I don't have a digital camera, but I finally figured out how to send cell phone pictures to my email and upload them on blogger. Behold my favorite doggy in the entire world: Teddy. He may drive me up the wall sometimes, but he is very sweet and cute. This picture is from a trip we took to Nashville and he is looking at me from the passenger seat because he is my co-pilot.
I have another cold. If you know me in any way you will realize that I get every cold that comes within a 90 mile radius. This is the third cold/sinus infection I have had this summer and I am over being sick. I am going to the beach for Labor Day weekend and I better be on the mend by then. Random people will offer suggestions on how to ward of colds (echinacea, zinc, vitamin C, voodoo), but the fact remains that I am just going to have a cold forever. The sad thing is that I made a (seemingly) delicious cabbage beef soup yesterday in my crockpot, but by the time I got home last night my sense of smell was gone. I tasted NOTHING. It looked really good though. I comfort myself with the knowledge that soup always tastes better the second day.
I have decided that in the unlikely and unfortunate event that Dale Jr. will not be able to fulfill the duties as my "future babies daddy," I have appointed an acceptable replacement: Simon Baker. Now he is not the most famous person or someone that many people have on their radar, but he is delicious. Check out the examples I have provided for your (and my) viewing pleasure. Look at those eyes. His smile, his smouldering sensuality (okay, so maybe that is a little difficult to see in these pictures, but take my word for it). If you are unfamiliar with his work then check out the movies The Devil Wears Prada, Something New, and The Ring Two. He also starred in The Guardian on CBS for three years. I've been a fan of his for a while and I encourage you to enjoy his body of work (pun intended), but remember - he's my back-up.
You Are Here: We have Claire P. here to deliver us some news today (some of you know her from a little sorority we belonged to back in the day and others may know her as a good friend - or both in my case): She's engaged!!
YAH: So, how did he pop the question?!
CP: It was THE most romantic thing EVER! We spent a few days at an amazing b&b this past week. The day in question began with horseback riding. After changing we went on a picnic down by the river. The chef prepared us a fantastic basket lunch. We found the most beautiful spot. Jeremy chose that moment to sweep me off my feet once again. It truly was better than anything I could have dreamt. It was only half way through our trip so from then on we were celebrating. SOOOO Romantic!
YAH: rumor has it you two will be celebrating the nuptials at the Magic Kingdom. (A bit of an inside joke here, people - her mom saw a special about weddings at Disney World and suggested it to Claire)?
CP: Well, let me just straighten that up now. NO! Can you imagine? It's perfect for some, but not us. (heh. snobs.)
YAH: Where do you think that you'll be having the wedding?
CP: That is the big question right now. A b&b in the mountains? A vineyard in the mountains? We're on it but no decisions have been made.
YAH: When are you having the wedding?
CP: Right now the plan is sometime next summer. The future is so unknown because of graduation, etc. but that is our goal.
YAH: what will I be doing in this event?
CP: Well, Katie, we've been thinking you could escort our cat Delilah down the aisle as ring bearer. What do you think?
YAH: I'm so honored. So, are you knocked up yet?
CP: Oh right! This will give everyone the chance to meet our newborn. It's been the best kept secret!! :) JK!
You heard it here first. Congrats, Claire!!
P.S. that is NOT the engagement ring. I found it by looking on google images under the search terms "fugly ring"
But I'm not sharing yet. It's not about me, but I will be letting you know Monday. In the meantime, I have another question.
It was announced this week that the latest season of Survivor will be divided up by race. I think that this is a bad idea. These kind of games can get really ugly and grouping people by their race only encourages certain stereotypes. One of the articles about it had Jeff Probst (the host) discussing how it would require people to look beyond stereotypes of how some races are believed to be faster or smarter. What?! I am not easily offended, but this offends me. I just think it's a bad idea.
I hope that I am not stepping on Jamie the Gastronome's toes here by talking about things having to do with food, but I have been thinking about this particular topic for a while. I have kitchen envy. I love watching Food TV and looking at all of the state of the art, beautiful, fully-stocked kitchens. I am always jealous of how Rachael Ray, Alton Brown, or Ina Garten are able to go to their pantry or refrigerator and pull out all of the needed ingredients. I know, I know, it's television and they stock everything they need ahead of time, but I want that kind of kitchen. The one where you can decide what to cook on a whim and be able to make it without having to make a special trip to the grocery store. In an attempt to achieve this type of kitchen, I am going to poll the audience and find out what your top "must haves at all times" in the kitchen are. Mine are olive oil, onions, and garlic. Unfortunately, these ingredients make a great start, but I need more stuff. So, what should I always have on hand?
I don't know about you, but I used to have a major Joey Lawrence crush when I was about 12 or 13. As memory serves, it was around the second and third season of Blossom when he was at his height of teenage hotness. The hair, the body, his signature "whoa" - he was the total heart-throb package. Well, he has now been relegated to that status that many teen-idols now occupy: the D-List (if you watch Kathy Griffin, you'll know what I mean). He will now be on Dancing With the Stars and oh how time has not been kind. He chopped off all the luxurious hair (the picture to the right is a bit more forgiving than the other ones I have seen) and looks like a younger Telly Savales. Am I the only person that feels really old after seeing these photographs?
