Ten On Tuesday: Ten things that scare/freak me out

Here we go with this week's Ten on Tuesday.

1. Alligators/Crocodiles -- they are pure evil.

2. Thick fog -- I mentioned that the other day.

3. Those dolls made to look like real babies -- Creeeeeeeepy!

4. Heights -- It's pretty common. I'm fine on airplanes though.

5. The dentist freaks me out a little -- I have to go tomorrow...

6.Sharks -- Good thing I don't live near the ocean.

7. Feet -- I just don't like them. I don't even wear sandals. Ever.

8. Bees -- I'm not allergic to the sting, I'm just afraid of getting swarmed and stung 68 times.

9. The Economy -- Who isn't a little freaked out right now?

10. Elevators -- Only when it is more than 5 floors. I think our dangerous college dorm elevators scarred me for life.

There are my ten; what freaks you out?

If you like Battlestar Galactica....

...you will probably like this.

You know, if anyone want to by it for me, feel free. Sure it is almost $1000, are you saying I'm not worth it?

(found through sfsignal.com. Yes, I am a geek. I can admit it.)

Bad luck with lunch

I've had bad luck with lunch these last three days. I think it has to do with not getting enough sleep before an early morning of work.

It started on Saturday. I woke up (a little late) and, as I was getting ready for work, I realized I had no food to bring to lunch. No bread, no frozen meals, nothing. So on Saturday I had some Lucky Charms for breakfast, a Rice Krispie treat for a snack, and a bag of popcorn for lunch. Needless to say I was starving when I went home. I made sure to stop at the store on the way to buy some supplies, but you know what happens when you go to a store when you are starving? Yeah, you buy a bunch of stuff you really don't need, but sounds very tasty. I didn't buy M&M's though! (Jenn bought some for me later, though.)

Then, on Sunday, I toasted up some cinnamon toast with peanut butter, as I was getting ready, to eat in the car. When I got to work I realized I never ate the toast. Did I mention I was tired? I figured I would eat it when I got to my desk but it wasn't in my bag. I thought I left the toast on the counter, but Jenn called me later to say she found it on the floor by the front door. It must have fallen out of my bag as I left. I'm sure Quincy was salivating over it from inside his cage near the door. I did get lucky since the manager brought donuts in to work. I didn't starve in the morning. I know you were concerned.

You would think that today, after the last two days, I would have gotten everything perfect. I have told you I'm not a morning person, right? My brain doesn't fire on all cylinders until about 9 am, and sometimes not even then; this morning was no exception. I packed some cereal for breakfast, got my frozen meal out of the freezer, put it in my bag, took out the dirty fork and closed up the bag. Do you notice what I forgot? Yeah, a new fork. It's easier to see when it is all spelled out for you, don't get cocky. It's not a major problem. It means I have to walk to the cafeteria to get one and be tempted by the chocolate cakes or other tastier food than my frozen Lean Cuisine meal. I have very little willpower. I know I have said that before.


How was your weekend? Did you eat better than I did?

Last Man on Earth

The fog was thick this morning. It wasn't so bad when I left the house, but I got worse the further I drove. By the time I made it to the forest preserve I couldn't see more than 100 feet. It's strange how thick fog changes everything. The familiar landscape and landscapes are no longer visible. It's easy to get confused where I am. My next turn could be 50 feet ahead, or 5 miles. Heck, for all I know I'm not even on the same planet anymore. I could have been transported to some fog covered world, never to be heard from again. Maybe, like in Stephen King's story The Mist, some gateway has been opened and the normal deer and bunny rabbits that inhabit the woods are gone. Now, the woods are crawling with giant bugs and bizarre animals that want me for lunch.

Okay, maybe I'm being a little dramatic. You know what I mean though, right? Why is fog so creepy? It is used in so many movie and books to help enhance the feeling of dread. Sometimes it's a crutch, sometimes, as in The Mist, it's central to the story.

It has to be all about perception, or lack thereof. Think about it, you are used to the way the world looks: familiar landmarks, colors, a certain amount of light during the day, and now it is all changed. The light isn't right, it's more diffuse, the sky is gone. Sometimes your neighbors house isn't even visible anymore. Our mind goes into some kind of protection mode, our other senses get heightened, we notice that familiar sounds are just a little different due to the fog. Or, that it is just eerily quiet, when there should be other noises. The air smells, and feels weird; moist is the only word to explain it (duh). All these things combine together and make people edgy and nervous.

