Wherever There is Weather

there is a blogger-friend.

This morning I was half-listening to the weather on Good Morning America. They were doing the national weather and I was all "Hmm, I kinda know people in those places..."

North Carolina is going to be hot today and there's Creative Kerfuffle.

Texas is having a heat wave and there's Bea & Anissa.

Colorado was having storms and there's Jess. And now Jamie (right?)

I don't know what the weather is in Minnesota but I know Pearl lives there.

It's funny that the internet has made the world so small. Is it me or everyone that thinks "Oh, *blogger friend* lives there!" when a disaster or accident occurs. I can't decide if it's good or bad. I lean toward good because it's empathy for friends, even if we've never actually met.

So blogger friends, where do you live?

Haircut!

She layered it chunkily instead of doing the blunt/straight cut. I like it!

News & Notes

Don't you just hate when you have just a few small things that perhaps might be a blog post but nothing really comes to fruition?

So....well. Towels. (how very Seinfeld of me, yes?)
How do you fold your towels? Growing up, they were in squares. When I had a former Air Force Capt. as a roommate, they were folded in thirds then again in half. Now, they look like this:



I got a haircut today. My hair had reached my lower back. Yeah, I know. Way too long. I have to sleep with it in a pony tail otherwise I was strangling myself. Not hawt. Anyway, I always tease Kevin when Ha (the hair stylist) uses the "torture comb" to thin his ridiculously perfect hair. Karma was a bitch today. Ha decided to do my eyebrows. M'er F'er that hurts. And she mentions while she's doing it "My mother, she doesn't understand bikini waxing..." How do you respond to that? I don't understand eyebrow waxing!

Little Brother took a trip to Yosemite. I didn't know until I suddenly received a picture text from Montana. For the last few days I've been receiving random pictures from him. Well, not yesterday, in which case I was afraid that he'd met Yogi the Bear up close & personal. Then I receive this:

To which I replied "Cool! hahahaha Get it!?! "Cool?" He didn't respond, I wonder why?

My mom did not have pneumonia. (this is where Bea gets to say "I know stuff!!!") She has an upper word-I-can't-pronounce hernia. They're hoping to take care of it laparoscopicaly so no bigs. At least according to her. I'll have to talk to Brother Dear for the true story.

I had a pair of sandals with a broken strap in the coat closet for two years. Yes, years. I finally remembered to take them to the Shoe Shop to be repaired. I picked them up, all excited to have my fave sandals back. Yeah, they're too big. Yes, I have the right pair. Why, oh why, do you lose weight in your feet? Riddle me That.

I don't like Mia Michaels. I just don't. This will only make sense if you watch So You Think You Can Dance but this everyone can relate to: I just don't like people who are unnecessarily unkind in the name of "criticism". You're not teaching a person at that point, you're demeaning them.

Kevin had this thyroid check up for the Graves today. He got another all-clear so that's awesome. It's been five years as of next month, which is difficult to believe. The next goal is to work on starch in his (ours) diet. Ugh. He loves teh starch. He wants to try brown rice so if anyone has any suggestions, I would appreciate them. Keep in mind: he doesn't like vegetables so think more along the lines of spices.

On a whim, I took an ADD test. The results were basically "Are You Effing Kidding Me?" (:-D
I am interested in the new interest in ADD marriages. To me, it's normal. Nothing new. But apparently we were supposed to be taking extra precautions & communication this whole time. Who knew?

This is my new favorite thing on television right now:

Dressing the ADD

I know everyone has their own preferences when it comes to wearing clothing. Sometimes it is a refusal to wear a color or a style. Preferences for dresses versus pants, shoes versus boots, etc.

The ADD doesn't like certain kinds of clothing, things you might not ever think of. Or now you will & you'll hate me for pointing it out.

The ADD doesn't like clothing that make noise of any kind...nylon, beading, anything crinkly. It's so distracting. The only fabric like that that I can get over is corduroy. Kevin has banished many a coat because it makes too much noise. Or too high of a collar.
I don't like anything touching my ribs. I have one shirt that I recently brought home that I really, really like. It touches my ribs. Ugh. I did manage to wear it all day without losing my sh*t so there's progress. Or turtlenecks. Argh turtlenecks. Referring to Kev again, he will toss a shirt if it's too tight around his neck. Yeah, buying clothes for him is *easy*. Like I am a picnic. And scarves? No. Way. Just kill me.

