Saturday, April 28, 2007

It's nine o'clock on a Saturday....

...and Ziggy is snoring loudly on the sofa, the grandbaby is sound asleep on the floor and our helpers, Jack and Karen, are snuggled up on the chaise lounge...sleeping...uh...I mean "watching a movie".

The only reason I'm not passed out too, is because I'm still wired. We got all moved today and lemme tell ya...hiring it done is the way to go. We're all exhausted and all we've done is try to put things away and straighten up. I can't imagine if we'd have tried to actually move all this crap, too.

I think maybe we're too old for this shit.

Anyway, no problems. And this high speed internet access is awesome.

Photos in the next couple of days.

Tuesday, April 24, 2007

Clone



Ain't she a cutie-pie?

I asked Ziggy who this was...and he said "It's YOU." I thought the same thing myself when I first saw it. Honest ta gawd...it's like I was lookin in a mirror...forty-five years ago.

I know I've got a photo of me somewhere when I was about that age and I'm not kiddin...my granddaughter and I could be twins.

I always thought Karsin looked like me...a little. I mean, you could definitely tell we were related. But this is just spooky.
The really weird thing is, I can see Jules, too. 'Course everybody says she and I look alike (bless their hearts...she's waaaaay prettier than I ever was).

When I look at the photo, it's like I'm lookin at a Photoshop blend of the three of us.

They're both supposed to come up this weekend to help with the move...I'll hafta try to get a few more shots of the three of us together.

Friday, April 20, 2007

What does this mean to a person with a mild form of OCD?

Hell. It means hell.

I am in hell.



I'm a neat freak. There. I admit it. I can handle a little dust, but clutter? Nope. Can't stand clutter. When I have to live with clutter, it affects my mind. Really. My thoughts are as scattered...as cluttered as my surroundings.

And right now? Lemme tell ya...my neurons are blasting like fireworks at a Fourth of July picnic. I've started...and stopped...sixty-eleven different things tonight. And haven't really finished a one of 'em.

So I keep thinkin about this...



It's my nirvana. My zen.

This time next week, I'll be here. Instead of here...in hell.

We're goin up tomorrow (and probably Sunday, too) to take a couple loads of small stuff and to start painting the bedrooms. With any luck...and providing this view doesn't keep distracting me...I should get 'em both knocked out tomorrow. Ok, realistically, I'll probably get one done.

Hey...I hafta take a break now and then, right?

The stuff nightmares are made of

The guy in the speedo ain't exactly a nice dream, either.

Ya know...I try reeeeally hard to not be judgmental. Honestly, I do. But how on earth could a woman her age not realize that she looks like...well...a freak. Saggy, leathery skin. Bones sticking out all over. And...uh...about those implants....

Kinda makes me wanna poke my eyes out with a crochet hook.

Warning:



Wednesday, April 18, 2007

Scattered, smothered and fried

No, it's not an order of hashbrowns at Waffle House.

It's how my brain is feeling. Too much input. Too many things to think about/decide on/get done.

And this horrific thing that happened in Virginia...I don't have any words. My heart goes out to all the parents and students.

But I'm sorry...I wanna kick all the pro gun control whackjobs that are comin outa the woodwork right in their pointy little heads.

This guy was mentally ill. Even if selling guns in the state of Virginia was illegal, he'd have made a bomb and blown up a coupla buildings. Or bought a coupla containers of anthrax and spread it around like fairy dust. Or laced the food in the cafeteria with cyanide.

And the argument that guns are too easy to buy just doesn't fly with me. He could have looked up "How to Make a Bomb" on the damn internet. He could have ordered cyanide online. And make no mistake about it...even if guns had been outlawed completely in the US, he probably could have ordered one online.

He was a crazy young man on a mission and that mission was to make some kind of sick, twisted "statement". Guns just happened to be the pencil he used to write that statement.

Instead of blaming guns and the NRA, they oughta be lookin at the parents. Where the hell were they while their son was slowly going insane? Where the hell were the college counselors who knew he had a major screw loose?

Awww...nevermind.

Sunday, April 15, 2007

Doo, doo, doo...lookin out our front door...

Well, it'll be our front door in a coupla weeks, anyway.



And the view from the floor. If ya feel like laying on the living room floor.



I'm thinkin it's gonna be Ziggy's job to change the lightbulbs in that damn ceiling fan. When I first saw that cathedral ceiling, I thought it was a little...grandiose...for such a small home. But whoever did it really had the right idea. It makes the small-ish living room feel expansive and just huge. Plus, the loft part has tons of storage...another big plus in such a small space.

