I'm really not one for big New Year's shindigs. I'm a total homebody and too old to be very social past ten anyway. The past few years I've spent the evening at my parents' house with some cousins, my aunt and my kids. It's a nice excuse to hang out and eat really good food.
2008 has been sort of a meh year for me. No real highlights, no real lowlights. Very even keel. I'm not in so much of a hurry to see it go as I am to move on and get a so-called fresh start on stuff. My friend Michelle and I have declared that 2009 will be OUR year because we both deserve it for no better reason than we said so. I'm going to be 40 in March, so that alone is reason to direct everything toward me.
Now for a quick NYE poll post:
1. Do you go out on NYE?
2. Do you drink champagne on NYE?
3. Do you kiss someone at midnight?
4. What's your most memorable NYE?
5. Did you watch Dick Clark every NYE growing up?
I'm off to appear helpful and/or maternal for a bit. I'm sure I'll end up trolling on facebook and blogs later tonight. If you're around and bored, email me at kimmmah at gmail dot com (that's THREE m's in kimmmah for the email; the normal spelling will direct you to a kimmah that is not me. bitch took my gmail name) and perhaps we can chit chat.
Go enjoy what is left of 2008--the year that we did NOT elect Sarah Palin to national office, thankyoujesus.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Yet Another Only In Kim's World Story
I've said many times before that my life is like a poorly written sitcom in many ways. I'm like the quirky protagonist who gets into scrapes either by sheer stupidity, lack of responsible thinking skills, unfortunate human circumstance or complete physical incompetence. It's just what I do. Because of this, my trips out in public can fraught with mishaps, accidents and/or hilarity. Trips to Wal Mart are prime settings for stupid and yesterday was no exception.
First of all, I should tell you that I talk to myself. A lot. Out loud. As I get older, I do it more and more. I probably look like Sybil's daughter as I walk up and down the aisles (without a list 9 times out of 10) and try to get things from stores like Wal Mart or Kroger. Inevitably when I get to the back far corner of Super Wal mart, it dawns on me that I need something from the health and beauty section...and that's what happened yesterday. We've had a total Wal Mart redo, so backtracking is even more time-consuming than it should be since I only hit the evil empire every six weeks or so (they remodeled the entire non-food merchandise side in between my visits in the spring--talk about feeling like Alice in the rabbit hole. I walked in and saw a plywood pharmacy in the entrance way and was like wtf??).
Anyway, I was loading four packs of Sugar Free Red Bull (damn, that stuff is expensive, btw, but will be in my fridge for the near future anyway. sorry, true!) when it dawned on me that I had to go get some deodorant because I'd forgotten it the previous two trips. So, talking to myself the whole way, I made my diagonal path to the other side of the stupid enormous Wal Mart and found the proper aisle. W. isn't brand-loyal on deodorant--just low price loyal. This week it was Speed Stick's million varieties on sale. I never can remember what smell to buy because men's deodorant names are just ridiculous. Athletic, sports scent, thunderstorm, clean fresh, power surge, waterfalls...they don't make any sense, really. At least for me. All I know is I never buy unscented because deodorant, IMO, is one of the things that SHOULD be scented artificially because the natural smell is just unfortunate. Faced with the dizzying array of choices, I decided I needed to smell them to make a choice.
I picked up the first choice and smelled. Nothing. Speedstick's package is a weird flat oval shape with a very tight lid that controls the scent Under the lid is this annoying piece of plastic,molded to the top of the stick. It has a very user-unfriendly 'handle' that you have to pull or twist or pry off. WHY can't they just have a sticker like the best girl deodorant in the world, Secret Clinical?
I tug on the little tab/lid to release some scent. No luck. Tug again. Nope. Try to twist. No budge. Pick up another one, repeat. No smelling. In a fit of exasperation, I do a combo pull/twist at about the same time I lean in a bit...and yes, the tab came loose. So loose, in fact, that my hand snapped up uncontrollably and the tab handle thing smacked right into my lip while the opening of the deodorant mashed into my chin. I'm pretty sure I said, "SHIT!" out loud, in Wal Mart, on Christmas Eve, but when one draws blood with a personal hygiene product, it is acceptable, IMO. Needless to say, I got a good whiff of the scent since it was gummed on my chin. At that point, I decided that since it didn't smell of death or bubble gum, that was the chosen one. I gathered what was left of my dignity, rubbed the smear of Speed Stick off my face, ducked my head to hide my slightly split lip and got the hell out of Dodge.
Merry Christmas!
