July 2005

I sang karaoke last night.. and danced and was dipped. It ruled.

CuzGirl and I are headed north for the big swap meet. Back tomorrow afternoon with pictures. Ciao!

MaddyCat just jumped up onto the couch next to me and, while meowing, yawned so big that she almost turned her head inside out. It was cute yet freaky. Just like me. Heh.
It was ALL cleaning, all the time at chez-chele last night. kitchen, bath and living room. It's got the good bleach and lemon smell going in here.

Can't they just build the space shuttle without all that darn pesky foam that flies off and hits the wings? Hmm. Perhaps there is a reason that I'm not an aerospace engineer.

They still haven't found this girl yet. Man, Aruba just isn't that big.. Why can't they find her?

Paula Abdul, American Idol, So You Think You Can Dance, blah blah blah. I'm over this now.

Someone needs to explain this to me - the people on Lost are on a deserted island, no one can find them, yet new people keep turning up all the time. It's like Gilligan's Island, except with more violence and gore. Eh. No thanks.

Look at this new reality show. Oh. My. God. Pretty soon they'll just start televising live crucifixions or something. People - We all just need to turn off the TV, go outside, and play with the REAL people.

Whenever the Jerry Lewis MD Telethon is on, I get a little sad. That always meant the end of summer when I was a kid. Now it just means that this year is really flying by.

And today in the dangerous world of piano playing.....

And in the world of continuing weird cat stories: Issy was just sound asleep in the middle of the floor when he suddenly rolled over, looked at me, meowed louder than I've EVER heard him meow before, jumped up and ran to his food dish and started eating. What the hell? I want to know how their little tiny brains work.

Tonight is karaoke! Whoop! I had a big debate last night on the merits of karaoke (don't ask..), but I'm going anyway. Even if I don't get up and belt out a tune, it'll be fun to just hang out with people. And then tomorrow we head out for the annual crap-fest - - er - - swap meet up north. Yep.. can't get enough of that. And on that note, I gotta go. Talk to youse later. Ciao.

I almost did it last night. I almost got to bed at a very, very reasonable hour. Well, 11:10. which is reasonable for me. I was listening to some music, drifting off to sleep..finally sleeping soundly... RING - I can hear my cell phone ringing. It's sitting on the desk in the living room. I become fully conscious. RING - I look at the clock. It's 11:45. I think "screw it. probably a wrong number. just let it go." RING then I think "what if it's the building ops crew at work. what if there's a pipe burst or something." RING. RING. Fine. So I get up to answer it. First step on one cat, then the other cat. I forget that there's a damn step DOWN when I go out of my bedroom. I recover from that, walk into the rocker, stub my toe. RING. By the time I get over to the desk, it's not ringing anymore.

I look at the caller ID. It's my friend from Indiana. Oh my lord. Why would she be calling me this late? What if something happened to her? Or to my godson? I hit "return call", it dials the number back. BUSY SIGNAL. Okay, she must be leaving me a message. I hit redial again. Still busy. Again. Still busy. Again. Still busy. How the hell long IS the message that she's leaving me? What happened?

At last it rings. She answers, all cheery: "Hi Chele! How are you?" I yell, "What the hell is going on? Why are you calling me so late? What happened?" Silence. Then, "Oh my God. What time is it there? Are you on the same time we are now?" (Her part of the state doesn't do daylight savings time, so for half the year we are on the same time, and the other half the year she is an hour ahead of me. Also, I can tell that she's half in-the-bag.) "Yes, we're on the same time. Have you been drinking?" Silence. Then, hysterical laughter. "OH MY GOD. Yeah, I've had a couple glasses of wine (yeah, right. a 'couple'!). I just got off the phone with the kid, and thought I should give you a call and tell you what he's up to. Did I wake you up??"

After I got done using all my bad-swears at her, and instructing her as to which number was my home number, my cell number and my office number, and how that whole we're-on-daylight-savings-time-and-you're-not thing works - we sat and chatted until about 12:45. Got all caught up again. I cannot BELIEVE her kid is in college, and yet I am not one day older. It's like a miracle. Heh.

But then I was very sad when the alarm went off at 5:00. I broke all the rules and made WAY strong coffee this morning. Two more cups of this and it'll be just like I never was tired. It was great to hear from her, though. We don't see each other nearly often enough.. but we're still close as ever. Even if I do wanna kill her sometimes.

