Inappropriate

So, I've been meaning to blog about the reality show Kid Nation for a while now. I haven't seen it. And I don't plan on seeing it. Perhaps I'm judging too quickly without the facts. Call me uptight or whatever. But, I think it's totally inappropriate to put young children in a reality show situation, and then on top of it, a survival situation. I know the producers probably played it up, but the one bit I saw was on Best Week Ever (and they certainly play things up) where this one child basically had a mini-breakdown. I would not be able to watch this show!! Yes, it's funny when the little drama queen, debutant girl pitches a fit about doing chores...but, I'm not sure this should be used as fodder for the American adult's sick sense of humor and obviously colossal appetite for drama. When is it going to end??!! I mean, I watch reality shows...I have a few favorites and I'm not proud of it :) But, they involve adults! People who, hopefully, can mentally handle whatever it is they've gotten themselves into.

Anyway, the reason why I finally posted my above thoughts is because I came across something else inappropriate yesterday. There is a catalog called What on Earth. I'm not even going to link to it, but one could find it on their own I suppose. I must say that I'm totally going to look through it for fun gifts to give people. But, the one on the cover struck me as so inappropriate. It's a Hillary Clinton nutcracker. And guess where the nuts are cracked? Between her thighs. The website actually says "Hillary the Thighmistress has rock-solid stainless steel thighs for getting the job done". The thighmistress!! Perhaps there is a double standard at work here, but how is that okay? The sexual and gender connotations are endless.

Cna yuo raed tihs?

So, all I can come up with for now after not posting for a little while is a bit of intellectualness:

fi yuo cna raed tihs, yuo hvae a sgtrane mnid too Cna yuo raed tihs? Olny 55 plepoe out of 100 can. i cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno't mtaetr in waht oerdr the ltteres in a wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whotuit a pboerlm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Azanmig huh?

McFunny

So, I was at the McDonald's website today. Why, you ask? Well, I've become a little obsessed with their nteenth round of Monopoly lately. It all started with a radio commercial. I never used to eat McDonald's. I stayed away from it after I worked there one summer about 10 years ago, not because I worked there, but because I don't really like the food (with the exception of the fries)...the food never seems fresh (at least Wendy's seems fresh even if it isn't). Anyway, I heard on the radio several months ago that McDonald's was now serving sweet tea for a buck. Well, it was a really hot day, and I was right near it because it's near the daycare. So, on that whim, I rolled up and bought my $1 sweet tea. It comes in a large cup and it is soooooo good. Ever since, I've been getting it a lot. And from other places, too (Wendy's has it now). It then blossomed into getting a little breakfast food and after all the Monopoly sticker thingys I've gotten, we're now going slightly out of our way to get more.

So, I'm looking at the menu online to see what I want. Well, let me just say that there must be a 21 year old running that place. The website is very new and hip looking. There's all these sound effects and what not. And even podcasts. Are you kidding? Who wants to listen to a McDonald's podcast? But, anyway, the best part of the website I've seen so far is when you go to check out what's on the dollar menu. The scene on the page is a hippie looking dude sitting in a room with stuff all over. First, he introduces you to the page. You can mouse over the stuff to see more as well as look at the menu. But, all the while, he's talking...random, "I'm a loser" sounding stuff, like wondering aloud what he should do that weekend (for example, stock up on carpet samples for his place). He just goes on and on. Funny stuff.

Open Mouths Closed

So, apparently we're in the "I should have kept my mouth shut" days right now.

First, today I hear about President Bush scaring everybody by saying that if people don't get on Iran's case more, we could be inviting World War III. Dude, lay off it and prepare to exit office. You're not helping right now.

Then, I hear about this renowned scientist who busted out some super racist, unfounded and just plain idiotic remarks...and then somehow was baffled by his own remarks. What?? Reminds me of Don Imus and the nappy headed hoes. Reminds me of Michael Richards and his comedy club rant. I love that people say things that are messed up and then agree they were completely untrue and wrong. I find that sad. I guess I'm not really trying to judge. Because I've said things that I had to think about first, but then after saying it realized I really didn't come to the right decision and should not have said it. But, I don't think its been anything egregious. And it just seems to be happening a lot lately and I'm annoyed by it. Just when you think we've progressed as a society, someone mucks it up and reminds us that we have a long way to go.

