Pumpkin Store

To get you in the halloween mood.

Sweet Dreams Are Made of This

Normally I do not remember my dreams. They come and go throughout the night.

Last night, I had a very odd one that when I woke up the actually wanted to call the person and tell them.

It started out simply enough. Hanging out at the bar with Annette, Ben, Anita, Barney, and StB. Drinking beer like any Friday night.

StB was telling us about the new car he wanted to get. Another Mustang. We all thought that was cool. Annette then asked him if he would be willing to get the one that shows he supports breast cancer. StB, being the lover of boobs that he is, told her that he would. In honor of Annette's boobs. We were all happy with his choice and told him so.

Annette told StB that she would even be nice enough to go to the dealer and place the order for it as the purchase was limited to breast cancer survivors. StB agreed.

A few weeks later, we are at the bar again when StB's new car is delivered. I guess in my dreams they deliver vehicles to bars at night.

StB goes outside and sees his new Mustang. Ten seconds later he comes storming back in. Not happy at all. We ask him what is wrong. He tells us to go outside and see for ourselves. We all walk outside.

Us girls, see the car and are all like, "Wow!! Cool!! How sweet is that car"

StB asks if we notice anything about the car. Anita said that she liked like Warriors in Pink tribute that is on the car. Annette and I agreed. It was very sharp.

StB then asks if we think there may be a bit too much pink. Us girls all say no. StB's voice gets all high and squeaky and asks if we think it is a bit much for a young (ok, almost middle-aged), single guy who has a reputation to uphold.

We all start laughing at him, even the guys. Ben told him that it showed his sensitive side. StB called bullshit.

When I woke up I wanted to tell StB that he should not do two things. 1. Never let Annette pick out his cars. 2. Get over it! It's for the boobs.

I had to Google the car this morning to see if I could find it. Nothing came to an exact match but this was close. You can see more pictures here

I don't know, I kinda like it. What do you think?? It could be all pink.

Is It Spring Yet?

I'm not ready for the next 6 months. Today is a preview. It is cool, cloudy and blustery outside. I'm very much a summer gal. Give me the warm sun, gentle breeze, a cocktail and a ball game and I'm a happy camper. Screw the cold and snow.

Yesterday, we did the Susan G Komen walk for breast cancer in honor of Gambino. She is coming up on three years. This fact makes us all happy. You can still donate to a great cause from this link. I have a few pictures but need the time to get them off my camera and phone. I'll try to post later in the week. We had a great time during the walk. A fun way to spend a sunny Sunday morning. The Packer game afterwards at P & K's home was fun as well. Good times with good friends.

I have now developed a cold. I knew the sick guy at work would be sharing his germs with the rest of us. I'm planning on working from home until I feel better. No need getting anyone else sick. I'm very lucky to have that option.

Riley started his allergy shots today. Just like a person, dogs get allergies as well. He is allergic to dust mites and of all things, animal fur. Mainly, cats as I found out from the vet today. So he will be getting shots every 4 days for a few weeks and then start spacing them out a bit. Good news is that I can give him the shots after a few times. It doesn't looks too hard. The biggest thing is that he needs to be watched for about an hour afterwards to make sure he does develop a reaction to the shots. He may end up coming camping with me this weekend. He will like the time away from Boomer I'm sure.

That's about all I know for now.

~ Peace Out ~

The Fine Print

I don't get much mail. Other than utilities, I get most of my bills electronically.

Today I get a bill from Kohl's I have not used the card in quite some time but do so to keep it active. When I do use it I usually pay it off when I get the bill. I am probably one of the few people that will read the inserts with the fine print.

You know what I mean. It is the insert that companies stick in your statement that tell you of changes to your account.

Today I found out that:

1. The late fee is now $29.
2. They have an interest free option each month. You can make three equal; payments and pay your account off. When you do this you avoid any interest charges. May have to remember that if I need to make a big purchase there.
3. The grace period is now 25 day. This is down from 31.
4. The card has a variable rate. It is now prime plus 18.65%. WH-WHA-WHA-WHAT?? Holy crap. That mean that the current interest rate on this card is 21.9% That be some very pricey clothes if you carry a large balance.
5. If you miss a payment, your interest rate now goes up to 24.65% plus prime. That is just freaking crazy. Now the prime rate in at 3.25%. It was not all that long ago that it was over 8%.