I had a most productive day at work yesterday. My inbox is very nearly empty. If I can get as much done today, I could actually think about taking part of the day off tomorrow. That could be nice.

And oh my God - it's like bird-wars out there this morning. There were some big crows going after the bluejays. Much bird yelling was ensuing.. So I went out there and tossed some water at the crows. Now it's quiet. Ha. Showed them who was boss, didn't I? Yes, I have become crazy nature lady. Just kill me now.

Have a good day, Bellas. Ciao.

I'm wrapped up in a blanket again. Welcome to Minnesota - from 97 degrees to 57 degrees. It's a wonder that we don't all have pneumonia all the time.

Now, just so you don't have to read the news:
Okay, I'm a dork. I didn't realize that the space shuttle took off yesterday. How did I miss that? (if I were a little kid and someone asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I'd tell them I want to be an astronaut. And a ballerina.)

I'm all for closed circuit TV if it can help them identify and catch these guys.

How about...let's sentence for FOREVER. 35 years just doesn't seem long enough.

Can I say it again? I'm excited for Boston Legal to be back on the air.

Wondering what to buy for your favorite geek?

Suddenly, I DON'T seem like a pathetic loser.

Um... Er... Well... Sometimes there just are no words...

I'm finding that there are some weird little noises that go on here at the new place.. creaks and buzzes, etc. I'm pretty sure that one of them is the thermostat (which still scares me a little bit.. it's got a timer on it that makes the temp move up and down by itself and the instruction manual is like 85 pages long), and I think the light over the dining room table creaks when the wind blows it back and forth.. but I'm still not sure. And sometime I want Dame! to come over and show me exactly how the water heater works - where to turn it off, etc. etc. (Do you hear that Dame!? What about Sunday afternoon? I might even consider feeding you..)

Knitting was especially nice last night   ::hi girls::  I'll have to post pics of the Big Bad Baby Blanket soon.

That's it! Gotta run.. Ciao Bellas, TiAmo.

Wow, I sat at home last night in the first time for forever. I mean HOME home, for more than 4 hours at a stretch and not either a) getting ready to run back out the door or b) on the phone for a couple hours. It was nice. I had a little dinner (in front of the TV. I'm wondering again why I bought that dining room table...), did laundry, worked on the baby blanket, watched TV, had quick calls with Mare and CuzGirl... but mostly, I was just in my house. And I thought - aaaaah. THIS is why I have a house! Funny, it doesn't look that much different than the old place. It's mostly the same furniture. The view is a LOT different, but better.. it's the FEEL of it that's different. This feels permanent. This feels like home. Best decision I ever made. (remind me of this if one of my appliances blows up).

Good God. This is not how to set up a campsite, kids.

Hmmm. I think Mel Gibson needs to just go away now. He's kinda gone 'round the bend a little bit, dontcha think?

Remember when TV Guide was a guide to what was on TV? Remember when MTV had music videos? Yeah.. those days were nice...

Cool geek health minute of the day. Why didn't someone think of this before?

I KNEW it. That exercise stuff'll kill ya.

Um, is anyone else a little freaked out by this? Should we be worried?

Hmmm. Someone from the CBS domain in New York is looking at my blog (yeah, I see you in my stats. You can't hide from me. Ha ha!). I think this is because I'm going to be famous from this one day. Or maybe not.

That's all I've got so far. I'm sneezing like a maniac. Time to take some Claritin. Have a most adequate day - Ciao.

I think this is the day every year that I wake up and realize that it's not totally light outside when I wake up anymore. So funny.. a year ago, there was no way I would have guessed that I'd be living in my own place NOT located in St. Paul right now. And I would have never guessed that I'd have met most of the new people that I know now. A year ago, my world was a lot smaller. This is better.

I must have slept really oddly last night. My hands, wrists and arms are killin' me. When I woke up, my hands were balled up into really tight fists. I can't remember what I was dreaming about, but I don't think it was anything particularly violent. Hmmm..Anyway - typing is not the easiest task this morning. Let's do some links.

They're moving quickly on the investigations in London. Here's my question: that guy whom they shot by mistake.. Why on earth would you RUN if police told you to stop? If you have nothing to hide, just STOP. Don't act all suspicious and then run away from them. Or is that just me? Am I missing something here?

