A pity party for Newt

First I go through a slump where reading holds no interest for me.
Now I don't have time to read and I'm going insane.

I realized last night after tearing my house apart that I forgot my book at work. And I'm at our other campus for the next few days. So I picked up Deathstalker War - #3 in the series. I'm still on page 4. And I started it last night. It's not that it is bad - it's been rather a challenge to find peace and quiet. First, after a fun night with the girls I gave up the search for my current read and grabbed Deathstalker - I got through half the first page before - wham - it falls on my face. So I put it down, turn out the light and go to sleep. Then this morning I got a cup of coffee and sat down to read while the puppies had breakfast. Only mom was WAY more interesting than food. PET ME PET ME PET ME PET ME - so who can resist that? Alright, drink coffee and pet crazy happy puppies. Then finally I think I have a good hour at lunch today to read. I find a quiet corner out of the way and somehow the entire freak'n training group decided they need to seek me out and sit with me. "Oh, we'll keep you company - you don't need to read" grumble grumble. So now I still have to take all these guys out tonight for dinner and a tour. I'll get home past my bedtime, I'll try to read a little more and WHAM - the book will hit me in the nose.

Is it Saturday yet????

Catching Up

Alrighty here goes:

In no particular order

1. We tried to watch the new version of The Producers. Hated it in the the first 2 minutes. Not only did we not like it but it started to ruin the original one. So we turned it off and sent it back.

2. We did surprisingly LOVE the movie Walk the Line. I had heard it was good but I didn't have really high expectations. But I truly enjoyed this film. And I was even more impressed when I heard the actors singing. Didn't know they had it in them.

3. We went and saw 300. There was a puddle of drool under my chair. Those boys looked mighty fine. And the oracle scene was one of the coolest things I have scene on screen. I was mesmerized. But let's get back to those boys and their muscles. Girlish sigh..............
I'm a little upset that this will put Gerard Butler in the mainstream. I kinda liked it more when he was my little secret fantasy. Sorry, me and Kell's little secret fantasy.

4. I had a great night out with Girl J. We had SO much fun.

5. I also had a whirl wind afternoon with Ellie. We started out with a plan for lunch and a little shopping in Hudson. But is blossomed into a full day and evening.

6. Did I tell you that Caleb will go up and sniff strangers now? How cool is that? He hasn't let them pet him yet, but he runs right up to them.

7. I am so in love with our puppies. I can't begin to describe the sheer joy they bring to our lives. Last night I snuggled little Lily as she lay in her favorite chair. As she licked my cheek I just thought about how happy I am to have her. And how lucky I feel that I get to be her mommy.

8. We have met with several landscapers. All of them have been dog people. I was kinda hoping that would have helped weed out a few of them. But it hasn't. So now I have to actually go on price and design...................

9. My dad just called me to find out the title of a book. He's at the coffee shop with his buddies and he knew I would be at my computer. The book he had me look up is called Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett. Dang him. Now I have ANOTHER book on my list. But I love the fact that he will call me to do that. I miss my parents.

10. I'm thinking of enrolling Sophie in a training class. She could use some manners. She's kinda gotten to be a spoiled brat. And yes, it is ALL my fault. Also, Ellie wanted to sign her dog Daisy up for a class so we figured it would be a fun thing to do together. The last time we took a class we had Daisy and my Max in agility.

11. We have made this twice now. And it is freak'n tasty. I'm hooked. We just buy already cooked hot Italian sausage, cut it up into bite size pieces and throw it in with the rice mix as it cooks. Too damn good.

12. I have to move out of the bat cave next Monday. They are remodeling the floor and my cave is smack dab in the middle of what they need to demolish. It's going to be a very loud 12 weeks. They expect that the first half of the floor will take 6 weeks. Then, once they remodel half we all move our stuff to the new side and then they remodel the other half. And then after that I officially have no place to go. I'll probably get to move up three floors and do the exact same thing all over again. I don't really mind. And it's an excellent opportunity to throw out crap.