First of all, I should tell you that I talk to myself. A lot. Out loud. As I get older, I do it more and more. I probably look like Sybil's daughter as I walk up and down the aisles (without a list 9 times out of 10) and try to get things from stores like Wal Mart or Kroger. Inevitably when I get to the back far corner of Super Wal mart, it dawns on me that I need something from the health and beauty section...and that's what happened yesterday. We've had a total Wal Mart redo, so backtracking is even more time-consuming than it should be since I only hit the evil empire every six weeks or so (they remodeled the entire non-food merchandise side in between my visits in the spring--talk about feeling like Alice in the rabbit hole. I walked in and saw a plywood pharmacy in the entrance way and was like wtf??).
Anyway, I was loading four packs of Sugar Free Red Bull (damn, that stuff is expensive, btw, but will be in my fridge for the near future anyway. sorry, true!) when it dawned on me that I had to go get some deodorant because I'd forgotten it the previous two trips. So, talking to myself the whole way, I made my diagonal path to the other side of the stupid enormous Wal Mart and found the proper aisle. W. isn't brand-loyal on deodorant--just low price loyal. This week it was Speed Stick's million varieties on sale. I never can remember what smell to buy because men's deodorant names are just ridiculous. Athletic, sports scent, thunderstorm, clean fresh, power surge, waterfalls...they don't make any sense, really. At least for me. All I know is I never buy unscented because deodorant, IMO, is one of the things that SHOULD be scented artificially because the natural smell is just unfortunate. Faced with the dizzying array of choices, I decided I needed to smell them to make a choice.
I picked up the first choice and smelled. Nothing. Speedstick's package is a weird flat oval shape with a very tight lid that controls the scent Under the lid is this annoying piece of plastic,molded to the top of the stick. It has a very user-unfriendly 'handle' that you have to pull or twist or pry off. WHY can't they just have a sticker like the best girl deodorant in the world, Secret Clinical?
I tug on the little tab/lid to release some scent. No luck. Tug again. Nope. Try to twist. No budge. Pick up another one, repeat. No smelling. In a fit of exasperation, I do a combo pull/twist at about the same time I lean in a bit...and yes, the tab came loose. So loose, in fact, that my hand snapped up uncontrollably and the tab handle thing smacked right into my lip while the opening of the deodorant mashed into my chin. I'm pretty sure I said, "SHIT!" out loud, in Wal Mart, on Christmas Eve, but when one draws blood with a personal hygiene product, it is acceptable, IMO. Needless to say, I got a good whiff of the scent since it was gummed on my chin. At that point, I decided that since it didn't smell of death or bubble gum, that was the chosen one. I gathered what was left of my dignity, rubbed the smear of Speed Stick off my face, ducked my head to hide my slightly split lip and got the hell out of Dodge.
Merry Christmas!
Monday, December 22, 2008
Things I Need for Christmas
As I get older and older and older and older...you get the idea that 40 is looming, yes?...I have a harder time trying to figure out what I need for Christmas. W. and I are not lavish gift givers--I usually buy my own gifts from him. We have never really felt the need to spend the big bucks and, for the past few years, we haven't had loads of extra money lying around come holiday time. He humors my annual jaunts to England or New York or Atlanta or Europe (I leave March 31 for a ten-day trip, woohoo!) and I go out in public with him when he wears overalls (handyman stores only. I have my standards). I do, however, have to cough up a list for my sister, my mom and MIL. This year's was particularly exciting--get ready:
1. an electric skillet. I had no idea I needed one until I realized that I didn't have one AND that I can't fry anything on my stove because one side of the pan is always hotter than the other.
2. a ginormous tote bag/purse/carry-on thing that I think will look tres chic in Paris and Rome and will probably only use on such trips. But it's really pretty.
3. a laptop case. Just because.
4. a new travel charger and a steamer
Try not to drool--it's a great list, I know. I also really need new kitchen towels and dishrags as well as all new baking sheets (I do actually cook, thankyouverymuch), but I'll just look for those when I shop a bit after the holidays. The list is pathetic, I know. I started to put some more exciting things on the list like perfume, but A. it's so damned expensive and B. I don't really NEED it. Thus my list is a yawn (better than W.'s which includes new overalls and something for his chainsaw) and that's depressing. I refuse to be depressed during the holidays--especially while there is vodka and my new obsession sugar free Red Bull in the house, so here is my Pretend Christmas List.
I need/want
1. a Scantron machine for grading bubble sheets. yeah, that's geeky gift, but it would be such a HUGE quality of life booster that I'm willing to be a geek for it.
2. a vacuum cleaner that doesn't require unwinding the cord in order to use the hose thingy. But it has to be a Dyson vacuum because I will never own another brand. Ever. They're that good.