Well, if you know me, then the answer is no. I know I can be a nag a lot of times for my friends, but I really have their health in interest when I bitch and moan about smoking. I work at a smoke-free environment - this means that you are not allowed to smoke on the property at all. I work at a gym (that shall not be named) and there are so many people that literally put out their cigarette right before they come in the door. What's the point, people? They proceed to lift weights, do cardio, stare at themselves in the mirror to make sure they have achieved their healthy goals and then leave the club and light up a cancer stick. Fine, I'm biased. The damn things basically led my mom to an early death and I don't want anyone to smoke. I just don't get why someone who works out every day would waste their time on smoking. Oh well. I have my vices (caffeine, beer, cursin') and everybody else does too. Officially off the soap box.
Paris Hilton says her album is so good she cries. I doubt not that her album makes her cry. I think it is for other reasons. Perhaps it could be that it has surpassed all other levels of crap? Or maybe that she realizes that this may be the last gasp of her ever unrelenting inexplicable fame? If not that, because it finally exposes the true weakness and inevitable conclusions that the Hilton bloodline has been compromised by inbreeding and laziness? Or maybe it's just that good and that she has finally conquered the last bastion of American "art" (in addition to impressive modeling, acting, and professional clubbing) left untouched by her vapid presence. Oh well, who knows.
I wanted to share a couple of photos of my goddaughter Isabella with everyone. These are older pictures back from the summer of 2002, right after I got Teddy. Her shirt is wet in the front because she was fascinated by the puppy but she was also scared and would run away from him while doing some sort of strange spitting thing. It was pretty funny at the time and the pictures still make me laugh. She looks so cute and I can't wait to spoil her little brother when he arrives sometime in October!
Ya'll know that I am fan of Nalini Singh and I am looking forward to her new book and coincidentally there is a promotional experiment going on right now with this new book and I decided to join in!
I am participating in a blogging experiment hosted at dearauthor.com. To enter the contest, put up this blurb, image, and trackback and you are entered to win the following prize package.
$200 Amazon gift certificate
Signed copy of Slave to Sensation
New Zealand goodies chosen by Singh
ARC of Christine Feehan's October 31 release: Conspiracy Game You can read about the experiment here and you can download the code that you need to participate here.
SLAVE TO SENSATIONNalini Singh Berkley / September 2006
Welcome to a future where emotion is a crime and powers of the mind clash brutally against those of the heart.
Sascha Duncan is one of the Psy, a psychic race that has cut off its emotions in an effort to prevent murderous insanity. Those who feel are punished by having their brains wiped clean, their personalities and memories destroyed.
Lucas Hunter is a Changeling, a shapeshifter who craves sensation, lives for touch. When their separate worlds collide in the serial murders of Changeling women, Lucas and Sascha must remain bound to their identities…or sacrifice everything for a taste of darkest temptation.
Excerpt
I don't know how to link in my blog 'cause I'm dumb. Anyway, I am going to provide the dates of my favorite posts and you can go back and see some highlights. Let me know what your favorite was.
August 9, 2005 - Beer Cooler
August 11, 2005 - First Waver Theory
September 26, 2005 - Top 10 List
October 31, 2005 - Teddy
November 3, 2005 - Christmas
November 7, 2005 - Jake Gyllenhaal
February 20, 2006 - "Wrinka"
And all the theme weeks
Enjoy,
ktg
I had every intention of going to bed early last night and I just could not fall asleep. I had my light out by 10, but I just tossed and turned and could not find a comfortable spot. Despite my best efforts, I still woke up just as tired as I usually am. Sigh.
On to another topic, a friend's little sister just went away to college this past week and she is having some adjustment problems. I talked to her earlier in the week and told her about how miserable I was when I first got to school. I started thinking back to those first few weeks as a freshman at a new school in a new state. I missed my parents and friends way more than I EVER thought I would. Just for kicks, I would like to know how you felt the first time you left home (either to go to school or for some other reason). Were you homesick, excited, a bit of both or what?
I haven't discussed t.v. in a while, but I am about to remedy that. I apologize in advance, but this post refers to a show that many of you probably don't watch, but I am addicted to. The show?
Big Brother All Stars
Love it! I have watched the majority of the seasons of this horrible show and I have thoroughly enjoyed it. This season is awesome because it has brought back several of my most favorite and least favorite players and all I can say is this sh*t is good! The sheming is better than anything I have ever seen. It is quite the study in psychology (especially evil Dr. Will), he is the best player EVER. I have enjoyed every episode this season and it is my "can't miss show." The best part is that if I miss an episode I can watch the entire thing on the web. CBS has hooked me up with their online programming. It's a little late to start watching, but if you want to guarantee your brain cells will slowly seep out of your ear - this is the show for you. I love America!
