Because I was in class and unable to watch it, I must read a transcript of GW Bush's State of the Union address, take notes and be prepared to discuss it on Monday.
Can someone just shoot me in the face instead? It would be less painful.
1/27/2007
Just a note -
My brother and I continue to light candles for my mother which keeps the candle group going. You will find a new link to light a candle for my mom on the links section of our blog. I am very grateful to anyone who decides to light a candle for her but I promise not to think less of you if you don't. :D
1/26/2007
Signs of a good marriage? or just insanity?
Usually Mike and I go to bed at different times but every once in awhile I am tired and go to bed early (thank you, Ambien). Anyways, last night I actually went to bed a short time before Mike. I was sitting in bed thinking about what I needed to do the next day when the Ambien kicked in and I was sleepy enough to fall most of the way asleep sitting up with my chin tucked against my chest. Mike came down the stairs and we had the following conversation:
Mike: What are you doing?
Me: [opening my eyes but not really moving] Sleepin'.
[Mike climbs into bed next to me]
Mike: Why don't you lay down?
Me: I'm going to - I just got really tired all of a sudden. I think it's the Ambien.
Mike: Ah. You're all drugged up.
[Mike then proceeds to make a "Woooooooo" noise while he moves his open hand toward and away from my face in, I suppose, an attempt to simulate drug induced hallucinations. This does little for me but he is apparently cracking himself up.]
Then Mike gets up and turns out the light on his side of the bedroom and we settle in to sleep. I have this thing about walking across the bedroom in the dark. I can't do it. Well - I can walk across but I have to, like, pole vault into bed. Ever since I saw Pet Semetary when I was a kid, I've had this irrational fear that something's going to reach out from under my bed and cut my Achille's tendon. Yeah, you laugh but watch that movie - that part with the demon kid and the old guy scarred me for life. I'd actually gotten over it - you know, 10 years later...and then we got Furio. When he was a kitten he loved to jump out and scare you. Pounch. And his FAVORITE thing to do was wait until you were getting into bed in the dark and grab your legs with his claws. He didn't just do it. He'd wait until you'd thrown one leg in and were about to lift the other one and he'd grab it. The first time he did it, I screamed so loud that Mike shot straight up out of bed. And now that silly fear is back. So Mike turns out the lights at night.
Anyway, we settled in to sleep and were discussing the previous day and the matters we'd need to attend to the next. This is the best time of the day for me - on the occasional day our schedules align. Talking to Mike in the dark while I stare up at our starry ceiling. The previous tenants put glow in the dark stickers on the ceiling and when you turn the lights off, it looks like a starry sky. It's great. Anyway, I don't know how it got started - but it went from talking about what we had to do the next day to trying to make each other laugh. I know it started because Mike said "boobs" for no reason. We've been watching "The Office" and Ricky Gervais' new HBO show "Extras." Within the last couple of weeks there have been episodes on both shows where they just thrown out "boobs" for no reason. Two weeks ago, Michael from The Office turned on the voice software on his computer and made his monitor into his "friend" named Harvey who just out of nowhere said, "Boobs," which made Michael (and oddly enough my Mike, too) crack up. Then this week on Extras, Andy's (Ricky G) brainless, clueless (hilarious) manager used a calculator to 'write' the word "boobs" and showed it to some of Andy's fans saying, "Well, if you liked Andy's show, you'll like this." I know it loses something in the translation - but the common denominator for both is the fact that both incidents cracked Mike up.
Anyway, it all started with Mike throwing out the word "boobs" to make me laugh. Pretty soon it had evolved into us exchanging random bits of dialogue from Saturday Night Live's Celebrity Jeopardy skits.
"I'll take 'the rapists' for $100."
"Meso. Yes - a kind of soup. How much did you wager? Horny."
"It's a friggin hammer!"
We layed there getting more and more outrageous, trying to make each other laugh for probably another 30-45 minutes before we finally settled down to sleep. Mike with Meme on his feet, me with Furio snuggled against the back of my legs.
Did I have a point to this story? Not really. Sometimes you gotta sit back and just be grateful for what you've got because life has a way of knocking you off balance and then kicking you while you're down. It's important to remember that there are some things (or people) that you can count on to make you happy. Always.
Mike: What are you doing?
Me: [opening my eyes but not really moving] Sleepin'.
[Mike climbs into bed next to me]
Mike: Why don't you lay down?
Me: I'm going to - I just got really tired all of a sudden. I think it's the Ambien.
Mike: Ah. You're all drugged up.
[Mike then proceeds to make a "Woooooooo" noise while he moves his open hand toward and away from my face in, I suppose, an attempt to simulate drug induced hallucinations. This does little for me but he is apparently cracking himself up.]
Then Mike gets up and turns out the light on his side of the bedroom and we settle in to sleep. I have this thing about walking across the bedroom in the dark. I can't do it. Well - I can walk across but I have to, like, pole vault into bed. Ever since I saw Pet Semetary when I was a kid, I've had this irrational fear that something's going to reach out from under my bed and cut my Achille's tendon. Yeah, you laugh but watch that movie - that part with the demon kid and the old guy scarred me for life. I'd actually gotten over it - you know, 10 years later...and then we got Furio. When he was a kitten he loved to jump out and scare you. Pounch. And his FAVORITE thing to do was wait until you were getting into bed in the dark and grab your legs with his claws. He didn't just do it. He'd wait until you'd thrown one leg in and were about to lift the other one and he'd grab it. The first time he did it, I screamed so loud that Mike shot straight up out of bed. And now that silly fear is back. So Mike turns out the lights at night.