3. something that will make my keys findable instantly when I am ready to leave the house. It's pathetic, really, that someone who has graduated from college not one, not two, but FOUR frigging times cannot keep up with keys. Or sunglasses, for that matter. If I was all absent-minded professory and lost in a fog of theorems and policy, that would be one thing, but the most pressing thing on my mind most days is "What should my facebook status update say?" or "Why can't I remember to put the tights that are too short for me in the trash when I take them off instead of putting them with the other ones and then wearing them to work yet again?". So you can see, my shortcomings are not even remotely quirky--just ridiculous. I need a smart person to configure such a device--the key thing, I mean, not something quirky.
4. a highlighting cap that doesn't take forever and a day to pull hair through AND also doesn't cause pain to the wearer. I'm bored with my hair and want to do blonder highlights, but I don't dare just brush them on because I'll end up with transparent chunks if past performance is any indicator. I'd also like a personal hair stylist to come do my hair color monthly, but that would be greedy. Plus, I'd have to clean my house before she came up.
5. my own bowling ball. There. I said it. Laugh, point, jeer. I don't care. Using a house ball is KILLING my old, arthritic hands and making teaching very difficult, not to mention making practicing impossible.
6. a self cleaning refrigerator. They can do this with ovens. Why not step it up and do it for fridges? I realize that ovens use heat for the process, BUT once upon a time, I thought that self-cleaning ovens had some sort of foam in them that you just pushed a button for like that EZ-Off stuff that you spray--you know the stuff. I was utterly shocked to find out that all the supposedly miraculous self-cleaning ovens just got really, really hot. So I'm thinking a fridge that has some sort of dispenser is totally doable...just get one of those professory types to work out all the details.
1. an electric skillet. I had no idea I needed one until I realized that I didn't have one AND that I can't fry anything on my stove because one side of the pan is always hotter than the other.
2. a ginormous tote bag/purse/carry-on thing that I think will look tres chic in Paris and Rome and will probably only use on such trips. But it's really pretty.
3. a laptop case. Just because.
4. a new travel charger and a steamer
Try not to drool--it's a great list, I know. I also really need new kitchen towels and dishrags as well as all new baking sheets (I do actually cook, thankyouverymuch), but I'll just look for those when I shop a bit after the holidays. The list is pathetic, I know. I started to put some more exciting things on the list like perfume, but A. it's so damned expensive and B. I don't really NEED it. Thus my list is a yawn (better than W.'s which includes new overalls and something for his chainsaw) and that's depressing. I refuse to be depressed during the holidays--especially while there is vodka and my new obsession sugar free Red Bull in the house, so here is my Pretend Christmas List.
I need/want
1. a Scantron machine for grading bubble sheets. yeah, that's geeky gift, but it would be such a HUGE quality of life booster that I'm willing to be a geek for it.
2. a vacuum cleaner that doesn't require unwinding the cord in order to use the hose thingy. But it has to be a Dyson vacuum because I will never own another brand. Ever. They're that good.
3. something that will make my keys findable instantly when I am ready to leave the house. It's pathetic, really, that someone who has graduated from college not one, not two, but FOUR frigging times cannot keep up with keys. Or sunglasses, for that matter. If I was all absent-minded professory and lost in a fog of theorems and policy, that would be one thing, but the most pressing thing on my mind most days is "What should my facebook status update say?" or "Why can't I remember to put the tights that are too short for me in the trash when I take them off instead of putting them with the other ones and then wearing them to work yet again?". So you can see, my shortcomings are not even remotely quirky--just ridiculous. I need a smart person to configure such a device--the key thing, I mean, not something quirky.
4. a highlighting cap that doesn't take forever and a day to pull hair through AND also doesn't cause pain to the wearer. I'm bored with my hair and want to do blonder highlights, but I don't dare just brush them on because I'll end up with transparent chunks if past performance is any indicator. I'd also like a personal hair stylist to come do my hair color monthly, but that would be greedy. Plus, I'd have to clean my house before she came up.
5. my own bowling ball. There. I said it. Laugh, point, jeer. I don't care. Using a house ball is KILLING my old, arthritic hands and making teaching very difficult, not to mention making practicing impossible.
6. a self cleaning refrigerator. They can do this with ovens. Why not step it up and do it for fridges? I realize that ovens use heat for the process, BUT once upon a time, I thought that self-cleaning ovens had some sort of foam in them that you just pushed a button for like that EZ-Off stuff that you spray--you know the stuff. I was utterly shocked to find out that all the supposedly miraculous self-cleaning ovens just got really, really hot. So I'm thinking a fridge that has some sort of dispenser is totally doable...just get one of those professory types to work out all the details.