I finally gave a pair of Levi's away that just never fit right. They would literally ruin my entire day if I wore them. Lesson in that? Don't let laundry go & you don't have to wear them.

Today I was so tired & hot that my earrings hurt. How sad is that?

While I'm in whine mode, don't you just hate those days when nothing feels right? I usually describe it as "I'm not in the mood for clothes", which sounds sexy when, in fact, it is quite the opposite.

What type, style, kind of clothing can you Not wear because it makes you crazy? Or am I the only one? Anyone? Anyone?

Have I Ever Shown You This?

It's Monday. My brain is tired, it's after 9 PM, and we didn't eat a healthy dinner. I feel like the proverbial monkey pounding on the keys, hoping that Shakespeare eventually comes out.
It's racecar, racecar, racecar this week. We're going to the Old Time Drags in Mission BC this weekend which entails racing Friday night, Saturday and Sunday. We're staying at the track with our friends so it will be fun but little sleep will be had.


I have to spend Wednesday and Thursday evening doing chores & packing for the weekend. I failed at scheduling myself out of work on Friday so I'm driving up on my own Friday night. I hate that but I guess I'll remember next year to schedule myself better. Going through the border on my own is always a little interesting. Sometimes they wave me right through and sometimes I get lots of questions, mostly around why I am traveling into Canada by myself.

A few years ago, before we went to Vegas with the racecar, I ordered a bunch of lettering for the trailer & racecar. I didn't do anything fancy, just the drivers name, the sponsors, etc.

But I did have one sticker made. It's subtle and many people don't notice it.

Team Captain

Kevin is crew-chiefing on our friends racecar this weekend. It's a regular thing now, including probably going to Vegas in November, as the official crew chief.

In a zany coincidence, the engine builder that built our engine in California was the crew chief for this exact same racecar; it just has a new owner now. This has nothing to do with anything, I just felt the small world thing needed to be acknowledged.

I stayed home yesterday because the b-i-l and nephew went, it was going to be hot, and it just didn't seem like a good time for me to go. I stayed home today because it was supposed to be even hotter and I had a realization.

I have to begin thinking about this as Kevin's job. I wouldn't tag along at his regular job. This began as a friend giving another friend a hand and has turned into so much more. It's no longer helping but working. Even though the owner is a friend of ours and probably would disagree, it's a job. He is responsible for another persons safety & well-being.

He called today to tell me about his day and reminded me that I could watch online. We were still talking when I logged on & began to watch.

How fantastic and weird to watch your husband on "television". I texted him afterward: "I'm watching you!" which had to be a little stalkery for Kevin.

Here is the screen capture I got after many failed attempts. The racecar on the right is our friend's car and the guy standing in front of it is Kevin. It's grainy & Zaprudery. He has to wear a headset on his head, which makes me giggle every time I see it, a team shirt (really? black?!?) and a look of concentration. The group of guys standing behind the car includes one of my favorite racers of all time. He was guiding Kevin through the weekend and I could hug him until he can't breathe.

Kevin came home tired, hot, frustrated but he had a good time. Being responsible for someone is stressful and the transition between car owner and crew chief can be a tough one. But he did it and I'm so freaking proud of him.

In the Neighborhood

I love Google maps. I just wish that I lived somewhere that I could use street-view. I live out in the middle of nowhere so I can't imagine that is going to happen anytime soon. Instead I get the satellite view which makes me a little dizzy.

So, here is the neighborhood. The red balloon is oddly placed, the roof below it is actually our house. The treeline above it hides the creek that runs the length of all the properties.
The first white roof to the right is our enclosed car trailer, which is nearly as large as the in-laws little house which is right next to it. The car trailer provides us with a little privacy, something that the brother-in-law would love to have. (:-D Speaking of the b-i-l, his house is the closest to the creek.

The trees behind our house were purchased by someone that lives high on the hill above us and didn't want it developed or have his view spoiled. It's our own personal greenbelt.

Recently there has been a realtor has been snooping around. It's making us anxious. This road has been secluded and been just family for so long that we're not looking forward to that changing.