And we have so many priorities backwards, too. It's random, but I was just discussing Britney Spears with someone and how she's become so utterly ridiculous that its almost like its fiction. You're gonna tell me that a loving gay couple has to jump through all sorts of hoops to adopt and take care of a child that has been orphaned, but Britney Spears doesn't have to do anything to become a mother and screw it all up? As my friend would say, people should be required to take a test before having children. End rant.

Totally Totally

So, I said "totally" like 3 times in my last post. While I may be in danger of people stumbling across this blog and thinking I'm a shallow valley girl, I know that I am not one at heart :) When I turn off my formal writing, I really turn it off.

On a side note, I just heard about Body Worlds (The Anatomical Exhibition of Real Human Bodies) today. All I can say is "ew", yet it is very interesting. Though, I'm not sure how I feel about looking at flayed open people in person. They're coming back to Baltimore next year in February. Should I attempt to see it? Probably not. Do I want to see it? Totally.

Hoes and Toes

So, there was this nappy-headed ho driving along...

Just kidding. I'm not Don Imus. And the woman wasn't even African American. And how do you spell that ho anyway? Ho or still hoe? Anyway, my mom and I totally witnessed a guy and his bike pretty much get run over by a car yesterday. The woman driving didn't seem to see him as she made her left turn. And he didn't seem to realize she was going so he proceeded to cross in front of her kind of. Once the car made contact with him, you could tell he was trying to stop, but couldn't because the car was kind of taking him along with it. He eventually fell to the ground with the bike and I swear the car totally ran over his legs. My mom said she just ran over the bike, but it really looked to me like he was run over himself. Well, she stopped in the middle of the road, got out and went over to him. He had gotten up almost immediately and took his bike to the sidewalk. His legs seemed fine. I didn't even really detect a limp. Is it possible that getting your legs run over by a car might not fracture or break them?? If not, I guess it was just his bike that got ran over. We were the first car in line to turn right at the spot where she was turning left, so we saw it up close. As we went to make the turn, I rolled down the window and asked if they needed help. I don't think he understood what I said as he might not have understood English well. The woman talking to him in Spanish stopped and said he was okay. Normally, I might not have just taken her word for it, but the guy was standing over the front wheel of his bike and moving the handle bars as if he were trying to bend the bike back into shape. I guess if he had been hurt, he wouldn't be worried so much about the bike. So, we moved on. But, it was crazy.

Now, onto toes. I totally had an ingrown toenail. I know, gross, right? It was sooooo painful. I couldn't dance at my company party last weekend :( Well, I say "had" because I just had the ingrown part removed. Ew, it was bigger than I thought it would be and I can't believe it was all under the skin. Well, there's not much else to tell, but I can't get my toe wet until Saturday, so I'm not sure if I should attempt to take a shower without getting it wet, or bum it out tomorrow and work from home without showering. Wonderful options.

My World of Greatness

So, I got this really strange message on Reunion.com. I have a profile there for semi-keeping in touch with old classmates like classmates.com. I don't really keep up with this one, but I noticed in one of the billion update emails their system sends me that I had a message from someone. Regardless of the fact that the English is most likely not this person's first language, it is just weird...

hi sweetie GOD is amazingly great that some people were specially created and were blessed with are character, beauty and physique. And with all the profile i have seen and read in my entire whole life, this is the most fascinating and captivating. So such people that are specially made by God are still here and you are the best of all of them....I am cherry,single and searching for true love...i like your profile and i wanna be your friend so as to explore your world of greatness...you can add me on my yahoo i.d.....[email here] ......you can also send me yours so that i can add you.... God bless you an you give me this opportunity....Thanks.cherry.

What the hell is that? Their profile in the system has two pictures of a dude. But, not the same dude! Very weird. I can only imagine that if you email them, you get spammed or something. Otherwise, I'm glad someone thinks I am a world of greatness.