I just have no words about this. Except maybe one, and I have to get Dame's corroboration on this: G.A.D.? What do you think?

Yay! Go Lance!. (I have to admit.. I teared up when I read this. I'm a big wuss girl.. but what an inspiration.)

At least they're willing to admit to their mistakes. Man, that Joey show sucks. It'll be a while before they're back up on top again, I think.

Planning our next trip to Vegas, CuzGirl..

Okay, then. Let's start the new week. Tell me what you know! Ciao.

Yes, Good Morning.

I spent $99 (and $.84 cents!) on house stuff yesterday. I bought all kinds of little "finishing touches" stuff.. throw rugs and shelves, etc. And there's still $50 bucks left on the gift card! More theraputic shopping can be done.

The party was fun.. but incredibly hot. Too many bodies packed into one room. At one point, I just sat in front of a fan for a while.. big mistake. I woke up this morning with the huge stiff neck thing going on.. I can't turn my head to the right!

Quick stuff I found in the news:
Why do people go hiking, anyway? Nine times out of ten they get lost in the "rugged terrain". Just hike at the mall or something...

Go Lance Go! LiveStrong!

EEEEEK! I hate fish.

Awwww, RIP Myron. My dad loved watching Lawrence Welk... I watched it with him when I was tiny. He used to sing and dance me around the floor.   ::smile::   One of my favorite memories.

Get well soon, Ani.

One more reason to keep on eating Sushi.

When I saw this headline, I just assumed the story was about Linda Blair. Or some other woman whose last name is Blair. TONY Blair? The Prime Minister? Ooooh. He's a girlie-man. (sorry, Smellen..)

I'm going to brunch this morning.. then I have no plans for the rest of the day. Unless I get a better offer, of course. (Hint. Someone should present me with a better offer.) Have a good day, kids. Ciao.

I'm reading all about the heat advisories for today, but right now it's about 76 degrees out here on the balcony and there's a gorgeous breeze. It even looks like it could rain, which for some insane reason I'm happy about.

I went to Joe's Garage last night, and now I know some fine people in REAL life that I only used to know on the internet. It was fun. I wish I could have stayed longer, but I get tired really quickly now (and I had to get home to take my last med). Yes, that's right. I have ONE WEEK OFF from yucky meds.. I'm looking forward to feeling better for a while. Halfway through this deal. I can do it.

I have to do a bunch of running around today. I've a got a $150 Target gift card burning a hole in my pocket! I got it from one of the Sales guys at work.. I gave him a lead that turned into a decent-sized sale. He's cool that way.. every time I give him a good lead, he kicks a little back to me. Anyway, I decided that I'm not gonna waste this card on lame stuff like toothpaste and paper towel.. I want to buy something for the house with it. I might have to just walk around there a little bit and dream about what I might need.

And tonight there's a party down in Bloomington with some friends. As long as it's inside, that'll be just fine. I must say, it's nice to be sitting here NOT feeling queasy. I'd almost forgotten what that felt like. Hope your day is unqueasy as well. Ciao, Bellas.

Good morning, duders and dudettes.
Say it with me - TGIF. This has been one long-ass week. I'm not one to wish days or weeks away... life's too short for that. But still. Let's move on to the next deal, shall we?

Sadly, it's probably a good idea to search bags on the subways. The bombings in London yesterday could have just as easily happened here, or in Australia, or anywhere.

Ouch, man.

Now say this with me: YAY, it's the weekend! I've got a few things planned, but also managed to leave some time free. I hate when I've got every minuted booked up, but I hate it more when I have absolutely nothing going on. So it should be a good one - let's just get thru the day and then commence playing! Have a good one, Bellas. Ciao.

Have you ever had a day in which so much went on that it seemed like it was about 3 days long? That was yesterday. It was long, it was physically draining, it was emotionally draining, and I'm glad it's over. But at least it wasn't 109 degrees.

RIP, Scotty.

YAY! Boston Legal will be on again soon. That's one of my must-sees.

Not much more for this morning. I'm just prayin' that today is a little easier. Send me some good thoughts if you remember. Ciao.

Although I don't always agree with his politics (but I will always defend his right to have his beliefs) - Mitch Berg always has the best memes. And so without further ado:

What I was doing 10 years ago:

In July of 1995 we had two stores up and running - and I did nothing but work. But it was so much fun, because they were MY stores. Dad was still around (he passed away in November of that year), and life was pretty doggone good.