And the windows that overlook the deck that overlooks the river.



Perfect spot for the lyin on the chaise lounge and just...lollygaggin, huh?

And though the kitchen is small, it has tons of cabinets, brand new appliances and waaay more counter space than I have now. The wallpaper isn't my taste, but I can live with it...for a while.



We went up yesterday to do some last-minute measuring...just in case, ya know? I'd have really hated to get our king-sized bed up there, only to find out that it wouldn't fit in the bedroom. The bedrooms are small, but not nearly as small as I had remembered from that first visit in January. In fact, none of the rooms is as small as I'd first thought...except the bathroom. Miniscule might be a good word to describe it. At least it's got all the essentials.

And that deck! Like a dumbass, I forgot to get a photo of that. But it's awesome. Perfect place for a cookout...or blogmeet? It's 16 X 20 or so...about twice the size of the dinky patio we have now. And tons of space for pots of herbs and flowers.

Our lovely new landlords even went ahead and gave us the keys. Now I can get the bedrooms and bathroom painted before we move! What a bonus. It'll be soooo much easier to get done without the furniture there. Piecea cake, actually...don't even hafta paint the ceilings and the trim is all finished wood in great condition.

Needless to say, we're both so excited we can hardly stand it. I'm thinkin these next two weeks are gonna drag by.

Wednesday, April 11, 2007

Yer not from these parts, are ya?

The UPS guy came buzzin our door today, deliverin our new chairs. I was impressed. I just ordered 'em Saturday night and supposedly, the delivery would take 1-2 weeks...not four days.

Anywho, the chairs are great even though they're made in China. So do ya suppose the leather they're made of is from Chinese cows?

They do require a little assembly, though. The back and the back legs are all one piece...the front legs need attached to the seat and the seat attached to the back. Piece a cake, right? Mmmhmmm. Until you read the directions.

I'm typing this exactly how it's typed on the instructions.

Put the seat (B) on a smooth flat surface, Attcached one front leg (C) to the seat (B) use bolt (H),lock washer(D) and flat washer (E) on both of hole of seat. turn the Allen wrench (I) in Bolt (H); But not too tight.

But not too tight. Oooookkkay.

The kicker is the very dire warning at the bottom of the instructions.

NOTE: DO NOT PUT THE MOIST AND HIGH TEMPERATURE AREA. NO BARGE AGAINST WITH HARD OBJECT.

Information that's good to know. No barging allowed.

This is totally off-topic, but the chairs being made in China reminded me of something.

Has anyone noticed the new commercials for Toyota trucks? The announcer sounds like James Earl Jones with a good ole boy Texas accent as he touts the roughness and toughness of the new Toyota Tundra. Say it. TUNNNNNDDDRA.

Lotsa big, dirty, sweaty men with big loads.

Can you say subliminal message? I knew you could.

Makes me wonder what that marketing meeting was like. I can see it now...a whole roomful of very proper little Japanese men, trying to figure out just what American men want in a truck. Tryin to lose the whole wimpy, tin-can import persona.

Heck, I bet they even figured out a way to make that "new car smell" smell like testosterone, instead.

Tuesday, April 10, 2007

I'm not a religious sort, but....

  • Amen!


  • "Lyrics in rap songs are more derogatory than anything to ever (hit?) the radio and teevee airwaves, but yet those are not only totally acceptable, but they're worth a fucking fortune."

    And....

  • Amen!


  • "I have your cure right here: Limit the hot air blown by these dumb-ass politicians to maybe something like one hour a day. Levels of C02 gas would drop to immeasurable levels in a matter of weeks."

    And gimme a....

  • Halleujah!
  • for good measure.

    "It's. Not. The. Gun. It's. The. Moron. Holding. It."

    Yea. What he said.

    Ya know...about the Imus thing...it just kills me. I'd agree that "nappy-headed ho's" is pretty damn derogatory. I can't stand Imus, anyway, so if he gets canned over this, it's ok by me. But what bothers me is the damn hypocrisy that the so-called "leaders" of the black community are spouting.

    Ole Rev. Sharpton's conveniently forgetting the whole Tawana Brawley debacle and how he flat-out lied about it to encourage racism. And what about Jesse Jackson calling New York "Hymietown" during his ill-fated run for prez?

