deciding I wasn’t going to feed her to the cat(s) after all…

Hangin’ out on her wheel.

Playin’ hide and seek, trying to freak mommy out.

And lastly, some fun video of her hauling furry little feet on her wheel.

December 23, 2009

2009-12-24T08:49:00.001-08:00

Wherein my husband tries to break my Christmas present while mending my heart.

Not a lot of you know this, but back on September 21, 2009, my grandfather passed away. I kept it to myself for several reasons, the biggest of which being that it completely devastated me. This was then followed quickly by what would have been his 92nd birthday on November 7th. All of this lead into a very sad and lonely time for me.

(This picture was taken at my mother’s house in July of 2003)

If I’m remembering correctly, just before Thanksgiving, my mom had to have her dog put down. Kia was getting pretty old, I do believe she was approaching 18 years old, and was getting cranky. Mom had taken custody of my ex-brother-in-law’s American Bulldog puppy, Lexie, and the puppy had been driving poor Kia bonkers. So, mom thought the kindest thing to do was to put Kia down. I miss that dog. A lot. I’ll never forget the morning I came out of the bathroom at my mom’s house, bleary-eyed and wiped out from a late night at work, to find my mom standing outside the door with this tiny puppy in her hand.

(This is Mischief and Kia at my mom’s house in 2004. Mischief would have been about 2)

So, needless to say, I’ve been very down these last couple months. To make matters worse, Tuesday evening I was putting together goodie bags to take to my co-workers for Christmas. While I was dividing up my cookies, checking to make sure there was enough of everything for my family baskets as well, I suddenly had a revelation. I was counting cookies and saying, “Mom, Alan, Uncle Bubba, Mike, and…”

(Mischief scooping out cookies for Mama)

And that’s where the tears started. I make baskets for my mom and stepdad, my brother and his wife, my uncle, my in-laws… and then always for my grandfather. No matter how hard I tried, I still kept trying to save cookies for Grampie. I know he’s puffing on a Dutch Masters right about now, smiling over that one little bit of information, but even so, it caused me to break down and just cry.

My poor husband had no idea what to do, so he did just the perfect thing. He came and he held me. :) He really is just too good to me sometimes.

So, I come home from work last night, on Christmas Eve Eve if you will, and find him standing in the kitchen… with something brown and furry on his hand.

He bought me a hamster for Christmas! Despite it being against his better judgment, he did just that. And then, THEN the little brat LEAPED off his hand and onto the hard, cold, ceramic tile floor.

We were scared to death that she’d leapt to her death. Zan bends down, scoops her up and puts her on the kitchen island, muttering over and over, “Please move, please move, please…” He gives her a gentle poke in the side and she jumps up, takes off, and makes for the other side of the countertop. OMG, is she quick! It took two of us to corral and recapture this little fuzzball, but finally, she was safe.

While he was outside getting down the old cage, the bag slipped and fell, breaking the lid to the cage. Just great. So, after retrieving the children, we had to go on a hunt for a cage without any wire bars. Why? Because she’s a teeny litte Robo hamster and they’re notorious for SQUEEZING their teeny little bodies between the bars and going on escapades. After a search, we did finally settle on a new cage and she seems happy and content.

Only one problem… we need a name.

So, in the tradition of stealing good ideas from friends, today’s question is: What do you think we should name her? (Thanks, Qwill).

Mischief suggested Lulu, Princess suggested Daisy, and I was thinking Lilah, but we’re still open for suggestions.

Merry Christmas and may all your wishes for the new year come true.

~The Crazy Cat Lady who has just become the Crazy Hamster Lady

How Much is Too Much?

2009-11-23T15:02:00.001-08:00

When you meet and converse with people online you have to take what they say to you with a grain of salt because we all know that not 100% of what they tell us is going to be true. Right? There may be slight embellishments (like instead of winning $25 on their lottery scratch-off ticket they won $50) which is fine – we all do things like that now and then and really, no harm done, right?

But when does the slight embellishment become too much?

When that $25 win becomes a $125 win?

When that new job as head sales clerk becomes manager of Radio Shack?

When that new boyfriend becomes a millionaire ready to whisk you off to parts unknown?

Where do you draw the line between embellishing to make yourself feel better and outright lying?

Because, as a writer, I’m all for a good story, even when I know your BS-ing me completely. And trust me, I usually do know. Now, I will admit to falling for some good ones, but normally, I can figure it out and separate truth from fiction.

So, why do people push it? Are they really that self-conscious? Or are they just that self-centered that they don’t think anyone will dare to not believe what they say is true? And while there are times I’ll read an e-mail and think, “Hmmm, are they giving me a load of crap again or did this actually happen?” too many times, I’m rolling my eyes and hitting the delete key without replying.

Why?

Because your kid is not a musical prodigy.

Nor is he/she the hellspawn you say he/she is.

You are not so perfect that every last person around you, outside of your little intimate circle of friends, is worthless, useless or just plain stupid.

That woman you just met is not going to make you her personal cabana boy and treat you like her expensive little pet.

I’m sorry guys. I know that these things do occasionally happen outside fiction novels, but I really seriously doubt that they’re happening to you. Right now. Just as you sit down to write/IM/e-mail me. And if they are? Just remember that I’m always taking notes, saving e-mails, and plotting my next novel… all at your expense.

Oh, and if you are one of those people that I mentioned? I’m sorry. I really don’t mean to hurt your feelings or pick on you. I just had a talk with someone today who went way past the boundaries of believability (and trust me, my trust knows almost no bounds) and had to get it out.

However, if you are one of those people, you probably didn’t notice anyway. You’re too busy pointing fingers (like everyone else) at another likely candidate.

LOL

~The Exasperated Crazy Lady

Twizzlers…

2009-11-19T13:31:00.001-08:00

Make my mouth happy.

And my tummy happy.

And my alter-ego happy when she’s writing.

Twizzlers are also my drug of choice.

I keep them at work for those days when I just want to quit. Or for those times when I’m dragging and just cannot make a Starbucks run (no matter how close it may be to the office). They get along just fine with my job files and my FedEx envelopes.

I also try and keep them within grasp at all times. Oh, and before you comment on the state of my desk, just remember, it’s all the sugar’s fault.

However, this is the best part of the Twizzlers… the eating of them.

(Lilly? Step awaaaaaaaaaaaaay from my desk drawer, k?)

~The Crazy Twizzler Lady

Fun and Contests at Bitten By Books!

2009-10-20T12:45:00.001-07:00

Hi everybody!

It is a HUGE week for us at BBB!

Today: Lynda Hilburn
http://bittenbybooks.com/?p=11998

Tomorrow with Author PC Cast!
RSVP HERE: http://bittenbybooks.com/?p=11900

Wednesday Erica Hayes
RSVP HERE: http://bittenbybooks.com/?p=11651

Thursday Charlaine Harris
RSVP HERE: http://bittenbybooks.com/?p=11942

RSVP's to follow later in the week!
10/22 - Bring Your Cover Model To Work Day - Carey Hope Interview/Contest
10/23 - Eva Gordon - Release Party

THANKS!

~Crazy Book Lady

What do Sexy Cover Models, Prizes, Personal Stories, Demon Hunting Soccer Moms and Psychic Teens have in Common?

2009-09-21T14:03:00.001-07:00

Hi everybody!

They have Bitten by Books and this week in common of course! We have some Killer (pun maybe intended) events going on this week that you will want to get in on starting today!

Be sure to stop by today through tomorrow and meet Young Adult paranormal fiction author Marlene Perez here:
http://bittenbybooks.com/?p=11001

She will be chatting and answer all of your questions as well as giving away copies of her book and an Amazon gift card!

Remember to RSVP for all the other amazing events we have going on this week too!
9/22 - Author Julie Kenner
RSVP: http://bittenbybooks.com/?p=10375
9/23 - Author C. June Wolf
http://bittenbybooks.com/?p=10376
9/24 - Bring your cover model to work day - Julian Fantechi
RSVP: http://bittenbybooks.com/?p=10906

It is going to be one HOT week at BBB!

See you all there. ;)

Well, That Was Fun…

2009-08-22T15:39:00.001-07:00

Not.

So, last night we send the kids upstairs to put on their jammies when Mischief comes running downstairs, crying. “There’s a funny nooooooise!” I sigh, but get up and go check it out. Seems the air conditioning vent is making an odd noise. I come back downstairs and alert Zan, not that there’s much he can do, but yanno.

He goes up and looks at it, and sees that one of the filters is being sucked up into the vent, so he pulls it down and settles it back into place. Just when he thinks it’s fixed, the whole thing quits.

Yeah, and on one of the hottest days of the year, no less.

The only GOOD news was that the outside unit (the expensive part) was still running. I have never been so thankful for ANYTHING in my life than to hear that. However, we spent a night without air. When I went to bed at nine o’clock last night, it was still 109 degrees. Fun.

Amazingly enough, I slept better last night than I have in weeks. Go figure.

Happily, Zan works for an electrical engineer who in turn does a lot of work with a particular HVAC company. So, we got in touch with the kind gentleman and he sent someone over around noon.

Now, the only thing saving us from keeling over today has been the cloud cover. It is currently 88 outside and just past 3:30 PM. So, that’s outrageously cool for Vegas in August. And I am thankful. Oh yeah, and that breeze? Heaven.

Back to my story…

After about two hours, we were rewarded with a new motor for our blower, some cool air and a bill for $475. LOL All in all, that’s very cheap and our inside source said that it would have normally run about $700. So, you aren’t going to get any complaints out of me. So, D and H? I love you both. Oh, and Mr. G, our tech, our cats thank you. :)

~The Crazy Lady

I’m a 14

2009-07-30T08:07:00.001-07:00

…14… 14 and I like it.

LOL

My apologies to Alice Cooper, but I couldn’t help myself.

So, weekend before last I had to make an emergency shopping trip. My jeans, they hath ripped out in thy crotch. Which is always fun, just glad it didn’t happen at work this time. As luck would have it, my sister calls and lets Zan know that Old Navy was having a killer 1-day sale on their school uniforms. I mean, how can you pass up $5 polos and $9 khaki pants? So, we went forth and bought.

Zan, knowing I was down to 2 pairs of jeans, insisted I get a pair while we were there. Luckily, Old Navy jeans were on sale for $25, and while that’s more than I like to pay, it was a lot less than their normal $40. He grabs me a pair in my size (plus an armful of tops) and sends me off to the dressing room.

I return a few moments later.

He’s concerned.

“What’s the matter,” he asks slowly, “don’t they fit?”

I shake my head and I see the concern on his face. I’d been busting my butt, going to the gym, eating right, doing everything the way you should, so he was worried. I stop him before he can say a word.

Why?

Because they don’t fit.

They’re too big.

And to make things all the sweeter? Two of the shirts he picked out had to be returned to the rack. Why? Because they too were too big.

My jeans are now a size 14. My shirts, they can be simply a large, no extra needed.

Me? I’m ecstatic. Am I still a heifer? Yeah, pretty much so, but ya know what? I’m a skinny moo now.

(You can thank Zanderyn for that one, he loves calling me a skinny cow thanks to the ice cream sandwiches of the same name)

Moooooooooooooooooooooooooo.

~TCL

Walkin’ to Jerusalem…

2009-07-13T08:19:00.001-07:00

Late last week, I was reading my e-mail and came across an interesting item in someone’s signature line…

They had the standard weight loss stuff – start, goal and current weights – but then total miles walked. Okay, good for them. And then I saw the most interesting thing… below the miles walked was ‘miles to San Francisco’ and ‘miles left to SF’. I thought that was a rather cool idea, and a great goal motivator. So, I thought it’d be interesting to see how long it takes me to walk to all my friends…

My BFF in Tempe, AZ = 353 miles

Alana in a suburb of Houston, TX = 1415 miles

Deena in VA = 2226 miles

Julie in NJ = 2526 miles

Misty in NY (used NYC as my destination since I have no CLUE where she is) = 2539

And since I’ve had a particular Tracy Byrd song stuck in my head since last Friday, if I’m ‘walkin’ to Jerusalem’, it’ll be = 7376 miles to Bethlehem. :)

So, after this morning, I’m 1.53 miles in. I ought to arrive in Tempe in 71 weeks. LMAO.

~The Crazy Walking Lady

Why I Love Plumbers

2009-06-26T09:16:00.001-07:00

We are a plumbing subcontractor which means our primary focus is on new construction. The only repair/service work we do is for the contractors who hired us to do the job in the first place.

When something comes up, if it’s under warranty, it’s free. If not, then they get charged. So, in order to bill these people, we use a service ticket where our plumber fills out the date, the job, the contractor/owner, the man hours, and the material he used. Also, they give me a brief description of what was done and why.

So, I get in this morning and find a service ticket sitting on my desk to be billed. No biggie. I pick it up and begin to read.

Job: XXXX

Bill to: Sprinkler Moron’s (yeah, bad grammar but OMG!)

Description: Repaired pipes run over by sprinkler moron on lift.

LMAO. I’m guessing that the sprinkler contractor wasn’t paying total attention…

(Lilly? Wanna place a bet on which foreman this was?)

~The Crazy Plumber Lady

Fun with Spam

2009-06-13T08:56:00.001-07:00

No, and not the stuff in a can.

Spam sucks, we all get it, right? Well, have you ever gotten one that just made you LOL - even if it was against your will? I've had a few.

Up until today, my favorite had been: Congrats! Your new p*nis has arrived! I had to re-read that subject line twice before I deleted it. I was like - WHAT? I don't remember ordering one... And I wonder if its the right size?

But seriously, I scan the subject lines and/or 'From' lines before clearing out my Spam folder in Gmail. Why? Because Gmail is really good about catching the spam, however, its also really good about sending people in my address book into spam. So, I always check, just to be sure.

So, this morning I got a message that said, Bad news from the White House! Um, okay. I had no idea the president even had my e-mail. And seriously? Mr. Obama, as much as I appreciate it, I highly doubt I'm going to be of any help.

LOL

Gotta love the spammers, right?

~The Crazy Spam Lady

Confessions and a Question

2009-06-11T20:11:00.001-07:00

WARNING: SELFISH RANT BELOW - IT'S GOING TO MAKE ME SOUND LIKE A RAVING BITCH, BUT I'M NOT, I SWEAR. TRUST ME. JUST THIS ONCE...

Okay, so I confess:

I'm highly emotional.

I take things entirely too much to heart.

I trust too much, I love too hard, and I give too freely.

These things all set me up for heartache. I know this because I'm constantly dealing with it. Like now.

Right now, I feel as if I've been betrayed by one of my online friends for various reasons. I know that none of this should bother me in the least, but it does. I have no real friends. Well, I do have one but she's so far away... Not her fault though.

So, I rely on those 'friends' living inside my computer. The ones that are easiest to reach. The ones that promise to always be there for you.

The ones that lie. The ones that use. The ones that say they'll always be by your side, but turn away the minute that you really truly need them (and usually not long after you've just helped them with some issue or other).

You know the ones I mean. And truly, I've not had any REAL drama, just some annoying things that shouldn't be such a huge deal but are simply because I care so goddamn much.

Thus my problem.