Anyway, we settled in to sleep and were discussing the previous day and the matters we'd need to attend to the next. This is the best time of the day for me - on the occasional day our schedules align. Talking to Mike in the dark while I stare up at our starry ceiling. The previous tenants put glow in the dark stickers on the ceiling and when you turn the lights off, it looks like a starry sky. It's great. Anyway, I don't know how it got started - but it went from talking about what we had to do the next day to trying to make each other laugh. I know it started because Mike said "boobs" for no reason. We've been watching "The Office" and Ricky Gervais' new HBO show "Extras." Within the last couple of weeks there have been episodes on both shows where they just thrown out "boobs" for no reason. Two weeks ago, Michael from The Office turned on the voice software on his computer and made his monitor into his "friend" named Harvey who just out of nowhere said, "Boobs," which made Michael (and oddly enough my Mike, too) crack up. Then this week on Extras, Andy's (Ricky G) brainless, clueless (hilarious) manager used a calculator to 'write' the word "boobs" and showed it to some of Andy's fans saying, "Well, if you liked Andy's show, you'll like this." I know it loses something in the translation - but the common denominator for both is the fact that both incidents cracked Mike up.
Anyway, it all started with Mike throwing out the word "boobs" to make me laugh. Pretty soon it had evolved into us exchanging random bits of dialogue from Saturday Night Live's Celebrity Jeopardy skits.
"I'll take 'the rapists' for $100."
"Meso. Yes - a kind of soup. How much did you wager? Horny."
"It's a friggin hammer!"
We layed there getting more and more outrageous, trying to make each other laugh for probably another 30-45 minutes before we finally settled down to sleep. Mike with Meme on his feet, me with Furio snuggled against the back of my legs.
Did I have a point to this story? Not really. Sometimes you gotta sit back and just be grateful for what you've got because life has a way of knocking you off balance and then kicking you while you're down. It's important to remember that there are some things (or people) that you can count on to make you happy. Always.
For Sandy - all information also courtesy of Wikipedia
(I just think Carlos the Jackal is fun to say.)
Carlos the Jackal
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ilich Ramírez Sánchez, also known as Carlos the Jackal.Ilich Ramírez Sánchez (born October 12, 1949) is a Venezuelan-born self-proclaimed leftist revolutionary and mercenary. He was given a nom de guerre Carlos when he became a member of the leftist PFLP (Popular Front for Liberation of Palestine). After several bungled bombings, Sánchez obtained notoriety for a 1975 raid on the OPEC headquarters, resulting in the deaths of three people. For many years he was among the most wanted international fugitives. He is now serving life imprisonment in France.
Sánchez was born in Caracas. His father, a Marxist lawyer, gave him the forename Ilich, after Lenin's patronym. He was educated at a local school in Caracas and joined the youth movement of the national communist party in 1959. Apart from his native Spanish, he reportedly speaks Arabic and Russian, as well as English and French. After attending the Third Tricontinental in January, 1966, with his father, he spent the following summer at Camp Matanzas, a guerrilla warfare school run by the Cuban DGI located near Havana. Later that year, after the divorce of his parents, his mother took him and his brother to London to continue their studies in Stafford House Tutorial College in Kensington. In 1968 his father tried to take him and his brother Lenin to Sorbonne University but eventually opted for Patrice Lumumba University in Moscow. He was expelled from the university in 1970.
Apparently he traveled from there to a guerrilla training camp run by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) in Amman, Jordan. It was there that he gained the pseudonym Carlos. He claimed to have fought alongside the PFLP members as they resisted the Jordanian government's efforts to expel them in 1970. When he did leave Jordan it was for London where he attended courses at the London School of Economics and apparently worked for the PFLP.
Carlos was given the "Jackal" moniker by the press when the Frederick Forsyth novel The Day of the Jackal was reportedly found among his belongings. Although the book actually belonged to someone else, the nickname stuck.
The Jackal in fiction
• Frederick Forsyth wrote a novel, The Day of the Jackal, first published in 1971, in which an international assassin known only as "The Jackal" (French "le chacal") is hired to assassinate Charles De Gaulle. A copy of this novel, mistakenly thought to have belonged to Ramírez Sánchez, may be the origin of the "Jackal" nickname. Many erroneously believe that the character portrayed in that novel was based on him, which is impossible as the novel was published before Carlos came to public attention.
• In 1973, Fred Zinnemann directed a movie also named The Day of the Jackal and based on Frederick Forsyth's novel. Actor Edward Fox played the role of the assassin on a film that can be considered as a faithful adaptation of the novel.
• The 1997 film The Jackal, starring Bruce Willis, Richard Gere, and Sidney Poitier, was a remake of Zinnemann's 1973 film.
• The 1997 film The Assignment, starring Aidan Quinn, Donald Sutherland and Ben Kingsley is a fictional account of the U.S. government's efforts to hunt down Carlos very loosely based on his true story.
• In the movie True Lies, the character of Arnold Schwarzenegger, a secret agent, intimidates Bill Paxton's character by (deliberately falsely) accusing him of being a dangerous international terrorist named "Carlos the Jackal".
• In Tom Clancy's book Rainbow Six, terrorists attempt to have Carlos freed from prison by staging a terrorist attack on a Spanish amusement park. In this book Carlos is referred to by his real name (Ilyich Ramirez Sanchez) and his nickname (Carlos the Jackal) and is spoken of as a highly successful terrorist/assassin who was imprisoned after an incident similar to his actual capture. The contrast is that in the book Carlos was put under anesthetic in preparation for an operation to alter his appearance, not to perform surgery on his testicles.
• The character Lacrobat in the British sitcom Whoops Apocalypse"is a parody of him (his nick-name is The Devil.)
• Sidney Sheldon's Catoplus Terror is a novel about a former spy attempting to apprehend Carlos.
• A new biopic has been rumored to be in the works, with Spanish actor Javier Bardem as the elusive terrorist. The film is said to be helmed by maverick Brazilian director Fernando Meirelles, who directed the crime saga City of God.
• The character Carla the Jackal in the James Bond video game Agent Under Fire is a tribute to Carlos. Her character is hired to assassinate James Bond but ends up falling into a fan.
• The thrash metal band Coroner have a song called "Masked Jackal" about Carlos.
