3/27/07

TESTING, TESTING

Out the blue, Tyler has found a new way to enter my classroom. It's fabulous. It started a few weeks ago whereby he began walking in, and right off the bat, started saying to me... TANGERINES, APPLES, GRAPEFRUITS, PEARS. Then, upon hearing this, I merely replied... uh... STRAWBERRIES, PLUMS, ORANGES, PEACHES. It took me but a half second to realize he was listing types of fruit. Little did I know, however, he was in fact, TESTING me.

Apparently, the test is such that I'm supposed to figure out the relationship of all he's including on his imaginative lists. I have to tell you... I found this to be a FABulous way to come to class, let alone a creative way! Tyler now does this everyday, and I've grown to love it to no end. And... being a real live college graduate, I also normally pass his tests.

Well, until last week, anyway. Which was when I met my first failure. For the life of me, I can't remember the exact opening list for that day, but it was along the lines of... SUN, FIRE, FLASHLIGHT. Something like that. I thought and thought yet within moments I told Tyler: OKAY, I GIVE. Turns out I couldn't figure out where he was going with this particular list. However, I'm sure YOU can. What a dunce I was. The puzzle's solution?? THINGS THAT GIVE US LIGHT. Duh.

Give me the job of teaching reading. Boom. I'm a whiz. Give me the job of figuring out brain twisters. Bam. I'm a loser. Geez.... a 13 year old has me beat?? Apparently so.

Which reminds me... for an hour a day, my classroom is used by a colleague to teach remedial math to 6th graders. One day, I picked up their text book and started flipping through it. EEEKS. I WAS LOST FROM PAGE ONE. Well, okay. From page five, maybe. But, the point is: there is NO way I can apparently pass 6th grade math!! Thank GOD I'm out of Middle School. I'd need catch up tutoring in a FLASH. My first thought was to enter the class one day and simply announce to the students: F--- ALL THIS, KIDDIES. I'VE BEEN FUNCTIONING SUPREMELY WELL FOR YEARS AND YEARS AND HAVE NEVER YET NEEDED THIS CRAPOLA INFORMATION. Except of course unless I wanted to graduate high school.

Thus if I can't figure out 6th grade math, how in the world can I possibly solve Tyler's puzzles?? These students are obviously WAY brighter than I am. On the other hand, I bet I can a decorate a home MUCH better than they can. Except for Sanford, maybe. Personally, I think he's got a good shot at a bright future in interior designs.

3/23/07

STUFFED

You would think that it'd be the 14 lb. cooked turkey that was stuffed. Didn't happen that way. Instead, it's the 1XX lb. ME that's stuffed. I cooked this bird and let me tell you, when it came out of the oven, it looked ABsolutely delicious! The browned, crisp skin was cooked to a T. The meat itself was moist, with an INCREDIBLE aroma . In fact, take a look at the finished product up above. In case I didn't capture it correctly, trust me... it was so good looking that it could have been on the cover of Gourmet Magazine.

Which is why I was thinking of Pavlov's dog... the experiment whereby the dog began salivating, eventually creating the scientific response called conditional stimulation. Folks... I am here to tell you... IT WORKS!

I took one look at this stunning turkey and in no time flat, I was slicing it, tasting it and LOVING it. It was like I couldn't stop! I first had a small baby taste. Then I had a small baby slice and then the next thing I know, I'm grabbing a plate, loading it up like no tomorrow and ploping myself right smack down in front of ABC's World News Tonight. I was munching my way right up to Turkey Heaven. Which is why, you not only see the first picture up above.

You can also see the second picture. THAT picture is what the OTHER side looked like after I tore into it, thinking that Ivan Pavlov had NO clue how right he was. Can you beLIEVE it? Look how much I ate!! I swear... I am sooo stuffed right now, it's ridiculous.

What's even crazier is that I don't even LIKE turkey! In fact, during Thanksgiving Feasts, I usually bypass that part of the meal ALtogether. Instead, I head right to the stuffing, the cranberries and the green bean cassarole. To me.... that's WAY tastier than a turkey breast, a turkey leg or a turkey wing. Besides, why ruin the REAL reason for the dinner... the pecan/pumpkin pies! Now THAT'S what I call a reason to celebrate.

Therefore, if by any chance YOU like turkey please head over here immediately. I've got more turkey than I know what to do with. If you want it fresh, come by now. If you want it frozen, come by anytime you'd like. Just... PLEASE COME BY. Believe me, it's taking up way more room in my freezer than can I afford. Especially since I need a place to store the pies.

3/22/07

THANKSGIVING FEAST FOR EASTER DINNER

As we speak, I'm defrosting a Thanksgiving turkey in my sink. Too bad it's almost Easter. More importantly, too bad I don't even WANT to be defrosting this bird, let alone be cooking it. But I simply have no choice. I HAVE to cook it. There's no room in my freezer to store it!

Here's how it all went down.

First of all, my house is really small. Thus, my refrigerator is pretty small. And, my freezer is even smaller. Which is why I had trouble acclimating myself to it when first I moved in. Bear in mind, I originally came from a 5 bedroom home, nice sized pool, etc. etc. And... I had a nice sized side by side refrigerator/freezer. In addition... I ALSO had a nice sized ADDITIONAL freezer in the garage. So... you can well imagine the sort of adjusting I had to do while getting used to this baby set up I now have.

Secondly, last Thanksgiving my local grocer gave me a free turkey. But... I didn't host Thanksgiving last year. ENTER: DILEMMA. Where to store this huge bird. There was no WAY it would fit in my own freezer.

DILEMMA SOLVED: I headed over to my next door neighbor's house. A neighbor who is here maybe 6 weeks a year. She had PLENTY of room in HER freezer. Boom. My storage space was immediately doubled. Uh.... until three days ago, anyway. Get this... SHE SOLD HER HOUSE. Damnit. So much for my extra freezer space.

The closing was on Monday, so lickety split I had to head over to reclaim Mr. Tom. Just what I wanted... to start baking a huge sized turkey on a Thursday night in the middle of March. What the hell am I going to DO with it all, anyway? Pretend it's November?? Geez... what a scam-o.

So as I see it... I have two options. 1.) Have a huge Easter Dinner next month and pretend the turkey is really a Honey Glazed Easter Ham or 2.) Have an impromptu dinner party NOW and pretend it's really Thanksgiving, which means I'll have to run out and stock up on stuffing, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie and all the other trimmings.