So, I suppose I ought to start at the beginning. For as long as I can remember, I've loved to write. And even more than that, I've loved to share my writing. So, naturally, when a group of my online friends discovered that I don't suck, they asked me to share, and I did.

Now, I've never sought to be published. I've always been terrified that my love, my passion, my release would become something horrible and awful - that it'd become work. And nothing sucks more than when your pleasure, your pastime becomes your job.

So, because a bunch of loud-mouthed, but well-meaning people wouldn't get off my ass, I submitted to a contest and didn't place. No biggie. But then, without telling anyone, I submitted a different story to a new e-publisher just for kicks. That way, if I flopped, no one would know. So I took that chance.

And was accepted.

Everyone was seemingly happy for me and all was well for awhile there. But then, my friends started to change on me. One person who used to be one of my biggest supporters came out and told me she was 'bored' with two of my favorite characters. As if I have any control over what inspires me on any given day. This hurt me more than I could say. And I didn't have the heart to tell her that it had hurt so much. I didn't honestly think that she meant it to, just that she was expressing her opinion - something she had every right to do.

But then, the doubt set in. What if those two particular characters were in a rut? What then? The more I thought about it, the less I wrote. And I have to say that, since getting my very first contract in February, I haven't finished a thing. Not one short story.

I began to wonder if maybe it was me she was bored with, and not my creations.

Not all that long ago, this very same friend asked me how sales were going on my published short. I was honest - told her I had sold 9 in March, the month it was first released (THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH) but nothing in April or May. Which, in the greater scheme of things, isn't such a big deal. I mean, new publisher, new authors, and it's only been a couple months. So, I'm not worried. I still have the day job, God help me...

Her response to all this?

"Well, maybe you'd have more sales if you hadn't let us all read it for free."

Huh? What is that supposed to mean? That our friendship isn't worth the $3.49 they're selling the story for? I mean, I never expected ANYONE to buy it out of loyalty. Nor would I EVER, EVER ask anyone to buy it if they didn't want to or couldn't afford to. But is that really the reason?

I've been lucky enough to read a couple ARCs that I've won from authors. I've also been blessed enough to beta read a couple stories that later on got published. I also went out and paid for 'real' copies of those stories as well, because I love and support my authors.

When I told her that I didn't think that the stories having been read was the issue - that lack of promotion, small press etc. was, she said, "I don't think that's it at all."

So, my question is: Am I being arrogant?

No, sorry, that wasn't the question. Although, yeah, I might be. LOL My real question is - does having read something as either a beta or an ARC make you not want to go out and pay for a copy? I can see you not going out and buying a copy of every single ARC or beta that you were blessed with, but never ever buying something because you read it once in a raw state?

But I don't know. Maybe I'm overreacting. Maybe I AM being selfish and arrogant. Maybe... maybe self-doubt and hurt feelings are guiding my hand. I really just don't know. What I do know is, that I have this hole in my gut now from where her words burned into me.

Please, please, please don't think I'm angry or put out because this one person didn't buy a copy of my one lousy story. I mean, seriously, that $1.22 in royalties is NOT going to get me a summer house in the Hampton's. The money has nothing to do with it. I think what upsets me more than anything else is the promises gone unfulfilled.

"Okay, so you guys all know that I do NOT expect ANY of you to buy a copy, right?"

"Oh, but you know we will! We have to have a copy!"

And then you tell me you didn't buy one because you already read it? Why promise me something you never intend to go through with? Its like saying you're going to pick me up at the airport and I'm standing there in the rain, waiting on a ride that's never going to show. I'd rather have you say, "I'm so proud of you, I knew you could do it!" and just leave it at that then feed my ego with false promises and a bunch of bullshit. I know all about times being tough and money being scarce. I'd hate to think you spent your last three bucks buying my story out of loyalty than just waiting until you could manage. And if you can't ever manage? I don't care. Your support is what matters, in any way you can give it.

Your lip service, that I can do without.

And for those of you that this has nothing to do with? Thank you for listening. I promise, I'm not a self-obsessed raving lunatic only interested in blatant self-promotion. Ya notice, I didn't provide a link or even the name of my story. ROFL

And on the off chance the person this is directed to stumbles across this? I'm sorry for being so harsh, but you have no idea how you've hurt me. The words affected me so much, that they've temporarily crippled my creative side. I know it won't last, Mika's tougher than that and she'll bounce back, but for now, she's wandering around, wringing her hands, afraid to put pen to paper.

I will get past this, and getting it all out like this has helped. Thank you for being my friend, for listening, for being my sounding board. It means more than you can ever know.

The Crazy Lady and her creative side, Mika

Bitten by Books Contest with Anya Bast!

2009-06-03T10:22:00.001-07:00

It is live and it’s here!

http://bittenbybooks.com/?p=7985

Go check it out – and in case you’re wondering… YES, you CAN win – I’ve won twice!!

So, why are you still here?

~The Crazy Book Lady

Friday to Friday Contest!

2009-05-16T10:13:00.001-07:00

Jeaniene Frost is graciously hosting a wonderful series of contests over on her LiveJournal blog. This week's contest is a chance to win an ARC of Vicki Pettersson's CITY OF SOULS, due out June 30th. CITY OF SOULS is the fourth in Vicki's SIGNS OF THE ZODIAC series.

You can find the contest here.

Now, go forth and enter, what do you have to lose?

(P. S. You get a bonus entry if you blog about it!)

~Your Free Book Source and More Crazy Lady

Bubble Pizza (a recipe in pictures)

2009-05-13T20:09:00.001-07:00

Bubble Pizza

(Cheese and pepperoni above, click on picture for an easier version to read)

Crazy Lady's Note: I mix all the ingredients together in the pan and then top with cheese. Ours are generally pepperoni and spicy sausage, but tasty with any of your favorite toppings. You can also use two 8x8" baking dishes for two different kinds of pizza. Easy Peasy.

Quick Cooking

A top-ranked food with teens, pizza can quickly quell a growling tummy! Jo Groth of Plainfield, Iowa says, "This recipe has a no-fuss crust made from refrigerated biscuits. For a jazzed-up version, add favorite toppings."

SERVINGS: 6-8

TIME: Prep: 15 min. Bake: 25 min.

Ingredients:

1-1/2 pounds ground beef
1 can (15 ounces) pizza sauce
2 tubes (12 ounces each) refrigerated buttermilk biscuits
1-1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

In a large skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Stir in pizza sauce. Cut each biscuit into quarters; place in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Top with the beef mixture.

Bake, uncovered, at 400° for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with cheeses. Bake 5-10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Yield: 6-8 servings.

(Sausage and pepperoni)

Thanks for sticking with us this long... :) And really, this is a yummy recipe, well worth the cleanup.

~TCL

You Know You’re Fat When…

2009-05-11T13:34:00.001-07:00

(TMI alert, although it’s not THAT bad…)

…you lose three pounds and it’s just enough weight to make your underwear release their death grip on your hips, and you’re thankful.

LMAO.

Yes, such is my life. :)

Awesome Daring Time Contest

2009-04-19T12:50:00.001-07:00

I'm a bit behind the times on this one, but there is still time to enter Beth Kery's wonderful contest kicking off the release of her next eagerly anticipated novel, DARING TIME. Just scroll to the bottom of this here blog (since I wasn't smart enough, even with instructions to figure out how to shrink it to fit the sidebar) and click on the purty widget.

And in case you are wondering if it's worth it? Well, here are some of my book reviews of Beth's other books:

Subtle Magic (coming SOON in PRINT people!)

Gateway to Heaven

Wicked Burn

So, whatcha waiting for? Go clicketh the link. Like now. And check out her blog for some of the contests still to come!

~Crazy Promo Ho'ing Lady

Really Zan Take 2

2009-03-23T17:16:00.001-07:00

The guy at Subway? He's not flirting with me. And no, I don't CARE how nice he's being to me OR the girls...

Really. Is a sandwich worth all this?

Really Zan...

2009-03-21T21:36:00.001-07:00

Grow some balls.

LMAO.

Now, I love my husband, but when it comes to his friends he is the world's biggest pansy. He's also the world's largest leprechaun at 6' 4", but that's another story... I once worked with a real leprechaun, however, and his name was Carl. I wanted to hug him and kiss him and stroke him and call him George...

Um, wait, I got sidetracked...

Right! Spineless men... Anyway, our token Canadian, M, invited Zan and Slappy out to a hockey game tonight. I was ticked because I love hockey. Zan, not so much, but he loves any kind of live sporting event. But whatever, they are his friends (even if I do feed them all). Well, in talking to my charming husband, I discover that HE is driving EVERYONE to the hockey game tonight and WANTS TO TAKE MY TRUCK.

Wait... why are YOU driving, honey? Can't Slappy drive? (I figured M wouldn't be because he drives a motorcycle and as amusing as it'd be to see Zan's wobbly white ass on the back of a motorcycle, that's SO NOT FAIR to M). His response? Slappy's car is too small and he and M are tall people. While that is true, I still don't get it. He drives EVERY TIME they all go anywhere together. And usually, they take MY TRUCK.

A few weeks ago, Zan and M went to the races and Zan drove. Okay, that was fine since M sprung for the tickets - and they aren't cheap. The least Zan could do was buy M lunch and drive. But this time? And all the other times? Why can't someone else? Its not like his other friends don't all drive 4-person vehicles or anything. Zan makes his excuses, but truth is, he gets volunteered and just can't say no. Thus all the poker parties we host. However, THAT is a whole other novel in itself.

I guess I'm just aggravated. Why are we the ones to always have to volunteer up our gas? Especially since no one ever even offers to chip in. Even if Zan didn't take it, they could so much as offer. But no one ever does. It all comes down to the fact that I feel like my goodhearted husband is being taken advantage of sometimes and he just lets it happen. Maybe I'm being a bitch, but I'm on a rampage anyway tonight (as I silently thank the gods that no one knows my LiveJournal account LOL) and I'm just so annoyed at all of this.

I love him. Too much sometimes. And I like his friends. But I think they know he's an easy touch. And that makes me mad.

But what doesn't make me mad these days? ROFL

I think it's time to shut up now. Good night!

~The Even Crazier Lady

Mr. iPod?

2009-03-09T06:02:00.001-07:00

You and I need to have a talk.

You cannot, I repeat CANNOT start playing songs like 'Kerosene' during the COOL DOWN PERIOD on the elliptical! It sorta defeats the purpose!

Thank you for your attention to this matter. You may get on with your life now.

Bonus Score!

2009-03-04T17:53:00.001-08:00

I do almost all of my shopping at Albertson's. That and Fresh & Easy, but F&E is not my focus tonight.

Anyway, I've been using my preferred customer card at Albertson's for almost 9 years now. And, over the years, I've gotten some really good deals and specials and whatnot. Once even got a hand-written letter from the manager thanking me for shopping at that one particular store so much.

Last night, I discovered that my gas rewards had hit $1.50. WHAT? All the signage in the stores say that the max you could earn was $0.60. But nope, there it was. $1.50 off a gallon up to 20 gallons.

Score!

So, I stopped and filled my truck for $0.67/gallon, a total of $13.58. Can't beat that with a stick if you tried.

I Love My Husband

2009-03-03T18:32:00.001-08:00

...really, I do, but sometimes (sometimes?) he can be a total dork.

Take tonight, for instance. I'm preparing some of Amy's famous kitchen sink fried rice (aka whatever leftover protein I have on hand - in this case, leftover pork tenderloin - and whatever veggies I have in the freezer). I'm pulling my sauce ingredients out of the fridge - A-1, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce - and suddenly realize I'm missing something. "Boy, I wish I had some hoisin sauce," I mutter to myself.

Only to hear, "You wish you had some WHAT?" from the living room.

"Hoisin sauce, honey, what did you think I said?"

"Poison."

Yeah, um that too. Too bad I'm fresh out.

~The Crazy Stir Crazy Stir-Fry Lady

Happy Sunday!

2009-03-01T07:16:00.001-08:00

And let me first apologize to those of you who have seen this like ninety times already. ROFL

My story has finally been published! It is here. :) It is an erotic story so, if that's not your thing, avoid it! LOL And while no one is expected it BUY it, going and looking is cool. LOL

What's even neater is, I friended my publisher on FaceBook and her status said there was a new story published (mine) and even posted a note about it! SQUEE! LOL

And thanks to everyone for all the support, encouragement and all around good vibes, it worked!

Amy and her excited pal, Mika. :)

The Happy Blogger

2009-02-26T10:16:00.001-08:00

Hasn’t been all that happy lately, and thus, a lack of idiotic blogs. I know, you’re thankful.

I have, however, been rather freaking lucky. A bunch of books on my wish list over at PaperBackSwap have become available. In the last ten days, I’ve received:

Princess Ai: Evolution – Volume 3 in this manga series

The Vampire Genevieve by Jack Yeovil

Broken by Megan Hart (and I’m just PRAYING this was better than DIRTY)

Staked by J. F. Lewis

Bright Lights, Big Ass by Jen Lancaster

AND, believe it or not, I’ve WON four books! Yes, four!

Carrie’s Story and Safe Word by (and FROM!) Molly Weathersfield

The Macauley Bride by (and again FROM!) Nancy Pirri

And a book by Dianna Love Snell but my mind is failing when it comes to the title.

How cool is that? FOUR autographed books in about three weeks?

Yeah, I’m a braggart but you love me anyway.

~TCBL

Wow

2009-02-16T09:26:00.001-08:00

So, I’m sitting here, planning on writing a blog on the real ideas behind Valentine’s Day since so many people seem to be so down on it when I look into a little-used e-mail account and find…

A contract.

Yeah. For something that I WROTE. Un-fucking-believable.

I knew it had been accepted several weeks ago, but I had to add a scene on (which made sense to me, but still freaked me out having to change something that they had already thought was great) and, pending that addition, I’d get the contract.

Apparently, they liked it.

YAY ME!

So, I’ve been crying for the last half hour, praying no one walks back into my office. I swear, I cannot explain to my male boss(es) why I’m bawling… had I written your usual sort of story, I’d be all over the office, bragging… but considering there’s only one other woman in the entire company, I don’t see bragging about getting some erotica published as being much of an option.

::snort::

Yeah, that’d make the workplace FUN, wouldn’t it? Tell 40 construction workers that you write porn (but not really) in your spare time? Yeaaaah. How about not?

~Your excited and frightened soon to be PUBLISHED Crazy Lady

Scrapping Gone to the Fuzzy Side

2009-01-24T20:00:00.001-08:00

Yeah, I know... I have no life. Anyway, I belong to a digiscrap group and our weekend challenge was to scrap something with our fur babies.

So, I started with the hamsters.

For those of you who don't know, from top to bottom we have:

Sasha, dwarf black Russian. Oct 2007 ~ Oct 2008

Butterfinger, long-haired male Syrian (teddy bear), Oct 2007 ~ December 2008

Destiny, a white hamster of some kind. Not sure if she's a white Russian (hah!) or a winter white. She came to live with us on election day. Maybe we should've named her Barrack. :)

And then we have the kitties. Left to right we have:

Tiger, a Siamese-Himalayan mix. He's 6 years old.

Darby, a cranky calico. She's 14 years old.

