I think I should move to Canada.

I know that I live in the greatest country in the world, but I'm starting to become very cynical. More so then usual. It's scaring me. I am going to watch It's A Wonderful Life tonight while Mike watches the Penguins take on the Crapitols, as he calls them. Jaromir Jagr is a hated enemy in our household.

Job:
Word came down from our grant manager that I need to start pulling together a list of all the things we have, contracts, etc so that should we be given the word to shut down in 30 days, we are ready with a plan of action. I think it will take them about $100,000 to shut this thing down. Breaking contracts isn't a cheap business. We still have no final word on where the place is going. We do know that the program as we know it is gone. If we want to play, we have to play by the Health dept. rules.

Christmas shopping is done! Shipping will commence this week! I feel a huge amount of relief in terms of the pocket book. I think we'll be just fine. However, it's time to start looking for that good old thing called a job! And, the house probably is going to take another back burner leap. Oh well. At least we are not like some family & friends that we know that are in debt up their butts, work a zillion jobs, and keep on buying. However, my uncle Tom related a cute story about our grandparents at Thanksgiving...

Apparently, in the early years of their marriage, they found themselves with $18. All the money they had in world, which back then, was a pretty good chunk of change. They borrowed someone's car, drove to Decorah, and purchased a record player for $18. They now had no money. Grandpa said, "We were the dummies. We had to BORROW someone's car to get the darn thing, but we sure wanted it bad enough to spend all we had." My aunt Diane's comment was: "It sounds like a Webb. Spend your last cent on electronics." Heehee

Second story: Diane asked Grandpa how long he and Grandma had been together before they knew they were getting married. Here's his response: "I was living with Grandma and her Mom at their house in Bluffton for awhile. Grandma Molly was called away to a birth (she was a mid-wife) and found out that she would have to stay for quite a long period of time. We were told in no uncertain terms that Grandma and I had to get married if we were going to be staying in the house like that. So, 2 weeks later we were married in the rectory at St. Bridget's." Then he said to Diane, "I don't think that story is common knowledge in our family." I assume he was referring to the living together part!! Pretty cute.

Thanksgiving was fine. Ate well, gained weight. My pumpkin pie was the best. 2nd year running. Pam made romogrout from Grandma's recipe. It was damn good.

John & Jenny had a baby boy on November 23. Just under 7lbs, but 1 month early. Issac John Simon. He's a doll, but soooo small. They said that even though he weighed a good amount, he has no body fat because he is early. He's a little jaundice, doesn't want to eat, and only wants to sleep because he is still technically in-utero. They call him their little chiquita banana because he's dressed in yellow because they didn't if he was a boy or girl, he has blond hair, and then is jaundice! Poor little guy. But, they'll get there. It just takes time. We are passing on stories to them, including yours Mike L. on the success of babies that come early.

Put the tree up Sunday night, and will finish decorating tonight. Mike has his own small tree in the corner with just his sports ornaments on there. Gotta have the Jerry Rice, Steve Young and Mario Lemieux guys on there! I have my own collection of Gone With The Wind ornaments. Pat, your tree looks nice in red.

Been awhile since I've posted. I probably won't be posting much in the coming weeks. Work is slowly going down the tubes, so my time seems to be consumed by that. It's safe to assume that I will be jobless by February. And, it has nothing to do with the incoming governor this time.

Busy Christmas shopping, trying to get it done by Thanksgiving. I hope to finish up tonight. I hate shopping during the holiday season-I'm not a good crowd person.

On Sunday I attempted to make my first roast-and it was really good tasting. I also made potatos, gravy (it was runny but good) along with corn muffins, salad, and vegetables. WOW! I can't believe I knew how to do it. All with the help of Mom, who just got me started on when to put it in the oven and how to defrost it.

Heading to Rochester for Thanksgiving at my mom and barry's. That's about all planned.

I need to watch it's A Wonderful Life or something to make me feel better about life and my fellow man-kind.

My brother with Senator Hillary Clinton. Holy Crap! My co-worker and I think it's cool.

Last Thursday night we went to the Minnesota Wild game against Pittsburgh. Only Lemieux's second trip to the new Xcel Energy Center. Welcome to the state of hockey. Mike loves him to death and was able to stand down by the ice and take pictures of him. As he said, "Two feet away from greatness." Great game-overtime tie. Mike was thrilled to not be the only Penguins fan. Our governor-elect make an appearance at the first intermission where everyone cheered him-I booed so hard I hurt my throat. Then, we all booed the Commissioner of the NHL. Everyone hates that guy. The arena is awesome and a great place to watch hockey. We get the 2004 NHL All-Star Game at last.

Start the new work schedule today: 9.5 hours a day with one day off a week. (Not like I don't already work those hours most of the time, but there is some incentive now)

Mommy made homemade chicken and dumping soup on Sunday. Holy crap is it good! I scored a little extra for lunch and supper today. Stopped at my Aunt Linda's on the way home and scored some flat bread and more soup. She had made Grandma Garness' ham and dumpling soup. It was a good day all around. And, the Vikings won against the Packers, so my step-dad and I were happy.

Long time no post. I've been wallowing in post-election depression, which is why I haven't written. I spent 3 hours discussing things with my Uncle Charlie (my political mentor) and I have now come to terms with what has happened. No more whining.

Won't know if my job is safe for some time yet. It's really hard to say. Many other states are yanking their tobacco money to fix the budget (Wisconsin raided all of their's) so it's a definite possiblity. The Dept. of Health is giving these random answers. They don't have a clue. I think they're thinking that they have to watch their mouth because in a little over a month, Mr. Pawlenty will be their boss. His transition team is already in there asking such pointed questions as, "what program is this? Is it really needed? Where does the money come from?" I guess I'll just brush up the resume and hang on.

Spent the weekend in Rochester again. Mike is deer hunting last weekend and this weekend. I didn't feel like staying home and since I haven't had a lot of time in Rochester in the past months, I've been just hanging out and visiting with people. Nice to not have anything pressing to do.

Anybody catch 20/20 last week with Sharon and Ozzy? Pretty sad. Ozzy broke down on camera about Sharon. I will say that daughter Aimee is the smart one in that family. Well-poised, quieter, and not annoying at all. I'm not so fond of Jack and Kelly anymore-they're brats. The new season starts the 26th I think. I hope it's as good as last season.

I have a lot to say, today, the day after the election. I'll try to not rant too much.
I'm displeased with the outcome. It's going to be a sad 2-4 years in this state.<

However, Walter Mondale made an excellent point. Democracy spoke. We live in a great nation where we have the freedom to choose what we want. I might not agree with what was chosen this round, but there is hope. I'm going to remember the words of Paul Wellstone in the coming months: "Don't get cynical. Get out there and do something about it."

In the governor's race, Republican Tim Pawlenty won. What this means is that Target Market is in for the fight of our lives. Tim Pawlenty was the biggest opposer of our organization. He fought hard to get rid of us last year. Guess what that means when he is governor? A lot. Our staff has pulled together and determined we aren't going to go down without a dirty fight. Our theme song? Rocky. The next 6 months are going to be a wild ride. And this is why I truly love politics.

This is all I will be saying for the next two days...
VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE


To continue in this spirit, I will post the following email sent from Michael Moore. I like it. And I'm probably going to do what he is suggesting.

Dear Friends,

Well, folks, Tuesday is the day! The day that George W. gets taught a long
overdue lesson. The day that we, the MAJORITY -- the 52% who never elected
him -- get our chance to reclaim a bit of our former democracy (back when
ALL the votes used to be counted).

What if, on Tuesday, all of us, regardless of our political stripe, and
just for the fun of it, decided to serve one big-ass eviction notice that
said, you have two years to remove yourself from the premises-and you had
better not damage anything on your way out?

I think we can give Bush the Mother of all Shellackings on Tuesday. It can
happen if you, and the millions of others, who are now reading this letter,
will do one simple thing:

TAKE THE DAY OFF THIS TUESDAY.

That's right. Call in sick, skip work, skip school, skip Springer, and then
devote the next 12 hours to dragging as many people as you can out of their
homes and getting them to the polls.

I know a lot of you cannot afford to do this. But, honestly, can we afford
NOT to? Bush has been effectively stymied in his first two years from doing
much of the serious damage he was hired to do (we owe a big thanks to Jim
Jeffords for that). Yet, if he has both the House and Senate under his
thumb for his final two years, we will all pay a huge price for many years
to come.

On Tuesday, go down to the local candidate's office and volunteer to do
whatever is needed: give a ride to the polls for senior citizens who can't
get there, make last minute phone calls to probable voters who may have
forgotten to vote, pass out handbills on street corners, do cartwheels in
the middle of the mall -- you name it, I am sure it will work.

Or you could just start going door to door in your own neighborhood. Knock
on every door and tell people in plain, non-political language why you
would like them to go down to the polls right now and vote for so-and-so.
Tell them you have never done this before, that you were just compelled to
do it as an act conscience, to do something for our country. Or tell them
you just needed to get some exercise. Tell them what they already know:
that the corporate guys have made off like bandits while the rest of the
country lives in utter fear over whether they will have jobs, health care
benefits, or our pensions when they retire. EVERYONE can relate to this --
and trust me, it is on everyone's mind right now. Even many conservatives
who have seen their job or their 401(K) go up in smoke are now livid and
want their pound of flesh.

I know that for many of you this will be a new thing. Give it shot. I
promise you, at the end of the day on Tuesday, if we succeed, you will
never again doubt the power of just one individual who decides that she or
he can make a difference

Send this email to your friends and family so that they, too, can be
informed of the good women and men who are running for the House and Senate
(and for many local and state races as well). Visit my web site at:
http://www.Michaelmoore.com for my recommendations.

