Hot

It is hot. For the next 4-5 months, it will be hot. I do not have a good attitude about hot. I cannot practice patience and tolerance of hot. It just sucks, and that's all there is to it. Some people like the hot. Not me. I hate it.

Bowling for Birthdays

I have just returned from a birthday party for one of my students (and his twin brother) at a bowling alley in Garland. This is the same bowling alley where Kev and I went for our anniversary, only this time it was full of people and quite smokey. I am surprised that people are still allowed to smoke in bowling alleys, but apparently it's true. Anyway, it's a pretty cool place for a birthday party. The kids got to bowl for an hour, and then they got pizza and cake. The coolest part was that the birthday boys each got a real bowling pin to take home, which all their friends autographed. If I was allowed to give Kev a surprise party, I would do it at the bowling alley. He likes bowling. But I think somewhere in our wedding vows, I promised there would be no surprise parties.

My brother and I were talking the other day about kids and birthday parties. Kids these days (boy, is that an old person way to start a sentence or what!) have big elaborate parties every stinking year. Bowling alleys, skating rinks, Build-a-Bear, Paint yer Pottery, etc., not to mention the kind of party which you have at home with some kind of big rented production, like a bounce-house. I know some kids that had a whole freaking petting zoo at their house! This stuff ain't cheap. When I was a kid, my cousins came over on my birthday and we ate cake, and if it was a special birthday, there was Pin the Tail on the Donkey. And that was OK with me.

Maybe that's my ticket to a million dollars and my Alaskan adventure! I can be the Kids Birthday Party Guru (Gurette?). There are plenty of rich lazy people around who could use such a service. I better get to work on this...

K, Roscoe, and Ryan

Here is Kev last Christmas, with the great Roscoe (Official Boxer of the LRHS) and Ryan (Official Nephew). Roscoe is very smart and nice and well-behaved, and he is my pal. I miss him because he lives on Long Island. Ryan is our only nephew. He is also very smart and nice and well-behaved, and also very funny. He likes dogs and cats and light sabers. I miss him too, because he lives near Boston.

Problem Theory

Today during chores I started to develop a theory about why I am starting to go a little insane. I think part of the problem is that about 85-90% of my conversational partners are little kids. Not even normal little kids, but little kids with all kinds of speech and language issues. Here are some examples of typical daily interactions I have:

E: (E. has Asperger's Syndrome) UGH!!! (E. stomps into the room and puts his head down on table).

Me: How was your day, E.?

E: Not so good.

Me: Why?

E: Well, the zoo visit was kinda tiring.

Me: Oh, you went to the zoo! Cool. Who did you go with?

E: Oh, my little brother and sister.

(We talk about the zoo for a minute)

E: (Pulling his hair and grimacing): CAN-WE-JUST-STOP-TALKING-ABOUT-THIS-NOW!!! (Puts head down dramatically on the table)

Me: E., when you said that, your face looked like this (I grimace) AND-YOUR-VOICE-SOUNDED-LIKE-THIS!!! When people see that, they might think you are angry or mean. I know you, and I know you are just tired, but when you talk to me like that it still hurts my feelings. We were just talking about the zoo, and then you yelled at me. That is pretty, uh...

E: Disrespectful.

Me: Yeah. When you talk to other kids like that, they might think you are mean, and not want to be your friend.

E: Well, I have about 10 million friends so it doesn't matter. Do you know I found three snakes at my house?

(E. has no friends by the way.)

_______

C: (Autism) I want that one.

Me: Which one?

C. I want that one (points to top of cabinet).

Me: There are lots of toys up there, C. Which one do you want?

C. I want that one I want that one.

Me: You want the heilcopter, or the bubbles, or...

C. I want that one helicopter.

Me: OK. Tell me if you can't reach it.

C. You can't reach it.

Me: Tell your mom, say I can't reach it.

C. I can't reach it.

Me: I can reach the helicopter. I'll get it down for you.

C. Oh dear, we'll have to do it again.

Me: Do what again?

C: Oh dear, we'll have to do it again. Oh dear, we'll have to do it again. Oh dear, we'll have to do it again.

etc. This session ends with C. having a complete meltdown on the floor because he doesn't want to give me a turn with the helicopter.

_______

Then there is J. who can't talk at all. He only says ma-ma-ma-ma. He is five. He spends a lot of time under the table or turning the lights off and on.

I love my kids, but I would give anything to have a grown-up conversation during my work day. I am worried about my brain.

Wheels

Hyper-groove has sent my wheels flying off in all directions. Today there will be an attempt to get them back on. I started with a trip to Central Market. This helped because everyone there was really nice and friendly. And I bought some herbs to plant in the garden tomorrow. When I got back, I battled the mosquitos to give the tomato plants and the Japanese Maple their daily drinks of water. I am worried about the tree. The leaves seem a little dry around the edges. Maybe I need to consult Neil Sperry for some advice.
Now it's time to clean the house. The good thing about this is that I can put on some good loud music while I do it. And I will feel better when the house is all nice and clean.
This morning I opened the back curtain briefly and saw the bird-print of the poor cardinal on the window glass. Ugh. So sad. I called the bird store down the street. They have some birds-of-prey silhouettes that you can put on your glass to keep birds away. These are not permanent stickers, mind you, but temporary, like colorforms. I don't think we can afford to get screen doors at the moment. The other solution would be to move the feeders, but I don't know where. The only real tree in the back yard is directly across from the windows. And I like to look out there and watch the birds. So I don't know what to do. I just want the back yard to be a happy place.
The afternoon is going to be all about cooking dinner, so that should be sorta fun.
I don't know what we'll do this weekend. Maybe go see Star Wars, but I'd kinda like to wait until the crowds ease up a little. Tomorrow I am going to a birthday/bowling party for one of my kids. I understand there will be pizza.

It's been really weird around here with Kev being gone all day. I don't think I like it, and I'm pretty sure he doesn't care for it much either. Perhaps we will both appreciate weekends more now.

Game 6 tonight. Must-win for the Mavs. (official NBA team of the LRHS).

A Bad Day for the Bird

I was not the only one who had to deal with bird death yesterday. My friend Gordon hit a grackle with his car. And I heard that a bunch of birds down in Houston were attacking people for getting too close to their nests. Good bird news: Some builders out in California found a baby owl on their construction site, and they decided to build around it until it could safely be re-located.

I am hanging out with Albert the Dog today until time to go to my office. It is one of my favorite things to do. Albert is a good smart dog. He creates lift when there is drag. I think I will make him the Official Dog of the LRHS. Hmm...maybe that's what this blog needs...Official things.

