Random thoughts that really made me go hmmmmmm

My husband was telling me about a conversation at work around Halloween.  He was telling a coworker that it was my favorite holiday and I love to decorate the outside of the house for it.  She said it wasn't a real holiday.  And his response was if I can decorate for it, it is a holiday to me. 


So I looked it up.  I was curious about the origin.  Of course it is more than likely another holiday "stolen" by the Christians to thwart other beliefs.  And it is considered a Christian holiday.  Which I was totally fascinated by since many ultra conservative Christians won't allow their children to celebrate because it is a holiday of the devil.  You know, those pesky witches..........


Anyway, more to the point of my random thoughts on my drive home was around what would I do as a parent.  I don't believe in a god but I do have a great reverence for the natural world.  From both a scientific perspective and for Mother Nature.  I am in awe of what this planet and the universe does simply by existing.  I can't and won't attribute it to any single great plan or being.  My belief is far bigger than that. 


That said, I celebrate in a more Pagan way.  I celebrate Halloween as the time of the harvest, the time when nature is heading to bed so to speak.  And I love the idea of celebrating those that are gone.  The All Souls part of the holiday.  Trick or Treating is fun for me because the kids love it so much.  They get to use their imaginations to become someone or something else for a night.  They get to run around outside and visit their neighbors.  It is the one night they are allowed to skip "stranger danger".  It is the one night of the year they are truly allowed to be "free".


Then, Christmas.  I don't celebrate it for the Christian reason.  I celebrate that time of year for what it is.  The turning of the natural cycle.  Winter Solstice.  It is the start of the earth's renewal.  The days begin to get longer.  The start of hope for spring begins.  And I love that.  I love the quiet of winter.  The falling snow. My decorations lean toward lights and snowmen.  To bring some light into the long dark days.  But to enjoy what winter offers.  And find beauty and peace in all of nature's cycles. 


Easter, same thing, I celebrate the Pagan rights of spring.  I celebrate renewal.  That the earth has woken back up, and will burst forth in all her growing glory.


I would never force religion on my children.  Instead I would teach them to think for themselves, to find what they want to  believe in.  I would teach them to be kind for the simple reason that it is the right thing to do.  I would try very hard to raise them color blind.  To raise them to see all people for who they are, not what they are.  Judge a person by their actions, not by their skin color.  Let people be who they want to be.  Love who they want to love.  And as they meet people, learn and explore the world, then they can decide if religion is right for them.  And which one is right for them. 


As they make those choices though how do you raise them to not feel left out of traditions so many people partake in.  How do I take them to Grandma's house and explain Christmas and church.  How do I not color their impressions.  I have no clue how I would do any of that. 


Ultimately it doesn't matter.  We chose not to be parents so it is a conundrum I will never have to deal with.  But still, what would I have told little Nick or Maggie?  I wonder............

Solitude

Twin Peaks, remember that show?  I was a huge fan.  At some point in the series they introduced a character that was a shut-in.  Someone that didn't go outside.  Laura Palmer used to visit him.  Bring him meals.  He grew orchids.  I don't remember details, his name, or anything else, but I remember thinking to myself he was the one character I could most relate to.  Someone who doesn't want to go outside and deal with people.  Exposure to someone like him was huge for me.  It was eye opening.  This seemingly weird need to exist in my own world and not interact with others was real.  There was someone else, albeit fictional, who felt the same way.  And he was LIVING the dream. 


Now we have the world wide web.  Introverts have united, maybe alone, in the quiet of their rooms, but united anyway in a common love of solitude.  My only reference to extreme introverted behavior is no longer one fictional guy from an old show.  There are lots of us!  We can be social, just social in a completely alone sort of way.  From afar, curled up with a cup of coffee, and a cat or dog, or both.


 More than a few friends have said to me that they don't know anyone else like me.  A bookworm, loner, who doesn't like social activities, that is fascinated by all things solitary.  Someone who truly dances to the beat of her own private drum.  I actually took pride in those statements.  I have always fancied myself as an individual that doesn't worry or care what other people think of me and the choices I make.  The fact that people know it, and I think, love me anyway, was great news.


Don't get me wrong.  There are people in this world I love and enjoy spending time with.  There are even more that I enjoy a cyber friendship with.  But when it comes to my happy place, and my ultimate comfort zone, I prefer solitude. 


Thankfully, I am married to someone that is equally as comfortable in his own world.  My husband is even less social than I am.  We absolutely and completely love spending time together but we are equally as comfortable doing our own thing.  We can be in two different rooms of the house and not interacting and we are ok with that.  We don't need to spend every waking moment together.  I can happily sit in my library and read or do a puzzle and he will watch tv or work on his hobby. 


Being comfortable alone, being able to do things on my own, is very natural for me.  I have even realized at the end of a day running around town that I just spent an entire day in public but yet feel like I was in a bubble of privacy.  I also realize that I probably had one too many conversations with myself while I did so but hey, who gives a shit.


