I Wish There Were a Good Reason for My Neglect of My Blog

But there's not. I just haven't felt like updating. I'm feeling a little overwhelmed by the fact that people seem to want to let me know what they're doing at ALL TIMES. Hey, guess what. I don't want to know that you had to take a potty break or wanted to run to WalMart. I suppose I'm talking to myself also. This blog a lot of times is about what I've done on any particular day. It's pretty arrogant to assume that anyone would want to know. Somehow, though, blog seems less invasive than Facebook status updates or Twittering. I guess I can close out of a window, but wow, do you really want people to know what you're doing every moment? Maybe they do care. Maybe I'm defective and uncaring. I don't know.

Well, I'm not going to say what I'm going to do now. I'm not going to say when I'm going to update again. I'm focusing on doing my job, so I have been spending less time online.

Love y'all!

A Little Warmth Is a Good Thing!

Okay, we've had a heat wave the following couple of days. Yesterday morning, standing out in the parking lot, I had an epiphany. It was over 30 degrees. It was about the first time in about a week. I know there are people in parts north who would be thrilled and probably start sweating if it got over 20. Mild winters are one of the best things about living in the South. I don't know how you guys do it anywhere north of Tennessee do it. Going outside and being slapped in the face by 20ish weather is just astoundingly difficult. (Again, I feel that I must say that if that is my worst problem and I have a warm place to leave out of and go into, my life is AWESOME!)

All that to say, yesterday and today it's been BALMY. Right now, my computer is telling me that it is 63 degrees. How awesome. That's more like the normal winter around here. I'll take some more of THAT.

Let me add this information. I'm currently listening to a local radio station (not Slacker right now) that runs ESPN Radio. The dude was talking about how just as soon as the Steelers (the Pittsburgh variety, of course) won the AFC Championship, people began going out in droves to stores to buy their AFC Champs gear. I have to affirm Pennsylvanians' LOVE for wearing their team gear. When Snoopy and I went during the summer it absolutely amazed me. EVERYBODY, men, women, and children, were wearing Steelers or, but usually and, Penn State garb. I thought people down here were outrageously UGA fans, but they have NOTHING on the people in the greater Altoona/Pittsburgh area of Pennsylvania. The guy said that the store (It was a Dick's Sporting Goods, reportedly.) was open after the game finished, around 10:30 and stayed open until they sold out around 2:00 a.m. They then opened the next day at 6:00 to brisk business. They LOVE their football in that area.

I'm going through a little lack-of-football depression. After the big game next Sunday, I'll go into sports withdrawal until pitchers and catchers report. I can't wait until September.

I need to go do some school work, so later!

Well, It's Almost a Weekend

Way to go Cards! Ken Whisenhunt and Kurt Warner, along with all the other guys, Larry Fitzgerald and crew. I'm watching and hoping that the Steelers are going to make it a current Steeler coach vs. former Steeler assistant Super Bowl. That's a nice story.

I have traveled over the the 'rents to check on my dad. He had some teeth pulled and has been having some trouble. I'm sure a visit from me is going to help him spring back to his normal self! Right, I know.

On the way over here I listened to my cached Slacker.com stations. First it was 40's and then the Lyle Lovett station. You can put in a person or group that you like and it will make a station for you!?! It's amazing. I can cache the stations and then I don't have to have internet/3G techno stuff. I played the BlackBerry all the way home. It's a free service. Once in a while I'll hear a commercial, but it's not anything unbearable. You can also tell it to play a song more or ban a song from the station. I can't believe how much I am enjoying it!

Exercise?!? Haven't done that in a WHILE. I've got to get back on track tomorrow. I'll go between my haircut and (wait for it, wait for it) going to see Paul Blart: Mall Cop. I don't care how bad reviewers say it is. I think that Kevin James is second to Craig Ferguson in degree of funniness. Yeah, back to working out. I guess that after I killed myself by doing weights last Monday, I was so devastated (read: in pain) that I didn't want to go back.

I can't think of anything else to add. I guess I'd better do some lesson plans, since my day is so crammed full of fun plans tomorrow.

Shalom to your home.

Mild-Mannered Wednesday

Hi! It's a really cold day here, apologies to anyone above the Mason-Dixon Line. I have outside duty for about thirty minutes in the parking lot every day. There are kids who would rather stand outside than go inside the building. That makes them tough? I'd say cRaZy. Oh, well.

I seem to be boycotting the gym. I waited too late last night. Not after the gym closed, but too late for me to get off my arse to go. Plus the cold outside.

Well, I've gotta make out some tests for my students.