Friday, December 19, 2008
Reclaiming My Sanity
To say I've been in something of a mental rut lately would be an understatement...I've been bordering on batshit crazy. It finally dawned on me today that a great deal of my problem is my abandonment of productive things that I enjoy such as blogging, working out, reading in lieu of total wastes of time like playing Mafia Wars or reading umpteen million political blogs and assessments. So, I've made my resolutions for 2009 and number one on the list is, really, blogging.
I've blogged for years--way back when no one knew what a blog was or how to blog there was Kim, blathering away. And then I got lazy. Lately I've been totally uninspired. Nothing particularly interesting has happened since my unfortunate encounter with the catheter bag in the parking lot last summer, but by golly, I'm going to try to find humor in the mundane. It's what I used to be able to do. Yes? Well, of course it is--my life is the personification of mundane.
I think perhaps that part of my mental overload must be attributed to my most recent teaching adventure: my role as the varsity bowling coach. Yes, I, Kimmah the Uncoordinated, She Whose Only Sport is Fantasty Football, is coaching a sport that she cannot play. Funny how life works that way, isn't it? They needed a coach and Five wanted to bowl, so I thought, "What the hell?". What the hell, indeed.
First of all, I knew nothing--NOTHING--about bowling. I didn't know, for example, that you don't actually aim for the front pin aka the head pin. Who knew? And that you are supposed to spin the ball. Had no idea about scoring, either. Or that it was actually interesting to watch. I'm not ashamed to say that I have now become a high school bowling junkie. This is a good thing since it has engulfed my life this fall. Despite being an unpaid coach, I found myself at the bowling alley three or four times a week. Ostensibly to 'coach', but really just to supervise and be there for moral support. See, our team sort of sucked a bit. Not through much fault of their own--they have had no actual coaching in two years--lots of bad habits, sloppy execution and total cluelessness. Slowly but surely, I've prodded them into shape and encouraged/threatened them to improve. One advantage to being a female coach in a sport coached almost exclusively by bowling league men is being able to play the clueless card. I've had three different coaches from other teams offer to help my boys. We've gotten a coaching clinic lined up for next week to get them ready for the district tournament in January because they know I'm totally in over my head technique-wise.
My boys only won two matches this year, but they were competitive in five other matches. The scoring in bowling is a bit misleading--you get points for head-to-head matches as well as total pin count. We get killed in pin count even when we tie in head-to-heads. You have six bowlers at a time in a match and we cannot seem to get six guys on their game at a time. My top guy, A., is the top bowler in the district--he had a 300 game two weeks ago--so he's not a problem. My other seven starters, though, have been all over the place. Had a kid bowl a 109 one game and a 199 the next. Ugh. Over the season, though, we've had MAJOR improvement and I think next year we will see a great improvement. I've got guys averaging 170 in matches where they used to average 120 or 130. If only we can get all of them on the same page.
My girls' team is much, MUCH weaker than my boys'. They've been savaged in almost every match, blesstheirhearts. I've focused on the boys' team and my assistant/helping coach/assistant principal has been with them during matches. I'm going to be working with them a lot between this season and next to try and get them straightened out. The good thing about them not being as good as the boys is that I can actually teach them and help them--they're not all hook shot and backspin. I've taken a coaching class, so I can help them fix their problems. Maybe.
This has no humor whatsoever, lmao, but at least I've written more than a line or two about how I never blog. It's a start, no?
I've blogged for years--way back when no one knew what a blog was or how to blog there was Kim, blathering away. And then I got lazy. Lately I've been totally uninspired. Nothing particularly interesting has happened since my unfortunate encounter with the catheter bag in the parking lot last summer, but by golly, I'm going to try to find humor in the mundane. It's what I used to be able to do. Yes? Well, of course it is--my life is the personification of mundane.
I think perhaps that part of my mental overload must be attributed to my most recent teaching adventure: my role as the varsity bowling coach. Yes, I, Kimmah the Uncoordinated, She Whose Only Sport is Fantasty Football, is coaching a sport that she cannot play. Funny how life works that way, isn't it? They needed a coach and Five wanted to bowl, so I thought, "What the hell?". What the hell, indeed.
First of all, I knew nothing--NOTHING--about bowling. I didn't know, for example, that you don't actually aim for the front pin aka the head pin. Who knew? And that you are supposed to spin the ball. Had no idea about scoring, either. Or that it was actually interesting to watch. I'm not ashamed to say that I have now become a high school bowling junkie. This is a good thing since it has engulfed my life this fall. Despite being an unpaid coach, I found myself at the bowling alley three or four times a week. Ostensibly to 'coach', but really just to supervise and be there for moral support. See, our team sort of sucked a bit. Not through much fault of their own--they have had no actual coaching in two years--lots of bad habits, sloppy execution and total cluelessness. Slowly but surely, I've prodded them into shape and encouraged/threatened them to improve. One advantage to being a female coach in a sport coached almost exclusively by bowling league men is being able to play the clueless card. I've had three different coaches from other teams offer to help my boys. We've gotten a coaching clinic lined up for next week to get them ready for the district tournament in January because they know I'm totally in over my head technique-wise.