Then if you add in some animals running just at the edge of the fog, or people for that matter, you get creeped out more than you would. Nobody gets scared when a little rabbit hops by, but have that same bunny hop by just barely visible in the fog, and it is a different story. You may stop to try and figure what it is before going further. Now change the bunny to a big raccoon and you may just go back into your house.

Does this make sense? How many books or movies can you name that use fog to add to the creepiness? I can think of five off the top of my head.

Sorry for the weird post. Go about your day as if this never happened.

What's new on TV?

(For those of you quick enough, I hit enter on accident and published a blank page. Sorry. Although, that may be better than this post.)

We are at the beginning of a new fall TV season.  Are any of you trying out anything new? Or new to you?

I've been wanting to watch Fringe, but I have managed to miss all of the episodes so far. I think we might have the pilot on one of our TiVos, but I think we are missing at least one episode. I really wanted to check that show out, it was a complete accident that I have missed it. Can it really be an accident if I missed all of the epsiodes? Is my brain trying to tell me something? I have heard ho-hum reviews, maybe that is part of the problem. Anyone else watch it? Is it worth my time?

The other day I caught some of CSI: Miami. Yeah, I'm glad I didn't stick with that show back in the early days.(Sorry, Suzanne.) It's like all the actors are on a soap opera, over-acting all over the place. And what year is it supposed to be on that show? Is it the near future? They have thes computers that are so advanced that you can just put a cell phone on the table and it can get all the info out of it. No USB cable required! Do you think the Miami police department really has something like that? Do you think people who work for them in real life laugh at that stuff? I'm guessing they do.

Jenn and I watched one new show so far; The Mentalist. To be honest, I wasn't so sure I'd like this show. The stuff I ws reading about it made it sound like Psych, without being funny. Granted, The Mentalist isn't a knee-slapper, but I thought it was a good show. At least the first episode. What I really liked was that the main character came right out and said that psychics are fake, and he was a fake when he used to pretend to talk to the dead. I won't go into the whole show here, but check it out. It's pretty good. Would I lie to you?

Oh, I should say I didn't bother watching Knight Rider. Those of you who read what I had to say about the movie earlier this year probably figured I wouldn't watch it. Based on what Television Without Pity had to say, I didn't miss much.Though, I think it would be fun to write about the show.

I guess I really haven't watched many new shows so far, and it doesn't look like I will. Unless you have any suggestions...

What kind of animal was this?

I was doing some clean-up today, yes I am off from work, and I came across this former stuffed animal:

My question to you is, what kind of animal do you think it was? Not that it matters much now. Our dog, Qunicy, took a liking to this animal awhile back and it has never been the same. Yes, that is a hole in the side of the head. Makes it harder to guess, doesn't it?

I also came a cross a creepy little doll that was from a Happy Meal, I believe. (Yes, the kids eat McDonald's some times, back off.)

Maybe it is hard to tell in this picture, but the color of the skin and the dead eyes freak me out. I think I have a problem with dolls. Especially those creepy life-like ones.

While I was uploading these pictures I heard Buzz Lightyear announce that he was awake from hyper-sleep and ready for action. At least I know I am not home along with these creepy toys.

Weekend Assignment #234: It's a Good Thing

Karen wants to give us an easy assignment this week:

Weekend Assignment #234: Tell me one good thing about the area where you live (city, town, or whatever). It doesn't have to be the best thing, just something that's in the plus column for you.

I guess the easy answer would be that we are close to everything. Sure, we don't live in the city, but in my opinion, we have enough close by to keep ourselves busy.

We have great restaurants here. We have a Rosebud, Shaw's Crab House, Morton's Steakhouse, Benihana, Texas de Brazil, and we have a Ruth's Criss steakhouse opening up one town over. Isn't that a great list of places to eat? I even left off Olive Garden! So you see, we have just as many over-priced restaurants as the city. Why spend even more on gas?

Do you like to shop? Well, Woodfield mall has you covered. Plus, we have a few other stip malls and lifestyle centers that have even more stores. Plus an IKEA! Yes, I said IKEA! I know that is a big deal for some people.

