Rules of Engagement

Generally accepted tenets of blogging as listed in Justinsomnia:

• post regularly
• title each post
• link to things on the web
• provide each post with its own url (permalink)
• allow full access to archived posts
• allow comments
• identify updated content with an appropriate label (such as “update” or “correction”)
• provide a feed (rss, atom, etc)

We all have our own way of doing things in the blogosphere and this is a sign of healthy creativity. A blog by its definition is a web log. WEB log. On the web and usually for public consumption (reading). Surely a blog’s success shouldn’t rest solely on the number of comments received or on the fawning minions and robotic automatons who are in reality people one knows IRL showing up basically to bolster ones sagging ego. Yes it is pleasant to discover kindred spirits in cyberland and serendipitously connect, but there are bound to be others who don’t see eye to eye on every entry. Its life—deal with it. True joy comes from meeting new and diverse people out there in the far corners of cyberspace who land on ones site via other links or happy accidents. Their championing your partisan views is greatly appreciated but not obligatory. Since when is commenting mandatory? Is it right to insist on comments and punish those who don’t by blocking them from further reading? Who has the kind of time to leave statements on every single one of their bloglinks anyway? Shouldn’t comments be given in the true spirit of free will, generosity, and with a magnanimous desire to make a valid contribution to the topic at hand? On the other hand, abuse and unwanted spam deserve zero tolerance. Verbal attacks are completely unacceptable, unnecessary, rude and demand deletion with utmost haste and minus retaliatory sparring. Just delete. No need to start a flame war which is a waste of time and effort. And since when has lurking become a dirty word? We welcome lurkers, not try to drive them away! Isn’t this how one decides if a particular site is to our taste? And haven't we all sometimes pulled up a blog and then got busy forgetting we had opened it while hours clicked away before we finally remembered it was patiently sitting minimized, awaiting our eventual return? What could be more complimentary than taking the time to get to know the person(s) behind the typed words by perusing their archives? Why would this be frowned upon causing forbidden access and what on God's green earth would possess a person to falsely accuse an innocent lurker of being a scheming stalker??? A stalker lies in wait to do bodily harm to an unsuspecting victim and his intent is highly despicable and downright criminal. Reading another’s blog in no conceivable way resembles this devious, illegal act.

In conclusion, here are a few suggestions I would like to add:

Don’t squash and vindictively delete gently-worded, opposing viewpoints that even slightly differ from your narrow-minded view.

Don’t be so paranoid that you only allow “friends” (aka family, mindless sycophants, or combination thereof) to visit your blog.

Don’t think everyone has to comment on your preshus blog.

Don’t get pissed that your blog is being read *gasp* by someone you haven’t personally approved.

Don’t leave hateful, venom-spewing, curse-riddled, name-calling private messages to someone you don’t know who has done nothing to deserve your psychotic diatribes.

Yes, this is directed specifically toward a certain blogger and no, they are not one of our exceptional links. :) *steps away from soapbox*

Sauerkraut and Weenies

When you get preggers, smells are more.... intense, I guess I should say. I smell things more than I usually would and am much more sensitive to different odors.

Today there is a horrid smell of ass or sauerkraut downstairs in the breakroom hallway. As the day warmed up, the stinch has become more intense... so much that someone has propped the doors open to allow the stinch to flow out. I'm sure in their mind it was to let 'fresh air in'.

To get from my area to darn near anyplace else in the building I/we must go through one of two doorways. One being this ass/sauerkraut aroma filled hallway or the other being the entryway leading to the mens bathroom which is in a constant state of poop smell.

No way around it, I must hold my breath to go see any V.P. or hit a pop machine, or this very sensitive little lady just might blow lunch chunks on the floor. I mentioned said raunchy smell to one of the techs and he agreed the ass/sauerkraut smell is burning his nasal passages. If a dude can smell it.... it's bad!