Five years ago:

I was working at this job (I started this job at the beginning of 1997 - I can't believe I've been here for over 8 years..). We were still in the years of the big telecom boom... the telecom bust started about a year later. I got diagnosed in May that year. Been through it twice since then, and I'm still here! Life was still pretty good.

One year ago:

I was just starting to think about looking for a house. Had just finished the entire office building/moving project (400 people, each of whom complained to me personally about something, it seemed!). I was feeling great - Life was pretty good.

Yesterday:

Worked, went to the dr., hung out with my SnB girls (hey - that was a year ago, too!), came home, ate, talked to Da MoolieBoy. I feel a little bit tired from the meds, but life is still pretty good.

Five snacks I enjoy:

Man - which five snacks DON'T I enjoy?? Cookies, popcorn, grapes (see, I eat healthy stuff sometimes), cashews, chips and salsa (Salsa Lisa.. best salsa ever!)

Five songs I know all the words to:

Closer to Fine, NoOne is to Blame, The Stranger, Shining Star, California

Five Things I would do with $100 million:

1. Pay off my house
2. Pay off all my friends' houses
3. Lots of giving to DAP, Harriet Tubman, Casa de Esperanza
4. Invest wisely, live off the interest so I could work at a job where the pay doesn't matter. I'd be back in the infant room at the daycare center in a heartbeat.
5. Travel to all the places I've always wanted to see (see next question)

Five locations I would like to run away to:

Santa Barbara, Italy, Greece, Cancun, New Zealand

Five things I like doing:

Writing, hanging with friends, playing in the dirt, surfing the internet, knitting.

Five bad habits I have:

I worry too much. I jump to conclusions. I often forget to eat (I'm doing that less these days, though). I rant at my boss. I hold grudges

Five things I would never wear:

A halter top. Short shorts. A string bikini. Anything lime green. Hiking boots.

Five TV shows I like:

Can they be shows that aren't on anymore, too? Joan of Arcadia. West Wing. Northern Exposure. Family Guy. Seinfeld.

Five biggest joys of the moment:

Owning my own home. My family of choice (which consists of friends and family members). Da Moolie. My kitties. Getting stronger (physically and emotionally) every day.

Five favorite toys:

Laptop, iPod, DVR, Knitting Needles, Washer and Dryer!


Okay. I'm gonna go sit outside now. Tell me yours. Buona Sera!

Good morning. Cool morning. I'm wrapped in a blanket on the couch this morning. Two days ago I was sweating from just sitting. I've gotta tell ya, I prefer blanket time. What's wrong with me, anyway? (wait.. don't answer that..)

This guy looks like a nut, doesn't he? This is what I don't understand. He wants to protect the innocent fetal tissue, but has no problem killing dozens of adult human beings in the process. Whack-job. Have a nice life. And then go to hell. (ahem. have an opinion, chele, why dontcha.)

Does the Parents Television Council just sit around all day and WAIT until they hear the f-bomb dropped and then spring into action. Holy hannah. Why don't you guys get a life too? And get the **f-bomb** away from me and my TV.

My. I'm feeling especially intolerant today!

Blah. Blah. Blah.

What a pretty place to get married. I know exactly where that is.

I don't know if I'll watch this or not. I can't believe it's already been four years.

I don't miss my TiVo at all, now that I have my TimeWarner DVR. I like the fact that I can watch one show while recording another, and that I can record two shows at once. The fact that it doesn't tie up the phone line is cool, too (considering that I'd have to run a huge long line to get to a phone jack).

Yes.. and I have 499 million of them!

Heh. I dozed off for a minute there, and now it's 6:15. Gotta get moving. Have a most excellent day, all of ya. Ciao.

Ahhhh... At last the heat breaks! It's a little chilly with the door open, and I'm not complaining one little bit. Let's not do that again anytime soon, okay?

Oh, I don't know. By the end of last season, I was getting tired of Desperate Housewives, and now they're saying the storylines are only going to get darker. But if I don't watch it, what will I talk about at knitting?!?

Heh. I love Fez. I'd especially love to see Fez in leather pants! Whoop!

I don't know if I want to see a show about Jesus as the confidant to a pill-popping priest. Will it turn into Jesus as the wacky next-door neighbor? (that could actually be funny.)