THE LAZY RUSSIAN HORSES SHOW WOULD LIKE TO PRESENT:

Official Dog: Albert
Official tree: Japanese Maple
Official vegetable: Mushroom
Official minor league baseball player: Tim Rall
Official drink: Central Market Amaretto Coffee
Official bird: Yellow-bellied sapsucker
Official bird (flightless): Emperor Penguin
Official nemesis: Kay Bailey Hutchison
Official planet: Earth
Official mascot: Sock Monkey
Official vehicle: Hybrid car
Official vehicle (water): Canoe
Official theme song: Holidays are Nice
Official band: PPHPHB
Official Blog Motto: The LRHS is OK!
Official mission statement: To practice patience and tolerance, keep the positivity going, and try not to complain much.

Let me know if I am leaving anything out.

Tale of Great Sadness

Was minutes away from leaving for work when I heard a loud thud. Dammit - another bird has hit the back window, I thought. Doves are always hitting the back window. It stuns them and they move on. But I always worry about it. This time is wasn't a dove, but what appeared to be a young cardinal. It was lying on the ground, and it clearly had broken its neck. It struggled for a few seconds and gave up. The daddy cardinal sat on the flower pot above and looked at it for a minute, then flew away. It was horrible. I didn't know what to do, so I picked it up with the shovel and put it in a box, because I was afraid if I left it, one of the neigborhood cats would get it. I don't know the protocol for disposing of dead birds. I feel very sad and now I have to go to work and be all happy and fun. Argh. Anyway, the curtains on the back window will remain closed as long as this is a danger to the nice unsuspecting birds that come to my yard.

Cousin Ben - Cat Rescuer!, Stef, his new wife, Cousin Brad - cool because he went with me to yoga on the cruise and for other reasons, and the Watermelon Pig 

Watermelon Pig 

Cat Talk

Archie

This morning on my walk I saw a cat who looked a lot like my cat Archie. Archie is a good fat cat that lives in a very nice home with a very nice lady who took him in because Kev was allergic to him. I think about Archie all the time and miss him a lot. I went to visit him a couple times, but it made me really sad. Plus Archie did not forgive me for the trauma of the move, and hissed at me while I was there. It was heart-breaking. It's OK though, because I know he likes his new home and is very well taken care of. I get a Christmas card from him and his new mom every year.
Recently, my cousin Ben was walking by a house under construction, and heard some squeaking. It turns out that some jack-ass had drywalled over a kitten that was trapped between two studs. Ben punched a whole in the drywall and rescued the kitten. Ben is a hero! Ben also plays the banjo and has an elaborate home-brew setup and knows how to make watermelon pigs. I shall post a picture.

Waiting for the Mail

I love it when the mail comes...I just saw the mail carrier across the street, so I am hanging out here by the window until he gets here...

Salsa verde is done. It is pretty good. Very mild. I used the anaheim chiles from Kev's garden, which are a mild type of pepper. Anyway, not much heat, but the flavor is pretty nice I think. Will have to wait until Kev gets home as his palate is more trained to judge salsa than mine.

Henceforth the Faucet-bot 2000 will be known as the Snow-bot 2000, which is a much better and far less cumbersome name. I don't know why I didn't think of it. Thanks to Kev, who is apparently listening on the sly at work.

Mail!

Body

Last week I heard they found a body in White Rock Lake, but I can not find any information or details of the story. Does anyone out there have any info?

Tuesday Two-fer

Woke up this morning with the blues. I am grateful that Kev's new away-from-the-house job has catapulted me, ready or not, into hyper groove. I accomplished more before noon this morning than I usually do in three or four days. This activity has been good for distracting me from being troubled, and I feel a lot better now.

This afternoon, I shall be attempting two new recipes: blackened catfish and tomatillo salsa verde (that's green hot sauce for you readers from the north). I don't know how it will turn out, but there are some back-up chickens in the freezer in case of any unfortunate kitchen disasters.

I looked on the Ticket's web site for pictures from yesterday's skipping exhibition, but I couldn't find any. For those of you who are familiar with Georgio, I am sure you can imagine how funny it must have been to see him skipping along across the bank parking lot.

A lot of people I know have started blogging! This pleases me. Rob is right...it is a good way to keep up with people that you don't get to see much. I encourage you all to try it.

Faucet-Bot 2000

One day when I was washing my hands, I noticed this strange figure in my faucet. Sometimes I think it looks like a snowman. Sometimes I think it looks like a primitive kind of robot. I think maybe my father-in-law would think it's "kinda cool." He has a knack for seeing the robot potential in most inanimate objects.

FB2K

Monday Skip Theory

This morning on the Ticket, the musers were discussing George Dunham's theory that skipping is a very efficient way to get from point A to point B, as it is faster than walking, but easier than jogging or running. Then they broadcasted a skipping exhibition in the parking lot of a bank in Plano, where they were appearing for this morning's show. They held three 40 yd races, each with a skipper versus a fast-walker. Each time, the skipper won, and exerted much less energy than the fast-walker. They also all commented on how it was impossible to feel sad while skipping. I am for transportation that promotes happiness! When I got to my parents house, I continued to think about this theory. I neede a drink of water, so I decided to skip to the kitchen and see what happened. George was right! I felt happy and got to the kitchen and back quickly and with little effort. And I am almost willing to bet that if one peson starts skipping around at the office, it will make others in the office feel happy too. If anyone tries this, let me know how it works out. Here are some people that could probably stand to incorporate a little skipping into their lives: Rush Limbaugh, Zell Miller, my mom, the mean guy from Belmont Garage, Noreen from Emeraldbile, and Judge Judy. These people probably already skip: Robert Smith, Morrissey, and Avery Johnson.

I stayed up late watching the Mavs again last night. What a great game. I think Avery Johnson has found the right strategy to use against Phoenix. But it kinda sucks when even with a 21 point lead, you worry about your team's ability to hang on. Steve Nash is awesome. He nearly came back and beat the Mavericks all by himself last night. Next game is Wednesday.

Our weekend was good. Sunday we grilled out. I am enjoying this pleasant weather. I'll be sad when the heat and mosquitos take over.

Time to go to work.

Tales from the Great Game

Last year when my brother and I went to a Rough Riders game, one of us read the calendar incorrectly. When we got there, we discovered the team was on the road. No game.

So, yesterday, we tried again. We headed out to Frisco in the late afternoon, and stopped at Steak and Shake for "dinner." Then, we headed to the stadium for the game. We pulled into the line for parking only to find out it was the line for people with parking passes. So we were told to go to the parking garage, which would be three dollars. Somehow, Jeff missed a turn, and we got to the parking garage in a round-about way and managed to bypass having to pay. Free parking! Cool. So we walked toward the stadium and made our way to the ticket counter, which was displaying a big sign: This Game is Sold Out. D'oh. Now what? We decided to look for scalpers. None. So we asked a ticket-taker lady if she could tell us where the scalpers hang out. She didn't know, and sent us to the next ticket-take lady. This turned out to be Judy, the nicest ticket-taker lady ever.