For entertainment we have a new arena that opened up about 5 minutes away. Of course, no band has been there that I want to see yet, but we do have a professional lacrosse team that plays there. You can't find that downtown. There is talk they want to build another outdoor stadium in the same area. The funny thing about that is they had one there and tore it down 15 years ago.

I'm kind of rambling here but we have a ton of things to do right here in my town, and just across the border. That is why I like where I live. I don't need to travel far to be entertained.

Extra Credit: How could that good thing be even better?

There was talk a few years back of moving the Chicago Bears out here and building a stadium. That might be interesting. It's not going to happen now though.

David Blaine update 9/22/08 1658 CDT

Still upside-down. 

Just keeping you updated. Also, your legs get pins and needles really fast when suspended upside down.

Quick note on the Emmys

Yes, I did see some of the Emmys. I really didn't have a choice. Trust me. It was that or Hannah Montana.

Anyway, did you see the opening? This is TV's biggest night! You want to start of with a bang, get the audience all into the show. How do you do that? Start of with Oprah talking about the first 60 years of TV, then have 5 reality TV hosts babble for ten minutes. Really? That was the best idea they came up with? I think if the celebrities in the audience didn't have a chance to win an award they would have left. Or at least taken a nap.

Jenn thinks I was being too cranky, I don't think so. Did you see it? Am I wrong? Granted, I didn't watch much more of it, but I think having the reality hosts was a bad idea. Are you with me?

I need to go rinse out my eyes with some manly shows now. Is Die Hard on?

Close one!

You know what the best feeling is in the morning? When you wake up, look at the clock, and realize you have to be at work in 30 minutes. That was how my day started. But, me being a guy with no need for make-up (or a shower), I was able to make it in time.

Needless to say, I was a little rushed this morning. I knew what I was going to wear to work, so that helped, but didn't have time to make anything for lunch. So let's go over what I've eaten today. I had a donut for breakfast (the manager brought them in today), and now I am having microwave popcorn and Cherry Coke for lunch. I wonder how close I am getting to my recommended daily requirement of vitamins and minerals? I think I will need to eat a whole garden full of fruit and vegetables to get caught up. At least I'm having some corn!

Speaking of corn, I had to buy the Ultimate Super Butter Flavor (now with more buttery good taste) version of the popcorn. I haven't had this kind in a while. I feel some kind of weird coating on my tongue right now. I need a tongue and gum scraper. Is this the stuff that was giving people cancer? I feel nauseous, but I want to eat more. What is wrong with me?

Did you hear about David Blaine's new stunt? What is wrong with this guy? Who gives him money to hung upside-down for 60 hours? You know he is a great daredevil. He may suffer some cramps and temporary blindness with this stunt. Who says Evel Knievel was the best daredevil? This guy is way more bad-ass! Does he get bathroom breaks, or does he have to go while he's upside-down? Now that would be a trick!

Have you realized I really have nothing to say today? It is Sunday, nobody reads blogs on Sunday anyway.

Here is a link to a fun thing to share at work tomorrow. I might be late to this one. Sorry to waste your time linking.

How was your weekend?

Brownie points

Jenn has been out with the kids most of the day shopping for clothes while I've been in the relative quiet of work. Since I had to stop at the store to pick up a few things, I bought some brownie mix. No Jenn will come home to the aroma of baking brownies. (Yes, I am making them. No, I'm not in trouble.)

I hope it will relieve some of the stress from her shopping day. Of course I just realized I forgot something at the store. I'll wait until she's having a brownie to tell her.

Ahoy, me hearties

Aye, don't forget tis' talk like a pirate day , Gar!

Weigh anchor and hoist the mizzen! Shiver me timbers! and all that.

A Food Meme. Because, well, we all have to eat.

I saw this meme on Unfocused Me's blog. He said we can consider ourselves tagged, and it seemed like a fun meme, so I'm going to do it.

1. How do you like your eggs?

I like mine over easy. I need a little crust on the top to hold in the yolk so I can dunk my toast in it after I eat the white part. However, when I do make them I tend to break the yolk anyway. It is very frustrating.


2. How do you take your coffee/tea?

I don't. I will drink iced tea sometimes, but it is usually the pre-made kind. I don't think that counts.


3. Favorite breakfast food.

Bacon. Okay, pancakes and bacon. It has to have bacon with it. And syrup. Hash browns would be good with that too.