What an excellent idea.

I just realized this morning that I've grown accustomed to hearing birds in the morning, rather than hearing garbage trucks and sirens. I am now suburbia girl. Next I'll be buying a mini-van. Oh wait, no, that's wrong.
Hope you have a most excellent day! Ciao.

There were people doing a triathalon today??? Are they all nuts?

I wasn't nearly that ambitious today. Went back over to the old place and cleared out the rest of the fridge, ran to Target, sat is the shady garden with Mare, snoozed a little, and had some ice cream with Dame!. It's supposed to be even hotter tomorrow, so I'm going to see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. This insane heat is the only thing that will get me into a theater. We're going to Hell's Kitchen for brunch first..yum..

The a/c stays on tonight. And I'm going to bed at a reasonable hour. Buona Sera!

Because I'm feeling especially lazy today, just go and read the Live Journal. Ciao!

I refuse to make this a weather blog... but OH MY GOD it's just all hot all the time. It's to the point that I actually like getting up early so I can turn off the a/c for an hour and open the door to catch the morning cool breeze. I'm so afraid of what my electric bill is gonna be.

It's too hot to do anything fun outside, so it's been a good week to watch movies. Last night we watched the first Lord of the Rings movie (yeah, yeah, I'm the only one in the world who hadn't seen it yet). I always think I'm not going to like these big, complicated epic movies, but yet I always do. I didn't even have to get up and take a break! I can't wait to see the next two.

That's it, I guess. I'm glad it's Friday. I'll get the day started, and I'll talk to youse all later. Ciao.

Last night I did NOT turn the A/C off before I went to bed. I woke up this morning with icicles hanging from the ceiling. So I got up, turned the air off and opened the window. Now it's getting hot in here already. I only thought I was moving to the west side of town. I've actually moved to the surface of the sun, and it's just going to be hot all the time. We have to remember these days next January.

In the news today: Sigh. We live in a world gone mad. I'm never leaving the house again. Why, you ask? Because of stuff like this. Remember when we didn't have to think about stuff like this?

Yeah, I'll bet he wept. But he wept because he got caught. He never wept over ripping people off or committing huge fraud. He got exactly, exactly what he deserved.

And yes, it looks like we will have hockey this year. Bring it on!

Brad Pitt really IS sick. Ooops. My bad.

The pope disapproves of Harry Potter. However, all the going-after-the-young-kids: well, that was okay with the church for years, evidently. I feel a rant coming on. So I think I'll just stop now.

Note to self: Do not go out for dinner in Wellington, New Zealand.

Imagine this: you're minding your own business, driving along to work, and OH! a corpse falls out of the truck in front of you. EEEEEEK. I hate it when that happens...

I hit the wall at about 3:00 yesterday, at a time when I just couldn't leave because I had too many things going on. I got out of there at about 4:30, came home, and collapsed helplessly on the couch for 90 minutes, and never really got all my energy back all evening. It's all about pacing myself, I guess, something I'm not very good at. I'll try again today. Ciao, Bellas. TiAmo!

Oh my lord. Enough with the heat already! I turned off the A/C and went to bed last night because I thought it was cooling off outside. I woke up at 4:00 and laid there and sweated for a while, because I was too lazy to get up and turn the air back on. From now on, this will be known as the summer of too-much-hotness, AKA the summer I didn't wake up and put a sweatshirt on every morning. Global warming sucks.

Stuff is falling off of the space shuttle and it hasn't even left the ground yet?!? I wouldn't feel too safe about going up in it. I was watching the local news last night and saw that a girl I went to high school with (I'm pretty sure she was in my sister's class - she's a couple years younger than me) is going on the space shuttle in December. Cool.

You know, I have the flu a bazillion times in my life, and I've never gone to the hospital for it. Does he have the flu or the "flu"?

This is certainly not what I wanted to hear. (if guys had to go through this, there'd be another way to do it, I'm sure!)

What the hell? Can't you wait and do that at home?

And now, let the day begin. Have a good one. Ciao.

It was a pretty good day - much better than yesterday. I felt good for the majority of the day, too.. I didn't get sick until just a couple of minutes ago. Was feeling okay enough to have some matzo ball soup at Cecil's for dinner. Mmmm... matzo balls...