Or... maybe I can consider a third option: Cook the delicious turkey, enjoy a few slices of fresh turkey breast and then... FREEZE THE REST. Talk about being right back where you started from.

3/21/07

BARGAIN BASEMENT

I got some great bargains today... from the basement. And, I'm not talking Filene's Basement, either. I'm talking MY basement. So much for all those folks who support the idea... and I'm actually one of them... that if you haven't worn a piece of clothing in the past year, get rid of it. Forget about it. Throw it out. As it turns out, however, it's a good thing I didn't follow my own advice.

I live in a pretty small house. And, I have pretty tiny closets. Which is not good for a person who not only has a lot of clothes, but who also WEARS a lot of clothes. And shoes. And accessories. And handbags. In fact, if I were so inclined, I could easily mix and match my outfits so that no two were ever worn more than once in, let's say, an entire year! Amazing, huh?
I've got favorites, of course, thus I AM also heavy into my uniforms. On any given day, I could easily be spotted wearing one such uniform... like one of my gaucho pants, for instance. I wear several of those ALL the time. I also wear my crops pants a lot. And, certainly, my ballet styled flats. I have hordes of T shirts in hordes of colors. Mix and match all these and boom. I'm in one of my uniforms. What's really crazy though, is that while I have these zillions of colors in my wardrobe, you can almost BET I'm wearing black. For my house, it's white. For my clothing, it's black.

Lately, I've been wearing a lot of skirts and dresses. I don't do "fads" so my timeless clothing really does carry me from year to year. My former hubby loved seeing me in skirts thus bingo. I've got MANY. He of course is now viewing some OTHER babe in dresses, etc. but whatever. And, I take good CARE of my clothing thus no wonder I've collected so much. I'm a regular discount warehouse.

Anyway... about the bargains. I have 3 closets in my house. You'd think they'd be enough to house my clothing and accessories but no such luck. Down in my basement is where I have the REST of my clothing and necessities... that which have sort of taken a back seat for one reason or another to the favored house wardrobe. Some are hanging. Some are in zippered containers. Some are stacked in boxes. It's kinda like an organized state of confusion down there.
When I was in the basement today, I happened to check out some of the demoted clothing. Lo and behold... I found 5 pieces that I thought worthy of bringing back to the A List. Whamo. 5 new outfits for the one small cost of taking a walk downstairs. How's THAT for a bargain? In fact, one of the dresses I'll even be wearing to school tomorrow!

Which I'm kind of hoping Marcus doesn't notice. He's a student of mine who came up with a statement today, in front of 3 other students, that completely floored me. I don't even remember why he brought it up, but he tells me... YEAH, AND YOU'RE RICH, TOO. Huh?? I'm rich?? What is THAT all about?? Which pretty much is how I reacted to Marcus. I was shocked.... thus I just had to ask him: Where would ever get THAT idea? Another student answered: Because you wear a long gold chain and look at all your clothes. Whoa... are THESE four kids in for a startling surprise. They should only KNOW how so not rich I am.

SO not rich, that I've apparently now taken to doing my shopping in a BASEment. My own basement, no less. Like how much does THAT point to my not being wealthy? Talk about fooling some of the people... some of the time.

3/17/07

SPRING CLEANING

Boy, am I ever bushed. It's been Spring Cleaning around the house lately and only a while ago I woke up from a short nap I took, considerating all the exhaustion I felt. The first part, I actually didn't do myself. I had Jason come over to clean my carpets and upholstery. As for the windows and screens... I leave that to my housekeeper.

The part I tackled was my bedroom. I first washed all the window curtains. Actually, it was pretty painless. Since I myself had hung all the rods, I sort of had a heads up on how to disassemble everything rather easily. Then I stripped my bed of all the linens, including the bedskirt, egg crate foam and mattress cover. Everything got washed and I was ready to then put everything back together again.

Ever try to move a king sized mattress by yourself?? I did, once, about 3 years ago and nearly killed myself. Not only did the mattress knock me over flat on my back, but it fell smack onto my body, thereby smashing my glasses, while right on my face. Don't ask. THIS time however, as luck would have it, Barbara had stopped by. Meaning now, I at least had a two man team going. She helped me get the mattress off the bed and she held it up, as I put the laundered bed skirt over the box spring once again. Together we put the mattress back on the bed and bingo. Mission accomplished. Whew.

In the meantime, I took a look at my egg crate mattress topper and thought: you know what? It's time for an update. Even the mattress cover looked like it needed help, too. Enter: Linens N Things. TALK ABOUT AN EDUCATION. The lady in the mattress topper dept. spent at least a half hour giving me the low down on Memory Foam. Get this... the one I REALLY wanted was $300. Eeeks. Exactly how much IS memory foam worth, anyway? Well, for me, it was worth only half that amount. So, I bought it, and a new mattress cover, too and boom. I came home to remake my bed.

Which is where my nap came in. Whoa. Have any idea how much energy I expended putting together my new 2007 bedding?? Enough for me to need an old fashioned nap afterwards, that's how much. Besides, I was kind of eager to take my new bedding and linens out for a test drive, so to speak. I've got to tell you... it apparently worked like a charm! The bed and all it's new updates felt GREAT. So great, in fact, that within moments of my lying down upon it, I was snoozing like a baby.

I'm now off to shower and guess what. Then, I'll... get ready for bed! Again.

NIGHT ON THE TOWN

Last night I felt like a real grownup. First of all, for some reason, it was winter all over again. As in: temps down to the low 30s. Thus, I had to not only dress up, but, dress warmly, as well. I was going to a pretty spiffy restaurant for a spiffy celebration with a couple of spiffy friends.

I was wearing my favorite warm dressy outfit... my long black palazzo pants, my black crew neck sweater and my black 2 inch high heeled boots. It's a great look that I love. Actually, the last time I wore this, I think it was Laura who said something along the lines I just HAD to be "meeting" someone given this isn't the run of the mill look that I normally sport. I think she might have been guessing: a tryst, maybe?? Anyway, my makeup and hair was all dolled up and I had on some terrific, glitzy jewelry. Bingo. I looked VERY grown up. And, very cosmopolitan.

Which I think is an interesting word. A few weeks ago, a couple I know asked me to join them because they wanted to introduce me to a friend of theirs. I was happy to do so and only later did I find out that when describing me to this friend, they described me as a "very cosmopolitan" woman. Now THERE'S a description I don't hear very often; especially when speaking of me. Actually, I kinda like it. Who would have ever thought? Me... straight from the streets of Manhattan! It's almost gotta make you laugh.