Cali, an annoying tortoiseshell who has stolen my heating pad since I've gotten up. She'll be 8 just a few days before Princess' 9th birthday in February.

So, those are my fuzzy babies. Hope you enjoyed.

~Amy, the animal loving crazy lady

Should I Be Angry...

2009-01-21T16:47:00.001-08:00

Or should I be amused?

On my way home tonight, I was cut off on the freeway by a white Nissan Xterra...

But, on the back it said... On some beach, somewhere...

So?

LMAO, knowing maybe um, one person will get this...

~TCBL

Bad Case of the Blahs

2009-01-21T15:18:00.001-08:00

Despite the discovery of hidden goodies in my top desk drawer, I have just that – a bad case of the blahs.

At the risk of sounding whiney or some other crap, I’ll not go into it. I will say however, that I’ve managed to read three short but scorching m/m novels, pushed ever forward in the often neglected DEJA DEAD, been digi scrapping, blogging on my other blogs and generally staying away from people.

As soon as I can pull my head out of the funny yet steamy story I’m reading now, I’ll post reviews of the three shorts (ha ha) I read on my book blog.

Tonight is Zan’s first night back to Wednesday night tennis. He went back to playing on Saturday mornings with his dad and friends a few weeks ago, but hasn’t played in his league in probably a year. He’s missed it – he loves the guy that runs it and has really gotten to know some of the regulars over the last several years he’s been playing.

Today’s song: Mexico by Clay Walker

Today’s book(s):Who’s Been Sleeping in My Bed – Jami Davenport, Plum Spooky by Janet Evanovich and Déjà Dead by Kathy Reichs

Today’s Personality: Zooka since he’s quite, laid-back and generally unconcerned with the future, only with the moment.

Today’s picture to make you smile:

~TCL

SCORE!

2009-01-21T13:33:00.001-08:00

Digging around in my desk, looking for my box of staples I found:

Sooo, at least the chocolate craving is taken care of for now.

LOL

~Your Crazy Minty Lady

Too Sexy for New York...

2009-01-08T16:53:00.001-08:00

And you all wonder why I love him so much?

(stolen from The Boot)

Blake Shelton: 'I'm Too Sexy For New York'

Posted Dec 15th 2008 8:00AM by The Boot Staff
Filed under: New Video, Humor

Blake Shelton stopped by The Boot's New York offices on the very same day PEOPLE magazine's Sexiest Man Alive issue hit newsstands. Blake just happens to be featured inside the coveted issue. So, we took a stroll with the 'Sexiest Country Singer' in downtown Manhattan to buy a copy of the magazine. Watch him get mobbed by fan after fan in this hilarious video.

And the World Wonders Why I’m Always so Confused…

2009-01-08T08:35:00.001-08:00

Amy,

Your horoscopes for Thursday January 08, 2009

General Daily Horoscope for everyone

Once again, we seem to be buffeted about by contradictory planetary energies as conservative Saturn says one thing and progressive Uranus says another. We move from a mentally restrictive Mercury-Saturn aspect this morning toward a brilliantly expressive Sun-Uranus aspect tomorrow. Meanwhile, the dualistic Gemini Moon shuffles our feelings back and forth between these cosmic opposites. We are like the Twins now with our mutually opposing desires.

I guess the good news is that this is a general horrorscope for EVERYONE. LOL

Huh…

2009-01-06T09:00:00.001-08:00

First, explain to me why no one can ever ask me to do anything when I’m not actually busy. Yeah, you know what I mean. They wait until you're knee-deep in something actually important before making you drop whatever it is to do something for them.

Now, explain to me why it is that they ask you to do something and get it done fast and then act surprised when you get it done… fast.

And I think my boss left his sense of humor in Peru. So, joking so that I don’t murder someone is out.

Joy. You know you wanna be me. LOL

Ya know, at least I have a job that pays well with decent benefits. It could be worse. Yeah, keep telling yourself that. LOL

~TCL

New You Bootcamp = New ME?

2009-01-04T21:29:00.001-08:00

Maybe, if it doesn't kill me first. LOL

SparkPeople has started a New YOU Bootcamp that began today, January 4th. URGH... Could it have waited until the day after my child's birthday? Nope, guess not.

The goal is to do one 10-minute bootcamp video a day, plus 30 minutes of cardio on your own. Well, got my 30+ minutes of cardio walking the mall. Night high-impact or even high-energy, but I was on my feet and moving. And, now that I've gone and done my 10-minute kickboxing video, I think I'm ready to keel over... Add to that the *cough* other exercise I got today and well, um, I'm ready for bed... LOL

If you're interested and want to join me, the SparkPeople New YOU Bootcamp Challenge is free and a lot of fun. Not only that, but by joining you get a free food and fitness tracker online as well as access to forums, articles and a ton of recipes. So, see ya there... if you're not chicken. LOL

~Your hopefully soon-to-be NEW AND IMPROVED (and crazier?) Crazy Lady

Merry Christmas

2008-12-24T08:51:00.001-08:00

(And thanks Beth, I think I'm having this kind of tree next year)

Anyway, this can be a rough time of year for a lot of people, especially if you're missing or have lost someone you love. It's odd for me this year because I have been missing my father for the first time in many, many years. When he died, we weren't on the best of terms, although he had made an effort. He tore our family apart, and yet, I'll always love him. Why? Because he is who he is. And because he, more than anyone I really know, has made me the person that I AM today.

But it's okay, Dad, I won't hold THAT against you.

I guess having a father that wasn't exactly Father of the Year material has helped in a lot of ways. I persevere. I get by until I can get through. I try to be the very best wife and mother that I damn well can be. I often fail miserably just when I'm needed most, but I put that foot forward and I DO IT, fail or succeed.

And I hope that, if anything, that my girls can learn at least that much from me. That I love them enough to stick my neck out and take chances just to enrich their lives.

So, I'm not the religious type nor am I the type to go on and on about what I'm thankful for, etc. I believe in telling those that you're thankful for that you ARE every time you can. No need to make lists or shout outs over here. I do my best and if that isn't enough, I doubt I'll ever make you happy.

I believe in the season, pagan or not, I do believe.

I also obviously believe in babbling because um, well, I do it rather well, don't I?

So, on that note:

Blessings, best wishes, and here's to another year full of good friends, better food, and the best books and music we can find!

~Your Favorite (admit it, it's true!) Crazy Lady thinking about butterflies in December...

Christmas Carols for the Psychologically Challenged

2008-12-23T09:54:00.001-08:00

1) Schizophrenia---- Do You Hear What I Hear, the Voices, the Voices?

2) Amnesia-- I Don't Remember If I'll be Home for Christmas

3) Narcissistic-- Hark the Herald Angels Sing About Me

4) Manic-- Deck The Halls And Walls And House And Lawn And Streets And Stores And Office And Town And Cars And Buses And Trucks And Trees And Fire Hydrants And...........

5) Multiple Personality Disorder----We Three Queens Disoriented Are

6) Paranoid---Santa Claus Is Coming To Get Us

7) Borderline Personality Disorder--- You Better Watch Out, You Better not Shout, I'm Gonna Cry, and I'll not Tell You Why

8) Full Personality Disorder--- Thoughts of Roasting You On an Open Fire

9) Obsessive Compulsive Disorder---Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells

10) Agoraphobia---I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day But Wouldn't Leave My House

11) Senile Dementia---Walking In a Winter Wonderland Miles from My House in My Slippers and Robe

12) Oppositional Defiant Disorder---I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus ... So I Burned Down the House

13) Social Anxiety Disorder---Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas -- While I Sit Here and Hyperventilate

And finally, a favorite...
14) Attention Deficit Disorder--We Wish You......Hey Look!! It's Snowing!!!

Merry Christmas from your favorite delusional, mentally unstable Crazy Lady

No More

2008-12-17T07:43:00.001-08:00

No more small, fuzzy animals for me. It breaks my heart every time I lose one of them. Last night, I put Destiny back into her cage, gave her a treat and went to give one to Butterfinger as well. He didn’t even stir when I opened the cage. I knew then that something was wrong.

His little body was sooo cold, but he was still moving, but just barely so I sat and I held him until he didn’t move any more. I don’t know what went wrong; he was fine Monday night, up and running in his wheel.

Butterfinger lived with us for fourteen wonderful months. I have no idea how old he was when we brought him home, but we enjoyed every minute we had with him. When we took him home, we had been told that he’d been beaten up by another hamster and had been in ‘rehab’ (HA! Hammie Rehab!). And you know what? For having been bullied and abused, he was the sweetest, most loving animal I have ever had in my life. I’m going to miss him a lot.

And even now, I’m sitting here with tears in my eyes because I just can’t lose another pet. My poor battered heart can’t take it. I just hope he knows how much we loved him and how badly I feel for not knowing there was something wrong. My poor baby Butterfinger… Wonder if he’ll still be Jabba the Hamster once he’s over the Bridge?

~Your terribly sad Hamster-Loving Crazy Lady

Cowboys and Margaritas

2008-12-14T10:41:00.001-08:00

Gotta love National Finals Rodeo time in Las Vegas. Cowboys. Are. Everywhere. As an old boss of mine used to say, "You'll be driving down the Strip and all you'll see is a taxi full of hats." And it's a beautiful thing.

I must admit, however, that my favorite part of NFR is all the cheap and free country concerts. I swear, darn near every country singer is in town during these ten days. And since there are so many shows, the prices drop like crazy! Well, unless you want to see Big & Rich at the Hilton, but that's neither here nor there.

I had been thinking of seeing Gary Allan this year until Zan discovers something even better. Blake Shelton. At the Silverton. And the best part? Tickets: $35! SCORE! The only bad thing? I had JUST seen him in Primm on October 18th with Miranda Lambert. Zan shook his head at me a few times and insisted I buy tickets. It's my Christmas present, but hello! I can deal with that!

He just won't ever let me forget that in 2008, I have seen Blake THREE TIMES. What?

So, we drop the kids off at Grandma and Grandpa's and come back home for a bit. I fix lunch, and we watch the newest Batman movie to kill time. Show time isn't until 10 PM because of the rodeo, but hey, this is VEGAS BABY, if you can't find something to occupy you in a town that never closes, you need serious help.

The Silverton Hotel & Casino is just on the outskirts of town, but not horribly far out. So, we leave around 7 PM to go and have dinner and possibly cruise through the Bass Pro Shops while we're there. On the ride out, we have a moment of panic. I'd forgotten that the Silverton doesn't really have a venue for concerts. In 2006, we saw Blake there for the first time... outside... by the pool. Any other December day we'd have been fine with that. But, for some bizarre reason, yesterday the temps dropped and 20 MPH winds moved in. Great. Just Great.

Thankfully, when we made out stop to pick up the tickets, the ever so kind gentleman at the counter informed us that the show was indeed outside, however, it was in a fully heated tend. Thank you! LOL After grabbing the tickets, we went to a little Mexican restaurant for dinner. I had some very yummy cheese enchiladas while Zan opted out for some carne asada-like tacos. And that's when the drinking started... I had two margaritas with dinner. Had I known they were going to forget to charge me for them, I'd have had another!

Since seating was general admission (and thus the ever-so-cheap ticket prices), we had to line up early. But, we weren't all that concerned about having the 'best' seats, even if we wanted to be up close. Doors opened at 9 PM and we headed out, stupidly, at 8:45. We stood in the FREEZING cold wind for an hour waiting to get inside. (Note to Blake: If you ever see this, know that THIS is proof that this desert rat LURVES you!) However, the kind Silverton people let us all in at 8:45, which made me ever so happy (and my fingers too).

The show, as always, was great. We had been second in line and got front row seats. SCORE again! Well, until everyone started rushing the stage. LOL But even so, still could see great and he looked and sounded fantastic!

Zan had ordered me another margarita while I was hanging at the goodie stand picking out my new t-shirt (a magenta baby doll with "Home" and an abstract design on it), so I was feeling no pain by the time the show started. He did a first set of all his hits, including songs like "Home", "Austin", "Some Beach", his current single "She Wouldn't Be Gone" and my all-time favorite, "Playboys of the Southwestern World" (because, after all, this IS a song about best friends).

Amidst a whole lotta whooping and hollering, he returned to the stage for a second set of country standards like "Redneck Girls" (a must for him it seems), "I Love a Rainy Night", "Driving My Life Away" (he was also on an Eddie Rabbitt kick, it seems), and John Anderson's "Black Sheep". He finished it all up with what seems to be his favorite closing song, "Ol' Red."

Zan loves to tease me about my Blake addiction. He finds it utterly amusing that I moved from Tim McGraw to Blake. He got the whole Tim thing, I mean, Tim is a mega star. Blake? Not so much. But he has his loyal fans (BSers, how appropriate is that?) and constantly puts out some of the best music on the radio (when you can get the radio to play it... unless you have XM and they are the BEST!). He may never reach Kenny or Tim status, but he is it for me. And as a reaffirmation of just WHY I do love him so much, he cracked jokes, picked on himself, and messed with the audience all throughout the show. My two requirements in a man are #1: honesty and #2: a sense of humor. I have no doubt that Blake possesses both (shhh... and so does my Zan, in double measures).

So, if you ever get a chance to go see him, do it. He puts on a rocking, fun-loving show that you will never forget. And the smaller the venue, the better. For more pics, go here, and feel free to leave a comment here or on the pictures.

I'm also guessing that right now is probably not the best time to tell you that we stopped at The Mermaid Lounge for another drink after the show... LOL Yeah, I was nice and toasty by the time we returned to the safety of our own place. But it was beyond worth it. My man loves me and put up with yet another country concert for my benefit. One of these days, I WILL make him into a fan. :)

~TCB(lake)L

Huh?

2008-12-12T13:06:00.001-08:00

Stolen from a letter sent to an injured employee from our worker’s comp claims administrator:

We are in receipt of your industrial claim filed on your behalf for the referenced body part.

Again, I say… HUH? Can’t they say ‘for the referenced injury or incident’? ‘For the referenced body part’ sounds like something out of a horror movie. And a bad one at that.

LMAO.

~TCL

Whew!

2008-12-07T12:47:00.001-08:00

I'm tired! And it's only just now 12:30. LOL

So far this morning, I've made Oatmeal Scotchies and Blueberry Walnut Cookies (don't have the recipe up yet, sorry. Keep checking here though). I've also roasted some cashews for some fudge I'm going to make in a bit.

At the moment, I have a chicken roasting in the oven for the chicken and noodles I'm making for dinner. As soon as I can flip the bird (ha ha), I'm going to make some Pumpkin Pie Fudge and some Honey Nut White Fudge (hence the honey roasted cashews).

Sounds like fun, doesn't it? Well, it'd be better if I could keep all the vultures out of my goodies! Wonder if I can sneak in a batch of barbecued mixed nuts too?

Okay, and now that it's taken me twenty minutes to type this... LOL Off to make my fudge!

Yes, I am a College Graduate

2008-12-05T10:02:00.001-08:00

<rant>

Okay… so I get a fax from a contractor asking for some changes to an invoice. In this case, it means more money, so hey, I’m there.

This is the note on the fax:

Retention needs to be bill in full before retention billing can be excepted.