4. Peanut butter.

You know, as I kid I always had the chunky kind. It was my favorite. Now that I have to make my own, and realize that the little chunks are like small blades intent on ripping the bread open, I eat creamy. I eat the reduced fat style. Losing 1/10 of a gram of fat really helps!


5. What kind of dressing on your salad?

Hmm. I like French and Italian. As a kid I would have Catalina and my brother would have Western. They were both French style, but why would I eat the same as my brother? That's stupid.


6. Coke or Pepsi?

I generally don't drink plain cola. I'm more partial to Dr. Pepper right now. I used to be a Pepsi guy, just because that is what my mom bought.


7. You're feeling lazy. What do you make?

When am I not lazy? Maybe a frozen pizza. Probably order out.


8. You're feeling really lazy. What kind of pizza do you order?

Usually cheese. Me and the kids like that, Jenn sucks it up since you can't order other stuff on 1/4 of the pizza.


9. You feel like cooking. What do you make?

Let's see, I made a small roast the other day, with twice baked potatoes. It was good, and the kids actually liked it. Actually, my son like the beef and my daughter liked the potatoes. At least it was eaten up.


10. Do any foods bring back good memories?

Spaghettio's do, but I can't eat them now. Wow, they do not taste good as an adult! One food we used to have growing up that I still eat, but will probably gross people out, is fried bologna on toast, covered with cream corn. I just had some yesterday! (I told you it would gross you out.)


11. Do any foods bring back bad memories?

I can't eat tacos from home. The smell of the taco seasonings make me ill due to a bad experience a while back. I can have taco from restaurants though. Go figure.


12.  Do any foods remind you of someone?

I associate an aunt with a particular chocolate bar that she use to make. Unfortunately nobody seems to have the recipe.


13. Is there a food you refuse to eat?

Fish. Don't like it. Never have.


14. What was your favorite food as a child?

Pizza, Suzy Q's, Ding Dongs, Ho-Ho's, PB&J. I seem to remember looking forward to meatloaf nights as well.


15. Is there a food that you hated as a child but now like?

No, because like every good child, I never tried those foods again. And don't try to make me!


16. Is there a food that you liked as a child but now hate?

Spaghettio's. Really, what was I thinking?


17. Favorite fruits and vegetables.

Bananas, corn, peas, apples, tomatoes (you tell me which one they belong to), potatoes. Don't get me wrong, I don't eat these as much as I should, I just like them.


18. Favorite junk food.

M&M's. Probably the peanut variety, followed by the peanut butter, then plain.


19. Favorite between meal snack.

See above.


20. Do you have any weird food habits?

I don't think so. My wife might be a better person to ask that question; I might not know they are weird.


21. You're on a diet. What food(s) do you fill up on?

Ha Ha Ha Ha! Stop! Your killing me!


22. You're off your diet. Now what would you like?

See number 18.


23. How spicy do you order Indian/Thai?

I don't eat either. Yes, I am boring.


24. Can I get you a drink?

Sure, a nice Sam Adams beer would be nice.


25. Red or White Wine?

Neither. See 23. I have tried a port once; it wasn't bad.


26. Favorite dessert?

I nice hot fudge Sunday.


27. The perfect nightcap?

Another beer please.



That was a little longer than I thought. Go ahead an answer any question you like in the comments. Or do the whole thing on your blog.

 

Question of the day: September 17, 2008

Has any one had a Hostess Ho-Ho lately? Did they change the receipe? (I guess that is two questions, maybe a two parter?)

The other night I was thinking about haveing a Ho-Ho. I don't know why, I just was. (For any of you people who came here from a Google search for a different kind of...um..thing, move a long. we are talking snack cakes here). When I went to the grocery store the next day I bough some of the fabulous rolled snack cakes with creme filling. I was very excited to go home and have one.

At first Jenn was mad at me for buying them. I know I shouldn't bring those kind of treats in the house since neither of us have much willpower when it comes to snacks. She grabbed one while I put the other groceries away and I thought she was going to spit it out. She said it didn't taste good. I didn't believe her. I've never heard of a Ho-Ho tasting anything but spectacular.

So, I opened one for me and took a big bite. It was a plastic-tasting, horribly textured mass of goo. The filling tasted like foam filling you find in some pillows. I was so disappointed. I didn't see anything on the box about a new formula, but I did notice it had zero grams of trans fat. That has to be the problem. Now the box sits in our cabinet sad and lonely. Like the little boy that gets picked last in gym class.