Judy the Nice Ticket-Taker Lady

We told Judy and her partner our sad story, and asked if they knew where the scalpers hung out, because we drove a long way and really wanted to see the game. Nice Judy felt sorry for us, and pulled two tickets from her apron pocket. "These are free," she said. "Enjoy the game." Free tickets! We thanked Judy and entered the stadium.

For a while, we stood around and watched a parade of little leaguers enter the field. It was apparently Little League Appreciation Day or something, which is why the thing was sold out. We found Tim Rall (#30) warming up on the field.

San Antonio Missions - Pre-game Warm-up.

After the little league parade, Tim and the other pitchers headed for the visitor's bullpen.

Tim entering the bullpen.

We were going to go say hi, but I was unsure of the protocol when talking to players. I didn't want to get Tim in trouble, or worse, embarrass him in front of his team-mates. So we decided to wait to say hi later. We didn't have seats together according to our free tickets, but we noticed that in the section behind home plate, there was hardly anybody there. Jeff reckoned these were season ticket seats owned by corporate people who hardly go to the games. So we went and found seats five or six rows back. Very nice. Note the guy in the front row with the bad yellow cap and the flip-flops inthe View from Home Plate photo above. I'll get to him later.

View from Home Plate 

Deuce

During the game, there was a lot of stuff between innings to entertain the kids. The rough-riders really have a pretty good game presentation. Some of it is a real beating for adults, but little kids love it. This is Deuce, the mascot. He is a Prairie Dog.

Sideburns

This is a guy that we named "Sideburns." Sideburns is your typical annoying fan. He sat on the front row with his posse. His schtick was to yell ,"Go Ball-boy!" as loud as he could, every time the ball boy came out of the dug-out to get a stray ball or bat. Then Sideburns' posse would join in by yelling "Whoo-hoo!" This wasn't funny the first time, or the fifth time or the 30th time. I was glad when Sideburns went away.

We enjoyed watching most of the game from our good fake free seats behind home plate. I will tell you that the Rangers have some good future prospects on the Rough-Riders. I decided that it would probably be OK to go say a quick hello to Tim during the 7th inning stretch, because I noticed the guys in the pen talking to fans now and then between innings. I told Jeff I was going to hit the restroom, go say hi, and be back after the stretch. When I came out of the very clean and surpisingly decorated bathroom, Jeff was over by the bullpen. He said we were kicked out of our seats, even though the section was half-empty. So we decided to go say hi to Tim and hit the road to beat the traffic. We asked him if he thought he would pitch, and he said no. He said if he did, it would be in the ninth. So we talked to him for a couple minutes, and went back up to the concourse. The Rough-Riders hit a home run. They were winning 5-1, and it didn't look likely that there would be a bottom-of-the-ninth, for Tim to pitch. So we left, got in the car, turned on the radio, and heard, "Well, here we are in the bottom of the eighth, and now pitching for San Antonio is Tim Rall." DANGIT! So after all that, we missed him. And he did well! Two strike-outs and a very solid inning from the youngster from New York. The announcers called him "deceptive." And I'll be damned if after his outing, he wasn't promoted to the AAA club in Tacoma! So congratulations to Tim Rall, and best of luck during the rest of the season. Sorry we missed your last inning with the Missions.

The bad news is that now that Tim's leaving Texas, Marty and Kim will NEVER come to visit us.

Tim Rall - Future Mariner 

Looney Toons

This morning Kev was emailing his sisters about an idea that we were discussing over breakfast. (We ate on the porch, by the way. It was very pleasant outside, and it smelled good because of the storm). He was typing something about me, I can't remember what, and I said, "No, don't say that...your family probably already thinks I'm a cartoon." And he said, "They do."

D'oh!

I am not a cartoon! I am a human being! If you cut me, do I not bleed? If you drop an anvil on my head, do I not see little stars and birdies? If you shoot me at close range, does my beak not swing around to the back of my head so that I must re-adjust it manually? Oh, um, wait a minute...

Anyway, if people think of me as a cartoon, I hope it is like the Fat Albert Show, where if you're not careful, you just might learn something. Or Samurai Jack, which is really colorful and groovy. Or the first few seasons of the Simpsons, which were really heart-warming when all was said and done.
I hope I am not like Itchy and Scratchy, which is violent. Or Yugi-oh, which is weird and confusing. Or Ren and Stempy, which I don't really get, but I think has quite a bit to do with boogers.

How I loved Saturday mornings as a kid. I would wake up and sit within inches of the TV with my bowl of Honeycombs or Sugar-Pops, and watch Fat Albert, Hong Kong Phooey, Sigmund and the Sea-Monsters, Dr. Shrinker, Land of the Lost...etc. So great. We 70's kids didn't need Japanese card games or video games to go along with our cartoons. No! We just needed a big pillow and the most unhealthy cereal available. Then at about noon, it was time to go outside to play some Hot-Box or (forgive me) Smear the Queer with the neighborhood kids, or shoot baskets or see how long I could jump on my pogo stick or ride my bike around and around the block until it was dark. I almost NEVER see kids outside playing in my neighborhood. It's very sad. If I still had my pogo stick, I'd be outside jumping on it right now. It is a beautiful day.

Tonight I am going to the RoughRiders game with my brother. It should be a great night for baseball. The Mavericks let me down last night. They hung in there until the last few minutes, but then it in fact DID come down to the fact that Phoenix made more baskets. Dallas couldn't get a shot to go in from anywhere on the court. It was pretty awful. Tomorrow is Kev's last day of leisure before starting his new job. Maybe we'll go do something fun.

Have a great weekend!
P-T-P-T-P-That's All Folks!

Political update

I feel I should let you know that I finally received a letter from Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison yesterday regarding the Alaska Wildlife Refuge. I am working on my reply.

Friday XIII

At last it is Friday. The house is clean, or at least tidy, I am all full of coffee, I don't have to drive to Plano today, my car is in proper working order, I can't complain. No obligations this weekend. I will probably go to see the Rough Riders take on the S.A. Mission on Saturday with my brother. One of the S.A. pitchers, Tim Rall, is the brother of my brother-in-law, Marty. I haven't checked his stats lately, but last I heard he was off to a pretty good start. I am a fan of minor league baseball. Maybe I am romanticizing things a bit, but Minor League ball seems more pure, since the players don't make much money and they are all playing as hard as they can, trying to move up. And HOPEFULLY they aren't all 'roided out like the MLB players of late. Drugs are bad for people.