But... getting back to last night. As I was dressing, I decided to not only dress like a grownup, but to dine as one, also. Thus, I was going to order THE most delicious sirloin steak, not even saying boo about the pricing. I could taste dinner watering in my mouth before I even left home.

What REALLY made me feel like a grown up, however, was that I had also decided... tonight I'm ordering a cocktail! Something I almost NEVER do. Believe you me... it's a major night on the town alright, when Linda has a big deal adult like drink before dinner. Often friends will almost applaud me when I do. So... What drink did I order??

Why, a Cosmopolitan, of course!

God, it was delicious. And, the cocktail glass it was served in was stunning. And... the effects of this Cosmopolitan hit me in a mere 4 sips. Bingo. I was having the time of my life in minutes flat! Most importantly, I actually FINISHED the drink. I felt sooooo grownup, it was amazing! Hence, this was INDEED a big, real live grown up night out for me.


On the other hand, this in no way precludes my OTHER favorite spots... the first being my local diner. Where actually, I'll be meeting another set of friends tomorrow, for an old fashioned southern breakfast. I'm into the "hungry man" kind of meal. Only I can walk out of this diner with a tab WAY higher than everyone else's. The second favorite spot is one of my favorite sandwich shops. Get this... it's connected to a gas station! I love keeping it on my sight seeing tours for visitors. Talk about getting the FEEL for a small town. Geez... I bet even Mayberry didn't have THIS kind of set up. But then again, Mayberry is far from being cosmopolitan... Although I AM hoping their bars serve one.

3/16/07

THE WALTONS

I have this new hobby. It began when the Walton Family's newest Sam's Club came to my city which believe me, was BIG news. It's located within yards from our big Super WalMart, which was even BIGger news when it arrived.

I happen to love Sam's Club. Most people love it because you can stock up on your larger than life packaging of a zillion items. But personally, I love their HUGE bakery department. Especially those gourmet looking cakes and desserts. The department looks almost like an identical twin to Costco, whose baked goods also deserve a five star rating. The store is great, given you can also buy food stuffs which help you put together a fancy schmancy party in one mere shopping trip, offering your guests a wide array of excellent prepared hor'deurves, snacks, appetizers, whatever. Further, I was chatting with a friend last night and we both gave high marks to their cooked roasted chicken, which my mother had always said was the BEST. And, I've had terrific luck in Sam's fruit department. Finally, my all time favorite dinner, snack and/or breakfast item is the Chicken Cordon Bleu which is housed in the frozen food section. Major delicious.

Yet my FAVORITE department at Sam's Club is their Television Department. Talk about a pleasure dome! Sam's has apparently made it very easy for checking out all the new wide screen TV's, offering any size/feature you could possibly want. It definitely makes for happy shopping. But... while I have no intention whatsoever of actually PURCHASING a TV, I DO love the lounging set up they unknowingly offer. Apparently the seasonal furniture department is set up directly diagonally across from the televisions... a PERfect location, which allows for EXcellent viewing of all 60+ sets!

Of course, Sam's doesn't actually ENCOURAGE you to plop yourself down and watch the wide screen TV'S. But, that doesn't stop ME. Trust me... plopping my wide ass down upon the wide sized Lazy Boys, watching the wide screen TV, makes for one hell of a field trip! Yet there IS a trick to all this, by the way; always make sure you go to Sam's with any friend who has A LOT of shopping to do! That way, you can basically count on at LEAST a good 20 minutes of viewing time. And... if you're lucky, you might also be able to get in a nice nap, too. Besides, you have any idea how many new friends I make while I'm relaxing in my temporary lounge chair?? Plenty!

So... my best advice is: forget going to your friends' house for the Super Bowl. MY recommendation is: head to Sam's Club. THERE, you can watch the show, mosey on up to the concession stand and have an EXCELLENT hot dog if you'd like; or treat yourself to any other type of food known to man. AND, you'd have the best seat in town. Until January however... just give me a call and bingo. I'll GLADLY join you for a visit to what I call Sam Walton's Wide Screen Home Theater. And... I'll even save you a seat.

3/15/07

PRETEND WEATHER

Maybe I should sue the NC Public School System. They gave me a heart attack yesterday and it was very much THEIR fault.

I was in my classroom, almost 2:00, awaiting the arrival of my next student, and the next thing I know, an announcement comes over the loud speaker that the County Weather Dept. had issued a tornado alert. OH MY GOD. Like a bat out of hell, I ran to the adjoining classroom and said: OKAY, I GIVE. NOW WHAT? The teacher told me what we're instructed to do in such cases. As in: go to a wall, scrunch down facing it and wait. Oh, I'll wait alright... wait to what? DIE??

As if that wasn't enough, the NEXT announcement, about 5 minutes later, said that the tornado alert had now become an impending warning. Whoa... I am SO going to die! At that point, I ran to the wall, scrunched down and began thinking: like, how long do I have stay in this position, anyway?? How much longer do I have here on earth?

Well, the answer came about 10 minutes later, when the school principal came breezing through all the classrooms, to check out everyone's response. Turns out it was a tornado DRILL! Omigod... this was a TRICK?? Good God, Almighty. Given my class is an inside room, thus has no windows, I had no clue that outside, it was actually sunny, beautiful and delightful. NO TORNADO IN SIGHT; nor any in sight within 17 states of me. How's that for a heart attack scenario?

All the OTHER teachers knew were having a drill. And, the school system knew. And, of course, the principal knew. But, me? Apparently, I was the only one left out of the loop, given I arrive an hour later than everyone else. Thus, I'm wondering if I've got a case, here. I kinda think I do. Now THERE'S a way to make some extra bucks!

My mother had always said the best way to die was to first live a fabulous long life, then have an instant heart attack, and boom, it's over. You'd die like a "lady". Frankly, I just never in my wildest dreams thought my heart attack would appear during a pretend catastrophic weather event. Exactly how lady like would THAT be?? Me, flying through the f-ing sky, screaming like a mad woman, being thrown in one direction and then the next?


Can you imagine? Just what I want... dying as I land in some prison courtyard, somewhere while the inmates are in the midst of taking their daily breather. LOOK! A LADY! GET IN LINE WHILE WE DECIDE WHAT WE WANT TO DO WITH HER. SO not cool. Thus, if you ever see me anywhere off the ground, please run and grab a safety net to save me. Preferably before the prisoners do. Thanks.

