Just by watchin'

He's crawlin

2009-09-03T18:27:00.000-07:00

Oh, look! He has my attention sp-- huh?

Stage Roll

2009-08-03T18:20:00.000-07:00

I think I remember someone from Poison pulling this move in the 80's.

The Man Rocks

2009-07-12T11:24:00.000-07:00

Crawling will commence shortly . . .

Football gear

2009-05-31T14:40:00.001-07:00

here is a very relaxed L'ollie. sixteen pounds of solid man

Already Stickin' it to the man

2009-02-17T18:26:00.001-08:00

take that, tax man

Not like a day at the beach

2009-01-16T07:27:00.000-08:00

Hey. . . just a quick response to Mel's assertion that everyone's life is cooler than hers. . . its true. Just kidding. The Queen of Sputum does all right for herself.
I have been spending most of my time lately. . .how to put this in her parlance. . . babying? Understand that this word should encompass being vomited on, peed and pooped on and sneezed at every 3 hours. I got a great card that says "raising a baby boy is no day at the beach. . . but you will get wet."
To give him credit, he is actually doing quite well, sleeping up to 5 hours at a time sometimes. Sometimes even at night.

Also, his sister is developing quite a vocabulary. I am particularly enjoying her use of the phrase "thank you," which she does actually use sometimes to express gratitude. More often though, her usage is more along the lines of "Thank You, in advance, for your cooperation." Like when she strides purposefully up to me when I'm sitting on the couch, grabs my hand, flips my palm up and slaps a Baby Einstein DVD in it. Then she says "Thank You."

This, I find AWESOME. She is such the perfect combination of her parents - polite like her dad and bossy as hell like her mom.

The New Guy

2008-12-23T13:41:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone. . . apologies for not blogging for so long, I've been a little pregnant. Which has now resolved itself - here is L'Ollie. We are doing great. Thanks for all your kind words and messages. . . I'll respond soon. . . really. After I shower.

Looks a lot like his sister did, I think.

Ah, Tag Yourself!

2008-04-05T18:04:00.000-07:00

Julie Tagged me, so I’ll play along with part of this. Here goes:

1. The rules of the game are posted at the beginning.
2. Each player answers the questions for themselves.
3. At the end of the post, the player then tags some people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog. –SINCE EVERYONE I KNOW WITH A BLOG HAS BEEN TAGGED, I’M NOT DOING THIS.

10 years ago: I was single with a full-time job, a part-time job, and I was a part-time student. It’s a wonder I ever met anyone to marry.

5 things on my to do list for Thursday:
1.Analyze Wednesday
2. Plan for Friday
3. read email all day
4. bring my lunch (trying to get better about doing this)
5. wonder where the day went

Things I Would Do If I Were Suddenly Made A Billionaire:
1. Drop off the map for a while with my family
2. Call Melinda Gates up to go shopping
3. TRAVEL (and shop)
4. Sue the bastard that started this list.

3 of my bad habits:1. Correcting people about things that don’t make any difference. As if they want to know.
2. I’m often just flat-out lazy
3. See above

Places I have lived:
northern California
northern Texas (baja Oklahoma)
southern California
Western Washington

Jobs I have had:
fast food
retail
Boys and Girls Club
Teaching college as a grad student
Government punching bag

Things most people don't know about me:
I lose interest in a movie if no one dies in the first 10 minutes.
I’m very into pajamas. I’m getting quite the collection. With matching slippers, sometimes.

I can’t be bothered to tag anyone. If you haven't blogged in a while, consider yourself tagged.

BTW, if you haven't read Wallie3's posting of February 28th, GO THERE NOW.

About Kidneys

2008-02-26T19:05:00.000-08:00

This term of endearment from Dooce is way too much.
I insist that my husband sell a kidney anytime I want something expensive.
He has sold 5 so far.
Options. Puhleeze.

Ah, Dallas

2008-01-13T15:34:00.000-08:00

So, for the edification of those of you who don't live here, I feel compelled to share the fact that our fair city has launched a public-awareness campaign against one of the true evils of society; its purpose is to encourage people to pull up their saggy pants.
I shit you not. There is a giant billboard on my way to work in the morning with a picture of some cartoon hip-hop kid and the words "Pull 'em UP!".
Now there is a good use of taxpayer dollars.

Merry Christmas from Texas

2007-12-10T19:31:00.000-08:00

Ya'll.

Birthday

2007-11-25T18:48:00.000-08:00

Yes, indeed, we did celebrate the Spud's first birthday recently. As you can see, she enjoyed it quite a bit.

She hasn't said any more words lately, with the notable exception of "Mofo" upon examination of her dad's photo on his building pass.

First Word

2007-10-21T18:43:00.000-07:00

The Spud was engaged in her favorite hobby today, taking all the stuff on the coffee table and throwing it on the floor, when she saw a page that I had torn out of a magazine a while back. An ad for Juicy Juice.
A-puh, she says, decisively.
That's funny, I thought, it sounded just like. . . Then I saw the apple, down at the bottom of the page.
Sure enough, she recognizes them in several books that we have and on her toys where they appear.
Watch out, world.

