Gone Fishin'

Well not really fishing but I am off. Hey, hey, hey, that is not what I meant but yes I can be a little bit twisted too. I am off on vacation. It officially started at 4:45 yesterday when I finally dragged myself out of work.

The last few days have been interesting with cleaning (house still looks like a tornado hit it), making sure there is nothing to spoil in the fridge, laundry, grass care, buying a vehicle that will get me down to my destination and back, and playing on the Internet and blog land because I so did not want to do much of that. Besides, I was so amused watch M-E give birth (actually that would be Crabby and Milkmade but...) to a new blog that I just could not look away.



Well also I have a confession to make. I will probably lose my Mens Club Card

for admitting this but ... gasp ... I was reading the instructions for my camera a little and MY MINI VAN.

It has been a long time since I have driven something even remotely close to being new. Since when did the owners manual turn into a novel rivaling War and Peace or Hawaii 50? This darn thing is between 200 and 300 pages long. I have been reading for some time and I still don't know how to use the cruse control. What do I know now ... OK, check this out ... you can make a copy of my key and try and start my car with it. Within a few seconds it will turn itself off because it knows it is not the correct key. So how do you copy keys. OK, now the freaky part comes and I am doing this from memory so I hope I am mistaken. First you need two good keys and a blank that has been cut to fit your car (piece of cake). Now place one of the origional keys into the lock and turn it to the on position for at least 5 seconds but not more than 15 seconds. Then turn the key off but you are not done yet. Lather, rinse repeat you know. Repeat the previous 3 more times being sure to have it on for at least 2 seconds but not more than 5 seconds. (I think someone who wrote this manual had a sense of humor) We are still not done. Now remove the key and place the second good key in the ignition. Turn it on for a few seconds and back off and then remove it. (I am out of breath, is anyone else?) Now place your blank into the ignition and turn it on and finally, FINALLY, you will have a programmed key to use for the car. I am taking this darn owners manual with me. I am afraid I will get part way on my trip and the car will ask me to do something I have no clue how to do. What ever happened to the simple days of the Plymouth Valiant or Plymouth Champ I owned. Mommey!



Well I finished most of what I needed to do last night except for packing. I hate packing! SO I decided I got to treat myself not only to dinner (finally) but also to a nice treat. I drove over to the the little town near by and stopped at the local ice cream parlor. I think this place was a Dairy Queen in a past life as they carry most of the same things. I got a thing some places call a freeze where you blend together a slushi (in this case cherry) and some ice cream. I eat almost half of it before I could get home and make something for dinner. Good thing my Mom does not read blogs as I am sure I would get in trouble for having desert before dinner.




Well now here I am updating a long over due blog instead of PACKING. I spoke to my travel agent, ~Lara, and if I don't get this done and get on the road soon I am going to miss my window to avoid the nasty traffic. Why do I hate packing so much? Oh well, I guess I better get down to business and get cracking. Kentucky Derby hear I come. Well actaully I just go down to soak up the weather, visit with my friends, participate in some Derby Festival events and get the heck away from work for a little while. I have only actually been to the Derby once but that does not matter.

So everyone have a great week. I will try and write and visit when I can (of course I am taking a computer) and I will be back in 11 days. Oh by the way, this is my 19th year doing this. Shute, Roxi was probably in kinergarden back than and probably just about to break some boys heart for the first time.


Whew! He must have used up half of his vacation, just trying to leave! --Potsworth & Company

I did Say Practicle

Not to disapoint but I did say practicle. This is the vehicle I will be calling my own sometime on Monday. It is a 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan Sport minivan. There are several paint scrapes that I may just run past a body shop I know of to get started on the right foot. I might be able to buff it out or apply some of the "magic" stuff to get rid of it but I plan on keeping this for a while so why play around with it. Other than that the tires are about new. Same with the breaks. The interior looks in good shape. It runs great and everything except the lift motor seems to work. As a whole it is a pretty clean vehicle.


