Well, I AM grumpy so why not blog it out? Surely you’ve heard about “hugging it out” right? Consider this the Snarkypants version of that but calling it “whining it out” instead.
Let’s go, shall we?
1. It seems to me that I am surrounded of late by people who are so freaking self-involved that they cannot be bothered to ask how you are. It’s always all about them. I know it sounds sort of hypocritical to say “no, wait. Ask about me.” while calling them self-centered but there you are. The world really does exist outside of your little box, okay? And sometimes, it’s nice to give a shit about others in case you might, you know, need them some day. Yeesh.
2. This is a huge peeve: People on discussion websites who begin their comments with “Sorry, but blah blah blah …” I hate hate hate that whole “Sorry” part. Just say what you have to say and get on with it, for fuck’s sake.
3. Sorry, but this just irks me. (HA! See, I can laugh at my own self!) If you park under the building and have to walk 3 steps into the office, you do NOT get to complain about how cold and horrible it is outside. Try parking 4 blocks away and having to walk on a sheet of ice while trying not to get hit or splashed by cars careening down the road. I shall no longer give you any credibility, people in my office who do this.
4. How come every time I’m in a store and looking for something specific, when I find it there are people standing right in front of it contemplating their navels? Sure, I could say “Excuse me” or you know, “Get the hell out of my way” or something but I just fume silently and send them hateful glances. This really isn’t very love and light, I know. Should I go to confession for it? “Bless me Father for I have sinned or something. It’s been 30 years since my last confession. I spent the afternoon sending bad ju-ju to the fuckwits standing in my way.” It’s going to come back to me in some fashion, like perhaps someone tall standing in my direct line of sight at a Cookie concert. Dammit.
5. It is of my own making, yes. However, I cannot go ANYwhere without my pets either whining for attention (Sophia) or pestering me for food (Max and Lucie). Food = love in my house so the two downstairs can barely waddle to the food bowl but still they want more. Leave me alone for 3 seconds!
6. Small talk – hate hate hate it. I can only do so much of that BS “How’s the weather?” crap and then I’m either digging into your life as a child or not talking to you at all. Unfortunately, most people are quite content with the weather crap.
Thirteen first wedding dance videos (with some commentary by you know who)
(If you leave a comment, tell me which was your favorite!)
1. Brubakers got back – if you watch just ONE of these clips, this MUST be the one. Would that I were as cool as these people or could even dance as well as them, I’d be a happy monkey. Alas, I am neither. I might have to get remarried just to do something fun like this (and break a hip in the process! haha)
2. A “Thrilling” time was had by all – yep, these people got their ENTIRE wedding party to learn and perform the dance from Michael Jackson’s “Thriller”. I’m a dork but I gotta tell you, I love watching this one. Watch for the lead guy to get into it – he’s a good dancer!
3. Nobody puts Baby in the corner – “I’ve had the time of my life” – even though the bride was a tad bit stiff (could you blame her??), she performs admirably, even on the jumps. And yep, their bridal party gets in on the act.
4. Baby redux – can you stand one more Dirty Dancing song? This bride and groom have it down pat, she’s got on the PERFECT swooshy dress for it and does a great job (even in what look to be rather uncomfortable shoes). Kudos all around!! (Yep, bridal party intervention was had by all. Where do people find these backup dancers to put in their wedding party??)
5. Stop! Hammer Time! Kim and Richard rock the house all by their lonesome on this one. Don’t they look like they’d be fun to go dancing with? She gets a bit “chicken wing” at times but props to her for doing it all on some pointy ass heels. Make sure you go to the end for a special flourish. (Why can’t I be this fun??)
1. For my 40th birthday, my husband decided to surprise me with a birthday cake from our local bakery. “In the middle please print ‘Happy Birthday Nita,’” he instructed them over the phone. “Then, ‘you’re not getting older’ at the top and ‘you’re getting better’ at the bottom.” When he went to pick it up, he discovered that they had decorated the cake with the words exactly as he had said them. “Happy Birthday Nita, you’re not getting older at the top, you’re getting better at the bottom.” [www.readersdigest.ca, 1997]
2. When my mother-in-law ordered a cake for my wedding anniversary, she made a point of instructing the bakery, “That’s Thompson with a ‘p’.” Later when she went to pick her order up, she noticed that on the box they had written “Mrs. Phompson.”
