My friend AW is the coolest

Posted on February 4, 2005 by Frog

A few days ago I ordered some new hand towels and a couple of glasses from Crate & Barrel (I always want to call them Cracker Barrel which is really pretty insulting). Today when I got home there were two boxes on the front porch from Crate & Barrel. I thought it was really weird that for that little order they’d send two boxes.

Imagine my confusion when I opened the first box and realized that this wasn’t my order. There was a card. My friend AW and family had sent us some cool bowls, a few of those silicone pot holders and, I kid you not, hand towels in the same color scheme as I had just ordered. They aren’t the same exact towels but my towels and her towels will play very nicely together.

Does my friend ROCK or what?

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Strike Up the Banjos

Posted on February 4, 2005 by Frog

These images reminded me that the better-half told the following story on me last weekend so I thought I’d share with everyone else.

My family has a reputation for shooting appliances. Yep, you read that correctly. We have picked off cantankerous clock radios, a VCR or two and really anything electronic that has tried a family member’s patience. Anyone can target practice with actual targets or old cans and bottles, it takes a special brand of person to shoot appliances that have really pissed you off.

While it is always easy to just shoot the miscreant, the added fun is to call out which part really needs to die. My dad can shoot out remote sensors. I’m better at a larger surface like say a clock face. It helps growing up in nowheresville.

Posted in Thinking | 2 Comments

You Spilled It

Posted on February 3, 2005 by Frog

Is anyone else completely annoyed by that cold medicine commercial where the mother dumps the spoonful of medicine down her kid’s shirt? Then she asks the camera if she should wait or give him more. Hello, you stupid, stupid woman, you spilled it down his shirt. The kid got no medicine unless he’s supposed to suck it out of his shirt.

Posted in General Spleen Venting | Comments Off

I Want It Now

Posted on February 3, 2005 by Frog

Last night we cruised around our cable channels and discovered that there was really nothing on but another episode of FullHouse. Then the better-half asked me to check out OnDemand. I told him I thought we had to pay for that. He didn’t think so. I went to OnDemand carefully because I’m a big cheapo. Holy crap, you can watch tons of stuff for free. Like, dude, you can pause movies*.

The better-half has plans with his mother tonight. I have plans to sit on the couch with the kitty and watch something OnDemand. I’ll probably even pause it to go use the bathroom instead of waiting for the boring part. Even if I don’t have to go to the bathroom, I’m going to pause it anyway.

*I am totally aware that DVR/TIVO has been letting people do this for years.

Posted in Watching | 3 Comments

Everyone else does it

Posted on February 3, 2005 by Frog

I was just checking my stats page and I had to share some of the key phrases that led people to this site….

My personal favorite:
“funny stories about first time cross dressers”

Another good one:
“can a full septic tank make my whole house smell?”

My talent. My secret:
“juicy farting noises”

I read his blog but this is none of my business:
“wil wheaton sex”

I’d like to know this too but instead I’ll just eat it:
“what does galatoboureko mean”

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with a snow-white pillow for my big fat head

Posted on February 2, 2005 by Frog

A few weeks ago I interviewed for a position at a local institute of higher learning. If you are familiar with Richmond, VA then you can guess which one.

Today I was offered the position. I’ll be considered faculty and will get all the perks that go along with working for a large urban university. At the time of the interview, I really wanted the job. I thought it would be cool to work there primarily because I’d get to do some projects that I’ve always been interested in (combining my interests in technology and writing). I’m still really interested. The bad side is that the money is not as much as I’d hoped for and is really only about $500 more per year than my old contracting gig.

Continue reading →

Posted in Thinking | 1 Comment

Standin on the wall like you was Poindexter

Posted on February 1, 2005 by Frog

On the way home today there was a trailer and a pickup truck on the side of the highway. There was quite a bit of space between the trailer and the pickup and in between the two was a guy with his hoodie over his head and his coat open. The best way I can describe what I saw was that he was bustin a move.

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Pour Some Sugar On Me

Posted on February 1, 2005 by Frog

This morning I had to go to the post office to send out all the fabulous merchandise I recently sold on ebay and since I can’t stand the main post office for my area, I drove out to the little post office that services a tiny little area (Studley, VA to be precise). This little post office is in a glorified trailer next to the store where it used to be. There’s never a line and the postmistress is stellar.

On the way to the office, I flipped stations and came across a Def Leppard song. I nearly always have to stop and listen when those boys are on. The name of the song has completely left my head. I cruised over to the radio station’s website and when I queried their last song played list I got a big pile o’ nuthin. Note to webmaster: get a grip. I’m sure there were songs played between 8-9am today.

When I got to the office, there were donut holes. Sweet! Coffee and donuts: a match made in heaven.

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And How They Grew

Posted on January 31, 2005 by Frog

Since the move, I’ve been adding items to a grab bag of goodies for my sister. Some of the items she knew she was getting and others we’ve just thrown into the bag thinking that the Niece could use parts and pieces for craft projects. Yesterday, my sister and her family joined us for dinner and just before they left I explained what some of the things in the bag were. My sister said thanks and went home.

The phone rang while we were doing dishes. It was my sister. She skipped the hello part of the conversation and just yelled “The Five Little Peppers”. The Five Little Peppers was a book our mother read to us when we were little. It seems strange for all the books I’m sure our mother read to us, we hold that one up as a “remember when she used to read that to us” moment.

I have had an old beat-up copy of the book for years. We found a paperback copy in a box of books from the MIL. I slipped the paperback into my sister’s bag. I knew she’d be excited.

The writing is old fashioned and stilted so it really is the memory of the act of cozying up and reading that makes that book such a touchstone for us.

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Really Frustrating

Posted on January 30, 2005 by Frog

Family came over for supper this afternoon. Was told our wood floors “must be pergo”. Yep, that’s why the box says this and why I kept saying no it’s hardwood. Rather than actually listen to what I had to say or actually speak to me…just be rude. Ahhhh, family.

Posted in General Spleen Venting | Comments Off