Anyway, being alone is very different from being lonely.  For me, solitude is a beautiful thing.

Updates

As I tried to update the "About Me" information I had to change the number of cats.  I changed from 3 to 2.  But the good and the bad of it really was a change from 3 to 2 to 1 to empty kitty nesters but then, happily, back to 2.  In just a few years a lot of changes.  A lot of tears, and then, a great deal of joy and laughter. 


Thankfully, not much else changed.  And I am truly grateful for that.  There is something to be said in life NOT changing.  It doesn't mean life if boring.  It doesn't mean I am not doing anything with my life.  It means that in many ways, the good parts of my life are still there.


Since my last post I have traveled to Puerto Rico, Ireland, Argentina, Malaysia, Hong Kong, and Germany.  Each trip unique and amazing 


Oh, and we moved.  We had joked that we would leave our home feet first because we were too lazy to move but alas, the commute got to be too much.  The drive time seemed to be getting longer and longer no matter what the weather.  The final straw was a late night at work when we both left well after rush hour and taking two different routes ended up with almost an hour and half drive to go less than 30 miles.  In good weather!   We looked at each other that night after commiserating about our drives and said, let's move.  We started looking at homes on the internet that night.  A few months later we made an offer on a home.  And only three years after that, we sold the old house and were completely moved out of it....................so I guess we were still really lazy.  We moved in to the new house one car load/trailer at a time.  Then three months later we hired a moving company to get the last of the big stuff moved.  The next 2 years and 9 months would be sent cleaning and remodeling the old house.  We made a deal with a friend that he could live there in exchange for doing some of the work.  Then after he found a home of his own we finished the rest.  Part of the reason we weren't in a huge hurry to sell was the down market.  We probably got close to 40% more by waiting for the market to recover.  And in fact when we were ready to sell the first time homes were selling faster than they were getting listed.  We sold when starter home inventory was at record lows.  And we sold not to someone that would flip it or rent it, but to a sweet family just starting out.  THAT was the most important part.  Our much beloved home went to a couple that would cherish it as their first home where they raised their family.  That house had the best spirit.  So much love.  It was wonderful to pass it on to someone who wanted the home for the same reason. 


Looking back, the other big change was losing my Aunt.  I knew, when I said goodbye to my Uncle that she would soon follow and she did.  Six short months later.  And that broke my heart.  I have never been closer to two people outside of my immediate family.  They were my world.  There are still moments when I think I should call them to tell them about something and it takes my breath away to realize that I can't.  I tell them in my heart.  I talk to them still in my thoughts.  They may be gone from this world but they will never be gone from my heart.  Coping with their loss has been hard.  The hardest thing I have ever had to do.  But we have brought many of their things home with us.  Pieces of furniture that have been around since I was a baby.  The yellow chair/stool that sat in her kitchen.  It's in my kitchen now.  I can't tell you how many dozens of hours that I sat in that chair talking to them while they cooked meals.  In the new house we gained a family room so it was only natural to use their sitting room furniture.  It's not the same as having them there but it provides some level of comfort, of familiarity.  And I know they would love that the things they loved and used endured.  That it has passed on to another generation.

Born to Run

Born To Run, born to forget.........I should have written this crap down.

For a girl that grew up in Jersey in the 80's this is pretty much required reading.  The rock god, The Boss, the man himself has penned a memoir.  But completely aside from that, as I sit quietly and devour his story it becomes all to apparent to me that I screwed up.  I didn't write down much of anything and it would appear that I am not a person who remembers details, dates, names, or well, most things.  Crap.

Social media and the fact that blogger never deleted this thing is about the best way for me to track back information.

The lesson here: Diary, journal, blogging, hell even Facebook isn't a bad thing if for no other reason but to help a person remember their life.  All that living, all those experiences, and whose to say we will remember them a few years down the road.  Hell, I can't tell you what I had for breakfast let alone what I did back in 1986.

How Bruce has done it, if he kept a journal, or if he just has a WAY better memory than me, is impressive.  I am in awe of all that he remembers.  The tiny details, the names, places...........wow.

So there I sat today thinking about this.  And how do I get myself to at least start recording my life on a more regular basis.  It's only going to get worse for me memory wise.  And then I remember my faithful and trusty blog.  I miss it.  Of course I have said that before and quit......again......but I feel I should do something.  And why not try to get back into the swing of what you love.

And in case you are wondering, I am enjoying the book so far. 

Mustang Love

My dream car is a Mustang. Since Ford redesigned the car in 2005 I have been in love. Every chance I get I rent one when I travel. I can't even begin to describe how happy driving that car makes me. No matter how hectic my day the second I slide into that drivers seat all my worries go away. To me it is the perfect car. The hubster knows that I want one and someday maybe I'll have one parked in the driveway.