All I know if that If I have to charge something pricey at Kohl's I will be using my bank card which carries a nice low interest rate of 7.99%. It pays to read the fine print.

Swinging the Bat

As the baseball season begins to wind down (yeah, it makes me sad too), here is something to watch.

When I Go Walking

It is usually before midnight, but sometimes after...

You tend not to notice the things you pass when in a car. Walking gives you time to explore your surroundings and take notice of the little things.

I will walk almost everyday with the dogs. It is good for all of us. Depending on the weather, time of day and what is going on I will walk the dogs either the short route about a mile and takes 20 minutes or the long route about 1.75 miles and takes 45 minutes. The dogs like to explore as well so it takes longer to walk around the park.

Things I have notices this past week while walking are:

• Lots of people are having their windows replaced or at least sticking the signs in their yard.
• There are 2 trees in Greene park that are really pretty right now. The leaves are a vibrant red and orange. The rain today will probably make the leaves go away.
• The house with the trashy yard now has a tarp over most of the front yard. I wonder if this is to avoid cutting the grass or avoid a ticket from the city. Still looks like crap.
• One house put some new bushes along the driveway. They left the one that is dead and took out the other two that were living. Not sure why.
• One house finally took down their Christmas decorations from last year.
• Another house put some Christmas lights up. And did a lousy job at it.
• One house had new siding put on. It really looks nice. I think they got a new front door as well. May have to stop and ask about where they got it.
• One house really need to pick up the dog poo in the front yard. You can smell it 2 houses away. Even worse when it is warm out.
• The city has a speed warning thingy up that tells you how fast you are going. Most people are going 35-40. Speed limit is 25.

What do you notice about your neighborhood??

Kind Words

I'm stealing this from Kris' blog. Thought it was a very nice passage. I will ty to think of this as I remember the family and friends who have passed on.


Pippin: "I didn't think it would end this way."
Gandalf: "End? No, the journey doesn't end here. Death is just another path... One that we all must take. The grey rain-curtain of this world rolls back, and all turns to silver glass... And then you see it."
Pippin: "What? Gandalf?... See what?"
Gandalf: "White shores... and beyond, a fair green country under a swift sunrise."
Pippin: "Well, that isn't so bad."
Gandalf: "No... No it isn't."
-The Return of the King-

Now She Should Rot in Jail

Note: This story contains a link to a very graphic story. When I first read this I was appalled at the gruesomeness of it. Be warned

In Ohio, a young woman who works in a Petland store took two rabbit and drowned them. To make it worse a co-worker recorded it and then she posted it on her Facebook page. She was charged with two misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty. I only wish they were felony counts.

You can read the story and see the video here.

I can't imagine why someone would hurt a defenseless animal. I have had several rabbits in the past. They are great pets and if treated well will make wonderful companions. My first bunny, George, loved to play fetch with an empty paper towel tube.

Keep your Hands to Yourself

Not sure how nuts this guys is but you really have to be desparate to feel up Minnie Mouse at DisneyWorld.

You can read all about it here.

Must be a furry fetish.

Back in the Saddle

I'm glad the past few weeks are over. The combination of my dad being sick and eventually dying, my dad's sister, his niece and my sister and top it off with work have left me emotionally drained.

My dad's funeral went as well as could be expected. Basically my dad's sisters and other on his side of the family ignored my mom and sister and then dumped their crap on me. I almost decked a cousin for saying something at the cemetery that left me fuming. I don't think I have ever been that angry with someone before. EVER!! At this point it is basically good riddance to them!

I'm looking forward to getting away a week from now. Heading out camping for a week. Should be fun. I am stocking up on books now. Ok, not really stocking up but I organized my basement a bit this past weekend and found that I have about 100 books that I have purchased and have yet to read. Must get my butt in gear. Or stop going to the bookstore. What is amusing is that I have not purchased a book since March. The library is keeping my reading list stocked.