Huh? Okay, bill instead of billed is probably just a typo. I know I forget endings on words quite often. But HELLO! accepted NOT excepted! What the hell is wrong with people these days? It’s simple basic freaking vocabulary!

Or, am I expecting too much out of people? If you’re going to work in a field where you will be sending out correspondence to other people PLEASE understand the basic concepts of grammar, punctuation and the ENGLISH LANGAUGE!

</rant for now>

The Crazy HTML mangling Lady who, by the way, never actually graduated college but does know the difference between their, there, and they’re.

Presents

2008-12-04T21:06:00.001-08:00

I got a new book in the mail today. The Warning Label Book by Joey Green, Tony Dierckins, and Tim Nyberg.

This book is stuffed full of REAL warning labels as well as some of the stories that spurred companies to add them to their products. The best part? The commentary that comes along with each warning label.

Found on the instruction sheet of a Conair Pro Style 1600 hair dryer:

WARNING: Do not use in shower. Never use while sleeping.

And never blow-dry your hair while you're sleeping in the shower.

LMAO.

Here's your sign.

Kids and Their Mouths

2008-12-02T08:08:00.001-08:00

So last night Zan decides I need a night off <insert eye roll here> and shouldn’t have to cook. I’m immediately suspicious, but not overly so, we haven’t eaten in a restaurant in months.

We’re outside and my younger child, Mischief, looks into the sky and stares at the sliver of moon visible. She grins and says, “I can see the dark side of the moon!” Zan and I stop in our tracks, laughing so hard that both children stare at us. He accuses me of corrupting them with Pink Floyd and I deny it (I just never thought of it, to be honest). What we think she meant was that she could see the dark part of the moon, but who knows with that kid.

Fast forward to the parking lot. Driving in, I see a young woman in a prom-type dress and wonder if it might be Homecoming night, although it’s a bit late in the year for that. Didn’t think too much on it until we’re getting out of the car and see two more girls dressed in similar dresses and a young man in a tux. Something’s certainly going on.

We go in and have a seat. Our waitress takes our drink orders and we wait. As we’re sitting there, Zan starts to laugh and says, “Nope, not Homecoming.” I look up and see a lady in a wedding dress come in with her entire wedding party. Now I’m laughing. I mean, we’re in an upscale bar-type restaurant.

Princess is watching the bride intently and then frowns suddenly. I ask what was wrong and she tells me the bride is creepy. WHAT? “Yeah, creepy, Mama. Her make up and eye shadow and just creepy!” Oh. Mah. Gawd. LOL I’m so glad they were quite far away from us.

On a side note, I mentioned a certain someone coming to concert and Zan tells me to buy tickets. Despite the tickets only being $35 each, I inform him that we’re just too broke with Christmas coming up and all. Any other time, I could have worked it out, but not this time of year. He tells me to buy the damn tickets. He’s smiling and I can’t figure out why. Finally, he spills. He got his Christmas bonus. So, I’m buying the damn tickets! LOL

I’m so loved. LMAO.

~The Crazy Blake Lady (yet again this year)

Fugitives and Supergirl!

2008-11-29T14:54:00.001-08:00

So, Thursday morning, Destiny, our little fuzzy white dwarf hamster, was out getting her exercise while Zan and I put together the two side dishes he promised his parents he'd make. We put her up when we were ready to leave and didn't think about her until we got home later that night.

Friday morning, I got up and noticed she wasn't out and about like usual, but didn't think much of it. She has an odd schedule. Well, later Friday afternoon, I started to get concerned so I figured I'd poke around in her cage and wake her up, insuring she was okay. Turns out, she wasn't in her cage.

This discovery starts a mass search for the little fuzzy. We can't find her anywhere, so we just try and calm down, knowing that Butterfinger, on the odd occasions he would get out, always returned. So, I put her cage on the floor (did I mention that it was up on a coffee table?) and open the door, placing some fresh veggies on the inside to entice her home.

Later that night, I saw a flash of white racing through the kitchen, but I didn't get to her before she disappeared. Quick little brat. So, Zan gets the brilliant idea to put out some food by where we think she disappeared. Genius! He gets bonus points for a change. Well, his only mistake was leaving it too far away from the area she was hiding.

She found the food and started munching this morning. However, the cats found her and chased her back behind the refrigerator (I saw this time) and she climbed into a small hole behind the cabinets. No wonder we couldn't find her! So, I moved the food closer to her and waited. I hung out, cleaning my kitchen and stuff, watching for her the whole time. Eventually, she snuck back out.

Princess noticed her and caught my attention. She was so busy stuffing her little pouches that she didn't even think to flee when I tried to pick her up. So, after almost 2 days, Destiny is back in her cage, in solitary confinement. She's happy though, running around and eating.

So, where does Supergirl come into all this?

Destiny hadn't been back in her cage for more than twenty minutes when Zan comes downstairs. He starts talking to the fugitive and to Princess, who was on the floor by the cage. I'm over here at my computer when I hear, "You CAN get out that way you little brat!" Since we had no idea how she got out, I jumped up from my computer chair, snagged my toes on the opposite pant leg and crashed to the kitchen floor.

Stupid ceramic tile. Why'd I ever put that in anyway?

Sadly, my attempt at flying was more along the lines of The Greatest American Hero than anything else (and if you don't get that, you're too young). But, did anyone really expect anything better out of me? Zan just laughed when he saw I was okay, saying, "You look like one of those chalk outlines..." He even offered to get the chalk for me...

Anyway, turns out that the little brat was escaping through a hole in the roof. Her water bottle hung down from the top of the cage. However, she's bigger than what Sasha was and had to contort herself to get water out of that bottle. In an effort to help her out, I got one of the ones that hangs on the SIDE of the cage so I could adjust the height. I never thought once that she'd climb her slide and make a break for it. And that's what Zan meant - he saw her poke her head out and then heave herself through the hole. I have since plugged the hole, once I was able to walk again.

And now, she's pouting. LOL

Heaven help me, it's only Saturday... still one day left for hell to break loose.

~TCL

Lies! All Lies! Plus a DOH!

2008-11-24T08:06:00.001-08:00

Zan and I fell in love with Terry Goodkind way back in 1994 when Wizard’s First Rule initially came out. So, when we read that there was going to be a mini-series of a sorts based on the Sword of Truth series, we were very excited.

The good: I think they’ve done a good job with the casting. Richard’s not quite how I pictured him, nor is Zedd, but I think Kahlan is dead on. I think the actors portray the characters accurately, even if they’re not written quite right.

The bad: I think they took the idea of the original storyline and ran off the cliff with it. Zan is driving me NUTS with his whining during each show about how this isn’t right and why’d they have to change THAT. And, while I agree with him, he doesn’t have to KEEP WATCHING IF HE DOESN’T LIKE IT! LOL

All in all, I’m enjoying it, changes aside. One thing I have to give them uber props on is the fact that they did NOT water down Kahlan’s character at all. She is still one bad ass bitch, and that makes me happy. LOL

And now, are you ready for my big DOH of the week? The middle of last week sometime, I smacked my left leg, just above and to the outside of my knee on our coffee table, giving myself a nice purple bruise. Friday night, I smacked my right leg, right ON the knee on the same corner of the same table, giving myself yet another grapey bruise in almost the same spot as on my other leg. I now have a nice matching set. LOL THEN, Saturday, I park near one of those medians full of rocks at the grocery store. Yeah, you can see it coming, can’t you? Well, I’ve been congested for the last couple weeks, so my equilibrium has been of. Yeah, more than usual, thanks. The kids load themselves into the car and I’m loading the groceries when suddenly, I lose my balance and fall on my ass. The left side, that is. So, now I have three more nice bluish bruises (now with SCRATCHES! Get yours today!) along my left calf, thigh, and butt cheek.

You so want to be me, don’t you?

~Your Bruised Crazy Lady

ELEVEN YEARS!

2008-11-21T08:57:00.001-08:00

Holy crap, has it really been that long? *checks calendar* Yup, sure has. November 21, 1997. That was the day!

When I stop and think about it, I realize just how crazy it all is. We met our sophomore year in high school in geometry class. Started having lunch together and had our first date on May 25, 1991.

I’ll never forget the night he first kissed me either. A good friend of ours was pregnant and estranged from the father. She was pretty beat down and wanted to have a bit of fun so she had the lot of us over. When her parents kicked us all out, we went and drove to a quiet spot not far from my house. Gave us a gorgeous view of Las Vegas and we talked and listened to music. At one point, he looked up at the clock, saw it was close to curfew, and said, “Well, I guess I ought to kiss you so I can take you home.” LOL Classic Zan, I’m tellin ya.

We moved in together shortly before his 21st birthday, either in April or May of 1995. He ‘proposed' (and I put that in quotes because we were sitting in Zales, waiting to get approved for the rings we found and he says, “Gee, I guess this means I have to ask you now.”) about a year later. Took us another year plus some to actually do the deed.

There have been a ton of ups and downs in our almost-18-year relationship, including coming really close to calling it quits at one point. But we persevered and I think we are stronger for it. We struggle, sometimes a lot, but we’re always happy and content. We have two beautiful, loving children who are the light of our lives and an ever-growing menagerie of animals that make our lives complete. I often wonder how we made it so far and then I realize that it’s his patience and good humor that have carried us through. I don’t know what I’d do without him. Oh, wait… that’s right – I’d have peace and quiet, huh? LOL Just kidding honey!

It sounds cliché, but in our case, it’s the truth. He IS my best friend. He was my friend long before he ever became my lover, and I have a feeling he’ll be my friend long after the sexual aspect of our relationship ends. And, in the end, that is what is most important.

And hell, he let me buy a Precious Moments cake topper with a cowboy on it, how can you NOT love a man that lets you do that?

~A not so crazy lady today

P. S. We’re pretty much broke these days so we don’t have any extravagant plans for tonight, however, he bought me the most hysterical card… it read: It takes 2 to make a marriage work. You open it up and there are three martinis lined up along the bottom and it says: And in case 2 isn’t enough, have 3! And now you know where ‘Blake’ gets his sense of humor from.

Early Morning Radio

2008-11-13T08:20:00.001-08:00

I generally don’t listen to FM radio but since I still *looks angrily at the male half* don’t have XM in my car, I make due with what I have. Generally, I just listen to my CD’s but every now and then, I’ll flip on the radio. That’s what I did this morning.

The first thing I came across was two of our rock jocks discussing a man being caught with a prostitute… IN THE BACK OF HIS GARBAGE TRUCK! My gods, how gross is that? I came in sometime in the middle of the conversation, so I’m not sure if it was here or not, but it sure wouldn’t surprise me if it was.

Afraid of what might be coming next, I switched stations. Two more jocks, this time on a mix-type station, were discussing thing that would happen ‘only in Las Vegas’. There were a few silly things said, but the one that made me laugh was this: a lady called in and said that every day she drives past this senior living center and it has a bright, neon sign saying ‘SENIOR LIVING CENTER’ on it. Yeah, only in Las Vegas. Although, the comment about the bride, in full gown, sitting at the slot machines made me laugh too, but mainly because you see that SO often. Sad, but true.

So, while laughing over that, I changed stations again during the commercial. Another set of DJ’s were talking about rudeness and whether it’s becoming a problem. There was a survey that found 4 out of 5 people thought rudeness was indeed becoming a problem however, 99% of the people surveyed said that they do not believe they are rude. Um, there’s something wrong there. LOL Generally, I am NOT rude, but I know that I CAN be… But yeah, I know, it’s never YOU is it? It’s always the OTHER guy…

And lastly, Shana… I heard yours and Allyson’s theme song on the radio this morning. Or, rather, one of them. And I laughed until I cried. See, my BFF has been through all of Ali’s changes in personality and temperament over the years and every now and then, a certain song from my past will come on the radio and I’ll just start to laugh. And only she knows why. Is it crazy that a song will take me back to something that never actually happened?

Oh, and the song was Secret Lovers by Atlantic Starr. Others that do this to me are If She Would Have Been Faithful by Chicago, Gonna Buy Me a Dog by the Monkees and *coughs* nearly anything by Nelson. Just thinking about Matthew and Gunnar makes me blush and laugh. Damn, Ali! I miss those days…

Interesting

2008-11-12T15:10:00.001-08:00

Sorta.

The average man can keep an erection for around 40 minutes, even though he might not last that long. The average woman takes about 20 minutes to climax from oral sex.

There’s a joke in there somewhere, but I’m too tired to look for it… LOL

The average man gets around seven erections a day. Sadly, five of those are in his sleep.

Sadly? Just means we women get the occasional chance to catch our breath.

The average speed of ejaculation is 28 mph.

Is that why it hurts so much when it hits you in the eye? And really, how and WHY did they measure this? Yet again, our precious tax dollars at work…

Sex is healthy. There's more protein in the average ejaculation than there is in a medium-sized pork chop.

But spunk doesn’t come with a side of mashed potatoes!

Are You My Friend?

2008-11-11T17:55:00.001-08:00

LOL And suddenly, I'm having a flashback... Hey Lady, wanna be my friend (Dakota, do you have ANY idea how far back I had to go to FIND that post???)?

Anyway, ever have some sort of news that's so cool, so important, or just makes you so giddy inside that you can't keep it to yourself? Yeah, me too, but have you ever run into that phenomenon of not really having anyone to tell?

I mean, I HAVE people to tell, but I'm not so sure that anyone really cares. They'll be polite and tell me they care, but they just don't get it. Ever. And I can see the odd looks they give me when I start to gush about whatever it is that has me so excited.

And so I am sad. I never honestly thought I was so far off the beaten path that no one would like ever get what makes me so happy. But there it is. I guess it's a good thing that most of my friends are such good liars. LOL

Oh well. I guess I'll go cuddle up with my hopes and my dreams and keep it to myself since not even the ones I know that love me more than anything (Z, S, P & M) really understand. Although they do get it... sorta.

~TCBL (you figure out what the 'B' stand for in there)

Sad But True + a Whine

2008-11-06T08:16:00.001-08:00

First, the whine. I got an e-mail from Blake Shelton’s website last night saying that if I pre-ordered his new CD (due out Oct. 18th!!!!) from iTunes, that I’d get like three bonus songs, a digital booklet, and a video, blah blah blah. I thought long and hard about it because it was $11.99 and I’m sure Best Buy will have it for $9.99 the week it releases. Well, after thinking about it all night, I figured what the heck and decided to pre-order it at work this morning.

ONLY TO DISCOVER THAT IT’S NO LONGER AVAILABLE ON iTUNES! What the hell? GRRR! I’m hoping that it’s just some glitch and I’ll be able to get it tonight or tomorrow… but WAH! LOL

Okay, and now, on to the real point of this blog. Ever have a really special person in your past? One you don’t think of often, but sometimes a certain song, or a certain place will make you think of them? I have one. He was my first boyfriend and one of my dearest friends, up until the drugs got to him. And man, did I love that boy.

Driving to work this morning, I was sick of my CD’s and took a risk on listening to the radio – something I don’t generally do because, well, FM radio sucks and I haven’t gotten my XM hooked back up in my new truck yet. So, having run out of options on the radio, I went back to the beginning and landed on KOMP, our local rock station. They were doing their Morning Metallica, something they apparently do every morning. So, having been a metal head in my youth, I stopped to see what they’d pull out of the vault.

