Danny asks: "Can I put this on my resume?"

You were named TIME magazine's "Person of the Year" on Saturday for the explosive growth and influence of user-generated Internet sites such as YouTube, Facebook and MySpace. You were chosen over Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, North Korea's Kim Jong Il and Donald Rumsfeld. Congratulations.

I *heart* stupid criminals!

O Tannenbaum

It's Christmas time at the Stone house... Here are a few pics of our first Christmas tree.

New post

I'm not lazy... I just don't have any spare time. This is my first weekend in a long time that I have had time to stop and breathe (can't call it a free weekend because I still have so much to do).

Just know that I would much rather be attempting to post witty comments than what I normally spend my "free time" doing! :)

See you all in four years!!!

Just what kind of game WAS this???

Homecoming... No Pre-game... Shortened halftime...

"For the first time in 41 years, the Tennessee band did not form the giant 'T' on the field for the team to run through before the game because of the delay. Halftime was shortened to 15 minutes."

- from http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/ncaa/recaps/2006/09/23/34952_recap.html

One of the first things I learned at Optometry School...

...was from Dr. Newman. His question: What do you do if an eye pops out? Answer: Put it back in. Next Question: How do you do it? Answer: Any way you can!

Read this for a good laugh and some potentially helpful information: http://www.slate.com/id/2137959/

I'll let you know when my first patient eye ball pops out...

Don't Miss Me If I'm Gone...

School is keeping me busy... very busy. Most mornings I get up about 5:20, shortly after Danny. I do this so I can actually see him in the morning. He leaves by 6, and I usually leave around 7-7:15. My class schedule varies, so I can get home anywhere between 1:30 and 6:30, IF I don't stay at school any longer than necessary (which usually doesn't happen). So I get home, rest a bit (by checking email, blogs, facebook, myspace, etc) and start studying/have dinner. I try to be done with this by 9:00 pm, which is when Danny leaves the living room and prepares for bed. I try to be in bed by 9:30, to spend approximately 17 minutes with my hubby before he falls asleep (while we watch Futurama). If I can make it, I stay up just past 10 so I can see some of the local news. Sleep until 5:20-ish, and repeat.

All this is to let you know that I'm still around... I just don't have time for you (or me, or Danny, or anything). Be assured, I will be back (on weekends?) and this is not the last you'll hear from me!

Mom's Eulogy to Velcro

Velcro

b. April 1989, d. Sept. 5, 2006

She was a good and faithful cat
who blessed us with her presence
for more than 17 years.

We will miss her very much.

Kids Write the Darndest Things

Danny gave some of his kids an assignment: Create unique sentences for the lines and spaces on the treble and bass clefs. We thought these were worth sharing.

E-G-B-D-F

Every Good Bee Deserves Flowers
Every Girl Buys Designer Fashions
Every Grown Boy Does Fart
Eagles Go Bald During February
Elephants Get Bigger Doing Flips
Even George Buys Dried Fruits

F-A-C-E

Frankie Ate Colored Eggs
Fake Animals Can't Eat
Fat Actors Can Eat
Fabulous Appearances Cause Envy
Fart Anywhere Clean Everywhere (my personal favorite)

G-B-D-F-A

Good Burgers Deserve Fries Always
Good Boys Do Flatulate Anywhere
Great Big Dummies Fail Anytime
Good Boys Don't Fake Anytime
Great Britain Defeats (Defends) France Again

A-C-E-G

All Caterpillers Eat Greens
Any Club Excites Girls
Aunt Cheryl Eats Good
All Cardinals Eat Grubs
Ants Create Elegant Gardens
American Children Eat Gummies
Americans Can Exalt God



What is your favorite?

My Aura is Green

Your Aura is Green

Your Personality: You are a high acheiver who is very competitive. You're bound to reach your goals, no matter how lofty. You in Love: Picky with high standards, it's hard to find your match. You need a man as driven as you are! Your Career: You need a high profile, challenging career to satisfy you. Consider finance, sales, or running your own company.

What Color Is Your Aura?

Do You See What I See?

I'm way out of the loop...