Ode to Spot

So, I thought I would share a little bit of Star Trek Humor. From The Next Generation show, to be exact. I am not really a Trekkie, per se, but I certainly love Star Trek. I've been watching re-runs. I, in fact, have at least 50 Voyager re-runs on my computer that's I've been hoarding thanks to TiVo (again, love technology). I recently came upon a TNG episode where Data has taken up writing poetry. It of course is a miserable, yet hilarious failure due to his lack of emotion. I find it very funny, though others may not. It is interesting that all of the Star Trek installments have found humor in the characters that exihibit little to no emotion. Data being one of the ones that provides the most humor. Warf being my next favorite. Anyway, here is Data's poem about his cat, Spot. Very cleverly written in classic Data fashion.

Ode to Spot

Felis Cattus, is your taxonomic nomenclature,
an endothermic quadruped carnivorous by nature?
Your visual, olfactory and auditory senses
contribute to your hunting skills, and natural defenses.
I find myself intrigued by your subvocal oscillations,
a singular development of cat communications
that obviates your basic hedonistic predilection
for a rhythmic stroking of your fur, to demonstrate affection.
A tail is quite essential for your acrobatic talents;
you would not be so agile if you lacked its counterbalance.
And when not being utilized to aide in locomotion,
it often serves to illustrate the state of your emotion.
O Spot, the complex levels of behavior you display
connote a fairly well-developed cognitive array.
And though you are not sentient, Spot, and do not comprehend,
I nonetheless consider you a true and valued friend.

Ayo Technology

I love technology. The new thing for this round of fall TV is Pilot previews prior to them actually airing. We watched the pilot for Bionic Woman, Journeyman, and The Big Bang Theory through our TiVo. I wish all new shows on all networks did this so we can weed them out before watching on regular TV. The Bionic Woman was cool enough. I'm not extremely pressed to watch it, but I'm definitely interested. I like the leading lady more than I thought I would. As for Journeyman...pure bombness. I loved the pilot and I can't wait to see where it goes. It's like a nuevo Quantum Leap and now I know that I must make it a point to catch it even if it conflicts with another show on another network. The Big Bang Theory, while a sitcom (and I don't tend to watch sitcoms anymore) was quite funny. The problem for me with sitcoms is that they are usually good, but lack the substance I would prefer. So I prefer dramas (usually scifi related)...the 1 hour shows that I've come to love. But, I could possibly make room for this one.

My Husband's Dream

Your baby's bound to be an Athlete


What's Your Baby's Claim to Fame?

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A Month in the Life...

"Oh man I was gonna post something today."
"Oooh I really want to blog about that."

Those are just a couple of the lines that have gone through my head in the last month. Well, here I am. Better late than never. Life is grand, but also hectic...especially with an infant. Mitch will be 5 months old next week. Amazing. He's soooo big. Right before we were about to go shopping at Target for some bigger clothes, we decided to check the "too big" stuff we already had at home...and ended up shopping at home :) Almost everything we had will now fit him or will soon. We're ridiculous for almost buying more clothes. Anyway, I have been saving up blog topics, and in fact jotted them down (okay, typed into my Treo) so here they are. Now that I think about it, they aren't that interesting. But, they make up the general contents of my life in the last month.

The first thing is a hilarious situation my new little family found itself in several weeks ago. Ted was holding the baby in the sling we have (fabric thing that slings around you kinda like a messenger bag, but the baby is the bag and is in the front) and we heard a very unpleasant "bathroom" sound. We decided to delude ourselves for a little while and say that it was just sound and no substance. Bad idea. It was all substance. As we realized after bringing the baby upstairs, it was essentially liquid poop. I won't go into too much more detail, but suffice it to say, he was absolutely covered to the point where we had to cut off his clothing. Yes, we cut the clothing off of the child. Ted had to cover his nose with his shirt while I used umpteen wipes to clean the baby. We then gave him a bath. It was gross, but hilarious. The baby didn't really think so, though. He cried the whole time.

