Live from Tampa

I may need this in the upcoming months.

Best to have it on hand.

I cannot even fathom recognizing Paul Ryan as vice-president of the USA.

Cakeandicecream Day

Another lapse, I know.

Life's busy and blogging takes the backseat. Besides, the best of my thinking happens when my to-do list isn't looming overhead.

With all that said, I have a 1/2 day at work today, which means approximately 1 hour of work left and then birthday celebrations.

Well, first a dental cleaning. Then an orthodontist appointment. Radio station visit to pick up concert tickets I won. Renewal of tags. Grocery store. And then birthday celebrations. On second thought, this whole birthday thing isn't quite what it used to be.

I did, however get breakfast in bed from (and with) the kiddo.
She did it all on her own too (yayyy, kiddo).

I like my BnB in the dark!

I also had a weekend getaway with the boyfriend Fri - Sun; yesterday I came in to find my office decorated, a co-worker had made a cake and then several of us went out for a celebratory lunch. Today I got a couple of gifts from my co-workers (by the way, co-workers = friends as well), and la familia is coming over tonight for my bday/bday celebration. This weekend I'm celebrating with friends.
I feel loved.

Don't get me wrong: I have sort of grown accustomed to this kind of treatment. Birthdays are my favorite because they are the one holiday you (generally) don't have to share with anyone else. A personal all-about-you day. And I do take care of my family and friends on their birthday just as well as they take care of me! I joke about my birthday-month, but I do celebrate pretty much all week long.

Thanks to those of you who have texted/emailed/snail mailed/fb'd me a Happy Birthday message. To everyone else, well...you've got the rest of the week. :)

My day just keeps getting better and better. These were delivered for me after I wrote the ^^^ above:

Where's my cape?

If someone could find this shirt for me (A+), I would totally rock it out.

Giving blood in a few. Wish me (and my iron level) luck. :)

If you haven't given lately, please do.
Look how happy this ^^^ girl is.
(I bet it's the free soda and cookies--well, that and she's saving a life)

Shamefully Arising from My Hiatus

I literally cannot remember when the last time I posted was nor what it was about. What I do know is that I have had an intense, schedule-packed kinda summer and I need a break from kiddo's summer break.

Just 12 more days and that break will come. That's right: Just 12 more days til kiddo returns to school as a Sophomore. A sophomore. Eek. I'm overwhelmed.

So we've had a lot happen: two theater camps, a couple of mini-vacations, the long list of summer birthdays, some time with long-lost friends from San Diego, and a few disappointing trips to the orthodontist (yup, still in braces). Kiddo's had only two weeks of downtime all summer long and next week will be filled with the summer reading list (she hasn't even begun) and...(wait for it)...studying for her permit. That's more overwhelming than her being a sophomore. After all, she never even learned to ride a bike or her Barbie Powerwheels jeep. Lawdy. Things are about to get interesting. (I think I'll leave this one to Tommy).

What else is happening in the world? Politics...lots of that. I think it's a pretty pivotal election, but (unusually) I haven't gotten very active, short of a contribution here or there. In fact, I've started a little game in which every time someone posts or emails me something I know to be blatantly false or inaccurate, I donate $3 to the cause/campaign of my choice. It makes me smile a bit on the inside.

And speaking of donations...whoa(!) Chick Fil-A! Talk about publicity nightmare.
I wonder how long people are really going to go without their Chick Fil-A?
On one hand, the company/its owners and operators are entitled to whatever opinion they have. On the other hand, I don't think I want the profits from my value meal (and let's face it: Chick Fil-A (must resist the urge to type Chick Filet) is not cheap) to go towards anti-LGBT platforms. I don't think I'd feel very good if I supported the business. But I can't imagine going forever without eating there, afterall, that's some damn good chicken.

Did anyone see the letter from Boston's Mayor Thomas Menino to Chick Fil-A? First I thought: Surely this is a hoax. But no. Apparently Mayor Menino has some serious...(we'll keep it G rated) gumption:


Click on Photo  to Enlarge

 As a southerner, it's hard for me to even embrace that such a world exists...and it's further proof that I was never meant to be a Southerner.
Unless, of course, that was my purpose--to redeem at least one or two fellow-Mississippians.