Since I was a little kid I have loved the Mustang. The mid 60's models were awesome. By the time I was old enough to afford a car of my own the classic models were way out of my price range and the current ones were just downright ugly. But 2005 changed all that and I renewed my love for the car.

For both the hubster and I a car is just a box on wheels that will get us from one place to the other. We care more about reliability than we do anything else. Our Subaru is rusting but runs like a champ and we won't replace it till we absolutely have to. We do not see a car as something that will give us status. We don't need a car to validate our place in society. We aren't that shallow and status conscious. We have never felt the need to keep up with the neighbors or outshine our friends to feel special or superior. Yuppies we are not.

All that said, I am willing to admit that a Mustang would be more for me than just a box on wheels. There's a little bit of rebel, a little bit of leather, and a little bit of lace in that car.

I'll be sad when I have to drop it off at the rental place on Friday. This may be my last Mustang for a while.

Thursday Newt

Reason to love living in Minnesota #3:
The little towns that pop up on the lakes during winter. All the ice fishing huts erected on the lakes start to look like small villages.

Naughty Monkey of the day:




















Newt Photo of the day:
Looking up outside a church in downtown St. Augustine

Puppy Talk for the day:

Lily slept curled up in my lap last night for several hours. She usually doesn't stay that long. And if I stopped petting her she would look up at me sleepily, with eyes half closed, and stare at me till I started petting her again. Then the head would drop back down and the snoring would commence.

Newt on Entertainment:

Hubster and I watched Bladerunner last night. For a while the only version you could get was the "director's cut" which we didn't like. But now they have a DVD out that has the original theatrical release, the original international release, and the directors cut. Personally we loved the Harrison Ford voice overs.

Random Newt:

I listen to a lot of classical music. I am amazed at how many times Bugs Bunny cartoons run around in my head while I listen.

Wait..........What?............

The holidays are coming!

Holy crap!

The holidays are coming!

Where did the year go?

Anyone know?

Reason to love living in Minnesota #2:

Mama Maria's - best Italian food in the world. Ok, so it's in Wisconsin, but it's right across the river. It still counts. We got engaged there. We go there every year for our anniversary. And when Mom and Dad come to town they make that one of the must stop at places.

Naughty Monkey of the Day:

Newt Photo of the Day:

Puppy Talk for the Day:

We have to give our kitty Socs wet food. So every morning after I get his bowl ready I call in Caleb to lick the spoon clean. (He's our skinniest dog) This morning I turned around to call him into the kitchen and he was already standing right behind me waiting for his treat.

Newt on Entertainment:

I just started a new book. It's actually the 5th or 6th book in the Simon R. Green Deathstalker series. I love this author. His books are like putting on comfortable clothes.

I also got my co-worker hooked on Eureka. He and I were out in Dallas together to kick off training so each evening we sat down with a cold bottle of Shiner and watched an episode.

Random Newt:

This summer and fall I have had what I called my Daily Trifecta. First, in the morning while driving around an on-ramp there were these three Canada Geese always nibbling on grass. Their feathers would often reflect the colors of the rising sun and it was just a serene and beautiful scene. Secondly I would also see a turkey that I affectionately named Benny nibbling food by the side of the freeway. There are actually several wild turkeys that hang out together in that area but Benny had a broken feather that stuck out at the top of his back. So my buddy Benny was easy to spot every morning. And lastly, on the way home we had Young Hippie Surfer Dude hanging out at the freeway on-ramp holding up a sign that said "End the War" He was out there every night without fail. Holding up his sign, smiling and waving to all the cars that passed by. Wearing bermuda shorts, long sun bleached blond hair and wrap around sun glasses he looked so out of place for the prim and proper neighborhood he chose to express his views in. I adored him.

Alas, now that it is winter time my three friends are no longer around. They have gone elsewhere for the cold season. But I appreciate how much they would make me smile each and every day.

WWC and Some New Newt

WWC - courtesy of vacation in Florida:

Sunset from the Public lighthouse

Sunset from the Private country club

Ok, well, after a long and painfully lonely hiatus from blogging I have decided to start a-newt. I mean, there will still be WWC and plenty of puppy talk. But I want to add a few newt things.

Like, since it's winter, how about reasons I love Minnesota. Trust me folks, for the next umpteen months I NEED reasons to love living here. Or at least remind myself why I live here.

Ok, so

Reason to Love Living in Minnesota #1:

When I go grocery shopping during fall, winter, and spring my ice cream won't melt before I get it home.

I know you love the shoe pics but I can't always get a shot of my daily shoe choice. So, I have decided to have a little day dream section to cover my non-shoe days. I call it the

Naughty Monkey of the day:

Newt Photo of the day:

And here is a picture from my vacation in Florida:

Puppy Talk for the day: This morning Lily fell asleep in my lap while I was having my coffee and reading. She had her little head resting on my chest and she was just snoring away.

Newt on Entertainment:

Finally watched Spiderman 3. Wow, was that a slow moving movie. Not bad, just painfully slow.

