My Davy Jones Experience

Davy Jones (the  Monkee, not the race car driver) died of a heart attack today. Or you could say that he took the last train to Clarksville.

Get it? Last train to Clarksville? 'Cause that's the name of a Monkees song?

*giggle, giggle, snort

Geez, I crack myself up.

tap tap tap … is this thing on?

Ahem.

Millions of fans worldwide are mourning his death, but we're focusing on me here. Why? Because I have a personal connection to the man. No, really. I've met him. We connected on a spiritual level, which is to say that I'm one of the few women in American short enough to date him. Not that I'd date him now because a.) I'm married and 2.) He's dead. Guy was a snazzy dresser, though.

Back to my story. I met Davy in the winter of 1994. I was a junior in college, working on my BS from BSU. Grunge music was huge. The Go-Gos had broken up. I was in a funk and I needed something awesome to pull me out of it.

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I Was Mooned Last Night … And I Liked It

Last night the sky was incredibly clear. The Moon was shining brightly and there wasn't a single cloud to be found. 

It was calm. It was lovely. It was a balmy thirty-four degrees. I only mention the temperature because it's twelve hours later and my hands are still cold. I can barely type. At some point I will remember to grab a pair of gloves on my way out the door in February, but yesterday was not that day.

I could see thousands of stars, one moon, and two planets. And it's pretty faint, but off to the right between Jupiter and the Moon, there are two stars that are the start of the Aries constellation.

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I Blew My Nose All Weekend or How I Spent My Wedding Anniversary

This past Saturday was my seventeenth wedding anniversary. Sadly, a particularly nasty strain of the cold virus invaded our home last week and by Saturday, I was a mess. I spent most of the day on the couch with Vicks Vapor Rub on my feet and a dab of Vaseline up my nose, all while sporting three day old jammies. Oh, and I may or may not have been a mouth breather.

I know right now you are thinking that my husband is a lucky, lucky man.

I did manage to put on pants and go to dinner at our favorite Mexican restaurant Saturday night. Neither one of us was feeling incredibly hungry so we split the Hot and Spicy burrito. Few things say true love like splitting a Hot and Spicy burrito on your anniversary. If you think about it, it's kind of the gift that keeps on giving.

Ew. Let's not think about it. Moving on.

I'll let you in on a rule about being sick in my family: Whoever (whomever?) is the sicko has complete and utter control over the TV. Years ago I made up this rule and I really don't know why. I've been stuck watching twelve hours of Spongebob on several occasions. Last week when my husband was sick, I had to endure way more woodworking shows and Modern Marvels episodes than a lessor person could handle.

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Geeky Side: The Next Generation

I haven't been feeling well for the past few days, but that hasn't stopped the sunrise from being amazing. Knocking on death's door simply prohibited me from wanting to buzz out in my jammies and Crocs to snap some photos.

My youngest child announced that someone had to take a picture of the sunrise because it was too pretty to miss and that someone was her. She grabbed my camera, took off out the backdoor and (my hand to God) was humming the Indiana Jones theme song.

She may or may not be my kid. The jury's still out.

Here's one of the photos that she took. I like it, pine tree branches in the foreground and all.

I peeled myself off the couch long enough to snap this photo. My youngest liked it even though it lacked pine tree branches in the foreground.
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Hiding My Geek Side

I know you've come to think of me as a pulled together, ducks in a row, very chic dressing kind of gal. A real super woman. But I have a small confession to make that just might shock you to your very core: I'm a geek. Okay. I'm a nerd-dork-geek hybrid.

What? You already knew that? Oh. I thought I'd hidden it so well from you.

I hid my nerdiness from my kids for quite a while, but the oldest one figured me out. The jury is still out with the youngest.

Speaking of the youngest, she turned ten last week and to celebrate I made a rainbow cake.

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There's A Lid For Every Pot

Last night I was perusing my viewing options on the TV when I came across the movie 'Must Love Dogs'. I watched a few minutes of the flick, not because it's a great movie, but because I'm a giant sucker for John Cusak. Hello? Lloyd Dobler, anyone?

The movie made several references to online dating. Any time online dating is mentioned, I always think of my friend, B. She has a truly exquisite online dating experience.

First off, some background. B is the smartest person that I know. She's absolutely brilliant, articulate, and endlessly entertaining. She completely understands things that I can not even pronounce. She doesn't watch TV anymore since the producers of Jeopardy dumbed it down for us regular people. B reads the Harvard Law Review for fun. 

For comparison's sake, I read People magazine for fun.

Why she is friends with me is quite a puzzle, but I don't question it too much because I really like basking in the glow of her smartness.

B was married for a few years to a very smart man. For reasons she's never discussed, the marriage ended in divorce. Several months after the divorce, B decided that she'd like to start dating again and she tried all of the local options: friends of friends, co-workers, bars, and her church's singles group. Nothing clicked.
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A Humbling Experience Indeed

The sunrise was gorgeous. 

It was freezing outside, but I still sprinted out the back door in my jammies and clearance rack fur lined Crocs to see it. Don't hate on my Crocs. They were purchased for two reasons: they were on the clearance rack for $4.85 and they keep my feet warm and dry when dashing outside for photo ops.

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My Thoughts On Raiders Of The Lost Ark

Checked another movie off of my list this past weekend: the 1981 classic, Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Now here's a movie I can get behind. Harrison Ford? Yes, please. Han Solo, Indiana Jones, it doesn't matter. Any flavor of Harrison Ford is fine.

Incidentally, Han Solo was one of my first husbands. At some point during my formative years, I was briefly married to Han Solo, Bo Duke, and Shawn Cassidy. But I digress.