Last time I saw Bryant Adler, he looked something like this:



But Danny was on the ETSBOA website tonight and saw that Adler has undergone a dramatic change in the Pictorial Directory. See for yourself:

Painting...

We've painted the little bathroom (haven't gotten to the trim yet, but have done the ceiling and the walls. Here are some before and after shots:

Interesting...

Saw this on the Memphis news this morning. The composite sketch is for the disappearance of Morgan Nick, a 6 year old girl in Alma, Arkansas, in 1995. There are questions whether or not this is John Mark Karr.

He must be guilty...

He has 3 names.

Elvis is dead... get over it!

Today is the anniversary of Elvis's death... what anniversary I couldn't tell you because I don't care. Last Tuesday marked the beginning of Elvis week (not sure what that consists of), ending tonight with a candlelight vigil at Graceland. There is also a documentary being made about Elvis, with the creator interviewing over 250 of Elvis's friends and offering $3 million to anyone who has irrefutible proof that Elvis is still alive (since it is a conspiracy you know). Oh well, I guess I have a few more years of this to look forward to!

In other news, we have a blooming flower in one of our water plants outside. Don't know what it is, but was surprised to see it. Our hostas are also trying to bloom, despite the leaves being brown and crinkly.

Oh... and Danny has a student named El Paso.

Finally!

We finally got some rain last night. 2 inches, in fact! And with the rain came cooler temperatures... it is 20 degrees cooler at noon today than at noon yesterday! That's right, it was only 75 at noon. Two nights ago it was still 92 degrees at 10:30 pm. Our electric bill for only 20 days was nearly $100, and just about ALL of it was for A/C --- and the thermostat is set at 80 during the day. (We don't need lights during the day because we have so many windows, and we only use a lamp or two at night.) Unfortunately it appears that it won't stay this cool... mid- to high-90s all next week with no rain in sight. *ugh*

Japan's Got Talent

Yeah... I can do that... *ahem*

Yippee!!!

IT WENT HOME!!!!!!!

Ready, Set, CHOKE!

Okay, so we had some canned pumpkin about to expire (the big can). I made one pumpkin pie and reserved some to make Pumpkin Ice Cream, per the recipe found in the KitchenAid booklet. Now I noticed something that seemed a bit "off", but decided to go with what the recipe said. Having prepared, frozen, and sampled I can now say "YUCK!" Curious? See for yourself.

Pumpkin Ice Cream

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups light cream
6 egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
****3/4 cup pumpkin pie spice****
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 cups canned solid pack pumpkin


Obviously a misprint, as first thought. Next time I think I'll try 3/4 tsp!
We also used our Penzey's Cake Spice... there went $4 easy!










EXHIBIT A - Note the 3/4 cup pumpkin pie spice as listed in the ingredients.





















EXHIBIT B - Note the lovely coloration provided by the 3/4 cup of spices!

Survivors

We have two fish that survived (or caused?) the plague that was our backyard pond. They are both Mickey Mouse Platies, although only one shows the characteristic marking. We spent an awful lot of money to rescue these two $1 fish, so they better live! We bought a 10 gal. tank kit, some gravel (substrate, as it is known by the pros --- crazies!), and some decor (including a pineapple house from Spongebob). Here are some pictures.









One of the fish... see the Mickey Mouse head?












Who lives in a Pineapple under the Sea? Our fish (if they could figure out how to swim into it).

RIP (now times 3)

To my dismay I found the other fantail goldfish and the fancy goldfish (the one that was originally in the pond when we bought the house) floating this morning. Not only that, they must have had a bacterial or fungal problem... the appeared to have "fin rot". This basically means that their fins were disintegrated... little pieces floating around in the pond. *ICK* I could not find the 2 mickey mouse platy, so they were presumed dead. When I found the will to "fish" out the two dead fish (the largest was about 7 inches from head to tail), I found the two little fish at the bottom, alive. I quickly went into rescue mode, trying everything I knew to do to keep them alive. They now reside in a small, empty trash can in my kitchen until we figure out what to do with them. I still do not know why the smallest (about 1.5 inches long) of the fishes are the ones to survive. The water plants, also original to the pond, are now thriving. When we bought the house they looked horrible. Maybe I just have a green thumb and and black pond pump (or the fish equivalent). The worst that could happen now is to find another 2 floaters... poor babies!

