As the year comes to a close, I decided to look back to January of 2004. This is what I discovered:
1. I wrote very little more to either of my fan-fics. I guess I'm going to get lynched!
2. I am still miserably married to "the estranged one." Due to his health problems, a divorce is out of the question until at least June! I should've filed early last year and saved myself a lot of heart ache!
3. My German vocabulary is still quite pathetic. 'Nuff said.
4. My missing guitars are still quite missing. No confession from "the estranged one" even though I know he is responsible for whatever happened to them.
5. I am still too damned fat. I'm working on it, but getting nowhere.
6. I was unable to get anothe Lodgey hug in June. WAH! I really needed one of those.
So much for New Year's resolutions. I'm not making any this year.
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Thursday, December 30, 2004
Murphy's Law Of Vacation
I'm quite certain that everyone has heard of Murphy's Law. You know the one that I'm talking about, If anything can go wrong, it will. Perhaps you are even familiar with one of its more popular variations, the chance of a piece of toast landing buttered side down is directly proportional to the cost of the carprt! But, did you know that Murphy also had a law concerning what will happen when you take some time off work? It reads something like this:
No one shall become ill during a holiday from work. If this sounds good to you , it is only because tou have not read the second parts. All illnesses shall wait for an employee's return to work to strike, especially if said employee is unable to add just one more day onto that vacation. Let's face it, where is the joy in being sick if you can just go off and nap until you feel better? It's so much more fun when you have to work while having a fever, runny nose, achy body, etc.
Why should I concern myself with telling you of Murphy's Law Of Vacations? I'll let you figure that out yourself while I go get myself a nice hot cup of tea and some ibuprofen...
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Wednesday, December 29, 2004
I'm A Happy Bunny!
Actually, from the look of this quiz result, "happy" bunny might not be an exactly accurate term...
You are the "You suck, and that's sad"happy bunny. You're truthful, but can be a bit brutal.
The New Year is swiftly approaching -- the time is drawing near -- tick-tock, tick-tock -- maybe that's why today is Tick-Tock Day. Today is a day to reflect on those dreams and ambitions you had at the beginning of 2004. As a warm-up, reveal to us the most significant event in your life during this past year.
I suppose that "the estranged one's" recent health problems and the discoveries that I made stemming from them are the most significant event this year. My head still reels from all that happened. My life will never be the same. I wish that my significant event could have been a good one. Unfortunately it was not.
On to the Hump!
This week, a little fun with free association or "I say, you think ___".
Ready? Let's hump.
1. rushing: Trying to get to work on time each morning.
2. horizon: Land, ho!
3. design:Why does no one design clothing for short women who are not skinny little twigs?
4. automatic: Automatic transmission. Have we used this word before? This answer is giving me deja vu!
5. tingle: My tenth grade Christmas choral concert. Because our instuctor was quite obviously gay, the guys in the chorus sang the backing vocals on the song Sleigh Ride like this: "Jingle tingle with my dingle!"
6. grit: Grit your teeth.
7. kin:Come and listen to a story about a man named Jed, A poor mountaineer who barely kept his family fed. Then one day he was shootin' at some food Up through the ground came some bubblin' crude... Oil, that is. Black gold. Texas tea.
The next thing you know old Jed's a millionaire. The kinfolk said, "Jed, move away from here!" They said California's the place you wanna be, So he loaded up his truck and moved to Beverly...
8. bark: Be quiet, Lady!
9. crunch: A chocolate bar made by Nestle.
10. breaking: A breaking news story.
11. mattress:
12. collision:
This hump has been brought to you by those freaky female-type persons -- our very own Insane Asylum poster girls.
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Tuesday, December 28, 2004
On This Day Of Vacation This Is What I Did...
Today was the second of three vacation days that I decided to take during the week after Christmas. It is oh so very nice to have a sub to call my own this year. Thank-you, God, for sending me Randy (even if I don't feel that way when I return to work on Thursday)!