My boys only won two matches this year, but they were competitive in five other matches. The scoring in bowling is a bit misleading--you get points for head-to-head matches as well as total pin count. We get killed in pin count even when we tie in head-to-heads. You have six bowlers at a time in a match and we cannot seem to get six guys on their game at a time. My top guy, A., is the top bowler in the district--he had a 300 game two weeks ago--so he's not a problem. My other seven starters, though, have been all over the place. Had a kid bowl a 109 one game and a 199 the next. Ugh. Over the season, though, we've had MAJOR improvement and I think next year we will see a great improvement. I've got guys averaging 170 in matches where they used to average 120 or 130. If only we can get all of them on the same page.
My girls' team is much, MUCH weaker than my boys'. They've been savaged in almost every match, blesstheirhearts. I've focused on the boys' team and my assistant/helping coach/assistant principal has been with them during matches. I'm going to be working with them a lot between this season and next to try and get them straightened out. The good thing about them not being as good as the boys is that I can actually teach them and help them--they're not all hook shot and backspin. I've taken a coaching class, so I can help them fix their problems. Maybe.
This has no humor whatsoever, lmao, but at least I've written more than a line or two about how I never blog. It's a start, no?
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Tap, Tap, Tap...
Is this thing on?
My laptop died a little while back and since I've discovered the genius that is a Treo, I wasn't in my usual panic to have the laptop repaired. Then, once I talked to HP about the problem, it took forever to get the FedEx box from them to ship it because it was coming from an Ike-ravenged area. Once the box arrived, I just kept forgetting to send it. Since I able to check email, facebook and various newspapers from my phone along with reading a zillion political sites, it just wasn't a priority. I finally got off my dead arse and set it in. Upon its return (an amazing four day turn around...go HP!!), I have had all sorts of obnoxious cookie and password issues, so I've just sort of avoided going to any site that requires me to log in--WHY will Firefox not remember my effing passwords???? WHY???
But today I'm back--at least for a bit. I'm having some serious Treo-thumb/arthritis problems, which make typing difficult. I had a lovely medical saga that resulted in my dear gastrointerwhateverologist finding a ginormous ulcer in my stomach, so I can't take my beloved NSAIDs anymore. Life is a bit grim. Oh, and Homer the annoying hematoma/cyst has reared his ugly head as well.
Will be reading updates over the next few days--the holiday will be a chance to settle back in, I hope. For now, I'm going to watch my Titans go 11-0, finish highlighting my hair and try to do some de-crapifying of my house.
My laptop died a little while back and since I've discovered the genius that is a Treo, I wasn't in my usual panic to have the laptop repaired. Then, once I talked to HP about the problem, it took forever to get the FedEx box from them to ship it because it was coming from an Ike-ravenged area. Once the box arrived, I just kept forgetting to send it. Since I able to check email, facebook and various newspapers from my phone along with reading a zillion political sites, it just wasn't a priority. I finally got off my dead arse and set it in. Upon its return (an amazing four day turn around...go HP!!), I have had all sorts of obnoxious cookie and password issues, so I've just sort of avoided going to any site that requires me to log in--WHY will Firefox not remember my effing passwords???? WHY???
But today I'm back--at least for a bit. I'm having some serious Treo-thumb/arthritis problems, which make typing difficult. I had a lovely medical saga that resulted in my dear gastrointerwhateverologist finding a ginormous ulcer in my stomach, so I can't take my beloved NSAIDs anymore. Life is a bit grim. Oh, and Homer the annoying hematoma/cyst has reared his ugly head as well.
Will be reading updates over the next few days--the holiday will be a chance to settle back in, I hope. For now, I'm going to watch my Titans go 11-0, finish highlighting my hair and try to do some de-crapifying of my house.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Update for Me, Please
My blogroll is out of date--there are some blogs noticeably missing (Tummy!) and others that are defunct. Add in the fact that blogrolling is up and down and my blogs don't get the ~new~ indicator with any reliability, I'm thinking I should scrap it. So, before I go into the arduous task of adding links in html (assuming I even remember HOW to do so), who do you think I need to add? What links are obsolete? I know some folks have changed sites, but I'm not even sure what the addys are anymore.
This is my first step in becoming a regular blogging person again. I've been far too lazy using Facebook (if you have one and I'm not your friend, add me, dammit. If you don't have one, WHY NOT?) and myspace to catch up on people and rather deserted the blogs and message forums, but I realized this weekend that I miss the longer, more in depth stuff and, more importantly, miss knowing what's going on in my friends' lives.
