Happy Birthday, Hollywood!

My sweet girl, Hollywood, turns seven years old today.

May you have many more birthdays and opportunities to chase rabbits through the backyard.

Happy Birthday, Miss Hollywood!

A Weekend Beverage Tip

a) I found individual mini cans of Mr & Mrs. T's Bloody Mary mix at Publix this week. (In the past, I've wasted too many large bottles of mix that have gone bad before I could use it all.)

b) Coating the rim of the glass with a mix of celery salt, sea salt and cayenne pepper is so delicious, I can't even put it into words. (This is a trick we learned from the bartender at Macaroni Grill.) Salty, savory, spicy goodness.

c) Think of all of the vitamin C and antioxidants. Tomatoes are good for you. I actually think I can feel myself getting younger as I sip it. :)

d) Two dashes worcestershire. Two dashes Tobasco.

e) I just got a brand new bottle of Absolut Peppar to add a little more "kick". Mmmmm. It's like a weekend in a glass.

Happy Weekend!

Get Crunk

Spent - Eighty cents at Big Lots

Purchased - One bag of "Rap Snacks"

Question - What do you think "Southern Crunk Barbeque" actually tastes like?

Rediscovering Biographies

When I was at a convention a week or two ago, I had the pleasure of sharing a dinner table with Phil Vischer, the creator of Big Idea's VeggieTales. I really enjoyed meeting him and I thought he was a very interesting person. So, after the convention, I decided to read his book, Me, Myself & Bob.

I'll admit, I have not read that many biographies or autobiographies in my life that I wasn't required to read in college. However, I suddenly found that I couldn't put the book down. I was captivated.

I am interested in his success. I am interested in where things went wrong and why. I am interested in the stories of where certain ideas originated. I get to live vicariously, to a certain degree, through his words. I can learn a little from his mistakes. Besides all that--it is just plain good reading.

I am more than halfway through the book and the experience is making me think I might enjoy more biographies in my life. I never thought that I would ever say that before, but I think it is true. I usually tend to lean more toward a good thriller or a light, mindless "beach read".

Phil Vischer mentions in his book another person's life story that inspired him. I think I may soon visit the library and see if I can find this one next...

Friday Feast (A Little Late)

Appetizer
On a scale of 1 to 10 (with 10 being highest) how much do enjoy watching sports on television?

It depends on what we are talking about. I don't think all televised sports are created equal. I always enjoy a good hockey game. I'll watch football once it gets to the playoffs. However, I will never enjoy watching golf or tennis on TV. It's just not my thing.

Soup
If you could completely memorize any one work of fiction, which one would you pick?

Maybe "Who's on First" by Abbott and Costello.

Salad
What is your favorite breakfast food?

Lean Pockets (Egg, bacon and cheese flavor) and a fat free vanilla yogurt. Covers both the sweet and savory cravings and feels decadent, but really isn't!

Main Course
Name something fun you can do for less than $10.00.

I think I can name several--Go to a matinee, rent a movie, buy a sudoku book, window shop, nap, go through old photos, email a friend, make a new playlist for your iPod, eat a pickle, pet a dog, go for a walk, surf the internet, get a good book from the library, soak up the sun by the pool.

Dessert
How long does it usually take you to fall asleep?

Less than a minute, on average.

Hope "Urine" the Mood for Some Wackiness...

Okay, I know that I've mentioned the fact that I work at a fun place. I work with fun people who are sometimes a little crazy. It can be fast paced. It can be stressful at times, but these are nutty individuals and I never quite know what to expect--and I love that.

The latest chapter of insanity has to do with a urinal in the men's room. Yes, a urinal.

Apparently, one of the urinals had stopped working. An e-mail went out telling everyone not to use it. A sign went up telling people not to use it. Then another sign. Then another sign. Then people started dragging things out of their offices and bringing things from home and printing things off of the internet to draw attention to the broken urinal. There are no words to describe the final result.

Enjoy the photos...(and yes, I did get to see it in person).

Here is the whole urinal area....

The collection of signs...

If you look carefully, there is a picture of George Foreman under the "No Urinating On Wall" sign...if you press the red button he talks about the George Foreman Grill--which is important at a urinal.

Crazy.

Don't Get Your Panties in a Bunch

Whew! What a week. After spending a few days at a convention in Atlanta, the husband made me promise not to plan anything for the weekend.