That’s what made me think of Paulo (and stop laughing, you know who you are… I dislike using real names!). He’d moved to town my sophomore year from backwoods Arizona. He was dark skinned with these beautiful golden brown curls and a killer smile. And now I disappoint myself… I want to remember his eyes as blue-green, but somehow I think they had to have been brown… he was very proud of his heritage – telling everyone he was a Mexican Indian, and correcting them LOUDLY if they just called him a Mexican.

He was my kind of guy – he broke all the stereotypes and surprised you at every turn. He was a good student – smart, a quick thinker, and enjoyed learning. Yet, he loved his video games (see a pattern here yet?), loved his D&D (again, pattern?), and most of all – he loved his music. Loud, hard, and obnoxious (and there’s a joke in there somewhere but our relationship never got that far so I can’t accurately make it LOL). He was sweet, he was kind, he was the most fun I think I’d ever had.

And, I suppose, he was my first love.

Paulo and a friend, Jacob, stood in line for Jacob’s then girlfriend to buy Garth Brooks tickets. Bored, they started a mosh pit at Thomas & Mack. LOL Only those two. Amusingly enough, Jacob took me on my first date my freshman year. To Olive Garden and the tractor pulls. LOL

No Jacob, I swear I did NOT slam the door in your face, either! Not that you’re reading this, but I know you’re out there, just on the other side of this city than I.

My first kiss came from Paulo, on the front lawn of my high school where we’d sit and have lunch every day. I was so sad when he left school, he had such a future, but things weren’t good for him, living away from his family and relying on others. It was his downfall, I suppose.

The last time I saw him was three years ago for our mutual friend’s funeral. I saw him and, truth be told, Zan pointed him out to me. I was shocked at how tall he’d grown. But he was still the same person, physically. He looked right at me and either didn’t see me or didn’t recognize me. Jacob did, however, and grasped me and refused to let go. It was a beautiful thing, and not even Zan complained.

And now that I’m writing this, I wonder… my favorite musician has dark brown curls and a killer smile…

~A very thoughtful Crazy Lady

Tagged…

2008-11-05T08:59:00.001-08:00

Rottie_Mom tagged me today and now I’ve gotta rack my brain to see if I actually KNOW six people…

The RULES (LOL):

1. Link to the person who tagged you.

2. Post the rules on your blog.

3. Write six random things about yourself.

4. Tag six people at the end of your post and link to them.

5. Let each person know they’ve been tagged and leave a comment on their blog.

6. Let the tagger know when your entry is up.

Hmmm 6 random things about me....

1. I write for fun and stress relief and my favorite character (Ali, whom I may have to tag in desperation) has been with me since I was 10.

2. I just got a new winter white hamster last night and we named her Destiny.

3. The only thing that comes close to rivaling my collection of books is my collection of CD’s.

4. Cooking is my favorite way to relax, although lately finding something that my entire family agrees on is a chore.

5. Tie-dye is my sport of choice.

6. I’m not very random. I think entirely too much, which is probably why I suffer from so much anxiety. LOL

I’m a-tagging… Redheaded Mama, Cali Girl, Cyndi-Lu, Beth Kery, Robyn, and Selena.

Destiny Calls...

2008-11-04T19:52:00.001-08:00

Many of you may know that about three weeks ago, we lost our dwarf black Russian hamster, Sasha. She'd been ill and suffering with a tumor. Poor baby had a seizure and passed. Since then, the girls have been begging for another hamster and Zan keeps saying NO. And it doesn't matter how much I bat my eyes at him..

So, today he gets kicked out so his boss can go vote (he works out of his boss' house) and he CALLS me to tell me that he went to the PET STORE and found the cutest hamster.

THEN the jerks SENDS it to me. *sigh* This little baby is pure white with just a hint of grey here and there. I couldn't tell if she was another Campbell's or if she was a Winter White (which I have recently read are different breeds). I ooh and ahh and he laughs at me.

Being the loving man that he is, he says he'll call and find out how late that pet store is open, and also ask if they can hold her for us as well. I think that maybe, finally, we might get another hamster. I mean, after all, we ONLY have four pets, right Mischief?

Anyway, so I come home and find Sasha's old cage sitting on the kitchen counter. I'm like YEAH! He's going to go for it! And that's when I notice there's something... in the cage.

Would you believe that he went BACK to the pet store to get this little fluffy ball of fur for us? He won't admit it, but I think he fell in love with our new little family member the minute he saw her. He even admitted to holding her, something he rarely did with Sasha or Butterfinger, our resident hamster-gone-Guinea pig.

So, enough rambling. Meet Destiny.

She's a curious and active little thing, about jumped out of my hand the first time I held her.

And for some odd reason, she'd rather lay beside or behind her house instead of in it. But whatever, as long as she's happy, right?

And don't forget to check out my sidebar - I added pictures of Cali, my freak cat, and Darby, our 14-year old kitty, as well. Need to get a good one of Tiger - his eyes always turn either red or gold on me. And look at the bottom of the blog too... LOL

~The Crazy Hamster Lady

Oh Boy…

2008-11-03T08:27:00.001-08:00

Am I ever in trouble then… my Kitchen Aid gets a weekly workout. LOL

(Click for full strip)

And Then...

2008-10-29T17:06:00.001-07:00

...my legs went, "Faloomp." I swear. And I'll explain in a bit.

First of all, I'm such a fuckhead, it isn't even funny. I read something earlier today and it so enraged me that it consumed my thoughts for a good hour and a half today. I mean, it was so full of hatred, bigotry, and prejudice that it made me sick. So I fumed.

Yeah, I know. Obsess much there, Amy?

So, after reading and then venting to a group of online (and a couple real-life) friends, I started to feel better. And not just about the thing I read, but also about everything that's been bothering me lately. Can't honestly say that I'm 'better' but I think I'm going to be okay. Who knew that anger could be so cleansing?

Well, actually, I DID know that, a good yell always makes me feel better. LOL

Anyway, I had to stop at the grocery store on my way home for some things and found myself thinking about it all again.

And that's when it happened.

Yes Miss D, then my legs went 'falooomp'. And you know, I wear bright freaking orange sneakers, you'd think I'd SEE those size 10 rockets down at the bottom of my legs. But noooooo, I can't be that observant. I have to trip over the damn things RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SELF CHECKS! LOL Oh well. They know me there. Not like it's the first time.

But on the bright side, I got home today and discovered the cute card my dear friend Robin sent me had arrived. And ya know what? It's just as cute as she said! Thanks babe!

~TCL

To God: From the Dog

2008-10-29T15:32:00.001-07:00

From your friendly, neighborhood heathen, but I couldn’t resist. Just too much truth in all of it.

TO: GOD
FROM: THE DOG

Dear God: Why do humans smell the flowers, but seldom, if ever, smell one another?

Dear God: When we get to heaven, can we sit on your couch? Or is it still the same old story?

Dear God: Why are there cars named after the jaguar, the cougar, the mustang, the colt, the stingray, and the rabbit, but not ONE named for a Dog? How often do you see a cougar riding around? We do love a nice ride! Would it be so hard to rename the 'Chrysler Eagle' the 'Chrysler Beagle'?

Dear God: If a Dog barks his head off in the forest and no human hears him, is he still a bad Dog?

Dear God: We Dogs can understand human verbal instructions, hand signals, whistles, horns, c lickers, beepers, scent ID's, electromagnetic energy fields, and Frisbee flight paths. What do humans understand?

Dear God: More meatballs, less spaghetti, please.

Dear God: Are there mailmen in Heaven? If there are, will I have to apologize?
_________________________________
Dear God: Let me give you a list of just some of the things I must remember to be a good Dog.

1. I will not eat the cats' food before they eat it or after they throw it up.

2. I will not roll on dead seagulls, fish, crabs, etc., just because I like the way they smell.

3. The Litter Box is not a cookie jar.

4. The sofa is not a 'face towel'.

5. The garbage collector is not stealing our stuff..

6. I will not play tug-of-war with Dad's underwear when he's on the toilet.

7. Sticking my nose into someone's crotch is an unacceptable way of saying 'hello'.

8. I don't need to suddenly stand straight up when I'm under the coffee table .

9. I must shake the rainwater out of my fur before entering the house - not after.
10. I will not come in from outside and immediately drag my butt.

11. I will not sit in the middle of the living room and lick my crotch.

12. The cat is not a 'squeaky toy' so when I play with him and he makes that noise, it's usually not a good thing.

P.S. Dear God: When I get to Heaven may I have my testicles back?

Stupid Office Equipment

2008-10-29T15:25:00.001-07:00

Yeah, you heard me, The Self-Proclaimed Queen of the Office Supply Stores, I have stupid office equipment.

I mean, really. I have a defective stapler. Dumb thing keeps stapling the wrong pages together.

I know! Right?

*sighs*

However, they keep hinting that it might be my fault. I say PHOOEY ON YOUEY!

~The Crazy Stapler Lady (wishing J was here to read this suddenly)

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-27T19:47:00.001-07:00

Errr... almost. LOL

And Blake's taken a temporary vacation. He'll be back soon, I promise. LOL

The only bitch I have is that I lost all my fun sidebar stuff. GRRR... Oh wells. I'll have to fix them again later.

~TCL

(who, by the way, changed Ali's layout as well... it's here.)

Kids, Carrie, and NKOTB

2008-10-27T08:09:00.001-07:00

So, at this point, most of you know that I have two kids. Two girls, 6 and 8. And I love my kids, they are the light of my life and 99.9% of the time, they are GOOD KIDS. I have no real complaints about them. They do well in school, they listen, they behave. That said, they are still a handful. Even good, helpful kids are a lot of work.

My girls love to watch Jon and Kate + 8. And if you’re not in the know as far as that show goes, Jon and Kate got married, got pregnant, and had twins. A couple years later, they decided they wanted one more and wound up with sextuplets. EEEK! But okay, I understand that. I think they had fertility treatments both times, but I could be wrong there.

And as much fun as it is to watch that show, it’s also nice for us normal parents to know that we’re not alone when we lose it completely. LOL Well, now TLC has started a new show featuring the Duggars. You know, that couple with the 17 kids? And one more on the way?

Now THAT disturbs me. I mean, how do you do that financially? My husband and I both have good jobs and make decent money and yet, we still struggle. I know Jon & Kate get help from their church, their community, etc, but they didn’t do this intentionally. There’s was more like a major OOOOPS. LOL I mean, when is enough enough? When do you finally step up and say, “We can’t do this anymore?” And my gods… how do they keep their sanity? I swear, I wanted to lock BOTH of mine in a closet this weekend and not because they were bad… they just would NOT STOP TALKING! LOL

Any thoughts?

Okay, I just had to add this one little bit… on my way into work this morning, I was actually listening to the regular radio, not something I normally do. However, one of our local stations was talking to Carrie Underwood, so I thought I’d listen. I’m not a huge Carrie fan, but what the heck, right? Well, near the end of the interview, she mentioned she was going to a New Kids on the Block concert. I about died laughing. Is Carrie even OLD enough to be a New Kids fan? My gods…

Although, I have to admit, there’s something rather amusing about driving down Las Vegas Boulevard, aka The Strip, blasting “Last Name” and rocking out at 7 AM.

Oh oh oh oh oh… You got it, the right stuff…

Ahh… It’s a GOOD DAY

2008-10-24T09:28:00.001-07:00

Yeah, I know… after that post I made yesterday… LOL Sorry about that. I have my mood swings.

Anyway, when I got home yesterday, I discovered I had two books on my wish list at PaperbackSwap that had become available. The first is Moongazer by Marianne Mancusi. The other is The Tightwad Gazette II by Amy Dacyczyn. I’m pretty excited and will most likely post more about them on my book blog so that I don’t bore the non-readers out there.

But what has me most excited? This:

Are you laughing yet, because I am! Well, actually, I’m giggling like a little girl, truth be told. See, this was my VERY favorite cartoon as a kid and once the DVD’s were released in 2004, they’ve not been re-released so finding them is nothing short of a miracle. Well, unless you want to play about $100 per set. And um, well… I can’t afford that. So, that’s where SwapaDVD comes in and makes me very, very happy.

So, anyway… I highly recommend PaperbackSwap, SwapaCD, and SwapaDVD. Pssst… and shameless plug here… if you decide to join… tell ‘em asphaltcowgrrl@yahoo.com referred you. *G*

~Your rather stoked Crazy Lady singing… “They fight for freedom wherever there’s trouble. G. I. Joe is theeeeeeeeeeerrre…”

Had it

2008-10-23T15:29:00.001-07:00

Yup. I’m done.

Pissed off a co-worker because I couldn’t get him what he needed because I don’t know where it is. Why don’t I know where it is? Because no one will show me, they just tell me I don’t need to know or reply with, “I’ll get it for you.” God forbid I ever actually NEED this information in the future.

However, said co-worker didn’t want to hear any of this. WTFever.

Yeah, what the avatar said. Not ever found anything quite so close to the truth as that. This past week or so, I’ve given up on trying so hard. I bust my ass in everything I do and I get nowhere. I pretend to be happy and exuberant because it’s what’s expected of me. Does anyone care the toll it takes on me to put on such a show? Of course not. They just come down on me that much harder when I can’t put on my happy face any longer.

But I digress. I didn’t mean to get on a self-pity kick, I was just needing to vent about something I had no control over. I don’t understand why I’m always expected to have the answer to every single question. I really, honestly don’t. But I am. And it sucks because I get no bonus by having the answers and get nothing but heartache when I don’t. How fair is that?

I need a life. And I honestly wish I had someone to talk to. Poor Zan gets his ear bent entirely too often. He’s a good sport about it, but still. He can only take so much. And I love him too much to drive him away with my whining. LOL

Ah, well… such is life, right? I’ll get past it, I always do.

~A distraught and despondent Crazy Lady

50 Odd Things

2008-10-22T19:43:00.001-07:00

Yeah... more avoidance therapy. So sue me.

1. Do you like blue cheese? Yes'm!

2. Have you ever smoked heroin? UM HELL NO

3. Do you own a gun? No, but Ali does.

4. What flavor do you add to your drink at Sonic? Don't normally drink soda, but I will make an exception for their cherry limeade!

5. Do you get nervous before doctor's appointments? Not usually.

6. What do you think of hot dogs? Yummy!

7. Favorite Christmas Song. It's a tie - Little Drummer Boy and Leroy the Redneck Reindeer

8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning? Tequila.

9. Can you do push ups? Yuppers. Ali is better though.

10. Do you believe in God, Jesus and the holy spirit? Yes, but I also believe that He is not the only One.

11. What's your favorite piece of jewelry you wear? My wedding rings and my pentacle set with a traitorous moonstone.

12. Favorite hobby? Heh. Heh. Heh...

13. Do you work with people who idolize you? Not freaking likely. Can't even get them to turn the A/C down! LOL

14. Do you have A.D.D.? No. Yes. Wait, let me... HEY! Look, a bookstore!

15. What's one trait that you hate about yourself? Lack of confidence and self esteem.

16. Middle name? Suzanne

17. Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment. My feet are cold. I think Ali needs to do this too. I wonder where I put those Reese's Pieces I hid from Zan and Mika...

