Farewell, 2010

As I sit here on New Year's Eve, it's time to say goodbye to 2010. Before 2010 is gone, I need to thank 2010 for some things.

I need to thank you for teaching me the value of patience. For over twenty years at work, I waited and waited for the day that I would get a big promotion, and in the last few weeks of this year, it finally came through - I was promoted to department supervisor. Thank you for giving me patience and diligence. This past year was exceptionally hard, with all that we dealt with as a department. It was a hard year on all of us in our little cubicle, but I thank you for giving me patience. It finally paid off.

I need to thank you for giving me discipline this year. My classes in my Master's Degree program progressively got harder, and I thank you for showing me the power of discipline. I'm getting ready to start on my last class, and I'm very proud to say that after all classes so far, I've kept up my streak of straight A's. It wasn't easy; most nights I spent at the desk studying. But it's paid off.

I need to thank you for the health and happiness of my family. Mom and Dad are doing great, and I am so thankful to have them with me.

I need to thank you for showing me the awesome power of prayer. This summer and fall, many others and I prayed for little Brooklynn, and thanks to the power of the Lord, she is still with us and is doing just fine. As I told a friend back in the summer, the only thing the Lord cannot do is fail. And many many thanks for that fact.

I need to ask for a couple of things in the new year, too.

I need to ask for continued discipline and focus. This weekend I will start on my Master's Thesis, and I ask that you help keep me disciplined and focussed. I really need to ask for the ability to say "no" when friends start calling and wanting to go out. In nine short weeks it will all be over and I will be the proud owner of two Master's Degrees, so I just need to keep that goal in sight.

I need to ask you to be easy on my parents and friends. Don't be too hard on them. They made it through 2010 fairly unscathed, so please go light on them.

I need to ask you to help me as I start a new chapter in my life as the department supervisor. We're all not sure what you have in store for us next year, but I ask that you give me wisdom, understanding and more patience. And above all else, help me to never lose sight of the Golden Rule -- to treat others as I want to be treated.

Thank you again, 2010, for all that you taught us. And we look forward to what 2011 has in store.

Quote Of The Week

QThis edition of Quote Of The Week was said by yours truly, and I quote:

"Life is too short to play games unless there's Monopoly money involved."

Nuff said.

Wednesday Updates

It's been awhile since I've given any updates on little Brooklynn, so I wanted to fill you all in. As of her visit to the doctor yesterday for a check-up, she's just a few ounces away from being ten pounds - yep, she'll soon be in the double-digits. Other than just being small, her pediatrician said she's doing just fine. Her family wanted to once again thank everyone for their prayers for her.

TWIT would like to wish a very speedy recovery to two dear friends of our family, Marty and Howard. Our friend Marty had a pacemaker put in on Monday and is doing great. They only kept her one night in the hospital for observation. She said she'll be soon preparing for her annual trip to Florida for the winter. And our friend Howard has been in the hospital for a week with pneumonia and a collapsed lung, but is doing much better this week, and hopes to get sprung from the hospital soon.

That's What I Call A Smooth Ride

I've been trying to drive the BMW more than I have in the past few months, to keep it running, and I've noticed something very odd and interesting. I think there's a short in the driver's seat adjustment switches, because for the last few days I've driven the car it feels like I'm sitting in a massage chair. Yep, I can feel the driver's seat moving up, down, forward, backward and every other way it moves. I haven't tried to adjust it manually to stop it; I've just been enjoying the massage while I drive. And as long as I'm not hurting anything on the car, I just might not do anything and will just continue to enjoy the smooth ride.

Another One Bites The Dust

As I write this, I feel horrible. When I was clearing the dishes from the table and the pots and pans from the stove, I dropped and broke one of our beloved antique Club Aluminum pans. Clarification - the indestructible Club Aluminum pan didn't break; the heavy plastic handle did. I felt terrible. We'd had this set of pans for as long as I can remember. I was almost hysterical over breaking it and Mom was just "no big deal." Of course, the first thing I did was run to the computer and get on eBay and order a replacement handle for it, only to have Mom fuss at me for doing so. She said that she had a new Ove Glove that she got for Christmas and that would be just fine for the pan; she didn't need the handle. But I still felt bad and will still feel bad about it until the replacement handle arrives in the mail and I can get it screwed back on to the pan.

Link Of The Week

I think the 'Rents and I are some of the few people that didn't get a gift card for Christmas this year. Just about every person I've talked to since Christmas Eve has gotten gift cards. And a couple of them complained about the stores and restaurants the gift cards were for. I found a site this week that will help them out. It's called the Plastic Jungle, and you can buy, sell or swap gift cards. You can trade your gift cards for cash (via check), PayPal funds, or an Amazon.com Gift Card, or if you're feeling generous you can donate them to charity. You can also buy gift cards at a pretty good discount. Check them out at http://www.plasticjungle.com.

Merry Christmas

TWIT would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas. I hope you all are enjoying the day with your loved ones.

We've grazed all morning long, and finished our Christmas dinner about an hour ago and now we're all three ready for a nice long winter's nap.

Merry Christmas!

File Under: WTF?

Mysterious creature found in Nelson County

Has a mythical creature made its way to Kentucky? Some people seem to think so, after a Nelson County man came across a creature with grayish, wrinkly skin and no fur.

Mark Cothren shot and killed an animal on Dec. 18 because he said he feared what it was, since he did not recognize it. He said the animal walked from the woods onto his front yard around 3 p.m. Cothren lives on Mount Carmel Church Road in Lebanon Junction.

"I was like: 'every animal has hair, especially this time of year!' What puzzled me is how something like that could survive through a winter with no hair," Cothren said.
"Everybody is getting very curious, you know. [The] phone is ringing off the hook. It's kind of a mystery right now," Cothren said.

Cothren described the creature as having large ears, whiskers, a long tail, and about the size of a house cat. He says many people have tried to guess what the animal may be. He said he's heard anything from raccoon to a dog to the legendary Chupacabra.

"Everybody is leaning kind of toward that - it's the Chupacabra! People have come up to me [saying] 'that's what the thing is 'cause I pulled it up on the Internet'" Cothren laughed.
Legend has it the Chupacabra - also known as the "Goat Sucker" - kills goats and sucks their blood. The fabled creature has supposedly been spotted in South America, Mexico, Puerto Rico, as well as Texas and Oklahoma.

"It's hard to judge what an animal is from just a photograph," said Sam Clites with the Louisville Zoo. Clites say he would have to see the animal in person to study it and determine its species. At first glance, he believed the animal could be a raccoon or a dog, but not a mythical creature.
"This is an animal that's native to our area, most likely that is suffering from some type disease," Clites said.

Clites says it isn't uncommon for an animal with a severe disease to lose fur and look unrecognizable. Cothren says he has spoken with the state Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources and is preserving the animal to hand over to them.

I just really don't know what to think about this. I agree with Mr. Cothren - it sure doesn't look like any raccoon or possum or even a coyote. And it sure doesn't look like the Chupacabra that Mulder and Scully found on an episode of the "X-Files" back in the day, either; that Chupacabra walked on it's hind legs like a person. And it was way bigger than this one.

Flashback Friday

When I was little, one of the things I could always count on getting for Christmas (besides new socks) was a Lifesavers Book. Sometimes I would get one at school when we would exchange gifts in our class; other times, there would be one in my stocking Christmas morning. Isn't it cool how Santa always knew to get me a Lifesavers Book when I didn't get one at school? Anyhoo, it's been years and years since I've gotten one, and I was sure that they didn't make them anymore until I saw them in the stores this holiday season.

With all of the electronic, computer and video stuff the kids get for Christmas these days, I guess they would think a Lifesavers Book was lame. My friends and I sure didn't. We loved the book. And in typical kid fashion, we would trade the rolls we didn't like. Butter Rum was always my favorite, and luckily for me, the friends that I traded with didn't like that flavor so I was always able to trade for their Buttered Rum Lifesavers. Nobody would give up everyone's favorite Wild Cherry, though.

Happy Birthday, Susan Lucci

TWIT would like to wish a very happy birthday to one of my favorite actresses, Susan Lucci. The awesome Ms. Lucci turns 64 today. And I will say she looks damned good for 64.