And then there's the Jim Henson's estate, which pulled their Muppet campaign and donated the proceeds from their partnership with Chilck Fil-A to GLAAD.

All this begs the question: What did Cathy think would come from his initial interview? I guess he should be commended (at least) for his honesty in answering the questions about his beliefs, but here (in the South) there is no shortage of people willing to drone on and on about their beliefs. I guess the difference is that "people" have very little to lose, especially when they are surrounded by people with very similar views as their own. Companies, on the other hand, have a lot to lose. The old cliche that any publicity is good publicity just doesn't ring true for buisnesses. Or for Charlie Sheen. Otherwise, probably pretty much accurate.

So Aug 1st is National Chick Fil-A Day (thanks, Mike Huckabee, for showing that Alabama continues equality progression at a slower rate than the rest of America) and Aug 3rd is the day same-sex couples plan to meet and kiss at Chick Fil-A (not sure if there is a technical title for that or how it's supposed to work out (may need to Google). Ah, just did it and here's the FB page.) In all honesty, I don't know that the same-sex kiss-in is really going to change a thing and may actually create more enemies from those middle-of-the-roaders (are there any still out there?). But if I were going to take part in it, I'd at least change the date to Aug 1st so you hit your target audience. I assure you all the anti-gayers will not bring their children to the local Chick Fil-A for National Chick Fil-A day if they may be exposed to the horror and abomination of two grown men kissing (gasps). At least you could eat into their sales/profits (and therefore the amount of money they have to donate to the anti-LGTB causes) this way. Just a thought.

Now I've gottta stop, despite the fact that there is SO much more left to be said.

As they say in the hood, "Holla."

Another Brag-Type Post

The kiddo's choir director has finally updated the website with some of their recordings and they sound amazing. Here's the link if you want to give it a listen.

In other news...looks like kiddo will be doing a second theater camp this summer and will get to work with the cast of Momma Mia! Kiera loved that movie and really wanted to see the musical, which is coming to The Orpheum. Now she not only gets to see it, she gets to work and train alongside the cast and crew!

And then I reminded her of my rate of return expectation...
And took a pic as proof that she accepted. :)



This is going to be a great summer!

Currently...

These kind of memories make my heart smile:

Kiera and Claire, signature Autozone Park pose

Of course they knew someone sitting in the row directly behind us!

Requisite cracker jack pic (hums"Take me out to the Ball Game")

Redbirds won it with a run at the bottom of the 9th!

A DIY Realization

So I ordered everything needed for the living/dining room DIY makeover, and I discovered something: DIY projects can get pretty costly. Even using coupons on top of coupons on top of discounts, I honestly think we could have bought post-manufactured versions of our projects for less than it cost for the materials to make them. I'm currently waiting for the fabric to be delivered (custom fabric also means delivery charges!) but everything is lined up, at least. I am seeking solace in the fact that it would be nearly impossible to find accompaniments to so perfectly match my couch and love seat, given its obscure shade.

That is all.
Yes, I know: random.

(Long) Weekend (Project)

As I mentioned in my last blog, I have decided to redo my living and dining rooms for the summer.
Well, I decided it, but it's my mom who will be responsible for all the labor involved (love you, Momma!).

Right now the rooms are in deep colors: red, tan, sage; it looks very nice, but I'm looking for cheerful, and it's far from cheerful. One thing I worried about was the color of my furniture...it's an awkward grey/green shade that I thought would be a daunting task to match. We took a pillow from the sofa to Jo-Ann's and I was pleasantly surprised at the number of fabrics that matched it.  There were probably thirty in all! I narrowed those down to these two:

Now, I'll be honest: The 2nd is definitely the runner-up. I absolutely love the first. However, the first is twice as much as the second, and the second is indoor/outdoor (though without that rough feel) and UV protectant. Since I'm (and by "I am," I mean "My mom is") going to be making curtains out of it, that's pretty important. The 2nd one is really starting to grow on me and I don't think I'll regret that decision.

And, once again, my fiscal patience paid off; rather than buying the fabric when we picked it out, I opted to wait, knowing the price would drop. Right now it's on sale for 50% off and I will save an additional 25% by using Kiera's dependant ID. Normally Jo-Ann's won't let you combine discounts, but memorial weekend is one of those rare exceptions.