13. Tomorrow is girls night. Small group but big personalities so this will be fun.

14. Speaking of strong personalities, someone thinks I'm to sweet and flowery to crack some heads together! Two of my friends, Grizzo and Girl J were arguing and getting pretty snotty to each other so I told them to knock it off or I'd crack their heads together. And Girl J actually tried to tell me I'm too uber girly to make good on my threats. I guess I have to work on that. I gotta stop being so "nice"

15. And I think someone can be uber girly and flowery and still capable of crak'n some heads. Can't they? I think that is why Angelina Jolie is my hero.

16. I came to the conclusion that I don't like Edy's Grand ice cream. It doesn't have much flavor or substance.

17. Have I told you yet that Dresden Files is a great show! It really is.

18. My cat cries ALL the time now to go outside. He loves the warm weather.

19. We have had the most amazing spring days as of late. It was funny to watch the entire daytime population of St. Paul hanging out in the sun on Monday. Every where you looked there were people basking in the warmth and sunshine. It was amazing. Simply amazing.

20. Borderkind - book 2 is out today. Yippee! I liked Myth Hunters so much that I might go get it tonight.

21. I've been playing Zoo Tycoon lately. I got the one with dinosaurs. I've had more than a few dinosaurs break out and eat my other animals, my zoo keepers, and probably a few guests. Sigh....................

22. I should probably spend the money on the cages designed for them rather than trying to be cheap eh?

23. I've also noticed when trying to combine animals in a cage or water tank that not only does the different species not like one another but more than a few times one or the other gotten eaten before I could hit the undo button.

24. I should probably never go to work for a zoo eh?

25. I've also played a little roller coaster tycoon. Again, I tend to have a few problems and rides blow up on me. Hey, stuff happens. Ok, to be honest, it's been ages since I had a fiery crash in one of my parks. But, it has happened.

26. However, I always make sure that the barf is cleaned up. I always get a tidy park award.

27. I don't have a 27.

28. Read any good books lately?

29. See any good movies lately?

30. Listen to any good albums lately?

All righty, here's your questions!

Well, first, let me apologize for taking so long to do this. And sigh............even longer to have gotten caught up on my blog reading. It's been one of those months.

Greymama:

1. If you could give/wish/guarantee one thing for Buddy what would it be?
2. If you could live inside one book which one would you choose?
3. One movie - playing non-stop for the rest of your life - which one?
4. Favorite thing to cook/bake?
5. Describe your idea of a perfect day.

Kell:

1. Warrior Lass in Scotland today or 100 years ago? And why?
2. Lunch with an author. Who do you pick? Living or dead is ok.
3. Describe the perfect date night with your hubby.
4. A shopping spree at one place - what store do you pick? What do you get?
5. Dinner and dancing with Gerard Butler or your trip to Italy. Which do you choose?

Mike:

1. Who's your free ticket? The one famous person you can have and it's okay.
2. Sex on the beach or in a meadow?
3. Transported to another point in time, when do you choose?
4. Give up your computer or the tv. Which one?
5. What places would you like to live in?

Nettie:

1. Most unusual place you have had sex.
2. You can only watch one tv show for the rest of your life what would it be? and Why?
3. Where would your ultimate place to go shoe shopping be?
4. Leather or Lace?
5. Tell us about a dream you have had.

Ellie:

1. Your pup Daisy gets a friend - what do you choose?
2. What designer would you want to be a runway model for?
3. What would your ultimate car be?
4. You could live inside one book - which one?
5. Free day off from work - all expense paid - how do you spend it?


OK kids, I look forward to reading your answers.

I have to share one exciting thing with you.