With the cooler weather and all the rain my grass needed attending to. I had just cut it last Sunday and it really should have been cut on Friday. I was too lazy to hunt down the big garbage bags so I didn't bag the clippings like I normally do. Maybe I'll get ambitious and rake them up this week... or not. The flipping weedwacker, that I bought like 2 months ago, broke. Somehow the head part of it came off. I'm really lucky I didn't get hurt as it went flying like 15 feet when it flew off. I need to see if I can get someone to take a look at it and figure out how to fix it (hint, hint Ben or Barney)

I got the truck cleaned up for the camping trip as well. Vacuumed and shampooed the floor mats and carpet. I really should get a new floor mat for the driver side. It didn't want to come clean and there is a spot that is wearing thin. But it is all nice and armor all'd and smells good. I'll go get it washed this next week.

I have been playing a bit more poker online the past week or so. Trying to get back into a rhythm for when we go to the casino in Iowa. I have not played live poker for quite awhile now. Not that online is the same but it still is better than nothing. I did fairly well. Saturday I cashed in 5/6 games for a net profit of almost 50 bucks. Today not as well as I took a first in one game but failed to cash in the other two.

Well, it is time to hit the road. I have been starting work at 6 am this past week. 4:30 comes around mighty early. Good thing is that my 4:00pm meeting that was every day has now been scaled back to Tuesdays and Thursdays so I can get out of work at 3 or so.

~peace out~

Personal Responsibility

Got back from Boomer's 3rd obedience class. Sometimes he is really good and other times, terrible. He started out well and the dogs that are in an agility class came into the building and he went ballistic. After he calmed down, he was somewhat ok the rest of the class. I'm not sure who is more tired, him or me.

With my dad in the hospital and probably not ever coming home I told my sister once again that she would have to start paying for things at the house. She was pissed about that. I asked her why should dad pay for cable, phone, etc. that he is not using. She got all huffy with me again and said that she has to pay for food and toilet paper and such. WH.. WHA.. WHAT??? Ummm, yeah, you need to also pay for the food you eat and the paper you use to wipe your ass. When My dad was living there, he wasn't eating much solid food anyway so it wasn't like he was costing her $200/week in food.

She brought up the fact that when my mom moved out, she left the dog. There are also 11 kittens in the barn (hint, if anyone wants a kitten, they are cute. I can post/send pictures) Why should she have to pay for feeding those? I told her to get rid of them then if she didn't want to pay for their food and upkeep. That made her once again angry that I would suggest that she gets rid of their pets. Her rational... the kids like them. My rational... then pay for their existence. If you can't afford them, get rid of them. I know it may be a hard decision but, hmmm... cats or food for the kids. Your choice, sis!

I guess I just don' get why some people think that they deserve something that they did not earn or work for. Why should she live there and not pay utilities and such. I have to pay for them where I live. I'm pretty sure most of you have to pay for utilities and your mortgage and such. I'll also bet that most of you also have jobs to pay for these things. She says she can't work because she has the kids to take care of. Once again, WH.. WHA.. WHAT??? Give me a freakin' break. I know there are millions of single moms who work and have kids to take care of. She is not unique.

We talked about this topic a bit this past weekend at camping. I have worked since I was 16. I payed for my own cars, insurance and once I moved out, my own rent. I had to pay for my own schooling as well. I only went to college for a year and a half. I still to this day regret not staying in school and getting a degree but sometimes there are other priorities in life.

Bottom line is I think that after my dad passes, she will find herself in a big hurt. The house will get sold and she will have to move. Maybe it is time for her to grow up and learn to stand on her own two feet for a change. She is setting a bad example for her kids. To learn the same kind of "the world owes me" kind of attitude that she has.

Random Thoughts

I'm sure you all think I forgot about my blog. Between Facebook and Twitter I end up neglecting the blog a bit more than I want. It seems that by time I get home to write about something, 42 other people have already blogged, facebooked and tweeted about the event.

I love the story about the four women who tied up the guys after they found out he was seeing all of them. Best part is that they glued his dick to his stomach. Bet he don't cheat on any future girlfriends/wives.

Spent the past weekend camping. I barely survived StB's smelly flatulence that woke me from a dead sleep in the camper. Mustard Fest was, as always, interesting. Not much to do other than sample the mustard custard (not as bad as you would think, but not very good either) from Culver's and try my hand at the ring toss around some mustard bottles (not a winner). I think everyone was more than happy to leave that and head to Lucky's for beer and root beer float shots. I like the schedule we have for camping for this summer. It is about every 3 weekends that we go. Perfect time for me to rejuvenate.