I saw a show on PBS last night about this lady and her adult daughter who lived in a house so full of stuff that there was no room to walk around, and the daughter had to sleep on a pallet on the floor surrounded by cardboard boxes of crap she collected over the years. She was unofficially diagnosed on the show as having "hoarding" issues. Then they made her sell a bunch of her stuff, give some to shelters, and some of it, they made her throw into a horrible machine called "The Crusher." She was sad, but liberated in the end. I think I have the same problem, although to a lesser extent. I am terribly sentimental, and tend to keep stuff for years. Every now and then, I take it out and look at it, and think, "Oh, that's nice," or whatever, and then put it back. Our garage is full of plastic bins full of stuff like that. I think maybe it's time for a bin overhaul. I really don't need a small cardboard Prince stand-up or pins that say "RUSH," or a book about how to speak like a Valley Girl. I reckon Feng Shui for the most part is a bunch of malarkey, but they (the Feng Shui-ists) are right on with their theories of passive chaos versus active chaos. Passive chaos is piles of stuff that just sits there never getting used, which creates a lot of drag everytime you see it. Like in that TV house last night. Active chaos is good, like when there is a big temporary mess in your kitchen because you are preparing an exciting meal.

Kev is outside planting the Japanese Maple. It is very windy out there.

I will be pulling for the Mavericks this weekend. I was happy that during Game 2, I only noticed Mark Cuban once.

Alias

Suddenly, people I know are asking for new identities. "I will only respond to 'The Captain'." "Henceforth I would like to be called 'Monsieur Valentine'." I don't think you are allowed to give yourself a nickname. I think you are supposed to earn one from people who know you over time. Then again, if you make up your own nickname, I guess you don't have to worry that people might decide to call you 'Stinky' or 'Fats'. When you are named Tara, people get your name wrong a lot. I have been called Teri, Sarah, Tanya, Tar-a (rhymes with Car-uh), Tommy (!), and I hesitate to share this, but once when I was in the newspaper as a kid, they mis-printed my name as Tata. Most unfortunate. It was cool as a kid to get your picture in the paper, provided they spelled your name right. Once in like 3rd grade, I got my picture in the paper with our local TV weather man and the biggest squash in Floyd County, Indiana (he brought it to show our class one day). If I can find it, I'll scan it in and post it here.

Stating the Obvious

Well, Doug, if Dallas wants to beat Phoenix tonight, they simply MUST score more ponits.

That's right, Kevin. This game will come down to making more baskets than the other team.

OK, maybe that's an exaggeration, but one of them DID say, "He (Johnson) needs to get some ice on that eye. If it swells shut, it will affect his vision."

Where do they get these guys?

Anyway, I stayed up way too late watching the Mavs play a MUCH better game, and Phoenix play quite a bit worse. It was worth it.

Believe it or Not...

I'm Walkin' on Air...

What is this Greatest American thing? Is this a new show? Are we supposed to vote? I saw something about it today, with a picture of OPRAH next to the headline! I will tell you right now that if Oprah so much as sniffs the top 100, I will make a lot of shock-value-with-no-real-truth-behind-it noise about moving to Canada. When there are people like Abe Lincoln and MLK and FDR and Ben Franklin and John James Audubon and Lewis and Clark, why oh why is there a photo of Oprah on the Greatest American story? Good Lord. Forgive me if she has nothing to do with it...I couldn't actually READ the story because my computer sucks and is very picky about anything requiring Flash-Media.

Kev and I are now the proud owners of my favorite tree, a Japanese Maple, which Bob brought over today. It is cool. I am not sure where we are going to put it though. I am more worried that we are going to kill it. As much as I have tried, I have not developed a green thumb. Thanks to Bob for the great tree. It is beautiful and I will do my best to keep it alive. As soon as we get it planted, I will post a photo.

I have an hour to kill before my next (and last) kid of the day. I am looking forward to going home. There are still a few days left of Kev's reign as Cooker, and I believe tonight we are having grilled pork skewers with peanut sauce. Delightful! This morning, Kev fixed my rearview mirror for me, so my Buick Hot-Rod is ready to roll. Kev does a lot of nice things and I appreciate him.

After a couple of weeks with no sightings, and I happy to report that my two Kestrels are back. They appear to be living under a side-wall overhang on the Ramada Inn, which is a very depressing-looking hotel and never seems to have any people staying in it. I have not seen any Kestrel babies thus far.

I know a family in which the two sons look like Beeker and Scooter from the Muppets and the dad looks like the very serious blue muppet eagle. The mom does not resemble any muppet. I miss the Muppet Show. It was great.

My brother assures me that the family with the 4 daughters named Today, Tomorrow, Yesterday and Brandi does exist. A lady from his work knows them personally, and she doesn't seem like the kind of lady who goes around making up stuff like that.

Well, I am out of material, and I still have about 50 minutes before Cameron gets here. Oh dear. I guess it's Free Cell time...

Snob

I hope my previous blog about the Amazing Race didn't make me seem like a TV snob. I'm really not. I like some non-educational shows like King of the Hill, the King of Queens, Americal Idol, Everybody Loves Raymond, and some other stuff. I also like to watch Major League Baseball on TV. Please still like me.

Bittersweet Times

This is a paella that Kev made last week. It was really good. Since he has not been working, he has been doing most of the cooking around here, and I will tell you I am sad to see those days come to an end. Kev is a great cook. I am getting better, but still just kinda so-so. There are a handful of things I can make really well, but I have trouble with variety. It's like the pants. I have about a 4 or 5 meal rotation if I just make the stuff I am good at. So when Kev starts his new job next week, my goal is to be more adventurous and try to make more new things. This is easier said than done, because as you all know by now, I am easily defeated by kitchen failures, plus it is hot outside which really beats me down and screws up my ability to get in a groove. If anyone has some good recipes, please send them to me!

TV

Last night there was NOTHING on TV (Nova was a re-run) so I decided to watch the Amazing Race to see what all the hub-bub was about. I will tell you I didn't really like it. I was glad the nice couple won. They had a lot of class, paying their taxi driver and all. But those other people were horrible. They were so rude to all the taxi drivers! You don't just go into someone else's country and order them to hurry up so you can win a million dollars while they probably make about $20 a day. I was very lucky to visit Jamaica last year, and I had a driver named Dennis Miller. He was one of the coolest people I have ever met. He took us to the rain forest for a tubing trip down the river, which was really awesome, but I think the best part of the trip was just talking to Dennis about Jamaica and his life and politics and stuff. We asked him about Americans and he told us that he is often treated really poorly by American tourists and I was ashamed. So then I see these knuckleheads last night. I don't know. Have they been travelling all around the world on this show treating people like that? "Get out of my way! We're in a race! Why can't we have special priviliges...We're gonna win a million!" It just bothered me. I was so glad those red people lost...that guy was very coniving. And the blue people were so mean to each other! I liked the winners. Nice to see the good guys win for once. I was uncomfortable with the begging though. Anyway, I don't think I'll be watching that show again.

Bird Songs

Kev has added a link to bird songs over there on the right. Try it out if you are bored. Some funny ones are mallard, American Coot, and Canada goose, and the barred owl is really cool. He says "Who Cooks for Yoouuu."

I was very excited to learn that there is a new documentary coming in June called March of the Penguins, and if it is anywhere near as great as winged migration, I will see it again and again.

Down by Law (again)

One day car-legal and guess what happens. As I am driving home from working at my parents' house, my rear-view mirror suddenly just falls off. Plop. Am now adding car trouble to my kryptonite list. I need a nap.