300 Plastic Balls

2007-10-14T18:10:00.001-07:00

This picture was taken in my living room. My husband has seen fit to purchase these balls from the internet to create a ball pit for the spud. At least we're not spoiling her, Right?

New duds

2007-09-03T08:12:00.000-07:00

We recently went shopping for LV in Hot Topic, and each found a onesie that suited our personalities.

Crawling and pulling up

2007-07-31T19:21:00.000-07:00

Oh yeah, the Queen of the Carpet has arrived; eight months old now. She is now crawling, and with some speed. We spend most of our time letting her chase us around the couch.

Today I saw two traffic signs where hwy 183 has a one-way entrance into the Irving mall. I came at it from the parking lot so the sign said DO NOT ENTER. and right below it : ENTRANCE ONLY. Like all traffic problems, I blame Charlie.

Seven months/The Kumquandarin

2007-06-21T01:33:00.001-07:00

So the spud reaches seven months of age today and, as you can see, already her dad is instructing her on the finer points of Football. She does seem to like watching it on TV though. She is just on the brink of crawling any minute and babbles sounds all the time.

As for my tree, I haven't taken a pic of it yet, but it's pretty cool. This was my anniversary present (May 24). My hubby found somewhere that the fourth anniv is traditionally when fruit and flowers are given (ain't that cool?!?) so he got me this fruit tree. It is a hybrid cross between a Kumquat and a Mandarin Orange tree. It makes little bell-shaped orange fruits that are pretty tart. Anyway the most fun has been naming it. The label says Mandarinquat, but I think the best one we came up with was the Kumquandarin. Feel free to comment with any other names you find apt (or new crosses, if you like).

6 months old today

2007-05-21T19:54:00.001-07:00

So the next thing you know, she's sleeping through the night and holding her own bottles. Not crawling yet, but she gets up on all fours and does some rocking back and forth.
I don't think I'll be posting any pics of this, but I should probably mention the tree that hit our house about three weeks ago. A huge limb off the huge tree that stands over our house hit the roof about midnight, in the corner over the laundry room and kitchen. It took out a little chunk of the roof overhang (nothing that exposed any part of the interior). We didn't know until the next morning that it also completely disconnected the gas meter from the house. THat was a tense few minutes until the gas company rep arrived and determined the regulator had contained it (don't ask me how that happens). At any rate we did not explode.

Bluebonnets

2007-04-12T19:46:00.000-07:00

The Bluebonnets are in bloom in Texas now. . .as you may know. I think the Spud was really too tired for pictures here, but we did it anyway. She can now roll over from front to back and back to front and grab and hold things (and pinch like hell). She is also eating some solid foods. SHe is emphatically not sleeping thru the night. She thinks 2am is a good time to start sleeping.

Happy Spring

2007-03-20T19:24:00.000-07:00

from Chief Heap Big Trouble and the tribe

Snow Day

2007-01-17T13:38:00.000-08:00

Today we are snowed in. The local news pre-empted the Today show to cover the continuing horrific traffic jam that was Dallas this morning. We are staying in. Here's a blatant appeal to some peoples state pride.

Merry Christmas and Stuff

2006-12-18T13:05:00.000-08:00

This is my letter to the world, to say Merry Christmas. While I have filled out many of your Christmas cards, I don't have stamps. And I'm not loading the kid in the car for stamps. So it will be tomorrow or later when cards go out. However, we do wish joy to the world, but the logistics are a bit stickier this year.
Also, if you know of something cuter than this-- don't tell me.

Duh

2006-12-07T15:29:00.000-08:00

Today on the news it was revealed that Taco Bell is rushing to pull the green onions out of their stores for fear of E. coli contamination. Is it just me, or has Taco Bell food ALWAYS meant a bad case of the runs? How is this news, and to whom?
Check it out- her first jeans.

She's here!

2006-11-26T17:09:00.000-08:00

The long awaited arrival of the Spud finally happened by induction on Tuesday. She was 9 lbs. 11 oz and 21 1/2 inches long. Everyone was amazed at how much hair she has! Here she is tenting her little fingers as if to say "Eexcellent!" No doubt more pics are forthcoming, but this is the best one available to me right now. Everything want fine and we were discharged from the hospital in time to have thanksgiving dinner two days later.

Still Pregnant

2006-11-17T07:55:00.000-08:00

Yep, after today, she is officially a whole week late. Just hanging around climbing the walls. . .

Fine, and Yours?

2006-11-03T03:16:00.000-08:00

In many tactful and various ways, the question I seem to be asked a lot these days seems to boil down to, "So, how's your cervix?" So let me take this opportunity to address the State of the Uterus- no contractions yet. Been dilated to 1 cm for about two weeks now. Bottom line- nothing has happened. Baby girl seems quite cramped in her quarters these days.
She does have a ton of clothes, though, including a Winnie the Pooh "Baby's first Christmas" outfit, which her dad brought home from Target this week along with the milk and brake fluid that he went for.
Some of you may be able to see her nose and lips in this pic, with her little hand balled up in her eye. The arrow points to her lips. This is from about two months ago.