All I Want For Christmas . . . Is To Rest

It's been a rough and busy few weeks, faithful readers. Hell, it's been a rough and busy year, with school and with everything that's gone on at work in the past year. I don't even want to try to add up all of the times that I've been to a store since Sunday night; I think the total would shock even the most diehard shopper. It's not just for Christmas presants for my family - a couple of years ago, the 'Rents and I decided we were not going to have a "capitalistic Christmas" and we scaled way back on our spending and gift giving. And we kept the same tradition this year; only I've been running around trying to get last minute special grocery items for a big salad that I want to make (and you know I don't cook) and things for a special project that me and the SF's do every Christmas in lieu of exchanging gifts. We buy things for two girls at the Maryhurst home/school for troubled teenage girls. Sure, I'm tired from running around but at the same time I'm thrilled that I have a job that gives me enough money to be able to buy some things so these two teenage girls that are living at the school will have a good Christmas. To me, that's what it's all about.

So getting back to me, all I really want for Christmas this year is to rest. Other than delivering the gifts to Maryhurst tomorrow night, that's the extent of my Christmas traveling until Sunday. I'm planning on staying in my pajamas all day on Christmas day, too. So be forwarned if you decide to stop in and visit.

Quote Of The Week

This was overheard last night at WalMart.

Background: a mother who appeared to be in her early 30's was telling this to her toddler child who was laying down on the floor of the store.

"Get your ass up off of the floor."

Vehicle Update

It's been awhile since I've had to put one of the vehicles in the shop, so I'm sure you've been missing the report$. Not to worry - I've got an update today. As I mentioned on Saturday, the Blazer's turn signals haven't been working since late last week. I took it on Thursday to a shop that a friend recommended that was able to look at it. Well, no luck. The shop specializes in brakes and exhaust systems and was going to look at it as a favor. But they said it was "too involved" for them. The next day at work, one of my coworkers pointed out the fact that I had the Blazer in the shop earlier this year to have the turn signals fixed. My old mind had forgotten about that. I called the shop that did that work (luckily it's about a mile from work) and sure enough they fixed it back in the spring. They said to bring it in today and they'd fix it again and wouldn't charge me. While I was being inconvenienced, I told them to change the oil and check the rest of the vital parts out for me, and to check out the 4WD, which hasn't worked in about a year.

They called this afternoon to say that the turn signals now worked, the oil had been changed, other filters had been changed, and that the only thing wrong with the 4WD was a switch. They said they'd have me back in business tomorrow afternoon. For the first time in ages, the total of repairs was well under our normal $400 cap -- only $203. You don't know how happy that made me.

All I can say is that mabe this weekend I'll get the chance to try out the 4WD switch if we get the big Christmas Eve snow like they're predicting. As always, I'll keep you posted.

Link Of The Week

A friend sent me a link to a very cool site this week - she's a big fan of Flashback Friday and thought I could get some ideas from the site. Well, the site is just too cool to flashback to just one or two things, so I felt compelled to share it in a link.

You know by now that I'm old school - I love all of the old school stuff from back in the day. The site is an online store where you can buy old school candy from the 50's on up to the olden days of the 90's. They even had the horrible Space Sticks - very chewy chocolate flavored candy. They tasted terrible but we still ate them because we thought the astronauts ate them. Buy some for yourself at http://www.hometownfavorites.com.

All Together Now

When I woke up this morning, the BMW wouldn't start, the Blazer had no turn signals, my iPod Touch wouldn't charge, and a friend had lost their cell phone. After a day of a combination of frustration, patience and diligence, we're down to only the Blazer still having no turn signals. But that will be taken care of on Monday. So almost everything has come together.

Flashback Friday

For the kids in school, today was the last day before the Christmas break. But the kids in Jefferson County have gotten two extra days, since they've had snow days the past two days.

I distinctly remember the last day before the Christmas break when I was in elementary school. The PTA room mothers would come to the classroom as soon as we had lunch and the party woudl start. We'd had cupcakes, cookies, potato chips, Coke - you name it, the room mothers would bring it. And it was all homemade stuff, too; a far cry from today where the parents have to bring store-bought stuff to school. And for the record, it was a CHRISTMAS party - it wasn't a politically correct "Winter Holiday Party".

In addition to the previously mentioned goodies, we would always get a big clear plastic stocking filled with cool Christmas ribbon candy and a candy cane shaped pen. Of course to me, that was the highlight of the day.

Winter Storm #3 Update #1

It might be getting hard to decipher the winter storm updates, but just in case you're confused, this is the first update about Winter Storm #3.

The snow and sleet is supposed to start shortly, with a total of 2 to 4 inches, and is supposedly to be followed by freezing rain, which is expected to total over a quarter of an inch. Believe me when I tell you as much as I love snow, I would be just fine with none of this crap to deal with tomorrow.

On a side note, this is finals week, and I'm in my deep-anxiety-attack mode until I get the big project completed and turned in. I woke up at 2:15 this morning in full-blown panic.

As always, I'll keep you posted.

Winter Storm #3

Winter storm warnings are already out for the area as we speak, and we're gearing up for Winter Storm #3. Starting tomorrow afternoon and ending hopefully Thursday afternoon, we're expected to have 2- 4 inches of snow and ice in the area. All I can think about is January 27, 2009 when we had the Mega Ice Storm Of The Century. I pray it's not nearly as bad.

At any rate, we're not taking any chances here at The Compound. The 'Rents went to the grocery this afternoon and got in everything we'll need to get us through Christmas. We've got the Christmas ham, stuff for Mom's awesome potato salad, and plenty of spinach so Mom can make her famous spinach dip. We have plenty of flour, sugar and other ingredients so Dad can start his Christmas baking. And we have plenty of sour cream; a staple at holidays. I'm getting ready to head out to get our lottery tickets and will stock up on other items for the holidays: plenty of Coke Zero, Bud Light, and Frito Scoops. As always, I'll keep you posted.

Winter Storm #2 Update

We ended up getting about an inch of snow last night, and what measley snow that fell was blown all around thanks to the small wind storm we had last night. Of course Jefferson County cancelled school today, but the roads were fine when I went to work this a.m. Cars were moving along just like normal. I guess the teachers and administrators felt they needed a day off.

Anyhoo, I'm disappointed, mainly in the weatherazzi who had me all ready for 2 to 4 inches of snow. The snowblower was full of gas and in the front of the garage, with the starter plugged in and ready to blow.

Never fear, because our third winter storm of the season is in the forecast for Wednesday night and Thursday morning. As always, I'll keep you posted.

Link Of The Week

It's hard to believe that when I type the Link Of The Week two weeks from today, Christmas will be over. I'm not trying to be a Scrooge or anything; I'm just reporting the facts. This means you have less then two weeks to still sing Christmas carols. In case you can't remember the words to some of the Christmas carols, TWIT can help you out. Visit http://www.carolingcorner.com and you can find the lyrics to over 250 Christmas carols. Now get to fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-ing.

Snow Storm Eve

Once again, the weatherazzi has whipped everyone into a frenzy about the big snow storm that is forecasted to start later tonight. At last check, we're "supposed" to get 2 to 4 inches of snow, with 35 mph winds causing (and I quote) "blizzard-like conditions". It's been pouring rain for the past few hours, and it's supposed to change over to snow early tomorrow morning. Actually, it would be bad enough with all of the rain freezing over tonight when the temperatures drop, but add snow and high winds causing the wind chill factor to be below zero, and you've got an interesting day ahead of us.

From reports I got this morning, milk and bread was flying off the shelves in the stores as fast as they could restock. One report form Meijers this morning said there was no milk to be found in the entire store.

As always, I'll keep you posted and will post pictures.

Flashback Friday

During lunch yesterday, my friend, coworker and faithful reader SH and I were reminiscing about our high school typing classes, and how we used the hell out of the typewriter eraser pencils with the brush at the other end. We both agreed that kids today in school would not have a clue what we were talking about. For starters, they wouldn't know what a typewriter was.

During lunch we talked about how when we made a dreaded mistake on a typing assignment, the world might as well have come to and end, because it was a major accomplishment to erase the mistake without tearing a hole in the paper.

Thank goodness today we do most of our "typing" in Word and can delete and do-over with no repercussions at all. The kids today will never know the horror of using the typewriter eraser pencil and praying that you didn't make a hole in your paper.

Quote Of The Week

We're getting a new phone system at work, and on this new system, supervisors will have the capability to monitor phone calls and computer use. I don't need to tell you that this has caused quiet a stir among coworkers. My little department was discussing it today in depth, and after listening to my three employees express their concern and dislike for it, I quoted something a school friend said in class a few weeks ago. And I quote:

"If you don't have anything to hide, then why should it bother you?"