Grand Finale

Classes are over, graduation is past and our learned scholars are packing their bags and heading out this week as they finish finals and giddily sprint for the exit. Our days will get considerably quieter (and interminably longer) and I will actually reach a point where I long for the phone to ring and the sound of student chatter in the hallways. As I drive past the nearest dorms on my morning commute, my eyes will sadly gaze at the empty parking lots bereft of their various and sundry vehicles. Sure we have summer classes, but it’s just not the same. It’s funny how thrilled I am to see the little devils leave the premises after a semester chock full of sensory overload—a solid, relentless barrage of ringing phones and streams of faculty, staff, and students crossing my threadbare threshold. No wonder I scurry home, immediately cowering under the covers, hiding from the raucous, demanding world outside, begging the cats to take any messages. And yet by summer’s end, I eagerly await the fresh batch of wide-eyed collegians, nervously enduring freshman orientation and biting their nails in anticipation of their first exciting day of new experiences and nameless, unfamiliar classmates. As they depart our familiar halls, whether transferring to four-year institutions or entering the world of commerce, I wish them all the best in their transition to the next big adventure.

Across From the Trees

For lunch today, my sis and I tried a new little hole in the wall. A few weeks ago the guys in my area had lunch brought in. It smelled SO yummy and looked absolutely scrumptious! They got burgers and fried artichoke hearts (which I tasted and they were fantastic) but they said there was pizza and it was the best!

Sis and I decided we'd try the little joint today. The guys gave me the approximate location - which is in a less desirable part of the city, but hey.... it's daytime and we'd be ok! I headed out to meet her... drove past the place about 10 times trying to find it because it was not what I expected. It was a junky hole in the wall. It appeared to be an old gas station converted into a deli. We headed inside and stood under the beer and cigarette sign to order our lunch.

The guy working - we still cant figure out what nationality he is... but has a foreign accent - told us he was out of artichoke! We both gasped for air and squeeled 'no way!' He went to the back and found two... which he said we could have for free. yeah! So we get those.. and we ordered cheese sticks with marinara and I ordered some Cowboy maynard sandwich and sis ordered an All Meat Calizone. Our thinking was, we'd share all our food so we could taste more.

We whipped out our money and he said 'no no.. you pay afterwards. Lets see if you like it first'. We already knew we would!

He brought out our two artichokes with garlic mayonnaise and our cheese sticks. They were the biggest cheese sticks i'd ever seen in my life! One probably carried a good 500 calories and added 2 immediate pounds to your hips. Both were good, btw...

Then came our calizone and sandwich (with fries). I would have never eaten there if someone hadnt told me about it or if I hadnt tasted it... for it was very scarey looking. But... I think this is my new favorite place to eat! It was all good! It really was the best pizza. It wasnt drowning in bread like ALL the other pizza joints. It was a thin bread - even thinner than thin crust pizza... and alot softer - stuffed full of meats. I mean stuffed too. We stuffed ourselves.

Just as we're leaving... and trying to pay... he asks if we'd like dessert. We decline because, well we're stuffed! He says 'you like chocolate!?' Of course we like chocolate! 'I be right back!' and with that he dashes off. He came back to the table with the best looking 10 layer chocolate mousse cake we'd ever seen. One bite and we were sold... had to finish it! Gosh it was good!

Palma's... you wouldn't think so, but it is awesome food!!!!

A Through Z

May showers bring June flowers I suppose as it’s raining cats and dogs today and there are various percentages of thunderbloomers forecast for the next seven days. So we are starting May out a tad watery shall we say. I stole this from our darling Ms Sizz…

A - Available or Single? No and no. (but I’m a great flirt)

B - Best Friend? If sisters are considered best friends. I’ve gone the ‘one best friend’ route and it’s never pretty. Some day we’ll talk about that.

C - Cake or Pie? Pie please and about the only kind I don’t care for is mincemeat. (shudders) I like cake but it has to be really good—no Walmart cakes, thank you.

D - Drink of Choice? I think we all know the answer to this one. Wine, preferably Chardonnay, Merlot, or Sauv Blanc but I’m not overly picky.

E - Essential Item(s)? Cell phone, tote bag, tweezers, makeup, earrings, planner.

F - Favorite Color? Silver, then pale pink.

