Famous Quotes and Favorite Sayings

"Find out who you are and do it on purpose." Dolly Parton

Fun with Friends

One of my friends flew back into town last night from Texas and we decided to surprise him by meeting him at the airport with a sign, his blow-up love ewe, and a giant sippy cup full of his favorite adult beverage. He had no idea we were all going to be there so it was quite entertaining and the fact the posterboard sign had pictures of a midget, a ferret and other obscure items on it really brought some funny looks from the passengers as they exited. We have pictures of us before he arrived and a group photo too, so I will try to post one later.

The weather decided not to cooperate, though, and the roads were extra nice and slippery after the snowfall yesterday. Needless to say we had a nice time gathering for drinks and dinner at the Mint with some good conversation followed by hysterical fits of laughter for dessert.

A good time was had by all.

Housekeeping

Most people who know me well know that I hate house work and that as far as priorities go, I rank it as 4567 on my list of things to do. Now don't get me wrong, I don't live in a pigpen, but I just don't list that as one of the top items on my "to do" list. Lately though, things have been changing for me and by that I mean my priorities. I have my own place now and I really am more conscientious about cleanliness. (Isn't there some irony in that one?) I am so busy that I don't have a lot of time to clean and I am finding that it absolutely drives me nuts when the house starts to get messy. And what ends up happening is I try to clean as I am getting ready to go places because I notice something needs to be done. This is a bad idea. One- I don't have the time to be doing it then and two I am really not going to do the job they way I want to at that time. What usually ends up happening is I end up late where I am going and I only get part of the way through the task I started-not so effective. This whole cycle is really starting to make me crazy. Hence, my post today. You can really tell that someone has changed when something that used to be so insignificant to them will make them late for a business meeting or a date. I have become obsessive about my living space. I don't think it is a bad thing, but I know I need to rearrange my schedule so I can be more effective with my time so the cleaning can be done when I have time, not when I am flying out the door for an important event. I have to laugh at myself now about it. It is really scary how OC I have become, but it really is not a bad thing. Two years ago, I was hardly leaving my house accept for work events and the occasional social event and my room was something that could be declared a national disaster area. Now, I could realistically have people over with 20 minutes notice. And, the only reason I would want that is to do some spot checking because I am so often not here these days that I basically leave the "big" cleaning to once per week. The rest of my house is tidy the majority of the time. You can walk through my living room and hallways etc. Because I have a bedroom and an office now, instead of being crammed in like a sardine I am staying more organized. I just have to chuckle how long it has taken for me to become this way. I really do get bothered if the dishes aren't done, if the bathroom sink is not wiped off and the floors in my house need to be vacuumed. Anyone who has known me for an extended period of time would ask me if I have a fever or if I am terminally ill. No, I just think I have come around to the dark side and am really wanting to have a nice place of my own that is reasonable clean the majority of the time. Who would of thought a tiger could change her stripes?

Sleeping Beauty Part II

So, first night in the bed was exactly as I expected. What I did not anticipated is this bed is a lot taller than my previous bed and I am really short. . .Needless to say, I had a little trouble getting into the bed. I am sure if you are reading this, you are probably thinking, how hard can it be to get in a freakin' bed? Well, mine sits on a set of drawers that are about 12 inches tall. Add to them the height of the box spring and the mattress which is a pillowtop and now I am sleeping with my nose about 2 inches from my ceiling. Ok, it is not quite that tall, but I cannot sit on it and have my feet touch the floor. (My feet dangle about 12 inches from the floor.) I actually had to get a step stool to get into my bed. I could not crawl into it or scoot my ass up on to it- nothing, nada, no way no how was this happening without some sort of extension to my height. I really do find this amusing. I could not help but get the giggles when I realized that I was either sleeping in my Lazy Boy recliner last night or I was going to have to use my kitchen step stool just to get into bed and by the looks of this, it was going to become a permanent fixture in my bedroom if I wanted to be able to get into bed without learning some sort of gymnastics. I am going to have to think about ditching the drawers and buying a bed frame and a new dresser so I am not sleeping 4 feet off the ground.

Sleeping Beauty

Well, I finally did it. I bought a new mattress set. After talking about it for almost a year, I threw in the towel and spent the money on a really good bed so I can sleep well. It was delivered today so I am really excited! No more sloping, soft, too little support leading to a night of tossing and turning only to wake up with a headache, neckache and backache. Yeah! I am sure my first few nights will be like sleeping at a hotel while I am getting used to it, but I am ready. Sleepy time.

We are there!