• Carlos the Jackal figures prominently in Robert Ludlum's Bourne Trilogy. In the Trilogy Carlos is depicted as the world's most dangerous assassin, a man with international contacts that allow him to strike efficiently and anonymously at locations anywhere on the globe. His actual name (Ilyich Ramirez Sanchez) is used and details - a mixture of fact and fiction - are given about his upbringing and training, including the fictional account that he trained with Russian intelligence at Novrogod. In the Trilogy he keeps residence in France disguised as a priest, protected by a close network of contacts. In the Bourne Identity a relatively small amount is revealed about him but he factors prominently in the plot of the book because the title character, Jason Bourne, was an American black-ops officer whose mission was to usurp Carlos as the world's preeminent assassin in order to draw him out of hiding so that he could be killed or captured (the Matt Damon film adaptation of the book completely eliminates the Carlos character). In the second book, The Bourne Supremacy, Carlos is not a significant character and is understood to be in hiding (in the Bourne Supremacy the Matt Damon film adaptation strays so far from the plot of the book that the two share little more than a common name). However, in The Bourne Ultimatum, the final book of the trilogy, Carlos and Bourne are pitted against each other again.
• In Munich, the 2005 film by Steven Spielberg, a character named Hans mentions Carlos the Jackal.
Carlos the Jackal
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ilich Ramírez Sánchez, also known as Carlos the Jackal.Ilich Ramírez Sánchez (born October 12, 1949) is a Venezuelan-born self-proclaimed leftist revolutionary and mercenary. He was given a nom de guerre Carlos when he became a member of the leftist PFLP (Popular Front for Liberation of Palestine). After several bungled bombings, Sánchez obtained notoriety for a 1975 raid on the OPEC headquarters, resulting in the deaths of three people. For many years he was among the most wanted international fugitives. He is now serving life imprisonment in France.
Sánchez was born in Caracas. His father, a Marxist lawyer, gave him the forename Ilich, after Lenin's patronym. He was educated at a local school in Caracas and joined the youth movement of the national communist party in 1959. Apart from his native Spanish, he reportedly speaks Arabic and Russian, as well as English and French. After attending the Third Tricontinental in January, 1966, with his father, he spent the following summer at Camp Matanzas, a guerrilla warfare school run by the Cuban DGI located near Havana. Later that year, after the divorce of his parents, his mother took him and his brother to London to continue their studies in Stafford House Tutorial College in Kensington. In 1968 his father tried to take him and his brother Lenin to Sorbonne University but eventually opted for Patrice Lumumba University in Moscow. He was expelled from the university in 1970.
Apparently he traveled from there to a guerrilla training camp run by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) in Amman, Jordan. It was there that he gained the pseudonym Carlos. He claimed to have fought alongside the PFLP members as they resisted the Jordanian government's efforts to expel them in 1970. When he did leave Jordan it was for London where he attended courses at the London School of Economics and apparently worked for the PFLP.
Carlos was given the "Jackal" moniker by the press when the Frederick Forsyth novel The Day of the Jackal was reportedly found among his belongings. Although the book actually belonged to someone else, the nickname stuck.
The Jackal in fiction
• Frederick Forsyth wrote a novel, The Day of the Jackal, first published in 1971, in which an international assassin known only as "The Jackal" (French "le chacal") is hired to assassinate Charles De Gaulle. A copy of this novel, mistakenly thought to have belonged to Ramírez Sánchez, may be the origin of the "Jackal" nickname. Many erroneously believe that the character portrayed in that novel was based on him, which is impossible as the novel was published before Carlos came to public attention.
• In 1973, Fred Zinnemann directed a movie also named The Day of the Jackal and based on Frederick Forsyth's novel. Actor Edward Fox played the role of the assassin on a film that can be considered as a faithful adaptation of the novel.
• The 1997 film The Jackal, starring Bruce Willis, Richard Gere, and Sidney Poitier, was a remake of Zinnemann's 1973 film.
• The 1997 film The Assignment, starring Aidan Quinn, Donald Sutherland and Ben Kingsley is a fictional account of the U.S. government's efforts to hunt down Carlos very loosely based on his true story.
• In the movie True Lies, the character of Arnold Schwarzenegger, a secret agent, intimidates Bill Paxton's character by (deliberately falsely) accusing him of being a dangerous international terrorist named "Carlos the Jackal".
• In Tom Clancy's book Rainbow Six, terrorists attempt to have Carlos freed from prison by staging a terrorist attack on a Spanish amusement park. In this book Carlos is referred to by his real name (Ilyich Ramirez Sanchez) and his nickname (Carlos the Jackal) and is spoken of as a highly successful terrorist/assassin who was imprisoned after an incident similar to his actual capture. The contrast is that in the book Carlos was put under anesthetic in preparation for an operation to alter his appearance, not to perform surgery on his testicles.
• The character Lacrobat in the British sitcom Whoops Apocalypse"is a parody of him (his nick-name is The Devil.)
• Sidney Sheldon's Catoplus Terror is a novel about a former spy attempting to apprehend Carlos.
• A new biopic has been rumored to be in the works, with Spanish actor Javier Bardem as the elusive terrorist. The film is said to be helmed by maverick Brazilian director Fernando Meirelles, who directed the crime saga City of God.
• The character Carla the Jackal in the James Bond video game Agent Under Fire is a tribute to Carlos. Her character is hired to assassinate James Bond but ends up falling into a fan.
• The thrash metal band Coroner have a song called "Masked Jackal" about Carlos.
