Didn't Snow White, she of Disney fame, once sing:
"A dream is a wish your heart makes..."?
Jeez, I sure hope not.
Sometimes I have very, very strange dreams. And the weirdness factor ratchets up depending on what drugs I've taken. Over-the-counter drugs, mind you. I can take Tylenol and end up dreaming about singing Adele songs in perfect harmony with my dad.
Earlier this week I had a few teeth pulled and the doctor gave me Vicodin. I'm very cautious with it of course. I don't like taking it unless I really, really have to and then I try to hold out until I know I can be completely comatose on the couch or in bed. The pressure and swelling in my cheek bone area has gotten worse right before bed so I took 800 mg. of ibuprophen. And then I started dreaming...
Someone was stealing my diabetes medicine only I kept calling it my medicare medicine and it wasn't my regular medicine. It was a huge, huge plastic needle, like the kind that comes in a kiddos play doctor kit. And I kept poking my finger with it to draw blood. It was bizarre.
Sometimes my dreams are in direct line with something I've watched recently. I think that happens to a lot of people so I'm not alone in that regard, but they certainly are more vivid depending on the medicine I've taken. Much more detail and depth to them.
And then I have other dreams that are very, very good. I wake up totally happy, literally with a smile on my sleepy face. Dreams of traveling and seeing different places. Seeing different cultures or meeting up with old friends.
Rarely do my dreams contain turmoil or drama. Sometimes, of course, but not as often as the outright bizarre ones.
I also often dream of those that have passed. My Nan is a frequent visitor. Mostly she doesn't say much in them. Sometimes we don't talk at all. But she's there, puttering around in her kitchen. One time she sat behind me on a bus with Pops. I tried to talk to her, ask her where she was going but she wouldn't answer. She got off the bus and I couldn't follow, no matter how hard I tried. It doesn't take a genius to analyze those kind. They are sad but leave me feeling a bit happy because I saw her again. And I miss her so, so much, just to see her face is wonderful!
Sometimes I try to "plan" on what I'm going to dream about. A topic, a scenario. Sometimes it works in a general way but more often than not it becomes some sort of odd twist on the subject.
My imagination tends to run away with me in my dreams. It kind of beats not having dreams at all, I suppose.
Things you can find on Google
So the little boys are watching a cartoon and the pig on the cartoon has teeth. I really wasn't sure if pigs even had teeth, to be quite honest, I've never been that up close and personal to find out! I guess I figured they did but obviously not big ones if you didn't notice them in 42 years, right?
Anyway...I Googled "do pigs have teeth" and the first answer comes up and says, "yes, and if you want to get rid of a dead body make sure you have about 16 pigs. Their teeth cuts through bone like butter".
Good to know. Thanks Google!
Anyway...I Googled "do pigs have teeth" and the first answer comes up and says, "yes, and if you want to get rid of a dead body make sure you have about 16 pigs. Their teeth cuts through bone like butter".
Good to know. Thanks Google!
Cars
My dad built 4 of these cars, my brother built 1. Their talent is amazing and the cars are awesome!
Monsoon season
Living in the desert, we have what is called monsoon. I call it the "false promises and major disappointment" season. It actually is a season of high winds and high temperatures and sometimes brings a bit of rain. Sometimes a haboob. A haboob is a major dust storm, starting with a wall of dust that moves from one side of the valley to the other. Check out the Phoenix Haboob on YouTube sometime. It's quite amazing.
Every afternoon we watch the clouds build up over the mountains behind our house. We watch them get darker and sink lower. It's kind of pretty. Then, the thunder starts. Loud booms of thunder that we hope promises rain. Lightning flashes in those dark clouds. And then...
Nothing. A big, fat nothing. Not one stinking drop of rain. There is wind and there is dust. No rain.
Other parts of the valley get rain, mostly the east side. Over here on the west side best side we get nada. It's a bit discouraging.
It is fun to watch though, and try to guess what Mother Nature will decide to do.
Every afternoon we watch the clouds build up over the mountains behind our house. We watch them get darker and sink lower. It's kind of pretty. Then, the thunder starts. Loud booms of thunder that we hope promises rain. Lightning flashes in those dark clouds. And then...
Nothing. A big, fat nothing. Not one stinking drop of rain. There is wind and there is dust. No rain.
Other parts of the valley get rain, mostly the east side. Over here on the west side best side we get nada. It's a bit discouraging.
It is fun to watch though, and try to guess what Mother Nature will decide to do.