[Collected via e-mail, October 2007]
3. We had a “going away” party yesterday for a lady at our Little Rock claim office. One of the supervisors called a Wal-Mart and ordered the cake. He told them to write: “Best Wishes Suzanne” and underneath that write “We will miss you.”
As the picture shows, it didn’t quite turn out right. It was too funny not to keep it.
(Click on picture to enlarge)
4. There’s a married couple whose birthdays fall on the same date, which they naturally celebrate pretty lavishly. Just before their last birthday, the lady stopped in at her neighborhood bakeshop and ordered a cake with “Happy Birthdays” on it. “You see, two of us are having a birthday,” she explained to the clerk. “So I want it to say ‘Happy Birthdays’ — plural.”
The clerk wrote the instructions down carefully, and sure enough, when the cake was delivered, it had “Happy Birthdays Plural” on it. [Sydney Morning Herald, 2003]
5. When Marlyn Wade ordered a birthday cake for her husband in a tres chic French patisserie in Murwillumbah, the assistant (with a delightful French accent) asked if it was for “a guy or a girl”. “A guy,” Marlyn assured him. “But,” says June Howard, Marlyn’s mother, “on picking it up later, she read on the work of art in blue icing – Happy birthday Guy. Her husband’s name is Peter. Delicious cake, though!” [Sydney Morning Herald, 2003]
6. It’s always risky ordering cakes to be iced. Liz Ralston, of Frenchs Forest, who belongs to Inner Wheel, a worldwide organisation of partners of Rotarians, phoned a patisserie and ordered a special cake for the Ryde Inner Wheel Club. The cake came, inscribed: Ride in a Wheel. Read More »
12. Three years straight vacation time at Crawford. (Which will involve chopping down trees and killing animals. It’s how he relaxes.)
11. Restart Enron.
10. Finally take those English classes he’s been putting off.
9. Coaching a peewee football team. (He will not provide them with enough pads or equipment, and will have no game plan. But, down 57-0 at the half, will give a stirring speech about how well it’s going.)
8. He will pen a best selling memoir of his time in office, called “Presidency for Dummies.”
7. Will also create series of children’s books where out of a large crowd you try and find the evil terrorist, called “Where’s Osama?” (Sadly this will be his new idea for how we should actually capture him.)
6. Join OJ on his search for the real killers.
5. New S&M game where he gets turned on by water boarding Laura.
4. Even though he has no personal interest anymore, rig elections just for the hell of it.
3. Run whatever else he touches right into the ground.
2. Illegally eavesdrop on his neighbors, this time with nothing more than his ear, a glass, and his never-ending desire to ignore people’s civil liberties.
The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! View More Thursday Thirteen Participants
1. “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” – Aristotle
2. “Discipline is remembering what you want.” – David Campbell (I am not a fan of the discipline but this helps make it a bit more appealing to me)
3. “The state of your life is nothing more than a reflection of your state of mind.” – Dr. Wayne W. Dyer (So, do you think the clutter all around me means I have a cluttery mind? I’m thinking yeah)
4. Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible. – Dalai Lama
5. Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength while loving someone deeply gives you courage. – Lao Tzu (Thank you, Mom (for the first part) and Lauren (for the second part))
6. Here is a test to find whether your mission on earth is finished: If you’re alive it isn’t. – Richard Bach
7. “I am ready to meet my Maker. Whether my Maker is prepared for the ordeal of meeting me is another matter.” – Winston Churchill (I love this one!)
8. “Suppose you were an idiot and suppose you were a member of Congress. But I repeat myself” – Mark Twain (HA! Sounds about right these days, doesn’t it?)
9. “Sometimes you put walls up not to keep people out, but to see who cares enough to break them down.” – Unknown
10. “Sometimes I lie awake at night, and ask, ‘Where have I gone wrong?’ Then a voice says to me, ‘This is going to take more than one night.’” – Charles Schulz
11. “A patriot must always be ready to defend his country against his government.” – Edward Abbey (’nuff said)
12. “A woman has got to love a bad man once or twice in her life, to be thankful for a good one” – Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings (Too true and Duty, I am oh so thankful for you!)