G - Gummi Bears or Worms? Yuck. Neither.

H - Hometown? Cleveland, OH *Cleveland Rocks*

I - Indulgence? Regular haircuts, expensive fragrance, yearly trips.

J - January or February? Toss-up. January because we have the best chance of snow but February because of abundance of red hearts and it's shorter.

K - Kids? Sure.

L - Life is incomplete without…Love.

M - Marriage Date Yes.

N - Number of Siblings 1 younger sister.

O - Oranges or Apples? Apples. I like oranges but they are messy.

P - Phobias/Fears Heights, claustrophobia, getting stuck in an elevator. (You would not want to be in there with me, trust me on this one.)

Q - Favorite Quote: “Biting my truant pen, beating my self for spite, Fool, said my Muse to me, look in thy heart and write.” - Astrophil and Stella

R - Reasons to Smile? A warm, sunny day, or fat, fluffy snowflakes silently falling from the winter sky. Being alive.

S - Season? Summer.

T - Tag Three Must I?

U - Unknown Fact About Me: I’m entirely too sensitive. And I'm a stalker! NOT

V - Vegetarian or Oppressor of Animals? Carnivore. I love juicy, medium-cooked steaks with a lot of salt.

W - Worst habits? I'm sneaky.

X - X-rays or Ultrasounds? Must I choose from this strange choice?

Y - Your Favorite Foods Ice cream and it can be 0 degrees out, I don’t care. Steak mentioned above. Seafood. Coconut cream pie. Italian Cream cake. Pretty much any dessert. Pizza Supreme.

Z - Zodiac Gemini.

Happy May 1, darlings!

New Baby

My nephew and his wife just had their second baby.... a little girl.

They named her Sapphire Leanne.

When my sis told me, I had a moment of silence followed by a what!?!?

I'm not sure where the Sapphire came in... but the Leanne is after my sister I suppose. She joins a big brother J.D.

Congrats!

I dont have any pictures yet, but if I can get some... I shall post!

Cosmetic Caper

Occasional absentmindedness is one of my harmless quirks but I’m detecting an undercurrent of malicious intent afoot. It all started in March when fellow assistants and I took "S" out for a cozy lunch before her retirement. If you recall, I chauffeured the gang to our bistro of choice and it was upon our return to Chaos College that I reached into my bag for lipstick reapplication only to find my favorite Estée Lauder shade missing in action. Now I distinctly remembered tossing it in that morning so this made no sense whatsoever. The usual suspect places were gone over carefully with a fine tooth comb (desk drawer, tote bag, makeup basket) and still I came up empty handed. I looked high and low in every crevice of my office, car, parking lot, and house with no luck. I even suspiciously grilled my fellow (male) coworkers and checked for telltale signs of color enhancement on their thin, pale kissers. They passed the grueling interrogation. Or could BW be the sneaky culprit? Does he furtively snoop in my makeup basket when I depart for work or paw his way through the dark depths of my purse, snatching his chosen selections in his pussycat jaws and spirit them away to some hidden stash under the refrigerator for future aesthetic experiments in makeup application? I really got worried when two lipliners decided to join their fellow decorative renegade but they were discovered in the recesses of an abandoned handbag having simply failed to make the switchover. Whew! And yet I wonder what has become of my colorful, high-spirited, cherry-hued runaway. I do hope it’s found the happiness and love it craved and that its new owner is treating it with the respect and dignity accorded its high-class pedigree. Till we meet again…

Smokey and The Bandit

Last weekend my sister got a brand new car. A nice shiney Red Monte Carlo....

Today she calls me and she's hysterical. You are never going to believe what just happened to me! No... I probably won't... go on, sis!

She explains, I really mean she screams with great profanity, that she was headed into a place to check on a job and realized she'd left a paper at home so she turned around in the parking lot to run back and get it and got pulled over. The officer said he pulled her over because he couldn't see her tag. It's a paper tag... in the window! Then he notices she's not wearing her seatbelt and asked if she has previous tickets for not wearing a seatbelt. She told him no. He asks for her license and registration and heads to the police car.