It was the most gorgeous day in Minnesota Sunday. We got it all. Bright warm sun, soft breezes, big fluffy white clouds, afternoon thunder storm, clear star filled night. So during the sunny warm part of the day we took the pack for a walk. And our little Caleb he was so good. We put his harness on about a 1/2 hour before we walked. So he was terrified but he calmed down a bit. Then I put the leash on him, dragged him out of his kennel, dragged him out of the house and as soon as he was outside his tail went up and he started to smile. And he pranced with us the whole trip. He only had two brief moments where he got a little scared but the majority of the walk was waggy tails and happy faces. It was amazing and so encouraging!

A Thank You and an Interview

Last night when I got home there was a package in the mail box. A most unexpected surprise! I got the most fabulous and thoughtful gifts from Graymama. She sent me a hat and she sent me a mask to cover my eyes to help me sleep. Look how cute it is! I was SO excited. What a wonderful wonderful surprise. Thanks Graymama!




And now here's a fun thing from Tink. I told her she could interview me. So here are the questions she asked and my answers.

1. What's the meanest thing you've ever done to someone?
Well, I was helping at a golf tournament and one of my “jobs” was to hand out the prizes to the raffle winners. One guy won dinner for two at a really swanky restaurant in Carmel. As I handed him his envelope he asked me if I would go with him. And I just laughed in his face. And he only said, “I’ll take that as a no” and walked away. I didn’t mean to laugh at him, it unfortunately was how I handled the shock of his question. And here’s WHY it happened. This happened during the year of my divorce. I had been casually dating someone who informed me that all we were doing was casual dating and that I was “no” Cindy Crawford. So, as you can imagine that sort of further plunged my self esteem into the toilet. BUT then, all of a sudden that summer I had two amazing men that wanted to see me, spend time with me, found me beautiful and interesting. And then here comes number three. Successful, handsome as hell, basically someone that I would have thought was WAY out of my league. And here this incredible man was asking me on a date. Me, who would never be a Cindy Crawford now had three very handsome men vying for my attention. I guess the poor guy was the “straw that broke my mental balance”. And my shock and overwhelmed self esteem just decided to handle the situation incredibly poorly. And I wasn’t brave enough to apologize to him or to talk to him about my stupid reaction. To make it all worse not long after this I was having an unrelated conversation with a guy and he was telling me how hard it is to get the nerve up to ask a girl out. How it’s the guys “job” to do the asking but just like women, they don’t want to face the idea of rejection. Well, that just made me fell TONS worse. So for me, what I did to him was the meanest thing ever. I still feel bad to this day about doing that.

2. What character (from a book) would you most want to be?
This is a great question. And after thinking long and hard and racking my brain I decided I would want to be Hermione Granger from the Harry Potter books. She’s smart, beautiful, and can do magic. What better is there? (Can I get a re-do if they kill her off in book 7?)

3. Do you dream in color?
Yes, I didn’t even realize there were people out there that didn’t. I dream in all sorts of Technicolor. The hubster thinks I have the weirdest dreams in the world.

4. How much did your most expensive pair of shoes cost?
Since the hubster doesn’t read this I’ll actually admit to it: $55.00 for a pair of fabulous coach sandals that were on clearance. And should anyone even think of blackmailing me with this – I’ll send Tink after you with a spork. I might be obsessed with shoes but I do it on the cheap.

5. Which appeals more, being a princess or warrior?
Warrior all the way. In fact, I wish I was a Warrior Lass on vacation with Kell.

Want to play? Leave a comment saying, "Interview me." I'll respond by asking you five personal questions so I can get to know you better. If I already know you well, expect the questions to be a little more intimate! Then you will update your journal/blog with the answers to the questions. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the post.

And to close this post for today I give you my baby Caleb

Shoe Emergency

First and most importantly, if you haven't said hello yet go on over and say Hi to Boy J - he's started blogging!

And now for the heart of the post:

I'm going to totally girl out on you by the way.

Last night I picked out my outfit for work just like I always do.