Something You Don't Hear Everyday

Background: Overheard by a worker at "Everything's A Deal" supposedly on her break, standing outside of the door to the store, talking on her cell phone.

"I can pick her up. I got my license back."

The Deep Freeze Continues

The deep freeze continues, and I'm proud to say that once again I wore my badass fur hat today. I wore it on my way home, and I was stopped at Rite-Aid by a fellow shopper who said he liked my winter hat. Well, that made me want to weat it all the more.

Monday Brrrrrrr

This morning was the coldest morning of the season so far - when I left for work it was 19 degrees and very windy. But I was warm and toasty in my heavy coat and my badass winter hat. I got it late last winter, and was only able to wear it a couple of times. But rest assured I wore it to and from work today. It was so soft on my head, and it was extremely warm. It matches my winter coat perfectly.

If you're in the market for a badass warm winter hat, I recommend one just like this one. Do a search for "aviator fur hat" and you'll find it. I hope you get one. You won't regret it; even if someone bags on you for wearing a hat, at least you'll be warm and they probably won't be.

Link Of The Week

I've mentioned in previous posts about how I love my coupons. As soon as we get home from church on Sunday mornings I get the scissors and the coupon sections from the Sunday paper and start cutting. I'm not militant or radical - I only cut out coupons for things that we would normally buy, and I'm not into trading coupons like kids trade baseball cards. I honestly don't have the patience and energy like the militant coupon people who will buy two grocery carts full of stuff and using a box full of coupons only pay $1.31 for everything.

I found a site a couple of weeks ago where a guy does just that - he buys tons and tons of stuff using tons and tons of coupons and only pays pennies for it all. Don't get me wrong - I love a good deal like the next person, but I don't have the time, energy or inclination to do what this guy and others do. He recently took a challenge to be able to buy enough food to fix a complete Thanksgiving dinner for a family of 6 for $1. Yes, $1. Read it for yourself at http://www.grocerycouponguide.com/. You'll be amazed at this guy. When you finish reading that, check out his "Eating well on $1 a day" challenge.

Another Disappointment

The weatherazzi had everyone all worked up yesterday about our first snow of the season. They were calling for one to three inches. Given how much I love snow, I was giddy with excitement. The city trucks were out in full force on Thursday brining all of the roads, too. So they were expecting something. They said the snow would start at about midnight last night, and for once they were dead on; it started snowing just as we were leaving the concert last night. It was a pretty ride home, seeing it snow in the night. By the time we pulled into The Compound, the ground was about half covered. I went to bed in anticipation of our first accumulating show of the season. Boy was I disappointed when I woke up. I didn't even wait to put in my contacts or put on my new glasses; I hopped out of bed and peeked through the mini-blinds. Even half blind I could still see some grass and leaves poking through the snow. I'd say we didn't even get half an inch. Oh well. There's always next week.

Report From The Concert

The Judds concert was awesome. I love the new Yum! Center.

Computer Update, Day 3

I'm very happy to report that the computer shop called me this morning and said that my computer was fixed and ready to go. It seems the problem was in the motherboard and not the video card. But since it was covered under warranty, the only thing it cost me was inconvenience. As soon as I got home, I connected everything back in and within a minute I was up and running.

Computer Problems, Day 2

I'm almost ashamed to report that as soon as I got home today, instinctively I walked to the back bedroom. Then I remembered the computer wasn't back there. I'm not going through withdrawals just yet; it's just hard to break a habit.

Computer Problems, Day 1

I'm frustrated to report that today is day one of not having the desktop computer here at home. I reluctantly unplugged everything this morning and lugged the computer to the shop during a pouring rain during lunchtime today, in hopes of getting the big problem fixed. For the past few months, the computer would either freeze up or just shut down for no apparent reason. I did countless virus scans and updates, to no avail. Last night was the straw that broke the camel's back. At one point I was ready to go get the new pump action shotgun and shoot the computer. But I calmed down.

The shop said they're only running two business days on their work log, so there's a chance I could get it back by the weekend. Until then, I'll be using the tiny netbook. I'm just thankful I have it to use to connect to the worldwide web or else I'd be beside myself.

Black Friday and Cyber Monday Report

I'm very happy to report that the only purchase I've made for Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping combined has been a fifth of Makers Mark bourbon for Mom to use for her holiday bourbon balls. So much for me stimulating the economy.

Link Of The Week

Anyone that has been with me for longer than 30 minutes knows that I'm a big note taker. I jot down everything -- from funny lines in movies and TV shows to ideas for TWIT to recipes or websites I want to check out. I'm never far from a favorite pen with blue ink and a notepad.

I found a site that is a note lover's dream come true. It's called Evernote. Once you create your account (it's free) you can start jotting down your notes on any computer and most cell phones. You can add pictures or files to your notes if you want, and you can organize it in cool ways. Visit http://www.evernote.com and set it up and start saving those notes. You'll be glad you did.

Thanksgiving Day 2010 Observations

Mid afternoon on Thanksgiving Day, I was a little restless, and decided to make a quick shopping trip to the stores in our hood that were open on Thanksgiving Day. Ordinarily I wouldn't go, but since they were working, I thought I'd give them some business. I visited Dollar General Store and got a few bargains, and then moved onto Rite Aid, and bought a cool Charlie Brown Christmas Tree to put in my new office. My last stop was Krogers, where I didn't really need anything; I just wanted to go and see what they had on sale.

I got some cool individual chip and dip bowls for us, and while I was roaming throughout the store I paid close attention to see what sections were sold out. In the entire Kroger store, the only section that was sold out was the sour cream. There were plenty of turkeys, potatoes, cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes and just about every vegetable you could think of. In the frozen food section there were still plenty of pumpkin pies. But there was no sour cream to be found at Krogers.

This made me ponder. Thanksgiving is a big meal day - not a partying day. I could see where Christmas or New Years there might be a sour cream shortage, because people use it for all kinds of dips, but you don't normally think of needing sour cream for Thanksgiving Dinner.

I paid for my stuff and drove home, all the while still wondering why the big run on sour cream. If anyone has any insight on this, please let me know.

Flashback Friday

Wednesday afternoon at work, my good friend, coworker and faithful reader SH was carrying around a stiff strip of plastic. She was on her way out to the factory when she stopped by the cube to say hi, and as soon as I saw the piece of plastic she was carrying, I told her that it reminded me of the old school gag leash and halter for an invisible dog. We both had a good laugh about it, and reminisced about how you would see people walking around fairs and amusement parks holding one.

And before you as, yes, I had one. But I didn't get mine at an amusement park. My grandpa made it. He unfolded a coat hanger and threaded it through the center of an old dog leash collar. I asked Mom and Dad about it and they said it was all they could do to keep me from taking to the store or out in public.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I would like to wish a very happy Thanksgiving to all of you, my faithful readers. It warms my heart that this is the seventh time I've been able to wish everyone that reads TWIT a happy Thanksgiving. I thank you all very, very much for taking time out of each day to visit TWIT and read what I've been thinking.

Something You Don't Hear Everyday

Once again I am proud to bring you Something You Don't Hear Everyday. This has become quite a popular topic with my faithful readers.

Today's installation comes from something that was heard by a faithful reader who probably wants to remain anonymous.

"You need to eat doughnuts and get a debit card."

Nuff said.

Thank Your Lucky Clouds

We had some heavy storms move through in the early hours this morning - the first round came through at about 1:30 and the second wave came through about two hours late. Both storms came from the west, and Dad and I both agree that the rain pounding the west side of the house (my bedroom and part of their bedroom) was the heaviest pelting of rain hitting the windows of the house that we've ever experienced. During both storms I got up and turned on the TV to make sure we weren't in the middle of a tornado.

When I was going back to sleep after the 3:30 round of storms I thought of one thing: all of the crazy, obsessed Black Friday shoppers that will be out at midnight Thursday night waiting in line had better thank their lucky clouds, er, stars, that the storm moved through last night instead of Thursday night or else they would have been in big trouble.

Bonus Link Of The Week

I read a story online earlier tonight, it's way too good to make you wait till Sunday for me to post a link. There's not much I can say about it, other than you'll just have to read it and make up your own mind. As my beloved Mulder and Scully said on the "X-Files", the truth is out there.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1330563/Dudley-Dorito-UFO-spotted-UK-skies-time-3-years.html

Link Of The Week

It's hard to believe that Thanksgiving is just a few days away. For the first time in my 47 years of celebrating Thanksgiving, we are not having turkey or chicken, or any poultry or fowl. We're not even having beef. We're having barbequed ribs, potato salad and baked beans, just because that's what we want.