Chelsey

2006-09-23T07:36:00.000-07:00

Such a poser.
Note the little wire fence zip-tied to the bottom of the iron. This is to prevent her highness' tendency to dig. Photo courtesy Wallie3.

Seven month belly

2006-09-12T17:39:00.000-07:00

Well, here we are starting the eighth month of sprog-carrying. For those of you who have not heard, we found out that its a SHE! And so the shopping has commenced for little tiny she-things. CrazyTexan, within twelve hours of finding out the gender, presented me with three cute little girly outfits. All of which I have hung on the one pole in her closet which my clothes are not occupying. No, I have not yet registered anywhere. I will do it in the next few weeks. Probably Babies R us and Target, though Hubby wants to do Home Depot as well. Hmmm.
This is what the seven month belly looks like, as photographed by Wallie3.

The Trip to Texas

2006-08-03T19:08:00.000-07:00

Well here's another posting in less than a month. What do you know? In the last month I have sold a house, bought a house, and moved my household halfway across the country. Well, I wrote the check to have it done, anyway.
Mom and I drove the dogs down from Seattle to Texas in a three day fun- and dog-hair-filled extravaganza. It was HOT, and since the car doesn't have rear air conditioning, the dogs suffered the first day. But fear not! For that night my mom (who moonlights as MacGyver) developed a solution. Behold the Improvised Rear Air (IRA) System.

The dogs took the rest of the trip rather well.
We are now trying to figure out how to make 1400 sq ft worth of furniture cover 2300 sq ft of house. Shopping, shopping. . .

Also on the house hunt

2006-07-05T04:14:00.000-07:00

Two other interesting stories on the house hunt in Arlington:
What we're calling the cell house was a very nice house, open floor plan, fancy tub, built within the last 10 years. It was occupied, what made it remarkable was the occupants. They had no furniture aside from a large desk and computer in one room and two couches and several extra cushions on the floor in the living room. Nothing in the fridge but condiments. Carpet was stained and the whole place was just dirty. It was pretty obvious that a group of nothing but men were living there. It reminded me of migrant farm worker housing until I noticed all the Arabic writing hung on the walls. It had practically no yard anyway, and we scrammed.
The other remarkable one was a pretty average house in a busy suburban neighborhood about 10 minutes from Six Flags. This guy was hanging out in the back yard.

We thought he was ceramic until he blinked. I guess that's Texas for you.

I'm moving into The Olive Garden

2006-06-18T19:26:00.000-07:00

Yes, for those who haven't heard, we did find a new house in the Dallas area, which is in escrow. I am really happy with this one and hoping all goes well.
I was stupid enough not to take any pics of the front of the house, just the inside. So this is the kitchen, which is currently my favorite part, though I have big plans for the master bath. And yes, that is the back of my head and my belly. Our real estate agent, Pam, is the other woman in the pic. That is, incidentally, paint on the walls, a pretty cool effect I thought. I might change the handles on the cabinets, but otherwise I am really happy with this kitchen.
Here is the view from the other side of the counter.

Baby face

2006-06-12T19:18:00.000-07:00

Well here it is. . . ultrasound was not able to determine the baby's sex, but we were able to confirm that it looks like Darren. Keep in mind, she was able to see cross-sections of the kidneys and stomach, but whatever.

Update

2006-05-25T21:49:00.000-07:00

Okay, so it's been a month since I've posted anything. I've been busy.
Dogs got a bath.

And I've been growing out of my old clothes.

This is week 16, by the way. I was supposed to have a doctor's appointment today, but the DOCTOR CALLED IN SICK. I didn't know that was allowed.
Mainly what has been occupying our time is the prepping of the house for sale. You know how that goes. . .

Positive

2006-04-17T18:03:00.000-07:00

I hope this will be the only thing I have urinated on to be featured on this blog.

At least they're not bitter

2006-04-14T19:39:00.000-07:00

I guess there has been some dispute between McDonald's (across the street) and Harley's which city hall must have decided in favor of Mickey D. America's favorite fries can be very persuasive.

Tacky, even for a cartoon

2006-04-04T19:10:00.000-07:00

Somebody ran afoul of cute here.

Scroll down to #6 to see a big enough image of this froggie.

I'm Reading

2006-04-03T19:27:00.000-07:00

Hey, so I haven't updated the world on the printed matter that is consuming my attention lately; I thought I'd do that now.
I'm still dipping into Anna Karenina every now and again, though for the most part I have lost interest in it. Tolstoy does have this very interesting way of relating human feelings that I am enjoying. For example, after Anna tells her husband she is cheating on him, Tolstoy describes the husband's days of worrying and thinking what he should do. Finally, he settles on divorce, and Tolstoy describes his relief as that of a man with a terrible toothache, who, after it is pulled, finds the source of his preoccupation gone and himself finally free to think of other things. Many many things like that.
My book club book this month is Michael Pollan's The Botany of Desire, which you will receive, Tofu Sibling, after our monthly meeting. Pollan's theme is all about how plants have us trained to do their bidding, rather like flowers have bees trained to spread their pollen. One of his examples is the fantastic success that the cannabis plant is enjoying because it panders to certain of the desires of man.
I have the last Harry Potter book lined up waiting.