18. Name 3 things you bought yesterday. Iced mocha, Diet Mt. Dew, and a little more time...

19. Name 3 drinks you regularly drink. Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, water, and tequila..

20. Current worry right now? Zan's health.

21. Current hate right now? I try not to hate anything, but Zan's diabetes right now is getting close... LOL

22. Favorite place to be? With my children and family

23. How did you bring in the New Year? Huh? You expect me to be UP at that time of night?

24. Where would you like to go? Gimme a ticket anywhere but here...

25. Name three people who will complete this. No eye deer.

26. Whose answer do you want to read the most? I want to read everyone's

27. What color shirt are you wearing? Green since Ali has invaded my brain...

28. Do you like sleeping on satin sheets? Depends who's sleeping with me.. (that was Ali's influence, not mine!)

29. Can you whistle? Yes

30. Favorite color(s)? Blue, green and purple

31. Would you be a pirate? Nah

32. What songs do you sing in the shower? Whatever is on the radio

33. Favorite girl's name? Allyson (that WAS me)

34. Favorite boy's name? Dakotah (surprised it wasn't Blake?)

35. What's in your pocket right now? Lint

36. Last thing that made you laugh? Zan and his buddies playing video games

37. Best bed sheets as a child? Holly Hobbie!

38. Worst injury you've ever had? Broken nose.

39. Do you love where you live? It's a nice little place...

40. How many TVs do you have in your house? 2

41. Who is your loudest friend? Sarah

42. How many dogs do you have? None unless you count the stuffed ones.

43. Does someone have a crush on you? God help them if they do.

44. What is your favorite food? Berries

45. What is your favorite snack food? Popcorn.

46. What is your favorite candy? Plain ol' regular M&M's.

47. What is your favorite sports team? Chicago Cubs! For better or for worse!

48. What song do you want played at your funeral? T-R-O-U-B-L-E by Travis Tritt

49. What were you doing 12 AM last night? Sleeping, duh!

50. What was the first thing you thought when you woke up? What the hell was with that dream anyway?

Blogathon and Avoidance Therapy

2008-10-22T08:42:00.001-07:00

Way back in early October, I had posted the first three chapters of Code Red 2 on Mika’s Blog. Then I went on vacation. And then I didn’t blog… LOL

So, anyway… I got a few more chapters up, some of which are new (to tie things together better). There’s also a new short up there that was inspired by a conversation my best friend and I had on our drive home from Tombstone, while the kids were sound asleep. LOL It’s an extremely emotional and personal piece, and I almost didn’t post it. But there it is, for better or worse. Not going to actively share it ANYWHERE simply for that reason. If you stumble upon it, great. If not? No big deal. It’s a bit of healing for my soul, nothing more, nothing less.

And now you’re probably wondering why all the blogging, right? Well, I’m using it as avoidance therapy. Concentrating on my writing and avoiding everything else. LOL Not very healthy, I know, but I don’t know what else to do at the moment. I mean, seriously… what do I do? I’m bored to death with everything that ever once brought me happiness. My Yahoo groups, PSP, reading… none of it is doing a thing to lift my mood or make me happy. About the only thing that hasn’t failed me lately has been my writing. I’m guessing that’s a good thing because it was always my salvation in my time of need.

With that in mind, working through whatever has recently come over me since Sasha’s death has been more difficult. I’m sure that if I forced myself to get back in and be involved with things, I’d heal faster, but I just can’t find the strength or motivation. I’ll pull through eventually, I always do. Don’t have any choice, really – too many people depending on me these days to do otherwise. So, until then, I’ll keep writing and blogging my little fingers off because, well, blogging is just online journaling and journaling is good, right?

Hell, who knows? LOL

~TCL, Knee-deep in Ali’s messed-up love life

Okay, Where Can I Get One?

2008-10-21T08:00:00.001-07:00

Nighttime Debates

2008-10-21T06:23:00.001-07:00

...aren't what they used to be.

Last night, I dreamt that our 'representative' was speaking to one of the Presidential candidates and asked, "Yes, but do you know where the water heater is?"

Ummmmmm... I think I seriously need to get out of the plumbing business.

~TCL

Barefoot Mommy Reviews

2008-10-20T19:40:00.001-07:00

Come check out this new blog (http://barefoot-mommy.blogspot.com/) where Krissy reviews products, finds freebies, and has lots and lots of giveaways. Go check her out and give her some lurve! She's just starting out and would love your support.

~TCL

Song of the Day ~ What I Need to Do

2008-10-20T15:55:00.001-07:00

Normally, I’d post this on my music blog, but today, I feel like putting it up here. I can’t help but think this is just how I’m feeling today.

What I Need To Do :
(Bill Luther/Tom Damphier)
I keep tellin' myself this is the right thing to do
I was wastin' her time, waitin' on dreams that just weren't comin' true
And this old highway seems to understand
Leadin' me on to somewhere that no one knows my name
I got the window rolled down, I got the radio up
I'm doin' all that I can to get my mind off us
What I need to do is turn this car around
Drive as fast as I can 'til I see the lights of our hometown
And run to her, take her in my arms
Make her see how sorry I am, well that shouldn't be so hard
But I drive on, and on, and on
Eighty-seven more miles gets me into Baton Rogue
There's a buddy of mine who says he might find some work that I can do
Or maybe head up north to Knoxville, Tennessee
I know my baby sister, has got a couch where I can sleep
Now the sun's goin' down on my broken heart
Lord, I gotta get back before I get too far
What I need to do is turn this car around
Drive as fast as I can 'til I see the lights of our hometown
And run to her, take her in my arms
Make her see how sorry I am, well that shouldn't be so hard
But I drive on
Yes I drive on, and on, and on
Knowin' what I need to do
Girl, I'm comin' home to you
Knowin' what I need to do
Girl I'm comin' home to you
I'm comin' home to you
Knowin' what I need to do

AAAAAAAAAAAH! (aka Blake & Miranda)

2008-10-19T10:35:00.001-07:00

Okay, let me say two things before I go any farther:

#1: I'm so ticked I didn't take my camera! Said on the website no recording equipment (which 99.9% of the time includes digital cameras and I've had them check cameras before) but no one was even LOOKING! GRRRRR!

#2: When Blake came out and said, "I'm not gonna lie, I've been drinking." I think he was understating he laughed at some point during darn near every song he sang. LOL But that's why I lurve him so much.

Due to a series of unfortunate events (LOL), I wound up going to the concert with a co-worker's wife. I like D, she's a great lady, so I was looking forward to it. The only thing I wasn't looking for was the 45-minute drive to get to the venue. We arrived with about an hour before the show started. We got a drink, bought a shirt and got our seats.

So, Miss Miranda came out first. Started her set off with "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend" and rocked out from there. She played for about 30 minutes before asking us if we wanted to see her 'cute boyfriend Blake Shelton'. Ummmm... DUH! Why'd ya think I was here, blondie? LOL

I have to say this much however, I was really impressed with her. This was my first time seeing Miranda and I was worried darn near every time I've seen her perform on TV - for whatever reason - she's sounded like crap. Don't know if it was nerves or what. But, last night, she sounded amazing! She's as bad as Eddie Montgomery however and doesn't stand still for two seconds. LOL

Next, it was time for my man. Yeaaah... This was my fourth time seeing Blake, so I sorta knew what to expect from his show. However, you never really know what to expect out of HIM. I couldn't even tell you what he started his set off with... how bad is that? However, he put on his typically amazing show, laced with lots of humor and great music. He really knows how to work a crowd. To start his set off, he appears at the top of the stage, at the head of a set of stairs. "I'm not gonna lie to you, I'll tell you the truth. I've been drinking tonight. And I'm gonna walk my big a$$ down these stairs and by the time I get to the bottom, ya'll better be raisin' hell." LOL Which reminds me, he started off with "The More I Drink". See? I'm not that bad!

At the end of his set, he 'asked' us if he could bring Miranda back out and do a small acoustic set. They'd wanted to make this a part of the show because, as Blake said, "This is what we do at home, sitting around the campfire. That and making out, but we're not gonna do that here." Good thing, too. I promised Zan I wouldn't get arrested. LOL So, she starts off with her newest single, "More Like Her". Of all the songs on her "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend" album, I think I probably like this one the least, but she really did it justice last night acoustically. Sounded better than the CD! Blake then went into one of MY favorite songs, noting it as Miranda's favorite as well - "Don't Make Me". For the finale, they performed a Conway Twitty/Loretta Lynn duet, "Feelins".

Miranda returned after that for her second and final set. She finished up with "Kerosene" one of my favorites of hers. She did a great job of including all her hits - "Kerosene", "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend", "Gunpowder and Lead", "Me and Charlie Talkin'", "Famous in a Small Town" as well as a few off her latest album ("Desperation") and her first as well ("Bring Me Down"). Mixed all that up with a few older cover songs ("Cripple Creek" and "Stay With Me") and a lot of high energy. You can tell she has a great relationship with her band and it really shows in their stage show.

Blake returned to the stage for his final set next. He as well did a great job of stuffing all his hits into such a short show. "Austin", "The Baby", "Some Beach", and my *cough* personal favorite, "Playboys of the Southwestern World" were among the few of his best. He also included his newest single. "She Wouldn't Be Gone" as well. Love that song! (Note to Shana: He did Playboys and SWBG back-to-back, just for you) Blake wound up his final set, but since he hadn't performed "Home", I knew he'd be back out. And sure enough, there he comes... with Miranda in tow. They did a beautiful version of the song, but I still had to laugh. He was perched on a stool; she stood beside him. He was still taller. LMAO!

Blake switches out guitars and then starts harassing his roadie. "Hey you, what did you just say to me? Yeah, you! What's your name?" And so it goes... he gets the roadie up there to talk and then Blake calls him on the carpet - tells the audience that the roadie handed him his guitar and said, "Anyone can do this." So, Blake gives him a guitar and lets him go. Blake has his guitar player start 'the easiest song he knows' and the guy - Mark - starts with "The Joker" and moves into "Angel of the Morning". The majority of the time, Blake's sitting on the drum riser, looking aggravated and despondent. Finally, he's had enough - he takes his guitar away and stomps off stage. I'm dying laughing at this point - not ever seen anything like this at a Blake concert, but it so didn't surprise me. He eventually comes back out onto stage and then I really WAS shocked - his guitarist goes into the opening notes of The J. Geils Band's "Centerfold"! Oh. Mah. Gawd! LOL Blake is proud of saying he's stuck in the 80's but I think that song is older than Miranda!

As Blake's finishing up his rockin' countrified version of "Centerfold", Miranda struts back out onto stage and points him to the stairs, making him sit and watch her as she launches into a very well-done version of Joan Jett's "I Love Rock 'N' Roll". Now, I have tears in my eyes because Blake is playing the petulant little boy, rolling his eyes, making faces, what have you, while Miranda performs. Once she finishes, he stands up and says, "Can we do something together that doesn't make me look like a complete moron?" She looks (way) up at him as says, "What do you mean by 'something'?" He looks desperately over his shoulder at his band and whimpers, "Just play something. Please? Just play something!" LOL Awww, poor Blake! The start into a really rocking number that I didn't recognize, but was a great way to end the show.

Again, I'm really, really impressed with Miranda's performance. Her voice was strong and clear all night. Blake not only held to the standard I have for him, but surpassed it with his humor and goofiness. But then, I'm just a *tad* bit partial on this subject. LOL I have to say though that, even if you only like one or the other, if you have a chance to see the two of them together, it's really worth it!

D and I headed back into town after the show and met up with her husband at IHOP for breakfast. Mmm... pumpkin pancakes. LOL Got home and crashed. It was five hours past my bedtime by that point! Yeah, I know, I'm sad aren't I?

This can't be good...

~Your Crazy Blake-Addicted Lady after her yearly dose of Pure BS

To Better Days

2008-10-18T10:16:00.001-07:00

So, after much frustration and hassle (and more than a few tears), I get to go to my concert tonight after all. I'm so excited, I love my Blake like you wouldn't believe, but I'm also so very disappointed that Zan can't come along with me. I know that I will have a blast with the lady I am going with - she cracks me up every time I talk to her - but I think you know what I mean. Sometimes the best things are those shared with your honey.

I'm totally stoked for more than one reason about this concert. I found out recently that he and Miranda Lambert are only doing a few of these shows, and I get to go to one! LOL I can see those of you who know me out there laughing. Yeah, so, I DO like her music. Often think her attitude needs adjusting, but I try not to let things like that get in the way of the important stuff - the MUSIC! And I'm also looking forward to hearing some of the new stuff off Blake's upcoming CD, Starting Fires, due out November 21st, I believe. Miranda's next CD won't be out until next year some time. (Hey Joolz, didja notice the camo guitar???)

So, I will leave you for now since I can hear my children thundering down the stairs. I swear, I never dreamed that a 40lb child could be so LOUD on the stairs! Can't take my camera because it says 'no recording equipment' and since most digital cameras these days take videos... *sigh* So, you'll have to make due with whatever pics I can find on the 'net of my baby. Although, I think this one here says it all. LOL Gotta love a man who isn't afraid to make a fool of himself. :)

Have a good weekend, I think that I might finally be able to.

~The Crazy Blakey Lady

Send the Hate Mail

2008-10-17T20:39:00.001-07:00

HERE. What's that? The link's broken? Ohhhhh nooooo... Can't complain then. LOL And just so you can see how lame I am, I bolded and italicized my favorites. LOL

A pirate walks into a bar with a steering wheel hanging from his belt. The bartender asks, "What's that for?" The pirate responds, "Aarrr, its driving me nuts".

John Hurt walks into a bar, with that alien emerging from his chest. The bartender asks, "What's gotten into you?"

A default Sans Serif font walks into a bar. The bartender says, "Sorry, we don't serve your type here!"

A guy walks into a bar with a duck on his head. The bartender says, "Can I help you?" The duck says, "Yeah, you can get this guy off my butt!"

A corn stalk walks into a bar. The bartender says, "Wanna hear a good joke?" The corn stalk says, "I'm all ears!"

Two guys walk into a bar, the third one ducks.

A giraffe walks into a bar. The bartender says, "Do you want a long neck?" The giraffe says, "Do I have a choice?"

A guy walks into a bar. The bartender says, "Do you want to play a game? See those two rib-eyes nailed to the ceiling? You get to throw one dart. If you hit one, you get to take them home and I'll give you a free drink." The man says, "No thanks, the steaks are too high."

A guy walks into a bar. He says to the bartender, "Can I have a bag of helicopter flavor chips?" The barkeep says, "Sorry, we only have plain."

A guy walks into a bar with a newt on his shoulder. "What do you call that?", asks the bartender. "I call him Tiny, because he's my newt!"

A soccer ball walks into a bar. The bartender kicked him out.

A book walks into a bar. The bartender says, "Please, no stories!"

A giraffe walks into a bar. "High balls are on me!"

A magician walks down an alley and turns into a bar.

Charles Dickens walks into a bar and orders a martini. The bartender asks, "Olive or twist?"