This war against trans fat is slowly ruining my best memories from my childhood.

Weekend Assignment #233: (Virtual) New Toys

This weekend assignment should be right up my alley. Though I may not live up to my potential. Karen asks:

Weekend Assignment #233: The online world is constantly evolving, to the point where I'm surprised I'm not reading about Web 3.0 by now. Google's service Blogger is just one example of an online resource that's been rolling out new features and gadgets recently. Are there any new online toys, gadgets, widgets or gizmos that you've found particularly useful or entertaining?


I'm still trying to figure out wat Web 2.0 is; I may be too new to some of the online stuff. Don't get me wrong, I like technology. I always want new gadgets when they come out. Heck, if I had the money my house would be stocked with all the latest cool gadgets. TV's, Blu-Ray, state of the art sound systems, robots to get me my beer. You get the picture.
 
But that's not what we are talking about here, now is it? Okay, online things. Hmm, I do play around on Twitter, though I am mostly a follower. (That sounds so stalker-ish, I know). I have a Last.fm account now, though I got that for my Ipod Touch and it doesn't seem to be working after the last software update. I have a Flickr account that I will post pictures on occasionally. That is about all that is exciting. The rest of the stuff I have is pretty standard, Google Reader, and...um, e-mail.
 
What I do think is neat, that may not count, is the new App Store at iTunes. I have a few apps that make make my iPod a little more fun. I have Twitterific for twitter, Last.fm (that I mentioned), Pandora radio, Apple Remote to control my iTunes from anwhere in the house...I could go on for a while. The newest, and geekiest, one that I have is LED football. Remember the old Mattel Electronic Football game from the late 70's with the little blinking LED's that were supposed to be football players? Yes, it is that game on the iPod. Totally retro, totally fun, totally geeky. Why else would I get it?
 
Extra Credit: Are there any new online features, gadgets, etc. that you've been disappointed with?
 
I downloaded Google Chrome and found it, well, boring. I didn't see any reason why I should switch right now. Though, that could change in the future,
 
So, what have you tried out lately?



 
 

Race Wrap Up: Am I Dry Yet?

As I mentioned in my last post, I had a race this weekend. I was concerned about it because it was the longest I've ever run; not to mention race. My goal was to make it to the end. As the medal to the right shows, I did that. My secondary goal was to finish the race under two hours. Deep down I wanted to finish around 1:45, but I kind of kept that to myself. I wasn't sure if I could keep up that pace for the entire 9.5 miles. So, How did it go? Well, I can sum it up in two words. Very wet.

If you are not in the Chicago area you may not know we got a lot of rain this weekend. On Friday night through Saturday morning we got about 3 times more than we normally get for the whole month of September. I probably should have run in one of those cool suits that the swimmers wore in the Olympics. I don't think I would have looked out of place.

I knew it was going to be a rain or shine race (I asked when I picked up my packet) so I was prepared to get wet. As I mentioned in my last post, I wished for it to rain so I could keep cool. Now I know what people mean when the say, "careful what you wish for." Jeez.

When I went to bed they were calling for rain overnight and through the day but I was not prepared for the volume. I knew it was going to be bad when I nearly got stuck in an intersection due to flooding. At that point I sent Jenn a text message and told her to avoid that intersection when she came later with the kids. I also told her she should probably stay home. I didn't want her and the kids to get drenched waiting for me to drag my butt through the race.

When I got my packet they had said 1000 people had signed up for the races and walk that were scheduled. Only about half that amount actually showed up; I don't blame them. Especially the walkers, the money they raised still went to charity, so why get drenched and sick? The other 500 of us were stupid. I mean dedicated! Yeah.

I was soaked by the time I was 30 feet into the run. It was great! Actually, after about 20 minutes of getting poured on it didn't matter any more. It was almost funny in a way. Until I'd pass by someone who was outside pumping water out of their house. We ran through the residential area of Arlington Heights so I saw a lot of that. At the same time, though, a lot of people came out to cheer people on, that was nice considering the weather. It did kind of keep me going at times. Especially when I got to around mile 7. My legs were really getting tired. I think if they had their own freewill they would have taken me behind one of the houses and beat me silly. But, I am the master of my own body, so I kept running.

