Thursday, November 27, 2008

Thankful

It's Thanksgiving Day (albeit very early the morning of) and I'm at work. I've been here since 7pm and will be here until 7am, and have to work the same shift tonight.
I'm thankful, though, that I have a job to go to that pays well - even if the hours sometimes suck.
 
That's the start of my list of things I'm thankful for this year.  I won't be able to list every single thing I'm thankful for, or I'd be writing for ever - there's just that much that is good in my life.  I usually don't talk about those things though - I grumble about everything else. Rubi hates that (sorry, Love).  Here's how I see it: I point out the not good things, because those things can be changed. The good stuff is good (by definition) - so it doesn't need to be changed.  Just because I don't talk about it doesn't mean I don't acknowledge it or am not thankful for it. 
 
I'm thankful for:
    Rubi and my marriage.
    My kids.
    My extended family of parents and in-laws and siblings and whatever.
    The school my kids attend.
    This country, and the freedoms we have and often take for granted.
    Our church.
    Rubi's job.
    Stupid people, unfortunate events, etc - because that means I have job security.
    Caffeinated beverages: to help me stay awake when I have crazy hours at work.
    Books.
    My kids love of reading.
    Reading on the couch with Rubi.
    My Mondays with Rubi.
    Pizza Delivery.
    Visitors to this blog! (Hi! Welcome! Happy Thanksgiving!)
 
I'll stop there for now. This list could go on and on.
 
Happy Thanksgiving, Happy Black Friday, Happy Buy Nothing Day.
 
 
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Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Thanks Carrie!

I've been meaning to mention this for awhile... but it completely slipped my mind (read, whenever I did think about it - I procrastinated doing anything about it).

Carrie at Mommy Brain gave me an award!

Thanks Carrie!

The following text is supposed to be included:
This blog invests and believes the PROXIMITY - nearness in space, time and relationships!

These blogs are exceedingly charming.
These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in prizes or self-aggrandizement.
Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated.
Please give more attention to these writers!
Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award.
Hmmm... I don't know that I read eight blogs that qualify.
Mommy Brain definitely qualifies.
MCF does as well.
I'll vote for my sister, too.

But all the other blogs I read are Sci-Fi/Geek stuff, and don't really qualify.

Anyway... thanks again for the award! I appreciate it.


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I'm so happy!!

I finally got to do something I've been wanting to do for years!

For some reason this morning, when my alarm went off - I turned it off instead of hitting snooze button a gazillion times like I usually do. As a result, I got up ...a little later than I expected. And oddly, my kids slept in too. Which is okay, because usually they get up way too early anyway - but now it was definitely time to get up and they were all still asleep.
So...

I threw open the doors to their rooms, turned on their lights and started loudly singing:

Rise and Shine
And give God the glory glory!
Rise and Shine
And give God the glory glory!
Rise!
And!
Shine!
And!
Give God the glory glory!
Children... time to get up!

I was so happy!! My kids were all "daaaaaad... zzzzzzz".
I've been wanting to loudly sing them awake with that for years!

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Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Another Meme


1) How do you like your grilled cheese?
Crispy, but not burnt. Unless I make it the bachelor way: toast bread in the toaster and when it's done, put cheese between the slices and microwave until it's gooey.
 
2) Where did you go on your last vacation?
Disney world in 2007, almost exactly a year ago.
 
3) Who are your godparents?
Don't have any.
 
4) Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
SSDD
 
5) Where are you at noon everyday?
Most days: excitedly awaiting Rubi's return home from work.
 
6) How many speeding tickets have you gotten?
Speeding? Two I think.
 
15) When was the last time you swam?
Can't recall.
 
16) What do you order at Subway?
Roasted chicken, no cheese, lettuce, tomato, salt, pepper.
 
17) Do you keep your closets organized?
Not usually very organized - more of an organized mess. Although Rubi and I recently went through our closet and really gave it a nice cleaning and organization.
 