A leprechaun walks into a bar. The bartender serves him and says, "That'll be $2.50." The leprechaun puts two dollar bills on the bar and starts walking away. The barkeep shouts, "You're a little short!"

A man walks into a bar. OUCH! You would have thought he would have seen it!

A mushroom walks into a bar and the bartender says "We don't serve your kind here." and the mushroom says - "Why not? I'm a fungi."

A horse walks into a bar, across the room, up the back wall, across the ceiling, down the front wall and then up to the bar. The bartender gives the horse a beer, he drinks it and leaves. A guy sitting at the bar looks perplexed and asks the bartender "Hey, what's that all about?" The bartender replies, "Don't take it personally, he never says 'Hi' to anyone."

Descartes walks into a bar. The bartender asks, "Would you like a beer?" Descartes replies, "I think not", then disappeared.

A Kabbalist walks into a bar. The bartender asks, "Why the long face?"

An amnesiac comes into a bar. He asks, "Do I come here often?"

John Kerry walks into a bar. The bartender says, "Why the long face?"

A pony walks into a bar and coughs, "Hey, COUGH. Gimme a bu COUGH a beer COUGH. The bartender serves him and says, "What's with your voice?" The pony says, "Nothing, I'm just a little hoarse."

A guy walks into a bar with jumper cables. The bartender says, "You can come in, but don't start anything!"

A man walks into a bar and says, "Give me a beer before problems start!" Again, the man orders a beer again saying, "Give me a beer before problems start!" The bartender looks confused. This goes on for a while, and after the fifth beer the bartender is totally confused and asks the man, "When are you going to pay for these beers?" The man answers, "Ah, now the problems start!"

An old lady walks into a bar with a duck under her arm. A scraggly old drunk staggers over, takes one look, and says, "Jeeeez, that's the UGLIEST thing I ever saw!" The woman turns her nose up at him and says, "This happens to be a stately creature! Go away, you horrid man!" The old drunk yells, "Lady, I was talkin' to the duck!"

A man goes into a bar with a giraffe, they both get a couple of rounds in. When they get up to leave they're extremely drunk and the giraffe passes out and falls over. The man opens the door, about to leave by himself, when the bartender stops him suddenly and says, "Hey! You can't leave that lyin' there!" The man turns around and slurs, "Don't be silly, that's not a lion, that's a giraffe!"

A piece of rope walks into a bar and the bartender says, "We don't serve your kind." The rope goes outside, ties himself in a knot and frays one end of himself. He walks back into the bar and the bartender says, "Weren't you just in here?" The rope replies, "No, I'm a frayed knot."

A man runs into a bar and asks the barkeep, "Give me ten shots of your best whisky." The bartender sets up the ten glasses. The man starts drinking them as quickly as the bartender serves them. The bartender asks, "Why are you drinking so fast?" "You'd drink fast too, if you had what I have." The bartender asks, "What do you have?" "Seventy cents."

A neutron walks into a bar and orders a beer. The bartender sets the beer down and says, "For you, no charge!"

A woman goes into a bar and asks for a "double entendre". So the bartender gave her one.

A pig goes into a bar and orders ten drinks. He finishes them up and the bartender says, "Don't you need to know where the bathroom is?" The pig says, "No, I go wee wee all the way home."

A man walks into a bar with a slab of asphalt under his arm and says, "A beer please, and one for the road."

A penguin walks into a bar, goes to the counter, and asks the bartender, "Have you seen my brother?" The bartender asks, "I don't know, what does he look like?"

A kangaroo walks into a bar. He orders a beer. The bartender says, "That'll be $10. You know, we don't get many kangaroos coming in here, you know." The kangaroo says, "At $10 a beer, it's not hard to understand."

A termite walks into a bar and asks, "Is the bartender here?"

A hamburger walks into a bar and the bartender says, "Sorry, we don't serve food in here."

A dog with his leg wrapped in bandages hobbles into a saloon. He sidles up to the bar and announces: "I'm lookin' fer the man that shot my paw."

A horse walks into a bar. The bartender says, "So, why the long face?"

A guy walks into a bar, sits down and hears a small voice say, "You look nice today." A few minutes later he again hears a small voice, "That's a nice shirt." The guy asks the bartender, "Who is that?" The bartender says, "Those are the peanuts. They're complimentary!"

A baby seal walks into a bar. "What can I get you?" asks the bartender. "Anything but a Canadian Club," replies the seal.

A bear walked into a bar and says, "I'll have a beer......and some of those peanuts." The bartender says, "Why the big pause?"

Celine Dion walks into a bar. The bartender says, "So, why the long face?"

A drunk staggers out of a bar and runs right into two priests. He says, "I'm Jesus Christ." The first priest says, "No, son, you're not." So the drunk says it to the second priest. The second priest says, "No, son, you're not." The drunk says, "Look, I can prove it." He walks back into the bar with the two priests. The bartender takes one look at the drunk and exclaims, "Jesus Christ, you're here again?"

A grasshopper hops into a bar. The bartender says, "You're quite a celebrity around here. We've even got a drink named after you." The grasshopper says, "You've got a drink named Steve?"

A goldfish walks into a bar and looks at the bartender. The bartender asks, "What can I get you?" The goldfish says, "Water."

Shakespeare walks into a bar and asks the bartender for a beer. "I can't serve you." says the bartender. "You're Bard!"

A man walks into a bar and sits down next to a lady and a dog. The man asks, "Does your dog bite?". The lady answers, "Never!" The man reaches out to pet the dog and the dog bites him. The man says, "I thought you said your dog doesn't bite!" The woman replies, "He doesn't. This isn't my dog."

A guy walks into a bar and there is a horse behind the bar serving drinks. The guy is just staring at the horse, when the horse says, "What are you staring at? Haven't you ever seen a horse serving drinks before?" The guy says, "No, I never thought the parrot would sell the place."

A cowboy walks into a bar. Upon leaving, he realizes that someone has painted his horse. The cowboy yells, "Which one of you painted my horse?" A seven foot tall hulk of a man says, menacingly, "I did." The cowboy realizes he is in trouble and replies, "Why, thank you - the first coat's dry!"

A man walks into a bar with a dog. The bartender says, "Hey buddy, can't you read that sign? It says no dogs allowed! Get that mutt out of here!" The man replies, "No, I can't read the sign - I'm blind, and this is my seeing eye dog." The bartender is embarrassed and gives the man a beer on the house. Later that day, the guy is telling his friend about it: "I told him I was blind and I got a free beer!" The friend then takes his dog into the bar and sits down, and the bartender says, "The sign says no dogs allowed! You'll have to leave!" The friend says, "Sorry, I can't see the sign because I'm blind, and this is my seeing eye dog." The bartender replies, "Since when do they give out Chihuahuas as seeing eye dogs?" The man says, "They gave me a Chihuahua?"

A giraffe walks into a bar. The bartender says, "Why the long face?"

(This joke never gets old)

A man walked into a bar holding an alligator. He asked the bartender, "Do you serve lawyers here?" The bartender said, "Yes, we do!" "Good," replied the man. "Give me a beer, and I'll have a lawyer for my alligator."

A little guy walks into a bar and slips on some vomit. Minutes later a tough guy walks into the bar and slips on the vomit as well. The little guy says, "I just did that." The big guy then beats the little guy up.

A skeleton walks into a bar and says, "Gimme a beer, and a mop."

A guy walks into a bar and sees a woman at the end of the bar. The man says to the bartender, "I'll have a beer and I'd like to buy a drink for the douchebag at the end of the bar. The bartender says, "OK, but you shouldn't talk to a woman like that." The bartender asks the woman what she would like. The woman says, "I'll have a vinegar and water."

A polar bear, a giraffe and a penguin walk into a bar. The bartender says, "What is this? Some kind of joke?"

A brain walks into a bar and orders a pint of beer. The barman says, "I'm not serving you, you're out of your skull!"

A professor walks into a bar and orders a double martinous. The bartender says, "you mean a double martini?" The professor says, "If I want more than one I'll ask for it."

A crow walks into a bar wearing a pearl necklace. He orders a drink. "I've never seen a crow wearing a pearl necklace before", says the barkeep. "What do you expect with basic black?", says the crow.

An Irishman walks out of a bar. Hey, it COULD happen!

A snake walks into a bar. Waaaa?

A dyslexic guy walks into a bra.

A Newfie walks into a bar, on the stool next to him is some footwear. The says to the bartender, "What's this - a boot?"

Rough Week

2008-10-17T10:41:00.001-07:00

Well, I knew it was going to be a long week when it started. I came home Sunday afternoon after being gone for four days, that’s always a sure sign that things are going to be out of order. I was pleasantly surprised when I came home to find the house clean and the laundry done! Although, Zan admits that Princess showed him how. LOL

With Zan’s looming surgery, I knew that he wouldn’t be able to handle the concert on Saturday so I had asked my sister. Yesterday afternoon, she sends me an e-mail telling me she can’t make it. I had no one else to go with and was extremely sad to know that I wasn’t going to get to see my Blake. However, my luck turned around and one of my co-workers talked to his wife and she’ll be going with me. Yay! I do like her and we are a lot alike, so it should be fun.

To make things worse, last night/this morning, around 12:30, Zan comes to bed and tells me that Sasha, my dwarf hamster, is acting strange. I go downstairs and find her huddled on the floor of her cage. I take her out and hold her and she starts shaking and kicking out one of her front legs. I sat and held her for a long time. I knew she was dying.

I put her back into her cage and tried to make her as comfortable as possible. After, I went back to bed and laid there, crying, most of the night. This morning, when I got up, she was gone. The girls took it well, but hard. They loved our little Sashy Pants as much as I did. Mischief is already asking if we can have another. LOL

I feel horrible, but poor Sasha has been sick for awhile. She had a recurring issue with her pouch getting impacted. On our second trip to the vet, he discovered a tumor. I knew it was only a matter of time then. So, we loved on her as much as possible and did what we could. I hope she can say she was loved and had a good life.

The only good news this week is that Zan is recovering well from his surgery yesterday. The doctor said he was doing well and we didn’t spend more than a few hours at the hospital. He goes back on Wednesday for a check-up and hopefully all is well. No pictures to document the process since he wouldn’t let me near him with the camera yesterday. LOL But, I do have a couple of my little furry baby to share in memory.

Arizona Trip, Day 4, Going Home

2008-10-13T20:49:00.001-07:00

So, Sunday morning I said good-bye to my best friend and my second set of parents. I've known this family for over 20 years and they have always made me feel more than welcome and have loved me like I was a part of their family, not just their daughter's friend. That is something special there.

So, we had breakfast at IHOP and I had the most YUMMY pumpkin pancakes! My gods, they were good! And then I was off to the airport. My flight home was good, and I found Zan cruising across the baggage claim almost before I got to the carousel. It was so nice to be home again!

He and I went home, did our grocery shopping, had some lunch, and then made the trek across the city to retrieve our children. If you read my post about Selfish People, you'll know why. If not, let's just say that they'd gone to my nephew's birthday party.

All in all, it was an amazing trip, full of fun and laughs. And rain. And wind... LOL I really can't wait to go back, but it won't be any time soon.

Thanks if you made it this far!

~TCL

Arizona Trip Day 3

2008-10-13T20:44:00.001-07:00

Saturday morning we got up much too early... Tombstone didn't open until about 10:00. LOL How eerie is this? Looks like a real ghost town, doesn't it?

We walked around for a bit and then had breakfast at the O. K. Cafe. Great breakfast too! Then, we went back to finish up our souvenir shopping and head to Boot Hill Cemetery.

Boot Hill was amazingly beautiful. And considering that it was a dark, grey, cloudy day, I was a bit creeped out. Cemeteries don't normally bother me, but then, I've never been in one so old. I honestly felt like there was a hand on my shoulder guiding my way. And then it began to rain and it all felt right. Crazy, huh?

And then we were going home. Not far out of Benson, we were stopped by the Border Patrol. The nice, cute officer sticks his head in and says, "Good morning, ladies." We all respond and he continues, "So, are we all fine American citizens in here?" Now, mind you, both my friend and her daughter are pale blondes. Shine and I are darker, but still pretty fair skinned considering. We answer in the affirmative, but as Shana is rolling up her window, Blondie shouts, "But Mom, we coulda lied about that!" LOL I've never seen my friend roll her window up so fast!

Upon arriving home, we foisted the girls off on Shine's mother for the night. Half joking, I told Shana and her parents that I wanted to visit an Indian casino. Having spent most of my life in Las Vegas, it was an odd obsession for me. We went to the Casino Arizona McKellips location. Very nice, just like a Vegas casino, although not nearly as smoky inside. Had a great dinner of a Native Taco - taco toppings piled onto fry bread. Yummy!

Day 3 ended with a margarita and a long talk with my very best friend. It doesn't get any better than that, does it?

Arizona Trip Day 2 Part 2

2008-10-13T20:16:00.001-07:00

From a writer's standpoint, one of the neatest things I saw was the Epitaph office - Tombstone's newspaper. Absolutely amazing how the machines and such worked back then. And as to why the paper was named what it was? What does every Tombstone need other than an Epitaph?

In addition to the Historama, we got to go back and look at the museum in the O. K. Corral. In it was an old outhouse, a mock up of what Doc Holliday's room had looked like, a mechanical reenactment of the shootout, and just a ton of information on anything and everything you could imagine about the town.

Probably the most memorable part of the trip was the Haunted Tour. Here, you went through different rooms guided by the ghost of Doc Holliday. Each room had some sort of something to freak you out. One was arrows (a blast of air and a loud noise, one was bullets, another was Doc sneezing. In the last room, we were above a 'mine shaft' and the floor fell about an inch. Shine decided she'd had enough and said, "I'm out of here!" only to walk out and see the guy above. She SCREAMED. LOL

Finally, it was time for the shootout. It started up on Allen Street, and took you all the way down to the O. K. Corral. The actors did an amazing job and really drew you in. The actual gunfight took place in the O. K. Corral stage area where they put on a little show that culminated in the shootout. The actual shootout didn't take place in the O. K. Corral, but beside it.

The actual gunfight took place between the wall that this plaque stood before and Fremont Street. But, for the sake of ease, they portrayed it on a stage. The gentleman above, playing Doc Holliday was excellent. He had it down. So did all the others - it was very convincing and realistic. Afterwards, you had the chance to go down to Big Nose Kate's Saloon and interact with the characters. The girls weren't up to it, so we went back to the hotel room.

Eventually, we decided to drive to Bisbee, AZ, about 28 miles west, to see what kind of food we could find. Halfway there, we get caught in a downpour. A torrential downpour at that. Rain, wind, hail, lighting, running javelinas, you name it. LOL By the time we got to Bisbee, the entire town had shut down for the night. Apparently there is no food in Bisbee.

So, we turned around and drove BACK into Tombstone and got dinner at Morgan's Pizza. While the pizza was cooking, we made a mad dash for Circle K for drinks and candy. There, we found the Tombstone Marshal and his dirty patrol car. The marshal was nice, even smiled at me. We ran back, got our pizza and conked out in the hotel room. What a long but exciting day!