We also went to visit my parents at the beach...twice. The first weekend was ruined (in my, new mom, obsessed with documenting my first child, eyes) because we forgot half of his cute little outfit that I wanted to capture on video. Hey, the kid needed a hat to protect from the sun, too! Without it, disaster :) So, I got over it and it was still fun because I got to see my older sister and she got to see Mitch, but we came back the next weekend, outfit in tow. It was fun and I got to see my little sister this time. We took video and pictures and all was well. Disaster averted.

Now on to more somber news. I'm pissed because I got my period back. That's ideally not supposed to happen as long as you're nursing, but it does happen. And it did. And to top it off, it started the very day that I gloated to my coworkers at lunch that I didn't have it. Oh well, a few months of bliss is better than none.

Last but not least, I wanted to mention Michael Vick and the dogfighting charges he's come upon. Well, I had a whole rant or something, but the story has lost its appeal to me at this point, so I'll spare any readers my point of view. Let's just say that I'm glad Michael Vick hasn't been a total ignorant ass about being caught doing something horrible and I hope the situation has informed other people who are truly ignorant of this crime.

And, sorta like evolver, let's see if I can keep up with my blogging :)

For the Love of Movies

So, what was great about the 90's? 1993 in particular? Well, don't think too hard because I'm not going to tell you what I think was. But, what I can say is one thing that was not great. The movie Doppelganger. It's no secret that I'm a scifi nut. So, when the TiVo suggested this movie, we thought it might be decent. It's about, surprise...a doppelganger, or supposed one anyway. And it had Drew Barrymore in it. Interesting on the surface, yeah? Well, it was horrible. It was the worst movie ever. It was so badly done...the direction sucked (which I totally pay attention to more now because of watching On the Lot on TV), there were so many holes in the story and just a problem with the continuity of the movie in general. The acting was also very lacking, especially in Drew's case, which is unfortunate, because she's pretty cool. Though this was obviously prior to her comeback. There was even a part in the movie where I thought it was a joke. I literally thought they were being facetious, but were really being serious. That scene was like watching a skit put on by children.

Anyway, I've been really busy and decided that when I found time to blog, I would write about that ridiculous movie. We've been watching more movies in general since the Amazon Unbox service started up with TiVo access. They have specials every weekend where you can rent a movie for 99 cents! It goes right to our TiVo and we can keep it for 30 days. This past weekend, we watched The Holiday with Kate Winslet, Jack Black, Jude Law, and Cameron Diaz. It was good, but there wasn't enough Kate and Jack. Too much Jude and Cameron. Though I do like me some Jude. Jack Black's character was sweet but funny in a Jack Black way. I love him. I wonder if that's how he is in real life.

I also saw the new Harry Potter film with Phillip. Hubby saw it the day before :) Gotta love scheduling around the baby. The movie was good, but not as good as the previous ones. I found it difficult to connect with anyone and it seemed like they were trying to squeeze too much stuff into the movie which made it seem to lack real substance. Oh well, had to happen sometime. Though I was convinced each one would be awesome. I also read the first Harry Potter book. Well, I have a little more left, but I read more than 3/4 of it in a day. Like I expected, it was simple...a little excruciating for me, but a fun story. I'm not sure I'll continue...I don't have tons of time. I'd rather spend reading time reading Stephen King :) I just finished the Dark Tower series finally. What an ending!! Wow.

The Idiot and the Wizard

That sounds like a book title...sort of. Anyway, it's my dumb way of introducing two stories I came upon today. The first is about the last Harry Potter book coming out soon. I haven't said anything about it until now because, frankly, I don't care that much. I haven't read them. I've seen the movies and I absolutely love them. It's the only movie series I can think of that has had 4 great movies (and will probably have more great ones). Alien is the only movie I can think of that has three more to go with it, but they weren't each completely awesome. Anyway, I have read a little of the first book. It didn't impress me. I think my mind is too narrow when it comes to books. I pretty much read Stephen King. Everything else fiction is compared to that...and it's hard to top him. I know that's not fair to compare everything to him...and in some cases it is completely apples and oranges, but that's my dumb mind. I also need complicated writing to read...helps keep my brain sharp as a needle!