He spent 20 minutes in the car 'searching for things to nail me with, kerry!' He came back to her and told her ma'am, you told me you didnt have any previous tickets for not wearing a seatbelt.
Her: I dont.
Him: Our dispatch found four.
Her: Well, your dispatcher is wrong. I dont have any.
Him: Well we found four. You have four.
Her: When!?! When I was in high school!? Of course I had them then, but this is x number of years later and I have a clean record. I have nothing on my record!

He also proceeds to tell her she is uninsured... her insurance verification isnt for the right car.
Her: no, its for the car I just traded in, but my insurance company covers the new car for 30 days until they get me the new papers. I haven't gotten them yet.

He writes her a ticket for no seatbelt and writes her a ticket for being uninsured! She was furious...and she told him so!

Note: This is not a good time for a sweet older sister to say "Well, was he cute!?" This did not go over so well....
Her to me: NO!!! He had horseshoe hair and scraggly teeth and was in his late forties. In fact, I think I could have taken him!

I'm surprised she wasn't arrested.

I told her to call her insurance company and have them fax her a copy of the insurance verification and then go to the police station and ask to speak to his supervisor. She calls her insurance company, they fax a copy of the insurance and verify that she is covered and is for 30 days after the purchase and tell her to call the police station.

She calls the station and asks the dispatcher to put her through to the commanding officer on duty. She does.... and you will not believe this one... The guy that wrote her the tickets, answers the phone! He WAS the supervisor on duty! She laughed and then proceeded to tell him he was wrong in giving her the ticket for no insurance because she just got off the phone with her insurance company and they verified she's covered and its a federal thing... every insurance company covers you for a certain amount of time and he should have known that!

He apologizes and asks for a copy of the info... and he shreds the ticket. She still has the seatbelt ticket, but the jerk did get rid of the other ticket.

Lesson learned: Sometimes a pissed off sister doesn't have her sparkling personality and it's probably not best to make light of her crisis by asking if the jerkoff involved was cute :) oh, and wear your seatbelt.

We Didnt Even Get to Say Buh-Bye

It's a sad thing when a blogger buddy decides to call it quits... especially when the announcement comes out of nowhere! Today I had to remove a few old friends from our blog roll that i'd left linked to us for months after they'd stopped posting. It was sad to hit 'delete'.

Two more of our favorite blogs have announced their retirement effective immediately. Two in just three days! Is it spring fever? I can't hardly bring myself to delete them.... we will miss them so much! With the loss of those relationships comes new ones and Circe and I love to make new friends!

Best wishes to those of you who are moving on to other projects or taking a break!

Happy Administrative Professionals Day! (aka Sexy Sec’s Day)

No longer considered long-suffering, “get-me-some-coffee, pick-up-my-drycleaning, and-while-you-are-at-it-buy-my-wife’s-belated-birthday-gift,” ‘Girl Friday’ gofers, we have advanced to more worthy responsibilities and fancier titles. Basically, we still do a lot of the drudge work, but the demeaning crap has gone the way of the horse and buggy. At least, I hope it has. I recall in my tender, apple-cheeked, newbie years getting asked to sit on my boss’ lap (I declined), but that was long ago and far away and much has changed in the intervening years. Though still employed as an assistant, my duties no longer fall anywhere near the secretarial range and the Grand Poobah is a woman (though I realize lap-sitting could still be an issue). My haul so far has consisted of pretty balloons, gorgeous pink carnations from my dear buddy “L,” a very me, girly, pale pink watch, and a divine leather-bound copy of the complete works of William Shakespeare whereupon when presented to me, I shivered with anticipatory joy. Really! I love Shakespeare!!! Oh, and we also have a special lunch in our honor today. Alrighty! At any rate, to all those who serve others in some capacity or another, have a wonderful day and enjoy your plant/flowers/gifts/cards/balloons. I hereby salute you!