Thought it was funny, when I got my credit card bill in the mail today. It was for $.35. Yep, 35 whopping cents. I bought a song off of iTunes a few weeks ago and didn't have enough in my account so it goes to my card. If I miss the payment, I will have to pay the $1 finance charge. Isn't that almost like a 300% penalty for being late?? What a crock. At least I pay it online and not waste a stamp on it.

Speaking of stamps, when did the price go up? I mailed some bills out for my dad last week. Good thing I stuck my address label on it as they came back marked insufficient postage. I was still trying to use up my Christmas stamps. I can't remember the last thing I actually did mail that I didn't pay for the postage online and print a mailing label for.

Have a good rest of the week all.

~peace out~

Helluva Week

Let's start with good news first. Brewers won the first game back after the All-Star break. Let's hope they can keep it going. The runs were a flowing and the pitching not too bad.

This has just been a crappy, busy week. My dad has been in the hospital since Sunday night. He was having problems with his feeding tube and needed to get it fixed. They could not get a new tube in so they admitted him. They put in two new tubs but they kept leaking. At first they thought that he had an aneurysm in his stomach but turns out is was just an abscess. That was good.

We found out last Friday that the cancer is back for my dad. He goes in for surgery on August 18th. He will have to have part of his lower jaw removed, possibly his entire jaw, depending on what is found. That really upset my dad. He has spent the better part of the past year going thru radiation and chemo to only find out that it didn't work. Right now his spirits are pretty low.

On Monday, I was talking with my Aunt and we decide to have a surprise 70th birthday party for my dad in August before his surgery. His birthday is actually today but a bit hard to arrange that in 4 days. We are going to get his brothers and sister from North Dakota in and some of my relatives from central Wisconsin. I think (and hope) that this will give him the boost that he needs to get thru the surgery.

He has lost so much weight in the past few months. He literally looks like someone who survived the concentration camps. Nothing but skin over bones. When I seen him tonight it made me so sad to see how awful he looks. He was always a small, thin guy but was always strong. He now is so weak he can barely stand. It is so hard to see him like that. I'm very scared that he won't make it thru the surgery.

He will be released tomorrow and will go to a rehab place for a week or two so that he can learn how to use his new feeding tube/pump and get some strength back. Instead of him using a tube and pouring the shake stuff in it, it will be a pump that will drip continuously. I hope this will help him get better.

Work has been super busy and I'm not getting out of there until almost 5 each night. Traffic sucks at that time of day and it takes me almost 45-50 minutes to get home. I seem to rush home, walk the dogs, go to visit my dad, eat a bit of dinner, make a bunch of phone calls to relatives and go to bed. I can't wait for this weekend to relax a bit.

I'm looking forward to the Def Leppard, Poison and Cheap Trick concert on Saturday. Good music and good friends will make for a fun evening.

Ok, enough sad and bitching for now.

Have a good weekend folks. Peace Out!!

Beating a Dead Horse

Is anyone else sick and tired of seeing all the Michael Jackson coverage on TV? How many more specials can they do of him?? I would have liked to see my soap opera today and not his funeral on the dvr. UGH!!

Yes, I liked his music. More so, his earlier stuff than his more recent stuff but come on people, enough is enough.

I am so hoping that all the flags at half staff today were for Robert McNamara and not Michael Jackson.

Back from Vacation

Going back to work after having the last 10 days off sucks. I'm not looking forward to it. The only bright spot is that I have next Friday off. Nice to ease back into the grind with a 4 day work week.

Spent the time off doing lots of things but yet nothing. I had a few things I wanted to get done, but didn't. Other than the laundry. That doesn't really count as I do that all the time anyways. Things I wanted to do.... put R's bike on eBay. I need to get it out of the garage and I should be able to get at least 1200-1400 for it. Also wanted to get the "attic" built in the garage. Ok, so it is not really an attic but four 2x4's and a sheet of plywood laying across the joists but still. It will help free up more room in an already over crowded garage.

Seen some great shows at Summerfest. Ended up going three times. Check out my facebook or Twitter pages for the details and some pictures. Have to say that Staind was my favorite. Judas Priest was pretty good as well. I don't know alot of their songs but it sure rocked.

4th of July was spent at Summerfest during the day and at K&J's later. This video clip will pretty much sum up the day. Somehow I do not remember StB dancing like Eddie in this clip, taunting me when I chose not to get any ice cream. I even got the psych from A. I have to give Gambino props for going out and getting some more ice cream. It was yummy. Thanks!