As for the article that I saw today, it was about how copies of the book have popped up early in stores and been sent to customers who bought it online. That's funny, I thought the book wasn't released yet. Oh, I see...consumerism kicked in and mean retailers let it get out anyway :) And then someone did a review on the book. They didn't reveal the most deep of secrets in the book, but they did reveal some stuff. Lame. True fans may not care that much and will not be deterred, but it still kinda sucks.

The other article was just a funny little thing about an idiot who called 911 to help him because he was surrounded by police. The police didn't actually do anything to him...he was just a drunk idiot. Lotsa those running around I reckon.

Human Failure

What is the world coming to? What in the hell is wrong with people? Tonight, I have heard about two extremely disturbing things. I almost hesitate to mention them because they are ridiculous to me and a real downer. Feel free not to read if you are in a good mood. I was listening to the radio and the DJs on WPGC were discussing these items and taking emotional calls from listeners. I had to get out of the car at the time, but I looked up the two stories online. I almost wish I hadn't.

The first one is completely unconscionable. It is about a young woman in Wichita, Kansas who lay bleeding on the floor of a convenience store while patrons stepped over her. No one did anything for 2 minutes. She struggled there, while at least five people did nothing. And the really disgusting part: someone had the nerve to snap a photo of the dying woman with her cell phone. I literally feel sick thinking about this story. There's an accompanying video that goes into some detail. It's unfathomable to me. A psychologist says it may have been because of group think. Group think my ass you ridiculous, ignorant people. It is alarmingly sad how weak people can be psychologically. I'm not saying I am not susceptible to errors in judgement due to psychological factors. But, give me a freaking break people. Absolutely disgusting. But, it may have also been a "street code" thing. One of the listeners called into the radio station I heard this on and ranted on and on about how there's a code of the street and you don't snitch and go telling about stuff like that. Ugh. I don't claim to know one damn thing about the street, being street, or surviving on the street, but ugh is all I can say. Oh, and the woman died. The 2 minutes of idiocy may have saved her life. They know what happened because of store surveillance footage. I hope they track down those people and do something...anything to punish them. If this situation doesn't fall under some failure to render aid law, it should.

The second story is on par with the first. But, I suppose a little more believable in that it happened in a supposedly dangerous housing project where violence is common, and therefore neighborly response is expected to be lower. In West Palm Beach, Florida (a few miles away from the rich folk), a mother and son were brutally beaten and raped by teenagers. This went on for 3 hours. As if receiving this torturous treatment from assailants isn't bad enough, the mother was forced to perform oral sex on the son. Absolutely unbelievable to me that no one did anything in response to the screaming. One stupid little call to 911 would have done it, but you know..."snitches get stitches" as the article mentions. A resident actually said to a reporter "So a lady was raped. Big deal" "There's too much other crime happening here." That is sad. And no one will be punished for failure to render aid here as it was just another occurrence behind closed doors. I could never live in a place where rape is considered getting off easy and I have to fear for my life because of trying to save someone else's.

But, I have that choice, don't I...What's dreadful is that these things happen all the time and have always been happening. Yet, the world still turns. I live my happy little life with my great job, health care, my Palm Treo and my TiVo, my silly little complaints, and the choice of living where not cutting your grass or painting your door the wrong color is a big deal, while millions of people live in abominable conditions, suffer miserable existences, and cannot trust their fellow man when the chips are down.

Hot Bangin' Super Sexy

So, on the way to pick up my hubby from the metro, there's this hold up in the road. I quickly see that the hold up is being caused by a person. A man...a scraggly looking man...a very scraggly drunk looking man who is moseying across the street as if there aren't like 10 cars on either side. He finally gets out of the way and proceeds to pull his pants down as he continues to walk to the bus stop area. His underwear looked at least a month old and had a lovely shade of brown running down the middle. Definitely not hot, bangin', or super sexy (the name of a new song I heard on the radio today).

Then, as we pull up to the house, I notice something near the communal trash can...plastic...plastic in the shape of a torso...plastic in the shape of a female torso with boobs and everything laying on the ground. It's just the front half, like you could place it on the front of yourself like a body-fitting shield. It's probably packaging for something...but what? Do I really want to know? Honestly, the first thing that came to my mind was that it belonged to someone who wanted to be hot bangin' super sexy. Ew. Ideas are welcome on what it is...