    Kinda like the pots callin the kettle black, eh?

    No pun intended, of course.

    I think we're on the downhill slide

    Except for the kitchen, all the rooms are probably 80% packed up. Phone, cable and high-speed internet (Yahooo!) are scheduled for installation on the 27th. Pieces of furniture that we're gonna donate to a local agency will be picked up this Friday. Paint colors are selected for the two bedrooms (a dusty eggplant and a rich olive green). Hopefully, I'll have the time to actually get them painted before we move, but if I don't, it's no biggie.

    'Course, a new place means at least a little change in the decor. I've been lusting for these dining chairs



    for some time. I ordered 'em Saturday and they should be here this week, sometime.
    I think they'll go great with the Kandinsky-inspired table that I painted a coupla years ago.

    Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

    A new black leather storage ottoman/coffee table (on sale at Tar-jay!)



    will look great with the newly-upholstered platform sofa we made a year or so ago. (The back cushions are being sewn up as we speak)



    Funky, no? What the hell...the material was dirt cheap and it was easy-peasy to do, so I can change it if I decide it's just a tad too funky.

    I've gotta admit, I love this part...the decorating part. I kinda like the putting-away/arranging-stuff-in-the-new-digs part, too. But where we're at now? The packing-up part? Uh...not so much. It sucks, in fact. I start out all organized and everything. This goes in that box and that goes in that other box. But by the time the actual move gets here, I'm just cramming crap in any-ole-where. Makes for some interesting suprises when ya start unpacking.

    Anywho, we're going up Sunday to do some in-depth measuring (crossing fingers that all the furniture will fit) and last-minute planning, so I'll take the camera and get some "before" shots.

    Saturday, April 07, 2007

    It's like......"G" rated porn

    Really, really good porn.

    Now, there's a
  • man
  • who knows how to give good...um...awww, hell...that ain't no simple footrub. That right there is foreplay, honey.

    … ensure that she has had dinner… one that you have cooked…. and two nice glasses of wine……

    …… lay her back on the couch and take a seat at the far end…. slip off her socks by tugging at the toes until the tension eventually forces them to give… gently letting the knit cloth slowly scrape against her skin as the garment slips off….


    The way to a man's heart might be through his stomach. But the way to a woman's is through her feet. Yea, baby.

    Thursday, April 05, 2007

    It's not like I don't have help packin stuff up


    Hey! Here's an empty box. Plenty big enough for my litter box and my kibble.


    Don't forget the stuff up here!


    Is it break time yet?



    I AM helping!

    Tuesday, April 03, 2007

    Awww...he probably just wanted a sammich

    People were stunned to see a coyote inside a local Quiznos, located at 37 E. Adams, downtown. The wily animal was taken away by Animal Control officers.

    That would be 37 E. Adams. As in The Loop. As in downtown Chicago.

    Now, if you're talkin Adams Street here in Peoria...well, hell...it wouldn't be much of a suprise. Ya can see a coyote or two damn near every time ya drive down Adams.

    The rest of the story is
  • here
  • .

    Whodathunkit?

    Monday, April 02, 2007

    Alive and kickin...

    ...more or less.

    I feel like I've gotten a lot accomplished in the last couple of days. Actually, we're probably ahead of schedule. But with a move, there are always those irritating last-minute things you forgot. I'm hoping that by getting so much done early, those pesky things won't be quite so irritating.

    I did get that horror of a spare bedroom closet all cleaned out, too. I mean ALL cleaned out. That was the task I was dreading the most. I swear by all that's holy, from now on, I'll abide by the "if you buy a piece of clothing, an old piece of clothing has to go" rule. I oughta be kicked.

    Boy, the place looks like it's been nuked, though. Boxes and bags everywhere. Nearly everything off the walls. All my paintings and posters down and stacked. All the chatchkes packed up. Ya know...those little things that make a home...homey...are gone. Even yanked the curtains down, washed 'em and packed 'em up.

    In other news, I "fixed" the goat-chewed hair tonight. I bit the bullet and evened it up. I hated to go even shorter, but it had to be done. There was no use letting it grow out a bit and having to go ahead and get it cut again to even it up. Might as well start from scratch. (sigh) At least summer is coming...a short 'do' won't be exactly unwelcome.

    Ah well. Enough about my boring life. Go read some of the great bloggers there on my sidebar...ya know? The ones that have more interesting things to write about than cleaning out their closets or their goat-chewed hair.