The itinerary for today included an early trip to Curves to work off some of the Christmas goodies that I had eaten and a family outing to dinner and a movie. Now, before you get all excited, I'll tell you that this family outing did not include "the estranged one." We still are not speaking after the Christmas Eve Fiasco. It was instead Michael, Ray, me, and Andrea (who braved bouts of itching to come along. She's allergic to smallchildren, you know!) piling into the car to see Lemony Snicket's A Series Of Unfortunate Events.
It was a truly dark and delightful tale which was enjoyed by all of us. I was exceptionally intrigued by the young man who played Klaus Baudelaire, Liam Aiken.
Since the character that he plays is supposed to be twelve, I am assuming that he is probably about fourteen, since actors are usually cast in roles that are younger than they actually are. He's a talented young man, and quite attractive for his age. I'm quite curious to see what he looks like in five years or so. Definitely future concubine material. I'm such a dirty old lady!
Dinner afterwards was had at Bob Evans, where all of us save for Ray, opted for items from the breakfast menu. Yummy! Ray prefers to rid the world of it's abundance of fried fish!
A nice day of family togetherness, it kinda makes me regret having opted to go back to work on Thursday.
1. What was the best album released in 2004? The Scorpions' Unbreakable
2. What was the best single released in 2004? Single... What's a single? Those pretty much went out with vinyl, didn't they? The two best songs on Unbreakable are Deep And Dark and Love 'Em Or Leave 'Em. That would fulfill the good old concept of a single...
3. What new (or new to you) artist did you discover this year? Bernie Barlow, who sings backup for The Moody Blues is also damned good as a solo artist. You can purchase her Golden CD on her website. You really should check it out. It's fantastic!
4. What was the best video made this year? Terri Clark's Girls Lie Too. Not only is it a great song, but the video featuring an immitation Captain Jack Sparrow is positively hilarious.
5. What was the best concert you attended this year? The Moody Blues in Atlantic City on June 19, 2004.
6. What was the musical scandal that amused you most? News flash! It has been discovered that Justin Hayward of The Moody Blues is actually married to a dead woman, but due to his recent sinus infection he has failed to bury her as he is unable to smell her dead rotting flesh...
7. What song or album that you discovered this year would you recommend to us? See my answer to question #1. It is truly one of the best Scorpions albums ever! It also contains lots of added extras if you pop it in your computer.
Here's one of them...
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1. Which holiday do you celebrate this time of year? As Christians, we celebrate Christmas, of course!
2. Do you begin shopping for gifts earlier than Thanksgiving, looking for the perfect gift? If not, when do you begin? I am the queen of the last minute shoppers! I usually buy most of my gifts when I get my first pay that includes Christmas overtime, which is usually a week or less before the holiday. I may buy a gift or two before that, if I know it is the perfect one, but that doesn't happen very often. It is more likely that I will be found in WalMart on Christmas Eve, still searching for that perfect gift!
3. Do you only purchase gifts that you know are perfect for the recipient and if you don't find that gift, do you just get anything? I ask my friends and family what they want for Christmas and go from there. If what one of them wants is not available, cash is always a welcome gift in our family.
4. Did you receive or give any "obligatory" gifts this year? I suppose that some of my customers who gave me gifts felt obligated to do so. They are not. I extend the same courtesies to everyone on my route, whether they give me a gift or not! As for giving obligatory gifts, my gift to "the estranged one" kinda felt that way this year...
5. Do you decorate your tree as evenly as possible or do you skip the areas that are not visible? I decorate the whole tree, since depending on where you sit, you can see just about all of it. I put the fancy ornaments on the front and plain ones on the back.
6. Do you like multi-colors on your tree or do you prefer monochrome? The more colors I have on my tree, the better!
7. Did you bake "traditional" cookies, frost them and decorate them? or did you cheat and buy the ready to bake kind? I cheated! I did make some no-bake haystack cookies with my sister though. That's gotta count for something!
8. Are you the host of a holiday gathering? which one? family, work, friends... The day I host a holiday gathering is the day that it is held at a restaurant! No, I do not host any holiday gatherings.
9. With whom do you spend the holiday? As always, I spent the holiday with my family... Mom, Dad, Grandma, Raymond, Michael, Andrea, Rudy, Cheryl... "The estranged one" was mysteriously absent this year.