Fun Night

Had a good time tonight. We met up with Ed, also new to Memphis, and ate at PeiWei. Lots of good talks/memories shared. We'll have him over to our place soon!

Striking Similarity

This morning I came across the Mel Gibson mugshot and I noticed that the inebriated Mr. Gibson bears a striking resemblance to my father (sans glasses and viewed from above). Okay, maybe you don't see it because you don't know what my dad looks like. But I can't be of much help in that department right now since I can't seem to find any pictures of him at this time. Just take my word for it. My brother said he had seen that mugshot time and again and didn't notice the similarity until I pointed it out. The jury is still out with the other family members.

I wanted to post Mel Gibson's mugshot, but blogger is being stupid. I'll try again later, and perhaps find a picture of my dad for comparison.

RIP

One of our fantail goldfish was found dead at 1:20 p.m. today. No idea as to cause of death. In lieu of autopsy, the fish was flushed. Perhaps he and Nemo will unite.

Question:

Does anybody read this anymore?

Memories...?

Have you ever seen this movie? I saw it many times as a kid, but I really didn't remember much about it. Found it on TV tonight and had to watch it. It is hilarious!

Come to find out... there are 5 of these movies (the other 4 which I will probably never see). If you haven't seen it, and if you ever get the chance, watch it.

King Cotton

Danny just saw what we believe to be a cottonmouth (water moccassin) in our backyard pond! He went out to feed the fish and came in rather quickly instructing me to stay inside. Danny's description matched what we found on a site about TN venomous snakes. The only one that matched was the cottonmouth (I knew it was venomous when he told me triangle head). You see, I'm a little cautious around snakes since I was bitten by a copperhead when I was 12. Now I'm all stirred up!



Here's some info:

All of the venomous snakes native to Tennessee belong to the family of snakes called pit vipers. Pit vipers are the group of venomous snakes having a specialized, heat sensing pit on the front of the head. There are four species of pit vipers in Tennessee: Copperhead,Cottonmouth, Timber Rattlesnake and Pigmy Rattlesnake.
All of our venomous snakes have a vertical, elliptical shaped eye pupil. They are generally heavy bodied animals and because of this are not very good climbers. They are ovoviviparous, meaning they retain the eggs within the body until the young are expelled in a membranous sac, ready to face the world. Note: Most water snakes are also ovoviviparous and should not be confused with the pit vipers.
They have triangular shaped heads that are offset from the body, although many water snakes and hognose snakes can flatten the head making it appear somewhat triangular.
They have a single row of scales on the underside from the vent to the tip of the tail, whereas all of our nonvenomous snakes have an overlapping row of two scales on the underside from the vent to the tail tip. Note: This detail is best observed on the shed skin of a snake.



Western Cottonmouth

The western cottonmouth is found west of the Tennessee River and in the counties of Cheatham, Dickson, Hickman,Humphreys, Perry, Wayne and Williamson. Cottonmouths are fairly large (30-42 inches), heavy bodied snakes. Found in aquatic habitats where they prey primarily upon fish and amphibians. (They can bite when under water.) They are often dully colored, being almost black. While juveniles may be strongly patterned and brightly colored. Some adults may retain the pattern which appears as hollow, hourglass shaped bands across the back of the snake. Like the copperhead, the bands are widest on the sides and narrowest at the centerline of the back. When confronted, they often gape to display the cottony interior of the mouth and will often stand their ground. Note: All Tennessee snakes have a white mouth. When swimming their head is usually elevated above the water and their bodies appear overly buoyant, riding on the surface. However, they can submerge in search of fish and amphibians.

Too Fat Polka

This is a song by Arthur Godfrey I heard on XM today via DirecTV.




Too Fat Polka
Arthur Godfrey
Words and music by Ross MacLean and Arthur Richardson.

Best-selling record by Arthur Godfrey.

(chorus 1)
Oh, I don't want her, you can have her,
She's too fat for me.
She's too fat for me,
She's too fat for me.
I don't want her, you can have her,
Please do that for me.
She's too fat, she's too fat,
She's too fat for me.