We will deny Bush control of the Congress next week, and then we all work
to get him out of the White House in 2004. 2004 will NOT and MUST NOT be a
repeat of 2000.

As for local and state races, whenever possible support Greens and other
progressive candidates like those highlighted on my web site.
(http://www.bowlingforcolumbine.com/involved/greens.php)
There you will find the list of progressive candidates who have a chance to
win.

Will you join with me in doing this?

It's our only chance, right now, to receive a small measure of justice for
what happened in Florida in 2000. And that is worth something.

Expect a wake-up call from me at your bedside 6am Tuesday!


Yours

Michael Moore

You want to see somebody who had way too much time on their hands?? An entire website devoted to the bible-in the form of LEGOS. You have to at least look at it. It's way too funny. <

Last night I did not go to the Wellstone memorial. In the end, it was better that I didn't because they filled the place in less then an hour with 20,000 plus people. Nice service-but it turned into a political rally at the end. I have no opinion on whether or not it should have turned this way, except to say that it's most likely the way Paul Wellstone would have wanted it. Bill and Hillary got their fair share of cheers and Fritz was given a standing ovation. It was wild to see Jesse Jackson, Trent Lott (who is a dickhead), Tom Harken, the Gores, Ted Kennedy, etc. It was a nice celebration of the lives of some really amazing people. If you talk to the press though, they'll let you know that they thought it sucked. And, the GOP is throwing a big fit. Some feel Norm Coleman has some leverage against Mondale, but I think that's bullshit. <

The GOP has said they will respond with such criticism as: he's too old and that the voters of Minnesota don't know who he is because he last ran for an office in 1984. Hmmm..yet when the Star Tribune polled the state, they found that 98% of Minnesotans know who Walter Mondale is. What to think?

That's where my mind is now and will be for the next week.

I also have a brand new DELL computer at work and I'm loving it. My last one that I just retired was over 4 years old and pig slow (to quote one of my TMers.) :) I not only have a CD burner on here but a DVD player as well.

Since Friday, life in the political world of Minnesota has drastically changed. WIth election day being little more then a week away, Minnesota Senator Paul Wellstone died in a plane crash with his wife, daughter, 3 aides, and 2 pilots. It's looking like good ole Fritz Mondale will most likely be stepping in to replace Senator Wellstone. Watch for Minnesota to make headlines on Election night. It's going to be a doozy.



The hard part for our office has been that our boss and and press secretary knew the Wellstones and their aides very well. Obviously, they are taking this hard. Our boss could and most likely would have been on that plane if Wellstone had not been traveling to a private engagement before going to Duluth. It's scary to note that any one we know in the DFL party could have been on board. The headquarters is just a block away from our office and while all the news is transpiring, Ted Kennedy and Walter Mondale are standing down there giving interviews. Wild. Tom Daschle is in town now, and a lot more are on their way. Tomorrow is the public memorial service and I think I'll go. As inappropriate as this may sound, it's an opportunity to see many of our US Senators (rumor has it that most of the senate is coming) as well as Clinton. I would like to see Clinton speak in person once in my life. Cheney may come too, but I could give a rat's ass if I see him or not.



Thanks OJ, for the info on Gedde Watanabe. My husband and I also realized that he was in the movie GUNG HO with Michael Keaton if anyone even remembers it. We like it cuz it's pretty funny and has some great one liners. (Example: "Razy American auto worker!") Apparently Gedde has really been around the block in terms of TV and Movies!



Angels win the World Series. I gotta say they were the ones that wouldn't die. As I heard a reporter ask, "What helped get the monkey off your back? Whoops, not the Rally Monkey." Did anybody see the batboy for the Giants? His grandpa is the coach, and that little guy was crying alligator tears that they had lost. :( Poor kid.

Yay Paige! It's a big moment when you lose that first tooth.



Pat, do you remember this? I could never find the tooth fairy money under my pillow when I would get up in the morning. Mom would say, it's probably down in your bed from you rocking in your sleep. (To others, rocking is a term I won't get into) So, I would search my bed, but no luck. Then MOM would search my bed, and always miraculously find it down under the covers. Hmm-do you think the tooth fairy may have forgotten to put it under my pillow the night before?? Wink. :)



And, speaking of Arthur books, has anyone heard of this series yet? Captain Underpants. Such titles are: "Captain Underpants and the Invasion of the Incredibly Naughty Cafeteria Ladies from Outer Space." Apparently, some parents have not taken a liking to these books because they promote being disrespectful, not to obey authority, etc. A fourth grader got in trouble because he and his friends were having too much fun with the Name Change-o-Chart 2000. You can take a chart and transform any name into something like: Samuel Albert Smith to Snotty Pizzashorts. Here's who I agree with. Barbara Genco of New York's Brooklyn Public Library says, "First of all, they're funny as heck, and kids love them. And they get kids, especially boys, to read-and that's what we want." I've asked Mike to buy me one of them for Christmas. Sounds like they are right up my farting and burping ally.

Saw a great billboard off of I-35 coming home from Northern Minnesota:

"Stop saying my name in vain or I'll make rush hour longer. " -God



It appears Bud Selig is trying to make ammends with Minnesota baseball fans as well as the Twins organization. In the Sunday Star Tribune he took out a full page ad with a team picture of the Twins that says (paraphrase): "Minnesota, thanks for your enthusiasm, patience and dedication this season. We look forward to working together in the future." Trying to make nice with all I guess. Yuck.



I was really excited to see John McCain on SNL. I liked his Ashcroft, but was disappointed in the rest of his performance. I guess he's truly a senator first. But it rocked that he did the show. Mike's question (some may find this word offensive, so I apologize) to me was: "Do you think he'll use the word gook like when Chris Parnell would play him during the 2000 elections?" I really think the show needs to start using Horatio Sands and Tracy Morgan A LOT MORE.



I don't know how much stock most people take in dreams, but I always have really vivid ones and usually remember them. After my step-sister passed away in 1991, I had a bizarre series of them about her. They freaked me out until I started to analyze them a bit. Anyway, I woke up Saturday morning kind of in a daze...had a dream about my grandma. It was actually really cool. She was just sitting at her kitchen table, hanging out with the family. I asked her why she was there and she said she had just come to say goodbye. She looked like the old grandma-the one with weight on before she got sick. I went over and gave her a big hug and she said something like she knew that we missed her, but she was okay and feeling much better. It made me feel a lot better for some reason. There are many philosophies on what dreams mean and I could read it many ways. I chose to view it as 1) my subconscious working out the many details of how I'm feeling about losing her 2) maybe she was really saying goodbye. Interesting to ponder, not sure of the answer. After 9/11 especially, I pay attention to my dreams even more. Before it ocurred, I used to have this recurring nightmare about once a week that I was on the top floor of this tall building and the floor was moving around. Kind of like it had waves. I would be crawling around trying to get to safety, but no once else noticed and they weren't experiencing the same thing. I'd wake up in a panic. After 9/11, I HAVE NEVER HAD THIS DREAM AGAIN. Strange???? Yes. But I'm glad I don't have it anymore because I hated it. I had probably been dreaming that dream for 5 years or more.



What's the best band name you ever heard?

My answers: Screaming Monkey Boner (my fave)

God Speed You Black Emperor

Bruce Banner (as in the Hulk guy)



Personally, I liked the Chain Smokin' Alter Boys that Pat posted.



We watched both Sixteen Candles and The Breakfast Club this weekend on TNT. These movies totally remind me of growing up in the '80's. I love 'em. I noticed the guy who plays Long Duck Dong has not only been on ER, but also played a doctor on 'My Wife and Kids' last week. One of my favorite scenes in Sixteen Candles is at the beginning whenever they mention Long Duck Dong, they hit the gong in the background. :)



Saturday night we spent at Mike's parents house looking at his Grandma's old slides. It was really cool. :) Maybe we should be nostalgic and go back to this? I remember it was always a highlight when I was little when we would ge the projector out and check out the family slides. You had to giggle at how young everybody looked, the places they'd been, the clothes they wore. Mike's dad had these wicked sideburns going in one picture. We had to laugh :)

I can't believe I came that close to being removed from Clan Lally. Thanks for being so forgiving :)



I took the afternoon off from work yesterday because I wanted to catch up on some sleep and lay around. About 3pm I ventured into the kitchen and made some homemade soup. Around 4:15pm I stepped into the living room only to see a dead mouse lying in the middle of the floor. People, WE DON'T GET MICE! We live in a second floor apartment that is no where near to being pest infested or anything. Let's just say I hid in the bedroom until Mike came home. Where did it come from and why the hell did it just croak in the middle of the floor?



As many of my co-workers and husband can attest to, I am being a total bitch this week. Just thought I'd get it out in the open. :)



Found this funny picture of Bush 'posing' like Dr. Evil with his pinky by his mouth. Seems appropriate this week doesn't it?



Anybody seen the GAP ad in Rolling Stone of Willie Nelson?? AWESOME picture. Also, Playboy's interview with him this month is highly recommended.

Forgot to mention that I ran up to KMart yesterday for a few things. Target is closer, however, the prices at KMart are cheaper. The ONLY reason I made the choice to go there instead of Target, however, is this: the self-checker. I cannot tell you how awesome this invention was, and I serious recommend other retail outlets similar to theirs look into this feature. I went into the store, looked around and picked up my items in 15 minutes, and checked myself out in 2 minutes flat. I took a look around, and only 2 lanes were open. Both of which were knee-deep with about 5-7 people per lane.