10. How did the holiday turn out? Perfectly? funny mishaps? miss anyone? It could've been better. It could've been worse. I'm just glad that it's over!
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Sunday, December 26, 2004
My Day After Christmas Rants
It's not as if I really expected to find these two (or even just one of them) under my Christmas tree, but I just can't seem to shake my feeling of disappointment.
Klaus sent a lovely Christmas greeting to those of us on the "list of torture." After wishing us all a happy holiday, he said that the band still had many places to go in 2005. Yeah, I thought, the east coast of the United States would be nice! No, not South America or the U. K. and lose the opening act, please. You don't need one!
Since there were to be no Scorpions underneath my tree, I decided to set my sites on what was a more realistic goal, or at least I thought it was. I wanted "the estranged one" to be with his family on Christmas Eve. For just one night I wanted to pretend that we were still a real husband and wife. I wanted to put all of the hurt of the past behind us and share a single evening as a family. It was very important to me. I begged him to be there, our children asked him the same, as well as the evening's hostess, my mother. Of course, he did not show up. More of the same old, same old. Nothing that is important to me means a thing to him. It never did. Why do I even try? I suppose it is because I am a fool who will in some way always love him, no matter how big of an ass he is. I just can't seem to let go. Dammit, he was probably with that bitch and her kids! Why can't I just hate him? It would be so much easier.
My final rant on this snowy day after Christmas goes out to all of the non-Christians out there who celebrated Christmas. Excuse me, but I must ask why. Christmas is a holiday that is first and foremost about the birth of Christ. It is a religious holiday. If the birth of Christ has no meaning to you as a non-Christian why do you bastardise the the holiday by celebrating it? Are you just a bunch of greedy selfish pigs who want presents? Please, find yourself another reason to get them. Gifts given on Christmas are symbolic of the gifts given to the Christ child by the shepherds and Magi. As a Christian, I do not celebrate the religious holidays of those who hold other faiths, no matter how attractive they may seem. I do not think that it is too much to ask you to do the same.
This week there is another double helping of Sunday Brunch!
Christmas Brunch
"A turkey never voted for an early Christmas." ~ Irish proverb ~
1. What is your favorite Christmas song? Silent Night (Stille Nacht). It was originally written to be accompanied by guitar because the organ in the church was broken. That could be the reason I like it so. I am often caught singing it in German, although I have forgotten some of the lyrics. Can anybody help me out here? *hint*
2. Do you send Christmas cards? I am a mail carrier. I don't send Christmas cards, I deliver them! My friends with computers will find cute e-cards in their inboxes on Christmas day though. If I have forgotten you this year, please accept my appologies. It has been a tough year all around.
3. Artificial or real Christmas trees?
It's artificial, obviously. I can't stand the thought of killing a beautiful pine tree just to have it sit in my living room for a few weeks.
4. What is your favorite Christmas décor? (ie, trees, snowmen, stockings, Santa) I prefer a religious motíf.
Nativity scenes are my favorite. I have a small collection of them, although the one in the photo is not a part of it.
5. Do you attend any religious services on Christmas? I try to attend. I don't always make it, but I will attend services sometime during the Christmas celebration which lasts until the feast of the epiphany on January sixth.
Laundry Brunch
"An income tax form is like a laundry list -- either way you lose your shirt." ~ Fred Allen ~
1. Do you use fabric softener or softener sheets? When my drier is working, I use softener sheets. When it is not, I use nothing. Remembering to add softener during the rinse cycle is a pain and those little softener balls never seem to work properly.
2. Do you dry clean clothes on a regular basis? I can't even remember the last time I took an article of clothing to the dry cleaners. I try not to by things that require dry cleaning.
3. Do you do laundry as it piles up or do you wait until you are out of clean clothes? I do a little bit of both, depending on how tired I am on during the week.
4. Do you use a clean towel every day for your shower or use the same one throughout the week? I do not shower. My house has only a bath tub, so I don't have to answer this question!
5. Who does the laundry in your household? I haven't taught Michael how to do it yet, so that leaves only me to do the laundry.