3/13/07

THE PIANO

I was driving in my car today, listening to a CD I had burned. On it, was one of my all time favorite songs... Janis Joplin singing ME AND BOBBY McGEE. God, that's a fabulous tune. Naturally, I had it blaring and was basically singing a killer duet with Janis. About 3 minutes into the tune was an UNbelievable piano solo and it was at that point that it was confirmed: the piano is by far, my absolute favorite instrument.

It used to be, for many years, that the drums were my favorite. I was WILD for great drumming. But, I eventually had to give that up after 1.) careful consideration and 2.) recognition of the asTONishing pleasure Elton and Billy's pianos brought me. Listening to either of these guys, makes me realize that I am SOOOO damn jealous of their fingering talent, it's crazy. Most people love what the guitar brings to rock and roll... I love what the piano brings. And, I'm not talking the Ira Gershwin or Cole Porter style, either. I'm talking the kind of style where the fingers are magically hopping all over the place, pounding out some of THE best hard core rhythm and sound you ever did hear.

I was about 13, when I myself had piano lessons. Omigod... talk about a disaster. I had NO CLUE which notes were which... and the by the time I converted the musical notes into the actual lettered notes, you can be SURE no one would ever know what the hell tune I was supposedly playing. The conversion time was whoa... maybe 2 minutes per note? Uh... so not the trick set up. I was a pro at reading the English language and even the Spanish language. But reading the musical language?? Forget it.

Which is way too bad. I would have LOVED to know how to play the piano and read music. As a matter of fact, those people who can play the piano withOUT knowing how to read music... GENIUSES! Not to mention little baby 7 year old Mozart who heard entire SYMPHonies in his head and boom! They flew right out onto his fingers. How does THAT happen??

My own little baby genius, my son, got his first little baby digital keyboard at the age of five. It was his Kindergarten Graduation present from Mommy and Daddy. And, within a week I had hired Elizabeth LaPrese to begin his piano lessons. In no time FLAT, my son was reading music like a pro. HUH?? How did he DO that? Within a couple of years, we upgraded him to a full sized Yamaha digital piano and next thing you know, my little darling was banging out Rockin' Robin like an 8 year old pro. Mrs. LaPrese was crazy about my son and quickly moved him right up the the top of the list of her favorite students. Talk about music to a mother's ears.
By 14 however... the piano was put on the back burner and replaced with a new instrument. Care to guess which one? Get this... THE DRUMS!! I deserve a medal for living through THOSE lessons and sessions. And, as great as my kid was on the piano, he was equally great on the drums. Of course, the drums were eventually replaced by his FAVORITE new toy... a car, on his 16th birthday! Funny how quickly the piano and drums were a thing of the past.

Well, sort of. While packing up for college... the drums were DEFINITELY a must have for the frat house. Thank God. It meant MY house could reclaim an entire new room. Of course, my house also had no beer, no girls and no rush parties. Well... none that I know of, anyway.

3/12/07

EGOCENTRIC

I must be an egomaniac. Which is pretty damn surprising, given I am REALLY far more giving, compassionate, supportive and tolerant than just your run of mill man on the street. I've been told often by those who know me that in many ways, I'm simply one in a million. In a good way, I might add. Actually, in a FABULOUS way.

However, what gets me... is how anyone who's apparently so hooked into OTHERS, can find so much to write about herSELF. Namely, me. Like in this blog. I just never seem to run out of things to write about. Which is why I'm thinking, I must be THE most self involved woman walking the face of the earth. Which in reality, is SO not me.

Further, I not only find hordes of things about myself to write, BUT, I wind up loving almost every entry I add. How's THAT for conceit?? Honestly, I sometimes sit here, go through the past entries and geez... laugh right out loud! Like I'm reading some one ELSE'S writings. And, pretty damn entertaning ones, too. Case in point, my two all time favorite entries are from 2006. One is entitled:
FROM MALIBU TO MELIBU and the other is: I SO LOVE THIS. Every time I reread these, I get so tickled, that it wreaks of egomania.

Maybe I need to go to a support group. HI, MY NAME IS LINDA AND I'M SIMPLY WILD ABOUT MYSELF. Oh... and in case you are all wondering, I HAVE NO INTENTION OF CHANGING. Yuh, I'd LOVE to see the looks on everyone's faces when I make THAT announcment. I'm assuming their comeback will be along the lines of: HI LINDA, WELCOME. NOW... GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE.

And, being pretty obedient, I guess I would. I suspect the good news is, that while I am very much attuned to all the extraordinarily wonderful things about me, I'm also extremely honest regarding what SUCKS about me. Trust me... I'm my own worst critic. I have a REALLY clear picture of just where my faults lie. However, please don't point them out to me. Because unfortuately, I'm WAY too sensitive thus I cry very easily. Not often, mind you, but easily nonetheless.

Oh... and lastly, get this. The one trait I simply DETEST in others?? You guessed it... EGOMANIA! Go figure.

3/10/07

TOO BAD YOU'RE NOT ME

I woke up today, like most Saturdays, expecting a pretty routine day. I did some laundry, did some sewing, made my bed, re-hung my freshly washed bedroom curtains, ate my left over tuna fish sandwich for breakfast, and spoke to Claudia. We made plans to do some errands, one of which was to check out Staples, where she was hoping to get a new All-in-One printer, scanner, copy machine. She also wanted to buy me present...a Logitech webcam... just like hers, so we could view each other as we chit chatted (for free!) while she's on her annual trip to Australia. It was very kind of her to offer to buy me the webcam, but I really couldn't let her. Believe me, I was more than happy to ante up the money, and buy it myself.

BUT... I apparently had NO problem letting her buy me a BRAND NEW HP PHOTOSMART ALL IN ONE PRINTER! Sure... the $50 item, I buy. The couple hundred dollar item, SHE buys! How'd that even HAPPEN??

Well, here's how.

Entering Staples, I was actually pretty much content with the Dell printer I already have. It never even entered my MIND that I'd be coming home with a replacement. But, one thing led to another and the next thing you know, Jay, obviously Staples' Salesman of the Year, was telling us how crappy Dell printers are. They are apparently made by Lexmark, with Dell's name simply slapped onto it. Then we learn that HP is WAY better and even though Claudia went in with the intention of buying a Cannon printer, the HP, so we're told, does a far better job of printing photos. Thus, it basically met all of Claudia's requirements to a higher degree. We asked a thousand questions, all of which Jay patiently and happily answered and the next thing I know, Claudia asked him if he had two available. Lucky for ME, he did.