• Carlos the Jackal figures prominently in Robert Ludlum's Bourne Trilogy. In the Trilogy Carlos is depicted as the world's most dangerous assassin, a man with international contacts that allow him to strike efficiently and anonymously at locations anywhere on the globe. His actual name (Ilyich Ramirez Sanchez) is used and details - a mixture of fact and fiction - are given about his upbringing and training, including the fictional account that he trained with Russian intelligence at Novrogod. In the Trilogy he keeps residence in France disguised as a priest, protected by a close network of contacts. In the Bourne Identity a relatively small amount is revealed about him but he factors prominently in the plot of the book because the title character, Jason Bourne, was an American black-ops officer whose mission was to usurp Carlos as the world's preeminent assassin in order to draw him out of hiding so that he could be killed or captured (the Matt Damon film adaptation of the book completely eliminates the Carlos character). In the second book, The Bourne Supremacy, Carlos is not a significant character and is understood to be in hiding (in the Bourne Supremacy the Matt Damon film adaptation strays so far from the plot of the book that the two share little more than a common name). However, in The Bourne Ultimatum, the final book of the trilogy, Carlos and Bourne are pitted against each other again.
• In Munich, the 2005 film by Steven Spielberg, a character named Hans mentions Carlos the Jackal.
For Bren - all info courtesy of Wikipedia
Jerry O'Neil Lawler (born November 29, 1949) is a professional wrestler and wrestling commentator, known throughout the wrestling world as "The King". He currently works for World Wrestling Entertainment as a color commentator for its RAW brand. He also wrestles and occasionally commentates for the Memphis Wrestling promotion.
"Feud" with Andy Kaufman
Lawler may be best known for a publicized feud with Andy Kaufman, that was later revealed to be completely contrived (kayfabe or a "total work" in wrestling parlance). The truth about it being a work was kept secret for more than 10 years after Kaufman's death, until the Emmy nominated documentary A Comedy Salute to Andy Kaufman aired on NBC in 1995.
On the television show Late Night with David Letterman in the early 1980s, Jerry was in an interview with comedian Andy Kaufman. The two engaged in a shouting match, and Jerry got up and slapped him. No lawsuit was filed. It was later stated by The King in his 2002 book "It's Good To Be The King....Sometimes" that the entire incident was staged, at the request of Andy, in order to further the wrestling angle between the two.
The feud, including the Letterman incident, was dramatized in the Andy Kaufman biopic Man On The Moon in which Lawler played himself.
"Feud" with Andy Kaufman
Lawler may be best known for a publicized feud with Andy Kaufman, that was later revealed to be completely contrived (kayfabe or a "total work" in wrestling parlance). The truth about it being a work was kept secret for more than 10 years after Kaufman's death, until the Emmy nominated documentary A Comedy Salute to Andy Kaufman aired on NBC in 1995.
On the television show Late Night with David Letterman in the early 1980s, Jerry was in an interview with comedian Andy Kaufman. The two engaged in a shouting match, and Jerry got up and slapped him. No lawsuit was filed. It was later stated by The King in his 2002 book "It's Good To Be The King....Sometimes" that the entire incident was staged, at the request of Andy, in order to further the wrestling angle between the two.
The feud, including the Letterman incident, was dramatized in the Andy Kaufman biopic Man On The Moon in which Lawler played himself.
1/25/2007
I quit - but now I'm back...maybe
Last week, I quit the blog. I told Mike it was now his responsibility to post and that I'd be directing everything his way. You see how successfully he's been keeping up with it. So I guess I'm back - maybe. I've got some blog burnout going on. We'll see how well I do - I've got so much homework to do for next week - case briefs, research paper, two tests and a ton of reading. Bleh. Now I remember why I was glad to graduate.
But for now? Bed. Sleepy time. Goodnight.
But for now? Bed. Sleepy time. Goodnight.
1/20/2007
You tell me...is this accurate?
You Are An ENFJ
| The Giver You strive to maintain harmony in relationships, and usually succeed.Articulate and enthusiastic, you are good at making personal connections.Sometimes you idealize relationships too much - and end up being let down.You find the most energy and comfort in social situations ... where you shine. You would make a good writer, human resources director, or psychologist. |
1/19/2007
Birthday trivia
I had forgotten that I started doing this last year and I've already ruined it by telling you how old everybody else is but I'm back on the ball now - so here it is again!
Happy birthday to Mike's Auntie Bren! I'll let you guys guess how old she is.
Notable facts from the year of Bren's birth!
*Harry S Truman is president
*NATO is formed
*The 1st Emmy Awards are given
*Toronto defeated Detroit for the Stanley Cup
*Joe Louis retires
*The California Zephyr (a train between LA and Chicago) makes its first run (This fact may only be interesting to me as it is the train I have riden many a time to go from Mt. Pleasant to Chicago on my way to visit Mikey in Detroit)
*George Orwell publishes 1984
Other Notable Births in this year:
*John Belushi
*Wolfgang Puck
*Erik Estrada
*Billy Joel
*The Kaczynski brothers - (Jaroslaw is the current prime minister of Poland while twin brother Lech is the current president of Poland)
*Bruce Springsteen
*Ric Ocasek
*Phillip Michael Thomas
*Tom Berenger
*Sigourney Weaver
*Carlos the jackal - (I freakin' love this one. It made me laugh. I am forever going to tell people now that Bren was born the same year as Carlos the jackal.)
*Jeff Bridges
*Robin and Maurice Gibb
*Jerry "The King" Lawler - (also made me laugh)
Happy birthday to Mike's Auntie Bren! I'll let you guys guess how old she is.
Notable facts from the year of Bren's birth!
*Harry S Truman is president
*NATO is formed
*The 1st Emmy Awards are given
*Toronto defeated Detroit for the Stanley Cup
*Joe Louis retires
*The California Zephyr (a train between LA and Chicago) makes its first run (This fact may only be interesting to me as it is the train I have riden many a time to go from Mt. Pleasant to Chicago on my way to visit Mikey in Detroit)
*George Orwell publishes 1984
Other Notable Births in this year:
*John Belushi
*Wolfgang Puck
*Erik Estrada
*Billy Joel
*The Kaczynski brothers - (Jaroslaw is the current prime minister of Poland while twin brother Lech is the current president of Poland)
*Bruce Springsteen
*Ric Ocasek
*Phillip Michael Thomas
*Tom Berenger
*Sigourney Weaver
*Carlos the jackal - (I freakin' love this one. It made me laugh. I am forever going to tell people now that Bren was born the same year as Carlos the jackal.)