All of this warms my little home-owner heart.

Almost time to call it quits...

I hope the long weekend of rest and relaxation finds you all well.

If you need me, I'll be on the lake! :)

Enjoy.

May Already?

This year has absolutely flown by! Kiera finished her last (and only) exam on Friday; I am officially the mother of a high school sophomore. Yikes!
She already has a ton plans, so she is very excited that her summer vacation is here. Currently planning two trips with her Grandparents, three weeks of theater camp, a birthday *weekend* and, if we are lucky, maybe even a weekend vacation for the two of us. It's good she has something to look forward to because she was NOT a happy camper this week. She thought she would be getting her braces off in the next few days and now it looks like she has a minimum of six more weeks in them (which pushes her past her birthday). In a motherly I-told-you-so type move, I reminded her that she had not been wearing her rubber bands as instructed and that I had told her she would find herself in this exact position if she didn't follow the treatment plan. My Mom was far more sympathetic than I and took her shopping and to dinner to cheer her up. Grandparents are lucky in that they aren't required to enforce anything, so they can spoil away!
Kiera's performance of 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee was great! While she has a great voice, Kiera has always struggled with acting-she's definitely made some huge strides and I can't wait to see how much more she'll improve. She's getting pretty involved in the school's drama/thespian programs. It's time
consuming but suits her well. Her poor voice barely made it through the last two performances (which I was at), thanks to far too much rehearsal time (just my opinion, but if you rehearse the kids so much that they lose their voices, it's a bit counter-productive.) One girl couldn't talk for two days! She even had to take a Note around to her teachers for them to not call on her in class per the director's orders! The performances were great, though!
Around my front...lots of spring cleaning (is it still spring?). Great Mother's Day (Kiera got me a sun hat and beach towel and a really sweet card!) Also, Daddy2.0 got me some new solar lights for the house, which I'm very eager to put out, and Mom got me some lawn tools (pathetic cheer) and snapped some photographs to match the guest room and framed them for us. Tommy bought/installed a programmable thermostat for the house. He knows how serious I am about saving money! Granted, my utility bill was a mere $36 last month (pays self on back) but it's about to get really hot around here, so it will come in handy! Loved all my gifts! :)
Speaking of the lawn, I have a mole. Or a gopher. It's getting very Caddyshack around here. I absolutely hate killing any animal (this includes even spiders, houseflies, etc), but it's just about time. I cut my front lawn yesterday and was covered, head to toe, in dirt by the time I was finished. Everyone has ideas of how to get rid of him/her/them but from what I've read on the Internet, you can't really run them off, only kill them. And even then, another may take its place pretty shortly thereafter. What to do?
Mom and I are working on springtime colors for the house (I never knew people switched colors by season for their home-this is all rich-folk stuff). We've picked out a lovely fabric pattern, and she is going to create the new pillows, curtains, etc. herself. I'll post pics once the project is complete, but I'm very, very excited about it!
This post is much longer than anticipated so I'd better wrap up. Back to cleaning and rewarding myself the rest of the weekend with MIM BBQ fest tonight and a day on the lake tomorrow. :)

Welcoming Briley Paige Bell

Yesterday was a glorious day as Briley Paige Bell finally made her way into this crazy, beautiful world.

I got to meet her just hours after her arrival, unlike her big sister, Lyla, who was born in Chattanooga (I didn't get to meet Lyla for months!). I was fortunate enough to be in the room when Briley and Lyla met. Lyla, who will be two in June, doesn't quite know what to think of little sis just yet, but she will be warmed up to her in no time. In fact, she was already getting more comfortable in the short time they spent together yesterday.

Both Lisa and baby are healthy and happy and were released to go home (already) and settle in.

And in other news...I *finally* finished the diaper cake I began months ago for Lisa's baby shower. Yes, it's that wacky in my world. Turned out really cute and I absolutely adore the three girls I've thrown showers for this year, but It honestly wouldn't bother me if I never created another diaper cake in my life. Well...at least for a year or so.

Enjoy your eve. On to Domestic
Goddess duties for yours truly.

Oh! Well, hello new blog layout.