I get dizzy, I get numbo
When I'm dancing
With my Jum-Jum-Jumbo.

(chorus 2)
I don't want her, you can have her,
She's too fat for me.
She's too fat for me,
She's too fat for me.
I don't want her, you can have her,
She's too fat for me,
She's too fat,
She's too fat,
She's too fat for me. Oh,

(repeat chorus 1, then)

She's a twosome, she's a foursome
If she'd lose some,
I would like her more some.

(repeat chorus 1)

The Good Life

I now am living at a new house (new to us, anyway) with DSC WIRELESS internet and DirecTV. I feel like one of the Slowsky's.






It's all so fast... I can't keep up!

I'm tired...

After a long week of "moving in", I'm tired. Okay, so we aren't completely finished moving everything in from the garage (yes, a 2-car garage!). We have made a lot of progress, though.

The greatest challenge thus far was, of all things, finding curtains that looked decent in the master BR. The first few days that we were here there were absolutely no curtains on the one window (with a giant arch at the top) that just so happens to face East. So every morning at about 6:30 the sun was right in our eyes. Four or five trips to various stores (in only two days), we finally have curtains. Doesn't do anything for that arch above the window. We bought one of those accordion temporary shades to put up there, and only after cutting is to the exact length necessary and affixing it to one side of the frame did we discover that it was the wrong length (ie: wouldn't arc from one side to the other). AAARRGHGHGH!!!

Our backyard came with a small fish pond. It already had one fancy goldfish (orange and white fantail) which we couldn't even see when we first moved in. The water was completely green with algae. The fish, after cleaning the pond, was still really sluggish and seemed bored. So we bought four more fish (2 fantail golds and 2 Mickey Mouse Platy). They have a lot of fun together now and all of them do figure-8s around the pond. We thing we have some fishy babies, too. The Micky Mouse fish give birth to live young, and we saw several little orange "tadpoles" at the bottom yesterday.

We also have spent a good bit of time rearranging the plants in the backyard landscaping. Maybe we shouldn't have move some... they aren't doing very well. But who can be sure if it is from us moving them or from the weather (we haven't seen a drop of rain and most days temps have been 100+).

It's nearly 9 am here and Danny is finally sleeping in. He starts 3 days of orientation/training on Wednesday, and begins inservice next week. That's right... no bandcamp!

Send me some love... it's going to get lonely out here.

I caved...

and joined Facebook.

New House

We're finally in our new house. Got our DSL set up yesterday and Direct TV today so I will have plenty to do (besides unpack) until school starts. Danny will unofficially start next Wednesday with orientation, inservice beginning the following Monday, and the next Monday (Aug. 1) is his first day of classes. I have until August 23 before my orientation begins, with classes starting on the 28th.

Here are a few pics of Danny working in our backyard tonight. Note the electric lawn mower.





More to come...

My Leave of Absence...

Much like Paige (although for entirely different reasons) I will be taking a leave of absence. Perhaps after the big move you will hear from me again! Enjoy yourselves until then.

Hooray!

Congrats to P&R on the birth of their child AB!

We have a house...

... new contract, new house, accepted. Send me an email (yes, email) if you want to see pictures (I'll send you a link to the ones I took today). Much still to do before we close and take possession. More to come...

The search continues...

We looked at about 8 homes in the Memphis area this weekend. 2 were appealling but only one was offer-worthy. The offer was not accepted (another offer must have been better). So the search continues. In another couple of weeks we will likely visit the area again to resume the search. I have a few other homes in mind... some weren't yet on the market this past weekend. If it weren't for the expense of hotels, food, and travel this would be a little easier! :)

A letter to pets

Dear Dogs and Cats,

The dishes with the paw print are yours and contain your food. The other dishes are mine and contain my food. Please note, placing a paw print in the middle of my food does not stake a claim for it becoming your food and dish, nor do I find that aesthetically pleasing in the slightest.

The stairway was not designed by NASCAR and is not a racetrack. Beating me to the bottom is not the object. Tripping me doesn't help, since I fall faster than you can run.