I threw the shoes in my bag - just like I always do. (I wear sneakers or other outdoor shoes into work- keeps the good shoes looking nicer)

So this morning I got into work, turned on the computer and while it was booting up I took off my sneakers, grabbed my shoes and went to put them on. OH MY HORROR. They looked absolutely painfully awful with the outfit. Not just, please don't look at my feet awful, but flashing red neon light pointing at my feet, can't miss it awful. So I did what any self respecting shoe psycho would do. I put my sneakers back on, called Girl J and explained that I had a shoe emergency. She met me in the lobby and we hoofed it over to Macy's.

Good thing they have a big spring sale going on. And good thing they had just the right shoes to go with the outfit. And truthfully, a pair of shoes in a color I've been needing. So all's well that ends well.

I've set this damn standard for myself here at work. I'm known for my shoes. People stop me in the hall so that they can see what I'm wearing. I'm a sort of a shoe guru. Go figure. Me, without a lick of fashion sense is known for having great shoes. The fun thing is that I get them all on dirt cheap clearance so it's not as if I am the Carrie Bradshaw of the Twin Cities. I don't own a pair of shoes that cost over 50 bucks. Most average between 10 and 20.

Speaking of Twin Cities we caught a blurb on the news about the tourism board here is planning on rolling out a new catch phrase for the Minneapolis / St. Paul area. They want to change us from being referred to as the Twin Cities to something hipper and more metropolis. They tried to claim that no one outside a 5 state area knows that the Twin Cities is Minneapolis/St. Paul.

So, a lot of you are outside the 5 state region - did YOU know that Twin Cities referrs to Minneapolis / St. Paul? This is an honest question. If you didn't it's not like I would call you dumb. Cause honestly, I'm not sure I knew before moving here that it was called that. I truly can't remember if I knew or not.

And aside from "Colder than Hell 9 months a year" what the heck else could they come up with that is hip and trendy and screams wonderful metropolis? I mean really?

What suggestions could you have for our area?

The Antarctic of the US?

Cold but fun?

Cold nose warm heart?

Well, Spring and Fall are nice here......

Any good ideas out there to rename our lovely metropolitan area?

I'll close with another picture of one of the cutest little peanuts on the planet.

WWC

Busy

Content

I smell SO good

After 30 odd years I have found MY smell. First there was my Aunt's smell - Woodhue. I love that and always have. And since finding it again I have been wearing it practically every day. But, it's not my smell. It's the scent of my childhood. It's the scent of fond memories and of being loved. And to wear it fills me with comfort and a sense of unconditional love.

I have tried various perfumes throughout my life but have never found one that I could become devoted to. One that would be my trademark. One that I would always wear and people would know me by.

My Aunt has Woodhue, my mom has White Shoulders, and now, drum roll please: I have mine. Allow me to introduce to you: Donna Karan's Cashmere Mist.

You might already know about it. But I didn't. Until I got on the elevator at work Friday morning and the woman that stepped on with me smelled incredible. Bat for the other side incredible. I could have stayed in the elevator all day with her just to have that scent surround me. Thankfully she knew what she was wearing. Because of course I had to ask. You can't be touched by nirvana and not know.

So off I went with Girl J to the mall Friday night. She and I had planned to go anyway because we were in a shoe slump and determined to get ourselves out of it. We stopped in at Macy's and I tried out the cologne. And it smelled great on me. So I got a bottle.

This might all sound crazy to you, or a tad weird but honestly, I'm so excited about this. I have always wished I could find a scent of my own that I loved to wear. That I put on every day like I do makeup and jewelry. And now I have.

As for the shoe slump? I'm still stuck in it. But Girl J found a fabulous pair of sandals to go with a new suit she bought. She also found a really cute pair of shoes but unfortunately they couldn't find it's match. If slipper count we found the most incredible summer slippers. They are made by Laura Ashley and they are flip flop style made out of the softest fabric you can imagine. It's like our feet are floating on pillows of air. They are simply fabulous.