I know this is not a Crabby mobile which I must say is awesome looking. It is not the car that Sign Gurl would own if she had a choice. To bad I could not take kid duties and you could get a car that you would really like to have! It is not purple as Roxi seemed to think was an OK color. It is red however which was a part of the Crabcake criteria and the cup holders are plentiful and they even take the really large drinks.

Now I love red but I had told myself I would not have another red car. I didn't listen. I'll get over it. I am going to keep my current vehicle and put on the work and shopping kind of miles on it. When it gets to expensive to own I will get rid of it. I may be addicted to having a second vehicle at that point. If that happens then the next vehicle will be a car. For now, however, I am happy to be getting a newer socker Mom mini van. I wonder if there are any eligable socker Moms out there needing a lift? Could be interesting.


Oh, no. Trouble has arrived on the wings of a tacky mini-van. --Stuck in the Suburbs

Mid Life Crisis? Doubtfull...

Well it is that time again. My current vehicle is doing fine getting me around town but I am starting to worry taking trips with it. It is no surprise as I bought this thing almost 6 years ago and it was almost 8 years old then. So what am I going to get?



I could go with something a little more sporty like my Chrysler Laser Turbo I onced owned. This is a picture of something very simular to my car. I so loved and hated the t-tops. Nothing like having the top off in early spring or late fall even if you have to have the heater on full blast to keep from freezing.







I could also look at a fairly new car on the market. The Chevrolet Cobalt. If you think this car looks bad it is all my fault as I designed it that way. I have never had a purple car before. Hummmm....








Or most likely it could be like this one. I go to look at something very much like this tomorrow night. It is a 2002 so it will not cost an arm and a leg but yet it is still new enough I will enjoy it. We will see how it goes. If all goes well I could be the owner of a newer vehicle Monday or Tuesday of next week.




Oh and Carbcakes, I am taking a lesson from you and looking at color and cup holders. I am afraid they do not make these as convertable unless you get in a real bad accident.


[reading ad] "Used car of indeterminate year. Forced to sell by used wife, also of indeterminate year." $4,000? --Married... with Children

These are a Few of My Favorite Things

It is my favorite time of year ... again. Yes I have a lot of times of the year that I love. Being from a northern state I simply love the fall. There is something so comforting about the fall. That is also when College football begins which I really love. How could I not growing up in big ten country. Of course there is always the time when you see the first signs of spring poking through the winter. Ahhh! I used to love Major League Baseball opening day but I have never forgave them for the strike of '94. That brings us to NHL playoffs for Lord Stanley's cup.

I have been a fan of the Detroit Redwings it seems like forwever. Hailing from the Detroit area it is just something that gets in your blood. I love my team, even when they are strugling. I take it serious when someone picks on the boys. Now I am not a fanatic. You will not catch me down at the Joe tossing a squid on the ice. Now a hat, maybe, but I draw the line at that.

It is this time of year it gets so exciting. The last few weeks I have been watching the standings carefully. First they were going to the playoffs. Next they were top of their Division and Conference and finally they took the Presidents Cup and are guaranteed home ice advantage for as long as they last in the playoffs.




Of course there is a big problem at the same time. In another week or so I head to Kentucky to visit and to do the Derby Festival thing. This is always so much fun visiting my friends and just soaking up the great weather. The problem is Kentucky is Basketball Country. They don't even know how to spell Hockey. Try and watch a hockey game in a sports bar down there. I have never been that brave. Now don't get me wrong, there are some die hard fans down in Kentucky. I run into them from time to time when I wear my jersey as I go about doing my thing. Even my best friend's son is a big fan of the redwings. Still trying to follow the playoffs is just about impossible. I would follow it in the newspaper but the local news only carries about a 2 inch article about the playoffs if there is something really exciting going on. So I get no news that was and I need to rely on the Internet. Maybe that is part of the charm and challenge for me for this time of the year.

Well here is wishing my boys the best of luck this year in their run for Lord Stanley's Cup. I hope before long you will be hoisting the cup up as they take a victory lap around the stadium. Go Redwings.