I cannot buy anything bigger than a king-sized bed. I am truly sorry about this. Do not think I will continue sleeping on the couch to ensure your comfort. Dogs and cats can actually curl up in a ball when they sleep. It is not necessary to sleep perpendicularly to each other, stretched out to the fullest extent possible. I also know that sticking tails straight out and having tongues hanging out the other end to maximize space is nothing but sarcasm.

For the last time, there is not a secret exit from the bathroom. If by some miracle I beat you there and manage to get the door shut, it is not necessary to claw, whine, meow, try to turn the knob, or get your paw under the edge and try to pull the door open. I must exit through the same door I entered. I have been using the bathroom for years -- canine or feline attendance is not mandatory.

The proper order is kiss me and THEN go smell the other dog or cat's butt. I cannot stress this enough!

To pacify you, my dear pets, I have posted the following message on our front door:

Rules for Non-Pet Owners Who Visit and Like to Complain About Our Pets:
1. They live here. You don't.
2. If you don't want hair on your clothes, stay off the furniture. (That's why they call it "fur"niture .)
3. I like my pets a lot better than I like most people.
4 To you, it's an animal. To me, he/she is an adopted son/daughter who is short, hairy, walks on all fours, and does not speak clearly.

Remember: Why dogs & cats are better than kids because: they eat less, don't ask for money all the time, are easier to train, usually come when called, never drive your car, don't hang out with drug-using friends, don't smoke or drink, don't worry about having to buy the latest fashions, don't wear your clothes, don't need a gazillion dollars for college, and if they get pregnant, you can sell their children.

Excited

Have been looking for a place to live... will soon visit the area to look at some homes with our Realtor. I am particularly interested in one house... :) More to come...

Decision

Danny accepted the Shelby County offering today. There weren't any openings in DeSoto County for next year. Danny will be the director at Millington Middle (no high school obligations). Best yet, he'll be done by 2:00 each day.

It has yet to be determined where we will live. Details to come...

Wish him luck...

*UPDATE*
One interview down = one job offer at Millington Middle (he has until Thursday to accept/decline). Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings!

____________________

Danny has an interview tomorrow with Shelby Co. and Tuesday with DeSoto Co. *fingers crossed for early hiring*

Have you heard...

...about the Pizzly?

Speaking of: If you could cross any two animals, what two would you choose and what would you call the offspring? (I expect some highly creative answers!)

DONE

I'm finished at UT (for the second time)... now on to SCO.

Distracted

It's way to hard right now to try to study. Truth is, I really don't like when school ends. I don't have anything to do... Boredom sets in rapidly and my mood deteriorates furiously. I came to UT today to attend a study/review session for my Physiology final. I thought it was from 1-3, but instead is from 3-5. After reading over my class notes, I think I have decided to go at this one on my own (as usual). It has worked well for me so far, so why screw with something good? I'm am currently sitting in the Physics building computer lab on the 2nd floor listing to a bunch of guys talk about Vrms, plates, and a bunch of other things I really would have liked to have forgotten by now (I hate physics, btw).

Danny has interviews on May 15-16 in Shelby Co (TN) and DeSoto Co (MS). I hope things go well and we will have some idea of where we might be living. I'm hungry to have an acutal house of my (our) own. I HATE apartment living, but not so much as I hate physics.

Good luck to Jose on his audition Thursday.

May 23-24 we will be joining the other guard folk for a whirlwind tour of Mississippi. We will play a picnic for the 134th folk down there and perform at a VA home the next day. This requires us to have 3 sets of uniforms ready! Yippee! It will be a good trip, but exhausting. Summer tour is the usual last week of June - first week of July and the preceeding/following weekends. Going to Arkansas again! *sarcasm* It's going to suck! Damn post-9/11 changes have prevented us from the usual 3 years at home and 1 year OCONUS. Last big trip this band went on was Alaska, while Danny, Jose, and I were in basic training.


June 10 we will go with Kingston FBC Kingdom Builders on a mission trip to Biloxi, MS. We typically build churches, but this year we are rebuilding church members' homes. Not sure about the arrangements for sleeping, bathing, yet. Probably won't be the norm but should be a valuable experience.

Danny is busy in the mean time with lots of afterschool and weekend commitments. This leaves me vulnerable to loneliness and frustration (nothing to do, no money to buy anything, etc). Send me some love!