I'm sure this is not what you were expecting
I've had a lot of views lately on my little blog here. Periodically I check the "audience" and see which countries have viewers. I can also check to see where links to my blog come from.
Sometimes viewers use Google and sometimes they just go directly to the blog, if they are regular readers and think to look. I've used Network Blogs to link from Facebook but I've gotten off of Facebook so that doesn't work anymore. Anyway, I noticed today that there were quite a few views from Russia. And the biggest traffic source was from some coded link. I clicked the link...and was directed to a site that came with a suitability warning and an offer on learning the art of female seduction.
I have no earthly clue how that happens, how you can be on that site and click on something within that link and it directs you to this blog.
If you were directed here by that site in hopes of learning the art of female seduction, sorry to disappoint. I do hope though, that while you were here, maybe you browsed and found something of interest. If not, here's a recipe that might help with that seduction. Girls love dessert :)
Strawberry Cheesecake Cobbler
Sometimes viewers use Google and sometimes they just go directly to the blog, if they are regular readers and think to look. I've used Network Blogs to link from Facebook but I've gotten off of Facebook so that doesn't work anymore. Anyway, I noticed today that there were quite a few views from Russia. And the biggest traffic source was from some coded link. I clicked the link...and was directed to a site that came with a suitability warning and an offer on learning the art of female seduction.
I have no earthly clue how that happens, how you can be on that site and click on something within that link and it directs you to this blog.
If you were directed here by that site in hopes of learning the art of female seduction, sorry to disappoint. I do hope though, that while you were here, maybe you browsed and found something of interest. If not, here's a recipe that might help with that seduction. Girls love dessert :)
Strawberry Cheesecake Cobbler
I quit
I quit Facebook. I quit MSN. 2 problem children out of my life.
The breakup with Facebook is bittersweet. I really like keeping up on my family and friends posts and pictures but it became such a waste of my time and a breeding ground for meanness. It was poison.
I quit MSN as my homepage and switched to AOL. I don't like AOL. But what I don't like even more is that MSN forces me to use Bing as my search engine. It also freezes my screen no matter what I do to let Bing "search" for me, even if I'm just trying to scroll down. AOL does not give me the news the way I like it. It gives me video. Video for everything. And they have the Huffington Post as their news source. Have to say I'm not a huge fan. However, it beats getting stuck in Bingville all the time.
I am in a simplifying stage in my life, trying to let the negative out and the positive in. I can't say that not having these two things are a huge deal in the greater scheme of things. It's a social site and a search engine! But, I don't feel as much irritation as I once did. And not being irritated is a positive thing. :)
The breakup with Facebook is bittersweet. I really like keeping up on my family and friends posts and pictures but it became such a waste of my time and a breeding ground for meanness. It was poison.
I quit MSN as my homepage and switched to AOL. I don't like AOL. But what I don't like even more is that MSN forces me to use Bing as my search engine. It also freezes my screen no matter what I do to let Bing "search" for me, even if I'm just trying to scroll down. AOL does not give me the news the way I like it. It gives me video. Video for everything. And they have the Huffington Post as their news source. Have to say I'm not a huge fan. However, it beats getting stuck in Bingville all the time.
I am in a simplifying stage in my life, trying to let the negative out and the positive in. I can't say that not having these two things are a huge deal in the greater scheme of things. It's a social site and a search engine! But, I don't feel as much irritation as I once did. And not being irritated is a positive thing. :)
So far, so ... eh
I have an iPhone. I'm not in love with the iPhone. I like having a smartphone, but I'd rather it not be an iPhone. Live and learn. Anyway...
I've started to venture into a few apps. Pandora is a favorite. Who doesn't like free music? I don't mind a few ads every now and again. I downloaded the Kindle app. Ehh. It's an iPhone so the screen is small but it serves a purpose if I'm bored somewhere, standing in line somewhere, waiting in a doctor's office somewhere. I've downloaded a few free books from Book Bub. I'm too cheap to pay for any of them so I just get the free ones.
And, holy cow! They are bad. I should probably research more and see if these little nuggets are self-published but the truth of the matter is, I don't really care. No matter how bad they are, I seem to get sucked in! I'm suckered by the "what happens next" every single time. Once I start it I have to see how it ends. Not that any of the characters are overly interesting. The writing is so-so. But curiosity gets the better of me. Every stinkin time!
If it is so horribly written I can't make sense of it, I have no problem leaving it. But if it is even remotely interesting, if there is even a little bit of a hook...curiosity takes over. It's even worse if there is series. I will read every one just because now I really have to see how it turns out. A 3 book series? I will suffer through them all just to see how it all ends.