Later and shalom!

And the Curse Continues . . .

Okay. I normally have about a 50/50 record on teams I support and teams that win. This would be expected, since I usually have an emotional reason for the team that I chose. This year I'm on a roll. Call your bookie and put your money on Minnesota, since I'm pulling for Philly. It's a certain kiss of death. All totaled, it's not that bad. Again, if this is the worst thing in my life, I've got it made!

I've done virtually nothing but look at the Crackberry website and play around with my BlackBerry. I'm going to LOVE tomorrow, trying to get everything ready for school. Crackberry detox, here I come!

Happy 1st work week of the year to everybody!

Matt

Well, this morning, I was aghast to hear my sister watching a video of Matt, the dancing guy. He was talking about how the video was a hoax. I could not believe that the Matt of "Where the Hell Is Matt" dancing video fame was disingenuous. I loved this video, as did most everyone who saw this video. I was astounded. Oh no, not this too. He talked of some company who sponsored it and that he was actually an out of work actor. Then he started talking about the animatronics. Whew! Dodged a bullet. The foundations of my very life would have been shaken. If you are one of the four people who haven't see it the video is here: original and the "hoax" admission.

Plans for this fine second day of the new year? Ummm. . . I think I'll go to the gym for a jog or maybe a jog/walk combo.

Another question. The song "Take You There" by Sean Kingston. What is this guy talking about? I really like this song, and since I'm so edgy it's been on my i-pod for ages. But it's been a favorite of my i-pod lately. (Incidentally, on a "shuffle songs" setting, does your i-pod pick certain songs or artists and get a favorite from time to time?) He talks about giving his girl a choice of going to "the slums where killers get hung" or "we can leave the slums and go to paradise." What kind of a choice is that? I know that he's trying to show off his "street cred" by saying that he can survive regardless of his environment. I don't know about all women (or as more of my students say than I'd like: womens), but I'd rather feel safe. Am I part of a sane minority? I feel crazier and crazier for having the capacity to use the powers of logic.

Well, that's all I've got right now. I'll holla later!

Peace.

My Favorite Things

Here are some of my favorite things. The good news is there are no $900 pashminas. More good news is that most are readily available in my relatively small town.

This is the BEST body wash. It's cheap. It's not harsh. My sister told me that the guy on The Doctors said not to use bar soaps on your body. Let me introduce you to Johnson's.

These two books are really good. They not only entertain you, but they make you think.
The amazing Nine West bag. It's on sale at the local Belk. If you're lucky, you can find one like it! They also come in an unusual corally-red and a lovely green.
This is one of those recycling bags. I got it at World Market in the SAV. It was a whopping $1.99. I've gotten lots of compliments on it. It's very sturdy for what it is. I like it.
These Clark's shoes were on sale. They are perfect kicks for teachers. So soft and comfy.
This smells so fresh and so clean.
This sideways (I wish I knew why it did that!) picture is what I received from Fiona for my birthday. I actually didn't think I'd like it, but I SO do.
I'm new to these, but I actually feel very Al Gore for using this. I actually am using a boom box in my car, since the radio is dead and it's a Saab deal that I have to have a Saab replacement for. Boo on that. Regardless, I have to use eight batteries in the aforementioned boom box, so I've been trying to use these. I bought another one on Saturday so that I can charge the two groups of four simultaneously. With two of these going, is that really helping the environment or is the net against it? Oh well, I like it.
These are MY FAVORITE favorites. Burt's Bees Radiance Day Creme, Burt's Bees Radiance Night Creme, and Burt's Bees Radiance Eye Creme. I actually got them in a trial pack of some Burt's products. THEY ARE THE BUZZING BOMB (and I mean this in a good way). I really like them. My skin is oily, but these just make my skin feel nourished, but not greasy.
I like the Burt's Bees Blemish Stick also. It's a roll-on and it seems to be VERY harsh if you have sensitive skin, BUT it does the job for me and any renegade zits that come my way.

What are YOUR favorite things?

The Diner I LOVE

Okay, you've noticed, if you've visited on weekends, that I frequent a local diner. It is in a shopping center. It's actually a former Subway location. But it's OH, so much better.

This is an Egg Beater omelette with veggies. It includes broccoli, mushrooms, zucchini, and onions. Also, I have been enjoying grits without anything but salt. The corn taste really comes through.

The folks at the place are SUPER friendly. The only complaint that I have is that the coffee could be better. It's good, but I'm totally addicted to the Burger King coffee. I enjoy what I call the "fo' realz" coffee, but the BK is really good for a fast food establishment and more affordable.

