A Slap in the Face, Soon My Dinner Plans Were Replaced

I'll admit I'm not the greatest cook. We don't always sit down together due to our schedules however we don't eat out that often. There is usually food in the house for some type of meal. This was not the case Sunday. We didn't have much food left and I was in no mood to cook. I had my Dad's birthday party Saturday and friends over Sunday during the day. Sunday night, my husband and son were out. My daughter had a friend over and by the way her mom must be a great cook. I asked the girls if they wanted to either order pizza or run up to Subway. The little friend answered honestly as kids do: "Subs, I didn't know you can have subs for dinner". I guess suggesting cereal would have been out of the question. Pizza won out.

Note: If you didn't catch it, this post title was inspired by Alanis Morrisette's "You Outta Know" lyrics- the ultimate kick butt revenge song.

I Checked That Off My To Do List

I was really good about buying a dress for my brother's wedding early on however I've procrastinated about the rehearsal dinner. It's casual - a pig pickin'. I bought this outfit today. It's doesn't show up great in the picture but it's brown. Chloe decided to check it out. Remember my cat is a tiny kitten otherwise the clothes look really huge! They were Ann Taylor Loft size 8 which in my opinion means 10 everywhere else.
Speaking of procrastination, I guess I will continue more random facts left off from my last post.
5. I said I'm not a big animal lover. It sounded worse than it is but it seems a few of my blogger friends understand what I mean. I feel I'm the same way about children. I love my children but I never got this huge maternal desire to have them. I never wanted more than two. I like children in small numbers. I would have made a terrible teacher. I'm not the type to go ga-ga over babies. Don't automatically assume I want to hold your baby. Honestly, I probably don't. On the other hand, I didn't expect people to go ga-ga over my adorable children either. Random facts to be continued.

Random Facts

I got tagged by Nancy: The Rules: Players start with 8 random facts about themselves.
* Those who are tagged should post these rules and their 8 random facts.
* Players should tag eight other people and notify them that they have been tagged.

1. I did not fly in a plane until my senior year in college. My parents (especially Mom) do not considered air travel as an option when planning a vacation. My first flight was in a private plane flown by a friend of a friend while visiting in Coral Cables over spring break. My first commercial flight was a few months later to NYC.

2. My first trip out of the country was to Niagara Falls and Toronto when I was 28. I have since been to Mexico, Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands, and Grand Caymans.

3. My first "real job" after college was in bankcard collections. I hated it and it was so boring. It and few other dead end ones helped me with my decision to go back to get a 2nd degree (this time in accounting) and sit for the CPA exam.

4. I'm not a huge animal lover. I don't go on and on about them but I have had cats most of my life: When I was young we had Scotch, Clyde, and Buster. My husband and I had Sam and Bob. Now we have Chloe. I do hate roosters.

I'm going to copy Marie and continue with this later.

Just Shut Up!

Damn rooster! He's non stop. My son wants to find the bird and do away with it. I won't let him but it's a tempting thought.

Wake Up Call

I live out in suburbia. There is a mix of neighborhoods and farm land. Every once in a while the farmers must start missing the old days and get a rooster. I like to sleep with my windows open until it gets too hot into the season. The rooster likes to start crowing around 5 am. I've gotten use to the owls, the cows, but not the roosters. I realize the farms were here first but it's not like they are working farms anymore. Doesn't he bother them too?
Anyway, we are throwing my dad a 70th birthday party today. I hope everyone has a wonderful and safe weekend. Take a moment to remember those who died serving our country.

The Word of the Week

Speaking of Californication click here

Follow up note: I just read Anthony Kiedis (44 year old lead singer of the Chili Peppers and his 20 year old girl friend are expecting).

Annoying People

Yesterday was a long day but I finished my CPA seminar and received 8 hours credit. We have to get 40 for the year. Fortunately all but 8 can be self-study. In my last post, Nancy commented I could write about the people I observed there. Out of the 300 attending, one older lady was so annoying. Though I changed rooms for the different sessions, I always ended up being beside her or near her. First of all, she paid no attention to the speaker and didn't even open her book. She flipped through magazine (loudly) and tore pages out. She left every session 10 minutes early therefore probably only sat through 7 hours instead of 8. To make matters worse, she constantly blew her nose using the hotel napkins on our tables. Then she left her snot rags there after she left. I just have a feeling I will be running into this woman again. You know how that goes.

No Beer Tonight

I love my family but sometimes it is nice to get away. I packed a bag and trekked 1-1/2 hours eastward. I have a CPA seminar tomorrow as a part of the continuing education requirements. I'll probably get bored. It goes on for 8 hours. J Mom may be close enough to hear me snoring during the classes. I've got the laptop set up and a few dvd's. I'd really like one of those cold beers from the lobby bar. However something about going to the bar myself and ordering a bar then drinking it alone in my room kinda weirds me out. I wish I had packed one! A shout out thanks to Nancy for researching the word "Californication". My son told me I could IM him. I feel very special now. I'll post all the exciting details of my seminar.