Green Acres

This past Saturday kicked off my mowing season and my elation was overwhelming and obvious. I’ve been eyeing our acreage for the past week weeks, silently urging those budding blades of grass (weeds) to push forth out of mother earth and reach for the stars while I evilly scheme to viciously chop their naïve little heads off. The winds were blowing but the air was balmy as I slapped on the sunscreen and rounded up my mandatory mowing gear. Sunglasses? Check. Earplugs? Check. Appropriate ensemble? Check. Chilled, thirst-quenching Genny? Double check! I threw a curveball to the male neighbors by donning a white t-shirt (with Chaos College logo) and navy, terrycloth capris but the attire will be more ogle-friendly as the days progress and further heating transpires. As it is still early in the season, bare spots were visible where growth hadn’t occurred and colorful weeds and ground morning glories have yet to make an appearance. Also, no snakes or lizards skittered away from my loud, voracious guillotine of death. The only wildlife encountered on the back forty thus far were a few yellow butterflies or possibly moths as I didn’t take the time to snatch one in midair, whip out a magnifying glass and examine his jiggly bits for proof of his insect status but after viewing this site, I’m thinking they were indeed butterflies. I look forward to another enjoyable summer combining satisfying work, warming sunlight, abundant brewskies and communing with nature in all its seasonal glory in the eagerly anticipated days ahead.

And yes, that does resemble my mower. :)

Baby Anxiety Maybe?

Now I know that supposedly when a girl is preggers they are supposed to have more vivid dreams but I have never experienced it.... until last night. Instead of dreaming, I've had trouble sleeping and pretty much just haven't slept in weeks.

I had the wildest dream!!!

I dreamt that I fondled Circe's boobies.

Did you read that Circe!??! You flopped your boobage out and I fondled your melons. They were bigger than I last remember and her nips were dark cherry red and rough for some reason. I remember thinking 'I need to get her some lotion'.

WHY WHY WHY!??!?

I even remember going to sleep holding them in my hand. WHY WHY WHY? Why was I even sleeping with Circe next to me and why was she offering her hooters to me to squeeze on?!!?

Breasts

To see breasts in your dream, symbolizes primal nourishment and your need to be nursed and care for. It represent motherhood, nurturance, and infantile dependency. Alternatively, breasts represents sexual arousal and raw energy.

Seeing naked breasts can also denote a feeling of exposure and invasion of privacy. In particular, for a woman, the dream may indicate anxieties about becoming a woman/mother

Lazy Dazy

"Borrowed" from CruiserMel...

Use one word or a phrase for everything…

1. Yourself: sensitive, sneaky, chameleon
2. Your family: there
3. Your hair: blonde
4. Your Mother: deceased
5. Your Father: my hero
6. Your favorite item: cell phone
7. Your dream last night: totally forgotten
8. Your favorite drink: wine
9. Your dream home: spacious and two-story
10. The room you are in: office
11. Your ex: do BFs count?
12. Your fear: so many
13. Where you want to be in ten years: alive
14. Who you hung out with last night: TBC and BW (cat)
15. What you’re not: perfect
16. Your best friend(s): sis
17. One of your wish list items: new treadmill
18. Your gender: female
19. The last thing you did: checked email
20. What you are wearing: a berry-colored suit
21. Your favorite weather: sunny and 80 degrees
22. Your favorite book: classics
23. Last thing you ate: Jello vanilla pudding
24. Your life: ever-changing
25. Your mood: mixed
26. The last person you talked to on the phone: an instructor
27. Who you are thinking about right now: K
28. Your best friend(s): a repeat question!
29. Your car: me in it driving home
30. What you’re doing at the moment: at work and emailing Kerbear
31. Your summer: soaking up the sunshine
32. Your relationship status: hitched
33. What’s on TV: no TV in sight, have no clue
34. The weather: sunny and 76 degrees
35. The last time you laughed: about an hour ago reading The Onion

Happy Thursday! :)

Lying, Is That a Man Law?

As I walked in the door to my gym last night, I bumped into Madison... a girl I met while doing Jury Duty in January. We hung together and even served on the same jury, so we chatted alot and learned we lived relatively close in proximity and had alot in common. The gym being one of them. I had no idea what gym she went to though. I asked about her wedding which was just a few weeks ago and how the honeymoon cruise was... she asked about the boys and Richard and other chit chat. The big moment in this whole night was when she said "there's Chris! Over on the ab machine". oh lordy.....