I have appointed my room with a new comforter. I also went to Big Lots and got some fluffy pillows to go with my new stuff. New 300 thread-count sheets were also purchased. The textile-engineer part of me was completely geeking out. Oh well.

I get a haircut tomorrow. Then a brunch. Then lunch with other friends. Then check by school to get some textbook counting done. It's going to be a long, but enjoyable day.

Night.

I'm Awarding Myself

I am giving this to myself. Here. Thank myself. What is it for, you ask? Why, it's for getting all the shopping done that I need to get done prior to Christmas. All gifts were tasteful, but not too much. Unfortunately, I chose two sweatshirts for my diddy, so he may never get to wear them. While (or whilst, which I actually prefer) the North is completely snowed under with no signs of relief, I'm sweating my *insert body part you like to use in this expression* off. We actually switched to AC earlier today. But I scooted out at 7 a.m. and did all my shopping locally, but mostly with chains. Regardless, I'm through. I'm quite relieved because I was a little worried if I'd get the "right" stuff. I just got stuff I thought they'd like that was relatively low-priced. I decided on about a $30 limit for family members. $20ish for friends.

I'm off to a "Night Before Christmas" themed party tonight. We're supposed to wear our pajamas. I'm going to sweat my *same as above* off. I have really cute flannel pajamas. I'm gonna wear them anyway. I'll just wear a t-shirt with them. My friends hosting the party are TOO excited. I'm actually excited too. There will be sugar cookies and spinach dip. I wouldn't recommend mixing these two items, but I'm looking forward to each in its own merit. Yum-o. Wait, can I revoke that? I am boycotting Rachel Ray. Talk about overkill. Replace the yum-o with "wowsers!"

I am looking forward to a hair cut on Monday and dinner with this chica. There are quite a few REALLY good restaurants that have come to our area. We are planning on patronizing one of them. There's one that has an AMAZING mushroom ravioli with a pesto cream sauce. That is what my gluttonous tum-tum is thinking of.

Well, I've got to get ready to go to PJ Mania 2008. I'll let you know how awesome it was. And it WILL be awesome.

Hugs and finished shopping celebrations!

Nice Day!

This is one of those days that I'm just going to run down the excitement I've enjoyed today.

1. Get up.
2. Shower.
3. Get ready.
4. Go to Weight Watchers. (0.4 pound loss)
5. Go to restaurant where we're regulars. Enjoy Philly Steak Omelette.
6. Go to Starbucks. Enjoy Thanksgiving blend coffee. (It's very bitter, in a good coffee way!)
7. Go to department store. Purchase Clarks slides.
8. Come home.
9. Watch Georgia Tech put a whuppin' on Georgia. (I pull for Tech as default UNLESS Georgia is in for some national accolades or SEC championship{This makes me a traitor to both sides. I'm all about my state or an opportunist; you decide!} -- no and no this year. Triple option, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways!)
10. Go to the gym. Yes, they were shocked. So was my body. Gotta get ready for the bridge run NEXT SATURDAY. I've been grossly neglectful in getting the old bod ready. Ugh. Stretched like I haven't stretched in a L-O-N-G time. I'm trying to avert soreness. Yeah, I know. Good luck with that!
11. Get home. Shower again.
12. Go to restaurant with Mrs. C. The grilled meatloaf was magically delicious. I halved the meal. Hello lunch for Monday!
13. Put up clothes. (Ugh, I hate this.) At least they ARE clean!
14. Flip back and forth between USC/Notre Dame and Oklahoma/Oklahoma State. Would LOVE to see Charlie Weiss get a win tonight. OK and OK State? Don't really care, no offense.
15. Go to sleep.

I love days like this where I just do what I want. I've really enjoyed these days off. I'm looking forward to finishing up this semester so I can have an even longer break!

TTFN!

If you didn't see the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, check out this link. The bomb twenty years ago AND now!

11.

My Shopping (Virtually)

A lovely turquoise tunic

A nice yellow-y dress shirt

I bought these two shirts. They were both on sale. Obviously, Thanksgiving has blessed me with brevity of sentences. Anyway, I also shopped for a pair of brown corduroy cargo pants and two more shirts. I'm pretty stoked. I found them, they were all on sale, and I didn't even have to get dressed, shower, or deal with others. How awesome is that? Pretty awesome.

My Thanksgiving was really good. It was very low-key. It was just the immediate fam, with my sister-in-law, who is now considered immediate fam. She's wonderful. She just doesn't care. Whatever is fine with her.