*Jeff Bridges
*Robin and Maurice Gibb
*Jerry "The King" Lawler - (also made me laugh)
Cat Stew Again
I love having cats. Today after Mike and I worked out, I lay down to try and catch a few winks before I have to head off to my dentist appointment and Furio curled up against the back of my legs. Snug as a bug in a rug. Because Furio's so persnickety as a general rule, I really feel warm and fuzzy when he singles me out for attention - such as laying on me and snuggling while we sleep. Then I realized that I had left my water sitting on the desk and I'd have to get up and get it.
I said, "Furio, I have to get up." and started to move around hoping to dislodge him. Nothing. He wasn't going anywhere. It was like having a mack truck laying on the blanket. Finally, I had to literally crawl on my hands and knees to the head of the bed, contort my body and slide out. As soon as I was done with my acrobatics, Furio looked at me from his perch on the bed, stood up and hopped to the floor where he proceeded to stretch like a marathon runner.
I looked at him disbelievingly and said, "Why, you little son of a bitch." I swear to God - he turned his head and smirked at me as he left the room, swishing his tail behind him.
Sometimes I want to trade him in for a dog so bad.
I said, "Furio, I have to get up." and started to move around hoping to dislodge him. Nothing. He wasn't going anywhere. It was like having a mack truck laying on the blanket. Finally, I had to literally crawl on my hands and knees to the head of the bed, contort my body and slide out. As soon as I was done with my acrobatics, Furio looked at me from his perch on the bed, stood up and hopped to the floor where he proceeded to stretch like a marathon runner.
I looked at him disbelievingly and said, "Why, you little son of a bitch." I swear to God - he turned his head and smirked at me as he left the room, swishing his tail behind him.
Sometimes I want to trade him in for a dog so bad.
This is insanity!
So you may have noticed that I haven't been blogging about my workouts. It's not that I haven't been going - I have. Not as often as I should, of course, but I've been going. Blogging about it simply bores me now. There's only so many clever things you can say about the people who frequent our gym without feeling very sad for them trapped in their little yuppie lives. Or for their children who get told things like, "That's not appropriate" whenever they move or do anything remotely kid-like.
I've been quite concerned about my school schedule in the fact that three nights a week it will conflict with our normal work-out times. It was decided that we could go the two nights I wasn't in school for sure and I told Mike that I'd just have to go during the day one day while he was at work. Mike, of course, can go any night while I'm in school to make up his third day. Mike then said, "That's alright - we'll get up early one morning and go before I go to work." It took everything I had within me - every scrap of willpower - not to snort in his face. He says that NOW but when 4:30 in the am rolls around he'll be hitting the snooze button and heading for dreamland. I mean, c'mon! Anybody who knows Mike knows that he doesn't roll out of bed a milli-second before it's absolutely necessary and semi-frequently AFTER it's absolutely necessary. He's a master of the 30-second "Oh-hell-I-slept-in-and-can't-be-late-for-work" shower. I always want to sniff him after one of these speed showers because I think to myself, "There's no way you can be clean." But then I remember that _I_ don't have to smell him all day and my motto is "Not clean? Not my problem."
Anyway - due to school schedule, not feeling well and general bleh-y feelings, I hadn't been able to work out at all this week and with the MLK holiday, I have a Friday class this week which would mean no workout at all this week. Sooooo, we rolled out of bed at 4:45 this morning and got dressed to head to the gym. And I loved it! They're just opening up at 5:30 when we got there and we were the first ones there. There were maybe 4 people at the gym for most of the time we were working out. At 6 when we were finishing up, it was just starting to fill up but we were done and on our way home. Awesome.
Also awesome was the fact that I started on the treadmill and was clipping along when I realized that it seemed way too easy. I checked my heartrate and found it was only 129! Faster than normal? Definitely. At my target heart rate? Not even close. I had to beef it up extra today to hit my target heart rate. I almost said something like, "You're MY bitch now!" to the treadmill ...maybe something a little Uncle Junior-esque, like, "Next time you come heavy or not at all!" but stopped before I made a total ass of myself.
Not that you'd really notice the difference otherwise - I've actually gained three pounds. Muscle mass, I say! Muscle weighs more than fat. It's from my thighs of almost-steel.
Ok, that's all for now. I must nap - I have a dentist appointment at noon and class tonight. No way can I function for the rest of the day on 4 hours of sleep. Goodnight - I'll see you all at a reasonable hour of the day.
I've been quite concerned about my school schedule in the fact that three nights a week it will conflict with our normal work-out times. It was decided that we could go the two nights I wasn't in school for sure and I told Mike that I'd just have to go during the day one day while he was at work. Mike, of course, can go any night while I'm in school to make up his third day. Mike then said, "That's alright - we'll get up early one morning and go before I go to work." It took everything I had within me - every scrap of willpower - not to snort in his face. He says that NOW but when 4:30 in the am rolls around he'll be hitting the snooze button and heading for dreamland. I mean, c'mon! Anybody who knows Mike knows that he doesn't roll out of bed a milli-second before it's absolutely necessary and semi-frequently AFTER it's absolutely necessary. He's a master of the 30-second "Oh-hell-I-slept-in-and-can't-be-late-for-work" shower. I always want to sniff him after one of these speed showers because I think to myself, "There's no way you can be clean." But then I remember that _I_ don't have to smell him all day and my motto is "Not clean? Not my problem."
Anyway - due to school schedule, not feeling well and general bleh-y feelings, I hadn't been able to work out at all this week and with the MLK holiday, I have a Friday class this week which would mean no workout at all this week. Sooooo, we rolled out of bed at 4:45 this morning and got dressed to head to the gym. And I loved it! They're just opening up at 5:30 when we got there and we were the first ones there. There were maybe 4 people at the gym for most of the time we were working out. At 6 when we were finishing up, it was just starting to fill up but we were done and on our way home. Awesome.