Reading a book I found while killing time at the airport. It's called "The City of Dreaming Books" by Walter Moers. How have I never heard of this guy before? He's brilliant!

Random Newt:

I received this as an email:

I rescued a human today

author unknown

I rescued a human today.

Her eyes met mine as she walked down the corridor peering apprehensively into the kennels.

I felt her need instantly and knew I had to help her.

I wagged my tail, not too exuberantly, so she wouldn't be afraid.

As she stopped at my kennel I blocked her view from a little accident I had in the back of my cage.

I didn't want her to know that I hadn't been walked today.

Sometimes the shelter keepers get too busy and I didn't want her to think poorly of them.

As she read my kennel card I hoped that she wouldn't feel sad about my past.

I only have the future to look forward to and want to make a difference in someone's life.

She got down on her knees and made little kissy sounds at me.

I shoved my shoulder and side of my head up against the bars to comfort her.

Gentle fingertips caressed my neck; she was desperate for companionship.

A tear fell down her cheek and I raised my paw to assure her that all would be well

Soon my kennel door opened and her smile was so bright that I instantly jumped into her arms.

I would promise to keep her safe.

I would promise to always be by her side.

I would promise to do everything I could to see that radiant smile and sparkle in her eyes.

I was so fortunate that she came down my corridor. So many more are out there who haven't walked the corridors. So many more to be saved.

At least I could save one.

I rescued a human today.

What No Shoes????

Shoe pic's are on the work computer.

So here's some random stuff:

I hate bugs. All of them. I become a pathetic fearful dork around bugs
Suddenly a bug no bigger than my pinky finger nail can completely defeat me.
I suddenly become 2 years old crying for my daddy.

Ok, I like butterflies and lady bugs. But that's it.

It made me feel better to know that a friend who is a fire fighter freaks out about bugs. If he does and he doesn't fear going into burning buildings? Is my fear so illogical?

Ticks are going to be my downfall.

I am becoming a Trekkie. It was only Star Trek Next Generation but I have expanded to Deep Space Nine and Enterprise.

I'm a geek, what can I say

I am a Target whore. I admit it. Addicted. I get lost inside.

That and Target gets a ridiculous amount of my monthly income.

I have decide that the Ipod is the answer to corporate cube farm

I noticed today that 9 out of 10 cube monkeys were working away with their Ipod's going.

This cube monkey included.

Chicken stir-fry from Trader Joes is another good meal in a bag.

I'm already in love with their Gorgonzola Gnocchi

Among other things.

I can't wait till I get old enough for a house coat to be ok.

They have pockets.

Perfect for my Ipod.

Wednesday ramblings

First, I owe you a pair of shoes from yesterday. My apologies. I totally forgot to start the WWC post with my Peek-a-Boo shoes. Shame on me.

And, since this is a new post: Here is another pair of shoes. Also with a Peek-A-Boo toe.













Ok, let's see:

We have been promised storms, thunder, lightening, hail. And I'm not complaining mind you. I'm grateful we aren't flooding or being plagued with tornado's. But come on! I would like one good thunder boomy this spring. We haven't really had any to speak of. At least not at my house.

I love the thunder storms so loud the house shakes. I love standing out in the rain with the hubster watching the lightening flash all over the sky.

What else.................
oh, here's a few more pictures from my trip to Como. Sorry for the repeat of the sloth but dad wanted to see what other pictures I took so I figured it was easy enough to put him in the slide show.


I am hoping the weather is nice and I can head to the Minnesota zoo one day. Call in sick to work and go spend a day with the animals. Right now I'm avoiding the place because they just opened a huge new exhibit. Russian Grizzly Coast or something like that.

We have family stuff planned for the weekend. Well, it IS father's day. Oh crap! That reminds me, I have to mail my brother's First Father's Day card. I mailed dad's and my Uncle's but totally forgot his. Dang..............

Today at work I was working on a presentation. And the word "City" looked wrong. And the more I tried to figure out how to spell "City" the more the rest of the words looked wrong. Has this ever happened to you? Hell, at some point "the" looked misspelled. I hate that.

I think we will have chicken chili and cornbread for dinner. Trader Joes makes a really good chicken chili. They also have this fantastic gnocchi dish. WOW! Best gnocchi I have had since my Great Grandmother's homemade stuff. It's in their frozen entree section. It's Gnocchi al Gorgonzola. YUMMY! Oh, and their new vanilla wafers aren't bad either. Bits of vanilla bean right in the cookie.

Can you tell I skipped lunch????

Though my co-worker did bring me a piece of her homemade rhubarb pie. That was mighty tasty as well.

Not a very good lunch though.............

Ok, I've rambled enough. Cheers!

This and That

Went with my co-workers to a place called Snuffy's. Sometimes a burger and malt is the best thing in the world.

But so is good conversation between friends.

So maybe it was the combination of the two that made it a fantastic lunch.