As a side note...why doesn't blogger have an underline button in the post creation area? I know how to do it with html, but why isn't there a button like for bold and italics? I actually have two other suggestions for blogger now that I think about it: don't make me log in when posting comments to my own blog. And it would be great if I didn't have to do the verification thingy either. And don't alert me via email when I post a comment to my own blog. I know I just posted one.

Hot, Hot, Hot

I'm officially complaining. It is toooooooooooo hot. 100 degrees today. That is not acceptable to me. 100 degrees! I hate hot weather. I like warm weather. It is never a nice day to me when it is really hot, I don't care how sunny it is. I had to gallavant around town today, all the while baking my baby, because he needed to see the pediatrician and then I had to get medicine from the pharmacy. We weren't out all that long I suppose, but it felt like forever. I'm starting to think that Seattle is really the best place to live. It supposedly never gets too cold or too hot...and there are no earthquakes, tornadoes, or hurricanes. I could probably get used to the rain, but my hair wouldn't like it much. I guess I could just get braids...then I'd be set. But, it's soooooo far away from here. Not that I know all that many people, but I've sorta set up shop here and have been here for about 10 years. My parents no longer live in Seattle...just my little sister. But, she may not stay forever. Sigh...I'm probably destined to live in the DC area with it's mid-atlantic weather forever. Until I move.

Happy Belated Independence Day!

I just kinda noticed that I didn't mention Independence Day in my post on the 4th of July. Perhaps it was because I no longer really pay much attention to many holidays, even the ones that I should because they really mean something. Or maybe it was because I learned in a history class recently that the Declaration of Independence was actually signed on July 2nd. I didn't so much as see a firework (hehe I don't think you can make that word singular, but it's funny to do it). I did hear some, though. I think I'll be more into it in a few years when little Mitch can enjoy it. Or he may just scream because it's scary. Hopefully the former...

As a side note, blogger is pissing me off because it's hit or miss with being able to actually get my cursor in the Title field while typing posts...

And When I Die

Boy, I'm just bloggin' it up, aren't I. Today is a little different because my baby has a cold :( and he slept a lot today. Anyway, we watched an episode of Medium tonight from the last season (we're so behind) and it had a song in it that really caught my ear. Don't know why...but when I looked up the lyrics, I thought they were great. It's a song called "And When I Die" by Blood, Sweat, & Tears. I totally bought it on iTunes, too. We're talking early 70's here (1969 anyway). The song sounds a little hokey (make note of the yee-haw in the middle of the song), but there's a part in the end (the part that grabbed me on the show) that is slower and sounded very piercing to me...dunno why it struck such a chord with me...maybe because lately, my relatives keep dying. My grandmother died soon after my baby was born. My mom's cousin just died of cancer way too young and randomly within like a month of finding out she had it, and my dad's uncle just died. Getting old sucks. So does cancer. Anyway, here are the lyrics for your reading enjoyment.

********
I'm not scared of dyin',
And I don't really care
If it's peace you find in dyin', well then,
Let the time be near
If it's peace you find in dyin',
And if dyin' time is near
Just bundle up my coffin,
'Cause it's cold way down there,
I hear that it's cold way down there, yeah
Crazy cold way down there

And when I die,
And when I'm gone
There'll be, one child born
In this world to carry on, to carry on

Now troubles are many,
They're as deep as a well
I can swear there ain't no Heaven,
But I pray there ain't no hell
Swear there ain't no Heaven,
And I'll pray there ain't no hell
But I'll never know by livin',
Only my dyin' will tell,
Yes, only my dyin' will tell, yeah
Only my dyin' will tell

And when I die,
And when I'm gone
There'll be, one child born
In this world to carry on, to carry on, yeah yeah

Yee-haw!