Also awesome was the fact that I started on the treadmill and was clipping along when I realized that it seemed way too easy. I checked my heartrate and found it was only 129! Faster than normal? Definitely. At my target heart rate? Not even close. I had to beef it up extra today to hit my target heart rate. I almost said something like, "You're MY bitch now!" to the treadmill ...maybe something a little Uncle Junior-esque, like, "Next time you come heavy or not at all!" but stopped before I made a total ass of myself.
Not that you'd really notice the difference otherwise - I've actually gained three pounds. Muscle mass, I say! Muscle weighs more than fat. It's from my thighs of almost-steel.
Ok, that's all for now. I must nap - I have a dentist appointment at noon and class tonight. No way can I function for the rest of the day on 4 hours of sleep. Goodnight - I'll see you all at a reasonable hour of the day.
1/18/2007
Light a Candle
Today would have been my mother, Linda's, 58th birthday. If you would like to light a candle in memory of her, you may do so here. To link them all together, you will want to make sure the initials "lh" show up in the group initials blank. To light a candle, simply click on one of the unlit candles and it will walk you through it.
Many thanks to Mike's mom for the link. And thank you to any and everyone who takes a few minutes from their day to remember someone I loved and miss very much.
Many thanks to Mike's mom for the link. And thank you to any and everyone who takes a few minutes from their day to remember someone I loved and miss very much.
As I Lay Waking
Last night, as I lay snuggled under two blankets on the guest bed watching tv, Dog the bounty hunter describe himself and the team as "robots on a mission from God." I snorted and thought, "Man, I love this show."
1/17/2007
Life or something like it
I haven't been feeling very well this week. I imagine that a chunk of that stems from the fact that tomorrow is my mom's birthday and I haven't really felt like dealing with that. And part of it is simply that I haven't felt good.
I saw on tv that Monk is coming out with a new season really soon. I have three Monk episodes tivo'd but I haven't watched any of them. The finale of last season aired the night my mom died and every time I click on that episode with its air date of 08-25-06, I feel a little nauseated. It seems odd that Monk would continue making new episodes without his number one fan around to watch them.
I started school this week and so far, so good. Of course I've only had one class. I have another tomorrow and one on Friday. I've done my homework for tomorrow (most of it) - I still have a few pages to read but I've been really good so far about finishing everything really early.
I wish I had more to say but since I haven't been feeling so hot, I've mostly been laying in the spare bedroom getting way to emotionally invested on what's happening on Dog, The Bounty Hunter. That guy cracks me up. "Go with Christ, bra."
I saw on tv that Monk is coming out with a new season really soon. I have three Monk episodes tivo'd but I haven't watched any of them. The finale of last season aired the night my mom died and every time I click on that episode with its air date of 08-25-06, I feel a little nauseated. It seems odd that Monk would continue making new episodes without his number one fan around to watch them.
I started school this week and so far, so good. Of course I've only had one class. I have another tomorrow and one on Friday. I've done my homework for tomorrow (most of it) - I still have a few pages to read but I've been really good so far about finishing everything really early.
I wish I had more to say but since I haven't been feeling so hot, I've mostly been laying in the spare bedroom getting way to emotionally invested on what's happening on Dog, The Bounty Hunter. That guy cracks me up. "Go with Christ, bra."
1/14/2007
Rocky Balboa and Henna Tattoos
The dinner party the other night was delightful - to say the least. There were a few of us there - Jason and Sarah, Mike and myself, Nick and Kim, Mike W. and Kate and Eric. Right after we got there, Sarah broke out the henna she had recently gotten at the Indian food store and we proceeded to tattoo each other. Mike tattooed Led Zepplin symbols up his left arm and Nick gave him an "Ozzy" tattoo on the other. After a couple of beers, Mike proclaimed that he was going to have me take a picture of them and tell his mom he got inked. You had to be there - hilarious.
There was food, booze and plenty of "your mom"-ing. After several more beers, the boys broke out the 'ol Scarface and Rocky impressions. I was told several times to "take it eashy." And, after hearing it repeated by four different but pretty equally bad Cuban accents, I can say with fair confidence that first I get the money, then I get the power and then I get the girls. And for the record, you guys...my name's not Adrian.
There was food, booze and plenty of "your mom"-ing. After several more beers, the boys broke out the 'ol Scarface and Rocky impressions. I was told several times to "take it eashy." And, after hearing it repeated by four different but pretty equally bad Cuban accents, I can say with fair confidence that first I get the money, then I get the power and then I get the girls. And for the record, you guys...my name's not Adrian.
1/12/2007
Growing Pains
Ok, so today Mike called me from work and I told him that we've been invited over to our friend Sarah's for a small dinner party/get-together. He said that he wants to work out tonight but that we can go after. Yeah, ok - but I have a feeling we're going to miss most of the get-together, definitely any "dinner" part of the party and we certainly won't see Lyric. We probably won't get there until about 9 and, while we can chat with the adults, my sweet baby lady will be long in bed. Poop. Well, we're going to do it Mike's way but I'm still miffed.
I got off the phone and pouted for a bit and thought to myself, "Well, he's going to be making his own dinner tonight!"
I was horrified! That's the best punishment I could think of!? I must be getting old! I had brothers on either side of me growing up. I can dish punishment and fanny smackin' (that's a technical term I learned on CSI, by the way) with the best of 'em. You start knocking on 30 and suddenly it's all downhill, baby!
Then I redeemed myself. I have purposely left my lunch dishes sitting out. Mike HATES that. AND he won't be expecting it because he can't access the internet at work! Mwahahahahahahaha! Am Lex Luther-esque super villain to Mike's Superman.
Plus he's still making his own dinner!
I got off the phone and pouted for a bit and thought to myself, "Well, he's going to be making his own dinner tonight!"
I was horrified! That's the best punishment I could think of!? I must be getting old! I had brothers on either side of me growing up. I can dish punishment and fanny smackin' (that's a technical term I learned on CSI, by the way) with the best of 'em. You start knocking on 30 and suddenly it's all downhill, baby!