So, yesterday was Election Day and thank heavens! The airwaves are clear again. Montana was one of the most important states in deciding which party controlled the Senate. So many states had elections that ousted incumbents and shifted control to the Democrats. I am not sure what the future holds, but I do know that now that the election is over, everyone needs to dig in and get to work on everything they promised they would do in their campaigns. Our nation is still at war. We still have soldiers dying. We still have a national debt that is spiraling out of control. We have plenty of work to do.

Are we there yet?

With election day approaching, I find myself asking the question "Are we there yet?" more often each day. Many states are facing important races for congressional districts and state offices. Unfortunately, the mudslinging is out of control. I am hearing ads on the radio and seeing ads on TV that are so negative I am appalled. Once credible upstanding politicians are resorting to the lowest of tactics to persuade voters on this upcoming election day. What I see happening is these people taking steps down on the ladder of integrity, one rung at a time with each new negative political ad. Regardless of what these pompous advertising executives and political advisors are telling their clients, the campaigns are NOT affective now, but rather distasteful and downright irritating to voters. I would not be surprised if voter turnout is less than anticipated because of the negativity. I am struggling now to want to support any candidate regardless of my political beliefs because of the way this election has been handled. So, I am counting the days until I can check the boxes, fill in the dots etc and the airwaves will return to normal again.

Attraction

It has been awhile since I have posted anything controversial, so I thought I would throw something up here with a little food for thought. Over the past couple of weeks, several of us have been "discussing" a variety of topics relating to men and women and relationships. The battle of the sexes rages on. What is on my mind is the subject of attraction. Attraction means different things to different people, but we all seem to agree that is plays a major role in relationships. However, how major and to what degree is where the divisions start.

Attraction is defined as an, "attractive quality, magnetic charm, fascination, allurement, enticement." As individuals we are attracted to someone for different reasons. What attracts one person to someone may not attract the next person to that same individual. Attraction is completely subjective because we all have our own desires, likes and dislikes that have been shaped by our own individual experiences and perspectives. In general, men tend to be more visual then women; therefore physical attraction to a person tends to rate higher on the list of qualities for a man when searching for his ideal mate. Now, before I get blasted by everyone for that statement, please read on.

Physical attraction is important for woman also and if you ask women they will not lie and say it is not, but many woman as they get older will tell you that, yes I have to be attracted to someone in order for that relationship to work, but it is not my number ONE priority. Women are looking for caretakers and caregivers in relationships and in doing so will balance their needs to achieve their goals. Let me demonstrate my point. Take a look around you and see the couples of today. You will observe many beautiful women with men that you would not expect to see them with (I am not trying to sound like a judgmental, superficial person) but by society's standards these men should not be with these women, BUT THEY ARE! How do you think they ended up here? By luck? By chance? By the grace of God? (ok- maybe this one) NO! Because the woman chose that man for some other quality that he had that she needed and wanted even though he was not a George (Clooney) or a Brad (Pit)or a Vin Diesel in the looks department. We see this ALL the time.

Men, on the other hand, will tell you that they HAVE to be physically attracted to a woman or they can't be involved with her in a relationship. One night stands - that might be another story. For one night you can probably put up with no attraction just for sex, but why would you? What would the point be? (Oh- yes I know, TO GET LAID.) I don't disagree with the need for chemistry or physical attraction. This is understandable, but forty years from now that attraction is not what is going to be holding your relationship together anymore. Granted, it will still play a part; the other important elements in building a solid foundation in a relationship are what keep that relationship going, not just the attraction. It only takes a spark to get the fire going, but not to keep it burning. (Please don't misinterpret this as me saying you don't need to be attracted to someone to keep a relationship intact.)

I am not trying to draw a battle line between men and woman here and say that men have it all wrong and women have it all right in this department. I have yet to find anyone one who has any of this figured out. What I am saying is physical attraction is only the beginning and if we base everything on a single element, we may miss out on the right person because we cannot moved past the first step. People change, grow and evolve and someone you were not attracted to before you may end up attracted to later if your eyes are open to it. I know that is something that we only think happens on TV and in the movies, but in real life, if we don't believe in second chances than what do any of us have to look forward to? In converse, you can fall out of lust with someone also; attraction can work in the reverse. If you used to be attracted to someone in the past and you may not be anymore as time and circumstances have changed.

