Random Thoughts for a Wednesday Afternoon

• I think Super Bowl Media Day should be eliminated. Who’s with me?
• I think Paul McCartney’s ex and Brittany Spears’ ex should get together. Talk about a manipulative ‘don’t-know-when-their-15-minutes-are-up’ match made in ex-spouse heaven. Though if K-Fed’s music career fails and she has to be the breadwinner, she won’t have a leg to stand on… damn, there’s that poor taste coming out again…
• New Futurama movies/episodes are coming…
• Speaking of space…how the hell could NASA lose the videos of the 1969 moonwalk? Who’s in charge of security down there? President Bush Jessica Simpson?
• I’m getting my paperwork in under the wire, but everything looks to be coming together for me to make a run for City Alderman. I’ll let you know what happens.
• Fark Headline of the Week: “Dennis Hastert has swollen and enflamed gall bladder removed. Which is understandable, because it certainly takes a lot of gall to claim a president who lied about a BJ deserves impeachment while one who lies us into a war doesn't” (Couldn’t have said it any better myself…)
• I’m thinking that I am going to avoid purchasing or using Windows Vista, in fact I say to Microsoft and Vista: “Hasta la vista, Vista.” …
  

I’m sorry… I’m truly, truly sorry…

• Mariah Carey is going to appear in the March issue of Playboy… eeewwwwwww. Who’s next, Courtney Love?? Oh God why did I say that… Oh good God NO!!! Now that image has popped into my head and I have to gouge my brains out… son of a bit—
• Methinks Joe Biden’s presidential campaign has derailed even before it fully got on the tracks... at least he can help people with ‘things not to say when announcing your candidacy for president’
• Blog plug of the week: a new blog that I’m a part of (as are a few other of the usual suspects), The Supercoolest Book Club Ever
• Foreign countries where people have recently viewed my blog: Egypt, Netherlands, Thailand, Spain, United Kingdom, Japan, Australia, Sweden, Germany, India, Mexico, Canada, Singapore, and the Philippines. I’m international baby!!
• Mental iPod Song of the Day: Apparently, since they have rid the world of people downloading music for free from the internet, records companies are now scouring blogs and such looking for people illegally posting lyrics. Evidently, if you post the whole lyrics, you let the terrorists win. So with this I announce my retirement from posting song lyrics online and instead offer a hearty; “Fu** you!” to the entire recording industry.

40 Years and Counting…

My parent’s 40th Anniversary party went off without a hitch Saturday. Almost everyone who was invited came, including my mom’s Aunt (91 years young) and cousin who we have not seen in about five years, as well as friends of theirs from Peoria who they had not seen in about six years.

There was plenty of good food and good wine (we went through about 9 or 10 bottles of wine – my family are not a bunch of lushes, mind you, we just enjoy a good bottle of wine – that came from my Dad’s wine cellar).

Sidebar: my parents are really into wine and altered a walk-in closet in their basement into an ideal wine cellar. Life as retirees has its perks…

A wonderful time was had by all 55 people that attended.

Thier anniversary party serves as a nice segue into another story. A story that helps explains why I am the way I am when it comes to the little things.

Since they got married, my Dad has gotten my Mom roses on their anniversary – one for each year. This was their 40th anniversary, so when the doorbell rang Saturday morning and it was a delivery of flowers, no one was surprised.

The card read: "40 roses for 40 wonderful years"

Out of curiosity, I decided to count the roses… hmmm, only 28.

My mom counted and also found 28… hmmmmmmmm.

About 20 minutes go by and I tell my Dad that there are only 28 roses. He says to look again… I do… and now there’s a little red box in the flowers.

Aha...

I tell my Mom to count the flowers again, and she finds the box. In it, a heart-shaped pendant with 12 rubies (40th Anniversary stone) in the shape of… you guessed it… roses.

Forty years – and my Dad’s still got it.

Proof she's my kid

My parents celebrate their 40th Wedding Anniversary Sunday. We are throwing a party for them tomorrow, and while my brother uses his photo skills to make a picture collage, I'm using my video skills and making a video montage.

While scouring through pictures, I came across this one. It's of me when I was about 3 or 4 years old. The picture next to it is of The Peanut Butter at 4.

Ignoring the fact that she is exhibiting examples of being a world-class smart-ass like me, I can safely say I finally have hard evidence that she is mine...

From the files of The PB & The J

It dawned on me the other day that I hadn’t written about any tales of The Peanut Butter & The Jelly in a while. They must have sensed that, because they decided to do something about their lack of showing in my blog by themselves.