I couldn't help but comment on this story I saw on cnn. A man dipped kittens in grease, and tried to fry them in a frying pan. It is on the home page of www.cnn.com and you can watch the video link. I think what I find more disturbing is the reporter at the end who says "some people may not think this is a big deal." What!!?? What kind of people is that? I believe if you don't think it is a big deal then there is something definitely wrong with you. I believe in stiff punishments for people who abuse animals. I mean many years in jail. Animals are trusting creatures and if you abuse this trust then you should pay. I going to try to get off this animal tangent, but not today.
I just read a story in People Magazine about pet owners and Hurricane Katrina. When the storm first struck, one of the big stories was about pets that people had to leave behind because they couldn't take them to shelters or other circumstances. I felt so bad for the pet owners and could understand how devastating that would be to an owner. I would be heartbroken if I couldn't take Teddy with me. This brings me to the story. After people left their animals in shelters or at their homes, those pets were adopted out to other families. Now, the original owners want their pets back and often times the new families won't give them back. In many cases, these people have lost so much and now they can't even have their furry friends. I don't think it's right and I just had to post something about it. Maybe I am in the minority here, but I still think it's wrong to keep someone else's dog or cat.
P.S. I am talking about good owners, not ones that shouldn't have had pets to begin with.
*To those who wanted a recap of my favorite posts, I think I am going to spend the rest of the week picking them out and post it closer to the weekend*
The title of this post refers to the stereotype (that is pretty true) that southerners are nice, but fake and people outside of the South tend to be more truthful, but less polite. This is where I stand: generally, I like fake nice. This is not in reference to my friends or family, but for aquaintances and strangers. It may be a cliche, but you get more flies with honey than vinegar. You wanna get what you want? Be nice, even if it makes you grit your teeth. Treating people rudely will get you only so far, but once you get there your food will probably have spit in it, people will glare daggers at your back, make your life more difficult and subtly let you know that you have pissed them off. I bring this up because a young woman came into the place where I work and asked me if one manager in particular was available. I told her that she was in and the woman told me to "get her to the front desk." No explanation, no thank you, just a demand and she went along to browse through our merchandise. She was from a city up north (not to be named) and clearly expected to me to grant her wishes and believed that she was more competent than I (based on another interaction we had a few minutes later). I took all I had, but I was nice - even though I didn't mean it. What do you think (and what part of the country were you born in), fake nice or real mean?
I knew my blog-iversary was coming up, but I didn't realize I had actually missed it. After several months of contemplation and trying to come up with a name for the blog I wrote my first post on August 8th. A lot has happened in the past 12 months. Some good, some bad, but I am still here to bitch about it. I love reading blogs because they allow me to keep up with my friends, hear about other people's lives and comiserate when things aren't going so well. From August 8 2005 to August 8 2006 I have posted 276 times! Isn't that crazy? That is an average of every 1.3 days. I hope you have enjoyed reading it much as I have enjoyed writing it.
I am off to Kentucky to visit my friend Angela tomorrow, thus continuing my goal of reaching all states below the Mason-Dixon line before September. Just kidding. Angela and I met our freshman year at college and despite all odds, have managed to keep in touch since she transferred in 1998. While I live the life of a swingin' single (harhar) she has gotten married and had a baby. For anyone who ever met Angela she would have been the last person you would have guessed to become so domesticated. I believe she swore off marriage and motherhood in her late teens, but had a change of heart. I am so glad for her and cannot wait to meet her beautiful baby girl tomorrow. I am only spending the night and then I will head back to Nashville for a couple more nights of rest and then it is back to B'ham Saturday.
Hello everyone! I had a nice, relaxing trip to the beach, but I was happy to get back to Nashville (where I am staying for a few more days) and hang with Teddy. I'm such a nerd. I got a little burned, but not too bad and ate a lot of great food. All of my expenses were paid and I took the fullest advantage. The resort even had a hospitality suite where they provided free wine and beer. Ahhh, my kind of place. Hope everyone else had a good weekend and I am sure to be posting soon.
I could not fall asleep last night. I tossed and turned and even kicked Teddy out of the bed because I just could not relax and go to sleep. Part of it stemmed from the fact that I had a late cup of coffee yesterday, but the other reason is I am anxious about going on my vacation. I don't even know why I feel like this. I don't have anything that is pressing that I need to accomplish before I leave town, but it feels weird to get a week and a half off from work. I wish I could get more excited, but I just can't. I keep feeling like something bad is going to happen (Storm Chris is not doing me any good). Maybe it is because I am going to be spending five days with my dad and we are sure to get into some sort of argument about politics or some other nonsense. I think I will declare a truce and we will just avoid topics that we disagree on. Hmmm, after pondering this it leaves my father and I to talk about the weather (not global warming), and gardening. Should be fun.
I am leaving for my vacation tomorrow and I am quite excited. I am driving up to Nashville tomorrow afternoon and then my father and I are flying to Boca Raton Thursday morning. My brother, Chris, has wanted to go for a while, but decided that it was not something he could financially arrange. Imagine my irritation when I check cnn.com this morning and find out that a tropical storm has formed out in the Carribean and is making its way to Florida in the next few days. The name of the tropical storm? Chris. Coincidence? I think not.
(photo courtesy of NOAA)