But for the rest of the country that will be having turkey, I wish you all luck with the birds. In case you have a question about fixing the turkey, just visit the fine folks at Butterball and send in your question to the Turkey Hotline. You can find it here at http://www.butterball.com/contact_us_submissions/new.

Flashback Saturday

I just got back from making a quick trip up the road to Krogers to pick up a couple of things Mom needed. There in the lobby of the store was something that I coveted: a popcorn machine. Yep, the old school kind with the clear plexiglass sides. It wasn't on top of a cool rolling cart; it was on a card table, but I wanted it, nonehteless. As I was walking out with my bag of groceries, a Krogers clerk at the popcorn machine asked if I'd like a free bag of popcorn. You bet I did. As soon as I got into the Blazer, I started eating the popcorn and reminisced about how it tasted just like the popcorn from Murphey's.

Murphey's was a big dime store at Dixie Manor Shopping Center in the hood. Actually, I guess it was a combo department store/dime store, because they had everything. They had a record department where I'd buy my 45's and albums; they had a cool lunch counter where you could get stuff to eat; they had a fabric department, where Grandma would get all of her yarn and accessories for her crocheting. You get the picture. They even had a pet department, where you could get not only gold fish or parakeets, but you could get a small monkey. While Mom and Grandma were shopping at Murphey's, I would spend all of my time back in the pet section watching the monkeys in the cages. Well, not all of my time.

Before we went home, I would make a visit to the awesome candy counter at Murphey's, and with money Grandma would give me, I would always buy a bag of popcorn to take home with me. That was the rule - she'd buy me the popcorn but I had to wait till I got home to eat it, so I wouldn't end up dumping the bag in the car during the 8 minute trip back home.

The popcorn from Murphey's tasted like none other. To this day, I've had popcorn that came close, just like the popcorn from Kroger's today, but none has equaled Murphey's popcorn. I'm almost ready to buy a popcorn machine like the one at Kroger's just so I can try to duplicate the Murphey's popcorn. And we all know how I am once I get something in my head. As always, I'll keep you posted.

And P.S. -- with you all reading this post, you know the computer was back in operation. Well, quasi-operation.

Frustrating Friday

As I type this, faithful readers, my desktop computer is operating in Safe Mode. After screwing around with it for over a half an hour, including a dozen failed attempts to get it to boot up, I finally just got in Safe Mode and have been able to work on my research paper that is saved on this computer and that is due Sunday.

If you remember anything about me after reading TWIT for the past 5 years, then you know I'm a procrastinator. A few months after I got this computer it started freezing up and after shutting it off it would boot back up and work fine for months. Well, the problem has gotten increasingly worse, and Sunday night I was ready to take it out in the back yard and shoot it with our new pump action shotgun. But I was able to get it up and running this week, only to have it crap again tonight. It makes no sense. I've been running it in Safe Mode for 20 minutes now and it's fine. But yet when I try to start it in regular mode, it will try to boot up then it shuts down and tries to restart Windows. Over and over and over.

Once I get this paper fine-tuned and submitted tomorrow, I'm going to unplug this @#&%er and take it back to the computer shop that built it. At least it has a lifetime warranty so it won't cost me anything except inconvenience.

As always, I'll keep you posted. If I can.

Bonus

I tried for 20 minutes to copy and paste this news article into a journal post but I had the damnedest time. So you'll just have to trust me on this one and take a couple of minutes to click on the link and read the article.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40248892/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/?Gt1=43001

All week long at work we've had meetings about our health insurance. The company is giving us the option of keeping our PPO or we can switch to a plan with a high deductible. Regardless of what plan you chose, this article poses a very good question: would insurance cover this as a preventive procedure?

Back In Business

I'm happy to report I'm feeling much, much better today than I was yesterday. Thank you for your get well wishes, faithful readers. It must have been a thankfully quick 24 hour bug of some type because I felt great today and ate anything what wasn't nailed down.

Today was a great day - besides being over he little bug I had yesterday, today was filled with awesome news. First of all, my friend and coworker JDub found out today that he's going to get to be a daddy again. Their bundle of joy is due close to his birthday in July. And for the record, I have no idea why they say "be a daddy again" - once a daddy, always a daddy, that's what I always say.

And the news got better as the day went on. We heard from our boss BP today, and she told us that she is now in remission! Let me tell you that was some of the best news I've heard in months.

Under The Weather

I'm very, very bummed to report that I'm feeling under the weather tonight. So much, that I didn't even eat the highly anticipated supper of ribs cooked out on the grill tonight using a secret dry rub recipe. Believe me I wanted to eat the awesome ribs and Mom's homemade potato salad but with the way my delicate digestive system has been all day, I passed on that and instead just drank some ginger ale and ate a banana and some saltine crackers.

For the past week I've been looking forward to the ribs grilled using Charlie Vergos' special dry rub. But I'm hoping for a quick and full recovery tomorrow so I can have some for lunch. As for now, I'm going to sign off of here and go do some homework while I lay on my bed. That way I can drift off to sleep if I feel like it.

Something You Don't See Everyday

My friend, coworker and faithful reader SH has outdone herself again. Last week, she gave us "Something you don't hear everyday" and today she brings us "something you don't see everyday." She certainly has been working overtime to bring us newsworthy tidbits for TWIT.

Today at work, she told me about something interesting she saw while dining out with her family this weekend. She was looking out the windows at the restaurant at cars in the parking lot, and she spotted a BMW that looked a lot like mine. Driving the car, was a woman smoking a cigar. Now that is definitely something that you don't see everyday.

Link Of The Week

I am still kicking myself for not recording "The Women Of Saturday Night Live" a couple of weeks ago. I keep hoping NBC will rerun it again soon. I still can't remember when I've laughed much over something I've seen on TV or in a movie or even in real life. In case you didn't get to watch it, never fear. You can visit a very cool site, http://www.hulu.com and watch sketches from the show. I couldn't find the entire show but they have a lot of sketches on there. And you can also watch just about any TV show that is currently on the air, as well as other shows from the past.

Hats Off To Fireman Shawn

Normally I protect the anonymity of my faithful readers, but today I have to mention a friend and faithful reader in order to give them a major WTG (way to go). TWIT would like to give a major thank you to Fireman Shawn for helping at The Compound today. As I type this, Fireman Shawn is on the roof of the house with his father's portable gas-powered leaf blower and is blowing all of the leaves off of the roof of the house and from the gutters. Fireman Shawn was visiting his parents (our neighbors) and he saw Dad getting the ladder out and he came running over and offered to do it so my 76 year old father wouldn't be climbing up and walking around on the roof of the house.

I call him Fireman Shawn because, well, Shawn is a fireman. He is living out a childhood dream of being a fireman, and is a very valuable member of the Louisville Fire Department. In fact, he broke the department's record for carrying an insanely heavy fire hose up and down an insane amount of stairs as part of his test.

You, rock, Fireman Shawn. Not only for helping us out, but for helping our community, and for being an awesome father, husband, son, brother and friend.

Flashback Friday

Hug A Veteran Today

TWIT would like to wish a very happy Veteran's Day to all of the veterans out there. You all rock for serving our country so selflessly. And I would like to give a challenge to all of my faithful readers. It's only a little after 6:00 EST, so we still have some time left -- I urge you all to go out and find a veteran and give them a hug today and thank them for their service. Anyone that knows me knows that I am a hugger, and I've already hugged three veterans today, and am getting ready to go out and hug me a couple more just to thank them for their service. Do the same.

Something You Don't Hear Everyday

A faithful reader, friend and coworker SH emailed me today with something I just had to post in TWIT. We will begin a recurring post called "Something You Don't Hear Everyday." Her's definitely fits.

Background: SH got a phone call from her husband asking, , ,

"Can I put a frozen bear leg in the freezer?"

Yep, that's definitely something you don't hear everyday.