A happy addendum

A happy addendum to my crazy un-newtlikeness below.

"Everyone has one true love in their life, someone who fills their life with light and turns their bones to water..........."

This was a line in the book I just finished, Deathstalker Rebellion by Simon R. Green. I thought it was beautiful and I just had to share.

Happy Friday - My To Do List

I am feeling ambitious about this weekend. So my big plan is to tackle some projects I have been putting off.

1. Clean out our pantry. It has cans of stuff and boxes of food that were there when I moved in. Not to mention that we have had some moisture issues in the basement which has caused the walls to get a little weepy and thus made the shelves a titch damp. So, I plan to toss a lot of old unused stuff. Line the shelves and organize everything. No small project. Especially considering it’s a tiny little room in our basement. Poor lighting, cramped space. But TONS of crap. Sigh………………..

2. Wash/scrub the living room and dining room floors.

3. Wash/scrub the kitchen down

4. Clean up the dog poop.

5. Clean out the brush that we left from last year. The plants are just starting to peek out of the ground so it’s easiest at this point and time to remove the old growth.

If I accomplish even one of the five I’ll be pretty proud of myself. But I’m aiming for the whole list. Aiming is good. You gotta have goals. But it IS the weekend which means I can easily be distracted.

Aside from not so interesting goals – let’s see what else…………….Oh Yeah, A rant. So, if you only want to read the positive side of Newt - I'll tell you when to stop reading.

Michelle was talking about a co-worker that was upset over her daughter eloping. So Michelle called her mom to see how she felt about her having run off to marry the perfect man. And her mom assured her that the man was WAY more important than the wedding. Anyway, I just thought her conversation with mom was TOTALLY sweet.

When I told my dad I was moving to Minnesota because I had found the man I wanted to be with the rest of my life he said “Honey, if he is getting you to move to Minnesota I can only assume he’s your soul mate.” And all my parents have ever wanted for me was happiness. They didn’t care where we got married or who did the ceremony. It should never be about the wedding.

OK, at this point, if you don't want to hear Newt going a little negative and off her rocker that's okay, I moved my little rant to my page. Seeing as I make an effort to keep this blog of mine a happy place I decided that my rant on marriage belonged, well, on the rant page. Why else is it there.

So, Have a great weekend!

You did NOT just do that

So, last weekend I went to the local little city zoo here with Ellie. And we stopped for lunch at the zoo’s café. It’s cafeteria style so you walk in, order what you want. The cook fry’s/cooks it up for you and then you go to the line for the register. So, I have my freshly cooked up pasta special all hot and ready to eat and I am standing in line.

Enter the crabby old lady with the walker. She ordered her soup and bread. And then got very upset over the fact that the café was out of trays. They were all being washed. It was just past the lunch rush on Saturday of the first “warm” day in the cities. So you can imagine how crazy busy the place was. Anyway, she looks at me and starts to put her stuff on the counter heading toward the register. She then snidely says to me: “Can I just put my things down here, I have a walker.” So I say of course, no problem. Don’t mind at all. But then she decides since it took her SO long to put her soup on the counter, and to actually maneuver herself and her walker around that this was her new place in line. And I’m thinking to myself: “She is not going to just stay there in line is she? I mean after the snide request to just put her things there so she didn’t have to carry it to the back of the line?, practically accusing me of getting upset about cutting in line before I even had the chance to get upset? She would never be so rude as to actually just cut in lie. Would she? Would she?

Well folks, of course she just took this new place in line. As my pasta grows colder. But, I figure, I’m gracious, ok, no big deal. It’s a beautiful day. I won’t let her ruin it for me.