Is it bad that I told the dog to go bark at the realtor today? Or asked him "How can I help you?" in a tone much like "You're not from around these parts now are ya?"

I tell you, if he comes around again I'm going to have Kevin & the b-i-l to start the racecars. Dual racecars ought to be a deterrent, don't you think?

I am Watering Weeds

I think if anyone ever watched me work in the yard, they would come to get me with the huggy coats. I have the tendency to comment to whatever I am working on, talk to the dog, and giggle randomly.

Tonight's giggle was when I was watering the plants and the setting sun was caught in the spray, creating a rainbow. All I could think was "What. Does. It. Mean?" If this doesn't make you giggle, click here and you will understand:

(I blame the ever-so-hot Nathan Fillion for posting this on Twitter)




Anyway...I apologize for implanting "Full-on Double Rainbow" in your vocabulary...

I have wild daisies and some other flowers growing in the untended yard that I want to stay there forever. I know this probably isn't going to happy but I can dream.

Does anyone know what these are? They grow wild here and I triple love them:


I think this weekend I am going to buy some daylillies and some more lavender. I am going to plan them while Kevin is gone & devise some way to keep him from weed-whacking them to oblivion.
Like the wild ferns that grow in the rocks...it was a year before I discovered that he'd been spraying brake cleaner on them because he considered them weeds. Boys are silly.





And, just because...here is a close-up of the awesome/awful flower pot:

Awesome or Awful?

I think I've unintentionally invented a game to play!
Awesome or Awful? I guess it would be a version of "Would You Rather?"

Occasionally we get donated clothing at work that we can play this game with. Sometimes things are so awful they've circled around to awesome.

Kevin's mom brought home a flower pot from her sister's house. Her sister made this with her very own hands. Kevin's mom just loves it. I will say that there is a little sentimentality to it as she (the aunt) made it while she was in the midst of chemo/radiation/surgery for breast cancer.

But still....

She made a big deal about having brought something home for us and she was excited about it. We stood next to the van, waiting for Kevin's dad to bring it out. It was one of those reactions like "OH!" "Um, oh!" "Oh, well, that's really....something, isn't it?"

It's behind the house right now, waiting for me to get flowers to put in in. I am thinking something dangly.

Those are sea-shells from Pt. Townsend

So dear friends, whaddyathink? Awesome or Awful?

He Blew Out the Candles

This has become my new favorite story about Brother Dear.

I've mentioned before that he is a firefighter/EMT. He's had some interesting and horrifying calls in the many years he's been in his department.

He was a little late for a family gathering months ago. His girlfriend said that he'd had a call right before they were due to leave.

"It was a birthday party!" he says just a little too excitedly.

Hmm, wait, what?

A few months prior, a pedestrian had been hit & killed along the highway. He was found off the road in a field. I know that alcohol was involved and I'm not sure if it was a hit & run or not. It was late at night on a rural highway. A very sad story indeed.

Well the victims birthday rolled around a few weeks later and the friends & family decided to throw him a birthday party. At the death site.

I know, right? Creepy.

The party was complete with balloons, luminaries, and birthday cake.

With candles.

Remember where he was found? That's right: a FIELD.

WTF were they thinking?

My brother was first on the scene as it wasn't far from his house. He surveyed the scene, as is his job and made a decision: save the celebration or keep the entire field from going up in flames.

He totally douched the "celebration" with an industrial strength fire extinguisher. "Mushroom cloud" was used to describe the scene.

I can still see the smile on his face.

First Pass

Last night we took the racecar to Seattle to race. We were doing a shakedown...testing after making changes...and trying a new organization. The shakedown went well and the new organization, well, they sucked.

Because of poor scheduling and some downtime unrelated to the racers we were with, the program we were running was cut short. When I saw Kevin throwing his hands while talking to a track official, I wandered over out of curiosity.

The poor fool made the mistake of talking to me like a girl. *shaking of head* Poor, poor fool.
I wasn't mad. I rarely get mad in that situation. It's more of a challenge. "Oh, you think I'm stupid, do you? Let's just see about that" is what runs through my head usually.

Anyway, that wasn't the point of the story. It was just the way the evening ended.