I'm in the poor house now (like I wasn't before...)

Got a letter from the Financial Aid office at SCO today. It shows many things, such as my debt to this point (Pre-SCO), the amount of loans offered for next year, and projected loan amounts for the following three years. It appears that I will be accepting a loan that will nearly double my current loan amount (from 7 years at UT, mind you) for my first year at SCO. In fact, by the time I graduate I will be paying somewhere between $1000 and $2000 per month in student loan payments! YIPPEE!!! Hard to imagine since I make a whopping $200 month now from Guard (but that is just 2 days/ month).

Really?

I don't really see the resemblance. In fact, I see two big differences.

You are Bettie Page

Girl next door with a wild streak You're a famous beauty - with unique look And the people like you are cultish about it

What Famous Pinup Are You?

Contact Wearers Beware!

ReNu may be linked to blinding eye infection.

LASIK@home

Check out this product (oh, you can buy it... but it won't work). It's diagram of the four easy steps is hilarious!


LASIK@home



Step one... you'll be busy, so keep the dog out and put up your "Will Return at..." clock on the door.

Step two... remind yourself why you are blind (masturbation) while you unpack your kit.

Step three...we can't say it is painless since the FDA has not approved the statement... but we can tell you that if you blink smoke will rise up from your eyelids.

Step four... enjoy the power of clearer vision by standing next to a bullseye while other take aim...

Ethan's Wisdom...

The following is last night's dinner conversation from the Sampsels (my sister, her husband Eric, and their 3 year old Ethan):
________________________________

Ethan: "I three."

Eric: "Yes, you're three. What a big boy you are!"

Ethan: "I two."

Eric: I thought you were three...?"

Ethan: "No, I two."

Mama: "Are you mama's little baby?"

Ethan: "Now I four."

Mama: "Oh, good! Four year olds are big enough to help mama clean up the house."

Ethan: "I three and a half."

Week (or so) in Review

Spring Break is over... has been for a few days now. Where did I go? Destin? Panama City? Rio? Nope... I went to Oneida. Danny/Rob/Mom/I took a free CPR class offered by the Knoxville Chapter of the American Red Cross two Saturdays ago. (Wish it wasn't so much of a gimmee course --- more hands-on practice desired). Afterwards, my brother and I spent a few days and helped our mom do some organizing/cleaning that was much overdue.

I returned to Seymour for a Wednesday night church gig rehearsal. That night, Danny stubbed his left pinky toe on our bathroom door. He went to school as normal on Thursday (dedicated band director he is) because they had a booster meeting/mandatory spring trip meeting that night. Friday morning we rose early to take Danny to his doctor... in Harriman. We found out that day that he had indeed broken it (which we guessed since his toe was found at a 90-degree angle from the others). Anyway, he's stumbling around with dark purple bruising and blue pools of blood in the top of his foot. We went to the circus later Friday night (I had never been). It was Ringling Bros., but I can't say it was the Greatest Show on Earth. Some of the performances left something to be desired. My sister took her kids to the Saturday afternoon show, which apparantly was much better. Oh well. Danny said he was disappointed that it was my first circus experience (one-ring instead of 3-ring circus). I did get a few decent pictures (lighting proved problematic).





Saturday was a do nothing day.

Sunday was the gig (we played with Becky/Anthony Terry and my sister/husband). After gig my sister/husband/kids and Danny/I went to lunch at the Chop House and then returned to our apartment. Ethan had a lot of fun playing with balloons. I think Elana had more fun playing on the stairs.

Monday was spent cleaning up around the house and preparing to return to classes on Tuesday. I discovered that my next Physiology exam is next Tuesday, so I spent some time studying for that. Also played mommy to the other members (all boys, no men here) of my group project in my other class (emailing reminders, encouraging them not to put off work on our project, etc).

Classes Tuesday. Also finished The DaVinci Code book that night, almost immediately followed by seeing the movie preview on TV. Was kind of disapointed about how much I could figure out before the characters in the book could. Maybe I've just watched too many History Channel shows. My next book = Marley and Me.