We had the big spread. Momma outdid herself. We had turkey breast, dressing, sausage muffin thingies, baked sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce (the kind with rings on the side--delicious), broccoli casserole, deviled eggs, giblet gravy (I try to get pure gravy. Giblets totally creep me out.) We just talked and hung out. It was nice. Nothing too much. Then the tryptophan kicked in and I was asleep (Yes, asleep no adult beverages for me! Actually no adult beverages in the 'rents' house.) on the den floor. I woke up really snotty and gross. It must've been a bad pillow, because I'm fine now. Weird.

I drove back over here at around 8. I just went to bed. In bed and slept until around 9 this morning. That's when I did my awesome shopping.

I found out that my mom and my sister did some shopping for me this morning. This should be interesting. Our tastes don't necessarily run in the same realm.

Have I mentioned here that I'm doing the Intermittent Fasting thing? It's just a little trial to see what happens. I like what I've read about this. Here's some information about it. This guy seems to be pretty reliable. When I told my parents about it yesterday, they weren't even surprised. My mom's brother used this method to lose 50+ pounds and get to his goal weight and has always struggled with being too heavy. He said that it was pretty easy and virtually thoughtless. Instead of obsessing about food, you can ignore it for long stretches, and when you do eat, it's whatever you want, but according to the information I've read, you really want something that is good and good for you. They stress that you should go for whole foods. I am on board with that. Let's see if that's the ticket for me, at least through the eating season that is the holidays!

I Hope This Is True

I'm not sure whether this is true or not, but it makes me feel WAY less overwhelmed. I was telling Hippy Chick about this during my hair-shedding this morning so I thought I'd link to it here.

Basically the person says that we should be working out no more than 45-60 minutes. Eating is the majority of the way to lose weight. I don't know about this, but I'm going to try and see what effect doing this has. It costs virtually nothing to try, so I'm going to do it.

I ate a HUGE breakfast with Dude this morning. There's a cute place near Big Lots here that is a delicious little diner-type place.

I am also on fire for a Blackberry. I have found the one that I want. I have conferred with knowledgeable people including Mrs. C., Dude, Hippy, and CNET. I am pretty happy with the choice and soon it will be mine, MINE!

I am listening to President-Elect Obama. I am TRYING to decipher what he's saying. He's definitely not a smooth-talker in a press conference. He's not said "strategery" yet, so I suppose that's a good sign. I'm really trying to be hopeful, but it was as if he were speaking in Chinese which, incidentally, I don't understand. Millionaire farmers? Wow, I know a lot of farmers and NONE of them are millionaires. Maybe all of them live somewhere in Iowa? Not sure.

I'm sorry this has been SO random, but I'm having a BIG-TIME ADD day. More later? I don't know.

Tuesday

I am still on my workout regimen. I've had two really good days. Yesterday I ran 4.1 and today 2.96. It's very addicting. I'm liking the old endorphin kick. And, I KNOW there are people running it to death. My friend Snoopy runs ten miles in a clip routinely. Wowsers and props to her. But for me, a proverbial infant in the running world, I am liking what I'm doing.


The car is still AWESOME. And the gas mileage . . . INSANE! Over 30 mpg!!! Can it get any better?!?


Dude, who left and went to France, is back! I'm going to have a lovely dinner with him tomorrow. I can't wait to hear all about his escapades on the continent.


I am rambling. I am tired, but for some strange reason, I'm not getting up to go to bed.

Peace out!

Puzzle Problems

Hey, I am having trouble. I am sitting in the den, just chilling and surfing. Next, my sister comes in and starts organizing The Child's new puzzle collection. All of a sudden, there's an itching in my throat, you know, the one that is midway between both ears, with a point of intersection straight through the top of your head and perpendicular to the line from one ear to the other. Then the sneezing starts. I then asked my sister where these cardboard puzzles were manufactured. I think they must've been packaged by cats in China. I have this reaction every time I'm around cats. So therefore, I have determined that cats, maybe kittens, are manufacturing children's puzzles in China.

She then suggested that I take some kind of medication. I am not afraid to take an over-the-counter for such things, so I just did.

We need to start an initiative to limit kitty labor in China. There needs to be a group set up to stop the injustice. It is hurting kittens, their moms and dads, and most of me. No more kitty labor!

Down with kitten labor! Sound the alarms.

A Whole Post on Slogan Generator

Realizing this is very stupid, I've started a brand-new post all to put in this:

My slogan generated by Blogthings: Delightfully Tacky, Yet Unrefined.

This is incredibly on-point. I must say Blogthings is awesome.