Then I redeemed myself. I have purposely left my lunch dishes sitting out. Mike HATES that. AND he won't be expecting it because he can't access the internet at work! Mwahahahahahahaha! Am Lex Luther-esque super villain to Mike's Superman.
Plus he's still making his own dinner!
1/11/2007
Credit where credit is due...
Ok, Mike got me a couple of days ago. It is fairly well known that Mike questions my taste in all things. If I suggest something - a movie, a restaurant, a novel - he'll go online and look it up and then tell me whether or not he feels he may like it. (I still contend that he is missing out by not just taking my word on stuff!) I'm fairly used to this fact, even if it does annoy me from time to time. Despite the fact that all of my recommendations have to be confirmed via internet or other source, he has no problem taking the word of other people. The best and funniest example of this involved a movie.
Once upon a time, I asked Mike to take me to the movies. I wanted to see "A Mighty Wind" - which at that time was playing in the theaters. It looked so funny! Mike adamantly refused.
"That looks stupid!" He proclaimed.
We didn't go see it, of course and I figured I'd rent it when it came out on video. After some time had passed, I forgot all about this movie. Then, probably two years later, Mike came home one day and said, "I rented a movie for us to watch. My sister told me it's hilarious. It's called 'A Mighty Wind.'" Whoo! It was on. And Mike has never lived that one down. I've gotten a LOT of mileage out of that one.
Well - a couple of nights ago, we were walking out of the house and I asked him about something or other. I can't remember what I had earlier recommended and the specifics doesn't really matter. I had left him a voicemail about doing or buying something and asked him if he'd gotten the message and thought about it.
He said, "Oh, yeah. I talked to Kelly and she said that's really good, so I think we should do it."
I sucked in a big breath and opened my mouth to deliver an appropriately scathing reply about him taking his sister's word and not mine. I must have scrunched my face up or something because my intent must have been clear. Mike looked back at me and gave that cute sputter laugh of his and I knew I'd been had. It was one of the only times Mike's gotten me so good. That's the sort of trick that _I_ play all the time. Mike's usually above such shennanigans.
I can't decide to compliment him on his masterful delivery or be sad because he's sinking to my level. ;) What do you think?
Once upon a time, I asked Mike to take me to the movies. I wanted to see "A Mighty Wind" - which at that time was playing in the theaters. It looked so funny! Mike adamantly refused.
"That looks stupid!" He proclaimed.
We didn't go see it, of course and I figured I'd rent it when it came out on video. After some time had passed, I forgot all about this movie. Then, probably two years later, Mike came home one day and said, "I rented a movie for us to watch. My sister told me it's hilarious. It's called 'A Mighty Wind.'" Whoo! It was on. And Mike has never lived that one down. I've gotten a LOT of mileage out of that one.
Well - a couple of nights ago, we were walking out of the house and I asked him about something or other. I can't remember what I had earlier recommended and the specifics doesn't really matter. I had left him a voicemail about doing or buying something and asked him if he'd gotten the message and thought about it.
He said, "Oh, yeah. I talked to Kelly and she said that's really good, so I think we should do it."
I sucked in a big breath and opened my mouth to deliver an appropriately scathing reply about him taking his sister's word and not mine. I must have scrunched my face up or something because my intent must have been clear. Mike looked back at me and gave that cute sputter laugh of his and I knew I'd been had. It was one of the only times Mike's gotten me so good. That's the sort of trick that _I_ play all the time. Mike's usually above such shennanigans.
I can't decide to compliment him on his masterful delivery or be sad because he's sinking to my level. ;) What do you think?
1/10/2007
Power trippin'
Well, it has happened. Mike has gotten drunk with power. Today was his second day out in the field for the Health Department of the City of Chicago. He's got a hat and lab coat. If this wasn't enough, he shut down a restaurant today. That's right...my husband slapped big green "License revoked" signs on a Northwest Chicago "famous"* pizzeria. When he gets his badge (that's right...BADGE)...he'll be unbearable to live with. He also is getting a raise after only a month on the job. God bless working for the government.
This is going to be a short post because I really should be getting to bed. I couldn't work out today because I had my sock class to go to but I did manage to get in some walking outdoors. I walked to the bank and then walked several blocks before catching the bus to Filter, where we meet. So that counts.
Then we stopped at Kohl's and found they were having a huge sale on winter coats and it just so happened that Mike's winter coat had just shuffled forth the mortal coil (aka broken zipper) - and we got him a choice coat for 60% off!
All in all, a full evening! Now I'm off to grab a few z's...I've got more errands to run tomorrow. Ta!
*The exact name of this pizzeria was removed.
This is going to be a short post because I really should be getting to bed. I couldn't work out today because I had my sock class to go to but I did manage to get in some walking outdoors. I walked to the bank and then walked several blocks before catching the bus to Filter, where we meet. So that counts.
Then we stopped at Kohl's and found they were having a huge sale on winter coats and it just so happened that Mike's winter coat had just shuffled forth the mortal coil (aka broken zipper) - and we got him a choice coat for 60% off!
All in all, a full evening! Now I'm off to grab a few z's...I've got more errands to run tomorrow. Ta!
*The exact name of this pizzeria was removed.
1/08/2007
Gym Journal - Day 2 - 8 Jan 2007
Happy Elvis' Birthday!
Work out recap - 8Jan2007
Minutes on treadmill: 20 + cool down
People who eyeballed my hot body: 2 (either my body or my "Supergirl" t-shirt...you say to-may-to, I say to-mah-to...
Speed(me): 3.0
Incline(me): 1.0
Speed(Mike): 3.5 - \/\/hatever!
Incline(Mike): 11.2 - oh, now you're just showing off. :D
Amount of time spent in line to get replacement card: 17 minutes
Number of times in 17 minutes that the yuppie mom in front of me told her daughter "That's not appropriate": 6...Next time, try this...say it with me - "Sit down and shut up!"