In any other circumstance, I would have chosen Target. But, the thought of wading my way through a Sunday afternoon crowd there and waiting in line for 10 minutes was too much to handle. KMart will keep my business (although their selection isn't as good) just because of this awesome feature. I highly recommend giving it a try if you manage to find a store you actually want to go into. :)



Tonight, while playing around on the computer, I was singing along to my Springsteen CD. Unaware of how loud I was getting (I had headphones on) Mike walks in laughing at me. He could hear me clear as day out in the living room. What can I say? I'm learning the words I don't know on some of the tunes and jamming to the others!!!!!!!!!



I'm working on old family photos again after taking a short break. I completed my grandmother's life cycle by putting in her death date in my geneology program. It was a reflective moment for me. I'm always putting in new info and catching up with stuff that hasn't been done, but rarely have to update information that has happened recently. Hard to explain how I felt about doing this one.



The Rein of Terror begins tomorrow at work. My boss officially starts her 3 week leave of absence. AHH!



Last item of interest: I purchased the 'Friends' trivia game yesterday. Mike and I are very sad people. We knew the answers to almost everything. However, we would love to play with anyone of you!! Let's get together soon! :) Good game of fun though.

FINALLY! My Blog is working. Apparently there were some issues with my template. It needed a face lift anyway.



Well, our rein of being America's Team is now officially over. The Minnsota Twins had a good run while it lasted, but couldn't catch a break in the end. Anaheim is a good team, and they deserve being in the World Series. However, it doesn't mean I have to like it!



My parents were up on Saturday and delivered our new/old bedroom furniture. They brought TJ, our dog, with so I got to play with him. He made himself at home by crawling up into the chair and taking a nap. :) I can't wait until we get a dog.



Still can't get enough of Springsteen's album. I listen to it all the time. I LOVE the beginning of Countin On A Miracle, and my all time fave is Waitin' On A Sunny Day. Brings back good concert memories. I gotta say that for being in his 50's, the guy can still boogie on stage. I'm really glad we went considering all the family stuff going on.



It's been 2 weeks since my grandmother passed away and I have to say that I really miss her. It's amazing how you just take advantage of knowing that they're always just 'there'. Plus, having gone down there almost every week or so since she became ill, I didn't realize how it had become part of my schedule. The more I think of her and the things she did in her life, the more I realize what she gave to us as individuals and as a family. She was truly our matriarch and will always be missed. Reading the memorial I wrote for her was one of the hardest things I've ever done in my life. It was, however, something I felt compelled to do. In the end, I'm happy that I could honor my grandmother in the way that I did.



SNL sucks without Will Farrell.

I've been having some blog issues. Nothing has been posting, so I apologize.



Been gone for the last week at my grandmother's funeral, etc. Back to work today, which is sort of a blessing to get back to normal again. Went up the north shore of Minnesota for our anniversary this weekend. We stayed at a cool lodge in between Lutsen and Grand Marais for 2 nights. Lakeside view of LakeSuperior. The lodge was pretty small, however Mike had to throw in that it reminded him of the Overlook Hotel in The Shining. After that, I kept expecting to see those twin girls standing down the hall.



Crappy weather all weekend and very cold. IT started to spit snow today. I'M NOT READY FOR THAT YET!



Saw Springsteen last Monday night. It was hard to go the day after my grandma died, but our family was insistent that my aunt and I go. It's kind of like our special thing since we love the Boss. Best show I've ever been to. He played for 3 hours, with about 5 encores. Great tunes, great energy, great crowd. I've been playing the CD all weekend. Favorite tunes: The Rising, Lonesome Day, Waitin' On A Sunny Day, City of Ruins, Mary's Place, Counting on A Miracle, Empty Sky. Lally, you're going to love the show. Anybody see him on SNL Saturday?



Speaking of which, SNL was pretty good. Matt Damon is a hoot when he wants to be. Our fave was him and Jimmy Fallon doing Sully and his friend from Boston at a Springsteen concert. Rachel Dratch as 'zazoom' is awesome.

Blogger isn't posting for me yesterday and today.

No posts for me too. Lots to do and catch up on.



Can I just say that I think we need to buy a digital camera? This morning I looked at my brothers pictures from his trip to MN, clicked on the ones I wanted, purchased them, and they will arrive in a few days. How cool is this?? I just can't tell you. Plus, there are so many times that Mike and I are going separate places, but each need the camera. This would eliminate the problem. Neither of us like to use disposable cameras. They suck.



Worked a lot of extra hours last week catching up on stuff and helping out with a proposal for the Dept. Of Health. I have come to realize that state agencies are NOTHING but bureaucracy. They are nothing but this. It's ridiculous at times. I'm trying to get information about our bank account because the World HEalth Organization wants to deposit money they owe to us in our account. Except that our org that does the business stuff says that they 'don't like to give out that kind of information to just any organization.' HELLO! This is the WORLD Health Organization in Italy. I think they're safe. Plus, they don't want to send us a check in the mail for christ sake when they could just wire it. Frustrations abound. I've learned much about being in management in the past 2 weeks. I don't like it, but I'm doing it. My boss goes on a one month leave for October. That should be interesting to see how much people realize they HAVE to listen.




I spent the weekend by myself, while Mike went home to visit his parents. It was quite lovely. Friday I watched Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion. Then I went and had a beer with a co-worker and her parents who were visiting. I slept until 10:30 Saturday morning, then watched the end of Almost Famous and all of Field Of Dreams. The latter of which I cried like a baby. I'm very emotional lately. (Pertaining to grandparent issues, it's like I can't cry about them, but I cry over movies to release it). Then, I went to Taco Bell because I was hungry for it. I don't think I'll do that for awhile. Totally did not agree with me, but it tasted good. When I came home, I watched Coal Miners Daughter. When it finished, I drove up to Kmart and did my 'what we need' shopping. YOu know the stuff: shampoo, underwear, stuff like that. I've really gotten away from shopping at KMart sadly, but their prices are still cheaper on the items I use then Target. My only problem with them is still their check-out lanes. 2 lanes for about 15 people. Not good. So, what did I do? Used the fabulous self-checker machine. This is the coolest invention. I wish more places would get them. I was out of the lane in 5 minutes. You scan your own items, bag 'em, the machine talks you through the whole process, you swipe your credit card (in my case, a check card) and sign electronically on the pad. Out the door I went.



When I got home, I began to clean my disgusting apartment. It had been quite awhile. I re-arranged my plants, pulled dead leaves off them, swept the balcony, put up my new plant stands, etc. All the while I watched this Freddie Prinze movie called Head Over Heels. A dorky movie, but somewhat cute. Not good acting. One of those you have to watch a few times before it grows on you. As I began to do my laundry for the evening, I watched the Miss American pageant which is like tradition for me. We watched it when I was a little kid, and then in college we used to get drunk and take bets on it. Even better. Wayne Brady hosted and did a better job then many before him ever did. But, then again, I love Wayne Brady. My favorite round was the quiz show at the end. They had to answer 16 trivia questions, mulitple choice, and had five seconds to lock in their answer. Questions ranged from historical, current events, music, movies. Pretty fluff stuff. Holy crap were those girls dumb!! Out of 16, I got 2 wrong and it was only because I second guessed myself. The questions that the girls did not get were stuff like, "What is the name of Bruce Springsteen's new album?" Duh, it's only been all over the news radio and magazines. "Besides George W.Bush, what other son followed his father in presidency?" Hello, same thing. They've said it a million times on the news and campaign trail. The one stumper, but one you could get right if you really thought carefully, "Who was the first American in Space?" John Glenn, Alan B. Shepard or Neil Armstrong. Answer: Neil Armstrong walked on the moon, John Glenn orbited the moon, but Alan Shepard was the first person to go into space. Anyways, I just wasn't overly impressed with their knowledge of trivia!



Later in the evening, I began to watch Kindergarden Cop on TNT as I addressed envelopes. My boss made me a deal: she had tons of envelopes to do for the DFL campaign. She is in the process of moving and didn't have time. So, she'll pay me $10 an hour to do them. By the end of the weekend, I made $60! Not too shabby when you can just sit in a chair and watch tv while you're doing it. All in all, a lovely, quiet weekend was had. I recouped quite nicely.



A week from yesterday-it's Springsteen time on September 30!



Thanks to my brother, again, for the great CD of songs. I listen to it all the time. :) I'm particularly fond of City of New Orleans and Steve McQueen.



Question: anyone pay bills online? Or credit cards? What luck have you had and do you think it's a convenience? I have it set up with my long distance account, but set it up for my credit card because we are having huge issues lately at keeping track of when things are due. Just wondering the pros and cons of it.



Heading to the Twins game tonight, the only one I'll make it to this season since it's over in a few days! However, tonight Michael Restovich from Rochester, Minnesota makes his Metrodome debut. The guy played over the weekend in Chi town against the White Sox and blasted a 420 foot homer. He's going to do well with them I think. We're going with Mike's best friend Ty and his wife Jodie. I've been craving a dome dog lately. Makes me think of Field of Dreams. Remember these lines:



Ray Kinsella: So what do you want?

Terence Mann: I want them to stop looking to me for answers, begging me to speak again, write again, be a leader. I want them to start thinking for themselves. I want my privacy!

Ray Kinsella: No, I mean, what do you WANT?

[Gestures to the concession stand they're in front of.]

Terence Mann: Oh. Dog and a beer.



You gotta admit, this movie has some good quotes. I cannot watch this movie without getting goosebumps or shedding a few tears. This rates in my Top 5 of 10 movies.
Check out the quotes list here.

My translation of Alissa's Spanish came through. I like the thin vs. slim translation.