Early last fall I was at the gym working on abs and legs when this tall, very buff black man came up to me and introduced himself. He asked if he could cut in and rotate thru the machine with me. Of course... thats the only proper thing to do. We made small talk (its awkward if you dont) and I learned he was a police officer in the area, not married but has a son. I'm sure there were other topics but after I was done with my sets, I excused myself... never to see him again for months.

About the first of February, I'm on the treadmill with my sister next to me and in walks this guy. He spots me and makes a bee-line to come chat. He stood and talked for a good 20 minutes. I introduced him to my sister, he asked about Richard and the kids (I cant believe he remembered all that), I asked him about his workout... He said he was training for some tri-athalon event in Canada at the end of March and was doing two workouts a day. Then he mentioned that he saw my sis at another gym. She agreed they'd seen each other (so confirmed he does work out alot). After some talk he went on his way.

One day, at the end of the month, I went to spin class after work. I never go to spin on the weekdays because it starts too early and I cant get there.... but for some reason, this particular day I made it. I crawled on a bike and heard this chatter from two girls I was by. The voice sounded soooo familiar and she was talking about her fiance's son and his mother and wedding plans, etc. I looked... it was Madison! I got her attention and we jabbered until class started and more afterwards. The wedding plans were going well and all looked good for the big March 31st event.

The next day, I'm working on biceps when I spot Chris on the machine next to me. He says 'come on... jump in my routine with me'. I tried to turn him down, but with police like force.... I was on my way to a hard core workout routine. I did what he did.... we talked more about work, school, kids... and I asked him if he was married (i already knew the answer but I just had to ask because something was amiss). He just shook his head no. (i'm having a feeling about now...)

Things have been clicking in my head for some time... but today they are really going 100mph. Madison is engaged to a black man. She's blonde hair/blue eyes... and she told me she was in an inter-racial relationship. I also know his name is Chris and he's a police officer because the day of Jury Duty we called him and told him what case we were on.

My 'friend' at the gym is named Chris. He's a police officer, unmarried and talks nothing of a girlfriend or engagement and is training for some tri-athalon thing in Canada which just happens to be the exact same time as Madison's wedding. Coincidence? Could be... but i'm thinking not! I really have this feeling I know both of these people who are getting married and neither know that I know the other!

We finished our workout and headed out. I wished him good luck on his competition.

I haven't seen either of them til last night. As she and I stood at the door talking, she waved over at her new hubby, Chris, and I turned to look at him... and it's Chris alright. The very Chris that has been talking to me... the very one who made no indication of a g/f... he waved with the biggest look of shock on his face. It was priceless! I turned and chatted some more... never indicating that we'd ever met. I really like Madison... but I really think she needs to watch more carefully.

Chris walked up to the counter and got his car keys, walked right past us... wouldnt look at either of us and wouldnt speak to her when she spoke. She said he was having a bad day. YEAH... he is. He got caught. I know the truth now! haha I betcha I never see him again....

Too bad too. He had great workout ideas, but too bad he couldnt just tell the truth and be honest. What was the point in lying anyways...

On the Road Again

We're gonna need a bigger house. I've decided.

Today while heading out to buy velcro for the techs who are cleaning up and reorganizing the chargers downstairs, I took a little side-step. Every time I head out to run errands or something, I try to take a different route so I can familiarize myself with the area. You never know what you might find! Today, instead of taking major roads, I shot down 36th street and came upon this cute cute cute neighborhood. BlahBlah Heights. I cant remember the first part... but it was Heights for sure.

From where I come from.... the Heights would indicate skankville. This wasnt the case. Buried in a cool little place in the city are huge homes with beautiful yards. I tried to catch every little thing I could... glancing left, then right, then left, right....etc. I found one for sale!!! I so want to see it...

I certainly wouldn't move to the city, but I'd love to see those homes and I wonder how much they sell for. I know we can buy alot more house in the city for the same money we spend to live in the burbs.