The best part of the whole thing was Kevin. Being the first pass down the track, he was perhaps a little bit too cautious and let off the throttle. In the long run, it was probably a wise decision because it was going to be inevitable eventually. But let's just say he was premature.

When he got out of the car, the first thing he asked was "Did I let off too soon?" The first thing he asked his brother was "Did I let off too soon?" We all agreed: "You let off too soon." The word ussy-pay made have been used by his bitch of a wife.

Finally, it came down to the tale of the tape. Nephew had it on video. They huddled in the car trailer and watched it, twice. Finally, Kevin hung his head & stepped out of the trailer muttering...

"My vajayjay hurts...."

OMG, he is the funniest guy I know.

All in all, he bested his personal best. There will be no whining.

Like a Dancing Chicken

Members of my family believe everything on the internet, or the news. This is why I didn't include FOXNews on the menu of their satellite television.

Tonight's topic was whether or not cellphones emit enough radiation to pop popcorn. Kevin, ever the skeptic and truly the smartest guy I know, called bullsh*t. His brother showed him the YouTube video proving the "fact." Kevin remained skeptical.

So I had him look up WikiAnswers because I didn't think about Snopes for some reason. By the time he got to the site, my ever-so-nimble nephew had already been to Snopes and said "No, because if that were true: Your HEAD would EXPLODE." Fair enough.

Alrighty then. Certain members of the family remained skeptical. Finally Kevin explained "All it would take is them to light a torch under the table to make the popcorn pop. Kind of like the Dancing Chicken."

I know, right? I am not sure what all goes on in his brain.

So then he brought up Howard Stern because he is the definitive argument settler. Howard is paranoid that he is going to get a tumor from all the cellphones, WiFi, etc floating around his head. He has apparently done extensive research on the topic and pronounced it bunk.

As Kevin is explaining this, he lost the word "Neurologist". Ever so quickly he says: "I am sure that will all the research he's done and all the brainaticians that he's talked to, if it were true he would say."

Brainaticians?

He just smirked. "It was all I could come up with. It worked didn't it?"

Welcome to my life. Jump in, the water's warm.

I need new glasses

I need new glasses. Not in the way of "I'm bored with these frames" kind of I-need-new-glasses. But I actually walked into a door today kind of I-need-new-glasses. (Holy wow, my high school English teacher just winced & doesn't know why)

I've had glasses since I was 18 months old. The reasons are long and boring. My mom said I was pretty good about keeping them on considering how little I was. The doctor said that fact showed how much I needed them.

The first night before bed they showed me where to leave my glasses, I did then promptly turned around and walked smack into the wall. Nice.

And that is kind of what happened today, but with the glasses on.

I thought I broke my arm. Seriously. I had ice here at work so I could sit down & ice it, which helped. I always have a brace for that wrist so I slapped that on as well. I googled "symptoms of broken/sprained arm" and decided that it wasn't broken. Whew.

All the while, of course, feeling stupid for walking into the door in the first place. Yes, I have an eye doctor appointment in a few weeks.

Once I got home, I realized that it really was starting to hurt. I started to worry. This is the one time that I would have called my dad. I thought about it for a little while then it occurred to me "DUH. Brother Dear is an EMT".

So I dialed him up. I noticed that in the past two years or so, I rarely have good news when I call him anymore. And we've had some doozies. Like the one time that I mistakenly said "Dad's in defib" instead of "afib" (Bea, can you imagine? :-D I felt so bad) Or the other time that I said "When you go by the auto body shop, don't freak out. I rolled my truck." (his house is just a few blocks from the auto body shop)

He assured me that it wasn't broken but "if you lose feeling, go to the doctor." And this gem: "If you think it hurts now, wait until tomorrow." Thanks Bro. Really. All the time he's talking, there's that patient yet giggling tone in his voice. I am not known for my grace.

I expected to wake up with a Rainbow Brite arm. (that's a doll from the 80's for all you youngin's) Luckily, not so much. But the bruise is still there and functions as some sort of Press & Curse button. It doesn't hurt unless I bump it and then profanities spill out uninhibited.

So poppets, what is the dumbest injury you've ever experienced??