A couple of weeks ago, after yet another trip to the doctor to have The PB’s ear’s checked (she’s had an ear infection for 11 of the last 14 weeks), the pediatrician referred her to an Ear, Nose, Throat specialist to see about getting tubes put in her ears.

Last week it was decided, after much discussion, that she would indeed get tubes put in… ‘just like her little cousin’ (My youngest niece, 20 months old, had tubes put in the first of January).

The procedure was scheduled for Tuesday and it was decided that HoMu would take The PB to the hospital, while I would make sure The J got on the school bus.

HoMu and PB had to be at the hospital by 7:30… as they’re getting their coats on to leave, The J jumps out of bed, runs into the kitchen, and starts screaming that she doesn’t want her sister to go to the hospital. She wants her sister to go to school with her and sit next to her on the bus like they always do.

You can see it in her eyes; she’s worried about her sister going to the hospital and doesn’t like the idea of going to school without her.

We’re able to calm The J down, and as they’re about to leave, The J bear-hugs her sister for a solid half-minute (although it seemed more like 30 seconds…) and says; “I love you sissy. I’ll see you after school and we can play if you feel good.”

That twin-connection thing you always hear about… it’s real. And it’s one of the many reasons that I agree with Matthew when he says; “having twins is awesome.”

It is... it truly is...

The De-Lurker Knows...

It's de-lurking week.... so what are you waiting for? De-lurk already.

(I stole the picture from Gidge, who stole it from somebody else, so it's all good...)

Random Thoughts for a Thursday Afternoon

• Paula Abdul is going to play a “prominent” role in a live-action movie of the “Bratz” toy line… does this surprise, anyone?
• I read a report that trumpeted James Cameron’s return to directing. My question is, did anyone miss him?
• Things that make me believe there is a heaven: Reports of a lesbian relationship between Spanish beauty (and one of my '5' celebrities) Penelope Cruz and Mexican beauty (and another of my '5') Salma Hayek.
• Fark Headline of the Day: “Cold front moving into Colorado will drop the temperature 60 degrees overnight, from "jacket weather" to "has anybody seen where my testicles went?" Runner-up: ”Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro downgraded from Spalding to Elmer's.”
• We’re sending more troops to Iraq, the editor of PC World magazine was murdered, an Afghan insurgent helped bin Laden escape, and the “Headline” on CNN.com as I’m writing this post is about David Beckham moving to America… it’s just sad…
• The St Louis Cardinals re-signed Rick “Almost wild-pitched himself out of baseball only to try and become an outfielder who then got hurt and missed the entire World Series-winning season and is now desperately trying to resurrect anything that resembles a baseball career” Ankiel to a minor-league deal… why they did I have no idea…
• How long will Lovie Smith stick with Rex Grossman on Sunday? Apparently, that’s the ONLY news happening in Chicago this week.
• Should have posted this yesterday. A new drinking game for Bush’s speech last night. Take a shot every time Bush says “surge” “freedom,” “liberty,” “terrorists” and “troops.” Hope whoever came up with this game had 911 on hold…
• I just read that before getting behind Indiana Jones IV, George Lucas tried to recruit Harrison Ford for a Han Solo spin-off movie. Imagine the possibilities…
• Recent searches that have brought people to my slice of blogosphere heaven. “Girls with armpit hair” (that’s wrong on so many levels), “sahd wife”, “garth kemp birthday” (who the hell is garth kemp? It’s not another persona of Garth Brooks is it? Cuz one is enough…), “laurie berkner nude” (thanks QofS & SATGS), “where did legend of leprechauns originate” (thanks to my ever-popular St Pat’s day post)
• Gratuitous blog-plug of the week: I’d Like to Buy a Vowel
• In honor of “The King’s” birthday earlier this week, today’s Mental iPod Song of the Day is “Kentucky Rain”:

Seven lonely days
And a dozen towns ago
I reached out one night
And you were gone

Dont know why you'd run,
What youre running to or from
All I know is I want to bring you home
So I'm walking in the rain,
Thumbing for a ride
On this lonely kentucky backroad
I've loved you much too long
And my loves too strong
To let you go, never knowing
What went wrong

Kentucky rain keeps pouring down
And up aheads another town
That Ill go walking thru
With the rain in my shoes,
Searchin for you

In the cold kentucky rain,
In the cold kentucky rain

Showed your photograph
To some old gray bearded man
Sitting on a bench
Outside a genral store
They said yes, shes been here
But their memory wasnt clear
Was it yesterday,
No, wait the day before

So I finl'y got a ride
With a preacher man who asked
Where you bound on such a dark afternoon?
As we drove on thru the rain
As he listened I explained
And he left me with a prayer
That I’d find you

Kewl

I'm not one to brag about stuff... but I had to tell someone who might find it interesting, and I know a few of my faithful readers (if there are any) can appreciate this.