Let me pose a question to you all about the 'going back to school' time of year. Do you all still get that feeling? The one in the pit of your stomach that makes you partly excited and partly sick to think of going back to it all? Or, do you just get excited to think that you don't have to go? Or, even more, do you get the feeling because you watch your kids head off? Just curious. I still get the feeling no matter what, but mine is more the 'I'm glad it's not me' kind. I wasn't a big fan of school. College was different.



Janelle took off for UW-LaCrosse two weeks ago. All seems to be going okay. She had been talking with her roommate all summer, coordinating what they would both bring. They were both junior transfers, it was working out well. The night before Janelle leaves, the girl calls and says she isn't coming. She is pregnant. Nice! Janelle did get a new roommate but haven't heard how the new one is.



My friend Jess's brother Jordan took off for Luther College in Decorah at the same time as Janelle. He told his mom that he wanted to come home every weekend because his roommate was really wierd. Low and behold he jumped right into all the activities that Luther had to offer (including the Young Republicans) and no longer wanted to come home all the time. He was afraid he would miss out on all the cool stuff. That's what I like to hear!! :) After it taking me a full year to realize all the cool stuff college had to offer, I'm all about making sure kids get into the coolness of college.



Watched Silence of the Lambs on cable last night. I forgot how freaky that movie is. It's a really good movie, just a little unsettling at times.



The 6 episode season of Sex and the City finished up on Sunday night. It was supposed to be 13 episodes, but with Sarah Jessica Parker's real life pregnancy, it got knocked down to 6. It was such a bummer-this season was no where as good as the last one. Last season was amazing-every episode my mouth would be hanging open at the way the story line had turned. This last episode was good however. The guy from Office Space is potentially her new love interest. They have some cool chemistry.



The Twins magic number is now done to 6. Each time the White Sox lose, we gain. It will be nice to watch the Twins in post-season play for the first time in 11 years.



Pat, spoke with Grandpa and told him you likely found the plane he worked on at the Cessna plant in Kansas. He was interested in chatting with you about it. Like you said, he views it as another job and said, "pat was always really interested to know which plane i worked on. I never knew."

Congrats to Paige on her flying experience! Mom and I just sat down to read it and loved it. :)



Answer to Thursday (one) question:



The anti-christ for me in movies is: TOM GREEN, specifically the movie: Freddy Got Fingered

(I think he was funny on his show on MTV for the most part, but otherwise I have to turn the channel.)



Female: the chick who played Adam Sandler's girlfriend in The Waterboy: Fairuza Balk

I hate her!



Visited the grandparents today. After helping Grandpa out at their apartment by sweeping, vacuuming, etc he said, "Boy, look at the cheap labor I get out of buying someone a cheeseburger!" (He had gotten cheeseburgers from the restaurant for lunch for us.) We were happy to help.



BTW, Pat, they were THRILLED with the photo card of Paige with the copper tub. It was sitting on top of the TV. It was really cool and it turned out great.

Again, no posts, sorry, been busy.



Friday night we babysat for the Henks. Tyler and Riley were quite the pair, to say the least. We had friends visiting from Duluth as well, and Tyler was quite psyched to meet them. When Bryan and Mary walked in the door he said, "I thought more friends then them are coming." Apparently, he thought we had a party going on. He sat in the corner of the couch with Mike carrying on a conversation like an adult. All with a bag of Doritos in his lap, until I realized that Mike wasn't keeping track of how he was eating and neither had I. Whoops! Had a minor accident (almost got the toilet thing going) but couldn't keep his pants down to hit the toilet. I was putting Riley down so didn't know what was going on. Mary helped him get cleaned up and get a pull-up on instead of underwear. He asked her, "What's that brown thing on your face?" It was a mole. Gotta love 3 year olds!



State Fair on Saturday. Did the park and ride thing for 5 bucks. The crap part was that they cram you on a city bus, which we were the last to board and had to stand holding on for 20 minutes. We were all hoping we smelled okay with our arms up in the air holding on to the bar. Let's just say we got to know our fellow passengers pretty well. Easier then parking and walking and paying a fortune though. And, they give you incentive to do this by giving you $2 off your fair ticket.



Had a pickle on a stick, which was interesting. Pat, I forgot to get for you a Gedney Pickle Hat. More of a headband, but I thought of you. Had mini-donuts, Sweet Martha's cookies, a taco, etc. Walking from noon-5pm in the sun makes for a long day, but it was fun. Checked out the Poultry barn, Horses and Goats. Got to pet the goats, which is always fun. Saw some really interesting people as usual. Had a lady budge in front of me to get the pickle. There was like 3 people in line, so I don't know why she felt the need to do that. When she looked back at me to see if I was mad (She knew she did it) I said, "Hey, you must really want a pickle more then I do." I don't think she liked that. I was in no hurry!



Two cool things at the fair. One: this ride where they launch you into the air while you and a partner are strapped into this oval shaped thing while you hold your hands crossed your chest. It flies up, turns upside down, etc. People REALLY scream. The second one is taking you up a couple hundred feet and drop you into a net. It's a lovely free fall that scares the shit out of most people. Good laughs.



Saturday night we saw Austin Powers again because Bryan and Mary hadn't seen it. Even better the second time around.



I started watching Frequency the other night on HBO and have got to catch the whole thing. From the hour I watched it was AWESOME. We've also become quite fond of the Replacements. That's another movie I can't get enough of watching. Mike is into the Fast and the Furious on Starz lately. I think Vin Diesel is cool too, but that's about it. We also watched Blazing Saddles and Bull Durham.



Two new board games I have to get. The 20th anniversary edition of Trivial Pursuit, the 80's edition. Pat, we are hoping to purchase this before you come to Minnesota so hopefully we can play it. The second is the new Friend's Trivia Game. I don't know if you can purchase it, but it was in the JCPenney Christmas Catalog. I HAVE to have this game. Finally, something I could most likely win. Last year I wanted the Elvis Trivia game but no one got it for me. I think everyone realized I would just kick their ass so it was pointless.



Thursday Three Answers:

1. What would be the most mis-matched combination of food (i.e. curry flavored doritos)?

Syrup flavored baloney and Cookie Dough Gatorade (Stolen from Saturday Night Live )

My co-workers contribute these:

Marshmallow pot roast

Wasabi covered Hershey Kisses

Pesto Ice Cream

Lemon Hot Dogs

Peppermint Pastrami



2. Name a style of public urination in at a mens room urinal (sorry ladies):

Can't help you. But I can recommend that you put the toilet seat down at home so that your wives/ girlfriends/mothers/sisters/children don't fall in


3. Your favorite town name:

Well, there is Embarrass, Minnesota, the town before Babbitt, Minnesota where Minnesota Mike is from. (Could I fit Minnesota in that sentence anymore?)

But I think I like these ones:

Fertile, Minnesota which is near Climax, Minnesota. Spread Eagle, Wisconsin. Intercourse, Pennsylvania.



The discussion today at work centered on the episode of Friends where Ross and Rachel pick their "Top 5" celebrity list that they could sleep with and the other couldn't get mad. Makes for interesting conversations. We also are creating a staff CD of all our favorite songs. Do you know how hard it is to actually pick out your favorite song and album? I can't do it-I can' t pick out my favorite book either. I like way too many to narrow it down.

My answers to last week and this week's Thursday Three:



Would I run naked through my local shopping mall on a Saturday for a million dollars:

Yes



Who is the best looking Government Official?

Colin Powell



Link to goofiest guy or girl:

It's a celebrity, he's dead, but I've always wondered how the hell this guy got famous.



What’s the best business slogan you’ve seen?

I don't know if this is qualifies, but a local rock radio station had a billboard that said, "Elvis is dead. Face the music."



In keeping with the Elvis theme, what would Elvis be like if he were still alive?

I think he would have lost weight, gone to rehab, and been in seclusion for a number of years. Then, in 2000, he would have come back for another Comeback Concert and he would be dressed in regular clothes (no jumpsuits) and look distinguished and cool with silver/gray hair and glasses. Still would have all his gold and TCB jewelry.



Which two famous women would you most like to see fighting each other (cat or regular)?

Gwyneth Patrow and Jennifer Aniston (fighting over Brad Pitt) I think Jenn would kick her ass.



In my quest to find the goofiest person, I came across this tshirt slogan that Lynn saw on a poster in Galena, Illinois and we all thought was hilarious.



Spent 3 hours at the State Fair yesterday. This might sound crazy, but my co-worker brought along a polaroid from work and we went on Mullet patrol. We actually came away with 4 good pictures of really bad hair. Made the day quite fun! Otherwise, had the cheese curds, donuts, lemonade, cookies, etc. I didn't feel so good last night, can you guess why?

Did I mention that Pam and I are going to Bruce Springsteen in concert at the end of September? I hope (and think) that $85 is worth it to see the Boss and the E Street Band. Bought the new album last week. It's awesome.

Pat: Watch it, or you'll be walking to my house from the airport in Minneapolis.



Have any of you seen the Distinguished Gentlemen with Eddie Murphy? I had never watched the entire thing until last night. I have a fondness for short, political movies such as this one. Cute movie. Reminds me of a couple of my other political favorites: Dave and The American President.



Went out to dinner with Matt and Jill last night. Can't seem to coordinate weekend schedules, so we had to settle for a weeknight meal. Hadn't seen them in a long time. Went well, had fun. Ate at Damon's, which is a close knockoff of the ESPN Cafe. We ate in a round booth facing 4 big screen TV's and a speaker on the table. Unfortunately, the Twins were getting their butts kicked so it wasn't a fun game to watch.