And then she gets up to the cashier and starts yelling at the poor girl. First she wanted to know where the drinks were. The girl told her the fountains were on the other side of the counter. Then she wanted to know if they had diet pepsi. The girl told her no, they had diet coke. Then she yelled at the girl for not having diet pepsi. And after she yelled at the poor child she informed her that she had a walker and that the girl was just going to have to get her her drink for her and take it to her table. Thankfully at that very moment the daughter of the cranky old lady came up to this growing fiasco. And said “What are you doing? Why didn’t’ you wait for me so I could help you????” and the crabby ol’ lady said “I WAS HUNGRY!” So the daughter very kindly says that she will take care of the drink and get her mom’s stuff to the table.

So, her total was $4.86. And what did she do??? WHAT DID SHE DO???? Come on, you can guess this one folks, I know you can.

Start to write out a check painfully slow?

That would have been a good guess but it was even better.

She pulled out her change purse. One Quarter, One Nickel, One Dime, One Dime, One Quarter, Penny, Penny Penny – well you get the picture. She paid for the whole thing in small change. Which she insisted on counting THREE times to make sure she wasn’t paying a penny over. THREE TIMES

I was SO close to paying for her lunch you have no idea. Anything to get the line moving. But I also came to the great realization that what happened right in front of my eyes was what I like to refer to as BLOG FODDER! And so I stood there, happily typing away in my head. Thinking, wow, you can’t make this shit up.

By the time I actually got to the table to join Ellie my pasta was cold and congealed. But I was smiling and happy and of course as soon as I sat down I had to tell her excitedly about my blog fodder gift.

Things that go Bump in the night

Tend to be in my mind. But they wake me up and keep me up just the same.

I’m my own worst critic and my own worst enemy. I get my panties all in a bunch over the stupidest things. And I will lay awake night after night worrying about things I have no control over or situations I have blown up and out of proportion all in my mind. I try to let these things go. I try to remind myself it is never as bad as I think it is going to be. And I try to let a lot of things just go. But on average I never manage to do that.

The hubster says you just have to tell yourself to go to sleep. That never works for me. He also says you just have to stop thinking about those things. Nope, that doesn’t work either.

So, tell me, what do you do to help yourself fall asleep? I’m open to suggestions and ideas. Cause I’m tired of staring at the ceiling at 2 am.

Ewwwww, Yuck, Icky

Sunday morning started out peacefully enough. A cup of coffee, a good book, a puppy on my lap.
And then………………..

Blurp!

Caleb throws up.

Given the excellence of the cuisine I had to quick clean it up while fending off three hungry lip smacking dogs who wanted nothing more than to gulp it down.

And what do I see??????

Yep, moving, squirming, curling up into a curlicue barf.

OH GROSS! YUCK! SQUEAL LIKE A GIRL – oh wait, I am one……….

Yes, boys and girls, you guessed it. WORMS!

My poor little man has worms.

Ok, we can handle this. We’re an adult. So we carefully clean up the pile and then place it in a ziplock bag. And then we wash the blanket. And then we pace around thinking YUCK YUCK YUCK.

Well, no more instances all of Sunday so first thing Monday morning I call the vet. And they will see him at 4. OK, that’s good.

Then, while he’s outside he oh so nicely poops for me. So I can collect that as well.

Go to work. Plead my case to leave early. And the hubby and I head home at 3.

Grab the little crate. Open the door: In he goes. And we’re off to the vet.

Arrive at the vet. They would like to weigh him.

Alright, we can do this. Come on boy. Come on. (pry dog out of kennel)

And oh goodie, since we got him he gained two pounds!

Next it’s into the exam room.

I didn’t want to put him back in the kennel only to have to pry him out again so I laid him against my chest. And he stayed there. Calm and terrified as can be.

Then the vet came in asking me his history – this was his first visit to our vet.

Uhhhhhhhhhh…………..

Shit………………

Call the hubby. Have him find the records. Put him on the phone with the vet and they chat dates and tests.

OK, one more reason a cell phone is handy.

And so now it’s time to put him on the table. And I do. And he lays there like a cute little terrified lump. He never moves.