I don't have time for this, blogger. I rarely have time to compose, let alone spend the extra 57 seconds figuring out where to post. [sighs]

Moving on, I saw this article on Yahoo this morning and [wow!]. It's about an autistic boy who is demeaned by his special-needs teachers. And I've just gotta say: I love his dad. What a genuinely amazing father in a world where there are so few to be found. For that matter, what a genuinely amazing human in a world where there are so few to be found.

Do me a favor and sign his petition at Change.org (a site I highly recommend).

I need to find a positive news site.
Seems like I'm reposting more and more outrageously negative articles.
Need to find my happy place again.

[Additional sigh] ... back to work.

Ramblings of the Sickling

Yup, I'm sick again. This is my sixth round of antibiotics this year. I've counted. And it's only April. Of course, they haven't all been for infections, some have been preventive, but six nonetheless.

So this is what my day's looked like:

Yup, that's pretty much my day.

So now I'm bored. And I haven't blogged in quite a while. So...here goes:

First off, let's start with my current read.

I've begun reading quite a bit with my Kindle. In fact, I've read so much that I've decided to simply read whatever the rage is. This isn't to say that I'll enjoy it. I'm a self-admitted literary snob (four years of reading legitimate literature will do that to you), but I've been known to indulge in a guilty pleasure every now and then.

When my issue of Entertainment Weekly  came in, I was surprised to find that it was a literary edition-one of two editions, actually, the first highlighting The Hunger Games (I finished it; it was not excellent writing, to be certain but it wasn't as bad as the Twilight Series--after all, what could be?) and the second highlighting Fifty Shades of Grey. I didn't read the article. (As an aside, I have read, altogether, one issue of Entertainment Weekly and this wasn't it.) But the inside of the cover said Fifty Shades of Grey is the book "everyone" is buzzing about. Okay, I thought, I'll bite.

A friend shared it with me electronically (she had not read it, either), and I started on it this week.

Whoa. This book should have come with a warning! It's all BMSM! "Mommy porn," they call it. Again, having skipped any recommendation, synopsis, etc. I had no clue what I was getting into. Porn it is. Hard core porn. Literary porn. The kind of porn that would make the editors at Hustler blush.

Ahhh, the word blush. Over and over. And over.
And the phrase "inner goddess." Over and over. And over.

And the "heroine" biting that damned bottom lip. Over and over. And over.

This book isn't just dark writing, twisted writing, it's terrible writing.

I can understand that the subject matter may be the type that creates a stir, but erotic literature isn't new to the scene, and this certainly isn't good writing. I can honestly say I have never read erotic literature before, therefore I don't have a gauge of comparison, so perhaps this is simply more graphic? And that's creating the "buzz"? I'm not sure. What I do know is this: I feel cheated. I can tell you that at the moment I read the phrase "anal fisting" I had to stop and ask myself if this is the direction I intended to go in my literary pursuits. And it isn't, of course.

There must be a slew of sexually unsatisfied Moms out there. Thinking, somehow, that reading porn must be more acceptable than watching it. I'm not condemning either. But it could at least be good dark/twisted writing, particularly to have such a following.
("He's about as good for me as cotton candy is nutritious" Oi!)
Once I got about half way through the book, I decided to look up some reviews online and I was surprised to see how many people absolutely love the series. Love it! Surely, there is no way! Maybe I am not gauging it as I should: Wouldn't comparing E L James to Faulkner be the same as comparing Shindler's List to Shindler's Fist? (I admit, I did google that. There is an epic list of porn parodies, evidently--very funny stuff.) And their goals are entirely different. Which is fine. But if this-Mommy porn-is going to be the new rage, it's going to need a new category created for it, and it's going to need to be tagged as such. Not simply as "fiction."

Speaking of unreliable ratings (I must remember that I am not the average person, and reviews are created for the average person), I almost forewent the movie pictured above (Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close) because it received less-than-stellar ratings on IMB and Rotten Tomatoes. I thought a nap might do me more good. But in watching the first few minutes (and in knowing Sandra Bullock and Tom Hanks (both of whom I regard highly) star in it), I decided to go ahead and watch it through.  I am so glad I did! I hadn't heard much about the movie (heck, I don't hear much about any movie--or book, evidently), but it was incredibly moving. I was touched, deeply. I do think it was sad and deep and dark--another post 9/11 drama--and I'm sure my disposition required something more light-hearted, but I enjoyed it and I highly recommend it. Here's the trailer if you don't want to find yourself in the fifty-shades-position (pardon the pun) I mentioned earlier.