The Great Minnesota Get Together started today: Minnesota State Fair. Did you know that it is the second most popular fair in the nation? Some favorites on a stick to note this year: alligator, fried candy bar, fried cheese cake, pickle, and turkey leg. The all-time best Minnesota fair feature is Tom Thumb mini-donuts. Second would be cheese curds. Third, corn on the cob cooked with the skin on over a grill, stripped down and dipped in butter, and then handed to the customer. Good stuff.



Going to see Matthew Perry and Liz Hurley's new movie: Serving Sara on Friday night.



No plans this weekend. YES! I'm sleeping until noon.



Newsweek had an article on blogging this week. Interesting to read and find out why some people do it, and what they post about.

Back from the weekend up north and doing my father-in-law's retirement party. A fun time was had by all. We had more then enough food with waaay too much leftover. Anyone want ham sandwiches and 2 lbs of homemade potato salad? It's tasty!



It was a long weekend, spent most of the time cleaning and making food. My folks came up with the dog. Our dog and Mike's parents dog didn't get along. They bit each other and then Joey kept trying to hump TJ even though they are both boys. It was very strange. TJ is so used to being socialized with other dogs, but apparently Joey isn't. He was really pushing his territory issues. Freaked me out. I hate dog fights. Gross.



That's all for now...

Forgot to mention to Mike L.Those are 2 of my favorite quotes from So I Married An Axe Murderer. I love that movie. "HEED! PAPER! NOW!"

Long live the King...of Rock and Roll. Elvis Week is here and I'm loving it. Did you know he made 32 million in sales of memorabilia this year? That Graceland alone brings in 15 million in revenue? I bet Nick Cage and Lisa Marie had a pre-nup. She's worth a bundle. According to the British tabloids, Lisa and Nick held a seance to contact Elvis and ask his blessing of their marriage. The King said it was A-OK with him. Retarded tabloid crap.


No matter what anyone says, or how he died, he's still cool to me.



The 10th Annual Camping trip went well. Great sleeping weather and no rain, lots of sun. Tshirts went over big time with the famdamily. We had a picture taken with everyone wearing their shirts. Unfortunately, I don't have digitial pictures of this because I accidentally erased them. DAMN! I was on the winning team for a change during the Winnebago Bowl. We've progressed so much in the 4 years we've been doing this. We now have cones to mark off the end zone, as well as an electronic scorer. I only had 2 major incidents of pain. Trying to get out of my husbands way (he was on the other team) and I bounced right off of him. It really hurt. Then, trying to tackle my cousin in the end zone so that he would drop the ball, Uncle Charlie throws his hand in to tip the ball away, and they both fall on me. We're talking over 300 lbs with both of them. Not so fun. But, a good laugh and some great plays.



Co-worker had her baby on Monday at last. Lost the office pool on that one. Cool name for a girl: Emery.



This weekend is our party for my father-in-laws retirement. Relies started descending last night. Should be a good time, hopefully we get all the food in place. It sounds like my parents might actually be coming up with the dog! He's going to love the lake.

I figured I better post after reading my brother's jab at me...what can I say about my inconsistency? I have no life to post about somedays!



The latest in the saga of kids doing stuff wrong at work: came in yesterday morning and the screen of someone's laptop was cracked. It would appear that while it was closed, someone either sat on it or a football bounced off of it. Haven't quite figured out how to handle this situation! It's never dull around here. :)



A guy I work with spent last weekend up at Breezy Point Resort near Brainerd, Minnesota. The cool part is that on Saturday night he hung out with Tony Oliva, the old Minnesota Twin! Apparently Tim had started talking with a guy one Friday night and they were chatting about the Twins. The guy said they should come back to the lounge the next evening and meet Tony and hang out. They drank and shot the shit with him for hours. Super cool guy. I remember when I interviewed him for an online chat that he was really nice. I had my laptop and my brother hand changed my screensaver without telling me and it flashed, "Kristin's brother is the coolest." Tony laughed and said, "So, you're brother is the coolest, huh?" There is a guy who really belongs in the Hall of Fame.



Which reminds me of an article that everyone should read about Cooperstown. I"m slowly becoming disenchanted with baseball and I've sworn that if they strike this year, I will walk away from the sport forever and pledge my allegiance to NASCAR and hockey. However, this article re-affirmed some of my faith. It's really more about my love of the Hall. A very magical place.



This one on the Twins is worth a read too...



Getting ready for our annual camping trip this weekend. We love to camp, yet we only go once a year. This is our 10th Annual Garness Family Camp-Out, complete with tshirts and the 4th Annual Winnebago Bowl. Thanks to my husband, he organized a football game one year and it's been tradition every since. Since we camp at Camp Winnebago, you get the idea. Last night we went out and bought a Pudgie Pie Maker to make hot ham and cheeses, cherry pies, stuff like that. Pulled out the tent, cooler, grill, all that crap that goes with camping. Plus, we have to get Whittney and Tyler in the back seat of Mike's car in addition to bringing this stuff. Still don't know if that's going to work! I will hopefully be able to post pictures on Monday.



Answers to the Thursday questions:



I didn't find any alternates of me. I found many things with my name, but none worthy of viewing. The cool part when I typed my name into Yahoo search, my blog came up!


I would not cut off two of my fingers for a million dollars.



I would like to kick Bill Gates' ass. In my mind I see Anthony Michael Hall playing him in Pirates of the Silcon Valley and I just want beat the crap out of him. I know that he has done much good and much bad, but I just don't like the guy. He looks like a turtle.



Pat, it's funny that you put Larry Ellison down. There is a huge interview with him this month in PlayBoy. (Yes, my husband gets this magazine.) The guy is a major dick. I can't stress this enough.



I watched Coal Miners Daughter the other night for the hell of it. Sissy Spacek and Tommy Lee Jones are awesome in the movie. Mike can't stand the movie because he hates hearing her say, "DOO!" Also watched Jerry Maguire for fun too. We were laughing at the part of the little kid who's on the phone while Cuba Gooding is ranting about his contract. He says, "You talk to much." Then, "It was nice talking to you, bye Rod!" Jonathan Lipnicki was the cutest kid to play that role.



I found this cool Stump Your Friends website that allows you to create quizes about any topic to send to friends. A local radio station had posted it on their website. Since I sent it around at work, everyone is in quiz overload stumping one another. My brother got 9/10 as did my husband. They both missed this question: What is the first car I ever had? Because I felt this quiz was too easy, I created another. Stump yourself here, or create your own quiz. Not sure I should send it to Dad. He might not like the question: "Who does Kristin call her 'real' dad?" :) There's a story there.



My mom has always been an Elvis fan. Not a freaky-obsessed-he's-still-alive kind of fan, but a casual fan. I, in turn, have become a fan since I was about 12. One year my cousin Molly and I decided to tell her little sister Allison that Elvis was really my dad. The reason is that my parents are divorced and Allison had been born after this and had a hard time comprehending who my dad really was. We took advantage of this when she was about age 7. We had her totally convinced that my mom had an affair with Elvis and I was his kid. Finally, Allison marched up to my mom and said, "Is Elvis Kristin's Dad?" You had to be there to see the look on my mom's face. Priceless. She ruined it by telling her that Uncle Steve was really my dad, not Elvis. Anyway, that's the origin of the question.

Interesting questions posed for the Thursday three: My favorite lawn ornament seen is a large pig with piglets following...they looked scary real. had to stop and look twice. maybe I'm retarded. Favorite Southern name: Billy-Jack and Doolittle are my personal favorites. (However, I have to say that some of the nicknames in our family may qualify. My mom and her sisters: Charmaine=Slim; Sandra=Rita; Susan=Jity; Pam=Penny; Dave=Davey John. Some how Aunt Linda escaped the wrath.) Best looking CEO/Chairman: Steve Case of AOL/Time Warner



I'm visiting my parents this weekend and on Thursday night we went to the Olmsted County Fair in Rochester. The people watching was at its prime. My mother about passed out at the girl (about age 19) wearing a long hippie looking skirt with a tank top that did NOT cover her large pregnant belly. Last year at the Minnesota State Fair I saw a woman wearing this: a cowboy hat, cowboy boots, BIKER SHORTS, and a tank top. It was baaaaad.



I gotta point out this great billboard that KDWB, our local Top 40 station in the Twin Cities recently did. It said Ugly Kids...and had pictures of two really ugly kids. sort of. Then a week later they had the billboard that said "Ugly kids become DJ's." Check out the link.

Goldmember is worthy of watching if you are a fan of Austin Powers. Same old sight gags, jokes, etc. Mini-me and Fat Bastard steal the show. Michael Caine ROCKS as Nigel Powers, Austin's dad. (I'm a big Michael Caine fan though). Goldmember (the character) is way dumb, that was the only character I didn't like. The opening sequence is Great. Brings you right into the movie. Most critics are saying that it's lost it's mojo. I liked it for what it was: a Mike Myers production. (Ozzy makes an appearance with the family and the outtakes of him trying to do that scene are HILARIOUS!)



Also rented Men In Black (hadn't seen the first one yet) and I Am Sam with Sean Penn. I have to say the first MIB is better then the second, more entertaining. I Am Sam is also very good, but slow moving and too long. Music is mostly all Beatles toons and it rocks. Sean Penn is amazing. He's a cross between a Forrest Gump, Arnie from What's Eating Gilbert Grape, and Daniel from The Other Sister. (If you have not seen the last two movies, I highly recommend them.) I have new respect for Sean Penn as an actor.