Turns out Claudia said she owed me money, but she kinda lied. She really didn't, since I told her a month ago, I wasn't going to accept repayment from one of our OTHER spending sprees. Then Claudia says: No, really. I'm buying this for you. And, not because she wanted to be so benevolent, although she WAS. But, more importantly, because she wanted me to have one too, so that when she has no clue how to operate her new printer, I'll know exactly how to help her! Now THERE'S a great set up, if ever there was!!

Within minutes, I took a far DEEPER interest in her purchase and was throwing out questions left and right to Jay. Boom. I had a new PHOTOSMART ALL IN ONE PRINTER! What a day, huh! Immediately, I was piling up my basket with not only the webcam, but also with extra ink cartridges, supplies, and anything else I might need for my new toy.

No WONDER I'm thrilled Claudia moved here. Forget how happy I am to once again feel complete by having my sister and/or best friend living within minutes of me. Forget about how great it is speaking to her 3 times a day on the phone. And forget about having someone who is absolutely crazy about me and thinks I'm a multi-talented genius. Better than all that, SHE BUYS ME GREAT PRESENTS!

On the other hand, maybe Claudia felt badly about her bitching at me the enTIRE friggin' time we were in Lowe's, a stop I needed to make on the way to Staples. Even my reminding her of all the patience I showed while she shopped setting up her new, stunning home, didn't stop the complaining. But... you know what? She didn't REALLY buy me this present out of guilt. Instead, she bought it because she's the best sister alive. More importantly, she loves me as much as I love her. And now... I also love my new printer, too! What can I say other than: too bad you're not me.

WANNA SLEEP OVER??

Want to come visit? Want to sleep over? Well, sure. Hotel Linda is yours for the asking. But... too bad you can't share my bed. For while I adore almost everyone I know, and would welcome each and every one of them to come spend the night, you'd have to be someone MIGHTY special to actually share my bed. But... I'd HAPPILY offer you the guest room as an alternative.

In fact, I've only shared my bed three times in past 10 years. Once was when my brother died and Barbara stayed with me for almost a month. I even gave her MY side of the bed, given my heart ached not only for myself, but for her, as well. The second time was with my son, who slept there to kindly comfort me the night my mother passed away. And that was only because I had awakened in the middle of the night, so startled by something that it scared the f-ing sh%t out of me. Bingo. I needed a big muscle man to protect me, and my son was the closest guy available. Besides, up until about the age of four, I've already fallen asleep lying right next to him, plenty of times. Apparently reading bedtime stories did the trick for BOTH of us. And while I continued to read to him each night until the age of 10, maybe, his twin sized bed no longer housed the two of us. The third time(s) is well... sorry. It's kinda none of your business.

In the meantime, it's too bad more of you can't sleep next to me. I don't hog the covers. I don't snore. I don't flail all around. I don't keep you up with lights and TV. But MORE importantly, and the whole point of this entry is, it's too bad you're not there to awaken with me each morning as the sun rises. I am so telling you... lying there in bed, watching the sun rise, has got to be one of THE most beautiful sights ever. Especially if you time it just right, whereby it's still dark outside yet the striking, brilliant red and orange colors are just beginning to peak over the skyline, amid the trees and mountains. Talk about a Kodak moment! It's simply beautiful.

I also love hearing the all the morning birds chirp right outside my windows, which by the way, they're now doing like crazy, given Spring is here. There is no way you can wake up and not want to thank God that you're alive to witness some of his best creations. Of course, I'm not advocating that sunrise is the time to actually wake up and get OUT OF BED. Merely, it's simply a sight to behold and THEN... go right smack back to sleep again.

Until, assuming you're one of the LUCKY ones, shall we say, I bring you breakfast in bed. And the morning newspaper, too. Of course, that's the good news. The bad news is you'll then have to see what I look like when I wake up. Trust me... SO not a Kodak moment!

3/9/07

HAPPY FEET

YIPPEE! Today is Thursday and it's the last day of my work week. Thus you can well imagine how much I love Thursdays. Actually, I always have, from way back to my high school days. My thinking has always been: Thursday is a precursor to Friday and Friday equals WEEKEND!! So basically, Thursday is like a jump start to fun and games.

Today was an especially happy Thursday. I pulled into my driveway, and like always, was reciting my mantra, HALLE-f-ing-LUJAH. No sooner had I approached my front door than boom. I saw a package waiting for me and IMMEDIATELY I knew what it was: my latest winning item from eBay. You see a picture of it up on the left. Yea! A present from myself!

I have purchased items from eBay for YEARS now. And... you know what? EVERY single item I've ever won has always arrived in absolutely PERFECT condition. I've won ALL kinds of items. Books, English monarchy collectibles, purses, china, crystal boxes, etc. etc. I especially love bidding on items I just can't seem to find in retail stores. Like the shoes you see above.

I gave up wearing high heels on a regular basis about 10 years ago. And since I'm a lover of shoes (in particular, COMFORTABLE shoes) flats fit my needs to a T. So now... not only do I have zillions of unused heels, but I also have a major collection of flats. Dressy flats, casual flats, leather flats, patent flats, summer flats, winter flats, so on and so on. And... I have them in lots of colors given I like the just right "look" for each outfit. Anyway, my FAVORITE design of a flat shoe is the ballet slipper, which has now become so damn fashionable. I was wearing this style WAY before it became "in". Leave it to me to be two steps ahead of the crowd.

In the meantime, I needed a pair of white summer flats... a pair that met all my requirements: comfort, heel height, design, color and most of all, reasonably priced. Enter: eBay. I did my search, found these shoes and whamo. For a mere $10, I got just what I wanted! Talk about letting your fingers do the walking!

I brought the box inside, opened it and of course tried on my new shoes. I LOVE THEM. They fit perfectly and hit the spot for all my white spring and/or summer outfits. Of course, I also love sandals, fancy flip flops and the small 1/2 inch kitten heels on my slides. I have them all.
Which makes me think: maybe one day I should be the one selling shoes on eBay. While I myself would only buy NEW, WITH TAG, there are PLENTY of people who'd buy LIKE NEW. Which given my great care of accessories, is a perfect description. Jeez... I bet I could make a mint giving everyone ELSE happy feet for a change!