Lemme see what else?

• Daddy 2.0 bought me a riding mower and I have now mowed my first lawn. In my first home.[does happy dance] Cutting the yard was quite meditative. We'll see if I feel the same when the temps hit 100+ degrees.
• Mom planted flowers...still don't have a garden or flower bed, per say, but I got them free from others' gardens and we needed to get 'em in the ground, so it's a start.
• Tommy got a new boat (not brand new, but new to us) and it's ah-mazing. We've been on it half a dozen times already and I am a sun-tanned goddess (thank you, Cherokee complexion)  Kiera's already planned her 15th birthday down in/on Moon Lake with a day on the water.
• And speaking of kiddo, her braces could be off in as little as a month. Stoked doesn't even begin to cover it. I've begun creating a goodie for her, although I'm not gonna post about it til I give it to her on the off chance that she will read my blog (finally) at the most inopportune time.

I'm bored again.

Now to find something else to do (cleaning this filthy house would be a great start).

And Mom's bringing a pot of her beloved potato soup over. It's nice to be taken care of, even as an adult.

Happy day, y'all. :)

 

 

To the Victor Go the Spoils

I heard about this on the radio this morning and then it was a top news article in Yahoo when I logged in.

I wonder what you all think about it. Seems to be split among Yahoo readers/commenters (or is that commentators?) I, for one, can understand the desire to question the team's loyalty, given that the TX Tech program did ultimately give provide them with the training (etc.) that earned the National Championship. On the other hand, Texas Tech clearly didn't appreciate the team as much as they should have. I'm sure they were more focused on the important (albeit inferior) arenas of football, basketball, etc. (I hated this at my own college).

 So, as I said, to the victor go the spoils.
Or something like that.

Like all things in life, success = opportunities & options.
Good luck to the team and their coach.

Because Two in Two is Just So Tempting

I just glanced quickly through 2012's blogs and realize I have really been MIA this year. Don't get me wrong, I have plenty of reasons (excuses) not to blog. And that to-do list I keep citing? I swear it just won't go away.  Home-ownership (while I still love it) is definitely more work than I'd expected.

Now I know why people get married: when you own a home you have to live with another person to (1) afford the place (2) cover the necessary hours of manpower (3) still find time to see your significant other (easy when they sleep in the same bed as you, right?).

I'm not going to give up; I'll just keep chipping away at it and hope that this is temporary.
Also, massive amounts of caffeine should help.

When I worked at Sam's, we had a customer named Bill who came in and drank glass after glass after glass of milk. No one liked waiting on him for this reason, but I didn't mind. The other servers joked that he needed a milk IV.

I think I need a coffee IV.
Portable, please.

March 28th and I’m still opening Christmas gifts…

Did I mention that my amazing boyfriend went overboard at Christmas? Of course, this isn’t what makes him amazing, but his thoughtfulness and generosity certainly helped to reel me in and amaze me pretty much daily.
As I said, he went overboard:

Unbelievably, this isn't even all of it.

I have already enjoyed a few of my gifts immensely, especially the kitchen items (plenty of entertaining in our home these days) and the gift cards. Others (like the Snuggy, not shown) have been deemed a dud and have already been pushed to the back of a closet.

And there are still others I have yet to open and /or use. Among the latter (until last week, at least) was the Kindle Fire. I have to admit: I was skeptical. I enjoy the written word. On paper. I mourn the loss of the newspaper as we migrate to electronic news. The same holds true for books and magazines. While I am also a self-described tree lover (and subscribe to the old-school “save a tree” sentiment), there is just something special about the feel of a book in your hands, the spine across your fingers, the smell of the paper (especially in older books) that draws me in.

The kindle offers me none of these.

So when Tommy bought me the Kindle for Christmas (unsolicited), I was interested but not excited. In fact, my excitement was so scarce that it took me a full ten weeks to pull the Kindle out and begin to learn it. For the first week, I played on the web. A bit. Certainly nothing extreme or exciting. It is faster than my laptop but loses its signal far more often (I’m certain the poor connectivity is due to my less-than-desirable internet provider more than the Kindle, laptop, iPhone or iPod as we have the same problem with all our devices). I navigated through its most basic of capabilities and my interest grew, though only mildly.