Pathetic, I know.
I've started to venture into a few apps. Pandora is a favorite. Who doesn't like free music? I don't mind a few ads every now and again. I downloaded the Kindle app. Ehh. It's an iPhone so the screen is small but it serves a purpose if I'm bored somewhere, standing in line somewhere, waiting in a doctor's office somewhere. I've downloaded a few free books from Book Bub. I'm too cheap to pay for any of them so I just get the free ones.
And, holy cow! They are bad. I should probably research more and see if these little nuggets are self-published but the truth of the matter is, I don't really care. No matter how bad they are, I seem to get sucked in! I'm suckered by the "what happens next" every single time. Once I start it I have to see how it ends. Not that any of the characters are overly interesting. The writing is so-so. But curiosity gets the better of me. Every stinkin time!
If it is so horribly written I can't make sense of it, I have no problem leaving it. But if it is even remotely interesting, if there is even a little bit of a hook...curiosity takes over. It's even worse if there is series. I will read every one just because now I really have to see how it turns out. A 3 book series? I will suffer through them all just to see how it all ends.
Pathetic, I know.
Happy New Year!
The beginning of the school year feels like the beginning of the new year, more so than January 1st does. To me it does, anyway. We call it "the most wonderful time of the year", mimicking that Christmas song. The children are not amused.
But each and every school year, I feel that rush, that excitement of things starting over, of new things beginning. I LOVE buying school supplies! I'm such a nerd. Now that they are older it's all about regular, boring yellow #2 pencils and primary colored folders. BORING. I miss the days of art deco pencils and folders with pictures of horses, kittens or seascapes on them. Those were for me, by the way, not the boys. They favored bikes and skateboards and skulls. Magic markers and the jumbo, buy 5 get 20 free, packages of glue sticks. Now it's just plain black composition books, pens with black or blue ink and a bazillion packages of wide-ruled notebook paper. Back in my day I wanted a Trapper-Keeper. Not a generic one. THE original Trapper-Keeper. They had their own commercials! Maybe I'm not paying attention but I don't think the name brand is participating in that over the top kind of marketing anymore. Some schools don't even want you to have a Trapper, generic or otherwise.
I hated school clothes shopping when I was a kid. Mostly because I could never, ever find shoes to fit. Even if I had found great tops and shorts or pants, the whole entire trip would be ruined over shoes. Too small, too narrow, rubbed my heel, all the really cute, adorable ones never, ever worked out. "Sorry, we just don't have anything in girls or ladies shoes that will fit her width". Boys tennis shoes would fit though. Which is great for a young lady in middle school. I still have that problem so I mostly resort to flip flops whenever I can.
However, there were several school years that my Grandma Roer made me and my cousins special dresses. I looked forward to it and couldn't wait for the first day of school just so I could wear it. My cousin Shelly and I, when we went to the same school for awhile, would make sure we weren't wearing the matching dresses on the same day. I usually wore them with flip flops or on P.E. days, those damn boys tennis shoes!
Back in those days we had metal lunch boxes with a thermos inside. I wanted one so, so bad. All day long I would think about it. I would point out the ones that interested me when we went to the store. And worried that I wouldn't get one the closer it got to school and I didn't have it in my greedy little hands yet. And then, it happened. My step great grandma (bless her, was trying really hard) brought over a light blue plastic Snoopy one that was oblong and not square. Not anywhere at any time had I ever pointed THAT one out. I was ungrateful, not to her face, but ungrateful nonetheless. Still, the first day of school I used that Snoopy lunch box because I HAD a lunchbox and it was kind of a status symbol to have one. Eventually it just became easier to not have one more thing to carry back and forth to school so I stopped using it altogether. Sad. Just sad. The boys always prefer eating "hot lunch" at the cafeteria. Not because it tastes good or is super nutritious, but because it's easier. Neither of them want to make decisions on what to have for lunch, make it, pack it, lug it. They will eat what's in front of them. Even the stereotypical "mystery meat". Trust me, sometimes it really is mystery meat.
So, about 3 1/2 weeks from now, the new school year will start. Most of the kids will be wearing new clothes and new shoes. Have fresh hair cuts. Most of the staff (this girl included) will, too. They will be excited at being in a grade higher, seeing their friends again after a long break and just be ready for what the new year has to offer. It's fun to watch.