The Whos in Whoville Rejoiced

Finally they caught the bastard!!!



http://www.komonews.com/news/local/98334194.html

http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/07/12/barefoot.bandit/index.html?hpt=T1

Internetior Decorating

Remember the other day when I linked to a site that I loved the blog theme/template/thing?

This one?

I have only had two versions of this blog. The first one was black with white writing, very dark and arty. I kept it pretty simple, not many links, no pictures or quotes, etc.

Blogspot has a lighthouse template that I liked but a friend of mine was already using it so I kept searching. Finally I decided on the green. Slowly I added the cartoon. (if you say "What cartoon?" my feelings will be hurt. Not really. Scroll down :-) Then the quotes, then I worked on the blogroll. I had to scooch things around when I added the BlogHer ad.

I added the picture after my dad died, my brother took it the next morning & I just love it so much. The quote is my favorite quote that I carry with me.

Now Blogspot has more options for templates. I tried to resist browsing through them but I failed. There was one that I really liked but when I flipped back to the current version, I still enjoy it and changed my mind.

Swistle is considering moving to WordPress and I've noticed their blog templates before and admired them. But not enough to make the leap. Hell, I can't even consider changing a template, let alone a whole other service.
Then, how many of you out there use Firefox? If not, why not? I enjoy it much more than IE, it doesn't bog the computer down. Anyway. My point is that with one of the last updates, Firefox added themes! My favorite!!!! On the work computer I have butterflies. On the laptop, I have blue scrolly things because I have to share it with a boy. *pout*

At work I have a picture I took of the bay for my desktop and here I have racecar pictures. On the dinosaur computer I just switched to the Dancing Butler:



I can't even put into words why I love this picture so much. I found it while looking for something else and loved it on sight. My goal is to have a framed print of it someday.

Anyway, the question of the day is how do you have your computer decorated?

And Now Your Moment of Zen

Here you go, a little peaceful easy feeling for your Sunday evening. This is the view & sounds from the deck. What it took to do this, you don't even know. Racecar sounds in the background - check, nearly tripped over the barbecue - check. Cursed in the original voiceover - check. Until I decided the sound of silence is best.

Enjoy!

The Hills are Alive

I bought red flowers today. They're peonies, I think. I've never bought red flowers before, which seems silly as we have a red racecar. Yes, I am that much of a nerd. I would so buy matching flowers. How did you not know that by now? (:-D And no, they're not in the above picture.

I also bought a small lavender plant and planted it next to the backyard gate. I heard that planting it there is supposed to bring good luck. I figured it was worth the try.

I think my next project will be planting the unfinished hill that is in the picture. Right now we let it grow wild until Kevin can't stand it anymore & weed-whacks it. He does leave the ferns which you can kind of see by the power pole.

We have the rock garden behind the house but I don't want to have it go all the way across. I want something a little more natural.



We planted the ornamental firs (cough*notmyidea*ahem) along the fence but they've not grown hardly at all & I would not be disappointed if they went away.

At one time, I wanted Kevin to bring home cobbles...those lovely, larger, round rocks...so that we could make a faux creek bed that would follow a natural groove in the hill. He says it's a lot of work so I've put that idea on hold for now. I would also love a water feature of some sort. I don't think I want a pond because I think it would be a lot of upkeep with all the leaves, pinecones, and needles.

So, I am thinking about a few shrubs, ferns, dogwood, with a few others that I can point to but have no idea what their names are.

Then of course, native plants are expensive which is ironic considering they're NATIVE. But I guess you have to pay for not going up into the woods & getting them my own damn self.

I guess the fun thing about being a homeowner is you have time to figure this stuff out and make it happen. A few years ago, I would have never thought that I'd be considering any sort of a gardening project. So there's progress right there.

What plans do you have for your yard? Or the yard you want to have someday?

It's Not Writers Block

It's not. It's NOT. IT'S NOT.

I am not writing...or writing total crap posts...because...

Because it's summer. It's hot. It's too nice to be inside. (yes I have a desk job, shut up. :-)

The flowers need watering.

Kevin needs help with the racecar.

Squirrel!! (that's never not going to be funny to me so get used to it.)



So please hold while we resolve our technical issues...which translates to "I CAN'T WANT TO!!!!"

Spamalot

Someone mentioned the interesting things that get caught in spam filters and I thought "That's a fun thing to think about!"