I'm gonna sit up for a while. Buona Sera, Bellas. Sleep well.

The best thing I can say about yesterday is that it ended. Waiting to go to another appointment now. Updates later.

What can I tell ya? It was a day for scrubbing and cleaning yesterday. Whenever I'm having the least bit of a bad/sad/mad day, I scrub. It helps work off the frustration, I feel like I'm accomplishing something, and (being the queen of ritual that I am) it helps me feel like I'm throwing off the bad stuff. The source of the frustration just isn't that important right now - suffice to say that my gut feelings about people are nearly always right, and I can also nearly always tell when someone isn't being straight-up honest with me - what is important is that I'm true to myself, and life's just too short to put up with bullsh*t. It's a better day today (so far, anyway. the sun's not even up yet, but I'm just sayin'....), and I've got a wonderfully clean kitchen and bathroom (you could eat off the floors - not that you'd want to, but again, I'm just sayin'...).

Thankfully, Hurricane Dennis wasn't as bad as they were expecting. Still, though, 8 inches of rain and 120 mile an hour winds.. yikes.

I thought that there was a certain end to the NHL labor dispute, but I guess not. I agree, though. If the players do accept this offer, they lost a whole season for no reason whatsoever. True fans will be back, but I wonder how many 'fair weather' fans will remember and return. This could hurt the league in the long run.

Yes, yes, yes. I watched Big Brother. Because I always do. It's like a train wreck - I can't look away!

Okay, this is a cool idea - but at $100, I think I'll just bring my power cords with me.

So another week begins. Make the best of it! Ciao, Bellas.

I stopped being sick around 11:00.. enough to get out to the grocery store and back over to the old place for a minute. Now there's really very little left over there any more.. I'm guessing that Dame and I can get it outta there in two seconds. (notice how I just volunteered you for that, Ms. Thang..).

And then I made a trip over to my new (well, new for me anyway) Kowalski's grocery store. Ahh.. the joys of familiarity. I instinctively knew where everything was. Yes, it's a little more expensive, but it's not like I'm feeding a family of 12, and I love that they'll bag and carry it out to the car for you. Yes, I'm spoiled. And your point is...?

Then it was off to Crosby park for a big picnic! I was still being a little careful with my stomach, so I didn't have a burger or anything, but the pasta salad and jello were still pretty good. It wasn't too ghastly hot down by the river, either, so it was a nice night to be outside.

I woke up sick again this morning, but by 9:30 it had again pretty much calmed down, so I'm just going to sit outside while it's still half-way cool and breezy and just rest. I have to try to go to work like this tomorrow.. so I'll need as much rest as I can get. Repeat after me - the first few days are the worst...

That's what I know. And how is YOUR day? Ciao.

Gah. I'm sick. I'm going to have some tea and lay down again. More later.

Well, who woulda ever thunk it? I LOVE sushi! We had Ika and Unagi and California Rolls and Hamachi and oh-my-god hot sake (I have a little headache from that this morning)... it was all just really, really good. I even had wasabi and liked it! From now on, I will be known as very adventurous sushi girl.

Thoughts and prayers to everyone in London today. And good for them.. getting right back to life. If we don't carry on, the terrorists do win. The whole world stands with you.

Everyone! Check your dead pool lists... (oh, was that a little morbid? sorry...)

Oh for the love of God. Please. Do we really need to see this?

Hmm. I have no words about this. Except maybe this: I don't get it.

Aw, gee, thanks Mom and Dad. What a great birthday surprise. (what the hell is wrong with people? someone needs to tell me.)

Looks like I'll have to change my weekend plans. (kidding. kidding.)

Speaking of weekend plans - it's poker night, so I'll be winning hundreds of thousands of dollars. Okay, maybe ten bucks. And I need to rest up, because I've got a rough couple of months coming up. It'll be fine.. been through it before. (I just really, really don't want to lose my hair, though. I just got a cute short haircut, and it's fun and purpley-red..) Keep sending those happy thoughts my way, please. Have a good day. La vita e bella! Ciao.

Yes, I'm awake at this ungodly hour. There aren't even many birds awake just yet.

Scary explosions in London. Was this an attack, or an accident? And how scary that the first place our minds go is "terrorist attack". Our world is so much different now than it was 10 years ago, eh?

Can it be? It sounds like there may be an agreement between NHL owners and players! How excellent.. It would suck to miss two entire seasons.