Attraction is not a finite concept. I would hate to see any person miss out on an opportunity because he or she was bound by the laws of attraction. You might be confused by this statement, but take a few minutes and think about it. The right person might be right in front of you and you've never considered it or vice versa. Then again, that may not be what is supposed to happen for either of you. I will leave you with this parting thought. For all of you who are friends with members of the opposite sex, if you think that you are "just friends", you probably are, but it was not always that way. At some point in your relationship someone was attracted to the other person as more than a friend even if no one is now. Or, if you have just met someone and both of you insist that neither is interested in the other, this may be true at this point in time, but the scales will tip at some point. Men and women are not built to be just friends. That is biology. Plain and simple. And, people change. Feelings change. Attraction is not a finite concept. . .

Weekend Update

It was a busy weekend. Friday night I had a few friends over for what was supposed to be a game night. Turns out the only game that was played was who could irritate someone more with battle of the sexes Part 22 continuing from the email conversations that a portion of the group of us had been having throughout the day. The rest of us just visited and consumed adult beverages. The evening culminated with a round robin group shoulder and foot massages. Now who would not want to kick back, relax with a few of your good friends with your favorite adult beverage and end your evening with a massage? I forgot to mention there were chips, pizza and chocolate. Need I say more?

Saturday night a group of us went out downtown to a few of the bars. We found ourselves in the middle of a "Heaven and Hell" party at 317. At first, the bar seemed like it would be a good place to hang out and the music was good. Then, the place filled up and the "thumpa thumpa" became a little more than we could all tolerate for an extended period of time. We decided to head down the street to another the Rockin R where the music was a little more listener friendly and we could chill out for a while. We met another friend and added on to the group. One of the girls had her digital camera with her so she took a bunch of wacky pics. I conveniently received them in my Inbox Monday morning. There were some good photos, too.

Sunday, I met a friend at the Cat's Paw for breakfast and ended up staying most of the day to watch football with another group of friends who are in a fantasy football league. We just hung out, chatted and had a drink or two. Sunday evening, I was invited over to a friends for an amazing home-cooked meal and good conversation. It was the perfect finish to good weekend.

And there was Monday. . .

Can I still Have the t-shirt?

Saturday night was all about the music. A few friends and purchased tickets for a fundraiser concert for Media Arts in the Public Schools (MAPS) that was put on by the Clintons. The opening band WangDangDoodle was rockin'. They played a few cover songs and some originals. They lead singer of the band is a retired movie director who helps with the MAPS program. He played a mean guitar. They did an excellent job of warming up the crowd for the Clintons. The Clintons were awesome! They played for 2 hours and were better than ever. They have a new bass player from Billings. He was a cutie! John (the lead singer) was wearing a very fashionable Michael Bolton t-shirt from the Time, Love and Tenderness Tour. We talked to John about the shirt before the band went on. He proudly told us where he had scored such a treasure. We were all very impressed with his find. LOL.

I did have a fun time throwing down the gauntlet for my friend about a guy that we saw that was hot. We decided whomever "won" the bet would be presented with a t-shirt eblazoned in glitter with something about him. LOL. By the end of the evening, we both had given up the chase (we were more interested in the music) and decided we just wanted the cool t-shirt. . .

Talking Vaginas

This past weekend, a few friends and I went to a local play that was hysterical. I was not prepared for the show, but nonetheless, had a great time and laughed until there were tears in my eyes. At one point in the play, there were women dressed as talking vaginas on the stage. There was an adolescent one, a middle-aged one and one that was supposed to be "older." LOL. You can only imagine the content of the vagina conversation.

The show was incredibly politically slanted, but still funny and a great way to spend an evening. I was so glad that I laughed so much for a night!

DVD for TV

I spent part of my weekend watching some great 80's TV shows on dvd and it was really therapeutic. I used to watch some of these shows when I was in junior high and now they have reproduced them on DVD. Some of them have a whole new meaning 15 years later. LOL. I lived for these shows when they were prime time before. The actors were HOT! They were babes. That has not really changed. But, now I realize how terrible the acting was. What can I say? Who was watching the show for acting skills? Not me. But, the escape into the past was what I needed.

Go, Cats, Go!!!

Well the Bobcats finally won a game yesterday!! It was MSU Homecoming. I guess I should not say finally, but they won a home game and it was a game that counts. My friends and I went to Old Chicago to watch the game on TV in the comfort of climate control. We munched on appetizer, drank adult beverages and finished the game off with a fresh-baked cookie topped with ice cream. Now that is the right way to watch football. . .

Nudge Nudge, Wink Wink

I am not sure how many of you pay attention to non-verbal communication, but a person actually communicates more non-verbally than verbally. Because of this, I struggle with how digital we have become in the nature of our communication. It is so difficult to be flirtatious without being blatantly suggestive or downright obvious. In person, a woman and a man can be more subtle with body movements, tone of voice, eyes- everything. I would hate to rely on our new friend, the emoticon, to portray a feeling in the new stages of an early developing relationship. What if their version of messaging program is not the same as yours? What if they are using an all-in-one? The emoticons are not always the same and then what you were trying to communicate ends up all wrong due to a misplaced little yellow redecorated smiley face! What has this world come to?