The Great Coffee Crisis

Things got off to a pretty shakey start at work this morning. We had the Great Coffee Crisis.
I walked into the lunchroom to put my lunch in the fridge (or should I say "attempt" to put my lunch in the fridge, because once again it was crammed full of lunch boxes. But I digress) and along with spilled coffee I saw parts of our coffee maker scattered all over the counter top. Apparently, the coffee maker keeps leaking and spilling out coffee in the mornings. A very kind coworker has been cleaning up the mess, but this morning she got fed up and left it for the Powers That Be to see in hopes that they would make arrangements for it to get fixed. The coffee vendor sent someone here yesterday but they said there was nothing wrong with it.

You can imagine how an office full of coffee drinkers would react to such a crisis as this. Some started going upstairs to the second floor coffee maker, but it soon ran out, and then upstairs people started coming downstairs in a useless attempt for coffee. By now, the natives were getting restless. The way some were carrying on, you would have thought that we were running out of oxygen to breathe. I'm pretty sure that the trapped Chilean miners didn't act nearly this bad.

Another coworker came to the rescue and started brewing coffee in her regular-sized Mr. Coffee maker. People started grabbing at the Mr. Coffee pot like drowning people would reach for a life prerserver. I think all that coworker did for two hours was make pot after pot in her small Mr. Coffee. At least that effort was able to get a little coffee into the bodies of the caffeine-deprived coworkers and keep them from turning into lethargic zombies.

Daylight Savings Time Recap

This was our first work day of Daylight Savings Time, and I was very shocked that I did not hear one coworker say they were depressed because it was getting darker sooner. I'm guessing that it's because this was the first work day of Daylight Savings Time. I'm sure as the week goes on I'll hear it. In advance, I have to say get over it, people. You're in for this until the spring.

Sorry, Zenyatta

We interrupt the regularly scheduled Link Of The Week to tell Zenyatta that we're sorry that she came in second in the Breeder's Cup Classic last night. This probably sounds crass, but I'm very very sorry she didn't win. I, along with millions of horse race fans, was wishing and hoping she'd win so her owners and trainer could brag about a perfect 20 and 0 record. But still 19 and 1 is a major, major feat. She ran an awesome race, and I think if the race had been about 20 more yards long, she would have won. You're awesome, Zenyatta, and you will go down in history.

Good Luck, Zenyatta

TWIT would like to wish the best of luck to Zenyatta today as she goes for an historical win in the Breeders Cup Classic. She's won 19 out of 19 races so far, and let me tell you - luck had nothing to do with those wins. She'll be going for win #20 today before retiring. She'll go down in racing history win or lose, but the world of horse racing hopes she goes out a winner.

Good Luck, Zenyatta

TWIT would like to wish the best of luck to Zenyatta today as she goes for an historical win in the Breeders Cup Classic. She's won 19 out of 19 races so far, and let me tell you - luck had nothing to do with those wins. She'll be going for win #20 today before retiring. She'll go down in racing history win or lose, but the world of horse racing hopes she goes out a winner.

Flashback Friday

On Monday, I made a comment to a coworker in my department about liking his new tennis shoes that he was wearing. He thanked me for the compliment, and said that they were old shoes but he hadn't worn them very much. Another coworker said "They're Flashback Friday Run DMC shoes." I was so proud of that coworker for actually reading TWIT enough to know about Flashback Friday, and number 2, for being so cool to mention it.

In honor of both the Run DMC shoe wearer and the shoe observer, here's a pic of the shoes.

Let It Snow?

It's just the first week in November and we already snow in the forecast. Yes, snow. They're only calling for a few snow flurries tomorrow morning, and with as warm as it's been I know it can't stick, but I already know that it will be Mr. Toad's Wild Ride even with just a few flakes floating around in the air. I might have to get up a half hour earlier tomorrow morning so I can get to work on time just because I know the traffic will be a frightmare.

It's Way Too Early

I bet I heard at least a half a dozen people at work say today "This weather has me depressed." I wanted to say something to them but I just kept my mouth shut. I wanted to yell out "Today is the one of the first days in a week that it hasn't been totally sunny so just deal with it" but I didn't. We're still days away from the time change and already people are weirding out and are saying they're "depressed" because of the weather. I wanted to yell out "Depression is a mental disorder. You're just bummed out because it's cloudy today" but I didn't. I was not very sympathetic today and doubt that I will be tomorrow. All I can say is it's a long time till spring, my friends. I hope you all can adjust.

Happy Deviled Egg Day

TWIT would like to wish everyone Happy Deviled Egg Day. As soon as you read this, please go to your kitchen, boil 6 eggs, let them cool off, and then cut them in half length-wise and scoop out the yellows into a bowl. Mash the yellows up, and then add a small plop of mustard and a little bit bigger plop of mayonnaise and a shake of salt and pepper and mix it all up. Take a table knife and then stuff the mixture back into the egg whites. If you're really feeling Food Network-ish, sprinkle some paprika on top, or do like I do and slice a few green olives and place a slice on top of the yellow mixture. And then get a glass of iced tea and enjoy your deviled eggs on National Deviled Egg Day.

Way To Go, Alexandria Mills

TWIT would like to congratulate Alexandria Mills, Miss USA, on winning this weekend's Miss World competition. I am proud to say that Alexandria is from Louisville, KY. She is only 18 years old and just graduated from high school this spring.

Last week, unfortunately, the country's attention was on Kentucky when the young woman got stomped and roughed up outside of the Rand Paul and Jack Conway debate in Lexington. Well, this week, we have a little more to be proud of here in Kentucky.

TWIT wishes Alexandria all the best during her year reign as Miss World. We're very proud of you and we know that you will be an awesome Miss World.

Link Of The Week

We had a pretty wild storm move through the 'Ville on Tuesday morning. Thank goodness nobody was injured and there wasn't much damage but it was wild nonetheless. One reason it was wild was because it was a rare occasion when the Weatherazzi accurately predicted the time of the storm. But I digress. There were tornado warnings all over the place Tuesday from this storm, and in up in Chicago they were calling it a "Chiclone" because the winds were so high. Our diligent friends at NASA have a very cool picture of this storm that was taken Tuesday morning. Visit http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=46662 and check it out.

Just What The Doctor Ordered

I took a much-needed break from school today and so far as of the time I am typing this in, I haven't worked on school one bit. And it's been awesome. I was up early, had breakfast with the family and just puttered around the house until I was motivated enough to go out and run some errands and get a few groceries. When I got home, we all three had an awesome snack of nachos and then we all three had an awesome nap. I must say the nap has been the highlight of my day so far.

Flashback Friday

Today was the day when coworkers' kids and grandkids come by in their Halloween costumes and trick-or-treat the offices and cubicles. It's truly one of our favorite days of the year. But I digress. One of the guys in my department had his mother-in-law bring his two kids by this afternoon, and we while we were chatting with his two kids, I was happy to find out that some things never change. I asked his kids about their candy, and yep, kids still sort out their Halloween candy.

It was usually time for bed by the time I got done trick-or-treating, but the next day as soon as I got home from school I would dump out all of my candy and sort it all. The first sort was to weed out the candy I didn't like. That went into a separate container for the family to eat. Then the real sorting began. Candy bars in one pile, suckers in another, gum in another, etc etc. The sorting wasn't all in vain; I would get plastic bags to put the candy in them so I could keep them all separated. It wasn't me being OCD as a kid; it was merely for order. I wanted the candy sorted and separated so I wouldn't have to rummage through my big plastic pumpkin to find what I was looking for.

Brrrrrr

I've said it before and I'll say it again - when I say it's cold/cool, you know it's cold/cool. And it's cool. I left for work this a.m. wearing a long sleeved shirt, thinking it would be enough. By the time I got home 30 minutes ago I was cold.

I met a friend downtown on Fourth Street Live after work, and as soon as I parked the car and got out, I could feel the chill. I was very ashamed to admit to myself that I was unprepared and didn't have a jacket with me. But I persevered. Needless to say I didn't stay very long to partake in the festivities - a concert by a C list up-and-coming country singer - but I did walk and stand around for a while.

I guess I'll have to cave in and go down to the basement now and bring up one of my warmer, heavier jackets, because the forecasted temp for going-to-work time tomorrow a.m. is in the low 30's. Maybe I can get by with a long-sleeved t-shirt and one of my down vests.

Just A Reminder . . .

I want to take a moment and publicly proclaim how thankful I am to still have my Mother and Father in my life. Before, during, and after supper tonight, we discussed a current drama going on in the lives of some friends. Dad summed it all up when he said "I just need to remind you - don't ever be afraid to tell your Mama and Daddy anything. We might be mad or upset at first, but we're still your Mama and Daddy, and we love you no matter what, and we'll do whatever we can to fix it."