I did walk a few times, but only when I went into use a porta-potty, whenever I took some water, and when I ate my Sport Beans. Those things helped a lot. I highly recommend them. Mostly, I ran the whole time. I am very happy about that. Now, would I have been able to do that if it was 80 degrees and sunny? I don't know. It would have been very tough, and a lot slower. If I run this race again next year we may find out. Hopefully I will be better prepared.

I did get a nice surprise at the end. Jenn and the kids were waiting for me at this finish line. Soaked, but still cheering me on. That was a nice way to finish. Look at the nice picture they took. See, I told you it was rainy. Oh, and I did get under 1:45. Probably because I was sick of getting rained on.

I'm tired just thinking about this weeked

Actually, it's just tomorrow that makes me feel tired. It all started late last year, I had heard about this race that has to do with the Walter Payton Cancer fund. I thought it would be neat to run since you get to run his career yardage, and it helped a good charity. You know what? He ran a LOT of yards. Like 9.5 miles worth. Sure, if I spread that over 10-13 years I could run it no problem (as long as nobody was tackling me) but I have to run it in one day. Who do I think I am?

I guess you could say I am a little worried. I was feeling good about it last weekend when I ran 8 miles and didn't collapse into a heap but the weather is not going to be so nice tomorrow. The temperature is only going to be around 70 or so, but the dew point is going to be about 68-70. That is the killer. That is what worries me. I'm hoping for rain to fall throughout the whole race to keep me cool. Or, some iceberg to break loose somewhere and make it to the suburbs. Think that is possible?

So, you may no hear from me tomorrow during my recuperation. If you don't hear from me on Sunday, check the local hospitals.

Have a good weekend!

Random thought

I'm thinking Kanye West was stuffed into lockers a lot as a kid.

I certainly won't forget

Today, as we all know, is the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. Here's what I think and remember:

I remember being woken up in Las Vegas by a phone call from my wife telling me something is happened in New York.

I remember going to the other hotel room to wake up the other guys.

I remember watching TV for 18 hours straight; feeling slightly ill the whole time.

I remember trying to find out when we could get a flight out of Las Vegas.

I remember going to the Greyhound terminal and being happy they didn't gouge us.

I remember returning to the same terminal with luggage and finding 500 other people there.

I remember not actually getting on a bus until after 4 am; we were supposed to leave at 9:45 pm.

I remember being in the mountains, freezing since we were wearing shorts.

I remember getting switched over to a charter bus in Grand Junction, CO, thinking it was going to be better.

I remember getting more and more mad at the people responsible for this.

I remember waking up in the middle of the night during a rainstorm driving through Nebraska with the bus swerving in the middle of the road as the driver searched for his cell phone.

I remember wishing I was in some branch of the armed forces so I could hunt the bastards down myself.

I remember thinking I wasn't going to make it home for the first ultrasound for our first baby.

I remember someone buying "Fight Club" to watch on the bus. A building is blown up in the end. Not a good choice.

I remember how nice everyone was to each other for a time after 9/11.

I remember finally making it home the day before the ultrasound; feeling disgusting and dirty after 36 hours on a bus, and extremely happy to give my wife a hug and kiss.

I can't watch the footage on TV. I get angry and upset and still slightly ill. Part of it is due to where I work, part of it is just because it happened, period. I have never seen any of the movies, and I don't think I ever will. It is going to be on TV all day here at work, luckily the TV is behind me and the sound is off.

No, I will never forget; for reasons that directly affected me, and because of all the people that died for no good reason.

Someone stole my water

As is probably the case with most office buildings, the water fountain is near the bathroom where I work. Usually what I do is fill my water at the fountain, go into the bathroom, leave my bottle by the sink, and grab the bottle on the way out. (I left out one step for obvious reasons). It's a pretty common thing in the office. Yesterday I did the same thing, but when I got to the sink the bottle was gone. I just re-use on old Dasani bottle, not a personalized one or anything, but still; who takes a water bottle? There was no other bottle there and it was only there for a minute. At first I thought someone threw it away, but the garbage was empty. Then I thought, maybe someone thought it was a new bottle, since it was full, and stole it to drink. But why? Who steals a bottle out of the bathroom? I hope the person enjoyed my backwash. Jerk.

Next time I'm going to put lemonade in it. People will think twice before stealing some yellow liquid out of the bathroom.