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Saturday, December 25, 2004
A Christmas Wish For You
You better watch out. You better not pout. You better not cry. I'm telling you why... Santa Klaus is coming to town!
Merry Christmas, everyone!
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My Holiday Hump
Here I am, looking all bedraggled after last evening's gift wrapping and cookie baking. But, hey! I'm wearing my hump...
A pair of reindeer antlers!
Congratulations, Brandie, for guessing correctly!
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Friday, December 24, 2004
I'm Ready!
Better late than never, my house is lit up with twinkle lights. Michael and I had an evening of cursing and other such fun things as we put them up last night.
Tonight was present wrapping time.
As you can see, all of the presents are neatly wrapped and under the tree. Somehow I managed to get everything done this year. I wasn't sure that I would, but I even managed to bake a few more cookies.
I am just so filled with the Christmas spirit! (Yeah, right!)
Let the reindeer games begin!
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Thursday, December 23, 2004
Christmas On My Route
All of my Christmas shopping is done. Hooray! It is time to sit back, relax and enjoy the beauty of the season, bake some cookies, and most of all celebrate the birth of our Lord.
The people in my hometown are not the only ones with a knack for decorating. The folks on my mail route are quite proficient at it as well!
Some of them go a bit overboard with the decorations!
Others realise that simple display of ribbon and pine is quite beautiful.
There are even some folks who realise that Jesus really is the reason for the season!
As Christmas Day rapidly approaches, I would like to take this opportunity to wish all of my friends a blessed and happy Christmas.
Don't let the hustle and bustle of the commercial holiday season get you down. Stop and enjoy the simple everyday beauty that surrounds you, and never forget that first and foremost, Christmas is about Christ!
Let's do something different for the holidays. This week, let's skip the warm up and have some Holiday Guess-A-Hump fun. First we pick a theme -- what could it be? I know! Let's do something Chrissy related. (big surprise, huh?) Think of an object -- something Christmassy (be fair, don't make it too unique). Now, give clues in a description of that object. For example:
My hump is red and white. My hump is instantly recognized by it's shape. Anyone can use my hump. My hump can be very small or very big. Often, people who don my hump are called by a particular name no matter what their real name is. My hump has a ball but does not bounce. My hump is soft. What is my hump.
Post your Holiday Guess-A-Hump on your blog and then post a comment here so others can come and guess your hump. This is a great way to meet other humpers and spread some holiday cheer. We'll give everyone Wednesday and Thursday to make their guesses. Sometime before Monday, post the answer to your hump. Simple, right?
My hump is colored in shades of brown and has jingle bells upon it. When in use, my hump sits upon my head. It would not be wise to use my hump on the Monday after Thanksgiving (at least in the state of Pennsylvania). I like to use my hump when Justin Hayward is around! My hump is ???
Leave your guesses in my comments. The answer will be posted on Christmas day.
This hump has been brought to you by those happy humplettes at BDI who are one bell short of a jingle.
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Another Blogthing!
I just can't help myself! I love taking these silly quizzes. It's one of my guilty pleasures.
Here is the latest...
You Are "Silent Night"
Silent night, holy night
All is calm, all is bright Round yon Virgin, Mother and Child Holy infant so tender and mild Sleep in heavenly peace
You never forget that Christmas is about the birth of Christ. Santa and eggnog are just gravy!
If I ever find my missing sheet music (I think it's with the missing guitars), I will replace those English lyrics with the original German. If I tried it from memory, my spelling would probably be atrocious!
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Tuesday, December 21, 2004
Christmas In Our Town
My evil twin and I took a stroll through town tonight, photographing some of the many beautiful Christmas displays. Some were beautiful in their simplicity, while others were much more elaborate!
Snowmen and sparkling white reindeer were plentiful.
There may not be much excitement in our town, but we sure do know how to decorate for Christmas!
