Four hungry children and a crop in the field

Posted on July 12, 2006 by Frog

Yesterday evening we were out in the garden discovering all of our crops! Crops! Crops! And, while we were out there we heard a turkey making noise just off a little bit in the woods. I figured the turkey was just talking to me since I was squawking about the size of the cucumbers. The better-half took the crops! into the house and I stalked the turkey. I’m not sure if there was more than one turkey strolling through the woods but since I am Natty Bumppo come to life I did get fairly close to one. Then I turned around and headed back to the house and hocked a huge loogey. I’m such a lady. Not more than a second later I realized the better-half was standing on the porch looking at me. I asked him if he had seen me spit and he said no.

At least I have an excuse. The sinus/allergy thing has gone nusto on me and only after coming home today at eleven and sleeping all afternoon does it appear that the clog in my head is beating a retreat. I should certainly hope so since it was an ugly, ugly night last night. I really would like to understand how there can be that much snot.

Well, this entry certainly went off into the weeds didn’t it?

Posted in Eating | 1 Comment

Baila baila baila me

Posted on July 10, 2006 by Frog

Last night we made the trek to Wolf Trap and saw the Gipsy Kings. It was an amazing show. We’ve been to a lot of concerts but I’d have to say this one was the hands-down winner of the “let’s whip the audience into a frenzy” award. The band was amazingly hot the entire time they were on stage.

There was a family of four in front of us on the lawn and we left about 2 1/2 feet between our blankets to give a cushion and a path for everyone walking around. The son was about 12 and he braved the crowd to go get ice cream for himself and his little sister. He’s a good son and brother. He promptly gave back the change to his father and his little sister couldn’t have been more excited. Actually, she could get plenty more excited because as soon as the band came out she started dancing around and was barely still for the next 2 hours. The better-half and I decided that family has a pretty good time together.

After the show started, a woman walked up to us and asked, “Is it alright if I sit here.” (The emphasis is mine.)We said if you can fit into the little space in between us and the family of four fine with us. She gave us some lie about how their car wouldn’t start. Actually, it was 2 lies. She wasn’t asking if she alone could sit in the very small space between us but if she and her 3 friends could. That’s when I stopped paying attention to them. If their eyes searched mine, I turned away. The better-half took a picture for them. I, however, made myself busy looking elsewhere. Seriously, they were late and she lied. Twice. And, before you ask, how could I be sure she lied about the car, believe me I could tell.

The foursome proceeded to unpack two gallon size ziploc bags of raw vegetables (green peppers, broccoli and a tremendous amount of carrots). Without dip. Raw vegetables, one right after another into their hungry maws. I’m sure their colons are very clean. They ended up leaving at intermission so, lucky for us, we were only really cramped with no leg room for about 30 minutes. Still, makes me wonder what their problem was…getting there late, squeezing into the smallest spot imaginable and then not staying through the show. Maybe all those raw vegetables made them wish for greener pastures.

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Saturday Afternoon Equals Crazies at the Wine Store

Posted on July 9, 2006 by Frog

Yesterday afternoon we went to Total Wine to restock. While there I overheard two men singing to a bottle of wine. Perhaps they had already had a bottle each? I have no idea. I tried not to stare at them because I’ve been known to get jazzed about a good find at the wine store. But singing?

Then I overheard a woman telling the wine clerk that she was burnt out on Chardonnay and some other wine that I don’t remember because I had already started the rant in my head. Really, how does one get burnt out on a specific type of wine? I can understand saying something like, “oh, you know, I’ve had Chardonnay every night this week and I’m looking for something else.” But to say you are burnt out on Chardonnay sounds like pretentious crap to me. Switch to some other white and get off the Chardonnay bashing. You aren’t that hip and cool if you are cruising Total Wine for your drinking supplies. Find a boutique wine store and yuck it up over a nice Viognier.

Posted in Thinking | 1 Comment

Disgusting

Posted on July 7, 2006 by Frog

I’m not sure what brand decided it was a good idea to picture a woman walking around with a huge sheet cake only to find that it fits perfectly in her friend’s refrigerator. I find that commercial disgusting. She takes the cake into a toilet stall in a public restroom. Now, we all know what happens in public restrooms. We all have a horror story of what we’ve seen when we’ve pushed back the stall door at a ball game, a concert, in a crowded pub, at work–you know what I mean.

Who in their right mind would eat that cake knowing she’s been lugging it around all day and knowing that it kept her company while she did her thing in a public restroom? I wonder how she managed to balance that cake while she was in the stall. Gross.

Posted in Watching | 1 Comment

Must Get Sleep Soon

Posted on July 5, 2006 by Frog

Hooray I had Monday and Tuesday off. Which means we worked like little dogs Saturday, Sunday and Monday morning. Last night after cleaning up the dishes from the second get together of the holiday, I sat on the couch and drank a Strongbow and watched about an hour of HGTV. Why do I love House Hunters so?