I jotted down my thoughts as I watched Lost Ark, not an easy feat when balancing a giant bowl of popcorn on my lap.

Clearly, I'm gifted.

One of the first things I wrote down was 'I need a whip' because it looked pretty nifty hooked to Indy's belt. And I'm pretty confident that I have serious, as-of-yet untapped whip skills.

Two thoughts later I wrote down 'Ooooo, a monkey! I need a monkey! Wait … I need a whip and a monkey! Yes, then my life will be complete. Valentine's Day is right around the corner …'


My dreams of getting a whip and a monkey for Valentine's Day were dashed when I yelled a question to my husband of nearly seventeen years.

Me: Does the volume need to be this high?

Him (looking aghast): Yes!

I shot him a puzzled look.

Him (reverently): It's a Lucas Sound film. Of course it has to be loud.

Me (still puzzled): What does Lucas Sound mean?

Him (slapping himself on the forehead): Seriously? Are you kidding me right now? You're not kidding, are you?

We had to pause the movie so I could google Lucas Sound and learn why the crap the sound had to be up loud enough so that George Lucas himself could tell that we were watching one of his flicks.

The final nail in the getting-a-whip-and-a-monkey-for-Valentine's-Day coffin was when I repeatedly asked questions during the movie:

• This movie takes place in 1936 and I see rubber bands. Did they even have rubber bands in the 30s?
• Were there automatic weapons in 1936? Wait ... duh. Yes there were.
• Is there any more popcorn? I'm almost out.
• For crying out loud, can we turn down the volume before my ears start to bleed?
• Heck no! I'm not going to cover my head with my Snuggie. Why would I do that? Wait. Is there a scary part coming up? Tell me if there's a scary part coming up. Oh geez, I so don't want this movie to be disturbing.

To recap: Watched Raiders of the Lost Ark and loved it. Harrison Ford is easy to look at, parts of the plot were very Scooby Doo (always a plus), and that theme music is genius. Pure genius. It stuck with me for the remainder of the weekend and I've asked my family repeatedly to hum it whenever I do something heroic. Like make dinner or locate the remote control.

So far,  they've declined. Pin It Now!

Currently On My Mind

This weekend was a wildly busy one immediately followed by a jam packed Monday.

Translated: I don't have time to write a creative and slightly amusing blog post. I don't even have a breathtaking photo to share with you. That last sentence wasn't conceited. It was sarcastic. Please keep up, people.

What I do have time to share is a quick list of things that are currently on my mind.

1. Avocados. I love them. I love them so much I bought way more at the grocery store this morning than one thirty-nine year old woman needs to consume before they go bad. Way more being defined as seven.

2. Wonder what eating seven avocados in a twenty-four hour time span will do to the digestive system? It can't be good. Can it? Hmm … no. It can't be good. I don't think I want to find out.

3. I watched a movie on my Must See list on Saturday and I'll blog about it later this week. However, crossing a movie off of my list reminded me of another movie that I watched. This movie creeps into my daily routine and yep, it disturbs me still. I'm talking to you, Silence of the Lambs. I was at the grocery store and my gaze settled upon a can of fava beans. A chill ran down my spine. I will never be the same.

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Dissed By The Horses. Again.

It has been a long time since I've visited the horses that live in my backyard. A very long time. This morning I decided to go see what was shaking in the pasture. I'm sure this thrilled Treasure, who was near the fence.

It thrilled him because we are best buddies.

No. Not really. He kinda, sorta hates me. Well, hate is too strong of a word. Treasure kinda, sorta, almost … tolerates me. Yeah, tolerates is the right word.

I was excited to see Treasure, but I don't think he returned my feelings. I believe his expression is one of 'Oh crap, it's her again. Wonder if she sees me?'

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Guess What? I Have A Life Coach. Guess What? I Don't Think I Want One

Ever have a life coach? You know, someone who tells you things you don't want to hear, but need to know. Someone who checks tactfulness at the door in order to make you a better person? Someone who bullies you in order to help you become the best you possible?

I have a life coach. A self-appointed and completely unsolicited life coach.

You know her as Tata.

Obviously. I mean really, who else could it be?

Who else but T would ask me 'You going to do something with that zit on your chin before or after it gets big enough to have it's own zip code?'

See? Life coach.

According to my life coach, my recent blog posts have been unimpressive. They've lacked a certain 'interesting' quality. And I need to kick them up a notch.

Her most recent text:

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Return Of The Fog

This has got to be the foggiest winter on record. Four of the last five mornings have been extremely foggy.

I haven't the foggiest idea why.

Giggle, giggle. Snort.

Get it? Foggiest idea? You know, because it's foggy outside?

Geez I crack myself up.

I posted a picture on Thursday of that morning's fog. I didn't take any photos on Friday because I had an inner ear thing going on that caused me to be dizzy. 

Now that was a fun experience.

I worked on a project for about twenty minutes before I gave up. It just wasn't worth fighting the dizziness. I figured the best thing to do was to watch some TV, specifically some PBS shows that I had recorded. Yep, still keeping up with my New Year's Resolution. 

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The Fog

Remember yesterday's sunrise photo?

It's beautiful, right? Full of great color and dark shadows. Let's compare that photo to the photo of today's sunrise. What a difference a day makes:
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Daybreak

The sun came up this morning.

My youngest daughter and I were eating breakfast in the kitchen when I noticed the sunrise this morning. Instinctively, we knew it would be a spectacular one. We each shoved in a mouthful of scrambled eggs before temporarily abandoning our plates on the table.

I grabbed my camera, she grabbed a piece of nutella toast and together we headed out the door.

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