I need to make a mental note to look back at this post when the actual new year arrives and remind myself that I love my job, to get over the frustrations and the overwhelming feeling of being "done" by that time and just appreciate the fact that they are still learning new things, even if it doesn't feel like it. All without the help of a metal lunch box or a Trapper Keeper.
But each and every school year, I feel that rush, that excitement of things starting over, of new things beginning. I LOVE buying school supplies! I'm such a nerd. Now that they are older it's all about regular, boring yellow #2 pencils and primary colored folders. BORING. I miss the days of art deco pencils and folders with pictures of horses, kittens or seascapes on them. Those were for me, by the way, not the boys. They favored bikes and skateboards and skulls. Magic markers and the jumbo, buy 5 get 20 free, packages of glue sticks. Now it's just plain black composition books, pens with black or blue ink and a bazillion packages of wide-ruled notebook paper. Back in my day I wanted a Trapper-Keeper. Not a generic one. THE original Trapper-Keeper. They had their own commercials! Maybe I'm not paying attention but I don't think the name brand is participating in that over the top kind of marketing anymore. Some schools don't even want you to have a Trapper, generic or otherwise.
I hated school clothes shopping when I was a kid. Mostly because I could never, ever find shoes to fit. Even if I had found great tops and shorts or pants, the whole entire trip would be ruined over shoes. Too small, too narrow, rubbed my heel, all the really cute, adorable ones never, ever worked out. "Sorry, we just don't have anything in girls or ladies shoes that will fit her width". Boys tennis shoes would fit though. Which is great for a young lady in middle school. I still have that problem so I mostly resort to flip flops whenever I can.
However, there were several school years that my Grandma Roer made me and my cousins special dresses. I looked forward to it and couldn't wait for the first day of school just so I could wear it. My cousin Shelly and I, when we went to the same school for awhile, would make sure we weren't wearing the matching dresses on the same day. I usually wore them with flip flops or on P.E. days, those damn boys tennis shoes!
Back in those days we had metal lunch boxes with a thermos inside. I wanted one so, so bad. All day long I would think about it. I would point out the ones that interested me when we went to the store. And worried that I wouldn't get one the closer it got to school and I didn't have it in my greedy little hands yet. And then, it happened. My step great grandma (bless her, was trying really hard) brought over a light blue plastic Snoopy one that was oblong and not square. Not anywhere at any time had I ever pointed THAT one out. I was ungrateful, not to her face, but ungrateful nonetheless. Still, the first day of school I used that Snoopy lunch box because I HAD a lunchbox and it was kind of a status symbol to have one. Eventually it just became easier to not have one more thing to carry back and forth to school so I stopped using it altogether. Sad. Just sad. The boys always prefer eating "hot lunch" at the cafeteria. Not because it tastes good or is super nutritious, but because it's easier. Neither of them want to make decisions on what to have for lunch, make it, pack it, lug it. They will eat what's in front of them. Even the stereotypical "mystery meat". Trust me, sometimes it really is mystery meat.
So, about 3 1/2 weeks from now, the new school year will start. Most of the kids will be wearing new clothes and new shoes. Have fresh hair cuts. Most of the staff (this girl included) will, too. They will be excited at being in a grade higher, seeing their friends again after a long break and just be ready for what the new year has to offer. It's fun to watch.
I need to make a mental note to look back at this post when the actual new year arrives and remind myself that I love my job, to get over the frustrations and the overwhelming feeling of being "done" by that time and just appreciate the fact that they are still learning new things, even if it doesn't feel like it. All without the help of a metal lunch box or a Trapper Keeper.
The sad tail of Carl
About a year ago, Zach told me he wanted a pet. We've had dogs and we've had a cat but, since we've moved back and are leasing a place, we have none of those.
He begged for fish. I know the routine. We get a pet (dog, cat, turtle, fish, hermit crabs, yes we've had those, hamsters) and who ends up taking care of it? Yep. Me. There's always an argument over who is going to feed it, water it, clean up after it. Whatever the case may be, there is always an argument.
Anyway, back to the fish. I decided to get him a small fish bowl with colorful rocks and a plastic plant. And two red eyed tetras. They were cool for a few days and guess who got stuck with them. Yep. Me.
Dimitri and Clyde were not best of friends. Dimitri ended up bullying Clyde, or maybe it was Clyde who bullied Dimitri. In any case survival of the fittest and all that, we ended up with one red eyed tetra.