Define This

My 14 year old son feels comfortable talking with me and asking me a variety of questions such as: is Granddaddy on Viagra? I didn't even want to think about that one and for the record I have no idea! ('Don't you love all those commercials on ESPN?) He has finished 3 years of health and has determined he is an expert on health issues including those particular to women. I posted once before he volunteered to talk to his younger sister about puberty. I turned that offer down. Yesterday while in the car, we were listening to the Red Hot Chili Peppers. This band happens to be the only one we both like so far. The song "Californication" came on. He asked what that meant. Well I drew a blank on how to answer so he told me I should google it. The Internet is the ultimate solution. It's hard to shelter kids now a days - you've got the computer, media, and mom's music.

Eating Out, Playing Tag

I got tagged so here goes:

1. Link to the name of the person who tagged you.
2. Include the state and country you're in.
3. List your top 5 favorite places to eat at your location (locally).
4. Tag 5 other people (preferably from other countries/states) and let them know they've been tagged.

1. I got tagged by Sugar Mama.
2. I live in the suburbs in NC USA
3. Sugar Mama had it easy. The triangle area has great food. Asheville NC ranks as the best in NC in my opinion but I don't live in either place. I don't think Greensboro is known for their restaurants.
4. I don't go here often but I love Green Valley Grill. They are creative. I've never been disappointed. My coworker gave the office staff a gift certificate to GVG. He said to try the shrimp and grits. I did. They were great. He has since passed away. I will always think of him when I go back. This is not a full blown restaurant but I like Cheesecakes by Alex. I would go there more often but can't for obvious reasons, I don't! Southern Lights is a place my husband and I like to meet on those rare occasions for lunch. Great sandwiches, salads, and soups. I'm sure their dinner entrees are wonderful but we never seem to get there at night. I guess this counts as locally. It's in neighboring Winston Salem - Opie's. The restaurant occupies an old refurbished building in the Old Salem area of town. We always get a table full of tapas dishes to shares. I want to put a plug in for Java K's. In this world of Starbuck's on every corner, it's nice to have local establishment where Kay will know your name.
5. I'm not sure if I have 5 bloggers to tag. We all seem interconnected. I would like to hear from Nancy, Ally Bean, and JMom. If you 3 are reading, I tag you.

That's All For Now

Whitney Houston's song "We Almost Had It All" is going through my head. That was the title of last night's season finale on Grey's Anatomy. Forgive me if I go on about it. This is the only network show I watch. I follow a few others on dvd and I am currently catching up on past episodes of Grey thanks to Netflix. Hmm, a lot of unanswered questions with this finale. I guess that's what a season cliffhanger is all about. I wasn't surprised about the wedding. The half sister thing was a little unexpected twist. It's known Addison will be going away next season though that wasn't addressed last night. I've read they are leaving the door open for Burke and George to leave. It's rumored the actors are not happy. Could be network spin to keep us interested. The Alex/Ava/Rebecca thing began to get on my nerves since it was bordering on unprofessional the same as Izzy and Denny. Part of me wants Alex and Izzy together. I like Jason London who played Rebecca's husband. He has a twin brother Jeremy (7th Heaven & one of them was in Party of Five) who is an actor. BTW, Justin Chambers (Alex) is a twin and has twins. So I'm back to catching up on the old episodes even though I know in the scheme of things how most of it works out. In season 2 I just watched the 2 part 'bomb in the chest' - wow. Dr. Mark Sloan and Dr. Callie Torres were introduced. Well let me go get a life and clear McTwin thoughts out of my head. Happy weekend to you.

Strangeness

I have taken several pictures of my feet (if you haven't noticed already) and posted them on flickr just for fun. I'm not taking it seriously. I don't get a lot of people looking at my other photos however these feet shots get heavy traffic. One picture has 57 views so far. I get comments from people saying they look nice. Kinda weird.

What's Up With Us and Pets?

Saturday we got our kitten from Katie. Her name is Chloe and she's actually much sweeter than she appears in the picture. Our family does okay with cats. I don't know what the problem is with other "pets". We had 4 hamsters, one after another- Diesel, Beckham, Mia Hamster, and Carter Finley. Each averaged living 6 months. Diesel got out of his cage. Luckily I found him before Bob our cat did. Carter Finley escaped one Christmas Eve. She was hiding only a foot from her home. When she died, I was sick of hamsters and burying them. It was garbage day and I tossed her and her cage into the trash. Terrible, I know. What's worse is my kids didn't notice her absence. I told them a week later. See who did all the work! Last year a snail ran away. It escaped from an opening in the back of the aquarium. I found it several feet away on the counter. I immediately threw it away. It didn't occur to me to put in back and see if it was alive. I don't take blame. I chalk it up as being a suicidal snail. Last night I discovered a fish is missing. No, it's not on the counter. Not in the filter either. I'm guessing one of the other fish ate it though they have lived together peacefully for some time. We're down to 2 goldfish in one aquarium. 2 fish and a snail in another and Chloe. Wish us well.