Hey, Hey Hockeytown!


I believe this is yours. [holds up Sam's diary containing a record of their planned heists] It's an impressive read: bold, yet meticulous strategies. I love the one where you tried to figure out how to pinch the Stanley Cup. It's very... Canadian. --Foolproof

Happy Easter

My friend from Minnesota shared this with me. She found it very amusing and you know what, so do I.


I hope everyone has a Happy Easter. May you find all the eggs you have hidden.

Your 2005 Song Is

Since You've Been Gone by Kelly Clarkson "But since you've been gone I can breathe for the first time I'm so moving on" In 2005, you moved on.

What Hit Song of 2005 Are You?

Only Answer Yes or No

I noticed that BTExpress had filled this out and I thought I would give it a shot too.

The Rules:
1. You can only say YES or NO!
2. You are NOT ALLOWED to explain ANYTHING unless someone messages you and asks!

Taken a picture naked? : yes
Made out with a member of the same sex? : no
Danced in front of your mirror? : yes
Told a lie? : yes
Gotten in a car with people you just met?: yes
Been in a fist fight? : yes
Had feelings for someone who didn't have them back? : yes
Been arrested? : yes
Slept in a bed with a member of the same sex? : yes
Seen someone die? : yes
Kissed a picture? : yes
Slept in until 3? : yes
Laid on your back and watched cloud shapes go by? : yes
Played dress up? : yes
Fallen asleep at work? : yes
Had sex at work? : no
Felt an earthquake? : yes
Touched a snake? : yes
Ran a red light? : yes
Been in a car accident? : yes
Pole danced? : no
Been lost? : yes
Sang karaoke? : yes
Done something you told yourself you wouldn't? : yes
Laughed until something you were drinking came out your nose? : yes
Caught a snowflake on your tongue? : yes
Kissed in the rain? : no
Sang in the shower? : yes
Got your tongue stuck to a pole? : yes
Sat on a roof top? : yes
Played chicken? : yes
Raised chickens? : no
Been pushed into a pool with all your clothes on? : yes
Been told you're hot by a complete stranger? : no
Broken a bone? : yes
Mooned/flashed someone? : yes
Forgotten someone's name? : yes
Slept naked? : yes
Blacked out from drinking? : yes
Played a prank on someone? : yes
Felt like killing someone? : yes
Made a parent cry? : yes
Cried over someone? : yes
Had sex more than 5 times in one day? : no
Had/Have a dog? : yes
Been in a band? : no
Drank 25 sodas in a day? : no
Shot a gun? : yes


[a Bit flies around Flynn's head in a Recognizer]
Kevin Flynn:Hey! Hold it right there!
Bit: Yes.
Kevin Flynn: What do you mean, "yes"?
Bit: Yes.
Kevin Flynn: Is that all you can say?
Bit: No.
Kevin Flynn: Know anything else?
Bit: Yes.
Kevin Flynn: Positive and negative, huh. You're a bit, aren't you?
Bit: Yes.
Kevin Flynn: Well, where's your program? Isn't he going to miss you?
Bit: No.
Kevin Flynn: I'M your program?
Bit: Yes.
Kevin Flynn: I've got a mouth to feed.
Bit: Yesyesyesyes!
--Tron

Welcoming Spring

On Crabcake's blog I made the comment that it would be another 2 to 3 weeks before we saw spring like she was seeing. Normally that would be true.

For the last 19 years I have been going down to visit my friends in Louisville, Kentucky during the Kentucky Derby time of year. Usually I leave on a Friday somewhere between April 23 and April 29 depending on the year, spend a little over a week visiting and enjoing the Derby Festival and return on a Monday. Typically there is a little bit of green but not much when I leave and then, in the 11 days I am gone, everything just blossoms. Well this year that has all changed.