I have to say he's absolutely right.

Tornado Tuesday

If you were anywhere within a 200 mile radius of Louisville this morning between breakfast and lunch, then chances are you experienced Tornado Tuesday. Here in the 'Ville, the civil defense sirens started going off a little after 11:00 to let warn everyone of a tornado warning for the area. Thank the Lord none formed nor touched down, but it was pretty wild for the 45 minutes that my coworkers and I were huddled in the inner hallways and bathrooms of the first floor of our office. I'm proud to say that nobody freaked out, and things went smoothe. I did learn some things that will help me make my little department better equipped and prepared.

I'm going to buy a portable digital TV to keep at work, and more importantly I will make a point of keeping it fully charged at all times. Today during the storm, the only news and information we were getting was from a local AM radio channel that we could get on an iPhone thanks to the iHeart Radio app. I want to stay informed.

Quote Of The Week, Volumn 2

Today is a quasi-historic day in my life. Today is the day that I am getting back to the business of eating healthier and either riding my bike or walking every day. I'm ashamed to confess that I've put back on all but ten pounds that I lost 2 and a half yeas ago. This Saturday night I made this decision, and I prayed for strength and to resist temptation. Yesterday in Sunday School, the title of our lesson is my new favorite personal quote:

"The Old Way Has Got To Go"

Nuff said.

Link Of The Week

It's hard to believe that Halloween is only a week away. Where has the month gone? In case you don't have an idea for a Halloween costume, TWIT can help you out. Just visit http://halloweencostumeideas.net/ for some cool Halloween costume ideas. And if you use any of these, please send me a picture - I'd love to see your costumes.

Quote Of The Week

My current favorite quote was spoken by one of my favorite characters on "Grey's Anatomy", Dr. Bailey. She was putting one of the resident surgeons in her place, and they were talking about a patient being crazy. In all of her infinite wisdom, Dr. Bailey simply said:

"Crazy is relative."

Flashback Friday

A dear friend from South Carolina called last to chat and catch up, and during our conversation we talked about Gram. We both found it hard to believe that it's been 11 years this week that she died. It wasn't a sad conversation - we both laughed as we told our favorite Grandma stories. After my friend called last night, I didn't think anymore about it until today at work, when three friends called me to say they were thinking of me as they too reminisced about Gram today. That made me feel so awesome that others still keep her memory alive.

As I drove home from work today, I could just hear Grandma on the phone saying "Make sure to get onion rings when you pick up our fish tonight." We ate an order of rings in your memory tonight, Gram. And they were good.

It's A Small World

I just had a text and a call from a dear friend in South Carolina, saying that he had a slice of Derby pie at a Greek restaurant, of all places. Who knew? My only comment was if the pie he ate was trademarked. Anyhoo, if that isn't a good example of multicultural, I sure don't know what is.

Get Well Soon, Mom

TWIT would like to wish my Mom a major get well soon. She's been out of commission since Mon day afternoon with a nasty stomach bug. She's perkier today than she's been all week, so we're hoping that she's on the downside of it, but she still gets sick at her stomach. And needless to say, the Cherokee blood in her makes her stubborn and she hasn't called her doctor yet. Now I know where I get it from. But I digress. Dad and I have been doing our best to keep The Compound up and running all week but it hasn't been easy without our Chief Of Staff. We all hope you feel better very soon, Mom. When you're sick, we all feel sick.

Reflections On Yesterday

I've had ample time to calm down from yesterday evening's big meltdown over thinking my wallet had been stolen, and while I was thinking about it, I came up with some things about our wallets that I'd like to share with you, my faithful readers.

First of all, please do not carry anything in your wallet that has your Social Security number on it. I remember back in the day how Mom, Dad, Grandma and Grandpa all had a cool metal engraved Social Security card in their wallets. I cringe today at the thought of my Social Security number getting into the hands of someone else. If you have anything in your wallet or purse with your Social Security number on it, please take it out and keep it in a safe place at home.

Second, the next time you're around a copier, please take the entire contents of your wallet out and make a copy of everything in it, and then take the copy and store it at home in a safe place. It will be invaluable if you wallet is ever stolen.

Third, make sure you know all of the phone numbers to call if your wallet is stolen. Your bank/financial institution, all of your credit card companies, the DMV for your driver's license, your health insurance carrier, AAA, the library - any business that has issued you some type of card that you keep in your wallet.

Having this information on hand if your wallet is stolen could make a difference in someone stealing your identity and racking up big $$$ against your accounts. Be safe.

I Can Finally Breathe Again

Just a couple of hours ago, I endured one of the scariest moments of my life so far. For about fifteen minutes, I thought that my wallet had been stolen from my purse while shopping. Thank you, Lord, that it wasn't. But I can't begin to tell you how scared and panicked I felt during those fifteen minutes.

It all started at 4:30. I called home, like I do every day, to see if the 'Rents needed anything on the way home. Mom has been really sick since yesterday with a nasty stomach bug, and Dad nor I wanted to cook so I checked to see what he wanted to eat for supper and to see if Mom wanted anything. I jotted down the list of provisions they wanted, grabbed my purse and headed toward home and the WalMart. I did my shopping and when I got the checkout lane and reached inside the Prada for my wallet, it wasn't there. I practically dumped everything out onto the counter and still no wallet. I told the clerk it must have fallen out, and I ran out to the car to check. Still no wallet. That's when I panicked. It wasn't your ordinary anxiety attack; it was a full-blown panic. I ran back inside and found a security person and told them that I thought my wallet had been stolen. I then told them that there was a chance it had fallen out of my purse and was at work in my cubicle. A police officer was there on unofficial business and heard my story, and when he heard me say I was going to zoom back to work to check, he offerred to drive me there. So yours truly got to ride in a police car (uncuffed, thank goodness, and in the front seat) down the street to work. I was a bit disappointed he didn't put on the lights and siren, but at least he did go fast. He stayed in the parking lot at work while I ran in. As soon as I got to my cube I dropped to my knees and was crawling around looking for it. After a minute that seemed like an eternity, I found it. It had fallen out of my purse and was sitting on top of the computer tower on the flower. As soon as I picked it up and clutched it to my chest, I said a major thank you prayer for finding it. I ran back out, still clutching my wallet to my chest, hopped back in the cruiser and Officer Smitty hauled me back to WalMart where I was able to buy my groceries, and then I headed home, still trembling a bit.

I still have to say that I don't ever remember being that scared before. For the fifteen minutes that the cop was hauling me to work, I thought I was going to have a nervous breakdown. All the time I kept thinking "Who all am I going to have to call to let them know my wallet was stolen?" The list was long -- the DMV to tell them my drivers license was stolen, my credit union to tell them about my debit card, Chase bank to tell them about my [thankfully] one credit card, AAA, Anthem health insurance, and various others. But thank the good Lord I didn't have to make those calls.

As I type this, I've calmed down a bit, but I am still a bit nerved up. I just hope and pray nobody else has to go through that uncertainty.

Are You Ready For Some Football?

We're all pumped and ready here at The Compound for Monday Night Football. At 8:30, we will get to watch our beloved Tennesee Titans take on the Jacksonville Jaguars. Supper is long over, the dishes are done, and we're just relaxing and watching fill-in TV shows until kick-off time. We've got our pan of Jiffy Pop popcorn and a bottle of sugar-free A&W root beer on stand-by and we're just waiting for the kick-off. Normally we don't watch Monday Night Football because it inteferes with our other beloved show, "Dancing With The Stars", but the Titans take priority.
If you haven't made any plans for later on this evening, get your bath or shower and get your stuff ready for work and the stuff ready for the kids to go to school, and sit back and watch my Titans hopefully win.