Brokeback Mountain

2006-03-24T17:37:00.000-08:00

So let's talk about this. I haven't seen it, but it looks like a chick flick. It looks like they tried to cleverly disguise a chick flick by removing the chick from it. I'm not going for it. The clincher was when I found out that Larry McMurtry had a hand in the screenplay. Anybody seen "Terms of Endearment"? Chick flick.
Yesterday I was at a business that keeps its records on a computer which might -might- have a 486 processor. At the most. The machine is not Y2K compliant, so they have to record all the dates as 1995. Needless to say this is none too high tech a place- a restaurant.

Today in Seattle, It is raining

2006-03-20T18:00:00.000-08:00

Yep, not a whole lot to talk about right now. Work is work. I put $400 worth of insulation in my attic last month and the difference on my energy bill is $20.
I got a Brokeback mountain coat this weekend; you know the suede kind with the furry collar and cuffs.
AND. . . I have not won the lottery. Still. I'm getting kinda bitter about that one.

Meatloaf Bricquets

2006-03-02T18:54:00.000-08:00

I invented them tonight while experimenting with meatloaf and cupcake wrappers. Note to self: not so much cooking time on the smaller portions.
I guess I don't have to worry about become Martha Stewart for a while yet. Good thing the smoke alarm is still down from where I smashed it with a broom last time.

Drunken Chelsey

2006-02-26T17:51:00.000-08:00

I have to speak to her dad about giving her beer.

Those words

2006-02-25T11:32:00.000-08:00

Hey. . .I just left W3 a comment, and the site made me type fwava to leave it, which is probably Hannibal Lecter's cute name for his favorite bean to eat with Chianti when he was little.
Leave a comment and tell me what word the site is making you type for verification, and what you think the definition is.

Da Seahawks and stuff

2006-02-09T18:11:00.000-08:00

Well, we lost, but we made the show. I recall saying about a year ago that if Seattle were a Texas town with this many millionaires, we'd have a decent football team. Maybe Paul Allen heard me. Who knows? Ya gotta have something to talk about during like 40 days and 40 nights of rain, rain, rain. Blek, that sucked.
Today was pretty awesome though, like 60 degrees, sunny and clear. Not much really going on in this berg. Dazu's job ends the first of April, so many options will come available then. About two Fridays ago I pulled a message out of the mailbox that said, "Texas: Come Back." Of course, when I looked closer, it was only Texas Highways magazine trying to get me to resubscribe. Sneaky bastards.
I have had the creeping crud for the last few days. Those among you who are sputum experts may be poised on the edge of your seats to hear more, but I will leave it at that.
Check out this new site for value on your house: Zillow.com. It doesn't know where Wichita Falls is yet, but yesterday was the first day they launched it, so maybe it will figure it out.

Hold on, its On Demand

2006-01-29T08:44:00.000-08:00

Last year's puppy bowl is free on demand on the Animal Planet channel. 16 minutes of pure cuteness.

Get Ready for Feb 5

2006-01-23T19:02:00.000-08:00

It's coming people. That crazy sport you wait for every year- the cutest thing between two goal posts. That's right, I'm talking about Animal Planet's Puppy Bowl. Mini football field, chew toys and puppies televised for four hours. Awesome. Kittens this year too, I think. Bring the beer and potato chips.
Well, bear-baiting is still illegal.

Somebody call Law and Order

2006-01-20T18:49:00.000-08:00

I am only about 1/4 of the way through Anna Karenina. I have just reached the part where Count Vronsky, her lover, had to shoot his favorite horse. My prediction is this Anna is a dead woman.

Rain and Fungus

2006-01-16T18:26:00.000-08:00

It has been raining here for like 30 days straight now. It's officially old. We had a couple of days that were mostly clear over the 3 day weekend, but still cold and rainy.
I want to share this picture of a mushroom with certain members of the internet audience. Don't know the name of this particular fungus; it was sighted in North Texas a while back. Don't really know what else to say about that.

Aw, Nuts

2006-01-08T14:03:00.000-08:00

Jonas has a lot of hair. Sometimes, enough to make your dog brush look like Don King.

Another reason I don't cook

2006-01-01T11:02:00.000-08:00

It disturbs the Jonas. No, pans are not hot yet. But we have been stepping all over and around him to make coffee. This is his fave spot.

Happy New Year

2006-01-01T11:00:00.000-08:00

Happiness is out there this year, people, just like last. Go get it. Best wishes for success at that.