Fall Break is halfway over and I've still got loads of things on my shitodo list, some of which won't get finished, but the blogging/reading thing? I can do that one...almost with my eyes closed.
This is my first step in becoming a regular blogging person again. I've been far too lazy using Facebook (if you have one and I'm not your friend, add me, dammit. If you don't have one, WHY NOT?) and myspace to catch up on people and rather deserted the blogs and message forums, but I realized this weekend that I miss the longer, more in depth stuff and, more importantly, miss knowing what's going on in my friends' lives.
Fall Break is halfway over and I've still got loads of things on my shitodo list, some of which won't get finished, but the blogging/reading thing? I can do that one...almost with my eyes closed.
Monday, October 06, 2008
Enough with the Serious!
The important issues: what do I really need to add to my clothing and shoe wardrobe for fall? The only purchases I've made thus far are cardis in navy and cream and a really long ameythst sweater tunic that is supposed to be a dress on a 20-something, but I plan to wear with a knee length black skirt and boots.
I'm thinking:
Boots--I have black, but I'm not wild about them. Brown is good, but not exactly sure how to wear them.
Heeled Mary Janes--should have gotten some last year, but I couldn't find any at a decent price. I need something closed-toe that is not too dressy.
Coat--I do not own a winter coat. I did snag a gorgeous black rain trench last May (it was in the lost and found at school and no one claimed it. London Fog, fully lined, classic shape w/ belt. LOVE!). I think I want a 'car coat', but no idea after that.
Black trousers--I only have a couple of pair right now. One is high-waisted/full leg that I adore, but may be a bit snug w/ a tucked in blouse right now (must.do.cardio.tomorrow!) and the other is just a regular ol' pair of black trousers in a lyrca/polyester/non-organic fabric. I love these because they are uber-forgiving and super comfy while not looking like I'm schlepping. Are there any 'must-have' styles this fall?
Trouser jeans--I finally found a pair at Sears of all places, but sadly, they are a wee bit snug. I do intend to be able to wear them by T-giving. I don't want to be a one-trick pony with them, though. Mine are a very dark blue--almost black in some light. Can I get away with a more denim shade?
Flowy blouses--I'm torn on these because I fear I look preggo. I wore a very sack-like dress to work last week--it's adorable: pucci-esque (only in the fact that it is multi-colored blocks not in the actual look of the print, but you get the idea) tunic that has no waist at all. It came with a tie belt, but the loops are low on my hips, so tying the belt made a very unfortunate silhouette. I think if I was about thirty pounds lighter I could wear the belt, but as for now--no belt I bought it at Primark in London on Oxford street--my mecca for cheap, trendy clothes. What the hell was I talking about? Oh yeah, blouses. The dress definitely pushed the maternity edge from some angles, so I'm not sure about the blouses. Is that a style one should avoid if not flat-chested? Or super size 4 thin?
Hats--I love hats. I have a hat haircut again. What style? I have a few newsboy style and a couple of what I can only classify as Fidel Castro style caps, but what else? Casual--not dressy. I don't dress up.
I'm off to haunt some blogs--I feel as if I've been away for a year. I have a lot of catching up to do!
I'm thinking:
Boots--I have black, but I'm not wild about them. Brown is good, but not exactly sure how to wear them.
Heeled Mary Janes--should have gotten some last year, but I couldn't find any at a decent price. I need something closed-toe that is not too dressy.
Coat--I do not own a winter coat. I did snag a gorgeous black rain trench last May (it was in the lost and found at school and no one claimed it. London Fog, fully lined, classic shape w/ belt. LOVE!). I think I want a 'car coat', but no idea after that.
Black trousers--I only have a couple of pair right now. One is high-waisted/full leg that I adore, but may be a bit snug w/ a tucked in blouse right now (must.do.cardio.tomorrow!) and the other is just a regular ol' pair of black trousers in a lyrca/polyester/non-organic fabric. I love these because they are uber-forgiving and super comfy while not looking like I'm schlepping. Are there any 'must-have' styles this fall?
Trouser jeans--I finally found a pair at Sears of all places, but sadly, they are a wee bit snug. I do intend to be able to wear them by T-giving. I don't want to be a one-trick pony with them, though. Mine are a very dark blue--almost black in some light. Can I get away with a more denim shade?
