Friday Fatigue......

I was afraid I would scare some of you off with another "random thoughts" title, so I switched it up a little.

I swear I had a wonderful blog post planned for tonight, a Flashback Friday all about my cycling buddy Roz and how we met, complete with some pictures. (There's one of her drinking a beer while standing on her head, and I don't think I can do it justice tonight.) I will share those thoughts with you by next Friday at the very latest.

My goal is to start writing blog posts earlier in the day, so I don't have to A) rush right before I go to bed; and B) come up with something coherent when I'm tired to the bone.

• My mother-in-law finished her first week of radiation treatment today. Only 5 more weeks to go. Nurses have warned her that she may begin to feel some discomfort in her mouth after three or four weeks. She refuses to believe it because her husband didn't have any discomfort in HIS mouth when HE did radiation 25 years (or so) ago. We keep reminding her that he didn't have radiation on his mouth, but she is sticking to her guns. I guess if I were in that situation I would have some coping skills too.
• I finally got on my bike today and rode 41 miles. It was a beautiful, beautiful day, but it was WINDY. I rode to the golf course where Hubby and his buddies were playing today, not their usual course. There is something psychologically satisfying about doing a bike ride and knowing you don't have to ride back home. No, I don't know why either.
• I have started crocheting an afghan from a kit I ordered after seeing it in a catalog. The picture was gorgeous, but I'm not liking how it is turning out. I'm wrestling whether to scrap it altogether, use the yarn for something I actually like, or just keep plugging away. I don't like admitting defeat, but I don't like putting time into something I probably won't like anyway.
• Our big-screen t.v. bit the dust. It was horribly expensive, and it's not that old, and we will NEVER buy another Samsung t.v. The one we bought tonight to replace it is almost as wide as I am tall. I saw one on display at the store that was almost $10,000. Seriously? Can a television be WORTH that much? Without washing the dishes or something?
• Tomorrow is a busy day. It begins with a bike ride sponsored by our Lieutenant Governor, in the middle is a birthday party for Baby Luke (can you BELIEVE he's a year old already?), and football to wrap things up. On television, thank goodness. I hope to have some pictures of Luke to post tomorrow night. With his parents' permission, of course.

Good night!

Random Sunday Thoughts.......

• I'm in a blog funk. You may have already detected that by my last few posts. And this one.
• I used to hate Sundays, especially Sunday nights. Not anymore.
• Technically I missed my September cycling goal of 300 miles. But since I was only 1.09 mile short, and that was less than 1%, the computer program tells me I'm at 100%. And I'm okay with that. If I had known I would be 1.09 mile short when I rode on Thursday, I wouldn't have taken the treacherous short-cut through the park with its roots and bumps and ruts and sticks. I'm sorry, Jezebel.
• At the baseball game Thursday night, I bought ice cream. It came in a little plastic Braves baseball helmet. I have no idea what to do with it (other than continue serving ice cream in it, which is a definite possibility), but I can't bear to part with it.
• I wanted to post a picture of said baseball-helmet-ice-cream-holder, but I think my camera is still in the RV. And it's raining.
• I took my camera to the football game, clipped onto my belt loop. It banged around on my leg every time I took a step (or jumped up and down and screamed), and it was in the way every time I went to the bathroom. And I never took a single photo. 
• It may be possible to overdose on sports, but I haven't yet. I will continue gathering data for the research on this topic, though.
• Braves win, Falcons win, Bulldogs win = happy Bragger.
• I wish I could find a way to serve tacos for dinner without stinking up the whole house. Other than going out to eat, that is.
• I have three well-formed novels in my head and plenty of time to write, but I can't make myself sit down and commit them to actual words. 
•  I already know what I'm going to wear to a football game on November 24th.
• Here lately, sleeping through the night has been cause for celebration.
• I'm much more patient than some people think I am.
• I had all day today to get caught up on laundry. And I didn't wash a single load. I guess tomorrow is another day. Maybe I won't have to go naked.
• When I complained about pain in my hand to my sister-nurse, she diagnosed carpal tunnel syndrome. She may be partially correct, but I realized the pain came from playing a stupid video game. My dentist has already told me to stop playing them, because that's the only time I clench my jaws and grind my teeth. What an idiot. Me, not the dentist.
• Changing banks is the hardest, most time-consuming thing I've done lately. And I'm not 100% positive I got all the automatic electronic thingamabobs transferred. Fingers crossed.
• I make a terrible caretaker. I am happy to do anything that needs to be done, but I don't anticipate needs very well and I don't respond well (at all?) to subtlety. 
• It's almost past my bedtime. Good night!