Tuesday at work

If anyone asks, I am doing work while at Caribou coffee.

3 Observations

1. NC came out with a big to-do that our license plates were changing for the first time in many years. The letters and numbers went from blue to red - whoopee! The plates have 3 letters followed by 4 numbers. I've notice that a lot of the newly issued plates begin with the same 3 letters "WTF" - my thoughts exactly.
2. I've observed a trend of older people wearing their flash drives around their necks when they are out and about. What exactly are they storing?
3. Alex (Justin Chambers) is the hottest doctor on Grey's Anatomy. McSteamy is 2nd. I don't find the appeal with McDreamy. All 3 actors are married but Justin has 5 children which makes him hotter IMO. I love those brown eyes.

Summer Plans

It's been a few days so I thought I should post but I have no idea about what. I'm been pretty busy but nothing really exciting. My blogging friends are taking vacations, traveling with the husband on business trips, birthday parties, children's proms, weddings, baseball games, raising kittens, and taking Girl Scouts camping . I have enjoyed reading about your adventures.
My daughter and I are going to Katie's to pick up our little kitty on Saturday. A few other things are coming up on my calendar. My Dad will be 70 in a few weeks. I'm not sure exactly how it happened but I'm having a party for him at my house. I lack many domestic skills including hospitality so it should be interesting. My brother is a great cook and promises to help. Speaking of the sibling, he will be getting married in June. It's very ironic he's my brother and hates girls with painted toenails. We must not be related. I'm going for the brightest red pedicure possible. Forget wedding pictures, I promise several feet shots instead. I've posted before that our big trip will be heading to Wyoming and Idaho to vacation and visit family. We have to work it around every one's schedule. My son has already started his workouts for high school JV football and basketball. The fact I'll have a child in high school can be subject matter for another post. That's all for now.

A Fellow Blogger

I've tried to start this post several times but am having difficulty. Hey I'm a CPA not a writer. I follow several blogs. I read, comment, lurk etc. more than I post to my own blog. Most of the blogs I read regularly are listed to the right. A few are not. One such blog not listed chronicles a man's life with cancer. I first saw his blog listed on our alumni website a few months ago and have been following it since. I don't think I've ever met him. I won't say for sure since we're close to the same age, went to the same college, and now live in the same town. It's very likely our paths have crossed. Anyway, I just read his last post and literally can't breathe. He says he doesn't believe he will see 2008. He must decide to have more chemo to prolong his life a little longer and feel terrible or opt to cease treatment all together. Please keep him, his wife, and beautiful daughters in your prayers.

Who Knows What To Title This Random Post

George Clooney, Renee Zellweger, and John Krasinski (of The Office, luv him!) were in town shooting scenes for their movie Leatherheads. Sorry I can't say I saw them. They've been in the surrounding area for some time. George is the director, co-writer, and co-star.
On another note, I've come to the conclusion my body is not made for exercise though I'm not stopping. Yesterday I posted about my long walk. Now my ankle is sore. I worked through my pain and got a pedicure. I noticed when I looked through my flickr pics that I shoot a lot of pictures of my feet. It started last fall when I was in the Caymans. I hate being photographed otherwise. Here are my feet today:

Follow the Rules People

I took off work today, yes! Since my aging body won't allow me to run, I did a 3+ mile walk in the park today while it was still sunny. For the record, I don't have a dog but I like them. My brother had a yellow lab I loved. In the park, there are signs everywhere stating owners need to pick up after their dogs. They've even provided bags. Each time I'm in the park I notice this rule is clearly not being followed by some people. I gave a woman a very evil glare today. I realize picking up after your dog is not pleasant but if you can't handle it then stay home. Hey, I changed diapers for a total of 5 years (son 3 years, daughter 2 -smart girl) and did litter box duty for 14. I'll be back in the litter box business starting next weekend. However, this disregard for the rules is disgusting. These city parks have a lot of dog traffic on a daily basis. Children run in the grass. Some poor parents will end up having to deal with poop in their kid's diaper and on their shoes - double gross.

My Space

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My son has MySpace. I have my space. We have a great deck off the back of our house. Unfortunately the sun hits it around noon and it bakes the rest of the day. I can't keep plants on it unless I commit to watering them twice a day in the hot summer heat. I moved myself to our front porch. Our yard is wooded and offers privacy once the leaves come in. The porch has morning sun which is wonderful for my plants and me. I can't control the inside of my house since I live with 3 slobs but I'm able to make this my little oasis. It comes complete with an electrical outlet and wi-fi. (Please note in the pic, I spilled my water not beer. That would have been a waste.)