Ten on Tuesday: 10 Favorite Movie Songs

I'm probably going to do this a little differently. They are all songs, but some would probably be considered scores. I hope that is okay with everybody. So here are my ten favorite movie songs (or at least the ones I could think of).

1. I'm alright -- Kenny Loggins, Caddyshack

2. Danger Zone -- Kenny Loggins, Top Gun. Hey, he was the soundtrack king!

3. Axel F -- Beverly Hills cop. You hear those first few notes and you can imagine Eddie Murphy stuffing a banana in the tailpipe of the cop car.

4. Imperial March -- Star Wars. Very powerful

5. The whole Spinal Tap soundtrack, I can't pick just one!

6. The tones during the spaceship scene in Close Encounters of the Third Kind. One of my favorites.

7. You got a friend in me -- Toy Story.

8. The Graduation chant/song thing in Stripes. That's the fact Jack! (I may be stretching it a bit there.)

9. Star Wars Theme -- From Ferris Bueller's Day off. I'm pretty sure that is the scene when the parking garage guys take the Ferrari for a spin.

10. Twist and Shout -- Ferris again. Great scene. Looks like fun.

What are your favorites?

Weekend Assignmet #232: How's My Driving?

Before I get started on this week's assignment I want to say that what I write here is solely what I believe about my own driving. Of course, what I believe is, indeed, the truth. So, family members, let's watch what you say. I don't want to delete any comments that are lies and mis-truths. With that said; on to Karen's Weekend Assignment.

Weekend Assignment #232: It's been said that as many as 80% of people who drive consider themselves to be "above average" drivers. Since this is statistically impossible, some of us are clearly overestimating ourselves. Be honest: how are your driving skills? If you drive, what are your strengths and weaknesses? If you don't drive, what drives your decision not to do it?

I think my driving skills are just fine. I have only had one ticket in my driving career, so that has to mean something. That was a bogus ticket, too. I was driving to school, I was late, I wasn't going that fast and I was in the middle of nowhere. It was truly a case of the police officer having nothing else to do, and knowing that I wouldn't come to the little town to fight it. No, I'm not bitter at all.

I was in one pretty good accident. But it was totally the other person's fault. She pulled into the intersection without stopping and I plowed into her. I wasn't very happy since it was my first new car, and it was less than a year old. No, I don't think about that one anymore, either.

I was in one fender bender that was my fault. It was a rainy day, I was exhausted after a midnight shift and I got distracted. I will say that I did leave myself a big cushion between me and the car ahead, until one guy squeezed in and closed that up. He was the guy that I ended up hitting, of course.

So, as you can see. Nothing has ever been my fault. I'm a very good driver!

I cannot parallel park, though. Growing up in the suburbs I never had to do it. I try to avoid it at all costs when I go downtown. I don't care if I have to pay an outrageous amount at a parking garage, or valet; it is worth it.

Extra Credit: Did you pass your driver's test on the first try?

Actually, I did. There was one stop sign that everybody warned me about. It was right outside the testing facility and there were two in a row, with the second being somewhat hard to see. Most people that failed blew through that second stop sign. I probably would have, too.

So, how are your driving skills?

Hats!

Hats!

Lots of hats!

Lots and lots of hats!

Golf hats,


Rock hats.


Hats from other cities.



These hats show I'm geeky.


Which of these makes me more of a geek?


What about this one?



I think this is the winner.



Do these beer hats make me cool?


My only baseball team hat. I think I bought this the
first year the team was added to the league.


Living in Chicago in the 90's you had to have one of these Jordan
hats. I believe there was an ordinance passed requiring it.

I have more hats than I need. That's all I have to say.
Anything you want to share?

The wilderness that is our neighborhood

More news on our neighborhood. Aren't you excited?!

I know we don't live in the city, but we are hardly rural, yet we seem to have more wildlife than we should. The biggest worry right now is skunks. We smell them in the area frequently, and see them a lot, too. Just the other day I was walking Quincy and I saw something walking in the grass about 50 feet in front of us. We slowed our pace so I could get a look since it was dark. As we inched forward I saw the white stripes on its back and I froze. The skunk saw us at the sane time and stopped as well. We stood there looking at each other. I was waiting for him to turn his butt on us. I was ready to bolt the other way as soon as I saw any false move from him. Luckily, he turned and walked perpendicular to us. We were spared -- this time. I need to have some stuff on hand here in case I get sprayed. I don't even know what to do. I remember hearing a tomato juice bath was the way to go but that was from The Partridge Family. How can I trust a family that was a fake band?