Random Thoughts.....

• I had a very good topic planned for tonight, but it involves some scanning of photos, and first I have to FIND the photos, so if it sounds like I'm coming up with excuses, please forgive me.
• I'm working on my cathedral window quilt now, and I'm fastidious about keeping my hands clean while I work on it. I think I wash my hands more frequently than a surgeon these days.
• I ordered two very different items online today: Zumba shoes (guess that means I'll have to start going back to Zumba class) and an action video camera to mount on the handlebars of my bike. Oh, the power of suggestion.
•  I got a letter from the teachers' retirement folks Friday saying they were missing a final sick leave form. I thought it was from my last employer, because they are notorious for not completing things when they should. I was ready to call and complain loudly that I am being penalized (I actually retired with 29.556 years, and sick leave was to make up the rest) because of them when I realized the missing sick leave was from when I worked for UGA. In 1982. Seriously? They're going to need a dust buster to find those records. The good news is that when the sick leave IS finalized, they will give correct my pay retroactively.
• My dream of owning the marsh house is in jeopardy...again. And no, I didn't annoy my mother to the point that she withdrew her offer of making the down payment. It seems that my ex lost his house to foreclosure, and I was still on the mortgage, so my loan cannot be approved. Yet. The loan officer is working on it diligently (he is really on my side), but I don't know what the odds are. I'm sure we could get a loan if Hubby put his name on it (I'm borrowing the money alone), but I don't want to start over. If the loan doesn't go through, I'm taking the attitude that it wasn't meant to be and the rewards weren't worth the risk. But it will still sting. Details as they develop.
• I took mother-in-law to yet another new doctor today, this time a kidney specialist. Seems her elevated calcium levels may indicate a kidney issue IN ADDITION TO the tumor in the roof of her mouth for which they are going to do surgery. Of course this visit means an additional trip for more lab work in two weeks, then another visit after that to discuss the new lab results, and who knows what after that. I told the doctor today, "It would be nice if you guys could all just TALK TO EACH OTHER." He sort of chuckled and said something about medicine not working that way. It's frustrating.
• We are leaving Friday for a little over a week, and I haven't started packing yet. Packing for Hubby is easy, since he can wear the same thing for several days in a row without it bothering him. For me, however, I have to pack cycling stuff for riding, in addition to off-the-bike clothes for evenings. And we're going to a part of the country where we've never been before, so I don't really know what to expect weather-wise. 
• One of my mother-in-law's appointments occurs while we are gone. And I'm nervous about her own daughter taking her to the doctor. 
• Gus had to get shots today, and they drew blood out of his front paw. He's limping around like he got caught in a bear trap or something, and he has this pitiful look on his face. Sort of like men when they get sick. Tomorrow he has to go to the groomer, so he may pout for days. Then when we transport him across state lines this weekend, he may be ready to report us to the Humane Society.
• I posted this on FB, but it bears repeating here. I saw a recipe for chicken noodle soup on a box of crackers. The first ingredient: "2 cans chicken noodle soup."
• I bought a new battery for my bathroom scale (insert joke here about me wearing it out, it's okay) at the grocery store last week. It's that flat kind, the kind that looks like a cross between a nickel and a quarter. When I got home, I couldn't find it, and I thought the bagger had overlooked it when sacking up my groceries. Then I found it...in the refrigerator. It had somehow stuck to the bottom of a package of ground beef. So I put it in a safe place. And I have no idea where that might be. I bought another one today.
• I've been checking the website every day to purchase an RV parking pass for football season. If we don't get an RV pass, we're sort of screwed, because I didn't enter the lottery for game day parking. The website still says to keep checking, the information will be posted mid-July. Maybe their definition of "mid" is different from mine.
• It's going to be a busy week, so my thoughts are likely to be scattered this way all week. I apologize in advance. I hope to make up for it by taking some (please please please please) nice photos from my bike next week.