Prior to my owning a Kindle, I developed a preconceived notion of the price of an eBook. I had no basis for this number: it was purely arbitrary. After all, it’s an eBook; there is no production cost, no material cost. So the price point I set in my head (again, purely arbitrary) was $3.99. You can imagine my surprise to learn that many of the eBooks are, in fact, more expensive than their hard-copy counterpart. $9.99 for the Kindle edition of Mississippi Sissy (one of my favorite books) while the paperback is $5.99 new! This further led to my discouragement and I’ve yet to pay for a Kindle book, downloading only the Amazon freebies, which are generally books that I will, in all honesty, probably never read. I’ve yet to begin even one of those freebies.

And then there was last night.

After some “virtual” complaining, my wonderful friend Lisa offered up her services. She has an extensive Kindle book collection, including several books I’d asked about specifically. We spent no more than an hour setting the Kindle up for email sharing, retrieving books from her account and getting my settings in order.

So last night before bed I decided to move into this century and give the Kindle a fair shot at making an impression.

And (oh boy) did it!

I love this thing. Absolutely. Love. It. While I’m still a bit saddened that the tangible qualities of the hard-copy are lost, I can still make notes, highlight, bookmark. I can look up a word’s definition while I’m reading. I can change my background, the text and background colors, even the margins. I can see how much progress I’ve made, skip to a specific chapter, even search for words in the text (that would’ve been useful in college!).

Simon & Schuster can’t touch that!

I’m literally one day in, and I’m in awe. I had no clue that ceasing to fumble through pages or bookmark your spot could make such a difference. I haven’t even read my handbook to determine what other tricks I’m missing, but I am definitely looking forward to it.

And, as I am fortunate in that I have MANY a “Lit geek” friend, I’m sure I will never run out of either great book suggestions or free downloads of those books.

I look forward to more of these instances wherein my natural pessimism is defeated by pleasant surprises. Sometimes being wrong isn’t so bad, after all.

Happy reading, y'all!

The fight against MM is making headlines again

My amazing friend Jana was featured in the local media again this weekend, when Fox 13 did a feature on Jana and her battle against Multiple Myeloma:
http://www.myfoxmemphis.com//dpp/health/stem-cell-transplant-offers-new-lease-on-life-rpt-20120316

Though I've posted little about it on FB (and even less on my blog), Jana is at Vanderbilt in Nashville working on stem cell transplant #3, this time using her brother Van's harvested stem cells. The transplant, the hardest of the three so far, took place Wednesday, March 7th, and Jana appears to be doing great-she's even eating on her own, which is a huge feat for her!

I'll try to keep things updated on her...and as a quick plug, next year's (although technically that's *this* year's) Miles for Myeloma walk/run is scheduled for November 11th, so start thinking about how you'd like to get involved!

Sincerely,
Team Jana

I heart cards

Random, I know.

But there really is no better feeling than receiving an unexpected card in the mail (amongst the junkmail and, even worse, bills).

I'm a big fan of mailing cards and other "lemme-catch-up-with-you" letters...especially since my friends are scattered around the US.

I've subscribed to a couple of "frugal mom" (and the like) emails, and it was through one of these that I discovered cardstore.com. I ordered two cards from the site completely free (they didn't even ask for my CC info, which is the best way to determine there are no catches!)-- one for Lea's Sweet 16 and another for Melissa's birthday, which is next month. The quality of these cards has been far better than you find at Walgreens/Walmart/Target, and the cost is very reasonable. Most cards are around $2.99, which is about what you pay at the chain stores. Best of all, each card is personalized and you can even add a photo. The selection is good, plenty of funny cards, the site is user-friendly, and you can opt to have your order shipped directly to you ($1 shipping) or addressed and sent directly to the recipient (.65 shipping).  If you ship to yourself (as I did with the girls'), it comes in sturdy cardboard packaging, ensuring it isn't bent during transit. I've sent my first directly to the recipient today (to Jana at Vanderbilt) and I don't anticipate any problems given my past experiences with the company. (FYI, they are currently doing free shipping, but I'm not sure how long that will last!)