3/8/07

POSITIONS

Ha! And you thought this was going to be about POSITIONS. Well, in a way it is, but not THOSE positions. Instead I'm talking: yoga positions.

Every day I practice yoga. You'd almost think I'd have the figure of a Prima Ballerina by now, but no such luck. That notwithstanding however, I love my yoga sessions. I particularly love the pose you see there on the left. It's called the DOWNWARD DOG POSE and It signifies the last position of my workout. And... it's one of the most comfortable poses you can ever imagine. Really.

I first began doing yoga in my mid 20s. Boy, what a difference 30 years can make! Forget the headstand bit. No way I can ever recreate THAT again. I'm more into the "senior citizen" poses now. But, regardless, they seem to do the trick. My favorite time of day to practice is about 4 o'clock, since that seems to be the peak hour for my body bending ability. Back in the good ole days, my the peak hour for my MIND bending was about 8 o'clock, but that was only because it was then that everyone around me had already finished their daily responsibilities and could FINALLY get out the strainer and rolling papers. Today of course, I'm showered and ready for bed by 8. A mere sign of the times, I guess.

I love going online and checking out the pictures of yoga poses. Although I already have a pretty well established 35 minute routine, I still like seeing what's what. You should SEE some of these poses! Talk about being a contortionist! You'd have to have the flexibility of a rubber band to get in some of these positions! The CORPSE POSE is more my style. For that, you lay on the floor, on your back, completely still. MY kinda pose, if ever there was. While the position is highly recommended, I don't normally include it, given I already do this for a good 8 hours each night, right in my comfy bed.

I have several other poses that are my favorites, yet you know what? I'm almost thinking that the time is pretty near for to begin to stretch my limits. No pun intended. My flexibility has increased dramatically and I'm probably ready for a couple of "more intenstified" positions. I'm going to have to go back to the net and recheck the possibilities.
The one thing I DON'T want to do is happily begin my yoga deal only to end the session with a broken back or destroyed knee. Of course, I'll have to choose the added positions carefully since just today I began sporting, according to the Linda School of Medicine, a slight pulled groin muscle. I probably got it from my LEAST favorite pose whereby I sit on the floor, spread my legs apart, bend over from the waist, grab my ankles and pull my head down to touch my knee. Which means, maybe I WILL add The Corpse to my workout, afterall.

3/7/07

PORTION CONTOL

I'm sort of lucky that my body is pretty much proportioned. A CHUBBY proportion, granted, but at least the chubbiness is evenly and fairly distributed. Of course, God DID build my body backwards, given I have a completely flat ass and a really crappy belly. MY personal solution would be to just twist my head around 180 degrees and then bingo. My figure would be in much better stead. However, forget about me.

What is REALLY crazy is the portion size nutritionists and/or food distributors expect you to call a meal. For instance: I love when I read the label on a food item, noting the number of portions for the contents, only to be STUNNED that they expect said contents to actually FEED the number of people it's suggesting. Well, yeah... if you're a 3 year old, it will. THEN the contents will EASILY serve 4-6. However, if you're anywhere over the age of 5, you're in deep trouble. Apparently what I call a portion and what the higher UPS call a portion, is definitely diametrically opposed.

Yesterday I was putting on makeup, and the TV was on in the bedroom. While listening, I overheard a list of "tips" for those wanting to stay slim. This kind of info must be aimed at the same people who proudly own a bathroom scale. Anyway, get this... on the list was a suggestion for an adult portion of salmon. Sitting down?? The recommended portion should be the size of a DECK OF CARDS!!!

What?? That's a portion?? Are they nuts?? That can possibly fill you UP?? Geez... I'd be a starving lunatic in a mere 20 minutes after the meal! In fact, my immediate thought was: that's the size of an APPETIZER, not an entree!! I was plenty irked, listening to this garbage... much like I'm irked when I go to a beautiful French restaurant and they serve a salad which can be downed in a simple five bites. Hey! I want my money's worth! And... I want a REAL adult sized portion! Who the hell are they kidding, anyway?? Trust me... size matters. And for food portions, too.

I suspect you'd be freaked if you saw me eat a steak. I think the portion control for THAT is probably about half a deck of cards. MY personal portion is closer to a card TABLE. I'm definitely a meat and potatoes kinda gal. And frankly, my body LIKES meat. I can eat a hefty sized steak and yet my body will feel perfectly comfortable. Give me a normal portion of rice however, and boom. I'm feelin' way bloated and stuffy. So, naturally, I listen to the inner voice of my body and eat the king sized meat.

In closing, let me just add some advice to the food industry: GET REAL, would you please. Cut the Slurpee crap in half, and calculate adult serving sizes according to some semblance of reality. As in: aDULT sized portions. In other words, if food items were T-shirts, think: XXL.

3/6/07

HOUSE OF HORRORS

About a year ago, I zipped through my satellite channels checking out what the old black and white movie stations were showing. I could ALways be sure of finding something worthy of viewing pleasure. Then, all of a sudden, one day out the blue, I go through all the channel choices and boom. One of my favorite stations is GONE. Kaput. No longer there. HUH?? What the hell happened to my full range of movie choices from the 30s, 40's and 50s??

Pretty perplexed, I decided to call the satellite company and report this vanishing phenomenon. Get this... they TOOK IT OFF the line up, altogether! Hey! I PAID for that line up. What the heck do you mean YOU TOOK IT OFF?? Next thing they tell me is: not to fret. For a minor extra fee, you can once again get the channel! To which I replied: So, let me get this straight. I signed a contract for a specific line up. YOU take my channel off the line up. BUT, I can get it back if only I accept your offer to let me pay you MORE money to get back what I already had. Whoa. Interesting scam you have going, there. Naturally, I declined their kind offer.

I tell you this because today, I tried zipping through the old movie channels once again. GUESS WHAT. The channel is back! Right where it used to be. Except THIS time, it's called the CHILLER CHANNEL. Omigod... SOOOO not the channel for me. This new #258 is NOW showing only scary, bone chilling, creepy ass fright flicks which you just KNOW is not up my alley. I can guarantee you that ANY movie this channel is airing, is one I'd NEVER want to see.

I hate horror. I hate gore. I hate blood. I hate deformed looking characters. I hate being scared out of my ever lovin' mind. And, I hate any movie having so much as any of these words in their TITLE. Trust me... watching Michael Jackson's video for THRILLER is about as thrilled as I ever want to be. Let alone, chilled. To be sure, any movie called THE MIDNIGHT GORE OF THE BLOODY DECAPITATED BODY SNATCHER is DEFinitely not a movie I'LL EVER WATCH. Nor would I put too much faith into people who DO.