Last Post of the Year

2005-12-31T10:26:00.000-08:00

I won't be doing year in review thing, don't worry. Scroll down for that.
I've had a lovely two weeks off this holiday season without having to travel anywhere. Been shopping like it's going out of style. The world's cutest dog is having BM issues, that's about the only bad thing. If you think blogs are not the place for poop, see dooce.
My father-in-law visited this Christmas, and the cat bit him within minutes of his arrival. Other than that, we had a pretty good time
I have started reading Tolstoy's Anna Karenina, which he got me as a gift. I found the following quote from that book interesting and still applicable to many people today:
Stepan Arkadyevich had not chosen his political opinions or his views; these political opinions and views had come to him of themselves, just as he did not choose the shapes of his hat and coat, but simply took those that were being worn. And for him,. . .to have views was just as indispensable as to have a hat.
That ellipsis in the middle seemed like a lot of slog that didn't contribute to the point anyway. Now for the English geek, who wonders if Russian has a gerund form of verbs. A native English speaker would probably have said having views was just as indispensable as having a hat. Apparently Tolstoy used the infinitive form, and the translator obliged him.
Now, tent your fingers and say Eeeexcellent.

Update

2005-12-08T18:36:00.000-08:00

Well, now I've changed my outgoing message on my cel phone. Just because I had the same message on the cel since the election. So I finally caved, and people have started in on me about updating my blog.
Let me kill the suspense for you- I'm not as funny as Wallie3. And I am as far over 30 as she is under it, and also very past it (AF>30>Wallie3+>>>>). Not outraged about much today. Nothing has really been happening, is why I've said nothing.
Speaking of suspense, I saw the Harry Potter movie, and liked it. Only I'm a little disappointed that they went ahead and outed Big Daddy Malfoy (BDM) as one of the followers of QUIEN-TU-SABES. Its as if Mulder and Scully had gone ahead and gotten married. No suspense there now. I suppose I'll start reading that one soon.
OOOhh and I saw the new Deuce Bigalow movie, which was funnier than you said Wallie3, but in a disgusting way, rather like the last one.

In case you were wondering

2005-11-15T17:24:00.000-08:00

I went to the last appointment to install my new crown today. The dentist kept trying to floss around this new tooth, and it just kept cutting the floss in half instead. So I figured, if he's going to install knives in my head, why not go for the whole Leatherman?
I asked if they could install a bottle opener. Those of you who have wondered this, let me save you some trouble. They won't. They said they can't, but I think they could if they wanted to.

Archetypes

2005-11-09T20:54:00.000-08:00

As you know, I’ve been reading Harry Potter, which is the latest version of the Faerie Queene and Star Wars, and all the other archetypes of the prodigal son. I think I have finally realized that there are infinite variations on this theme, and that appeals to us. Fantastic to believe that a person can be stuck in a normal boring life during their entire childhood and then find out that they’ve always actually been a changeling child/Jedi master/powerful wizard.
Note to Hot Potatoes: That's you in our family. You even have the same initials as Potter. We stole you from some vegetarian hippies. One day it will be revealed that you are the Soy Bean Queen.
Just because this story has been told over and over, by the way, does not always mean it has been told well. Compare for yourself the telling of Luke's story to that of Anakin's.
Here endeth the lesson.
The Simpsons last night, as Homer tried to sneak in someplace by dressing up as Buddha and having the guards bring him inside;
First guard: This is the heaviest Buddha ever.
Second: Let's cut him into chunks and worship the chunks.

I'm Baa-aack

2005-11-07T20:39:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I feel better. Still not thrilled with the whole rainy thing, but better.
Great quote from another blog- "Oh, what a tangled web we weave, when we put more than one bra at a time in the washer." So true.
I am now starting the third Harry Potter book and still well impressed with them. Ugh. I just realized that my book club and my beer club both meet this week. That's me in a nutshell for you.
The cool thing about having heat from floor vents is that you can put your feet right on them. Not very effective as an air freshener, but feels really nice.
I'm tired tonight kids. I just wanted to post something other than that last round of venomous crap. Later

Anyone know where I can get a good kick in the ass?

2005-11-03T17:24:00.000-08:00

Seriously. After the daylight savings time change on Sunday, we have returned to the period in Seattle where it rains all the time and the sun only shines between 2pm and 2:30pm, as it did today. I don't know where we are saving up all this daylight, but let's make a withdrawal, people! Anyway, I can't seem to get motivated to do anything but eat.
My husband is still on assignment in Yakima until mid-month, and doing nothing but becoming a Poker freak. He's hooked on this Texas Hold'em game, so we bought a set this weekend and played a little while he was home. I've started watching it on TV as well now.
Those of you who read Dooce.com with me will have noticed that she is now selling advertising on her blog. Some people are bitching about this, but I think it's AWESOME (as long as she doesn't do pop-ups). I wonder how long it will take her to call up her old job and rub it in their faces that the blog they fired her over is now exactly what is providing her livelihood. Please believe I'd be sending a certified letter. I would say here that it's possible she's just a bigger person than that, but I think we all know her a little too well to seriously consider that as a possibility.

Happy Anniversary

2005-10-29T14:54:00.000-07:00

Hey Chick. . . Happy 1 yearAnniversary!

Back again

2005-10-29T14:32:00.000-07:00

So, in keeping with Dooce.com's commandment, Thou shalt not blog specifics about thy work, I will not name any names here. However, for those who know me and want to know why the hell I haven't called for two weeks, I've been on a tour of places like this in Eastern Washington. A pretty stark contrast with the golf resort with the marble counter tops and stainless steel appliances where I was staying.