I'm gonna look for open houses and start looking.... this is going to drive Richard crazy I think. This whole pregnancy thing will drive him nuts. My sister said she's loving this one... she told mom "this pregnancy is so fun! She's so mean with this one!" lol

I don't think so.

We Wish To Thank...

I can't believe we were picked!!! I feel so honored.. Burg picked us! We're finally getting around to selecting our 5 favorite blogs... which, by the way is the hardest thing to do. Circe and I have so many favorites that it was almost impossible to narrow it down. We managed... but know that just because we didn't list your blog doesnt mean we dont hold it near and dear to our hearts! We just could only pick 5!

So, here's the deal:

1. If, and only if, you get tagged, write a post with links to 5 blogs that make you think,

2. Link to this post so that people can easily find the exact origin of the meme,

3. Optional: Proudly display the "Thinking Blogger Award" with a link to the post that you wrote (here is an alternative silver version if gold doesn't fit your blog.)

Here is the hard part:

1. Bone. First of all, it was the name that attracted me to his blog (makes me think of Boner on Growing Pains). Bone is sharp and witty and never fails to do Three Word Wednesday and keeps me posted on 24, which I have yet to be able to watch. He cracks me up when he writes! He's always a breath of fresh air.

2. I'm jealous of the places Traveling Chica gets to go... and see. She has some great stories about her adventures and we live vicariously through her! Chica always has great words of wisdom or chuckling comment. Although we've never met in person... it seems like she's a great friend! We're always checking on our Chica baby!

3. There is always something exciting happening to Twisted Panties and Boxers. TP just recently made a major life change (moved, changed jobs) and we've got to share in all her excitement. I doubt SHE would say it's much excitement... but TP has to admit it's never a dull moment! We love her wit and energy and it seems she writes with much sincerity and leaves no thought or emotion uncovered. She's so fun to love!

4. Sparkley Pirate. Ahoy, matey! haha. I just had to say that. When you go to the blog, you'll notice there is not a piratey layout... however, if i'm not mistaken she did (does) have a Blackbeard on this site - which would be her bf/fiance. This girl is good reading!

5. To me, this is more of a serious or more business blog... but we certainly love reading Skinny Legs and All. Thephoenixnyc has awesome travel stories or worldly information. It's fun to read his thoughts and views on topics plus we get to do some traveling just like with Chica. His humor, well cracks you up!

Honestly, it's hard to put in words what we think about the blogs we read and why we chose these five. Each one is special in its own way and we love each one for different reasons. We're so excited we were picked! Thank you *hugs* Burg you rock... i'm so glad we 'met'!!!

Baking Bread

I work with all men and 99.9% of the time they are hot and i'm cold, so it's a constant battle to find the air temp we're all happy with. I've just resorted to wearing more clothes and/or lots of layers. I'm the only one who can still dig out sweaters and jackets in the summer and wear them all day while working.

Today, the temp was supposed to be in the 60's with rain and so that meant it would be about a whopping 40 degrees in my office. I pulled on my boots and a turtleneck sweater and headed to work. As I topped the stairs, I noticed the doorway to our storage unit propped open. I figured someone was hauling junk in and out and didnt want to mess with the door. Then I noticed another office door propped open - which is quite odd. Then I rounded the corner to see our lab door open and a gush of hot, boiling, scorching air hit me in the face.

I walked in to find a couple of the techs propped up in their chairs.... very lethargic. What the @#$% is going on!?!? I cannot work in this!! Chris said the air had been stuck on incinerate all night long and since someone in their brilliant wisdom (absolutely was not me) had the heat/air company lock down the thermostat so we can't fight over it all the time, we can't adjust it in any way. One of the maintenance guys had called the company to get the passcode so he could log into it and try to adjust it... but he couldnt figure it out. It was registering in the 90's in our office. A stiffling 90ish.

We all scrambled to find other office space downstairs to work while we waited on the heat/air guy. It wasn't until lunch time that it was finally fixed and we were able to return to our lab.

What a beautiful start to this tax day.