13. “When fascism comes to America it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross.” – Sinclair Lewis (No comment needed)
The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted! View More Thursday Thirteen Participants
Didja miss my exciting Thursday 13s, y’all? Seems like I have stuff scheduled on Wednesday nights of late and since I’m running out of gas by 830-9pm, it falls by the wayside. But I’ve been percolating some ideas and decided to just rant away. Here goes nothing (and I do mean nothing!)
Thirteen Things I wanna rant about
1. People talking on their cell phone while shopping up and down the aisle at TJ Maxx. I do not want to hear you blathering away about JoJo or someone’s latest travails. If you must carry on a lengthy conversation, go stand in a corner out of the way. But you continue to stroll lazily up and down the aisle happily chatting away as if you are at home on your couch. Just stop it. It annoys me terribly. (This is why I prefer to remain a hermit mostly.)
2. Does anyone truly get that Britney doesn’t want custody of those poor children? She can barely take care of herself much less two kids. How hideous must one be for Kevin Federline to be the sane, stable one? She needs to just go away and get her shit together. More proof that lots of people who can have children shouldn’t and that some (me) who can’t have them should. HaRumf!
3. Once upon a time, when I was in college, I was in with a group led by an idiot named James. Most everyone in this little clique thought James was the shit. Especially my gal-pal Laurie. James led her on just enough to think that something (i.e. a love thang) would come out of it. It took me a relatively short while to see that he was a phony from the get-go and he knew I was on to him. Yet, no one else seemed to see this. He had everyone mesmerized. It was so plainly in front of my face, I couldn’t ignore it and the more I tried to raise a flag about it to others that he was using them, the more of an outcast I became in that group. It was as if *I* were the crazy one for telling the truth.
This is how so many of us on the political left feel these days. What does this administration have to do for everyone to see what the hell is going on? It’s a very strange feeling, I have to say. It’s like we are screaming until our lungs hurt and no one will listen. And it’s not as if I think the Dems are without flaws because clearly they are in on all of it to some degree. It’s politics, after all. Lordy. I know it’s going to get worse instead of better before we are through. I feel very helpless.
4. All of a sudden, I am bored with the internets. I cannot think of a time when this has happened to me. I am not loving that because it’s my best friend (remember the quote from Mrs. Tool Time?). I feel lonely and bored at the same time.
5. How come people just disappear out of your life at will? I could get all metaphysical on the topic, of course, but will stay in the here and now and say that it feels pooty. Unless I didn’t like you in the first place in which case I’m glad you left. But if I did like you (and you know who you are), it makes me sad that you can’t talk to me. I know it’s not about me (generally) but it still feels crappy.
6. My house continues to be a cluttery f’ing mess. How can I just overlook it? Yet, I do. I hate cleaning but I do like a clean house. Does anyone want to be my wife? I will give you room and board and even a small stipend to look after me. All the coffee, cats and wireless internets you need!
7. Some days it feels like Duty and I do not even speak the same language. He says one thing, I hear another and vice versa. Soon, I am annoyed and wonder why we even bother to speak to each other. Anyone else feel that way about their beloved spousal unit?
8. In the class I took in OK, they spent a good bit of time asking us to look at how we feel about death as it’s affected our life because you need to be comfortable with it to assist others through it. Yes. Well. I seem to have some residual issues about Lauren that burbled up. Which is normal, I suppose. Outside of missing Mom’s physical presence, I am at peace with her passing. And in general, I am with La’s but I still miss her so. And it made me realize that if I miss her this much, it has to be 10 bizillion times more for Cousin ‘O Love, who brought her into this world, loved her unconditionally and walked with her until her last breath on this earth. In fact, I cannot begin to imagine how that must be. She maintains a composure that I, even at the distance I had with all of it, can’t match. So, yeah. More to work out there. And I am sure my wonderful universe will give me the opportunity to do so.
9. I’ve started reading more esoteric stuff and it all seems so far above my head. I wonder if I’m even at a place where I should be reading this. But it’s been thrown at me about 3 different ways so I figure there’s something there I’m supposed to get. But I still have to finish my papers for the classes I have already completed so I get seminary credit for it. I think I’m picking up something new to distract myself from having to do the papers (which aren’t even research papers – just reaction papers. What is my problem?)