Personal quirk #1: I have to cover a public toilet seat before I can sit on it.

Personal quirk #2: I won't touch the door of a public restroom on my way out. I have to use a paper towel.

Personal quirk #3: At home, I'm a self confessed slob and my home is probably a health hazard and that doesn't bother me in the least.

Nettie sent me an email with buttons - here are my favorites

Personal quirk #4: When someone is on the phone in a restroom I have the greatest urge to make the loudest and rudest noises possible.

I owe ya'll pictures of "the chaos" also known as Pearl and of my niece. I gotta get on that eh?

Cheers!

Random Wednesday

First off, important business: I created a link list for WWC folks. If I missed you please let me know in the comments. I tried to find as many WWC'ers as possible.

My room is directly over the hotel pool. I’m on the 7th floor. I have the strongest urge to make a high jump right into it.

It looks so cool and inviting

Tonight I will go exploring

I have visions of Claim Jumpers dancing in my head

Some times I have to remind myself to put on my big girl panties and deal with it.

I really hate when people start throwing hissy fits over nothing

But suddenly the whole company has to drop everything they are doing to pacify someone’s unwarranted paranoia and fear

Yeah, I know, that’s life. But still, it irritates me.

I have a lunch date with two of the people from our Calif. Facility

One of them has the same last name as me

So everyone has decided we are brother and sister

He actually looks more like my family than my real brother

So we joked that they were switched at birth

My poor real brother doesn’t know that I have traded him in though

And actually I love my brother too much to do that

I’m wearing a top today that shows a little too much cleavage

And as Nettie and I saw at the mall one night there is such a thing as too much cleavage

The two ladies walking behind us agreed.

We all had to whip our heads around to see if we saw what we thought we saw.

I have been having trouble staying focused lately

Thus random Wednesday

Last night I was channel flipping

I didn’t even stop long enough to see what was on

I did watch the pay per view previews

I could rent Sweeny Todd

I’m half tempted

Either that or Golden Compass

I’m addicted to Post-it notes

I have stacks of them all over my house and office

Yet I hardly use them

I also am on a constant search for the perfect pen

When I think I have found one, I quickly grow tired of it

And start my quest again

Does that mean I have an office supply deficit disorder?

Is there a pill for that?

I miss my pups

So I was petting the picture of Lily on my computer screen this morning

I stopped after I looked at the screen and said “Mommy misses you yes she does”

Random Wednesday

I totally forgot how to spell Wednesday. I started out typing Wendsday - and then totally lost it.

I was reminded today that no one makes mini-doughnuts like Hostess. All the little off brands that I have tested so far are just crap in comparison.

Of course that didn’t stop me from having a few with my coffee. I wouldn’t want to offend the co-worker that brought them in for all of us.

This morning it snowed. And since Caleb is afraid to come in when the dogs have to be wiped off he of course stayed outside. Laying down, tail wagging, and shaking in fear.

That dog is such a conflicted enigma.

It’s like he has a visible split personality – a happy carefree pup and a terrified and abused pup

Lil Al found these cool wooden words at Michaels so of course I got some for my desk.
They say Smile, Love, Dream, Live, Laugh.

One of the project managers came over and said that he was going to march his team by my cube everyday to remind them of the good in life.

I’ll take that as a compliment.

We watched Shoot Em Up the other night. I think it’s a fantastically campy, action packed, silly film.

The hubster groaned, screamed, and laughed (not in a good way) through the whole thing.

He said it was a bad B movie without any good lines to make it a cult classic

Big Trouble in Little China is the B movie he compares all B movies to.

I can’t blame him, it is a classic campy film

What’s your favorite campy B movie?

For better or for worse I have buried my head in the sand when it comes to the election

I guess this morning there was hinting that the Democratic front runners would join together for P and VP – it was just a question of who is on top. Which, is what I have been saying all along they should do

Then we can have the comedy show Two Men and the Lil Missus

I’ll let you decide if it’s Bill Or Hill that fit the Lil Missus category

I head for California on Friday.

Weekend with family and then work work work

I can’t believe I scored a job that not only do I love love love but that allows me the opportunity to see my family

Yeah, I know, ya’ll are probably sick of hearing me say how much I love my job.

But part of me still can’t believe that it’s for real

I stopped at the grocery store yesterday to get some hot cereal for my breakfasts.

On the way into the store I was thinking how cool it would be if PopTarts came out with whole grain

Guess what folks? Strawberry and Brown Sugar!

Sometimes ye ask and ye receive

I also got a little tin of Blue Diamond Almonds with Maui Onion and Garlic – YUM

I’m going to be an Aunt this month. That seems so weird.

My brother, a father…………..

That’s about all folks – Cheers!