Examine Examine Examine

And every once in a while my terrified little man wags his tail. Not a lot. But just a little. And it made me feel SO good.

Alright, so, the poop test and barf analysis tell the vet that his case of worms is light. No huge infestation. Easy to get rid of.

So, he gets a gulp of vanilla flavored worm medicine. And in two weeks he gets a heartguard.

That’s it. Nothing to it.

And off we head for home.

And I let him out. And he scampers to the back door tail wagging. HOT DAMN the tail is wagging.

And he runs right inside. Tail still wagging.

Ok, the true test:

He bypasses his kennel and runs straight for the couch! This is SO cool. His tail is still wagging. He isn’t hiding in his kennel.

And so I sit down on the couch. And he comes over for pets.

And mom sits back relieved. Her little boy is going to be ok. And we are not back to square one with his trust and fear issues. Life is good.

Photo Monday

Help! Help!

Winter Pansies (Como Conservatory)

Spikey! (Como Conservatory)
Oooohhhh Pretty (Como Conservatory)

Lady's Slipper (Como Conservatory)

Lily (Como Conservatory)

Explain this one to the lil' kiddies! (Como Zoo)

Two-toed Sloth (Como Zoo)

Snow Leopard - she's either got one heck of a winter coat or there's going to be a lil cub soon! (Como Zoo)
Her beautiful mate who posed so nicely for me (Como Zoo)

For Courtney....... (Como Conservatory)

All Creatures Great and Small (Como Zoo)

Raising the Bar

So, after Jay's post I just have to say one thing.

Girl J and I take a lot of pride in being tattoo'd white trash.

And then they go and raise the bar higher.

And we have no hope of truly claiming that title.

All the milk cartons in my back yard (for the dogs entertainment), the cheap clothes, the shirts that show off the boobs, the tattoos, the high heeled slut shoes. They mean nothing. NOTHING!

Thanks Jay, thanks for shattering a girls dream.

Random Newt

I can't believe my change in attitude that silly ball has caused. Work is fun again. I would never have guessed that something so simple could amuse me so much. I bounce around. I try and balance, lean, and not crack my head on the desk. And believe it or not it actually does work both your ab and leg muscles just sitting there and or playing around a bit. Grant you it's not an all out quality work out but it's more than I get normally just sitting there.

Not to mention the sheer amusement from the people that walk into my office. They really do forget what they wanted to say to me. And every one of them has smiled. So, I get some unexpected happiness, exercise, AND I spread joy. Can it get any cooler????

Also - what the hell is it with people that are waiting for an elevator that REFUSE to wait till the current passengers get off? Is it rude to give them a dirty look, shake your head, and audibly sigh? Or should I just flat out shove past them, giving them a good crack in the ribs with my elbow? What would you do?????

We are heading toward a warming trend up here. Yes we are going to, dare I say, feel 50 degrees and see sunshine and blue skies???

I'm going to the Como Zoo and Conservatory with Ellie (other Girl J) on Saturday. I can't wait. It's going to be fun. I told her I totally want to "Kid" out. I want to eat corn dogs and I want to make a wax animal. Just short of jumping up and down and shouting "Look at the Gorilla Mommy" I want to have fun.

Lily just came up to me, her little paws on the edge of the laptop and gave me kisses. She's so cute. She loves to give kisses. She also will sit with her tongue just peeking out of her mouth. She does it all the time and it's cute as hell.

I just finished a Mike's Hard Berry. Good grief those things are tasty.

Girl J and I went to the mall the other night. We had a drink and appetizers before we shopped. And it wiped us out. We were tired and fuzzy headed. And we didn't laugh or talk the rest of the night. No more pre-shopping drinking for these girls. Good lord we're turning into light weights. Pathetic.................

Proof that we weren't ourselves. Neither of us bought a pair of shoes. NEITHER of us.

Thin Mints are a curse on society. And Girlscouts are cruel for getting us hooked. They are the crack of the cookie world.