Why anyone would ever watch this kind of garbage is beyond me. I'll bet they're also the kind of folks who also relish the near death experience of going on a roller coaster. And, apparently for some, it's not even enough to just send your heart and head into terror mode at crazy dizzying speeds, thus for an added touch, they ALSO like to meet up with their death in pitch black darkness! Now THERE'S a horrifying thought, if ever there was. I'd NEVER let my kid go on one of these rides!

Hopefully I've properly instilled enough fear in him to go the wussy route and bypass ALL roller coasters, body spinning rides, etc. And, I'm praying he's not comfortably lounging somewhere watching this crapola Chiller Channel. Although he DOES love American Chopper... which is yet ANOTHER sport in which I won't let him partake. Motorcycles! A mother's chilling nightmare for SURE.

3/4/07

SWEET TREATS

On my honor, I will try: To serve God and my country, To help people at all times, And to obey by the Girl Scout Laws. If memory serves me correctly, such was the Girl Scout Promise I recited each time we had troop meetings way back in 1955/56. I can't remember exactly what my Brownie Promise was, but probably something very similar.
I was thinking about this the other day because it's that time of year again... Girl Scout Cookies are on sale! Frankly, as a Girl Scout way back in the 50s, I have no clue whether or not I sold cookies. Can it BE that I didn't? Geez... this is definitely something that had I done it, I'd certainly have memory of it. I'll bet I probably just ate my way through this project.
I DO remember an attempt, however, at earning my Roller Skating Badge which trust me, if I got it, I didn't deserve it. There is NO way I was into moving around like a free spirit on mere one inch little wheels. Swimming... I was like a fish. Roller Skating... I was like an idiot. Which is why I was ALWAYS jealous when about 15 years ago, I first saw people on their in-line skates, whizzing by me and practically doing flips right up in the air, only to fall perfectly right back to the ground on their teeny tiny baby wheels. Talk about a FEAT of the FEET.

Anyway, as most of you might know, I rarely go food shopping. Instead, I like sending my housekeeper to the store with my list of Things To Buy. I developed a hate of groceries about 16 years ago, which probably came about as a result of having to shop weekly, when I was raising my family. I had to take my house help WITH me, given one basket was never enough to house all the items I needed. I guess I liked keeping my shelves fully stocked at all times. Kinda like: a grocery store! Thus, MY basket was full. And HER basket was full.

As a result, I gave up doing groceries forever. Which is a great thing. What's NOT so great is that because of it, I now never know WHEN GIRL SCOUT COOKIES ARE ON SALE! And, who would ever want to miss out on such an event? What? Pass up my yearly purchase of Samoas?? Which by the way, they've now renamed to: Caramel Delights. Thin Mints were never my forte. Samoas, on the other hand, bingo. A definite pleasure.

An apparent waning pleasure however since, get this... when my housekeeper brought me three boxes of these cookies a couple of weeks ago, I stored them in my GIRL SCOUT COOKIE STORAGE AREA and guess what? I found a box of upopened cookies left over from LAST year! Wow. Talk about out of sight, out of mind! Which only means... if you're into these cookies, then come on over! I can supply you for yet another year with these delicious high carb treats! Together we can discuss why it is that Girl Scouts sell cookies, but Brownies never sell brownies. Now THERE'S an idea.

3/3/07

RAGGEDY ANN

If I say the name ANN COULTER, would you know who she is? I'm kinda hoping you wouldn't because that would mean you're too far from the political right to have ever cared what this flaming bitch has to say. Which is exactly where I like seeing my friends... as far from the right as you can possibly tolerate. Being a political junkie however, I've heard this disgrace of a commentator for years now. Believe me... she was in her GLORY when Bill Clinton was going down. Opps... I mean when Monica was.

Which reminds me... now is as good a time as any to digress from Ann for a moment and give you my take on the Billy scandal. You will probably hate me forever when you read it, but I've never lied yet. So why start now?

When the entire episode was at it's peak, I have to tell you, I never once wavered from my support for Clinton. Am I thrilled he hurt his wife? Of course not. Am I thrilled he did so in the Oval Office? Well, actually, I wasn't all that shaken, since I too, have done it in a gentleman's office. Of course, I was married to him at the time, but whatever. Besides, I'm thinking Clinton was far from the first to have done some hanky panky in there, anyway. Am I thrilled he lied? No. But, WHO CAN BLAME HIM?? I too, would have lied if for nothing else, then to spare my family the ugly details. Geez... give the guy some credit for at least knowing that lying was certainly worth a TRY. Further, I always felt the men of the world should almost thank the ex President for enlightening the hordes of sexually repressed women in the country, who had no clue oral sex could be so delightful, let alone acceptable. Trust me, I'd almost lay money on it... pardon the pun... that Annie would NEVER consider such things.

Which is why she was tickled PINK to be slammin' Clinton way back then. Well, guess what? She's still slammin'. Today it was John Edwards about whom she supposedly "joked". She aimed her so called comedic comments at Edwards by stating something about his being a faggot. Nice way to close your speech, Ann. Luckily, after catching wind of this, several Republican candidates came down on her. So to speak. Yet, I'll just BET her freakin' buddy, O'Reilly, didn't. Who cares. They can both rot in hell.

What gets me however, is the fact that this HUGE bitch is so damn stunning. And has so many book sales. And has so many speaking engagements. And is paid so well for her columns and commentary. And therefore... is ROLLing in the dough. Talk about COMPLETELY NOT FAIR! Hell, I'd be happy with just ONE of those items. It makes me think about the ever popular saying... You can never be too rich or too thin. She needs to be the poster girl for that, I think. Only... somewhere on the poster it also needs to say: NOR TOO BITCHY. God, I hate that woman.

3/2/07

Rx

Yippee! Today I had a medical checkup and I gladly paid the doctor's bill for co-payment, given I was handed such a good bill for the state of my HEALTH! Now THAT'S the kind of news I love. Better yet, in the past 10 months, I actually lost 7 pounds! See? I TOLD you something crazy was happening to me. My sugars are at a perfectly fine level. My blood pressure is spiffy. And my overall health is in good stead. Wow... who could ask for more?