Some email servers troll your emails for keywords, etc and spam gets sent according to their results. In which case, I am a single black woman who is in her retirement years yet should go back to school on payday loans and low interest credit cards.

I get constantly barraged to go back to school. Crime investigation, real estate, you name it. Apparently SPAM also has parenting tendencies.

Of course I regularly receive offers of riches from far away & exotic countries. I must be the luckiest girl ever.
What is BBW singles? I am afraid to do a search.
I am dismayed to see AARP and Scooter Store emails as well.
Forklifts? WTH would I do with a forklift?

What is the most interesting thing you've ever seen in the SPAM filter?

My Top Two Faves Thus Far

Yes, I am still a So You Can Think You Can Dance nerd.

These are my two favorite dancers. You'll see why...



This makes me want to be in high school again...






The YouTube won't let me imbed this one so click the link. You'll see why they refer to the dancer as Alex Freaking Wong. I am heartbroken that he is injured & will not continue.

Bridges

The one year anniversary of my dad's passing is next month. It doesn't seem like it's been a year but then my life really hasn't been affected at all by his death.

Watching the pyrotech pack the ashes into the casing and making jokes about how he was now obnoxious in life and in death seemed like the last milestone of this journey. To me, the third was the true anniversary of his death. It was the last time that he was truly coherent and with us.

So begins the discussion of finishing stuff up. First on the list: scattering the ashes.

Do you remember what our instructions were regarding his ashes? He wants to be scattered from all the bridges that he has worked on. So, um, not one, two, three, four, but five total covering two counties and many heights.

But Brother Dear thinks that he wanted to be scattered over the mountain in front of their house. This is Mom's wish for her ashes so I think he's a little confused. At least I hope so. Because that would mean the addition of an airplane ride.

Three of the five bridges I have no problem walking out on. The remaining two bridges are in the Hell to the Effing No category. But Little Brother has the perfect solution: his convertible Mustang.

So along with the best comment ever of "You've got some Arntz on you" add the "Yeah, the people in the cars behind us are going to wonder wtf is on their windshields." That and "The asthmatics will be wondering why they're suddenly having an attack."

Either way, I will make sure to take pictures.

What Did We Learn This Weekend?

We learned that...

sitting on the sidelines watching fireworks blows. (pun intended) Watching it on television blows even more.

Colgate fixes the foggy headlight problem on Mustangs.

you can send cremated ashes up as a fireworks shot.

Kevin says "Mother Bear" instead of "Mother F*#ker" if there is a girl standing nearby.

using liquid laundry detergent and being ADD is a recipe for failure.

Kevin is not meant to work with the public. Well, public that understands bitter sarcasm.

Washing black cars sucks and Kevin owed me right up until I remembered he fixed the truck on Saturday night.

UPS men who are also licensed pyrotechs are twice as HAWT.

Spending twice as much on ice cream at the gas station is still worth it.

Happy Independence Day!

*Photo from the family archives. Early 1970's*

“All the great things are simple, and many can be expressed in a single word:
freedom; justice; honor; duty; mercy; hope.” ― Winston Churchill

Oh Hai

Forgot to let everyone know that I was taking the weekend off from the writing thang. Apologies.

Hope this weekend finds everyone safe, happy, and having fun.

The Spacebook

My mom is known for saying random things & getting celebrity, etc names wrong. Remember? "that nice Brian Seacourt."

Kevin's favorite is during a family gathering she quietly said "I saw Canadian geese fly by the other day..." There was no preamble, no prologue, no relevancy at all. I will always remember him looking at me like WTF?

On the phone tonight she warned me to be careful on the Spacebook. She'd heard about it on the news.

But my all-time favorite is Little Brother's Christmas List.

Little Brother has atrocious handwriting. Serial killers look at it and shake their heads.

So I was setting my mother and me up for failure when I asked her to tell me what was on his Christmas list. She mentioned the usual stuff: sweaters, tools. Then she pauses...

"I can't read this. He wants an album by someone named....Lionel Skyway? is that a name?"

I desperately trying to figure it out and I got nothing. Finally she starts to spell it "L...Y...N..."

By the "n" I was laughing so hard I could hardly breathe. Got any guess?

Lynrd Skynrd.