10. Have you noticed I am really hard on myself some days? I swing between too easy on myself (“oh, I’ll do that later” and too hard on myself (“why are you so fat and haven’t done your papers, and are eating like a pig, etc, etc) – not sure what that’s about but it’s a constant companion. One I don’t like too much, these days.
11. I have made a resolution not to buy myself any “stuff” for all of November and December. I am overdosing on books and stickers and crap that I just want to scream ENOUGH! So, I am. Enough. (Doesn’t mean I don’t like presents, of course!)
12. In addition to a wife, I need a person to come to my house and tell me how to decorate it. (Uh, Lisa? That would be someone coming in and saying “pick up all the crap lying around” and that would be a good start. Wife? Where are you? Surely someone wants to share this heaven of a life! hehe) I can’t visualize for shit and my house looks like it. Martha Stewart – get here, STAT!!
and finally
13. Duty bought an awful lot of candy for Halloween. We have had TWO kids come by and one of them was Missy Emma. I made the last kid take lots and lots to get it out of this house. At least he didn’t buy Snickers – I have issues with Snickers. MMMMM I loves me some snickers. I think I will just randomly drop all this candy off somewhere and hope it goes on someone else’s thighs (as I munch on a tiny french vanilla Three Musketeers bar.)
Rant over! (For now) What are you ranty about today??
The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted! View More Thursday Thirteen Participants
So, yeah. It’s been a week. People come and go. Job duties come and go. Bravery of new kitty cats in my household come and go. What stays constant, however, are my daily visits to my favorite websites. I thought you might like to know just what they are. Join me now for … 13 sites I visit (just about) every day.
1. Anyone who reads me regularly knows I pretty much live on Daily Kos. I have learned so much from just lurking on that site and not just about politics, either. There are rational arguments, irrational name calling at times and lots of people just trying to wrap their head around what has gone on with our nation ‘lo these past years. I recommend just popping over there and reading a bit, if you have time. You will most likely be enlightened.
2. She’s the mother of all bloggers, just about. Her name is Heather Armstrong and she writes so well and witty at Dooce. Whether it’s stories about Leta (her daughter), Chuck (her most interesting dog) or her marvy and cool husband, she always brings a very unique perspective to things. Her writing skillz are amazing. (Yes, I’m jealous.)
3. Here’s a new one on my list – Rose Rosetree’s blog. It’s filled with really juicy posts giving you insight into yourself and others from the perspective of a veteran face and aura reader. Today’s Thursday 13 is ways OJ Simpson’s facial features have changed in the past 12 years and what that reflects about him then vs. now. It’s a fascinating read.
4. I may be all woo-woo and crap but I dig the gossip. I’m pretty sure I’m gonna have to give it up at some point but for now, it amuses me and allows me to escape the heinousness of the Bush administration feel hopeful about our future. As much as I despise that friggin Perez Hilton, I always read his site to catch up on the latest Britney adventures. I also check out The Superficial as a balance against Perez’s idiocy. At least on The Superficial, I don’t have to look at Perez’s ugly mug every three seconds.
5. If you ain’t reading Crse’s hilarious blog, buddies, you ain’t living! She is a riot and even when she’s writing about “Operation Kiss My Ass” and it’s all angsty and whatnot, she’s funny. This is definitely one of my “happy place” blogs. Go. Read. Laugh. (I am thisclose to adopting the OKMA at my place of employ.)
6. So I read a lot of progressive political sites besides DailyKos. These three are my next favorites. Take a look at them – each offers a different perspective on the political landscape. I don’t always agree with The Rude Pundit or even like how he says it, but damn. He is so in your face that it just lays it out there smack dab and knocks you over. Hoffmania and Crooks and Liars are more mainstream. C&L always has excellent videos and they are up there almost immediately. Check them out when you can.
7. Who doesn’t love the Cute Overload? Name me one person. Go ahead. Think. I dare you to find one. This site is also one of my happy places for the cute pics but I am also partial to the goofy language she uses to describe the pics. I am always cheered up when I visit this site. Check this one out and tell me you don’t smile.
and too hard on myself (“why are you so fat and haven’t done your papers, and are eating like a pig, etc, etc) – not sure what that’s about but it’s a constant companion. One I don’t like too much, these days.