Went to the Minnesota Zoo on Saturday afternoon. Hadn't been there in almost 10 years. Pretty decent place, although it was mobbed with kids and families. Mike had never been to this zoo, so he was excited. Watched an excellent dolphin show where we sat in the front row by the tank and were splashed a bit. One of the female dolphins is very pregnant so it was neat to see her big belly. Those animals are so amazing. Mike swam with dolphins in the Bahamas and ever since then I have so much respect for them. Truly fantastic creatures. I came eye to eye with a really cool beaver, who stood about a foot away from me and stood looking right up at me chewing his little stick. He was about the size of smaller dog which I wasn't expecting. They also have a cool petting pond of sting rays and star fish that you are welcomed to touch. Little kids really were excited about that. Rode the monorail to see the larger outdoor animals like the bison, camels, and moose. New Tiger Lair exhibit with 2 beautiful tigers. Overall, a good day. We were wicked tired at the end of the day!



Sunday we spent the day watching NASCAR during the longest rain delay and caution. I nearly crapped myself watching Steve Park's accident. I felt bad for Junior-I can only imagine how scary it must be for him now after losing his dad in an accident. Park has just had the crappiest luck this year. I'm soooo glad that he and Jr. were okay. They are two of my favorite drivers. Besides their driving ability, their both really hot!



Taking Friday off this week to head down to the Grove town (as my co-worker and former resident of Spring Grove calls it) to visit Grandma. Time is getting shorter and priorities are being pushed into place. This is at the top of the list right now.



Since everyone is on the topic of what they are reading...Just finished The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough. Starting Primary Colors. Cannot get into it Not sure why. I have read so many books in my lifetime, I don't know that I would know where to start in terms of listing what is good. Off the top of my head, 2 books that I think should be required reading in college: Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom and 10 Things I Wish I'd Know Before I Went Out Into The Real World by Maria Shriver. I love bios too, and one of my favorites because the story is so good (nothing to do with the music side) is Love Can Build A Bridge by Naomi Judd. As the review said, "This isn't the dust off the bible story you were expecting..." I have a soft spot for single working moms, so this story really hit home for me. Childrens Books: A Fish Out of Water by Dr. Seuss; Charlotte's Web; Little House Series; I'll Love You Forever; The Giving Tree; plus there is this one book Paige made me read a few years back, can't remember the name, but it was about the kid who didn't want to give up his blankey. I have issues with giving up my blankey still.



In a moment of digression.... my great-aunt Marguerite once told me a story at age 10 (to discourage my blankey use) about a little boy she had taught many years ago. He had this blanket that he took everywhere. Once on vacation he had his head out the window as they were crossing a bridge and was holding the blanket out and flying it like a kite through the air. There was a big gust of wind and it snapped the blanket out of his hands and into the river below. Way below. It's so funny to me, but I know that if it were MY blanket it would not be. So it's more like a devilish laugh...hehehehe IF your child has a favorite blanket, just let them. They'll figure out when to get rid of it.



Pat-your story about the drive-in movie has kicked me into gear. We have one near us and are going to try to go this week. It's something we've talked about since 1996!

Goldmember opens today...and I plan on being there at 7pm tonight. "I love GOOOOLLLDDDD!"



I've undertaken a large project from my mother. I'm putting all of her black and white photos into a photo album/scrapbook. These photos consist of her mother and father's families, her grandparents, siblings, great-grandparents, uncles, aunts cousins. I've seen most of the photos over my lifetime, but I'm amazed at how many I don't really know. My Grandpa Garness came from a large family-11 kids. I only remember 3 of those aunts and uncles really well. The others passed away before I was born or died when I was young. My grandpa died when I was 8 and I realized how very little I knew him. Looking at these pictures of him with his family has really made me think a lot about how they were all young once too. They're goofing around, with their arms around each other. Photo booth pictures of my grandpa with some random friend-we'll never who the guy is. Standing with my grandma after they got married, both of them thin and young and looking like they really do love each other. I think of some of the stories Grandma has told about when they were dating. Grandpa was considered a 'rogue' and pretty wild. They shaped who I am today, just as their parents did, and those parents before, etc. It truly makes me appreciate where I came from and the sacrifices made. It's a lengthy process to sort all of these photos, but lots of fun too.



Did anyone catch the replay this week of the mini-series The Shining? I caught most of it the first time around, but it was interesting to watch again. Having read the book, this mini-series re-creates the movie very closely. The original Stanley Kubrick version made famous by Nicholson is awesome, and it's a classic, but they made him into a freak and did not follow a lot from the book. In the book, it's a slow madness that he descends into. Much more effectively done by Steven Weber. It's freaky to see him in this role after watching him on Wings all those years ago. He once played David Koresh of the Branch Dividians in a TV movie. Scared the bejezus out of me. But I digress...



The kid who played Danny this time around is only fair. His mouth, or teeth (I can't figure it out) don't let him close his mouth all the way. It was really annoying. Plus he was really nasily. In the movie version, I that Danny was a fair take on the book. A very intelligent kid for his age who has things figured out in life and at the hotel waaaay more then his mom and dad do. Did anyone like Shelley Duvall as Wendy? I liked Rebecca Demornay better. Classic line from the movie: "I"m not gonna hurt you Wendy....I'm just going to bash. your. brains.in." I'm really stuck in the middle on which is better (besides the book). Nicholson still rocks though. And obviously, this all just my opinion, as many beg to differ on the Internet Movie Database.



Something to ponder from an article I ready by Michael Moore. (I'm sure you're familiar with him). He was wondering why matches and lighters were not on the prohibitied list of items to take on an airplane. I stopped to think about this and asked myself the same question. Why? Well, it turns out that the FFA had them on the list after 9/11. However, the tobacco companies lobbyed to have them taken OFF the list. Their reasoning? People can't smoke on a plane and the minute they get off, they want to rush to a smoking lounge where they can. They must have their lighter to do so. The lobbying with Bush and the FFA was successful, and the items were removed. But what happened in December? Richard Reed tries to light his shoe bomb on an airplane. They're still on the list.



Note to my brother: watch where you urinate.

In my defense, I thought Summer Catch was a decent movie because it had a number of fairly obscure actors in it that I like. Didn't say the story was the greatest, but over the movie was good. I'm talking good as in I'm not bored to death by it and when there is nothing else on cable that I can watch, it will suffice. Because I'm a girl I obviously didn't think Jessica Biel was eye candy, but I don't really care for as an actress.



What I do for a living...I work with teenagers every day for a program in Minnesota called Target Market. This is a youth anti-tobacco industry deal. We're not anti-smoking, we're against the industry and the marketing that is done. Bring on the comments should you feel the need to argue. I do it everyday! Anyway, I manage an office of about 15, with kids who are active in the movement here all the time. We have a cheap office space (storefront) with old office furniture cast offs. As you can imagine, sometimes the damn teenagers get bored or mad at us and decide to have a little fun. Hence the glueing incident. It was actually kind of fun to have the shit hit the fan for a change with them. Usually they get away with murder, but a day back from vacation set me off and I hauled one of 'em into my office and let him have it. (the response as usual was I don't know why I felt like doing it.) Now, no one under 20 is allowed to have a key (we have interns that work evenings). Let's just say they're none to happy with Kristin these days. All the adults were thrilled with some rule finally. So, when I mention things like 'poopcicle' you can imagine why it's suddenly funny. I work with an age group that ranges from 14-32. And Office Space is an oft quoted and favorite movie. Anyway, go to our website if you want details.



Weekend was fair. The friends weekend bombed, and it was only 2 of us. Looonnnggg story. Had a good time with one friend, but find that things have changed quite a bit since college in terms of what to talk about over an entire weekend. I wanted some alone time by Sunday.



Have thought much about my brother's post about goals. I need to do a lot better in this area. Good boost, good writing Pat. Thanks for making me do some re-thinking of where my life is going....I don't mean that in a sarcastic way either. It's in a nice way!

I'll concede as well that I don't post regularly. I have been very lax in doing so lately. My apologies.



Read today that Sharon Osbournes cancer is worse then they thought. It's colon (She said, "why'd they have to find it in my bum?) cancer and she'll have to have chemotherapy for 3 months. Apparently she is not so worried, but Ozzy was so distraught that a doctor had to come and sedate him. Ozzy had been the one to push her to go for a check-up. They called him a hypochondriac. Wouldn't you be if you had the history of drug and alcohol use he does?



Mike left for Iowa last night to visit his rellies. My GORF girls are coming to visit and we're all getting together at Jill's tomorrow. GORF is in reference to my college friends. Back in our freshman year at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, during homecoming, we walked by a dorm room that had GO RF in the window. Except that the space wasn't there and it looked like GORF. Hence, the name GORF Girls began with my friends: Jill, Erika, Krista, Michelle and Robin. It's only 4 of us, but plan on sitting around chatting and drinking a few beers. Jill had hernia surgery on Wednesday, so she won't be doing much, but insisted we still come! Should be fun.



Ordered two books from Amazon that came in the mail yesterday. Primary Colors (the one the movie is based on) and Laura by Donald Zochart. The latter is about Laura Ingallas Wilder. My interest in her has been piqued again (I was obsessed with her when I was little) after visiting her home of one year in Burr Oak, Iowa, the home of my grandparents. Paige and I took the tour and it was really interesting. As for Primary Colors, I had not seen the movie since last fall when I finally rented it. I had to read the book to get a better perspective of it. I'm really psyched. I also need to buy the book Stupid White Men by Michael Moore. A girl I work with had it today at the office and I peed my pants reading it. I had seen it before (maybe one of you talked about it?) and definately want to have this. My favorite quote in the book was actually one from SNL's Update during the election. "George Bush said he didn't reveal the drunk driving charge because of what his daughters might think of him. He had preferred that they think of him as a man with numerous failed business ventures who now executes people." Nice. Second favorite quote: "In short, you've been a drunk, a thief, a possible felon, an unconvicted deserter and a crybaby. You may call that statement cruel. I call it "tough love." Whether you voted for him or not, please admit this is kind of funny.