18) How do you make headaches go away?
Ibuprofen or Naproxen Sodium (Advil or Aleve), sleep or naps, sometimes caffeine helps.
 
19) Have you owned a beta before?
Nope.
 
20) If you moved out of state where would you go?
Don't know.  Wherever I could find similar employment. I'd probably look nearby first, within 6-8 hours driving distance to stay relatively close to family. Then I might consider someplace that's else.
 
22) Did you attend pre-school?
I can't remember.
 
23) What do your shower curtains look like?
White outer curtain with a clearish inner curtain, no decorations.
 
24) Did you have an imaginary friend as a child?
I don't think so. I had neighborhood friends, and an active imagination.
 
25) How do you make eggs?
Squeeze the chicken really hard.
 
26) Where do you wash your clothes?
In the washing machine.
 
28) Who are the neighbors who live to the right of you?
Not a clue. (Also: do you mean to the right if you're looking at my house, or to the right if you're standing in the house?). To my right is an older couple, to my left the neighbors are relatively new, having moved into the house after it was sold and turned into a rental.
 
29) What are your thoughts on Tom Cruise?
FREAK!
 
30) What is the next vehicle you wish to buy?
Don't really plan on buying anything soon. I'll probably need to replace my car well before we replace our minivan, since we purchased it new last year.
 
31) Do you pay bills online or by mail?
Yes.
 
32) What would be the best gift someone could get you right now?
CASH or pre-paid credit cards ;-)
 
33) What is something stressful you will deal with next week?
Next week? Working my second job and hoping I don't get sick. It seems like every time I work that job, I come home with a cold. The last one was the worst so far and lasted several days.
 
34) What is something in your home that you collect?
Dust?
 
35) What did you do last night?
Worked, then came home and did some housework until Rubi was ready for sleep.
 
36) Who did you last see?
I see my coworkers all around the room.
 
37) How do you take your coffee?
I don't.
 
38) What is the oldest thing in your fridge?
ew... I don't know. 
 
39) On your keyboard what key is wearing out from pressing it so much?
E, A, and S.
 
40) Where do you put your keys when you come home?
They almost always remain in my left front pocket until I'm home for the day. Then they go on my dresser.
 
41) Where do you go for Thanksgiving?
Usually I'm going to work!  In between shifts, I run to my parents to say hi, and then to my in-laws' house for a bit.
 
42) How old will you you be in 2010?
37 (oy! I'm getting old).
 
43) What actor or actress would play you in a movie?
Used to be, I'd say Danny Devito - but he's getting older now - so I'd probably have to say Jack Black if he could reign it in and behave... otherwise, I have no idea - someone short and fat, but dashingly good looking none-the-less!
 
44) How much cash is in your wallet?
ATM, none.
 
45) Would you have a one night stand with your favorite movie star?
I can't name a favorite movie star... but like that episode of Friends, I'm sure Rubi and I both have our *list*.
 
46) What color is your phone?
Black.
 
47) If you were starving to death would you eat a pet?
I don't have a pet. If I did have a pet, and the situation was such that food was not forthcoming, I'm sure I would.
 
48) Ever been to Alabama?
No.
 
49) What kind of accent do you have?
A generic Midwestern accent with a hint of southern in it, I'm sure. My sister who lives near Chicago always comments on our accents here when she comes back to visit, and her accent has turned generic Midwest with a hint of northern in it.
 
50) What kind of alcoholic drinks are in your fridge right now?
Absolutely nothing. We don't drink often enough to actually keep something at home.
 
 
Oh... Happy Thanksgiving Week, by the way!!
 
 
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Thursday, November 13, 2008

If you saw me

If you saw ME in a police car, what would you think I got arrested for?

Answer me in the comments.  Let's see what kind of crimes I get accused of!

(Found at MommyBrain.)