Tid Bits of Newtness

Don't laugh but I bought my first pair of Levis over the weekend. Honest, I've never owned a pair. They were always so much more expensive than other brands. And I'm kinda cheap. But now, damn have jeans gotten pricey. So Levi's are actually starting to be the cheaper option. Plus they made my butt look great :-)

I am in love. I heard a song in the car that I just loved. I had to know who sang it. For once the radio station actually said who it was. That almost never happens. Anyway, I'm officially in love with Mat Kearney. I like the entire album. The ENTIRE album. That also, almost never happens. The song I liked was Breathe In, Breathe Out. But really, the whole thing is great. Sort of a Coldplay sound but a little more folksy.



Because I worry too much about everything I was concerned about finding the Corp. Headquarters for my new company. So I did a test drive out there. Yes, I'm stalking my future employer. Ha ha ha ha. But, I won't get lost that first morning. I was actually kinda giddy. As if it was sacred ground. Is that sad?


Then I went shopping. I'm a girl, I had the day off, it just sounded like a good way to spend my first free day. One more pair of Levis and a cute pink sweater later I headed for my favorite place in the whole wide world. Barnes and Noble in Rosedale. This is the location with a huge used book section. I told Nettie that it was the one thing I wanted to do for myself while I was off work. Go to B&N with absolutely no time constraints and just wander, and browse and wander some more. I lucked out and found a bunch of books on my reading list in the used and clearance area. And added two that weren't on my list but sounded really good. Then I got a cup of coffee, a cookie, and I started reading a book I have been looking forward to. Of course I have to finish the one I am currently working on but hey, I can multi-task/read. It was perfect. Simply perfect.


Ok, my next thing is a sort of challenge: More than one person has said that I am probably the only person that ever gave my bus driver a thank you and a gift. So, my challenge to you is to go commit a random act of unexpected kindness. Nothing extravagant, just say thank you to someone that doesn't normally get thanked for what they do. Or buy them a cup of coffee. Or, ask the quiet and invisible mail clerk to lunch.


Ok, enough goody goody Newtness.


Have a great day everyone.

Monday Quickie

***Rockstar86 - if you are out there, say hello, email me! You left a nice note on my comments back in the summer but I don't know how to respond or get a hold of you.

***One more day. Just one more! And then I have a short couple of days off before the big new job! Which, by the way, I will officially announce the new digs: SAP Training Specialist for a medical device company in the TwinCities. I am SOOOO excited. I am leaving sales and joining the IT geek world. And I think it's where I belong.

PROJECT GOALS:
***I completed one project this weekend. A table runner that is sized to our coffee table. This is not an old project but it was still a project. And now I have a padded cover for the table. One of the pets managed to put some nice scratches in it. And its one of my favorite pieces of furniture in the house so I wanted to protect it better.

***Now on to a more long term buried project. Small cross-stitch I was going to make for a friend. I will start working on it again tonight. And I hope to have it done by end of October.

***Caleb made a big puppy progress this weekend. Two of them. First was the fact that it was raining on Sunday morning. I decided to capture the puppies the easy way and as they came in the back door I wiped their paws. Normally we let them all into the kitchen and then wipe their paws. If I do this at the door method Caleb never comes in the house. He stands in the yard and shakes. He won't come inside. But Sunday, for the first time ever he pushed his way through the door, let me wipe him off, and then happily trotted off into the house. His second HUGE moment came when I got up from my chair in the living room. Caleb and Lily were curled up in little puppy balls on the couch. Up until Sunday Caleb would have looked at me wearily, gotten up and went somewhere else for fear of me crossing his path. But yesterday he stayed in his puppy ball. And I leaned down and I got to pet both him and Lily. He even wanted belly rubs. This was huge. A huge moment for him. He never lets us approach him for love. He always does the approaching.

That's it, have a great day!!!!

Don't forget WWC tomorrow - Home and Autumn

Favorite Things

A tribute to my current favorite things:

Pat the bus driver - she's awesome. The happiest, friendliest lady! Imagine the nicest woman singing her heart out in a baptist church, now triple it, make her face even friendlier, throw in a sparkling attitude and you have Pat. I love this woman.

The boys at Pino's Pizzeria - This is the best pizza outside New York. I'm going to have to figure out a way to get me some of this pizza even though I'll be working on the other side of the cities.
It's a little corner of New York, I'm telling you, they are wonderful.

Afterglow by Sarah McLachlan - I heard a song from this album on a tv show. I knew it was her but I wasn't sure what the song was or what album it was on. I googled the lyrics and it was from the one album I didn't have of hers. She's fantastic. This album is my favorite.

Million Little Pieces by James Frey - I don't care about the truth, I don't care about the controversy, and I sure as hell don't care what Oprah thinks. I loved this book. It was a really good read.

Hank the corner grill guy - He's crabby and he teases us every time we go get a burger or brat. But he's wonderful. And I'll miss him.

Debbie the ice cream lady - She has a cute little snack shop. Nettie and I have been going to her shop regularly getting a small scoop of ice cream. Then we eat outside and people watch. It makes for a perfect day.