Finally the damn falls

2005-10-15T09:15:00.000-07:00

400 feet or something. Anyway, that's pretty much the trip. You get the pictures, I drank the beer.
I will be spending the next two weeks working in Orondo WA aka BFE. I'm beginning to feel a little migratory myself.

Columbia River Gorge II

2005-10-15T09:11:00.000-07:00

Now, the Columbia River. Not quite like that sandbar they call the Red River.

Columbia River Gorge Trip

2005-10-14T19:51:00.000-07:00

So, this holiday we drove down to the WA-OR border, stopped off at the McMenamins brew complex for lunch, and saw the plant with the biggest damn leaves ever. Tofu sibling, this is for you.

Raining in Seattle

2005-10-06T19:47:00.000-07:00

Hey. . . it's raining here. Here's a cute dog. Spoiled Rotten, she is. I've said it many times- if Barbie had a dog, this would be the dog.
I figured out where I'm going to spend the rest of my health care money for the year today. At the dentist. Turns out one of my crowns needs to be replaced because it isn't shaped quite right. About $1200. Blek. My husband almost- almost- spilled his beer. Luckily its almost the end of the year, or it will be by the time this gets done at mid-November.

The Rise of Tofu Blogging and cute dogs

2005-09-30T12:01:00.000-07:00

Darren's dog is doing something cute today.
So, as you'll notice in the links at right, another sibling of mine has entered the blogosphere. Take note now that WE'RE ALL HERE, SO THE PARTY CAN BEGIN.
This reminds me of a literary subject I've been meaning to cover. For taking subjects like evolution and statistics and making them interesting in layman's terms, there is nobody, BUT NOBODY, like Stephen Jay Gould. Hen's Teeth and Horse's Toes and Ever Since Darwin were the first two I picked up; these are awesome little books of short essays that will have people thinking you have the stomach flu if you keep them by the toilet (because you'll stay in there reading them so long). I used to subscribe to Natural History magazine for two reasons: Gould wrote an essay in it every month, and I thought it might help me win the Publisher's Clearing House Sweepstakes if I bought a magazine. One of his later books was the best explanation of statistical terms I have ever heard, and the only one I have ever been able to understand. So good I sent it to W2 and immediately forgot the title. A brilliant mind who can also communicate well- how often do we find those two together?

My husband thinks he's a pirate

2005-09-29T18:43:00.000-07:00

Don't know if its the seattle thing or approaching Halloween, but he has taken to pirate-style "Arr!" answers in the affirmative.

-Did you start the dishwasher?

- Arr!

No other news. There is a nasty storm tonight and I am taking sick leave tomorrow for a sniffle. More tea, and hot toddys starting at noon (somewhere).

See, this is what I mean about cities. . .

2005-09-25T11:17:00.000-07:00

So, I've been telling W3, whose blog (link at right) is designed to give us all guilt about leaving her in a small town, that the big city ain't all that great. True, there is twice as much to do here. However, everything is twice as expensive, twice as time-consuming and twice as crowded. So the bottom line is, you wind up doing the same amount of stuff. Last night was a case in point.
We set out for the Oktoberfest that the super-hip Seattle neighborhood of Fremont was putting on at about 7 pm; it took about 45 minutes to get there. Another half-hour to find a place to park, and when we found one, it was a 15 minute walk away from the venue. When we got to the venue shortly after 8:30 pm, we found that the wait to get in was 1 1/2 hours. They were only serving booze until 11pm, so we skipped it. That was Oktoberfest.
I'd rather grill out in the back with the dogs any day.

Hellooo from Yakima. . .

2005-09-22T18:16:00.000-07:00

This week I am working in a little eastern washington berg called Yakima., which is kind of the WA equivalent of Wichita Falls. You know, about two hours from a major city, a hundred thousand people or so, and a military base. It's a little more heavily agricultural, since the Yakima valley is apparently the Apple capital of everything. Though the sign when you enter town says it is "the Palm Springs of Washington." No idea what that means.
Anyway I am getting about $30 per day to feed myself, and I bought enough groceries to feed myself for $25 on the first day. And I have the government's car, so the price of gas is not affecting me. I'll head home tomorrow to my lovely new carpet. Oh, and darling husband. :-)

New Carpet is in!

2005-09-18T12:30:00.000-07:00

Check it out:

Blogs and Quien-usted-sabe

2005-09-16T18:17:00.000-07:00

A couple of literary notes. . . these blogs remind me briefly of Emily Dickenson's poem that goes:
This is my letter to the world/that never wrote to me. . .
From there ours become more explicit than hers do.
Also, I finally got ahold of Harry Potter y la piedra filosofal. I'm trying to read to keep my spanish up, and I figure kids' books can't be too hard. Of course the main villain Voldemort is rarely named in the book; as in the movies, they chiefly refer to him as "you-know-who" or in Spanish <>. I think its funnier in spanish. Let me tell you, Spaceballs the movie is nowhere near as funny as Las Astrobolas La Pelicula.