Random Pre-4th of July Thoughts....

Blogging from the iPad, so it will be short. You're welcome.

I think the guy who does the Ford commercials is sexy.

It has poured rain in our area today, and I am thrilled.

I made a 7-letter word in Words with Friends today. ("reimaged")

I have to use HTML code to put line breaks in blog posts on the iPad. I hate HTML code. I'm not even sure it works yet.

I got Jezebel back from the bike shop yesterday. I've never been so happy to see an inanimate object in my life. I celebrated by taking a 40-mile ride today.

Katydid and I are "running" in the Peachtree Road Race in Atlanta tomorrow, along with 60,000 other folks.

I prefer for Chipper Jones to chew gum instead of having that wad of ... whatever ... in his cheek.

I left the shopping for tomorrow's celebration up to Hubby since A) they're HIS family; and B) I won't even be there until after the pool party starts. He bought three different kinds of chips, a box of crackers, and some cubed cheese.

If I had realized the bike ride in Wisconsin would be the same week as the Olympic Games, I might have put off riding in that one to next year. For once I will be glad Hubby insists on taking the satellite dish in the RV.

Goodnight!

Random Thoughts.....

• I went back to Zumba class tonight for the first time in MONTHS. I got there right on time, so there was no room in the front row, where I like to be. I had a hard time seeing from the back, and I REALLY wanted to blame it on someone other than myself when I didn't know some of the dances. What a brat. But the class was awesome.
• One of my students asked me today if I were talking to myself. I responded, "Yes I am. Sometimes it's the only intelligent conversation I can find." One of her classmates explained it to her.
• My awesome Hubby cleaned the house today. Vacuumed, swept, mopped the floors, put new light bulbs in the kitchen fixture so I don't have to use Braille cookbooks. Cookbooks....bwahahahahaha. AND he put a roast and some potatoes in the crockpot, so we're pretending he cooked dinner too.
• It's only May, and I'm already dreading the days getting shorter. What is WRONG with me? Maybe I should move nearer the equator, where the days are the same length all year.
• UGA has yet to contact me regarding the opening for a gymnastics head coach. I expect a call just any minute. 
• A co-worker has introduced me to yet another addictive game for my iPhone, called Logos. Today I resorted to cheating to figure out some of the logos. In my (rather weak) defense, some of them were rather obscure. Who even drives an Opel anymore? I searched and searched car logos for one that I was CERTAIN was a car. I just saw a commercial for Steak & Shake and realized it was the mysterious logo. Go figure.
• There was a story on the Atlanta news this morning about a group of fifth graders on a field trip. Seems the bus company subcontracted out the return ride without informing the new company of the nature of the group. The vehicle sent to fetch the fifth graders back to school was a "party bus," complete with leather seats and at least one dance pole. Naturally parents are in an uproar. I figure if the bus didn't come WITH a stripper, no harm no foul. And if a fifth grader knows what a dance pole is for, you've got bigger problems than a party bus.
• I shipped a book back to the publisher today, one that I didn't mean to order. When I told the post office lady I wanted to ship it Media Mail, she asked what was in it. (Duh...it's MEDIA.) When I told her it was a book, she asked if there were anything else in there with it. What, does she think this is the airport? No there's nothing else in it, and yes I packed it myself.
• Hubby asked if I needed anything on his every-other-day trip to Wally World yesterday. I went out on a limb and asked him to pick up a skein of yarn in a specific color. He got it right.
• In a meeting after school today, we were discussing how to better serve our students next year. The question of having a services coordinator came up (that's the job the Warrior Princess had when she worked with us...sniff sniff), and our principal said she may be able to work that position back in for next year. Then she looked at me and said, "And I think you ought to apply for it." WHAT? What part of "retire" doesn't she understand?
• It rained yesterday and today, and I'm going into cycling withdrawal. I'm not complaining, because I know we need the rain, but I'm also ready to ride.
• Some commercials on television are hilarious, but only the first 450 times you see them.
• I don't think I've ever seen anything on The Three Stooges that I thought was really funny.
• It's 119 days until the start of the college football season. 