 


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Sunday, November 09, 2008

Gonna

I'm gonna adapt this from MCF...
I'm gonna go home from work soon...
I'm gonna stop at the night deposit first.
I'm gonna probably forget to charge my cell phone when I get home.
I'm gonna go straight to bed...
I'm gonna get up in a few hours and go to a NIMS class.
I'm gonna miss my Monday with Rubi.
I'm gonna have Lasagna for dinner tomorrow, maybe for lunch.
 
 
I was gonna be a radio DJ...
    ...but then I decided I liked to pay the bills.
 
I was gonna be a public safety dispatcher...
    ...but then I decided I didn't like 2am calls for forced overtime.
 
I was gonna write novels...
    ....but then I remembered I like to procrastinate.
 
I was gonna rollerblade with Rubi...
    ...but we stopped for some reason.
 
I was gonna grow a full beard...
    ...but Rubi doesn't like it.
 
I was gonna lose weight...
    ...and did some, but then remembered how much I like food.
 
I was gonna write some more on this....
    ....but it's getting late.
 
 
.
 
 


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Saturday, November 08, 2008

Wow

What a cool trailer!




I love the editing at the beginning of all the other Pixar flicks.


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Tuesday, November 04, 2008

Hah!

Rubi just about snorted Gold Fish crackers out her nose when I showed her this most awesome baby onesie.


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Monday, November 03, 2008

Nice timing...

Awwww, his grandma just died. Let's vote for him instead!


Oy.



ETA: The BBC is even asking The Question.


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Saturday, November 01, 2008

Be un-geek-ily productive

A recent post at Lifehack.org listed a few ways to be productive without being an uber-geek.
 
Use a big paper calendar.  The article mentions using it to organize a house full of kids.  Hey, that's us! We tried the big family calendar. It was really nice having everything everyone was doing available at a glance.  However, actually getting up and writing in things on the calendar really just required too much effort (I'm lazy. I'll just look on my Google calendar).
 
Print drafts.  The article says it's a good way to catch typos.  Yep. I've discovered this at work.  No matter how many times I've proof-read something on the computer screen. As soon as I've decided it's perfect and print off my "final" version. Once it's off the printer, I find a mistake somewhere.  Another good tip is to have someone else read over your stuff to catch mistakes.
 
Go to a real show or concert.  Yes, this is often quite rewarding.  There's nothing like the adrenaline rush of being at a live show, the emotional charge of seeing the performer(s) really giving it their all, and maybe throwing in a new twist since it's live - something a recording can't catch.  Of course, if you go see your favorite band, and their live song starts skipping in the middle of the 1st verse... well, they can always give the awards back.
 
Step away from the computer.  I really like this one.  I've been on a big reading kick lately.  I've always loved to read, but a bunch of books have come out recently that I really want to read, and I'd much rather do that than sit in front of a computer screen. 
 
Of course, the article these came from focus on the benefits in regards to personal productivity; I focused more on just personalizing them. 
 
There were a couple of other tips mentioned in the article for ungeeking, but I just chose the few that I had experience with.
 
 


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MCFAT 23

I'm a little over an hour late, since technically it's November 1st now.  But here are my answers to the latest M.C.F.A.T.
 
1) Do you like Halloween? Why or why not?
Not really.  There's the whole communing with the dead thing, and then there's the begging aspect...
And then there's the ugly spiders.

2) What is your favorite sound effect?
I love the old transformation sound effect from Transformers G1.(Or was this supposed to be a Halloween sound effect?)

3) How do you feel when studios recast roles to different actors in sequels to popular films?
Depends. It works for the Bond franchise. But it really killed the Jack Ryan movies (Harrison Ford was too old and that other guy -Affleck?- was too young). 

4) Fire or Ice?
...
you think you got it all figured out
You're an expert in the field, without a doubt

SPECIAL BONUS QUESTION: Who is Zsaji?
I cheated and used wikipedia.  So I'll make up something! Zsaji is Chachi's evil twin.
 
 


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