The better-half got home after ferrying various relatives home and climbed into bed. He told me he was late because he and the various relatives stopped in a parking lot to watch fireworks. I love fireworks. I saw a couple we set off in the yard when there wasn’t much dark. I was grumpy hearing that he and the various relatives got to watch real live fireworks while I was at home washing dishes and worrying why it was taking him so long to drop everyone off and get home. I think there were something like 17 deaths in the area because of horrible fiery crashes on the interstates this weekend. Comforting.

The better-half and I chatted for a little while and then he fell asleep. Never mind that I had been trying for over an hour to fall asleep and was willing the pain in my shoulders and upper arms to go away–he drops off just like that. Then the twitching started and the twitching was so bad that it woke me up just as I was falling asleep and made me say “what was that?” in a loud voice. Really, I thought something had fallen on the bed. Then apologies were offered and then the snoring and twitching started again. I do not like it when we’re that tired. I like the tired where everyone lays still and I can fall asleep.

I got up to go lay on the futon in the other room. The better-half, to his credit said, “I’ll go”…but I was already pissed off and out of bed and half-way out of the room so there’s really no sense in him getting up too. I tossed and turned on the futon for a few hours and got back in bed around 5am because I was worried about the alarm going off at 6 and waking him up.

I stumbled through the day. The bright spots: several other people got no sleep last night (which was strange) and there was delicious chocolate cake at lunch today.

Posted in General Spleen Venting | 1 Comment

A Day Early

Posted on July 3, 2006 by Frog

Posted in Generic Thoughts | Comments Off

Going For It

Posted on June 30, 2006 by Frog

I’ve decided to apply to grad school. Even though the deadline isn’t until sometime in October or November, I’m getting everything together this summer so I don’t get dumped in the large pile with everyone else.

I signed up to take the Miller Analogies Test in mid-July and I thought I was really stressed about the test. I’ve never done well with standardized tests, but after reviewing some material today, I think I’ll do well enough.

I already have one completed letter of recommendation and I asked a co-worker to complete another. I just need to take hers and my supervisor’s in so they can complete the form (I’m not sure why it’s called a letter since it is a form).

The thing that puzzles me the most is the personal essay. I’m pretty good at laying down convincing BS but I’m a little stumped about how to handle the essay. I have to state my goals (which seems obvious to me–get the master’s degree, duh) and tell the committee why they should pick me (er, I’m brilliant). That last part was a joke. See, I could add that to the essay–a great joke-teller. I’m a shoo-in.

Posted in Thinking | 1 Comment

Plucking My Nerves

Posted on June 29, 2006 by Frog

Don’t you just hate it when you get an email and the email reads, “you won’t believe what just happened”? Then you are compelled to ask what just happened even though you know you are in for several more emails filled with no real information because the email writer likes the DRAMA. The writer loves to drag out a story to build SUSPENSE. Which is all well and good for a crime novelist but I’m not reading a crime novel. I’m reading email so just tell me what happened already.

Posted in General Spleen Venting | Comments Off

I Saw You Walking In The Rain

Posted on June 27, 2006 by Frog

This afternoon I saw Noah’s Ark floating down the street. The building owner people came down to look at a leak that spontaneously appears when there’s too much rain. I guess there’s been a leak there for awhile and is wily? because it hasn’t been fixed, can’t be fixed, who knows. While the building people were there they announced that it looked like our little parking lot was about to flood.

Richmond has some notoriety about flooding. I walked out with one of the building people and she slogged through the water to kick the debris off the parking lot drain. The drain neither one of us could see. I moved my car to the street which luckily is on an incline (and feeds all the water into our parking lot).

I got home and decreed that no one was allowed back out today. The rain, the rain, the rain it just doesn’t quit.

On a completely different subject, I received a bridal shower invitation today and wouldn’t you know it, I just told my sister we could babysit for a whole weekend. The same, exact weekend of the bridal shower. I love it when things come together like that.

Don’t you think there comes a time when you get to be a certain age and you just don’t have to go to bridal showers anymore? I’m at least 10-12 years older than the bride-to-be and am related to her by marriage. In other words, I don’t really know her. I like her just fine but I do not have a relationship with her other than I see her at family functions. And, furthermore, I despise sitting around parties and having to do the artificial chit-chat crap. My idea of a perfect bridal shower is like this:

Get to the shower. Hand over the gift. Get a drink and a piece of cake. Watch the bride-to-be open the gift. Get back in car and leave.

I already feel like she’s asking a lot to have 2 wedding ceremonies in one weekend. Not only is that an entire weekend devoted to wedding crap; it is in another city and we’ll have to spend the night and chauffeur the MIL around. There had better be at least one open bar during that weekend.

Posted in Generic Thoughts | 1 Comment

Mwwaaahhaaa

Posted on June 26, 2006 by Frog

Around lunch time we hatched a plan to drive out to the West End to deliver course boxes to the regional training center. Normally one person does this on their way home. Today four of us did it because we had to eat Mexican food today. The within walking distance Mexican restaurant closed and we’ve been depressed and beans and rice free for way too long. Someone recommended a new place out near the training center and while I don’t love their salsa the rest of the food is outstanding. Hence, the reason we all had to help take four boxes to the West End.

The better-half has made some changes to the back-end of F&G and now I am in control of banning IP addresses again. I just sent a half dozen right into the crapper. It’s good to be the king.

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