Give me my freedom
For as long as I be
All I ask of livin'
Is to have no chains on me
All I ask of livin'
Is to have no chains on me
And all I ask of dyin'
Is to go naturally
Only wanna go naturally
Here I go! hey hey

Here come the devil, right behind
Look out children, here he come,
Here he come, hey

Don't wanna go by the devil
Don't wanna go by the demon
Don't wanna go by Satan
Don't wanna die uneasy
Just let me go naturally

And when I die,
And when I'm dead, dead and gone
There'll be one child born
In our world to carry on, to carry on, yeah yeah

8 Things

So, I saw this on Phillip's blog, and it was posted semi-recently, so I'm doing it. If anyone still reads my blog after my pregnancy/baby-induced semi-hiatus, perhaps it will provide some semi-entertainment (that semi- didn't belong...I just put it there because I had used it genuinely twice already and figured I'd do it again).

THE RULES
1. All right, here are the rules.
2. We have to post these rules before we give you the facts.
3. Players start with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
4. People who are tagged write their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.
5. At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.
********
8 things about moi...(I may have already used one or more of these before, but I don't care...)

1. The first habit that I just have to do (call it an OCD tendency if you want): tap on my soda cans with my fingernail prior to opening them in a certain rhythm "tap-tap tap-tap". I've been doing this for over 10 years without fail (I think) since me and a friend devised it in high school (I have no idea why)

2. The second habit that I just have to do (there are 4 total): Say either out loud or if necessary, in my head "and knowing is half the battle" whenever I read, hear, or say myself "Now I know" or "Now you know". Yes, this is from the little semi-"public service announcement" after the GI Joe cartoon and has been done for at least 5 years, definitely more but I'm not certain of how long so I don't want to fabricate...

3. The third habit I just have to do: Do eenie-meenie-minee-moe (how the hell do you spell that) in order to choose which fortune cookie to eat after ordering Chinese food. It always ends in "and you are not it" so I actually do this over and over until only one fortune cookie is left. I have been doing this for 10 years at least, probably more...I think since I was a young child. I usually say it in my head, but point to the different cookies. But I even point at them in my head (with my eyes) while in a group of people (because I would never bust that with people around). It sucks when there are a lot of cookies. I distinctly remember being pissed when I was younger because when my family would eat Chinese out, people would sometimes take one before I got finished (there are 6 people in my family, so that's at least 6 cookies). And I'd have to start all over! Oh, and I have to eat the whole cookie before I can read the fortune...

4. The fourth and final habit: This is a new one, but if I think about something bad happening to my baby...even the slightest little thought, I have to knock on wood. Even if it's not a real knock, just a tap, or a brush, with a finger, hand, or foot. And even if it's a wood derivative! If there's no wood around, chipboard and paper will do.

5. I really like using ellipses when I write, especially e-mails, though I use them way too much and usually go back and edit them out. I don't know why I like them...especially at the end of sentences going into another sentence or phrase.

6. I don't like thinking bad thoughts about people for fear that they or someone around me is psychic.

7. If I say or do something stupid that's hurts someone's feelings, or makes them react a certain way, I remember it and re-live how bad I felt for having said or done it for years...

8. I am lazy and it takes considerable effort not to be...and I don't always succeed (though having a baby has cured this somewhat).
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So now you know. And yes, knowing is half the battle.

No one to tag really...so if you read this...have at it if you want.

It's All About the Benjamins

I really thought I was seeing things yesterday on the way home from the store. There are some townhouses and houses being built and they had signs up advertising them. Now, the townhouses said "from $600,000". For this area, that is normal. I would never buy a townhouse for that much personally...it better be a single family house for that much. But, then next to that little development, I saw a sign for some future single family homes that said starting at 1.1 million! Are you kidding me?? That's insane...we live near some richy rich areas, but this is not one of them. Apparently some people would like to make it one. It's all about the Benjamins, spending it and making it. But, seriously, which people around here are going to buy those homes? Maybe I'm out of touch. Very possible since we don't get out that much. Sigh...we plan on buying a nicer home than the starter townhouse that we have now, maybe in 2 or 3 years. But, not at that price. It will most likely be at least $400,000 if we want a single family home. You could get a near-mansion for that much in other places. But, if you live in the DC Metro area, forget it. Man this area sucks.