Amount of money spent on replacement membership card: $5
Number of times Mike told me I was irresponsible in an exasperated tone: 4
Number of times that _I_ said, "I said I was sorry, dammit!": 4
Number of times I've lost my library card and he hasn't said a word: 5
Number of friends made at gym today: Almost 1...we'll say 1/2. I was delighted to see that the lady next to me was a WALKER! (Not a jog-at-the-speed-of-lighter) I chatted amiably with her for a few minutes until suddenly, she started sprinting. Deceitful bitch. How DARE she...attempting to dupe me. I didn't say anything but I'm pretty sure that she sensed my resentment which I showed by smiling at her when she was there and then complaining about her to Mike as soon as she was gone.
Number of IPODS dropped by joggers that ricocheted off treadmill and nearly crippled me: 1
Number of Elvis sightings at gym: 0...how disappointing
Number of "Woodward motels" on three mile stretch between our house and restaurant where we had dinner: 11
Number of chocolates in 1/2 pound container I purchased during un-anticipated stop at newly discovered Fannie May store en route to restaurant: 12
Number of calories burned at gym: 500-ish
Number of calories consumed at EXCELLENT restaurant in Lincolnwood, IL: approximately 4 billion
2 days down - 154 to go.
Additional story(aka why Mike is a better person than I): Today the mail-lady came and brought a box from Dell. I was soooooooo excited. Our mp3 players were here! (hence forth referred to as Dellpods). I danced a jig and opened the box - to find only Mike's had arrived. I called Mike and told him that his dellpod had arrived and that I'd charge it up for him to use that evening at the gym. My disappointment must have been clear because he said, "That's ok...you can use it tonight." Ok, first he said (upon finding out his had arrived and mine had not...), "YES!...That's what you get when you pay more money for a bigger dellpod just so you can have a pink one." But then he offered it to me.
I like to think I'd have done the same but I think there's an equally likely possibility that I'd have said something like, "Yeah, suckah! I rule you!" and held it in my hand prominently while I wave to him from across the gym. :D Luckily we'll never have to find out for sure. We can all bask in Mike's sainthood and forget what a hateful (but hilarious) bi-atch I may have been. Whew! That was close.
Work out recap - 8Jan2007
Minutes on treadmill: 20 + cool down
People who eyeballed my hot body: 2 (either my body or my "Supergirl" t-shirt...you say to-may-to, I say to-mah-to...
Speed(me): 3.0
Incline(me): 1.0
Speed(Mike): 3.5 - \/\/hatever!
Incline(Mike): 11.2 - oh, now you're just showing off. :D
Amount of time spent in line to get replacement card: 17 minutes
Number of times in 17 minutes that the yuppie mom in front of me told her daughter "That's not appropriate": 6...Next time, try this...say it with me - "Sit down and shut up!"
Amount of money spent on replacement membership card: $5
Number of times Mike told me I was irresponsible in an exasperated tone: 4
Number of times that _I_ said, "I said I was sorry, dammit!": 4
Number of times I've lost my library card and he hasn't said a word: 5
Number of friends made at gym today: Almost 1...we'll say 1/2. I was delighted to see that the lady next to me was a WALKER! (Not a jog-at-the-speed-of-lighter) I chatted amiably with her for a few minutes until suddenly, she started sprinting. Deceitful bitch. How DARE she...attempting to dupe me. I didn't say anything but I'm pretty sure that she sensed my resentment which I showed by smiling at her when she was there and then complaining about her to Mike as soon as she was gone.
Number of IPODS dropped by joggers that ricocheted off treadmill and nearly crippled me: 1
Number of Elvis sightings at gym: 0...how disappointing
Number of "Woodward motels" on three mile stretch between our house and restaurant where we had dinner: 11
Number of chocolates in 1/2 pound container I purchased during un-anticipated stop at newly discovered Fannie May store en route to restaurant: 12
Number of calories burned at gym: 500-ish
Number of calories consumed at EXCELLENT restaurant in Lincolnwood, IL: approximately 4 billion
2 days down - 154 to go.
Additional story(aka why Mike is a better person than I): Today the mail-lady came and brought a box from Dell. I was soooooooo excited. Our mp3 players were here! (hence forth referred to as Dellpods). I danced a jig and opened the box - to find only Mike's had arrived. I called Mike and told him that his dellpod had arrived and that I'd charge it up for him to use that evening at the gym. My disappointment must have been clear because he said, "That's ok...you can use it tonight." Ok, first he said (upon finding out his had arrived and mine had not...), "YES!...That's what you get when you pay more money for a bigger dellpod just so you can have a pink one." But then he offered it to me.
I like to think I'd have done the same but I think there's an equally likely possibility that I'd have said something like, "Yeah, suckah! I rule you!" and held it in my hand prominently while I wave to him from across the gym. :D Luckily we'll never have to find out for sure. We can all bask in Mike's sainthood and forget what a hateful (but hilarious) bi-atch I may have been. Whew! That was close.
One moment in time...
My favorite conversation of the weekend:
Me: No vacation and no personal days for a YEAR. It's like he works for the Nazis!
Kristie (Mike's cousin): (completely straight faced) I hate Illinois Nazis.
I don't care who you are - that's funny.
Me: No vacation and no personal days for a YEAR. It's like he works for the Nazis!
Kristie (Mike's cousin): (completely straight faced) I hate Illinois Nazis.
I don't care who you are - that's funny.
1/07/2007
We're baaaaaaaaaaaaaaack!
That's right - we have returned to the Windy City. When I was in college and preparing for the five our drive from our house in Iowa to school in St. Joseph, MO, my dad would hold up three fingers to remind me what I was supposed to do.
1. Drive safe.
2. Behave.
3. Call when you get there.
Well, consider this your phone call. We're home. Although Mike didn't behave himself - feel free to give him a talking to. :D
1. Drive safe.
2. Behave.
3. Call when you get there.
Well, consider this your phone call. We're home. Although Mike didn't behave himself - feel free to give him a talking to. :D
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