Off.

During the time between signing in to blogger and now, I forgot what I was going to write about.

Here Come the Suns

Oh boy, what a spanking. I have to say, that Phoenix team is awesome. And so much fun to watch. Have you ever seen anyone that could pass like Steve Nash? Nevertheless, I am sad for the Mavericks and I hope they can turn things around.
P.S. It's time for Cuban to go sit far away in a luxury suite. I can't look at him anymore. I wish it was true that if you make the same face all the time, you get stuck like that. Cuban would forever have the face of surprised disgust.
Then again, that would mean Avery would get stuck with the People's Eyebrow. (if you smell what the Rock is cookin').

Sleepy

I am so sleepy today. I can hardly keep my eyes open. This is bad, because I am working late tonight, and I am expected to be lots of fun to play with, in addition to being on my toes and ready for those speech and language curve-balls the kids can throw at any time. My most difficult kid is at the end of the day, unfortunate for me and for him.

For those of you who have been wondering, Saturday's mystery bird was in fact a mourning warbler. I thought this was a possibility, and it was confirmed by one of the bird chat guys...I should learn to trust my bird-identifying skills. I have found a cool website where you can choose a bird and hear a recording of its song. I am going to have Kev put a link to it over there with my other links, so you can amuse yourself with bird songs, or startle the person in the next cube with sudden owl calls or goose honks. My favorite is the simple mallard. I cannot listen to it without cracking up.

Larryfeathers is in New Orleans for the second week in a row. I am jealous because he gets to go to Voodoo Barbeque. So delicious.

The Rory Block concert was great. I was pleased that the audience was substantial enough to warrant her switch to a bigger venue. I did miss the pie and coffee though. There were two opening acts. The first was a singer/song-writer lady with a piano. She was serviceable as a singer and pianist, but her lyrics were tired and soul-less. It is only a matter of time, I thought, before she does a Sarah McLaughlin song, and sure enough she sang the Arms of the Angel song. I think if you must do one of her songs, you should try to make it your own. This lady tried way too hard to sound just like the record. Didn't work. The second opener was Holland K. Smith (blues guitar guy) with Miss Wanda King on vocals. This lady could SING! Then of course, was Rory Block, who always puts on a great show. She has definitely earned the right to sing the blues...she's had a tough life. Every time I see her, I am saddened to note the absence of black people in the audience. The black people have turned their backs on the blues. I have been reading a book where Dan Akroyd, as Elwood Blues, interviews all these cool old blues people like John Lee Hooker and BB King and Rufus Thomas etc. It is so great. They would be sad to know that only white people go to see blues shows anymore. By the way, if you haven't ever listened to Skip James, I recommend that you do so. He has an interesting story, which I will save for another time.

I am pleased that the Mavericks have moved on to round 2. I fear Phoenix though. They have the great Steve Nash.

I decided that I would follow some Mr. Rogers wisdom from the book I just finished, so I opted to take my car to Belmont Garage, home of the mean man, for my state inspection. They were VERY nice, my car passed inspection, and I am finally all car-legal and happy. Perhaps the mean man was just tired (taahrd) when I called last week. It feels good to forgive.

I am pleased that Bob liked the stuff we added to his song. He wants to give us a Japanese Maple.

Three and a half hours until I get home. I'll never make it.

Mother's Day Blog

Here is a story for Mother's Day:

When I was in first or second grade, I went to Slate Run Elementary School in New Albany, Indiana. Slate Run had the unfortunately-named mascot, the "INJUN," but that's another story. Every once in a while during each day, this kid named Robert from the "special" class would come into our classroom. He was mentally retarded, so he had some odd behaviors and usually had some food on his face and he made weird noises. All the kids in my class made fun of him. They would pass around "Robert cooties" and stuff. I remember clearly all the kids tip-toeing around in the halls with great caution, because if you stepped on a crack, you had to kiss Robert. I am not sure he knew he was being made fun of...he always just smiled. Still, somehow, I felt, this wasn't quite OK. I told my mom about it. She said, "Be his friend." So I went back to school and asked the teacher if I could stay in from recess to play with Robert. (For some reason, Robert didn't get to go out for recess). Anyway, Robert and I sat on the classroom floor and played pick-up sticks. I will never forget it as long as I live. So that was an early lesson in patience and tolerance and kindness, right from my mom. Probably the best advice she ever gave me that I can remember. Unless you count, "Always take flip-flops when you go camping so you can wear them in the yucky showers in the bath house." That one comes in handy off and on quite a bit.

So everyone have a nice Mother's Day, and remember to try to practice patience and tolerance and kindness.

Sabado Gigante!

Hello on this cloudy Saturday morning. I am here, happy with my Central Market Amaretto Coffee, and Kev is on the couch playing his guitar. Tonight we are going to the Granada to see Rory Block, who (if you don't know) is a good blues lady. It should be a good show, but I am worried that no one will be in the audience because it wasn't advertised well. We have seen her perform twice before to packed houses at Uncle Calvin's, but they always advertise well via their mailing list, and they get a lot of regulars in their audiences, who come to every show for the pie and coffee and fellowship that Uncle Calvin's offers. I hope there is a decent crowd, because she is a nice lady and it would be a drag if her feelings were hurt by a lame turn-out.

Yesterday I went downtown on the train to get my new registration sticker at the Dallas County Tax Office. What a depressing place. But I was in and out of there in less than five minutes, so it was OK. Nothing exciting happened on the train, but I did notice with great admiration the many different ways it is possible for black people to sculpt their hair. One lady had hair that included a big braid up the back and several small braids up the sides, culminating in a large ball of hair on top with little floral braids all over it. It was really impressive. Another lady had perfectly round hair, like a ball. And have you seen all the different ways Dallas Maverick player Marquis Daniels can get his hairs to go? White people could learn a thing or two about hair creativity from these three people. I wanted to compliment the braid lady, but I was afraid that she wouldn't like me because I'm white. This sucks, because I just want everyone to like me. Can't we all just get along?

I have been enjoying a lot of people's recent posts about pants. I was just lamenting to Kev that I am beginning my summer 3-pants rotation with the same pants from last summer's 3-pants rotation, and I was complaining that people were going to see me in the same pants as last summer and it was embarrassing. Kev said no one notices your pants. And I said of course they do, if you wear the same 3 pants all the time. I was then backed up by the Mintez blog, as he is a GUY and notices people that wear the same pants every day. So anyway, I am still mad at my pants, but I did get a new skirt yesterday to mix things up a bit. We were actually shopping for new pants for Kev to wear to his new job. I will not discourse on the subject of shopping for pants with Kev.

I saw a new bird in my back yard today, and after going through two bird books, we couldn't ID it, so I had to resort to posting a message on the bird chat message board for Audubon Dallas, making me officially a bird nerd. I promise not to get sucked into their chat though. I just want to know what I saw this morning, and you can bet one of them will know.