Once I placed my order, a discount code popped up on my screen, valid through April 1st: 25OFF for (you guessed it!) 25% off of your next order. That makes the cards $2.24 each (even better!) so I may stock up on a few upcoming birthdays and simple I-miss-yous.

Send a card, send a hug :)
Enjoy, y'all.

***UPDATE****

Cardstore.com is doing another free promotional offer right now (I got the email this morning).

Free card and free shipping with the code CCE2246 at checkout.

Only one free card per account (although I did order and pay for a second) and (again) they won't even ask for your credit card information (or force you to create an account). It's completely commitment free (and you know how I feel about business commitments!)



Further Proof that Money Cannot Buy Class.

I haven't had much time, as of late, to read anything, be it magazines or books or online articles. But, as I was checking into my yahoo at lunch, I came across this article.

Having worked for nine years in the same casino's various restaurants, I was outraged at the arrogance of this banker. A "real" job? Please define "real." If we were all bankers, who would provide utilities to the banker's office? Or stock the shelves at the banker's grocer? Or clean and press the banker's suit? If there were no demand for the services each of our jobs offer, the jobs wouldn't exist. More importantly, a significant portion of the investment income the banker deals with undoubtedly is the fruit of these labors.

Did I enjoy working nights and weekends and holidays at the casino? No, I sure didn't. But for a right-out-of high school graduate with no degree to ultimately make $60k per year (fully clothed) is otherwise unheard of. My career (and yes, I think nine years substantiates a career no matter what industry) in waitressing afforded me the opportunity to make ends meet, put myself through school and be at home with my daughter (during the day) during her early years. I think that qualifies as a "real" job.

While this article alludes to the ongoing 1 vs 99% "battle," I think this is just another example that assholes come in all shapes and sizes and from all socio-economic backgrounds. During my nine years at the casino, I dealt with many members of the 1%, and I was never treated with such disrespect. In fact, it was in dealing with the 99% that I dealt with the most hostility (most likely from their having spent money they never had to spend at the casino).

I thought for some time about the ultimately repercussion to come of said banker, but nothing seems appropriate. If humility came in doses, I would serve him two. And not even ask for a tip.

"My Friend the Dictionary" makes me think of Gilmore Girls,

Must spare enough time to...

Brag on my amazing kiddo.

From the beginning...
Last spring she and I went to Oxford to see The Univerity of Mississippi's performance of 25th Annual Putman County Spelling Bee, which we both absolutely loved!
Kiera found out a few weeks ago that her school was going to be piutting the musical on this spring. So she ditched the audition she had planned for Kudzu's Seussical and auditioned for PCSB yesterday. For weeks she has been debating on what song she should audition with. It seemed completely last minute (and I was worried about the lack of preparation) when she chose Dixie Chicks' Cold Day in July (which she has loved since she was about four years old).
Well she must have done really well because she got the LEAD female role in the musical.
That's a pretty big deal when you're 14 and competing with 18 and 19 year olds for the part (who are part of the school's theater and thespian programs).

When I picked her up from the audition I asked her to sing her audition song for me (she hates it when I ask her to do this); she obliged and absolutely killed it (that's "killed" in the good way). Natalie Manes is one of those singer that is SO difficult to duplicate but Kiera sounded amazing. I literally had chill bumps. I asked her to video it so I could post it and she said she would "later." I don't know how much she meant it, but I'm definitely going to pester her for it so I can share it online. It wasn't one of those look-how-great-my-kid-is versions of amazing, it was legitimately amazing.

We ate a celebration dinner on the patio at Huey's (79 degree high yesterday? Yes, please!) and she was beaming from ear to ear the entire time (I'm not ashamed to admit I was too). We spent a little time looking up her solo parts online and I have to say: It's a little intimidating. She has a pretty big role to fill (although almost all the characters have a signifigant role, Olive's character is the most developed, imo) and some pretty difficult solos. Eek! But I have faith! Those years of theater camp can finally be put to good use (and some of her camp friends have already committed to seeing the performance). I'll post more details as I get them (regarding performance schedules, etc).

And if you want to learn more about the Tony award-winning musical, here's a LINK.

You're no one 'til National Enquirer covers your story.

And I thought National Enquirer was all about aliens (and celebs sans their makeup).


TRUE CRIME: PAWN SHOP HOMICIDE - The National Enquirer