1. What are your 5 favorite "traditional" holiday songs? I prefer religious Christmas songs to Santa Claus-y silliness.
My favorites are:
1) Silent Night (Stille Nacht) - I have a tendency to bust into this one in German, much to the chagrin of my youngest son! 2) Away In A Manger - I remember when our parish priest wouldn't let us sing this one at midnight mass because it was written by Martin Luther. 3) What Child Is This? (Greensleeves) 4) Oh, Holy Night 5) Oh Come All Ye Faithful (Adeste Fideles)
2. What are your favorite "contemporary" holiday songs? Except for The Moody Blues' Don't Need A Reindeer, most of my favorite contemporary Christmas songs are the snarky, sarcastic tunes that you hear on Launch Radio's Scrooge Christmas Carols channel.
3. What holiday song makes you cringe everytime you hear it? Blue Chistmas, the most depressing Christmas song ever written. I get depressed enough at Christmastime. I don't need to listen to depressing music!
4. What is the weirdest holiday song you've ever heard? The Restroom Door Said Gentlemen, a parody of God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen by the Bob Rivers Group. It's weird, but quite amusing!
5. How many Holiday CDs are in your collection? And what is your favorite? I own about ten CDs of Christmas music, plus several more collections on vinyl or cassette. We old folks don't have all of our music on CDs, you know! My favorite Christmas Album is The Moody Blues December, but only until The Scorpions oblige me by doing a Christmas album!
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This week's Monday Madness is a potpourri of player contributed questions. If you wish to see the names of and links to the contributers, please visit the Monday Madness site.
And now, onto the questions...
1. How did you learn about computers? Were you self taught? I'm self taught. You can learn nearly everything you need to know from instruction manuals and online guides. So long as you can read and click a mouse there is no need to take any time consuming classes.
2. What is your favorite color and why is it your favorite color? I'm quite fond of black. Some people may attribute it to the darker side of my personality, but I don't think there is any truth to that...
3. What one thing going on in the world right now, has the most effect on you personally? I suppose that the war in Iraq has a good bit of effect on me. My oldest son is eighteen, and I fear things like a possible reinstatement of the draft.
4. If you were going to develop your own meme, what kind would you create? If I had the time and energy, I would love to create some sort of writing meme. There are too few of them.
5. Why do you enjoy answering memes? I like to see how my answers compare with those of the other participants.
6. What is your wildest dream? A night of wild and passionate lovemaking with Matthias Jabs!
7. Why do you answer these questions? Why not...?
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Sunday, December 19, 2004
Christmas Cookies
I think that a bit of Christmas spirit has finally come upon me. I've been overtaken by an urge to bake Christmas cookies. Granted, these ones came from packaged cookie dough, but I may yet make some real ones.
This week there is a double helping of Sunday Brunch!
Christmas Brunch
1. What Christmas tradition of your family did you love the most when you were a child? Christmas Eve dinner at my Grandma's house with the traditional candles, toasts and sharing of the oplatki (Christmas wafers) was and remains my favorite tradition. Grandma is in her late nineties now, so we share our Christmas Eve meal at my parents' home now. Grandma still attends though.
2. What is a Christmas tradition that you plan to instill in your own family or already have instilled from when you were a child? The previously mentioned tradition is really the only one I've ever cared about. I think that it is already well loved by my sons. I dread the day that it falls upon me to host it. The tradition may be forced to die.
3. What is a new Christmas tradition that you have instilled in your family that is new to both you and your significant other? Another significant other question, how rude! Marital break-ups are quite painful. I wish the authors of memes would quit asking these.
4. Do you make any traditional holiday dishes? Once upon a time I baked tons of cookies... Before I sold my soul to the United States Postal Service!
5. Does your family open Christmas gifts Christmas morning, when the clock strikes twelve, or one gift the night before and the rest the next morning? Christmas morning, Santa comes during the night. They're not there until morning!
Musical Brunch
1. Can you play a musical instrument? If so, which one(s)? I play this one most often...
2. If you could be part of any band or musical group on the planet, which one would it be and who would you be and why? The Scorpions, I'd love to have the opportunity to sing harmony with Klaus...
3. What is your favorite genre of music? Classic meatal rock. Screaming guitars, yeah, baby!
4. What is your least favorite genre of music? Opera, I just can't get into it.
5. What was the last song you heard or what are you listening to right now? The Moody Blues, Don't Need A Reindeer. I'm trying to get into the Christmas spirit!
It's Time For