After getting some mixmaster feedback, Kev remixed the Bob song and added some bass. The new mix is on Nowhere Radio if anyone is interested.

My brother told me that some people in McKinney have 4 daughters named Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow, and Brandi. I will need proof.

I hope the Mavericks win tonight. Even if I was going to be home, I don't think I could watch the game. I get way too wound up. By the end of Game 6, I was all scrunched up in one corner of the couch yelling at the know-it-all announcer and getting very agitated. I had to do some deep breathing afterward.

Shout out to my mom for Mother's Day. Even though she really shouldn't read this blog so much. I might want to write about yoga sometime after all.

Health Food.

Here is a funny place we saw in Waco last year.

Feliz Cinco de Mayo!

Today is a good day, because today Kev signs the contract for his new job!

If you want a real morning treat with the added bonus of making your home smell like the happiest place on earth, go to Central Market and get some of their Amaretto coffee and take it home and brew it. It is delightful!

"Fun" fact I learned on the train: 44% of people hit the snooze button at least once each morning.

YAWN! Boring!

LRHS Fun Fact: Giraffes take several naps each day, but they do so standing up and with one eye open to watch for predators.

Now THAT'S a fun fact. Those people on the train have just given up.

If you like hats, there is a good hat story at LarryFeathers (AKA The Captain). (Link on the right)

Fame

It seems like if you are a celebrity, you can do anything you want, and people will buy it. Today I had a cancellation at work, so rather than play computer Free Cell (which by the way is one of the few things I can do better than Kev), I decided to go browse around at Barnes and Noble and have a coffee. I was in the children's section looking for stuff to use at work. I saw children's story books by Madonna, Katie Couric, Jason Alexander, and Ray Romano, and at least 2 other celebrities that I can't remember now. Somehow, it doesn't seem fair. There are a lot of good REAL writers out there trying to get published, but how can they compete with such name recognition? To be fair, maybe those celebrity books are good. But I doubt it. Jenny McCarthy, who is famous for being quite bad-mannered, has TWO books about parenting! Good grief.

If you have a little kid, and need a book, check out a really cool book called Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus. Great illustrations. Funny idea. Tons better than anything Katie Couric could come up with. Mister Rogers also has some good children's books about making friends, being sad, divorce, losing a pet, and other things. I like them because they are truthful and don't gloss over negative life events. Also, They Might Be Giants has a great CD for kids about the letters of the alphabet.

Siriusly 80's

Good songs I heard today on Sirius 1st Wave:

PIL - Seattle
REM - Finest Worksong
Haircut 100 - Favorite Shirt
Duran Duran - Planet Earth
The Cure - Jumping Someone Else's Train

Of couse, I had to hear Turning Japanese again. What a beating. I think they are required to play that song once per hour.
I really love Duran Duran, and I really miss when REM used to be good.

Last night on America Idol, they had to sing hits of today. I did not recognize even one of the songs. I believe I have crossed over into the world of out-of-touch old people. That's OK. Those songs were terrible anyway.

New Song

Kev finished mixing the stuff that the PPHPHB added to our friend Bob's song. If anybody wants to check it out, it's on the PPHPHB link, then click Discography, and Volume 3. The song is called Sweet Memory, and it is about Bob's dogs that passed about a year ago. I can't listen to it without crying, so the whole time we were recording, Kev had to turn the vocal track all the way down. Anyway, except for all the crying, it was really fun working on this song. I hope Bob will like it too.

Good News

Mustang Service Center has fixed my car for $75, and with a pleasant and professional attitude. Please consider them for your auto repair needs.

Pie

Our friend Bob was telling us the other day that Pie-ing people is making a come-back. I am not sure where he got this information. I am not really on board with the idea, but I'll admit I started thinking about who I would pie if I had to pie someone. The usual list comes to mind...Oprah, Rachel Ray, Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (still no response to my call, letter, fax, OR email). Kev asked me what kind of pie I would use, so I explained that I am pretty sure the pies used to pie people are just whipped cream. It would seem a shame to waste a perfectly good real pie by putting it in someone's face. Anyway, then I was reading about how Mister Rogers decided to get into television because he turned on a TV one day and saw people being pied, and thought it was degrading, and he wanted to put something on TV that could counter such a thing. Mister Rogers is right. I will not consider pie-ing people anymore.

Hooray For Nice People

This morning, I called Mustang Service Center, as recommended by my friend John who is someone that knows about cars. The man was EXTREMELY friendly, so I took my car there instead of the Belmont garage with the mean man. I am waiting to hear the word on my car's problem. I hope it is not bad news.

As requested, I have posted some spring-time pictures representing positivity. Boy, oh boy. I can't win. I write about birds, and people say, "Hey, why are you always writing about birds," and everyone thinks I'm a dork. Then, during a really difficult and stress-filled week, I write about a few things that are getting me down, and I get all this stuff like, "Boy, are you angry...You're angrier than LarryFeathers...Let's have more 'glad,' " and so forth. I just gotta be me, man. If there is one thing I have learned from Mister Rogers, it's that it is OK to feel angry, and it's good to find a way to express it. Even as hard as I try, I can't be cheerful all the time. I just do the best I can.

With that said, I am back on a positive swing, so expect more talk of birds and such and less complaining about cars and humans.

For Marty...

Flowers

Birds 

General Happiness 

Breakin' the Law, Breakin' the Law

Well, I am double illegal.

I decided to wait until tomorrow to go to the mechanic, since I have the day off, so I still don't have my new inspection sticker. Then, I went to Tom Thumb this morning to renew my registration sticker, which is what I have always done, and they said I couldn't get one, and would have to go to the tax office downtown. What a beating. So I have two out-of-date stickers now. I do not like breaking rules, much less LAWS, so I am not happy to be in this predicament. I will be driving home from work as within-the-speed-limit as possible, and hope to not get a ticket.

Had a good weekend once I got over the sad and mad. Did some recording on one of our friend Bob's songs just for fun, and got to practice my mandolin skills. (I don't have any numchucks skills or computer hacking skills). (How the heck do you spell numchucks?)

There are few movies I am willing to watch more than once. Napoleon Dynamite is one. I am glad to have it Tivo-ed for future watching. I want a Vote for Pedro t-shirt, which I heard you can get at Dillards. I am also glad that I can sit on my front porch and see great egrets fly over from time to time. I am glad that bride lady wasn't really kidnapped, even though she sucks for wasting a lot of people's time and money and scaring people. I am glad I didn't watch the Rosie O'Donnel made for TV movie last night. I am glad I only have one more kid to see today. I am glad that we're finally getting decent raspberries at the grocery store. I am glad the Mavs have got it together again. I am glad it is still cool outside. I will be glad if this blog doesn't cause my computer to freeze.