Arizona Trip Day 2

2008-10-13T19:30:00.001-07:00

Okay, so I want to get this all down before I forget, but at least you don't have to read it all at once. LOL

Friday morning we got up nice and early, intent to be on the road as soon as possible. To our credit, we were only about 30 minutes behind schedule. We stopped for breakfast at Cracker Barrel in Casa Grande, AZ. The picture above is of a bird's nest in a saguaro cactus. That must be one careful bird!

Breakfast was yummy and we were soon back on the road. As you all know, I love animals - cows especially - so I had my eyes peeled for anything mooing. What I found was the picture above. Shana actually turned the car around so we could go back and take a picture of this bizarre sign. I mean, really. 114 miles? Not 110 or even 115?

Came across lots of animals before we finally hit Tombstone. This little guy looked right up at me when I called to him. He shared a yard with two horses and a goat.

Obviously, people must get lost a lot. But no fear, Wyatt Earp will hold your hand and make sure you make it safely! We arrived at our hotel at around 11:30 or so Friday morning.

One of the first things we did was get our tickets for the reenactment of the infamous shootout. With that, we got to go to the Historama and watch a narrated version of the History of Tombstone. The most fascinating thing I discovered was how Tombstone got it's name. From the Tombstone City Website: When Ed Schieffelin (SHEF·e·lin) came to Camp Huachuca (hwah·CHEW·kuh) with a party of soldiers and left the fort to prospect, his comrades told him that he'd find his tombstone rather than silver. Thus, in 1877 Schieffelin named his first claim the Tombstone, and rumors of rich strikes made a boomtown of the settlement that adopted this name. Cool, huh?

We walked through Tombstone and did some shopping and some sight seeing. The girls wanted to desperately ride in one of the stagecoaches we kept seeing everywhere, so we finally gave in and did so. I'm so glad we did. They take you around the town, telling you the history of the buildings and pointing out things of interest, like Wyatt Earp's former home and the gallows still visible in the town.

I'll continue again later on. This is getting a bit long. LOL

Arizona Trip Day 1

2008-10-13T19:05:00.001-07:00

I'll do this in bits and pieces so that I don't bore you to pieces... LOL

I flew out Thursday morning at 9:00 AM. I arrived in Phoenix just after 10:00 AM. My BFF Shana picked me up and took me immediately to the nearest Starbucks. LOL Actually, that's not quite true - she dropped Blondie, her daughter, off at her BFF's house, Shine and then we dropped Taco the Turtle off with his babysitter.

We hung out at the house for a bit before the girls called crying that they were bored. After much teasing of the children, we all went to Best Buy to procure a mouse for Shana's new laptop and then to the mall to meander for awhile.

We ran to Subway for dinner for everyone and then watched Tombstone with Val Kilmer and Kurt Russell while drinking a few margaritas. And honestly? You'd have thought the kids had been drinking the tequila instead of us! Had an early night so we could hit the road first thing in the morning for the drive to Tombstone.

Stay tuned, if you care, for the rest of the insane adventure! LOL

Selfish People

2008-10-13T10:10:00.001-07:00

I need to get this off my chest before I can go and start talking about my trip to Tombstone. So, bear with me, okay?

Saturday night, my sister and mom came to pick my kids up to spend the night. My nephew (my sister’s son) was having a birthday party on Sunday, the day I flew back in. The timing was all messed up (the party started at noon, I arrived at 12:40) and the party was at my ex-brother-in-law’s house, 45 minutes away from the airport. So, my sister graciously offered to keep the kids so they could attend. Nice of her, huh?

Anyway, the closer we got to my ex-BIL’s place, the more Zan realized that my brother and sister-in-law lived not far away. Now, this is funnier than hell because my brother, my sister-in-law and my ex-BIL do NOT get along. At. All. So, when we showed up, Zan asked my sister about this and she confirmed that they lived just around the corner.

Now, here’s the kicker – my brother and SIL REFUSED to bring my other nephew over to the party. My mom and sister had to go get TC and BRING him to the party. My SIL said that they wouldn’t do it because it wasn’t neutral ground. WTF? I mean, really. If my SISTER, the one he WRONGED, can bury the hatchet, why the hell can’t they? I mean seriously… At the very least, they could have driven around the damn corner and let him out and watched him walk to the doorway, but noooooo their stupid pride wouldn’t allow it.

I don’t get it. But who cares. My ex-BIL has found himself a really nice new girlfriend who loves the kids, is good with them and my sister likes her. What better recommendation could she get?

~TCL

It's a Beautiful Day for a Ball Game...

2008-10-05T10:54:00.001-07:00

Let's play two!

Or so the famous Ernie Banks used to like to say. I'll admit it, my Cubbies lost. But does that make me despair? Does it make me dislike them? Not one bit. Does it make me cry out my grandfather's favorite refrain of, "There goes your old ball game!" Yup, sure does.

LOL

But, in all fairness, I am a born and bred Cubs fan, until the day I die. Which is rather amusing because my father was a die-hard St. Louis Cardinals fan all his life. Just made for an interesting ball season is all.

I cut my teeth on Harry Caray and to this day, my favorite expression is, "Holy Cow!" Amazing how that one simple exclamation can work it's way into your vocabulary. However, the problems start when SOMEONE ELSE says it and I have to follow up their "Holy Cow!" with "Cubs win! Cubs win!" LOL Yeah, I'm a nutcase.

I do miss the old days though. Watching a ball game just to hear Harry sing the seventh inning stretch. Feigning an illness on opening day and not fooling mom one bit. No steroid talk, no tell-all books, none of the crap you have to deal with today. Back then, it was Wade Boggs admitting to being a sex addict and George Brett having too much pine tar on his bad. And while on the subject of 'the good ol' days' - my favorite Cubs-related headline of all time found on the USA Today: "Cubs Beat Astros by Two Touchdowns". I watched that game, went to spend the night with my best friend, and as we were walking into Sam's Town for her bowling league and her father pointed it out. I have never laughed so hard in my life. The final score on that game was something like 22-7. GO CUBS!

And now, before I sign off, a pictorial of my favorite Cubs... Mostly from the 80's/early 90's so bear with me.

#23 Ryne Sandberg, aka Ryno (and often a Running Ryno)

#17 Mark Grace, aka Prince Markie

#31 Greg Maddux, once nicknamed Pinstripe (and then TRAITOR, but that's just me begin bitter)

#7 Jody Davis, Catcher Without a Fear (thanks Harry)

And it's OH SO TRUE, isn't it?

Anyway, I could go on and on, but I won't. Damon Berryhill, Shawon Dunston, Ron Cey, Andre Dawson... the list just goes on forever. I LOVE my Cubs, win or lose. And no matter what...

Are ya bored yet?

~The Crazy Cubbie Lady

Banking Crisis

2008-10-04T06:59:00.001-07:00

Origami Bank folds

30 September, 2008

Following the financial crisis on Wall Street uncertainty has now hit the banking sector in Japan.

In the last seven days Origami Bank has folded, Sumo Bank has gone belly up and Bonsai Bank announced plans to cut some of its branches. Yesterday, it was announced that Karaoke Bank is up for sale and will likely go for a song, while today shares in Kamikaze Bank were suspended after they nose-dived. While Samurai Bank is soldiering on following sharp cutbacks, Ninja Bank is reported to have taken a hit, but they remain in the black. A spokesman for Haiku Holdings was lost for words over the financial crisis, while according to rumors Nippon Bank was starting to feel the pinch. Furthermore, 500 staff at Karate Bank got the chop and analysts report that there is something fishy going on at Sushi Bank where it is feared staff may get a raw deal. Meanwhile Geisha Bank has bowed to the inevitable and shut.

One trader lamented: "It's all gone to Shiitake."

~A snickering Crazy Lady

Diagnosis: Dermatitis

2008-10-01T08:50:00.001-07:00

Soooo… the doctor says that Mischief’s rash is contact dermatitis. She picked it up from contact with something else. Umm… oooookay… we’d figured that much out, dude, any more info?

Nope.

Good news is, he wasn’t concerned, wrote me a script for some lotion (only $7.99 – cheaper than the freaking cortisone cream I bought OTC) and sent us home with the warning that if it doesn’t start to get better in two days, to call back.

All in all, a wasted afternoon. Well, not completely. I did finally get a replacement card for Princess’ shot record. Somehow, when Daddy and Grandma registered her for Kindergarten, it went amiss. I’m thinking that either Mom didn’t give it back to him like she swears she did or Zan lost it, not realizing what it was. Whatever. At least I have a new one now. LOL

~TCL

Politics (the good kind), Plagues, and...

2008-09-30T13:46:00.001-07:00

And I couldn't come up with another 'p' word that referred to a grocery store. LOL Ah, PRODUCE! Yeah, that works.

Politics, Plagues, and Produce...

Last Friday, Princess ran and was elected to the student council for her third grade class. Now, while I was worried at first, she's a very people-oriented person. She's helpful, she's thoughtful, and she likes being your friend. She's also very intuitive and can get to the heart of matters she doesn't even understand. This could be a good thing for her.

Poor Miss Mischief has a nasty rash on her leg. I was starting to get better and the the nurse calls... I had to leave work to go get her and make a doctor's appointment. Poor kid. And it was starting to look better too. *sigh* Add to that the fact that I forgot Mischief wouldn't be there to meet Princess for Safe Key. Princess will FREAK if her sister isn't there so I have to leave in *checks clock* nine minutes so I can stop by the school and let them know. They won't take messages over the phone since they can't verify my identity... even though they KNOW I have my other child. *double sigh*

Just a couple weeks ago, I started shopping at a place called Fresh & Easy again. Finally have one right by me. I was amazed at the fact that I could spend about the same amount of money (or LESS! Less is always good!) for what I'd get at the regular store! And the bonus? Almost everything they sell is preservative free, organic, no hormones-added, etc. I could care less about the organic, I'm on the fence about whether it's really better or not, but I got a package of Angus strip steaks big enough to feed my family of 4 for $7 + change! I mean, really! And milk was nearly $1 cheaper - no added hormones. Now THAT is something that concerns me, having two girls. They're moody enough at 6 and 8, please do not give them more reason! LOL

*sighs again* Anyway, need to go pull Mischief off Daddy's computer so we can go to the doctor. If you made it this far, congratulations - you deserve a medal. And it's in the mail. LOL

~TCL and Mischief

Okay Now... Get That

2008-09-29T19:52:00.001-07:00

Bitch off my man! LMAO!

*sighs* Okay, I feel better now.

Amy & Ali

I Can Get Used to This...

2008-09-21T10:57:00.001-07:00

Dear Amy,
Here is your horoscope
for Sunday, September 21:

You're feeling a little crazy today -- but in a good way. It's one of those days when it's just more fun to get wild and play around with people's minds than to meet their expectations.

*cue maniacal laughter*

Pun Intended

2008-09-19T07:56:00.001-07:00

Thank you, Robin... And anyone who really knows me will tell you that, while I enjoy a good bad joke, I love nothing better than a bad pun. Wonder if that's the Monty Python lover in me?

1. The roundest knight at King Arthur's round table was Sir Cumference. He acquired his size from too much pi.

2. I thought I saw an eye doctor on an Alaskan island, but it turned out to be an optical Aleutian.

3. She was only a whisky maker, but he loved her still.

4. A rubber band pistol was confiscated from algebra class because it was a weapon of math disruption.

5. The butcher backed into the meat grinder and
got a little behind in his work.

6. No matter how much you push the envelope, it'll
still be stationary.

7. A dog gave birth to puppies near the road and
was cited for littering.

8. A grenade thrown into a kitchen in France would
result in Linoleum Blownapart.

9. Two silk worms had a race. They ended up in a tie.

10. Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.

11. A hole has been found in the nudist camp wall.
The police are looking into it.

12. Atheism is a non-prophet organization.

13. Two hats were hanging on a hat rack in the
hallway. One hat said to the other, 'You stay here, I'll go on a-head.'

14. I wondered why the baseball kept getting bigger. Then it hit me.

15. A sign on the lawn at a drug rehab center said: 'Keep off the Grass.'

16. A small boy swallowed some coins and was taken
to a hospital. When his grandmother telephoned to ask how he was, a nurse said, 'No change yet.'

17. A chicken crossing the road is poultry in motion.

18. The short fortune -teller who escaped from
prison was a small medium, at large.

19. The man who survived mustard gas and pepper
spray is now a seasoned veteran.

20. A backward poet writes in-verse.

21. In democracy it's your vote that counts. In
feudalism it's your count that votes.

22. When cannibals ate a missionary, they got a
taste of religion.

23. Don't join dangerous cults, practice safe
sects!

It's a Hamster's Life

2008-09-18T12:28:00.001-07:00

And it's good.

You should know at this point that my baby, Sasha, had to go back to the vet to get her pouch re-un-impacted. Yeah, I made that up, Sioux me (sorry, old lame joke from about 26 years ago...). Well, it appears that she's recovering just fine and not letting her tumor impede her one bit. Even if she is hiding from me...

I wasn't fast enough to get a picture of it, but at one point, she had the entire entrance covered in toilet paper and Care Fresh bedding. Really looked like an igloo after that. Nothing more amusing than seeing an animal the size of a mouse dragging around a sheet of toilet paper (clean, of course).

Poor Butterfinger, since he's been healthy, hasn't been getting equal time here on my blog. So, as luck would have it, I have a few cute pics of him as well, bozo hamster that he is.

They both just LOVE toilet paper tubes. They're toys, they're shelter, OOOH... they're FOOD Mama! Multi-purpose at its best. Well, someone forgot to tell BF that he's bigger than the tube...

Oooh... tight fit, Mama, why'd you let me do that?

Silly Syrian, tubes are for dwarfs...

~TCL and her furry babies, Butterfinger and Sasha

Hi.

2008-09-18T12:18:00.001-07:00

My name is Amy and I'm a blog-a-holic.

Welcome, Amy.

Add to that the fact that I love my new digital camera more than life itself and well, you get problems. LOL

So, anyway, believe it or not, I'm behind in my blogging (couldn't tell from all the mindless chatter I've posted lately though, could you?) and have at least 12 book reviews to post. And some update pictures of my poor little hammie, Sasha.

You have been warned.

~TCL

Yesterday

2008-09-18T12:09:00.001-07:00

Okay, so let me preface this by saying 1) that I live in the desert and 2) that I have been a maniac since I bought my new camera back in March. It's an Olympus 1010 and fits in my pocket so it goes everywhere with me. That said, yesterday afternoon, on my drive home, it clouded up. Fast. I was sure we'd get some rain, but not in my area. However, when I stopped at the last light before my house, I saw this and it was all worth it.

If you look to the bottom center of this picture you can see just a hint of a rainbow. Click to get a larger view.

Since I was sitting at a stoplight, I zoomed in and tried to get a better shot. Not too bad considering I took it through my windshield. LOL

Daily Horoscope

2008-09-16T08:18:00.001-07:00

Dear Amy,
Here is your Daily Horoscope for Tuesday, September 16:

Your feelings are out on the edge today, thanks to an infusion of weird energy that makes you wonder what's really going on inside you. Try not to let any one person bear the brunt of it!

Holy crap... sometimes my horoscope scares me. I mean, I woke up in a panic and have been on edge ever since. WTF? I guess that it's a good thing I'm going to be essentially alone for most of today. LOL

~TCL