Link Of The Week

I can't repeat enough how I like to get something free. I know we all do. Usually there are some strings attached with offers that are too-good-to-be-true. But this week, I came across a freebie that not only sounded too-good-to-be-true, it WAS true. Just visit this link and print out a couple for a free waffle at Waffle House. It truly works because I used my coupon on the way to work Thursday morning. The link is long but just click here: http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?llr=5nheftcab&v=00153jkMsybZmg-mYbuiJv44_k3bYmNn8QalUXE3-oMyhH22xHzx2wYD__-JujUyf-s9IORXwpIxHs4jCKVeh7OyBgOEn5sTGI0kWLrlM9Qog0-w7pzaJvsxClZf8a1gwsWxrjeuVOn87PP73f4o86uoHrm8hAA3NHml1RjcNEOIoVvKdQ9Q2vgWJPKZuTsGScUAiM3ZXuymljipiE7fx40wRbJtLuHz5w6PnY_mp1cNA4TCNRb1FYUoOKsd4ptyLe4I8MbA09GCe5yJjje3WE6d9qSua3hSWmb

The Light At The End Of The Tunnel

I spent the majority of my Saturday off working on my final exam for this class. Yep. While family, neighbors and friends were outside enjoying the awesome sunny, not-too-hot, fall weather we had today I was inside studying. I'm happy to report that as of about five minutes ago, my work for this class is officially over. Actually, the class does not officially end until noon tomorrow, but I completed and turned in my final exam, took my last weekly test, and posted the last of my comments on the discussion boards. I have a day to rest and then the next class starts on Monday. But as of right now, faithful readers, the end is in deed in sight. My next class is one I've been looking forward to - Terrorism and Extremist Behavior. But after the Terrorism class, there will only be one more to take and then I will be finished and will be the recipient of my second Masters Degree.

As you know from previous posts, this class was very overwhelming and stressful. In fact, it caused me to have my very first anxiety attack. But it's over, and I've learned a few things from this stressful class. The biggest lesson I learned was that I need to pace myself and not try to do too much. On Monday when the new class starts, I'm going to print out the calendar for the class and will pace myself and do a little bit each day. This new class doesn't have a midterm or final exam, thank goodness, but in place of the exams there will be two research papers. So now you see the need to pace myself. The next lesson, and probably the biggest, I learned is that this Masters degree program is supposed to be no-pressure; I did it one time already, and this second was is supposed to be for ME. I just have to keep remembering that.

Flashback Friday

My Grandpa's sister, Aunt Maimie, and her husband, Uncle Lon, lived about five minutes from us out in Valley Station. Whenever we would go visit, they would continue with Grandma and Grandpa's trend of spoiling me. While the adults would drink coffee or sip on some of Uncle Lon's homemade wine, Aunt Maimie would always have Orange Crush (in the old school brown bottles, of course) and a can of Underwood Deviled Ham and some saltine crackers for me to snack on while I watched TV in the den. Sometimes she would alternate and give me a little can of potted meat, but most of the times, it was Underwood Deviled Ham. To me, that was one of the most awesome treats.

This week, I tried to travel back to my childhood and had a can of deviled ham for lunch. I shared it with my coworker, friend and faithful reader SH, who shared her own story of how the Deviled Ham was a major treat when she was a kid. Lo and behold, we both thought it tasted the same as it did when we were a kid. At least that hadn't changed.

Dear Fall:

Dear Fall:

Thank you very much for visiting us this year. It seems for the past few years we haven't been able to spend very much time with you. Your friend Summer usually makes a quick exit followed on the heels of your friend Winter. But this year, we've been able to spend some time with you.

You've been a bit warmer than I would like, but I haven't complained. I've just kept the air conditioner on in the car and at home. And I'm so thankful you haven't been too cool; I don't think I could handle having the furnace on at home right now. Just keep up the temps in the upper 70's for a few more weeks and we'll get along fine.

You've been awesome in keeping us from having to have the grass cut here at The Compound for the past two months. We can't thank you enough. And you've also been very kind to keep your leaves from falling all at once. Once again, we can't thank you enough for that.

We hope that you can stay with us for at least another month or so before your friend Winter shows up. But just between you and me, I've always had a major crush on Winter. And with as much as I love the cold, I think Winter and I will always have a love affair.

Thanks again for visiting with us a lot this year. And as much as I'd love to see your friend Winter, I do hope that you can stick around for a while longer.

Love,
Puddin

I Want A New Drug . . . Test

When I walked to the lunchroom at work yesterday morning to put my lunch in the crammed-full refrigerator, I noticed a nurse was sitting at one of the tables in the lunchroom, with a bunch of stuff spread out on the table in front of her. I knew that our company-sponsored flu shots weren't until today, but then I saw the familiar "lottery" cards that us employees get when it's our time for a drug test. I was caught off guard - usually the nurse is out in the hallway at a small table by the mens and womens bathrooms, but today she was in the lunchroom. Of course I had to ask what was going on. She explained that they no longer used the urine analysis tests, where we all had to pee in a cup, and instead now they swab the insides of the employees' mouths. She said that it was more "effective." It looked like something from a "CSI" episode where the investigators were swabbing for DNA samples. Anyhoo, it was quite the topic of conversation yesterday and today.

Why Do They Call It That?

As part of my lunch today at work, I brought two hard boiled eggs and proceeded to slice them in half, scoop out the yellows and mix them with some mayo and mustard and make me some deviled eggs. Let me tell you it was quite the center of conversation in the lunchroom today. We started talking about deviled eggs, and a coworker and faithful reader asked if I knew why they called them deviled eggs. I told him that I didn't know, but reassured him I would find the answer.

Here's the history behind the the name. An Englishman by the name of William Underwood set up a small condiment business on Boston's Russia Wharf in 1822. It did pretty well both developing and selling new condiment products. In 1868, Underwood's sons began experimenting with a new product created from ground ham blended with a mix of special seasonings. They introduced a product line of seasoned meat products including ham, turkey, chicken, lobster, and tongue. They called the seasoning process "deviling," and the Underwood "red devil" was born. Today many other foods, including eggs and crab, are serve"deviled." For the record, to be considered deviled, a food has to have a kick from something like mustard, hot sauce, cayenne pepper or chopped hot peppers. Now you know.

Bonus Link Of The Week

I found a link today that is too good to have to wait almost a week to share with you, faithful readers, so I'm giving you a Bonus Link Of The Week. We all like to get something free, especially if it's something useful. Today I came across a link where you can get a free bottle of Advil. Just visit https://d1rzercstjfql6.cloudfront.net/sample.html and enter your name and address and they will send you a coupon for a free bottle of Advil.

Link Of The Week

It's not big secret now that I don't cook. I was raised in a house with two excellent cooks so thank goodness I never had to cook. But in the past few years, I've been dispensing cooking adivce to friends who know darned good and well that I don't cook.

This week I came across an awesome site for all of you cooks - it's from the good people at Betty Crocker. The site is one of the best recipe sites out there on the internet. Visit it at http://www.bettycrocker.com and happy cooking.

Flashback Saturday

I apologize for no post yesterday. I am taking a much needed short break. This week I reminisced about a time when I didn't have so many responsibilities going on at one time. It sure was a nice memory.

None For Me, Thanks

A new restaurant opened down the street from work, and they sent over a few copies of the menu for us to check out. Other than the food being a bit on pricy side, I would visit it. In fact, one day next week I plan on checking it out and getting lunch there. But you can rest assured one thing I won't be getting from them is a Fruit Bowel.

Things Are FALLing Into Place

I've struggled and worked and worked and worked some more and as of an hour ago I submitted the big final project for this class that I've been working on for over a month. Believe me when I tell you it felt like a huge weight was lifted off of my shoulders. Of course I still have two more week's worth of regular school work and then the final to do but this was a major relief. Thank you all for your prayers and words of encouragement. It means a lot to know I have a major support team standing right there with me as I get closer and closer to the end of this Master's program.

Take That, Paula Deen

We just finished with supper here at The Compound and I'm here to tell you that Paula Deen herself could not have made fried green tomatoes any better than my Mother did tonight. These were the last of the tomatoes from the garden here at The Compound, and they were perfect - not too soggy, not too crisp. Just perfect - that's about all I can say. We all three ate a couple of slices more than we should but boy were they good. Major props go out to Mom for frying them up and to Dad for all of his hard work in planting, cultivating and growing the tomatoes.

BRRRRR Update

I'm not ashamed to say that before I left the house this morning, I came back inside and got a jacket to wear today. When I left the house it was 49 degrees at The Compound. Yep, that's cool, even by my standards. But for those of you in the Ohio Valley (my Rents included) there is relief in sight - by the end of the week the temperature is supposed to be back up to close to 90. Just keep on wearing sweaters or light jackets for the new few mornings because by the end of the week you'll be sweating like the rest of us.

Link Of The Week

By now we all know that October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. To all of my faithful readers this means getting a yearly mammogram - yes, you men, too, need to checked out. This month is filled with lots of fundraising walks, and the major league teams are promoting awareness, too.