My Ipod - always my Ipod

Dresden Files - I got the 1st season on DVD and I've been rewatching it. I love this show. I can't believe they didn't pick it up for a second season. Bastards!

Sweatshirt season - I love when the temps hit 50-70 and I get to wear sweatshirts. They are so comfy. Nothing beats a warm fuzzy sweatshirt.

Cranberry wine - We got a bottle of cranberry wine from a winery in WI. It is SO tasty. I just love it.

My bed - It's that time of year when it's not to hot and it's not too cold. So I snuggle down in my bed all warm and toasty. It's wonderful.

Sneakers - If I have to suffocate my toes again at least I do it in style. Today I gave up the sandals for my yellow converse sneakers that have daisies and lady bugs on them. Not only are they cute and comfy but they have made a lot of people smile.

Getting coffee with Girl M - This is one of the things I am really going to miss when I leave.

WWC - I look forward to this every week. It keeps the wheels in my head spinning. And I start to see everything through a camera lens.

Just stuff

Girl J and I try to walk every day. It's always fun and we manage to entertain ourselves quite well. The perfect example being yesterdays Dino Walk. And I love Girl J for being as goofy as she is.


Last night I had to go to Target to get a couple of cards and some bread. I wanted to find a sympathy card to send my aunt. Some of the cards made me tear up, while other's sort of cracked me up. Had anyone been paying attention to me in the card section they would have thought me quite manic.


It was the cinnamon scented care and concern card that really got me laughing.


Or maybe it was the series of cards that were over the top emotional. The "You are a beautiful woman, physically attractive, but also you are full of inner beauty and light. And I love both the outside and the inside beauty..............." As we said in the 80's: "Gag me with a spoon"


Then I wandered over to their holiday section. Some evil person had turned on a very annoying halloween item and it played the theme from The Adams Family OVER and OVER and OVER again. And we couldn't figure out what got turned on to shut it off. There were three of us trying to find the source and turn it off.

And then I almost fell over when I walked down one isle of the holiday section. To my left, trick or treat bags. To my right, christmas stockings. I can only say WTF????

It is now 12:50 and I have yet to finish drinking the coffee I got this morning. Where did my day go?

This morning I went down to the skyway to make a phone call. I tried to find a quiet corner in which to do so. And as I rounded the corner I went from standing upright to flat on my butt.
I have no idea what happened in between. But my knee really hurt. So with a great deal of grace and dignity I stayed on the floor and made my phone call. Because, I meant to do it that way.

Tomorrow is Friday. Thank Jeebus!

Newt on the Loose Day 8

I decided that Sunday was pajama day.


Coffee, everything bagel and puppies make for a perfect morning.


Finish reading a book


Hmmm, what to do first?


Pull apart the rest of the fridge


Clean and scrub.


We went from having NO room in the fridge to having: milk, oj, lemon juice, syrup, 1 jar of jam (instead of 9 moldy ones) cheese, ketchup, mustard, bbq sauce, teriyaki, 4 dressings, chicken stock, beef stock, butter, and nail polish. That's it. And a whole lot of empty shelf space.

FABULOUS!


Then it was upstairs to clean up the bedroom.


1 hour to pick up, arrange, and put away shoes


5 minutes to pick up clothes, hang them up, or put them in the laundry basket


5 minutes to sweep floor


5 minutes to wash floor


5 minutes to change bedding


Bedroom spacious, clean, fresh smelling and shoeless.


Scrub down bathroom upstairs.


Housework finished. No more for the day. I'm done. Gonna relax.


Play around on computer. I had burned a bunch of digital photos on to a disk since the files were all on my work computer. So I slowly sorted, labeled and filed lots and lots of digital pictures onto the home computer.


Took shower - got myself all soft skinned and good smelling.


Choose cute but sexy outfit.


Run over to a different Herbergers to see if they have the dress I just bought. Wanted to try one size smaller since the one I got fit with a little room to spare. No such luck. BUT they offered 20% off coupon for each item you brought in for Goodwill. The coupon was good on fragrances. Which NEVER happens with department stores. Coupons are never good for fragrances or make-up. My scent had a free gift offer going AND they had a special packaged box with a cologne, lotion, and body wash for just $3.00 more than the cologne normally costs. The free gift included another lotion and body wash. HOT DAMN!


They didn't have my dress there but they did have a really cute ruffly black sweater that was on sale plus my additional 20 off.


Then, as I was paying for my cologne the phone rang. The hubster had arrived.


Yippee!!!!!!


Off to the airport.


Pick up hubster in cute and sexy outfit, smelling freak'n incredible.

Get home and we make dinner. Steak, corn on the cob (Which I got at the farmers market the day before - it was freak'n incredible) pasta salad.

Yes, believe it or not, dinner was the first thing we did. We chatted about his trip and watched Rear Window. The puppies and kitties really missed their daddy so the cuddle fest was very important to them.