With a promise on the table for "no plans", we caught up on sleep, laundry, yard work, grocery shopping, etc, which was all great and very necessary. I got a pedicure with the best friend. Again, wonderful and necessary.

In addition to all of that, I had two unexpected sources of weekend joy:

Unexpected source of weekend joy #1 - Last week, at the hair salon, I complimented the girl behind the desk who was setting up my next appointment on her fabulous top. It was all white and flowy and a little sheer with white polka dots on it. It was really cute. She said, "I got it Macy's and it was on sale. You should go this week and see if they have more." I never quite got around to it and then on Saturday, Macy's had their One Day Sale. I found the top in my size and it was marked down from $28.00 to only $7.50! That NEVER happens to me.

Unexpected source of weekend joy #2 - I organized my underwear drawers. I have been meaning to do this for the past 6 months and now that I finally have, it felt SO good. All the bras with underwire that was bent or missing: gone. Bras with missing hooks: gone. All the panties that were getting beat up: gone. Everything now matches. There is now organization and order. Strapless and exercise bras on the left. Regular bras on the right. Sleep and workout panties on the left (Yes, I have comfy sleep panties. You have a problem with that?), regular panties on the right. The drawers are no longer stuffed half full of things I'll never wear.

Cheap clothes and organized underwear. Seriously. Does it get any better?

I've Been Bitten!

Okay, I hate to admit it. I fell for it. I fell for the hype. I've been "Bitten" and I'm not sorry.

Recently, as my husband and I were driving back from Cincinnati to Nashville, we stopped to grab some lunch. Coincidentally, at this particular exit, there was a Steve & Barry's store. I had recently seen an episode of Oprah where I had learned that Steve & Barry's is exclusively carrying Sarah Jessica Parker's new clothing line, Bitten.

The inspiration behind her clothing line is that she feels ,"It is every woman's inalienable right to have a pulled-together, stylish, confident, wardrobe with money left over to live." Every piece in her clothing line is $19.98 or less (many items under 10 bucks). Shoes, tops, jackets, jeans, bags, etc. Everything. She also carries sizes from 0 - 22.

It was enough to get me curious. I had to stop in.

I was not alone in my curiosity. Women of all ages were digging through the clothes like they were being given away for free. The husband patiently waited as I, "went somewhere" (as he says) and I grabbed piles of clothing and made multiple trips to the dressing room.

I purchased:

The Boyfriend Jean - $14.98
The Hollywood Waist Pants (dark grey) - $14.98
A 3/4 sleeve Poplin Shirt (white) - $9.98
A 3/4 sleeve Linen Blazer (brown) - $19.98
A Ribbed Henley Tank (white) - $7.98
An Apron Tank (green and white) - $9.98
A Textured Bib Top (grey) - $7.98

I was pleasantly surprised by the selection and price and found myself wishing I had more time to spend digging. (Although, I'm sure my husband was glad that I stopped myself at 3 trips to the dressing room.)

I'll definitely need to make another trip in a few months to see what items appear in the fall.

Apparently, fashion really is not a luxury after all--you just need to get Bitten.

Friday Feast - 7/6/07

Appetizer

How many pieces of jewelry do you wear most days?

Earrings, bracelet, wedding rings on left hand, one ring on right hand ring, necklace.

Soup

What is your favorite instrumental song?

Cliffs of Dover by Eric Johnson is one of my favorites.

Salad

Who has a last name that you like?

Greek last names are fun. Anything that ends in "adopolous" is just fun to say.

Main Course

Name a popular movie you’ve never seen.

Borat.

Dessert

Fill in the blank: Nothing makes me ___________ like ____________.

Nothing makes me lose my willpower like a good slice of Northeast style pizza.

The Front Car

The front car.
The beautiful aroma of old wood and hot grease.

The clickity-clack song of the chain.

It pulls you on a jerky journey towards the sky.

The sun kisses your face.

The wind flips your hair.

There is no turning back.

You are over the crest of the hill.

You raise your arms skyward.

Falling. Fast.

Nothing is in front of you.

No one can catch you.

You feel like a child.

The tracks squeal and roar beneath you.
Race through the tunnels.

Race through the trees.

It's over so fast.

Let's get in line again.