We used to have foxes, too. I thought they were kind neat to have around, until they cornered a cat across the street. That was quite an interesting set of sounds I heard that day. The cat was okay. I think someone came out of the house and scared the foxes. I couldn't since I was home with my son who was two at the time. Plus, they might have had rabies. I remember seeing an animal control vehicle not long after that episode. The foxes were never seen again. If they were around, we probably wouldn't have skunks. I'd rather have the foxes.

One funny thing I noticed the other day walking Quincy. You know how people love to write their names in wet cement? Well, there are two areas in our subdivision with relatively new cement on the sidewalks. Instead of writing there are animal tracks. I'm almost positive they are racoon prints. You know how racoons like to get into trouble. I picture them going out and looking for this stuff, just to leave their prints behind. Maybe they think they are the neighborhood celebrities or something.

I also think that we have more squirrels per square yard than are in the local forest preserves. They are everywhere! I think they are plotting a takeover.

We need to get the foxes back to thin the squirrel herd.

Maybe I am made of money

This morning I got up, bleary-eyed as usual, and I stumbled into the bathroom. I turned on the shower to let it warm up, let my son in to go potty, brushed my teeth (it gets better, I swear), then hopped in to the pre-heated shower. Imagine my surprise when a quarter falls off of my body, and onto the floor of the shower. Was it there the whole time I was up? How did it stay on me that whole time? The only conclusion I have is that I produced that quarter through some, as yet, unknown physical process. I may never need to work again.

I think I need to be studied.

Maybe we sent her to the wrong school...

Both of our kids go to a Lutheran school, which I wouldn't bring up normally, but it goes with the story. My daughter just started preschool there last week and she is doing much better than we expected.

One of the things that all preschoolers do is art projects. The other day the made door hangers. I think that is what they are called. They remind me of 'Do Not Disturb, signs from hotels, except they don't say that. They will probably make 'Keep Out' signs soon enough.

This particular hanger has a bunch of religious symbols on it. You can tell she spent a lot of time, diligently working out where the different symbols should go. There is just one problem:

Do you see the giant upside-down cross? I've been trying to imagine the teacher's expression when she saw it. There isn't much she could say since it wasn't on purpose, but it is kind of funny.

On a related note; I think I should be a hand model. What do you think?

On another related note; when I was walking our dog the other day, I swear one of the neighbors was playing the music from The Omen. It was a little creepy, and dark.

For fans of politics...and gargoyles?

I give you the Obama and McCain Collectible Gargoyles. Perfect for any home.

I'm sorry, these are creepy. But hey, to each his own, right? (Just don't bring them to my house. I'll have nightmares.)

Kind of a Chrome-y, Random Tuesday

I started working on my Ten on Tuesday post at work today but I couldn't get into it. I don't know if it was because I was at work, or the topic. We were supposed to list 10 people you'd love to meet. I got a few down; Dave Barry, Stephen King, Robin Williams, all the members of Rush, and then I got stuck. See, I started thinking about celebrities that I'd like to meet then I thought, what would I say to them? What if they are jerks? Yes, I know, I'm looking at it too deeply, but I am deep, man. Real deep. (Make sure you say that with a hippie 70's vibe.). So I stopped and didn't post it, but you lucky people get to read about some of them here. All four of you.  Any special people you want to meet? (Heh, I just typed 'meat'. I must be tired...or hungry.)

Did you hear about Google Chrome? The new web browser from the owner (in due time) of the entire Internet? I'm using it right now! How exciting! So far I'll say this; it is stripped down. However, I haven't added any applications to it yet. It is supposed to be faster, so I'll keep playing. Hey, I only have Internet Explorer, Firefox, and an old version of Netscape on here, that isn't enough. Oh, I did have a version of Safari on here for a while, too. You know what they say, you can never have too many web browsers! 

I think my son is coming down with something. Today, after coming home from school, he told his sister that he can't watch Tom and Jerry because he had to concentrate on cleaning up. Yeah, he was cleaning up the living room. I think he may have been replace by a cyborg replica. I'll get back to you on that. 

Well , that is about all I have for today. Hope everyone had a great Labor Day!