Have a good week all and Peace out!

Letter From a Farm Kid

Dear Ma and Pa,

I am well. Hope you are. Tell Brother Walt and Brother Elmer, the Marine Corps beats working for old man Minch by a mile. Tell them to join up quick before all of the places are filled. I was restless at first because you got to stay in bed till nearly 6 a.m. but I am getting so I like to sleep late.

Tell Walt and Elmer all you do before breakfast is smooth your cot, and shine some things. No hogs to slop, feed to pitch, mash to mix, wood to split, fire to lay. Practically nothing.

Men got to shave but it is not so bad, there's warm water. Breakfast is strong on trimmings like fruit juice, cereal, eggs, bacon, etc., but kind of weak on chops, potatoes, ham, steak, fried eggplant, pie and other regular food, but tell Walt and Elmer you can always sit by the two city boys that live on coffee. Their food plus yours holds you until noon when you get fed again. It's no wonder these city boys can't walk much.

We go on "route marches," which the platoon sergeant says are long walks to harden us. If he thinks so, it's not my place to tell him different. A "route march" is about as far as to our mailbox at home. Then the city guys get sore feet and we all ride back in trucks.

The country is nice but awful flat. The sergeant is like a school teacher. He nags a lot. The Captain is like the school board. Majors and colonels just ride around and frown. They don't bother you none.

This next will kill Walt and Elmer with laughing. I keep getting medals for shooting. I don't know why. The bulls-eye is near as big as a chipmunk head and don't move, and it ain't shooting at you like the Higgett boys at home. All you got to do is lie there all comfortable and hit it. You don't even load your own cartridges. They come in boxes.

Then we have what they call hand-to-hand combat training. You get to wrestle with them city boys. I have to be real careful though, they break real easy. It ain't like fighting with that ole bull at home. I'm about the best they got in this except for that Tug Jordan from over in Silver Lake. I only beat him once. He joined up the same time as me, but I' m only 5'6" and 130 pounds and he's 6'8" and near 300 pounds dry.

Be sure to tell Walt and Elmer to hurry and join before other fellers get on to this setup and come stampeding in.

Your loving daughter,

Alice

Mow the Lawn

Yesterday morning, I take the dogs outside. It is like 6:15 am or so. The creepy 14-15 year old kid from across the street is outside. Why?? I have no idea. I walk the dogs from one corner of the block to the other and back. Just like I do every morning. As I'm walking up the driveway, the kid walks across the street towards me. By this time, Boomer is barking his head off at him.

I put the dogs in the house and say Hi. The kid asks if he can mow my lawn. I almost start laughing in in face. I thank him for the offer but tell him that I like to mow my own lawn.

I couldn't stop thinking of this video. Thanks Gambino for the link.

Ain't Got The Common Sense Your Mama Gave You

It was good to read a story in today's newspaper. Yes, I know that I'm one of only a few people who still get the paper delivered to my front step each day.

A mother found some candy on her son's bed and wondered if he had anything to do with the shooting and murder of a 77-year old candy store owner. Turns out he did.

Good for you, mom. You did the right thing. Now if only more people would take that much interest in their children's lives the city/world would be a better place.

You can read more about this story here.

Testing the mobile blog function

The Manifesto

I took this from Laurie's Facebook page. From trivia..... Please note that I (yes, me , Hey Jo) had the question correct but was nice and went with StB's answer. Bad choice....

One of my regular trivia players tonight didn't like one of the questions (he felt the answer was incorrect) and this is the list of things I must do before he will no longer be upset with me.

1. Public apology that is not sarcastic (I told him I was sorry he had sand in his vagina. He did not find that to be an acceptable apology)
2. Must buy me a beer
3. Admit the question was dumb
4. Admit what you did was wrong
5. Play the X-Rated version of the song "Community Property" by Steel Panther.
6. Make out with a chick (I told him I would only do this after he found a chick who would make out with him)
7. Proclaim that this is NOT a manifesto
8. DUTCH RUDDER (if you don't know what this is, www.urbandictionary.com)
9. Chirp like a monkey
10. Bring me a taco from McBob's
11. Cannot read this out loud to everyone until it's been completed (of course I read it out loud immediately)

And this wasn't even the craziest of things that went on tonight. I love my job. :)