Random Thoughts.....

It's been a while since I threw a "Random Thoughts" blog entry out there at you, so tonight's the night. Besides, I don't think I can sustain a coherent topic for more than a paragraph or two. I'm not that tired, it's just that I can't corral my thoughts.

• Family Guy is one of the most obnoxious television shows I have ever seen, but it has some funny lines.
• I just saw the animated characters on Family Guy drinking animated glasses of animated wine, and I felt compelled to go pour myself a glass of wine. If they had been having a seven-course meal featuring stuffed pheasant, would I have had the same reaction? Probably not.
• I participated in my third 5K race today. I walked almost all of it, and my time was only about 3 minutes slower than the one where I nearly killed myself keeping up with a 28-year-old co-worker with long legs. I only ran enough to make some of my muscles sore. Like my upper back. What's up with THAT? I came in 10th in my age group. I don't want to know how many women there were in my age group.
• Our college gymnastics team kicked BUTT this weekend, had a huge score, and will move DOWN in the rankings when they come out tomorrow. It is the weirdest scoring system I have ever seen. Rankings don't matter, but of course they DO.
• After attending home gymnastics meets for six years in a row (I think), we FINALLY managed to score one of the beanie Dawgs the gymnasts throw out at the beginning of every meet. Frogger Blogger snagged it and gave it to Katydid. And it was signed by a gymnast named Kati, so that seemed appropriate. One could purchase a large-scale replica of the beanie Dawg at the souvenir stand, if one weren't astounded into shock by the $595 price tag. 
• Hubby just finished reading a book he says was very good, but he has to take it back to the library in a few days. I just started reading The Count of Monte Cristo, and I can't read two books at one time. I could ask him to renew the library book, but I feel guilty that it will just be sitting here waiting for me to finish mine. What a dilemma.
• Speaking of feeling guilty, I STILL didn't go to the grocery store today. On the way home from the 5K (it was in the town where Katydid lives; I was on a team of employees from her job), I stopped at a restaurant near us and bought some of Hubby's favorite potato soup. They also have the most amazing poppy seed rolls, which they serve with wonderful cinnamon butter. Wasn't that a sneaky thing to do?
• We have another four-day week this week, followed by a four-day week next week. It almost makes me think I could forget about retiring. Not.
• Hubby found a nice Seiko watch in the parking lot of Wally World a couple of weeks ago. It's a little big for me, but I could take a link out of it. I figure I should at least put a notice somewhere that it was found, but WHERE? It's not like our local newspaper would be very useful. They're too busy printing ludicrous stories about people being arrested and posting teachers' salaries.
• We have listened to the THUMP-THUMP-THUMP of our neighbors' music for the last two nights. Hubby is steadfastly against my calling the authorities because he thinks the thugs would pay us back by burning down our house. That makes me almost as ticked off at Hubby as I am at the neighbors. I wish his brother-in-law were still the sheriff, but NO, he had to go and retire. So far tonight it's quiet over there.Wine and ear plugs will help.
• My godson's college baseball team is playing my alma mater at a neutral field this Tuesday night, and we are planning to go. But which team will I root for? Another dilemma.
• After several days of temperatures in the 70's, Hubby was forced to build a fire tonight. It isn't supposed to get extremely cold, but the wind has been brutal all day. (I know, I know, "in like a lion...") It's supposed to get back up to 71 by Thursday, though. I sincerely hope "winter" (such as it was) is over. But every time I think that, we have a freak snowstorm in March. Or April.
• I did some work on the crochet project today, but I'm still not finished. I've got plenty of time, but I'm giving myself a deadline of next Sunday at noon to have it finished. There. 