This year I noticed my tulips were saying hello. No tulips yet but they are certainly letting me know they are there. Portions of my grass need to be cut even though I thatched it and that usually really stunts the grass for a little. Since I have no trees yet I looked at my neighbors house and her tree/shrub up front is somewhat bloomed and her trees in back all have nice buds on them. The same is true of the appartments across the street. If this keeps it up I will be seeing tulips before I head down to Kentucky on April 28. I can not believe this.

Now Michigan is a big state. It can easily take you 7 hours or more to go from the Southern most tip of Michigan to the Nothern most tip. I would not doubt that portions of our Upper Peninsula still has some snow on the ground but the majority of the population of Michigan is south of where I live so I think I am safe in saying ...

Spring has Sprung in Michigan

Now that I am most of the way recovered from my illness and the weather tossed us our first 70+ degree day and everything is greening up and I have a new camera to try out I think I will have a great time exploring spring. Of course the temperature will turn back to normal and spoil all the fun but I am so enjoying our little peek of spring.

So Crabby, I was wrong. Spring is here too. It sounds like Sign Gurl already tilled her beds so I think I need to go rent me one of the cute little tillers and do the same. I don't have the lovely soil she has as mine is largly sand based and I need to work to improve the soil but still it will be great. There might even be a small garden in my future this year.

I love this time of year!

Greetings, Cicely, on this most exceedingly beautiful spring morning. A morning swollen with new life, a morning on which, if I had the voice, I would let loose with song. It's hard to believe just a few short weeks ago we were eating our cornflakes in the wintry dark. Now, well it's still kind of dim our there, but I can see the golden glow of Apollo's chariot waiting in the wings, about to make its entrance. Winter's on the lam, no doubt. --Northern Exposure

102.5

No it is not my newest classic rock or oldies radio station I listen to (sorry, product of the 70s). What it is how high my fever climbed before it broke last night. Looks like I back slid. Now part of it is my own fault. Most people are not stupid enough to crawl under a cover, two conferters and a heating pad when they are running a fever. Mr Mom I am not.


Well off to see the pharmacist, get some light food for the next few days, prepare for a most likely fever tonight and get ready for a visit with the Doctor tomorrow. So much fun.

Oh the horror of it

I am not really sure what I did to deserve this but OK. I have never seen this movie. Perhaps I should check it out to see how my life ends.

?? Which Horror Movie Are You Living ??

You're living the movie Event Horizon!
Take this quiz!








Quizilla |
Join

| Make A Quiz | More Quizzes | Grab Code

AST #1 or RIP

It started out because I had the honor of wearing the Os HNT shirt, I thought it was only appropriate to do my first and probably only HNT. I was not sure what I was going to do until this afternoon. See it started out slow. I had some pizza last night for dinner. It was a little later than normal but it was not to bad and I did not eat to much.


The middle of the night I had the worse upset stomack and I could not do anything about it. When I woke up breakfast was out of the question and I got ready for work. Work was not much better and I started to feel cold so I started to take my temperature. Let's just say that by early afternoon I was running a good size feaver and it was time to call it a day. So my HNT plans, with the aid of the previous items turned into AST, All Sick Thursday.


I hope everyone had a better day than I did. Happy HNT everyone even if that is not what I did.

















He's sick, he's supposed to be in bed! --Sister, Sister

Name Droper

For those of you who missed the Michigan Blogger Meetup this weekend you missed a fun time and a bunch a super fellow bloggers.

I showed just in time to catch the end of happy hour. Sign Gurl and BTExpress were there already. First let me say Sign Gurl is every bit as super of a person as I thought she would be. BTExpress, or former Michigander and now a New Yorker, was fascinating and fun just a touch naughty. Even if I did not meet anyone else this trip would be a success. We had dinner while waiting for the others to show up. I decided to follow BTExpress's lead and have the salmon meal. I must say it was yummy.

Cutie was next to show up. I only just noticed Cutie around the blogs recently. I so enjoyed getting to meet and know her a little. She is a great person and I am so glad I got to meet her. I look forward to hearing about her vacation. I have added her to my must read list.