Flowy blouses--I'm torn on these because I fear I look preggo. I wore a very sack-like dress to work last week--it's adorable: pucci-esque (only in the fact that it is multi-colored blocks not in the actual look of the print, but you get the idea) tunic that has no waist at all. It came with a tie belt, but the loops are low on my hips, so tying the belt made a very unfortunate silhouette. I think if I was about thirty pounds lighter I could wear the belt, but as for now--no belt I bought it at Primark in London on Oxford street--my mecca for cheap, trendy clothes. What the hell was I talking about? Oh yeah, blouses. The dress definitely pushed the maternity edge from some angles, so I'm not sure about the blouses. Is that a style one should avoid if not flat-chested? Or super size 4 thin?
Hats--I love hats. I have a hat haircut again. What style? I have a few newsboy style and a couple of what I can only classify as Fidel Castro style caps, but what else? Casual--not dressy. I don't dress up.
I'm off to haunt some blogs--I feel as if I've been away for a year. I have a lot of catching up to do!
Wednesday, October 01, 2008
*sigh*
Sarah Palin is as dumb as a box of rocks. There's just no.nice.way. to frame her. from suggesting that Putin is going to attack us via Alaska or that seeing Russia is adequate foreign policy education to not knowing a SINGLE Supreme Court case by name--let alone one that she disagrees with while railing against legislating from the bench--she is just to fucking stupid for words.
I have lost faith in our system. That she could even be CONSIDERED for president is just mind-numbing.
I have lost faith in our system. That she could even be CONSIDERED for president is just mind-numbing.
Friday, September 19, 2008
Just Wondering....
If I were to be driving along a fairly busy four-lane road and say, accidentally nearly hit a couple of Amish guys standing on the yellow line trying to cross traffic because I wasn't as alert as I should have been...well, nearly hit is such a strong phrase...more like, swerved and potentially startled a couple of Amish men..okay, scared them a bit...not like 'peeing in their pants' scared, but 'OMFG get out of the way' scared...well, without the F and G part of that acronym since I guess they wouldn't say "fucking" or take God's name in vain in a moment of life-or-death fear... although I've seen a couple of those Dateline specials about how wild and crazy some Amish guys can be in their youth and once you've experienced the effectiveness of expressing anger, fear, confusion, disgust and the like by the use of gratuitous swear word, it might be that you can't put that Genie/genie back in the proverbial bottle (slightly OT...would an Amish person get that Genie/genie reference reference?), so who knows what they might say....aw, fuck, I've totally lost my train of thought now....oh, yeah. Would God hold me to a stiffer penalty if I caused life-altering fear/pain/death to the Amish or are they worth the same hellfire as regular people. By regular people I mean you and me, not, say a crackhead or a Ted-Bundy-in-training or a politician or whack job like ol' Rev. Phelps.
Thus endeth my philosophical rambling for today.
Thus endeth my philosophical rambling for today.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Well, Since I Opened the Can of Worms...
Reasons I am no fan of Sarah Palin:
1. Her gratuitous use of her children when it suits her needs. When others try to hold her to some sort of consistent standard, she balks. Any mother who would put her children under the intense media spotlight knowing that it was going to be a messy, torrid affair is selfish and pathetic
2. Her total bullshit lies about everything from the bridge to nowhere to her lobbyist hired to suck at the teat of the DC Cash Cow full-time. She is the personification of Pork Barrel Spending and doesn't have the guts to admit it and move on.
3. She references her state's proximity to Russia as some sort of resume item. I don't give a rat's ass if you can see Putin himself out your igloo window, it doesn't equate experience in diplomacy.
4. She lied about going into Iraq and presented a gas-stop in Ireland as an actual visit to the country.
5. She left Wasilla in debt to the tune of 20 million, despite her own crowing about being a fiscal conservative. She was a terrible personnel manager by many accounts, too. Appointing ANYONE to a state-level position based on her childhood love of cows is a complete farce. Palin embodies everything about cronyism that is wrong with political posts.
6. Being mayor of a tiny-ass town or governor of a sparsely populated state with little interaction with other states in the US is technically 'executive' experience, but hell, GWB had far more executive experience than she has and his presidency has been a total clusterfuck.
7. Not knowing the exact nuances of the so-called Bush Doctrine is fine, but looking as if you've never heard of it or even bothered to study it a bit? Unacceptable. That would be like me running for a school board seat and not knowing what NCLB's basic tenets are. It's part of the damn job, moron.
8. Whining about the mean old press bullying you is not impressive. It is wimpy. Are you going to go hide in Mooseville when you don't want to deal with dudes at the G8? And even the mere appearance of believing the lipstick on a pig comment was directed to a description of her is dirty politicking and old-school DC antics that she is allegedly against--she's a complete hypocrite when she claims to be against the regular politics as usual.
9. I'm all for religion, but when you belong to a church that believes people speak in tongues or one that offers to cure gay people, I think your religion is up for scrutiny and it shows a great deal about one's thought process and level of intellect.