I happen to love my doctor. In fact, last year she admired a purse I made, so as way of bribery to take on my sister as a new patient, I asked her what her favorite color was and boom! I made her a purse just like mine. So basically, she has good taste, in ADDITION to having her medical license. Plus, I love her hair. It's kinda wild and wavy... my all-time favorite look. SHE probably hates it since I bet it's a pain in the ass to control, but I myself would give an eye tooth to have so much hair.

I also love that you walk in, tell her the 5 favorite prescriptions you want and BAM. Without skipping a beat, she'll write a script for all 5 of them. Case in point... Every year I ask for 30 Ativan. In my mind, no woman should ever be without this, given you just never know when something is going to give you an occasional sleepless night and you'll need to reach for a calming potion of sorts. Let alone, when your heart might start pounding because some idiot has REALLY upset you.

Each year I also ask for a prescription of Zithromax since you also never know when a sore throat or bronchial infection might suddenly occur. And since I'm pretty much attuned to my own body, better than anyone, I know when I'm sick. Thus, from life long experience, I know exactly what makes me well again. Antibiotics are my friends. Best of all, I don't have to start haggling over getting an app't to be seen only to find out it's exactly the same diagnosis I've already given myself. Consequently, by the time others are walking into the office, I'm into my medicine cabinet, already half way back to feeling perfectly well again.

I got a couple of other prescriptions too, to have "just in case". This way, whenever I am out of town, I never have to worry about being caught off guard. Have meds, will travel. Hey... isn't this what the Girl Scouts taught me? Be Prepared! Lastly, I got clear clarification for my always present dilemma... seasonal stuffed nasal passages vs. seasonal runny nose and/or watering eyes. Or, in medical terms: steroids vs. antihistimines. Since allergies can take either path for presenting themselves, I figured I best get it directly from the horse's mouth.

Okay... so one check up down. Three to go. Cardiologist, gynecologist and dentist are next on my list of yearly visits. And, while none of them can compare to my regular doctor in favoritism, I have no fear they, too, will find me in good health. Talk about PRICELESS. Which reminds me... my medical insurance went up $80 this year.

HALL OF SHAME

I've been thinking about this for a while now, and am STILL so stunned and angered about it that I thought the time has come for me to revisit the topic. As you know, I've already bitched about that crapola on Nutri System's commercial whereby the lady is tap dancing all around, boasting about being back into her size 2. How's THIS for 2... words, that is: F.U.! So much for my feelings about grown women bragging about wearing the same size as inexperienced, insecure teen aged girls.

Today, I'm STILL steamed at Nutri System. But for a whole new reason. NOW, they have Dan Marino, thrilled to no end that he's back at his playing weight. That's the good part. (afterall, he IS an excellent specimen to look at) The bad part is that Danny has included a bunch of his cronies who have lost weight, and thus are part of his commerical. Amongst his pals is a guy named John Kruk. John is okay. It's his WIFE who should be shot.

Somehow Nutri System and John thought it would be a good idea to throw in the tag line whereby John says, and I quote: "My wife says I'm not as disgusting to her as I used to be!"

WHAT?? THAT'S A WAY FOR A WIFE TO SPEAK OF HER HUBAND? Or, ANY spouse to speak of the other?? My God... THAT'S HORRIBLE! Not to mention, just plain mean! I swear, the first time I heard this, I couldn't beLIEVE my ears!! What the hell could the advertising team be thinking?? They saw this as a GOOD way to sell their product?? I'd fire the team in a second!

To my way of thinking, I'll just f-ing BET the wife finds John, all of a sudden her darling husband, no longer disgusting. Not since he's NOW bringing home a pretty hefty pay check from all the advertising residuals! I'm thinking: she's gotta be on cloud nine no matter HOW John's looking lately. Hopefully kissing his ever lovin' feet, too, by the way. How DARE she tell her hubby he looks so disgusting?? Honey, if THAT'S what you're thinking, I have one word for you: divorce. Of course, that'll mean the NEW love of his life might get a cut of the action, but whatever.

Anyway, forget the creepy wife. That John himSELF is chuckling as he repeats this line to the entire world, is pretty shameful as well. Were it me, and my husband said that, I'D NEVER admit to such on television. AND, I'd tell the script writers YOU'RE NUTS. No WAY I'm saying that!! Lordy... have some pride, John. Not just for the weight loss, but more importantly... for way your wife speaks to you, too!

In the meantime, once again, Nutri System is on my sh^t list. Of course, as always, ALL weight loss programs are on that list, but that's just me. Bottom line: Nutri System should hire ME for commercial concepts. For SURE I can come up with creativity, reality AND acceptability. Well, maybe.

3/1/07

SPRING FEVER

For the past few days, I've been pretending that Spring has already arrived. It's definitely on it's way, but I'm moving it up just a bit. Yes, the midnight temps are still pretty low, but several of the past few days have had been in the mid 50s. Meaning: Winter coat no longer necessarily needed. Sort of.

When I leave for work now, instead of being in the low 30s, its about mid 40s. Which is when most of my pretending takes place. I've decided to take it like a man and run from the house to the car and then from the car into school, withOUT wearing a coat or jacket. I hate the feeling of being closed in. I hate bundling up. I hate extra layers of clothing. And, I hate having to schlep a coat for a mere 10 seconds. It gets pretty nippy without the extra cover up, but for such short moments, I'll live on the edge.

Birds are now chirping right outside my window when I wake up. They are my favorite sort of alarm clock. The sun rise seen from my comfy bed is spectacular. Some daffodils are beginning to bloom, but the leaves on trees haven't yet really returned. We're kind of in limbo, I guess. Well, others are. Me? I'm pretending that Spring has definitely Sprung.

Besides, my birthday is in Spring. Thus, my sign is an earth sign. A Mother Earth sign, to be exact. Which is pretty much the way I'd describe myself... nuturing, a home body, sensitive and grounded. I like my zodiac sign actually, since it's description always includes being highly sensual and/or sexual. Which shows what they know... obviously the powers that be haven't seen me in my favorite winter, yet unattractive bedtime clothing. My ragged multi colored socks are FAR from what I'd call a sexual turn on yet during the cold months, I'd NEVER go to bed without them.

On the other hand, now that Spring is right around the corner, I can once again bring out my lightweight floor length night gowns and wow the TV as I climb into bed. And best of all, I'm looking forward to the new season bringing back a real spring into my step. Indeed... I'm lovin' the onset of this new season. I'm sooooo ready for it!
Oh... wait. I forgot. It's allergy season.