Carpets

2005-09-15T19:07:00.000-07:00

Hello all. . . my exciting news for this week is that I am getting new carpet, to replace the PINK stuff I have been living with for two years! We recently put a section of laminate in front of the front door, so this pic will give you an idea. The carpetlayers are coming on Saturday. I am really excited. Darren, who had to move everything out and then has to move it back, is also excited, although he denies it.
In other news, I recently heard that my father stated that he knew that Ellen Degeneres had gone to New Orleans to help, because she understood that they needed a dyke. Way to not be PC, Dad. And yet quite funny.
Some of you may have noticed that I put a link to my sister's blog on the sidebar of mine. DO NOT read this at work, as you may shoot coffee out of your nose from laughing.
Dahling, our friend in South Carolina used your name mistakenly; I told her who you were. I'll commiserate with you on other matters later.
Pizza's here.

Hmmm. .. not much new going on

2005-09-10T11:38:00.000-07:00

This is just showing off my camera, which is not even really all that good.

Since I really don't have anything new, in the family tradition, I will blog the dog. This one hasn't shown up yet. Sometimes I swear Jonas here looks just like Wile E. Coyote, Super Genius. He is shown here in a rare, sans-squeaker moment. Handsome guy, he is my husband's dog. Don't talk about him; he'll hear you wherever you are.

Today in Seattle, it is raining. We are having tea.

Apologies

2005-09-05T08:07:00.000-07:00

I contacted our family environmental expert out of concern that I may owe an apology to fruit bats for the comparison with my insurance agent. She assures me that they are not reading my blog from any little upside-down internet terminal, but I feel the need to post one anyway.
Labor Day weekend and it is good to be off work. We are grilling out today.

New Settings

2005-08-30T20:09:00.000-07:00

Hello out there in blogland. . . as a result of some unsavory postings on Wallflower3's blog, settings for comments have changed. Now anyone can post, but you'll have to do a word verification thing. In a related story, I am not in the market for penile enhancement.
To do our part to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina, we have donated some cash to a New Orleans based charity- the Louisiana Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Apparently they had to load 250 animals into two 16' trucks and take them to Houston until the storm blew over. Take it from someone who took two dogs and a cat cross country- that's gotta suck. You can find them at www.la-spca.org if you've got some cash or other donateables or just want to read the story.
No one else has aroused my wrath today, so I'll wrap up here with another pic of my pooch, attempting an escape.

Whales, the Insurance Company and other Freaks

2005-08-25T18:11:00.000-07:00

Been out whale watching yesterday near the San Juan Islands, and was mooned by a grey whale. See?

OK. . . some of you wallflowers out there who don't comment probably remember my old "Freak of the Week" selection that I used to make in Texas. These weren't posted anywhere; they had a kind of oral-formulaic history that had to be retold over and over ( that's Homer for you, Dahling). I think I may reinstate this award.
This week the Freak of the Week is my insurance agent, who mailed my homeowner's policy to an old address in Texas, and had it returned to him. He called the house, wanting my correct address. I asked what house it was insuring; it was the one in WA. It's a homeowner's policy. HOMEOWNER+WA= HOME IN WA. Mail it to the house that you're insuring, fruit bat.
Incidentally, my favorite freak of the week was the guy who called my office complaining that his employer wouldn't give him leave to care for his wife, who had POSTMORTEM depression. Ya gotta love the public.

My Neighbors are Hawkers

2005-08-17T14:36:00.000-07:00

We need to talk about this, because I don't understand it. You have to understand that their upstairs bathroom window is just above my back porch, and this window seems to remain open most days of the year. Twice per day, we are out on the porch feeding das pooches, and someone in their house is invariably making this noise that sounds like they are hawking up a big old loogie. Anytime of the day or night, it seems. And running the shower. Some kind of a clandestine loogie factory they've got going over there.
And another thing: what's up with White River Amphitheater? I went and saw ColdPlay there last night. It was a great show, but it had been over for two hours before we could leave the parking lot. To say the traffic is bad is a fantastic understatement.
Making dinner in a crock pot today for the first time, and I think I'm going to like this. How can you not like it when the cook time is plus or minus two hours? We'll see.

FLYbaby status and book clubs

2005-08-09T20:40:00.000-07:00

Thaank you, Dahling, for hooking me up with Flylady.net. Don't know if I'll stick with it or not, but my sink has been shiny for 4 days straight. One hour was the previous record.

I'm currently reading Saul Bellow's Herzog, and I must say, I want to slap him. Jeez, what a wuss. Herzog, that is. Bellow has a lot of really interesting observations about modern life, even if his protagonist is a human invertibrate.

I have joined this really awesome book club for about the last 6 months; I am really pleased to have found them so close to my house. I have a Master's Degree in English Literature, and I think I am honestly the least well-read person in the group. They have been reading books together for 10 years. They sent me the list- it was nine pages. Of course some of the people are new like me, but the core group of 4 or 5 people have read everything.