Soon after though, the cute and sexy outfit paid off.

Oh yeah, the hubster is back.

***she says as she smokes another cigarette

(j/k I don't smoke but if I did............)

I will close with cute pictures: The first is Caleb and Socs this morning. The second is Lily doing her squirmy worm with me. She loves to jam her head between the couch and my back and squirmy worm around.

Newt on the Loose Day 7

Sometimes we have an absolutely perfect day.

A day in which from start to finish it just feels good

The heart smiles

And the head doesn't think too much

Girl J and I had one of those days

A perfect day with a perfectly wonderful friend

First stop: Minneapolis Farmers Market

Which by the way, at this time of year is full of vendor man candy

We lost our train of thought more than once trying to decide what to buy

Corn, strawberries, grapes, zucchini, tiny bananas, kiwi, and more

And I bought a rock

Well, it is a rock that had little feet and a beak added to it so it looks like a bird

It's beautiful and unique

Then we went to Rosedale Mall

Macy's shoe sale

Got the red shoes that we fought over Thursday

So now we both have a pair of super fun shoes

And Girl J found a pair of Born sandals for 20 bucks.

That felt like little pillows for your feet

And I got a pair of sassy red plaid peek-a-boo heels by Tribeca

We got them partly because my name is in the brand

Then Victorias Secret

Girl J wanted another pair of capri's - most comfortable pants EVER

Then on to lunch

Big Bowl - very yummy

Herbergers

HUGE sale - additional 80% off all clearance - no shit 80%

We found Lil A the CUTEST prom dress. And snapped it up

She doesn't have a dance to go to any time soon but when she does. She'll look like an angel.

And we found her the cutest little denim skirt with pink flowers on the pockets.

And while wandering around I found a knee length formal

And tried it on for shits and giggles

And cried

And walked out of the store with it

Because we know that when I need to find a formal, I won't. And I sure as heck won't find one on sale, that looks fantastic on me, and is elegantly beautiful

I'm sure we will go to the symphony at some point.

It will be perfect for it

Then we wandered the mall

And stopped in a bridal store -it was a brown dress in the window that caught our eye

And saw the most beautiful wedding dress - off white with a small band of light green across the bodice. And the back below the pearl buttons where the train began to flow down the back they put that same green silk. It was just exquisite.

So Girl J tried it on because the clerk said she was dying to see someone in it.

And she looked incredible. And we both choked up a bit.

How many brides find the perfect wedding dress on the very first try?

They wouldn't let us take pictures but I assure you, you would have choked up too if you could have seen her in it.

More mall wandering

Then we hit up a big thrift store

Followed by a trip to Girl J's old neighborhood.

She lived in a big old beautiful house on the East Side

Unfortunately the drug dealers won the neighborhood

Which is sad considering the houses are big and beautiful and at one time quite grand

Then we headed for home

After Girl J headed back to her house I played with the pups for a while

Then went to JoAnn fabrics.

And finally found the perfect fabric to re-cover chair cushions with. Once again, when you give up looking you find the perfect thing.

Also picked up cat food and a few groceries.

Going to make a special dinner for the hubster when he comes home

Watched the new series Torchwood on BBC America - it's a most excellent spin-off from Dr. Who

I talked to the hubster and to my folks

And fell asleep thinking about how incredibly perfect the day was.

Newt On the Loose Day 5

I gotta change the time on that dang coffee pot

Fall out of bed

Get puppy pile outside

Feed screaming kitties

Coffee

Ahhh, coffee, almost human

Shower, dress, hair, make-up

Dang it - I gotta head for the bus soon

Where did my morning go

Where?

Who stole it

Lock up puppies

Pathetic sad faces make me hate myself

Bus ride

Work

Macys with Girl J

Highlight of my day

Of course new shoes

After big fight with Girl J over who buys them

See, they had two pairs

But could find only the left one of one pair

So we argue over who gets them

And probably annoy all the women in line behind us

Then we go buy matching denim dresses

Because they were buy one get one free

And they were cute

No, we won't wear them at the same time

We just have similar taste

Finish work

Head for home

Puppies everywhere

Mom Mom Mom Mom Mom

Make my mac and cheese with cauliflower

Watch Scrubs

Then Simpsons

Share Mac and Cheese with puppies.

Lily tries to dive bomb into the pan

Yes, I ate it right out of the pan

I can do that, no one to stop me

Toss the rest of it

It doesn't make for good leftovers

Talk to Dad

My Uncle is dying

But my Aunt has been going through the grieving process for weeks now

She is just thankful for their 61 years of marriage

61 years. That is so unbelievably incredible

Chat on-line with friends

Get into pirate talk with Will

Start to think about sexy pirates

Talk to hubster

Head to bed

Lonely bed

Big and empty

Big empty bed with no hubster after pirate talk

SO NOT FAIR

No hubster and all hot after pirate talk

Must go to sleep

Must go to sleep

Ummmm pirates..................