I totally want to go see Johnny Depp as Willy Wonka. Mock me if you will... but you want to see it, too. You know you do..

I didn't watch one second of Dancing with the Stars. Did I miss anything?

Romantic, or just plain creepy? Um... I'd go with creepy, myself. What would have happened had she sad no?

Now this is just plain creepy.

I want to celebrate my 100th birthday just like this lady did.. by taking a ride on a Harley! Way cool..

There ya have it. I've gotta deal with some stuff today.. will let you know as soon as I can what that stuff is, if it turns out to be anything at all. Then my reward ( ? ) tonight is sushi for dinner. I'm a little afraid of that! They keep telling me that I'm gonna like it. We'll see. Send some positive thoughts my way. Ciao.

The first day back to work was chaos, but not half-bad. I just kept plowing thru the stacks of mail and e-mail and voice mail. Did a little bit of running around. Today I'll have to do a little more, then I'll be mostly caught up (well, as caught up as I can be. Total catch-up just doesn't happen anymore).

Lots of links today:
Where will the 2012 Olympics be held? I say Madrid. I don't know why. I just do. (and why do I care, anyway?)

Grrr. Just lemme at this guy for 15 seconds. He won't last 15 seconds in prison, though, either. Bastard.

I had no idea that pharmacists were union.

Hee hee... Martha Stewart on doing hard time!

This is cool, and I don't believe that she's doing it as just a publicity stunt.

I just love this headline is all.

I have no words. Nope. None.

In nature-type news, I learned that I have a screech owl in the marsh behind my house (Brandacious told me so!). It's LOUD, and it kind of freaks me out when I hear it. Nature is fun. or something like that. Heh.

That's about all the news for right now.... all that I want to discuss, anyway! Enjoy the day. Ciao.

Just like that, it's back to reality. I actually woke up at about 3:00, but resisted the temptation to just get up and get out of bed. There's plenty of time to laze-about the house first before heading in to the office! So let's look at some news, shall we?

Because I'm a closet space geek, take a look at the pictures from the comet that we blasted yesterday. Way cool.

Somebody needs to tell me why we just can't find this guy. I've gotta believe that if I did something HALF as illegal as he did, they'd be pounding on my door in a matter of moments..

Oh,no.

Because I didn't write this over the weekend: RIP Luther Vandross. (we were JUST talking about him on Thursday. Weird...)

I watched Live 8 on and off through the day on Saturday. Both those songs are on my iTunes now.

Okay. I think I will get my little self in gear and get in there early today. It's knitting night tonight (change of venue!) and I want to be able to get out of work at a reasonable hour to get there. There's gonna be 40 bazillion e-mails to deal with, too. My most important lesson of the day will be to just plow through stuff and not get too mental about it. I have a sign on my desk: Life is far too important to be taken seriously. Indeed! Ciao, Bellas. Have an excellent day.

It's the last day of chelevacation, and I think I'm actually ready to go back to work It feels like I've been off work for MONTHS instead of really just 6 working days. I know it's gonna take about another week to catch up on what I've missed, but it was totally worth it. I'm all in at the new place, and 99% out of the old place. I have to wander back that way today or tomorrow to see what's still over there...

I have to run a couple of quick errands, but nothing huge on the agenda for today. We're going to a barbecue at a friend's house tonight, and then to see fireworks. I miss being able to see Taste of MN fireworks from the comfort of home.. but honestly, I wouldn't trade the new place for anything now. I'm even used to hearing birds instead of traffic! Who would have ever thought....?

Back to regular blogging tomorrow, I promise. In the meantime, go outside and play! Summer is short (well, it is here, anyway), so enjoy. Ciao, Bellas.

Just got back from seeing Bo Diddley at Taste of Minnesota. FABULOUS concert.. it was basically an hour long jam session with lots of funny conversation thrown in. I'm sleepy.. waiting for one more load of laundry to come out of the dryer. That's what I know for today. I'm loving vacation, life is good. Ciao, Bellas.

Another quick and lame-o post. Pictures all hung up on the walls, and I have to get myself over to St. Paul to pay the rent. Yeah, having two house payments is the greatest thing in the world - NOT. I'll have two months of being semi-poor, and then life will ease up a little. If I think of anything exciting and interesting I'll post later. Ciao.