Speaking of tax day. It's always been on the 15th... which would have really been the 16th because the 15th is on a weekend... but from what I hear it was changed to the 17th because the 16th was a holiday in Washington D.C.!?!? What kind of holiday.... and why didnt we all get the holiday!?!?!?

Annie Update

It just crossed my mind that I have not been keeping y'all abreast of the situation with Anorexic Girl at the gym (aka: Annie)

WELL! I hadnt seen her for weeks. Which was weird because ever since I joined that gym LAST July, I'd seen her every day, regardless of what time I worked out... she was there. I probably hadn't seen her in a good month or so and then one day last week she came waddling in. I was at the dumb bells and I looked up towards the cardio machines and saw her walking away from me. I noticed her butt had spread and she walked like she'd just crawled off a horse she'd ridden for three days to get there. She stopped and turned to crawl onto a machine and riding high on those twiggy legs was a pooch from boobs to cooter that obviously is a baby. We'd previously wondered if her stomach was just distended (swollen) due to starvation (she obviously isnt eating and has food issues) and a few months ago in one of our weight lifting classes, she suddenly left the class when it came time to do abs. I thought maybe she just didnt want to crunch cuz she might squeeze that gas bubble of starvation and be embarrassed at the flatulence... but I think it's a baby.

She waddled around the gym for a while... but never forgetting to stop and admire herself in every mirror that she passed. She wore yoga pants that were skin tight and a tight tank. She really didnt stick out that far, but heck she might have been 'due' for all I know. She's starving the little thing to death. She hasnt been back since... well, I should say that I havent seen her. She's had that little pooch for as long as I can remember.... so that means she's been preggers for like a year!

True Chaos

A gunman opened fire in a dormitory and a classroom at a college in Virginia on Monday, killing at least 30 people in the deadliest campus shooting in U.S. history. The gunman also was killed, and at least 22 other people were injured.

My heart goes out to the loved ones affected by this senseless tragedy. Working for a higher institution just makes this hit even closer to home. :(

This recently arrived in our inbox precipitated by today's horrendous action.

"UNWANTED INTRUDER

Definition: Unwanted Intruder – A person threatening person or property. This may be verbally or physically and/or with a weapon.

In the event that an unwanted intruder is present take the following actions:

STEPS OF ACTION:

1. Immediately call *** Police Department at 911, then dial “O” and report to *** Operator. Try to give a good description of the intruder and if he or she has a weapon.
2. If classes are in session lock all classroom doors, keeping students inside.
3. Evacuate hallways and bathrooms.
4. STAY CALM and do not alarm students"

Angels We Have Heard on High

Another precious Richard Story:

Last night had originally been planned for my birthday weekend but because it was also Easter weekend, Richard changed all of the plans to a week later (last night). Several months ago he asked me what i'd like to have for my birthday and the one thing that immediately came to mind was to get to be able to see all of my old friends again.... at the same time.... and 'kick it' with them. Like we used to... in the olden days (about a year ago. lol). The biggest majority of my trouble-causing, hell-raising, story-telling and story-creating friends are back in T-town and so I dont get to see them much due to the 100 miles between us. I miss them!

Richard made phone calls and sent emails and was able to get a few of them together here in the city for my birthday. It's hard to get everyone together... schedules never work out. It was all supposed to be a suprise, but because I had a little surprise of my own a few weeks ago (preggers) he decided to let me in on the plan because he was afraid i'd not want to do it, or be too tired, or want to change the plans... anything could happen. I certainly can't go to a smokey club until little junior is born, so that was out. We had to be more selective.

We met at Zio's for dinner and I was able to catch up on some good gossip... and share a little of my own. Even being 100 miles away, I still know alot of what is going on there... plus I have a whole new world here to share. We live on Wysteria Lane, not literally, but with all the going's on on our street... one would think we're in a episode of Desperate Housewives. Richard adds 'and Kerry's right in the middle of it... running from house to house with the margarita's'. lol

Not really... but maybe kinda!

Anyways.... thanks babe for getting my buddies here. *kisses*