Perhaps I am easily impressed because of the first book club I tried to join. They only read science fiction; I know, I know, but the coffee where they met is good, and I like a little scifi now and then. But the first book they picked was bad. BAD. Halfway through it, animals started talking. This is OK, but I should know it if animals can talk right from the beginning, I think. Halfway through seems like a desperate gesture on the part of the writer. Anyway, I read it all the way to the end, and went to their meeting. Turns out, they hated it. Most of them didn't bother to finish it. Oh, I just remembered the name- A Plague of Angels. So I thought, "Why are we reading things that we know are bad? Why isn't someone reading ahead to make sure we're not buying crap? Maybe this ain't the place. I'll just get my coffee and go." No place to go but up from there.
Must go, my beer is empty.

Reading Lolita in Tehran

2005-08-08T18:11:00.000-07:00

Well, I promised you unsolicited advice on the subject of books, and so you shall have it. This one is by Azar Nafisi, who was a professor at the University of Tehran before the revolution. Iranian women had western clothing and many of the same rights we have in the US before the revolution. She says many times in the book that they never really believed that they could be made to wear the veil again. (This reminds me of my contemporaries who assure me that Roe v. Wade will never be overturned. ) Dr. Nafisi continues teaching a clandestine literature class to a small group of women at her home. This book is a kind of Iranian Steel Magnolias, Diary of Anne Frank and I don't know what else. I liked it a lot.
I should admit that I have never read Nabokov's Lolita, which is discussed in the book. One day I hope to become mature enough to want to hear a pedofile tell me how a nine-year-old girl seduced him, but right now it downright gives me the willies. Nafisi's device is to compare the Ayatollah khomeini to the pedofile, and she makes a convincing argument. Also, I like Nafisi because she admits to a weakness for ice cream, sometimes eating whole containers at a time. I know that some of my readers can relate. :-)
My mom reminded me today of another newspaper blunder - Muslin rebels. Much more dangerous than the cotton or linen kinds.

Businesses and their signs

2005-08-07T15:31:00.000-07:00

Some of my favorite signs from businesses.

Vocabulary show-offs

2005-08-06T23:49:00.000-07:00

Today's rant is on the subject of writers who use words that I will obviously have to look up, and which add nothing to my understanding of the situation after I do understand them. A couple of days ago a writer forced me to look up 'eponymous.' Now I have a better understanding of what eponymous is and what an eponym is, but no better understanding of the clothing line which bears the name and likeness of the Winnie the Pooh characters, which was the writer's subject. Blek! And because I can't beat them, I'm going to join them. Look it up if you don't know.
Now, let's talk about a far more annoying group of people- newspaper headline writers. Seriously, people. I cannot think of an instance when the possessive pronoun 'her' might call for an apostrophe-s ending. IT'S ALREADY POSSESSIVE. Her's. In the paper. In big bold type. Blek!
Thursday was just a day when the world conspired to piss me off. Beginning with missing all but the latest bus, and having to run to catch that. Uncomfortable shoes that didn't match my skirt and on and on and on. The day culminated with being stuck on the bus between a fat dude who rested a good 10-15 of his pounds on me while he slept the entire forty minute bus ride home, and a crackhead woman. She kept muttering that the driver wasn't going fast enough, and sat on the edge of her seat staring out the front window (from the middle of the bus) the entire time. Then when we arrived, she walked right past without paying the fare. When the driver asked her, she just said she didn't have it. That's the public in a nutshell for you. Either they've got the money and don't care, or you're screwing it all up but they're not paying anyway. That bus is a human grab bag.

Back Door

2005-07-15T23:36:00.000-07:00

So I don't have anything against gays, but I cannot tolerate excessive irony with a straight face. Especially when I am tired and not expecting it. For example:
I ride the commuter bus home, and we stop several times. The other day, I get on and sit across from this dude who has gone out of his way to look like one of the Village People. Fine. I'm listening to my iPod and trying to figure out what's for dinner.
Then we come to a stop, and Mr. In-the-Navy gets up and walks toward the back of the bus. He looks at the back door. It is closed. Then he looks back over his shoulder at the driver. Then the door again. He gets closer. It remains closed.
I remove one earpiece of the iPod, because, of course, I have to know. I'm thinking that I won't be able to hold it together if Mr. In-the-Navy actually asks the driver to open his back door. I cannot be held responsible for my actions in the face of that kind of double entendre.
Fortunately, the driver spotted the silent request and opened the door, letting him out and saving me from an embarrassing outburst.

First Entry

2005-07-05T21:31:00.000-07:00

I intend to collect my observations here, as some people have told me they consider them unusual. I have borrowed the title of my blog from Yogi Berra, who was quoted as saying, "You can observe a lot just by watchin'."
I will also give unsolicited advice to the reader on the subject of books I am reading. Middlesex, by Jeffrey Eugenides, for example, was awesome. A very well-told story about a modern hermaphrodite, the circumstances that led to his condition, and his family story.
These logs will be brief, as I have a lot going on. I hope to post a picture of the world's cutest dog (mine) soon. Update: OK here I am, gettin a big ol' pupkiss.