"It's Not Me, It's You"

This is the title of a fabulous book that I have to share some excerpts from for you. I can't help myself. Here are some interesting things to note. A woman should not ask a man out on a date.

"Asking a guy out is like acting every part in a play. Great for putting on a one-woman show. Not so great for much else. As much as men say they'd love a woman to ask them out, the truth is they don't understand the question. Guys would love a woman to ask them out in their fantasies, but in reality, they 'go nervous' feel unmanly, and wonder what other roles this date-askin', Xena-warrior woman is going to take over next."

Addendum

I want to add something to my previous post. If you are reading that post, and you think it is about you, it probably is not. LOL. If you are reading it and you don't know, it probably is. . .
And, I don't need to take any medication, lay off any medication or hear any advice. I have tried to give everyone the benefit of the doubt on so many things and all I see is people continuing to prove me right. How very disappointing!

Busy, busy

Life has been a little busy, so I thought I would write a little tonight while I have a free minute. I have several major topics that I would love to rant about, but due to recent events, don't feel like I can on this venue any more. Is that not the saddest thing you have ever heard? This is what it has come to. I can't even write on my own blog about the things I want to because people feel the need to assume that everything I write about is about them.

Point of clarification: if you are having issues and I happen to write something that relates to your life, think of it like TV. The characters are not related to any real life events or people or places unless I am talking specifics, using names and dates etc. I like to generalize and for some reason, people tend to read my entries and jump to conclusions. Quit and get a life. If I wanted to make an issue about you, I would use your frickin' name because I am at the point where I am so tired of the bullshit I would not protect you or myself for that matter. As you can see, I am over the crap. . .Have a nice evening!

Salad Anyone?

Don't forget this brand of fresh lettuce, folks! What probably happened is, the water the lettuce was washed in contained polliwogs and these became fresh new frogs, right in the packages. So if you're looking for salad fixins with a little more body, then be sure and try this brand. Don't forget, it's the extra care that Mexican companies take that makes the difference.

I think that at this point, we could just eat directly from a swamp and be safer. . .

A New Method of Birth Control

For any of you who have read my previous posts, you know that I am not a huge fan of kids. For those of my friends who have children, I tend to like them because they are not monsters, but other peoples' kids, this is another whole story. Yesterday evening, I was at the chiropractor (that would be my other home after my multiple car accidents) waiting to go into the room for my treatment and there was a family there, a mom and several of her children. I had seen them there before. The mother was very nice to me and wanted to help me out because I am on crutches. This I appreciated very much. I ended up making it in the office and into a chair without assistance. I was very tired and really just wanted to "rest in peace" while waiting for my appointment. This was really not possible with her children. Her daughter was taking up residence in one of the massage chairs while proceeding to eat candy out of the office candy bowl and her son was climbing all over that same massage chair like it was a jungle gym. These chairs are $1500-$2000 per chair. I sat and watched the mother patiently tell this child not to climb on the chair several times and then finally get up and retrieve him and pick him up and place him on her lap. By the time her sons came out of the treatment room and it was time to go and she was gathering up her stuff, she asked her youngest to put his shoes on. He refused. He is not a baby, even though he still talks like one and acts like one. She asked him why they brought the shoes inside in the first place. I would not have asked anything. The shoes would have gone back on his feet- end of story. Now don't get me wrong, I will not tell you how to raise your children, but when in a public place, please have some respect for yourself and others. At least he was not screaming and yelling when he refused. In any case, this child clearly has the run of that household. I felt sorry for this mother and at the same time was amazed at how this child was so disrespectful at such a young age and she enabled it.

It is great how I can just go to the chiropractor, where I have to go anyway, as my method of birth control now. The above situation just reinforced why I should not have children. . .

The beast is back

So, my car, the one that has the invisible sign attached to the trunk that says, "HIT ME, I HAVE A GOOD ATTORNEY" is finally back from the dealership looking especially shiny and new. I just had it repaired from my last accident, the one where I was rear-ended. AGAIN. For the 4th time in a year. I think it is jinxed. The car needs an exorcism and I am not really ready to drive yet after my knee surgery. And, I have to ask myself this, how many times can you replace a bumper? Evidently, that number is at least four. I am not willing to keep testing this theory for the car's sake and for my body's. I can't handle another whiplash/back injury. Point being, I have my car back.