Yesterday I went to Morristown again to work with Chris Chance's horns (mostly converts from other instruments, ie: Flute). I don't feel like I get much done when I see them once every two weeks, but he says he has noticed improvements. Today was the exception... two of the three (usually there are four) could match pitch pretty well. I was pleased that they could actually get through the music!

Today was glucose and other blood testing day in Physiology lab. My finger is sore... and I'm glad I'm not diabetic.

First Day of Summer!

Today is the first day of summer. I'm not refering to the warm weather. The first day of summer in Seymour is here... the ice cream truck is back! The modified van with the silly music blaring has returned. Maybe I'll visit it once before we will be 600 miles away. I'm afraid vans luring kids with ice cream won't be very welcomed in Memphis.

Warning -- Sarcastic Blog Ahead!

Danny called today with the exciting news that the new wing of his school was flooded with sewage! The most exciting part is that the bandroom will have to have new carpet again for the 3rd time in 1 1/2 years (the previous time was due to the explosion of the valve on the sprinkler system main located where... in the bandroom, naturally)! Every class in that wing has been evacuated, but fortunate for Danny his is the only one with carpet! MMMMmmm.... those band uniforms are going to smell better than ever in the Fall!

DUH!

Chef Quits Citing Intolerance and Bigotry

Thank goodness it's not Smell-o-Vision

Tonight's Episode of Mythbusters... Fart Myths.

Potpourri

So I've been busy lately... (explaination of why so long since last post)

Physiology Exam 2 kept me busy. Wanna know about the neuromuscular junction and the physiological details of what happens from the time of stimulus to a contraction in either skeletal or smooth muscle? Didn't think so... Danny didn't either!

Also kept busy preparing two presentation/papers/speeches due the same day. I thought I'd be smart and use the same topic, but turns out my criteria wouldn't allow it. I chose to do copperhead venom both for my informative presentation in Comm. Studies 240 (thought I could add interest since I was bitten by a copperhead at age 12) and for my Physiology lab (wanted description of specific action of neurotoxin at the neuromuscular junction, etc). Turns out I didn't do enough research ahead of time (you can't tell from all my notes!), but copperhead venom is not a neurotoxin, but a hemotoxin. (good to know, right!) So I've been preparing two different presentations on two different snakes (Southern Copperhead and now Eastern Coral Snake) to present on Thursday. YIPPEE!

I'll be going out to Morr. East to work with Chance's horns again today (assumming no more bomb threats). The first time I went there was a bomb threat (2 hours driving for nothing). I received pay reimbursement though (gas money, not full amount) so I'll take it! I'm in desperate need for money!!!

Last weekend Danny and I made our first furniture purchase. Norwalk: The Furniture Idea on Lovell Road is going out of business. Everything is up to 70% off. We decided to look around and found a sofa and chair. So away went the plaid couch that my mom gave us, to Josh/Dayna Walker, actually! I'd think that lawyers would have enough dough to afford their own furniture (jk).

I've had a cold or allergies for about a week now. It all started when we visited the new Home Depot out here on Chapman. Immediately developed a really sore throat (in-store) from either the flowers or the lumber treatment (my best guess). Can't beat it!

Signed up myself, Danny, my mom, and my brother for a FREE CPR class provided by the Knoxville Chapter of the American Red Cross. Check it out... there might be one near you. Sat. March 18, 9am-1pm.

Drill again this weekend --- its like 3 times in the last 6 weeks! Get to get all fancied up in Mess Dress again for another Dining Out (this time on base, not at Airport Hilton).

Danny told me about this MSN.com link (under videos) of a live-action Simpsons intro. I couldn't view it because of my crappy dial-up service, but he says it's one to watch.

Someone from my high school days found me on myspace yesterday. Found a few others after that and added them. I was never really in any of their circles (you know, band geek), but it's interesting to see what everyone is up to now. I don't really know what to say to anyone after all this time... Reunion (if that ever happens) shouldn't be all that far away. Have you guys started thinking about THAT yet?

I heart stupid people

Detect any sarcasm?

I've been selling old textbooks on half.com. It can be quite a lucrative business. Recently (Feb. 6) I sold a very used (at least 6 times before I got it) textbook for $4. I was actually surprised it sold at all because there have been 2 new editions out since this one, which was from 2000. So it sells late one night, it is in the mail the next morning, and then I wait for feedback.