Because we didn't know if it was Dimitri or Clyde, Ryan renamed him Carl. Keep in mind this is the same kid that once named our cat Alfonso Soriano Warhammer the third. Luckily for the cat I vetoed that and called him Romeo. We started rolling our R's and saying it in our best sing song-y voice. Rrroommeeooooooooooooo. Well, really that part was just me. Steve just called him cat.
Anyway, back to Carl.
So, for the past almost year, Carl has sat on our kitchen counter in his little bowl, mindlessly moving back and forth. Me feeding him every day. I started to feel guilty. He was growing. Was his bowl to small? Was he bored? Lonely? Did he regret getting rid of his "buddy" and suffer from a guilty conscience? Zach, he of the most useful random knowledge ever, reminded me that fish have like a 3 second attention span so he probably wasn't thinking about much at all and if he was it was soon, very soon, forgotten. I would even baby talk to Carl while I was feeding him. "Yes, Carl, look at who's feeding you. I care about you, Carl. I take care of you Carl."
And then.....
Ryan got a 15 gallon aquarium this weekend. It's pretty flippin sweet. Carl, along with 4 other fish are happily floating in 15, cool, clear filtered gallons of water. But, I'm still feeling a bit guilty.
I miss Carl on my kitchen counter. The small bowl is now being stored in the garage and will be used as a time out tank if any of the other fish get aggressive and misbehave. I feel guilty that the other 4 fish are in pairs and Carl is the odd fish out. I see him alternately avoiding the other fish and then trying to buddy up to them. One of the orange fish (Ryan tells me they are NOT run of the mill gold fish) was doing a swim by, giving Carl the stink eye. I kept MY eye out for that one for awhile.
Today they seem to be a little more friendly towards each other, although Carl keeps to himself mostly. I think I've convinced Ry to get only 2 more fish. A solitary sucker fish who has a job to do, and another tetra type that can be friends with Carl.
Only time will tell if that will work.
But if it doesn't work, Carl will forget in 3 seconds
He begged for fish. I know the routine. We get a pet (dog, cat, turtle, fish, hermit crabs, yes we've had those, hamsters) and who ends up taking care of it? Yep. Me. There's always an argument over who is going to feed it, water it, clean up after it. Whatever the case may be, there is always an argument.
Anyway, back to the fish. I decided to get him a small fish bowl with colorful rocks and a plastic plant. And two red eyed tetras. They were cool for a few days and guess who got stuck with them. Yep. Me.
Dimitri and Clyde were not best of friends. Dimitri ended up bullying Clyde, or maybe it was Clyde who bullied Dimitri. In any case survival of the fittest and all that, we ended up with one red eyed tetra.
Because we didn't know if it was Dimitri or Clyde, Ryan renamed him Carl. Keep in mind this is the same kid that once named our cat Alfonso Soriano Warhammer the third. Luckily for the cat I vetoed that and called him Romeo. We started rolling our R's and saying it in our best sing song-y voice. Rrroommeeooooooooooooo. Well, really that part was just me. Steve just called him cat.
Anyway, back to Carl.
So, for the past almost year, Carl has sat on our kitchen counter in his little bowl, mindlessly moving back and forth. Me feeding him every day. I started to feel guilty. He was growing. Was his bowl to small? Was he bored? Lonely? Did he regret getting rid of his "buddy" and suffer from a guilty conscience? Zach, he of the most useful random knowledge ever, reminded me that fish have like a 3 second attention span so he probably wasn't thinking about much at all and if he was it was soon, very soon, forgotten. I would even baby talk to Carl while I was feeding him. "Yes, Carl, look at who's feeding you. I care about you, Carl. I take care of you Carl."
And then.....
Ryan got a 15 gallon aquarium this weekend. It's pretty flippin sweet. Carl, along with 4 other fish are happily floating in 15, cool, clear filtered gallons of water. But, I'm still feeling a bit guilty.
I miss Carl on my kitchen counter. The small bowl is now being stored in the garage and will be used as a time out tank if any of the other fish get aggressive and misbehave. I feel guilty that the other 4 fish are in pairs and Carl is the odd fish out. I see him alternately avoiding the other fish and then trying to buddy up to them. One of the orange fish (Ryan tells me they are NOT run of the mill gold fish) was doing a swim by, giving Carl the stink eye. I kept MY eye out for that one for awhile.
Today they seem to be a little more friendly towards each other, although Carl keeps to himself mostly. I think I've convinced Ry to get only 2 more fish. A solitary sucker fish who has a job to do, and another tetra type that can be friends with Carl.
Only time will tell if that will work.
But if it doesn't work, Carl will forget in 3 seconds
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