I am now the proud owner of Seasons 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 of "The West Wing".

Yes, you read that right.

All. Seven. Seasons.

Every single one. Even the so-called 'bad season' (season 5 for you non-"Wingers" out there)... I now own them all.

I've tried to push the idea of an ultimate "West Wing" marathon to Honey Mustard, but so far she seems dis-interested, so I thought I would throw the offer out to the blogosphere.

Any takers?

Random Thoughts for a Wednesday Afternoon

I appreciate the kind words many of you have left.

Honey Mustard asked me last night if I really wanted to stop the blog… I thought for a moment and told her; ‘I don’t know. At times I feel like I want to keep it going, other times I want to stop.”

So who knows what’s going to happen.

You can view this edition of Random Thoughts for a Wednesday Afternoon one of two ways; my Random Swan Song… or just another Random post…

• Can someone please tell Pat Robertson to STFU?? Anyone?? Please, I’m begging you…
  Let’s all keep Scott’s son in our thoughts and prayers while he goes through some medical testing to find out what’s going on with his stomach.
• For some reason this morning, as I was working, the movie “The Girl, the Gold Watch & Everything” popped into my head… strange, huh?
• Fark Headline of the Day: "A woman has become the Tower of London's first ever female Beefeater." Ya know, sometimes… the jokes just write themselves…
• Twin moms!! How would you like it if THIS happened to you??? A set of twins were the celebrated last baby of 2006 AND first baby of 2007. A set of twins born at Boston's New England Medical Center Sunday night accomplished this feat when the girl twin was born at 11:58 pm Sunday night (December 31st) and the boy twin was born at 12 AM, Monday (January 1st). Twins with different birthdays… interesting…
• If you were a teenage boy (or girl for that matter), and saw the headline: “Cheerleaders Run Amok in Texas", wouldn’t you immediately book a flight to Texas? I know I will would…
• Is it just me, or is New Years Eve drastically overrated?
• Is it just me, or are the Chicago Bears drastically overrated?
• With the change in Congress taking place tomorrow (whoo-hoo!!), why do I get the feeling that Lumpyhead’s Mom is going to be posting less and less…
• Phrases that brought people to my little corner of the blogosphere: “To Kill a Mockingbird by Harpee Lee” (that’s Harper!), “+"day after day" +appears +"night after night" +heart +"fade away"” (uh… okay), “edmund fitzgerald sinking reason” (quick reason: lots of water), “PMS irritable” (not even gonna touch that one…), “twelve weeks pregnant twins morning sickness worsening”, “lyrics for mr.mom with cords” (uh, I think you meant chords… do they not teach spelling in school anymore??)
• Today’s gratuitous word or phrase to get people to my blog (not that it ever works though): radiculopathy disc herniation
• High temperature of 48 degrees today… in Chicago… in January… is it just me or is there something fundamentally wrong with that?
• This week’s gratuitous blog-plug of the week is:
• Mental iPod song of the day: Johnny Cash’s “Hurt” from American IV: The Man Comes Around
  

I hurt myself today
to see if I still feel
I focus on the pain
the only thing that's real
the needle tears a hole
the old familiar sting
try to kill it all away
but I remember everything

what have I become?
my sweetest friend
everyone I know
goes away in the end
and you could have it all
my empire of dirt

I will let you down
I will make you hurt

I wear this crown of thorns
upon my liar's chair
full of broken thoughts
I cannot repair
beneath the stains of time
the feelings disappear
you are someone else
I am still right here

what have I become?
my sweetest friend
everyone I know
goes away in the end
and you could have it all
my empire of dirt

I will let you down
I will make you hurt

if I could start again
a million miles away
I would keep myselfI would find a way

Goodbye

After much thought (with myself) and discussion (with others)… I am 99.98% sure that I will be ending this blog sometime this week…

The readership has dwindled to less-than-obscure levels, the amount of comments/feedback I’m getting is almost non-existent, and the amount of time I have to post is, at this moment, just not there.

Having just re-discovered my ‘groove’ and my ‘muse’, this is a hard thing for me to decide… and I’ve flirted with this before, but this time it feels like the time has come to actually pull the trigger.

Having said all of that… stranger things have happened (look who our ‘president’ is), and maybe something will happen this week that will change my mind…

Or then again... maybe nothing will...

And no, this is not an attempt to illicit comments...