Glad (by Request)

Hey, remember that Whitney and Bryce apartment I already told you about? Well, at that apartment on one of the end tables* next to the I Love Lucy couch, there was a ceramic gladiator head. Someone named it "Glad." It used to seem to always get knocked over, and every time it got knocked over, everyone would yell,"GLAD!" and then he would ceremoniously be retreived from the floor and placed back upon the end table. He never broke, even though he must have gotten knocked over like a hundred times. In fact, I think some people, during a dull moment, would knock him down on purpose just to create some yelling. Anyway, Glad survived that apartment, and was passed around for years from Whitney to Bryce to finally me. About 10 or 12 years later, I lived in a house with my friends Ken and Greg, and I kept Glad on top of the TV in my room. Ken came in there one day and knocked him down and he broke! It was sad. He had been through so much, and leave it to Ken to finally break him. Ken also cleaned our lizard's house with the soup ladel, and left the front door open all the time. But anyway, I reckon Glad probably had a more interesting life than any other ceramic gladiator head, so there you go.

* we used to make fun of my friend Carla because she thought end tables were "inn" tables.

Mad

I am angry so I am going to rant, and then it will all be out of my system so I can get back to practicing patience and tolerance.

1. Yesterday I took my car to the Buick dealership because the driver's side-view mirror, which they replaced in October, fell off again. I told them to please fix it again, and then change the oil and do my state inspection. So they fixed my mirror, and then told me the car wouldn't pass inspection because the oxygen sensor needed to be replaced and that would be about $400.00, please. So we called Ken's Mufflers and the guy said if I needed a new oxygen thingy it would be about $150.00, so we picked up my car from the Buick dealership and went to Ken's. So the nice man at Ken's plugged in a thing that reads codes and tells you what your car's problem is, and the code that came up was not the oxygen sensor at all, but the evaporative somesuch, and I should take my car on over to Belmont garage where they are good and fair. So I went home and called Belmont Garage and had the pleasure of talking to the world's rudest man who said I'd just have to bring my car in on Monday and leave it and that it could take hours (he said "arrs") to fix and he was just a real jerk and he made me so mad, but I will take my car there anyway because I don't know anything about evaporative somesuches and neither does Kev, so what else can I do? Why do we let people get away with being so rude? If someone called my office needing help with their kid, and I talked to them in such a hateful and condescending way, I would not have any clients and I'd be out of work pretty quick. But for some reason, many (NOT ALL) mechanics have this terrible attitude and poor social skills, and we just let it go because they know the magical secrets of cars. So now, after a whole day of car hassles, I still don't know what's wrong with my car, how much it will cost to fix, how long it will take, and meanwhile my inspection sticker expires tomorrow and I have to go see the mean man first thing Monday. So that's one thing I am mad about.

2. I found out that 7 democratic congresspersons failed to show up for the vote on the budget. Had they shown up, the budget would not have passed, and the Artic would be safe for now. Is it not a congressperson's responsibility to his or her constituents to show up and vote on stuff? I am so disgusted.

3. People drive too fast down my street.

4. Humans seem hell-bent on blowing each other up, abducting each other, and covering the planet with oil refineries and strip malls and Wal-Marts. Plus many of them are hateful, rude, and condescending. Dogs don't do any of those things.

5. Mosquitoes.

6. I am dismayed to find out that a house across the street is going to be the latest tear-down, meaning I have months of construction noise and big trucks blocking the street to look forward to, resulting in a new ugly giant McMansion.

OK, I think that is all I am mad about right now. Hopefully I can be nicer to Kev now. None of this is his fault, but he is the one who has to put up with my grouchiness. So, sorry to Kev, and to all of you who had to read all this negativity. Better days ahead I hope.

Sad

Well, Congress has passed the budget resolution, making things look grim for the Alaskan Artic Wildlife Refuge. I feel very sad. I have a giant pit in my stomach. I am very disgusted with short-sighted people and politics and oil companies and so forth. If you like me and the LRHS and wildlife at all, please go to my Sierra Club link on the right and sign the latest petition. Maybe there is still hope. It would mean a lot to me. I have pasted the statement from our side below, please read if you want to learn more about this. Thanks.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
-->
April 29 , 2005
CONTACT:Annie E. Strickler (202) 675-2384
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Alaska Wilderness League * Audubon * Defenders of Wildlife * Earthjustice * Gwich'in Steering Committee * League of Conservation Voters * National Wildlife Federation * Natural Resources Defense Council * Sierra Club * The Wilderness Society * Trustees for Alaska * US Public Interest Research Group
Statement on Passage of Budget Resolution Conference Report
April 29, 2005
The passage of this budget resolution means that the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is still at risk. A budget conference report need not say the words “Arctic National Wildlife Refuge” to pave the way for Arctic Refuge drilling. At the same time, we are encouraged by the strong bipartisan opposition to this budget resolution. In particular, Rep. Nancy Johnson (R, CT) deserves the gratitude of all conservation-minded Americans for her leadership in making the vote in the US House of Representatives a strong bipartisan statement against drilling.
The budget process is not over, and we will continue to fight every step of the way, using every procedural and legislative option at our disposal, to ensure that Congress ultimately listens to the majority of Americans and rejects every effort to include Arctic Refuge drilling in the reconciliation bill.
Although the resolution that passed today does not mention the Refuge by name, it is clearly intended to provide the chairmen of the House Resources and Senate Energy Committees everything they need to push drilling through by circumventing the normal 60-vote requirement for controversial legislation in the Senate. Both committees’ chairmen, Sen. Pete Domenici (R-NM) and Rep. Richard Pombo (R-CA), have made it clear that they will try to use these instructions to force Arctic drilling through the reconciliation bill.
By requiring those committees to “reduce spending” by $2.4 billion over 6 years, the budget conferees are sending those committees a clear and unambiguous signal to “drill away.” It is no coincidence that $2.4 billion is almost exactly the federal share of the unrealistic projection for Arctic National Wildlife Refuge leasing revenue released several months ago by the Congressional Budget Office. Pressed by reporters at Thursday’s press conference, Senator Gregg was forced to concede that this budget would allow the Senate to consider drilling in the filibuster-proof reconciliation bill. [CALL (202) 266-0409 to hear a recording of the reporter’s question and Sen. Gregg’s answer.]
This vote is another example of the extraordinary disconnect between public opinion and Congressional action. Americans have remained steadfast in their commitment to keeping the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge wild, unspoiled, and free of oil drilling. To an even greater extent, they are overwhelmingly opposed to sneaking drilling the Arctic Refuge into the budget process. Over the past several weeks, hundreds of thousands of Americans have called, written letters, e-mailed, and faxed their representatives in Washington to voice their opposition to Arctic Refuge drilling. And starting today, they will be letting their Members of Congress know how unhappy they are about this vote and encouraging their representatives in Washington to continue to fight to protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
There are some places that should be off-limits to oil drilling and industrial development, and the Arctic Refuge is one of them. Drilling would do nothing to reduce gas prices or alleviate our dependence on foreign oil, yet the harm to wildlife habitat for polar bear, caribou, and millions of migratory birds and to the people of the Gwich'in Nation whose subsistence culture is based on the caribou would be permanent and irreparable. We have a moral responsibility to save wild places like the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for future generations. That’s why our country has remained committed to its protection for nearly 50 years.