I email each buyer with an update of when the shipment is mailed and by what method as well as requesting that the buyer notify me when they receive the package. Today I found a package sent to me... a return, I guess? I have not received any email, etc., from any of my buyers. I also have never had ANYTHING returned for any reason. So I email the buyer asking why it was returned... her reply "Just issue a refund please, I need a new edition". Okay, not familiar with the process of refunding I do some research and find that she was supposed to contact me through half.com's email forwarding service FIRST to try and resolve any problems. Secondly, unless the package was damaged (it was not), it was not the same book as advertised (it was), was not delivered on time (it must have been --- return shipping label shows it was mailed back to me on the 11th and half.com estimated it wouldn't arrive to her until the 15th), or the like... I am not responsible for refunds. I can opt to issue a refund, but not required. All sales are final.

Here's the real kicker... this girl paid $4.14 to ship the $4 book back to me!

I sent out an email stating that no refund would be issued along with some links to supporting data from half.com. No reply thus far... but I'll keep you updated!

Church Offers $1000 for Proof Earth Revolves around Sun

Pharyngula

Time Warp

I just found a receipt from 1998 hidden amongst a stack of old owner's manuals.

________________________________________________________

05/10/98
09:28

Pump #7
Product UNLD
Gallons 5.264
Price/G: $0.949
Fuel Sale $5.00

________________________________________________________

That was back in the day where I could fill-up my little Geo Metro on $8. *sigh*

I keep finding things

While we were in DC on vacation after Christmas I found two digital cameras on two separate occasions. Today, I found a Mercedes with the keys on the trunk outside the Olive Garden. It never occured to me that it was perhaps a gift... instead I took the keys inside and left them with the host. I can't wait to see what I find (and give back) next!

DonkeyBall Certificate

Danny was presented a certificate after competing in Donkey Basketball on Monday, which in part reads:

This document officially certifies that __________ has been officially accepted into the "INTERNATIONAL ORDER OF JACKASSTRONAUTS" as a bona fide lifetime member with full privileges. In acknowledgement of participation in a Buckeye Donkey Ball extravaganza in a highly dignified and commendable fashion it is further proclaimed that this person receive the highest honor for Jackassmanship...

Some of you always knew he was a jackasstronaut... and now it is certifiable!

Captain Obvious says...

the gas companies are making money!

"Exxon's profit for the year was also the largest annual reported net income in U.S. history, according to Howard Silverblatt, a senior index analyst for Standard & Poor's. He said the previous high was Exxon's $25.3 billion profit in 2004."

and

"For the full year, net income surged to $5.71 per share from $3.89 per share in 2004. Annual revenue grew to $371 billion from $298.04 billion. To put that into perspective, Exxon's revenue for the year exceeded Saudi Arabia's estimated 2005 gross domestic product of $340.5 billion, according to statistics maintained by the Central Intelligence Agency."

Tonight my husband did something silly...

He played Donkey Basketball. I wasn't there, but I wish I had a photo.

toothpaste for dinner - daily drew drawings

Toothpaste For Dinner

System Restore

After months of disuse due to slow performance (likely from a viral infection), Danny and I have played doctor... on my laptop. We eliminated the problem by completing a system restore... returning my laptop to the like-new status. "New" meaning back to 2001. About 48 hours of downloading critical system updates from Microsoft later, I'm up and running successfully again. Too bad it couldn't do anything to fix my slow internet (dial-up) connection!

What Metaphor Am I?

Sounds like an online quiz, doesn't it. I have to give a speech next week about myself including what metaphor best describes me. Any suggestions?

New Drug of Choice!

I went to the doctor yesterday for a persistent (week-long) sore throat, ears, cough, etc. His solution: an antibiotic and a narcotic cough syrup (hydrocodone). 2 teaspoons before bed allowed me to finally get some sleep last night... and approaching the noon hour. :) You would think they would make narcotic cough syrup taste disgusting to prevent possible addiction, but it is actually quite tasty. If you ever get the chance to try some, please do... but stay away from MINE! :)

NERDS!!!

Welcome to the exciting world of prime numbers.