I've recently become hooked on flavored lip gloss. There was a time when I couldn't stand them. But now I have 6 in my purse. Both Victoria's Secret and Bath and Body make some really great ones. Though I still can't do watermelon or vanilla no matter how beautiful the color might be. Blech.

A co-worker of Michael's has a puppy that is apparently growing quite fast. She gave us his collar that he outgrew already. It's cool as hell. It has a red light across the whole thing. And you can set it for constant or strobe. I'm excited to have it. We can put it on Caleb when we start walking again. This way if my greatest fear comes true and he gets loose we'll be able to see him. So I'm putting it on him as a secondary collar. I've never noticed them in stores. So this was a pretty cool gift.

Alright. Enough random stuff for tonight.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone. Hugs from Minnesota.

Newt's Got Ball

How do you make the work day fun and self entertaining?

Take the balance ball out from under a co-workers desk and sit on it.

You will discover:

You can bounce around at your desk

You can almost fall off the ball reaching for your phone

You have co-workers come in to ask you a question and COMPLETELY loose their train of thought upon seeing you on a giant grey ball

You can roll from side to side while you type

Or in a hip swaying circle

Or you can bounce up and down and get diuzy and type crappy

Bascially the 8 hour day becomes all about self entertainment

Who'd have thunk.................

Through a Glass Darkly

I've always loved that: "Through a glass darkly" I'm not sure why. I read a book by that title and I've noticed it used in novels as an expression. Like this one from a Laurell K. Hamilton book:

•I guess I don’t entirely trust God. I never doubt him, but his motives are too beyond me. Through a glass darkly and all that. Just once I’d like to see through the damn glass clearly.

Sometimes it does feel like life is seen "through a glass darkly". Where for no particular reason there is uncertainty, a strong sense of the unknown. I'm not quite sure how to describe it. But some times its as if I am seeing my life from outside myself. An observer. And it all seems very strange and disconnected.

I'm really hoping at this point someone out there says "Yeah, I know that feeling" even if you haven't - lie to me :-)

It's as if I have lost a sense of focus. Not in a bad, depressed, crying all the time sort of way. I don't really know how to describe it. I just feel disconnected. And the days seem to melt into one another.

Perhaps it is the quiet routine of life. Perhaps it is lack of sunshine and fresh air. Maybe this bear is ready to come out of hibernation and is feeling restless. Maybe I'm just done with winter and I want all the life and light that spring will bring.

Perhaps, I need to clean the windows of my house and then they won't seem so....darkly

Reinventing Newt

Who is Newt? I have spent the past two years trying to figure that out. Or maybe I should say who is the blogger Newt?

Real Newt likes change. She likes to be creative. She likes to have fun. And that has always reflected in my blog. A different look every few weeks.

Newt in real life is a restless spirit. She can't sit in one place for very long. She fidgets. Her mind wanders. She's not very good at the concept of "focus" and with the number of rambling posts in my past that too is reflected in my blog.

Every so often though Newt finds something that sits just right in her life. Something that feels grounded and permanent. Something she can grasp on to when the restlessness consumes her. It can be as momentous as finding the Hubster and moving to Minnesota or as minor and mundane as finally figuring out the right look for her blog.

Sometimes that restlessness has unexpected effects. Such as not being able to really READ a book. And since reading is one of the places that Newt thinks of as a happy place it's a surprise and a little unnerving to have that security blanket in the wash so to speak.

Despite the 2 feet of snow on the ground spring is coming. And that opens up a whole other can of restlessness. An overwhelming urge to throw open the windows and let in fresh air. To see things green and growing burst forth from the yard.

To take the dogs for a walk. Or in Caleb's case, a pull.

So, today we unveil the new look. With hope that this one will stick. Maybe, like Google, there will be the occasional celebratory change. But for the most part it feels right, it feels grounded. It fits.