Had my second interview on Monday in Rochester. Don't want the job after experiencing the interview. It wasn't what I thought and wasn't what I want. When I say it's over my head, I feel like I'm saying I don't want to challenge myself. The problem is that since I don't have experience in one of the areas they want, and they don't want to take the time to teach me, it's hard to say I can learn it. I don't know. Hard one, and rather disappointing. When the people in the job itself are giving me the vibe that they really don't like their job that much, it's difficult to be excited about this one. I'm trying to let my intuition take over on this one. My therapist years and years ago once told me that I had the strongest intuition of anyone she knew and that I should always pay attention to it. We'll see what happens.



Remembered something else Paige had said to me last week. We stopped by our apartment when we came up to go the Mall of America. Paige walked into our den and came back out to report to me that, "That room is really messy. It's worse then Alissa's." I hadn't been home in a week and Mike had been on the computer doing family research and had printed out about 10 feet of paper. Yes, the room is a mess too because it's the 'extra' room where everything gets thrown. It had to have been bad if it was worse then Alissa's!



Have any of you seen Freddy Got Fingered with Tom Green? This was the most stupid and disgusting movie I have ever watched. And I literally saw 15 minutes of it. Why the movie was even made, I don't know. I like Tom Green, his show was hilarious, but I just thought the movie was over the top gross. Not funny.



However, I gotta say that I've watched Little Nicky and Joe Dirt more times then I came to admit in the last month. Little Nicky is actually funny. Ozzy makes an appearance at the end and of course Rob Schneider is in there saying, "YOU CAN DO IT!" Joe Dirt isn't quite as funny, but still memorable. We have this one Starz channel that picks a couple of movies and plays them over and over for a few weeks, kind of like a movie theater. As a result, I've also seen Summer Catch recently with Freddie Prinze Jr. Good movie too.



Adam Sandler has a new animated movie coming out in December called, "Eight Crazy Nights." Can you guess where the title came from? I saw the trailer and it looks freaking hilarious. He does all the voices in it. The scene in the trailer (remember it's animated) shows this old guy falling into a porta potty. Sandler hoses him off (it's winter) and the poop freezes all over him. Sandler says, "Smell ya later poopcicle." This has gone over quite well in the office as a catch phrase.



Last, and I promise this is the last movie reference, we had cake at an office meeting yesterday and began to talk about how in Office Space Milton misses out on yet another piece of cake because he was told 'don't be selfish.'

Been on vacation, but back to the real world yesterday. Scary.



Know what I came back to? The 16 year olds that I work with had glued everything they could get their hands on down to desks with spray Adhesive. Nice. I feel like the parent. Yanked their privileges, can't come back to the office until Monday, blah blah blah. Actually, I was really disappointed. All else had gone well when I was gone. Not to mention, we have to figure out where 4 bags of candy went in one night. Teenagers: AHH! Common sense is not a trait for many of them.



Good vacation with my bro and family. Girls have really grown up a lot. I'd say by the next time I see Alissa, she'll be taller then I am. The best line of the week came from Paige sitting in the backseat of the car on our way home from Grandma's. Out of the blue she says, "Can teachers retire...like when they're in their 30's or so?" Where that came from we're not sure, but she had told us earlier in the day that she wanted to be a Gym teacher. Cute:)



Saw Men in Black 2 over the weekend. It was actually really good and quite funny. Pat and Lyn saw Minority Report. You'll have to hear Pat's analysis of it. Sounds like an interesting movie.



4th of July was pretty fun. Fireworks are now legal in Minnesota (some are, not all) so we bought up a butt load and set them off out at our Aunt and Uncles house in the country. A little disappointing because there wasn't anything that flew up into the air and did like the old bottle rockets, but it was still cool. We made a huge mess out of $90+ dollars worth. The professional fireworks provided to the City of Rochester were very good this year. They put on a shorter show, with cooler stuff. The finale was the best they've had in years.



We've started Part 2 of the NASCAR Family Pool with the draft taking place last weekend. I scored some fairly good people, but still not completely happy. We've added my step-mother into the mix so it took away more of the good people then usual. However, I now have Dale Earnhardt Jr, which I stole from my husband, so that will be exciting to see. Here's hoping that I won't place 4th for the third time.



This weekend is all about rest and relaxation. I haven't slept more then 5 hours a night in 2 weeks because I think I have a problem, and because while at my parents the dog woke me every morning at 5am to go outside. Why he decided not to wake up my step-dad as usual, I don't know. Not that i minded, I just wanted to get some sleep! I plan on taking naps every chance I can this weekend. We're considering turning the phones off too.

NADS hair removal does not work. I tried it and Mike tried it and it pulls out about 2 hairs. nice. I guess something with the name NADS you should question anyway.



Last night I went to Shanda's Mary Kay party (no comment) while Mike hung out with Gabe and Tyler. Afterwards, Tyler and I were playing around and wrestling. As they were watching baseball I said to him, "Who's your favorite baseball player?" He loves Sammy Sosa so I thought he'd say that. Nope. He says in his most conversational three-year old voice, "Ummm, I sink it's my dad." His dad plays softball every week and he loves to go. Isn't that the cutest? Then he told Mike, "I'm going to help you put your sandals on cuz your feet stink!" Last, Gabe asks him to tell us what he did at dinner tonight. "I tooted and then we blamed it on Mommy." :-)



I do not suggest watching Brandy: Special Delivery on MTV. It's very dumb.



Tim Penny, former MN Congressman announced today that he is leaving the DFL party and running on the Independence Party ticket for governor against Roger Moe (DFL) and Tim Pawlenty (R). I already liked Tim Penny, so this really excites me about the race this year.



I'm looking forward to the weekend, and only a three day week next week. Then, vacation from July 4-10. Mike leaves tonight for 'up Nort' for his 10-day vacation. He's got all kinds of plans and I told him to not get drunk and fall down. He responded, "I won't get drunk and fall into the bonfire." I Hope not!

Got into a discussion with a guy at work today on the whole Pop, Soda, Coke, Tonic issue. He didn't believe me that I had heard that in Boston it's tonic, other ares it's Soda. In Minnesota it's Pop. I know that in North Carolina, it's Coke, no matter the brand. Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't it tonic if it's flavored and fizzy in Boston?


It's DAMN hot here and we have no air at work. Can you say a** of a landlord? Called the guy in the past 2 weeks almost everyday because we've had the motor in the air conditioner break, the toilet in the women's bathroom is missing the bolt that holds the ball down, 2 computers crashed, one entire room lost power (kids blew fuses hooking up sound equipment) and two desks lost power from their outlets. It was hilarious. The landlord 'claims' that we are doing something. All the while this guy smokes like 3 packs a day, including while he is visiting you in our office. Considering we work against the tobacco industry, it's quite the giggle :) At least we're getting the computers fixed!!



Got the Osbourne's Family Album CD today. The guy I mentioned that I am having the debate with bought it for a giveaway at an event. He then realized it had parental advisory stickers on it and we can't have that! Thus, I scored a CD. It has good songs on it including Pat Boone's version of Crazy Train. (The theme song version on MTV).
Also included are: Papa Don't Preach, John Lennon's Imagine, The Car's Drive, Eric Clapton's Wonderful Tonight, Mama I'm Coming Home, and the original Crazy Train. Complete with great lines from the TV show, the best quote is written in the liner notes: "I love you more then life itself...but you'r f***ing mad..." America's New Family. :)

Mike L.: you deserve a medal of honor for sitting through a ceremony like that. I would have laughed and gotten into trouble. Or, perhaps, it was so bad you couldn't even laugh? That should go into a Cameron Crowe movie, because it's waaaay worse then Joe singing "Greatest Love of All" in Say Anything.



Weekend was a slow hot one, in the 90's. Left work at noon on Friday and had lunch with some co-workers. Nice to blow off some steam. We have a rule in the summer: do not work more then 37.5 hours if you can help it, as that is all we are required to work. Since we work 60 hour weeks or more in the winter, we all try to take advantage of summer months. Got home, took a lovely nap..which I have been unable to do in a long time. Mike and I went out shopping but I got cranky and annoyed. Pricing as usual was f*ed up. Target is usually good on not screwing ya, but at the cash register that night I was ready to tell them they were turning into Kmart. As a result, Mike did not receive the shirt he wanted and I did not get my Osbournes CD. Went on to Kohl's where Mike purchased a cool pair of 'dress sandals' for work. He calls them his Jesus shoes. I was so proud of him-he suggested getting them, not me!



Saturday we went to a different Target but no shirt. Went out to a not so great lunch at Perkins and then went to Wal-Greens. We purchased the semi-famous 'Nads' hair removal solution. Let's just see if it's fricking works like the commercial SAYS it does. Pain-free my ass...none of that waxing stuff works without a little bit of pain in my book. Remember the Friends episode (Ross and Rachel break up) while Monica and Phoebe use "I so want to be a Waxine girl!". Joe eats it when they get stuck in the bedroom because it's supposed to be all natural...



Visited our apartment pool both Saturday and Sunday. Nothing great, but it cools you off. I think the fun in it is watching the people. Sunday we went to Tyler's 3rd Birthday party. Never seen a kid who did not want to open his presents-wanted to play in his pool instead. However, he did get a Slip and Slide, so soon that was the popular item with the kids. Man, that thing has changed since I was kid. Now there is a bumper at the end to prevent you from going flying into the grass. Also chatted with Gabe's dad, who is one of the funniest old farts I've ever known. He's in his early 70's, has no teeth, survived Mercury poisoning from fish, broke his hip and leg, walks with a limp and a cane, gone through 2 wives who died of lung cancer, and has lived to tell about it all. When I came walking he said, "There's the one that tackled Mike for life..." Last year when I saw him he said, "Didn't you pose for PlayBoy?" As you can tell, this is where Gabe gets his sense of humor.