Those Bee People

OK, after doing some minimal research, I have discovered that the Chicken Payback band is called The Band of Bees, and they have stuff you can get on the internet, so I will be putting them on my birthday/Christmas list unless Larryfeathers would like to burn some stuff for me before then. This is music that will make you feel really happy, at least that's what I can tell from the samples on Amazon. I rarely get excited about any new music because it requires too much research to find any good stuff. In fact, the last new music I heard and liked was the Shins and that's only because my friend Curtis had it on at a pumpkin carving thing a couple of years ago. So thanks to Roberto Mintez for helping me find out about the happy bee people, and some other good stuff too.

What on Earth

has happened to the Mavericks?

Keeping the Positivity Going

If I was a mean and nasty person like Noreen from Emeraldbile, I would write about how much I hate people who talk about sushi a lot, and how tired I am of poker being on TV all the time, and all of the violent things I will do if I hear any more songs about rain.
Instead, I will write about the greatness of Central Market, my happiness to see a new Mr. Rogers book at Barnes and Noble yesterday, and the fact that there should be lots more songs like "Chicken Payback" by some people called Bees.

Feelin' Like a Freak

Today before it started raining, it was a really nice day, so we decided to go to the lake for a picnic. We packed some stuff, and went to get sandwiches. Kev said the grocery store's deli will make sandwiches. I didn't believe him but we went to Kroger anyway, and there near the deli were some pre-made sandwiches with turkey and lettuce and tomato and it was difficult to tell what else. Now, I was not going to spend 4+ dollars on a sandwich with lettuce and tomato and possibly one or more of my kryptonites (mayo, mustard, pickle), so Kev said to ask at the deli counter if they would make me a sandwich. Now, the deli counter was crowded with people who were there to do what one is SUPPOSED to do at the deli counter, which is to purchase the necessary things you need to go home and make your OWN sandwich. And naturally, the deli counter lady was somewhat taken aback by my request, but said she could make me a sandwich, and what would I like on it? I said I would like black forest ham and provolone cheese and that's all, thank you. No mayo? she asked. No, I replied. So she goes about making my sandwich. Then she comes back and says,"Are you sure you don't want anything else on this?" No thank you, I say. She finds this baffling.
"Mayo?"
"No"
"Lettuce?"
"No."
"Tomato?"
"No"
"Don't you want a pickle?"
"No"
By now, all the deli counter customers are having a good laugh. I look around, and Kev is nowhere to be found, clearly embarrassed to be with the Crazy-Nothing-on-the-Sandwich Girl. It was humiliating. I shan't ask for a sandwich in the grocery store deli ever again.

Things got better. We had a nice picnic, and guess what! The ice cream man was at the lake, so I got a fudge bomb pop, and it was so great.

Corridor of Happiness

I wish this was a better picture of the Corridor of Happiness...but see how happy this lady is with her pizza? Other people in the background are sitting outside having lunch surrounded by nice trees. Only bad part is the smokers.

Baby Mockingbird

This baby mockingbird lives in our yard. Yesterday we watched it learning to fly. It is very cute and loud and I hope it learns to fly soon so the cat doesn't get it.

Correction

Even though I am mad at Kev right now, because when I got home he said, "How was Dork-fest, I bet you got a stress-ball and some pencils," I need to inform the readers of the LRHS that Kev does not think about math all the time, and he is nothing like the Rain Man, in spite of what I may or may not have written in a previous blog. I think that what he really thinks about is new ways to make fun of his wife. That's OK. I can take it.

Haus Frau

Today I also cleaned my oven. Easy-Off my ass.

Downtown

Today I went downtown, and I liked what I saw. There is a lot more going on down there than there used to be. People everywhere, shops, restaurants, etc. I met my friend John at Earthfest, which was pretty cool...I signed a pledge to help keep Dallas beautiful, and I got some free Cliff Bars, a notepad, a couple of magnets, and some other stuff, and I met an Opossum named Arnie, and I saw a really bad Elvis impersonator. John and I ate lunch at Campisi's, which is in what I have decided to call the Corridor of Happiness, because it was long and thin, like a corridor, and all the people there were happy with their pizza and gyros and coffee and patio seating. Then we went to Magic Magic Dollar Store, where a very nice man sold John some gum. Downtown used to be dead. Not anymore. That's a good thing.

I celebrated Earth Day by hanging up my new flag and filling all my bird feeders and learning about Hybrid cars and riding the train. Kev is mowing the lawn and cleaning out the gutters.

Have a good weekend.

Happy Earth Day

Go Team Earth!

Old

Yesterday I was alerted via email of the upcoming North Garland High School Class of 1986 20-Year Reunion. This does not make me happy. I am old. In an effort to make me feel even worse, my silver hairs are all standing awkwardly at attention today, away from the rest of the hairs, as if to say "Look at me!" Thanks, humidity.

I haven't decided about going to the reunion yet. There are only a handful of people I have any interest in seeing that I don't already see on a pretty regular basis. Plus, it costs a LOT of money for a ticket. And I am pretty sure Kev wouldn't have much fun being paraded around and introduced to a bunch of Garlandites. Then again, it might be kind of like participating in a real-life episode of King of the Hill. Which could be fun. We could play "Spot-the-Dale," or "Find-a-Bill," or "Who-Looks-the-Most-Like-Peggy." My friends and I crashed the 10-year reunion, meaning we showed up at the end of the night wearing jeans and not paying. Pretty typical behavior from the "Iron Maidens," as Bryce used to call us. It was kind of weird and surreal. Well, I guess I have a year to decide about this one. Ugh.

I don't like being old, but I sure am glad I'm not in High School anymore.

Swiss Miss

On our road trip, we were listening to the great Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys. One song has a lady doing some fine yodelling. I said I wish I could yodel, and Kev said even if I could, I wouldn't share it with the world. That's not true. If I could yodel, I'd yodel all the time. Maybe I'd even go over to Mockingbird Station and yodel next to the blind guy who plays harmonica, or the guy with the vibes near the fountain. So, today when I was in my car all alone, I tried with all my might to yodel, and I will tell you I have a better chance of becoming the fourth tenor than a star yodeler. Someday, I'll find my talent...

Something to Do for Thursday

Cool Marty alerted me to this:

www.worldbeardchampionships.com

I think LarryFeathers should start working on his entry for next year...

The other day I was thinking

about my friend Carla from high school. She had a loud cackle-y laugh and a cat named "Extra." I miss fun Carla.

Who Wants to Play a Game?

Name FIVE people with funny beards.