10. I do not respect her sarcastic, holier-than-thou digs made at Obama and Biden simply because she has earned exactly zero right to throw out commentary on anything until she is willing to speak to reporters or be interviewed on her own ideas.
11. She says she was a PTA mom like it is equivalent to a poli sci degree. Sorry, two frigging years in the backwoods PTA when her son was in elementary school is not the type of experience in consensus-building that 99.99999 percent of the the thinking world would imagine when asked to list relevant experience.
12. She named her children Track and Trig. I can overlook a lot of things, but saddling her child with the name Track is just unacceptable. Forever.
Sidenote: if you're bored, you might go check out
Your Palin Baby Name generator. My name is Steam Fangs Palin. Catchy, eh? Thanks to
Other issues:
Troopergate
Her husband's ties to AIP as well as her own participation in their activities
Her ties to Ted Stevens
Her flipping and flopping on everything so that she comes across as believing in nothing other than being a shrill harpy shrew with a terrible hairstyle and glasses that are supposed to make people take her more seriously. Perhaps if she said anything that was seriously intelligent, she might not have to resort to appearing as Miss Beadle's older sis on Little House on the Prarie.
I'm an education snob and six colleges in five years is not impressive to me in the least.
That's it for now--I'm going to go find something other than political news and blogs to read.
PS" Thanks to Sasha for sharing the name generator. Love it.
1. Her gratuitous use of her children when it suits her needs. When others try to hold her to some sort of consistent standard, she balks. Any mother who would put her children under the intense media spotlight knowing that it was going to be a messy, torrid affair is selfish and pathetic
2. Her total bullshit lies about everything from the bridge to nowhere to her lobbyist hired to suck at the teat of the DC Cash Cow full-time. She is the personification of Pork Barrel Spending and doesn't have the guts to admit it and move on.
3. She references her state's proximity to Russia as some sort of resume item. I don't give a rat's ass if you can see Putin himself out your igloo window, it doesn't equate experience in diplomacy.
4. She lied about going into Iraq and presented a gas-stop in Ireland as an actual visit to the country.
5. She left Wasilla in debt to the tune of 20 million, despite her own crowing about being a fiscal conservative. She was a terrible personnel manager by many accounts, too. Appointing ANYONE to a state-level position based on her childhood love of cows is a complete farce. Palin embodies everything about cronyism that is wrong with political posts.
6. Being mayor of a tiny-ass town or governor of a sparsely populated state with little interaction with other states in the US is technically 'executive' experience, but hell, GWB had far more executive experience than she has and his presidency has been a total clusterfuck.
7. Not knowing the exact nuances of the so-called Bush Doctrine is fine, but looking as if you've never heard of it or even bothered to study it a bit? Unacceptable. That would be like me running for a school board seat and not knowing what NCLB's basic tenets are. It's part of the damn job, moron.
8. Whining about the mean old press bullying you is not impressive. It is wimpy. Are you going to go hide in Mooseville when you don't want to deal with dudes at the G8? And even the mere appearance of believing the lipstick on a pig comment was directed to a description of her is dirty politicking and old-school DC antics that she is allegedly against--she's a complete hypocrite when she claims to be against the regular politics as usual.
9. I'm all for religion, but when you belong to a church that believes people speak in tongues or one that offers to cure gay people, I think your religion is up for scrutiny and it shows a great deal about one's thought process and level of intellect.
10. I do not respect her sarcastic, holier-than-thou digs made at Obama and Biden simply because she has earned exactly zero right to throw out commentary on anything until she is willing to speak to reporters or be interviewed on her own ideas.
11. She says she was a PTA mom like it is equivalent to a poli sci degree. Sorry, two frigging years in the backwoods PTA when her son was in elementary school is not the type of experience in consensus-building that 99.99999 percent of the the thinking world would imagine when asked to list relevant experience.
12. She named her children Track and Trig. I can overlook a lot of things, but saddling her child with the name Track is just unacceptable. Forever.
Sidenote: if you're bored, you might go check out
Your Palin Baby Name generator. My name is Steam Fangs Palin. Catchy, eh? Thanks to
Other issues:
Troopergate
Her husband's ties to AIP as well as her own participation in their activities
Her ties to Ted Stevens
Her flipping and flopping on everything so that she comes across as believing in nothing other than being a shrill harpy shrew with a terrible hairstyle and glasses that are supposed to make people take her more seriously. Perhaps if she said anything that was seriously intelligent, she might not have to resort to appearing as Miss Beadle's older sis on Little House on the Prarie.
I'm an education snob and six colleges in five years is not impressive to me in the least.
That's it for now--I'm going to go find something other than political news and blogs to read.
PS" Thanks to Sasha for sharing the name generator. Love it.
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