Jon was next to arrive. I only just noticed Jon in the last week. I was fascinated about his moving experience and the fact that he was coming here from Colorado. He was at the second table and I do not do real well in a bar so I did not get to know him real but between that and the activities after we left the bar I just know I need to add Jon on to my list of people to get to know.

Croaker showed up next. I have never read his blog but I have certainly seen his hooded avatar around enough. I found him to be one of the most interesting persons. He talked a little bit about how he started anonymous and has just kept it going since. He asked some of the most interesting questions like why do you blog? We will visit that in a second.

Finally Roxi and Dan showed up. Now I knew Roxi was the shit as she has told us that but she was all that and more. What a super person. She started off by telling every that she really does say "fuck" that often and went from there. It was exciting to get to meet her. She was every bit as much fun as I thought she would be. Dan was holding his own despite the fact that he is not a blogger. I must say I don't think if it were me that I would have been able to make it to the bar. He had just drove in from Texas and I was amazed he lasted as long as he did. I must say that Dan and Roxi really made a good looking couple.

Now the question about why do you blog. Everyone had different reasons just like I have noticed people when people mention it on their blog. For me it was to meet people. Now I am talking about meeting them online, not in person like the blogger gathering was. I find it fascinating meeting people, especially those from outside the United States. One crazy person I have visited many times is Jungle Jane from the Land Down Under. Of course Jungle Jane is originally from the UK as are many other people I have bumped into out in the Small World. There is also Wenchy from South Africa. What a super person she is. There are so many more that I visit at least occasionally and many of which I don't even know where they are fun. So basically meeting people is why I blog.

Part way through the evening we decided to go up to the rooms and finish out the night up there. So everyone headed up to Sign Gurl's room and the evening went down hill from there. The first thing was Sign Gurl cranked up the tunes on her MP3 player and the jello shots made an appearance. Now fist let me say that Sign Gurl is probably going to how much bigger her jello shots were then mine. That funny, I hardly noticed. I suppose they could have been just a touch bigger but... OK, so mine were 3/4 ounce and hers were probably 2 ounces so even though I made almost 3 times as many shots, Sign Gurl made probably as much or slightly more than I did and where they GOOD! I especially loved the technique that Roxi used to get the Jello out, that is all that I am saying. By the way I am leaving details out because "what goes on in Ann Arbor stays in Ann Arbor." Where have I heard that before?

Sign Gurls bed was a popular spot for the evening as you have no doubt heard on her blog and Roxi blog or seen on the Michigan Meetup blog. Throughout the remainder of the night Sign Gurl was making sure no one ran out of shots and the conversation kept flowing. Sometime after midnight we started to lose people and finally the remainder of us were calling it a night sometime after 3:00 AM.

For pictures and comments go check out some of the other blogs mentioned and maybe someone will fill us in on Saturday night. It was certainly a lot of fun and I really hope another get together happens soon. Hopefully we will see more people there next time around.


Mary Kane is a very hot name to drop in Washington right now. They are practically frothing at the mouth for her. --Spooks

Spring Forward

I just thought I would put together a little PSA. For most of you in the United States this Sunday at 2:00 AM was time to set your clocks forward one hour. Now I know not everyone in the United States sets their clocks forward but the majority of the US does. Most of Europe set their clocks forward a week ago I believe.

So this morning I grabbed my trusty Atomic Watch (sounds like something from Batman or Dick Tracy) and made the rounds reseting my clocks. I am sure I forgot some of them. In case you do not have a way to find out the correct time when you set your clocks forward you can use this link or I have enclosed a picture of my Atomic Watch that you can use. Good luck.

By the way, for anyone that is curious ... The United States has changed when we are on Daylight Savings Time starting next year. We will start Daylight Savings Time on the 2nd Sunday in March and Daylight Savings Time ends on the first Sunday in November adding three weeks to Daylight Savings time. So next year Daylight Savings runs from March 11 until November 4.

All right! What I know is that daylight savings wasn't established until World War I. If it's 3 p.m. now that means that in 1776 it would be 2 p.m. --National Treasure