I am happy to report that while visiting both Target's, I did not have any crazy women in mini-vans telling me to move it over. I will concede with my brother: we are turning into cranky older people........:-)

I really don't have much to tell...it's been a boring few days.



I'm applying for a job down in Rochester (MN) for the hell of it. It's in media, which I'm anxious to get back to, and this would give me a really great starting point. A guy I used to work with at my current job called me and let me know. I'd be working with him primarily, which is a plus cause we got along really well. Mike and I are tired of the big city, and looking to move along. Nothing is holding us to the Twin Cities anymore. Our friends that we do things with on a regular basis live in Wisconsin, so what the hell? We'd probably still see them the same amount of time we do now! And, the cost of living is cheaper down there. Fingers crossed.



Had lunch with some of my TM kids yesterday. I realize that secretly I must still be about 16 because I laughed at all the gross things they told about. This kid tells me how he wiped his butt with a dollar bill, laid it on the sidewalk, and said that some lady came by and picked it up. How sick is this? But, I laughed...In response, I asked if he had 'Hitlered' anyone lately. Taking my cue from Cartman on South Park, I told him how Cartman put his finger down his butt and wiped it under his friends nose. Get it? :)


My life is sadly lacking when I find this stuff funny.....

Alright, quite tooling on me about my country music...might I point out that my brother was able to ESCAPE from the country music influence because he was in his teens and at the age where he did NOT have to attend concerts, jam sessions, etc with our parents. I was freaking 7 years old-did not have the choice. I believe, therefore, that is the reason why I picked up country. Before I expressed my opinons in my previous blog, I did say that I knew many of you did not like country...so I think I covered my ass there. Sorry, I still like it. I was the one who got on stage with my Dad's band and sang "You're Cheatin Heart" when I was 8. I received a dollar for my performance. I still have this dollar. I will not get into the discussion of Hank Sr./Hank Jr. End of story/rant. :-)



Try to catch MTV's Making of the Video of Kelly Osbourne's "Papa Don't Preach." You can tell Jack doesn't like the attention she's getting. I guess Jack can now turn around to Ozzy and say, "Dad, I hate Kelly." just as she did about him. Ahh, sibling rivalry. Would anyone agree that Jack is about the ugliest kid out there? Or is it just me?



This Shakespeare thing is so cool. In looking at our lineage, as it goes back to BC, we are also related to Charlemagne (Emperor of the Romans) and someone called Albert the Great as well. On the geneology site that Barry is doing research, one of the lines is traced to Adam and Eve. Technically, we are related to God. Some way, some how. When I told my grandpa this he said, "It's been a long and winding road to us since then hasn't it?" I don't know how the hell you can go back that far, but it's there. My step-dad said to me, "Maybe you'll go to church more now since you know you are related to God." :-) Ha



Off to the Great Northern reaches of Minnesota tomorrow to (the newly coined) MN Mike's parent's home. Hopefully it will be warm and nice out on the Birch Lake for some fishing, sunning and relaxing. There is some serious flooding going on in Roseau, MN the famed hockey town about 10 miles from the Canadian border. The whole city is under water at 23 ft, with 16ft being the flood stage. It's really sad. A co-worker of mine lives there, and her mom told her that even if she tried to come home, she would have to take a boat to their house.



I have to pass along one last thing, because it wouldn't be a blog without a story. I stopped at Target on my way home from work on Tuesday. As I pulled into a parking place and got out of my car and started to walk towards the store, this woman in a mini-van stops and says to me, "You need to MOVE it over." I'm like, WHAT? Turning around, I see that the person who had parked next to me had parked at a screwed up angle and messed up the parking for the rest of the row. I had parked between the lines, but there was a large gap between myself and this car. The next open space next to me was now not big enough to fit her van. Realize, I did not even do this on purpose, but simply pulled in because I was going to be in there for all of 5 minutes. As I turned around, she was driving down the next aisle smoking her damn cigarette. So I yelled, "Do you want me to move over?" It just hit me all the sudden and I got pissed. She waved her hand at me like "whatever". So I yelled back, "Are you SURE? Cuz I can f*cking move it for you!!" She just kept waving her hand at me. So, I left it and went into the store. When I came back out, there was a small station wagon pulled into the space next to me that was supposed to be 'too small'. This person had pulled so akwardly into the space, that there was literally 2 inches between my end of the car and their's. But, I squeezed through and made it out just fine. Do you think she had anything to do with it? And what the HELL is this world coming to when you have to be so freaking lazy to argue over a parking place close to the door? It was there that I realized why we don't carry concealed weapons. My anger was so out of control and shocked by this behavior, that I quite honestly felt like if I had a gun, I probably would have pulled it out. Scary thought. I think I might need anger management classes. Hope this doesn't scare anyone-I am honestly safe to leave your children with!

Congrats to my brother for taking the time to screw off....sounds like a great time.



Mike L.: I grew up on country...during the Outlaw phase in the 1978-1982 range. When you dad plays in country bands your whole life, it's hard not to like it. :)



Short weekend, or so it seemed. Went to Rochester on Friday night, had dinner with my parents (crappy Mexican) and was able to drive them around in my new car. I think they liked it? Saturday, got up and took off for a wedding in Cresco, Iowa. Stopped in Harmony to visit the grandparents along the way. Grandpa told us that on Sunday it was Laura Ingalls Wilder Days in Burr Oak (she lived in the town where my grandparents lived when she was 9) and there was going to be a parade. Get this: Grandpa and Grandma were the Honorary Grand Marshalls of the parade and were going to ride in the pace car at the beginning. Too funny and too cool. I think they were actually looking forward to it. They are the second longest living residents of Burr Oak, well known and well liked, which I'm sure contributed to them being picked.



Left from there for the wedding. Typical small town church wedding, etc. My mother had my cousin and I in stiches because a little girl in front of us kept talking to my mom. She must have been around 3? She says rather loudly at one point, "Do you have a tattoo?" Why she asked this, I do not know. But, when you're in church, bored and trying to be quiet, it was funny. This little girl also spent most of the service turned around staring at my uncle and cousin who are black. It was cute :)



The bride had a cool dress-kind of Tarzan like going over only one shoulder. It was a straight skirt, and because this girl is so tiny, it looked great. Food, pork sandwiches (small town Iowa remember) along with a vegetable salad, fruit, and home made dill pickles. Dance was a blast because they had the same DJ that we had at our wedding. Jeff Duncan is well worth the extra $75 you pay to request him. We boogied it up until about 11pm and took off back to Rochester. Can I just say that people really lose their inhibitions at wedding dances when a few drinks are involved! And watching my 13 year old cousin Tyler do his moves a la Chris Tucker from Rush Hour, made for a good time.

Not to get into the topic of Urinal Mats or anything, but after reading my brother's post, we had some pop up at work as something called a "Concert Creative". What is this you might ask? It seems the kids have chosen items to display the Target Market name at concerts. One of which is a little yellow mat with a picture of a Tobacco Executive on it. Interesting. Apparently there is a difference between a urinal cake and a urinal mat. Having never used a urinal, I know very little about this.



Kudos to my step-dad for finally cracking the Webb family tree past 1800. I think (?) we should be proud to note that we are related to William Shakespeare!?! Still trying to figure out the lineage myself, but it looks like he is probably a uncle of sorts back to about 1564. Looking forward to that search.



I know that for many of you Country music is not your favorite, or something you may even listen to...but I've got to point out two really great songs I've listened to lately. One my Dad played for me by Hank Williams Jr called "Bluesman". If you ever saw the TV movie called Living Proof: The Hank Jr. Story, it's in there. I remembered it well. Good Tune. Second, Tim McGraw's latest album: Set This Circus Down is fantastic. The tune "Cowboy In Me" is one of the best I've heard in a long time. I'm finding that I'm getting sick of Top 40 lately...along with Shakira (Mike, I saw the Shakira Diva thing you were talking about. It sucked big time.) Eminem, Ja Rule, etc. God Help Us. Look at the names I just typed out?????



Along those same lines, when I spent the weekend at my dad's a few weeks back, I brought along my guitar so we could jam a little like the old days. Dad plays harmonica all the time now, but picks up the guitar on occasion. I kept digging out all these old songs he hadn't done in years. It was cool. I had to laugh at this one called "Amanda" by Waylon Jennings. Since the guy recently died, we both were excited to play it again. There is a part that goes..."I got my first guitar when I was 14. Now I'm crowding 40 and I'm still wearing jeans." Dad, of course, re-writes the lines to say, "I got my first guitar when I was 39...Now I'm over 60 and I still got my hair." I guess you had to be there. :) I wish I could be in a band sometimes!



Not much else going on. Boring weekend. Read two FULL books this weekend, something I have NOT done in forever (I read too fast sometimes. I'm probably what you call a skimmer. That's why I can re-read books, because I pick up something everytime.
Lucky Man by Michael J. Fox. Pretty decent, but hard to get into. I also read
Reeve Lindbergh's memoir about her family. I enjoyed learning about her parents and what amazing people they were. She is an extremely talented writer, and I virtually felt like she took me with her to visit all the people and places she wrote about. Also, Went to Episode 2 for the second time. I highly suggest doing this, and then watching the trilogy. As Yoda would say "Learn much, I did."