Please take a moment to visit the site of my favorite team and if you wear ballcaps, please purchase a special pink NFL Tennessee Titans ballcap. Visit http://www.titanslockerroom.com and order your special edition sideline cap today.

Relief Is In Sight

For the past few months I've been spending every waking moment at home working on school work for my Criminal Behavior class. That is no exaggeration. In between the insane amount of weekly reading and the weekly assignments, I've been working on a big final project for this class. In fact, I've spent the majority of my vacation days and evenings this week working on the project non-stop. I felt a lot better last night when I put the books away before going to bed - I had about 3/4 of the project written. I felt a huge relief. But me and my fellow classmates were all still stressed because the professor has been very lax in posting our grades. The last time he posted was September 1, so for a month we didn't know how we were doing. That alone is enough to drive a sane person crazy. But lo and behold, grades were posted today and if I could have done a cartwheel I would have when I saw that as of today, I am just one point away from an A. I'm not ashamed to admit that this class has been the hardest by far in this Masters program and at one point I was seriously thinking that I would have to take the class over (note: in the Masters program, you have to get at least a B- or else you have to take the class again). I've got two more quizzes, our final project and our final exam to pull an A out. Wish me luck, and as always, I'll keep you posted.

Flashback Friday

First of all let me apologize for not posting yesterday. I was deep into my research project for this class and was on the verge of an anxiety attack when I realized it was due in less than a week. Add to that the fact that I was still very worried about my boss and her condition fighting the ovarian and colon cancer and you had one rattled Puddin. On a happier note, I've made considerable progress on my school project today, thanks to still being off from work. But I digress.

Today is the first official day of the weekend long St. James Art Fair here in old Louisville, and the kids are all off from school today. The school system decided that since a lot of teachers would call in sick to take the day off to go to the art fair, they would just let everybody off. I'm just sorry that the St. James Art Fair wasn't that popular at Greenwood Elementary or Conway Middle School back in the day because we didn't get the day off.

Enjoying a much needed break away from everything.

Mini-Vacation, Here I Come

I am very happy to report that as of 4:30 today, I am on a mini-vacation and don't have to be back in the office until Monday morning. Words cannot express how good that makes me feel. I need a major break right now to get some rest and to get some school stuff done, and I intend to take full advantage of my five days away from work.

Rushing The Season

Fall is finally here in the Ohio Valley, and the upper 90 degree days are over, I hope. In fact, this morning when I went to work it was downright cool. If my visiting cousin hadn't been asleep in the back bedroom I would have gone back there to grab a jacket out of the closet. But I digress. As I left the house this morning it was a cool 54 degrees. And lo and behold, on my way to work this morning I saw the first big winter coat. Normally it takes at least a few cool mornings before I see a big coat but this season it happened today - just a mere 4 days into fall.
I hate to see how that person will be dressing when it really gets cold.

Link Of The Week

Fall is officially here, and that means one thing -- the NFL season is in full swing. Once again, the good folks at Campbell's Chunky Soup are doing their part to help in the fight against hunger in their Click For Cans. This year, visit http://www.chunky.com/ClickForCansHowToPlay.aspx once a day and look for your favorite team in this week's match up and click on them to cast your vote. You can vote once a day, so spread the word and have your friends vote for your team. If you'd like, feel free to vote for my favorite Tennessee Titans.

Sunny Saturday

It's one of the most gorgeous days we've had this year and I've spent most of it inside working on school work. But I don't care - that's the choice I made a year and a half ago when I decided to go back for this second Masters Degree. But anyhoo, it's a glorious early fall day here in the 'Ville. And it's been a productive day. I've been reading over the 200+ pages of articles, reports and research for my big project for this class, and I have to say that I honestly don't feel as stressed as I did in the past couple of weeks. Yes, I know the deadline for the project is looming over my head, but as I read and underlined and took notes today, I felt a bit more at ease. I can't explain it but as I said, I feel a bit less stressed. I just hope that it continues.

Breaking News

We interrupt the regularly scheduled Flashback Friday to report that it actually rained here in the 'Ville today. After weeks and weeks of no rain, it actually rained today. It didn't rain much, and if you blinked you might have missed but I did in deed witness the rain. A couple of times, even. The first time was around 3:00 this afternoon - a coworker said it was raining, and by the time I got my keys out of my purse and ran outside to put the windows up on my Blazer, it had already quit. It rained about two hours later on my way home. I actually had to turn on the windshield wipers for about 30 seconds. But alas, it did rain.

Happy Birthday, Mom

TWIT would like to wish a very happy birthday to my Mom. She's proudly 76 years young today. She's been celebrating since last weekend, and from what I hear, the celebration will be continuing for another week. As her daughter, I just hope I'm included in all of the parties and festivities.

Party On

Mom's birthday is tomorrow, and as we've done for the past ten or so years, her birthday has been a two-week celebration. The partying started on Monday, and will continue this week and most of next week when my cousin from Alabama comes up for his annual fall sabatical. But I digress. Tonight we celebrated Mom's birthday eve with a visit to a new 'hood Mexican joint called Pina Fiesta. We hadn't been there ten minutes when we all three agreed that it was our new favorite Mexican restaurant in town. But a little background first. The restaurant used to be our favorite Italian place, Tuscany. We ate there every other week faithfully, and last week when we found out they closed we were close to distraught. But we gave the new place a shot tonight and we loved it. It wasn't your typical "I'll have the number 23" Mexican place. The food was very flavorful and not bland, and there were more choices on their menu than the other Mexican places. Like I said, it didn't take long for us to proclaim it as our family favorite Mexican restaurant. Dad even said that he wanted to start going there on Friday nights. Now, if you my Dad, you know that was one huge statement. He normally prefers carryout to dining out in a restaurant. So when he said that, I knew that was the ultimate compliment the new restaurant could get.

Deja Vu

First of all, I'm worried about myself because in my bizarre mind, I kept track of this today, but I'm astonished to report that I heard the word "simular" a record total of four times today during my eight-hour day at work. In case you've forgotten, "simular" is a Non-Word. I can only imagine what I'll hear tomorrow.

Fall Cleaning, Here We Come

My cousin from Alabama will be making his annual fall visit to us at the end of the week, so that can only mean one thing at The Compound: fall cleaning. As always, I've procrastinated and have put off and put off cleaning up the back bedroom for his arrival. As I type this on Monday night, I'm looking ahead at one of the busiest week's I've had in years. My school work load is more than I could have ever imagined in this entire Master's degree program; add in a big research project that's due at the end of this class; add in being busy at work with cross-training and an unusually busy time at work; and add to this a lot of other stuff going on. Add that all together and you've got one majorly stressed-out Puddin for the next few weeks, maybe even months.

For now, I'm only going to think about what I can do tonight. First on my agenda is to clean up the back bedroom. Hopefully a missing bracelet will be found. Dad got a head start on the back bedroom today - he put in a new light bulb in the ceiling light so now things are very bright back here. Then I'm going to go on a mad search through the house for a missing bracelet. Then I'm going to sit down with my text book and read as many pages as I can tonight. If you're praying people, please say one for me.

Link Of The Week

Gas prices here in the 'Ville have inched their way back up to close to $3 a gallon right now. I know we sure got spoiled earlier in the year. But as a friend said to me, you pay it or you stay home. But I digress. I know vacation time is over, but I found a site that will help you get a rough estimate on your fuel costs for taking a trip. Just visit http://www.fuelcalculator.com and see how much it will cost. The fuel calculator is brought to us by the good folks at AAA. Unfortunately I can't figure out how much gas will cost me for a trip if I drive the old BMW or Blazer, because the oldest year they use on the calculator is 1998. But good luck in calculating.

Farewell, As The World Turns

TWIT would like to say farewell to As The World Turns. Yesterday, the longest running soap opera aired its last episode. The soap was in the top of the ratings for its impressive 54 year run.

ATWT was a pioneer in the soap world. It was one of the first half-hour shows and used techniques that the soap genre became famous for, such as the lingering close-up, and portrayed a greater depth of character so that we knew motivations. Like most soaps, ATWT focused on one main family, in this show, the Hughes family.

ATWT was one of my Grandma's favorites to watch. One of the main characters was named Lisa, and she was the viliainess of the show. Before I was born, Mom and Dad were thinking of names and at one point wanted to name me Lisa but Grandma put her foot down and didn't want me to have the same name as a conniving, cold character on the show.

Flashback Friday