Have a great start to another week!

Random Tuesday Thoughts......

I spent a few minutes trying to come up with a word other than "musings" to go with the "M" in Monday. Then I realized it was Tuesday. Only five minutes ago, I thought it was Thursday and almost convinced myself I could wear jeans tomorrow. Perhaps I should try looking at a calendar.

I didn't get home until 5:30 today because I had a hair appointment. It takes a long time to get the natural blond put back in my hair. I gave myself permission to skip Zumba tonight, and I'm completely okay with that. But I'm glad I did my elliptical routine this morning.

I have two "Monk Moment" posts, but they require pictures. One is of something Hubby did, and I'll have to take the picture over his head. So I'll wait until he isn't here rather than hurt his wittle feewings. The other is something I already have a picture of, but if I write tonight about what I'm going to write about later, I actually get two different blog posts out of the same drivel.

I'm blogging on the iPad upstairs because I'd rather watch baseball than Gunsmoke. Aother reason not to do the Monk post tonight.

At this point in the season, I recognize baseball players not by their faces or their uniform numbers, but by their batting stances. That does NOT mean I'm staring at their butts. And you can't prove I am.

I had to replace color ink cartridges in both my home printer and my school printer this weekend. They were both magenta. Why? Then when I put the cartridge in the school printer, it said, "Oh yeah, I forgot to mention.... You need a cyan cartridge also."

I've already started Christmas shopping. In my mind. That's half the battle right there.

I just used an exclamation point and then erased it. I am anti-exclamation points. And smiley faces. And frowny faces.

I must be getting old. I'm ready for cooler temperatures. It's even okay that they are coming to cover the pool next week. One year we swam a few days into October, but I'm over that now.

Football season starts in 48 hours. Tailgating in 4 days. Gymnasts have begun fall practice. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh.................

Random Thoughts on a .... What Day is This...... Wednesday.....

Open House at our school is tomorrow morning, and we aren't ready. We've NEVER been ready, but this year we really, really, REALLY aren't ready. Some of our computers aren't there. Some of our desks aren't there. We don't have student schedules done. My room is a disaster area because we were doing scheduling in there today, and our materials are scattered all over.

We have spiffy new digital clocks in our rooms this year. And I still hung my battery-powered Pepsi clock on the same wall. Old habits die hard.

It's amazing to me how a change in routine (or reestablishment of a routine) can absolutely D-R-A-I-N me. I am bone-weary tonight, to the point I almost didn't post. Gasp! I don't sleep in, so getting up early isn't the difference. It's just a matter of getting dressed, then interacting with real, live people all day. Constantly. With no breaks for Mario. I'm so tired I could cry. Many days during summer break I did a gazillion more energy-depleting activities than I did today, and I wasn't nearly this tired. The only thing keeping me from bursting into tears is the thought that this may be the last time I am ever this tired again. At least as a result of returning to school.

Pity party over. Next.

I don't know why I make some of the choices I make. I guess that would explain two ex-husbands. I found a pattern for placemats that I liked, so I decided to crochet them. The colors suggested were: turquoise, fuchsia, purple, and sunflower. The name of the pattern was "Bright Placemats." The colors I chose to use instead? Mustard. Evergreen. Paprika. Clove. Those colors ARE NOT BRIGHT. I guess they look okay together, but they clearly are not bright. They look a lot like the carpet in the house we bought in 1973. Remember Avocado Green? Harvest Gold? Yeah, I must have been having a flashback. I'll be glad when this project is finished. But I have to put a fringe on all four placemats. Yuck.

I may have Zumbaed too enthusiastically last night. My hips hurt just like they did after the infamous 5K in May.

It's rare that I give up on a book before I've finished it. I even suffered all the way to the end of Wicked. (Aside: How in the HELL did they get that wonderful musical production out of THAT BOOK?) I downloaded a **free** book into my Kindle entitled Bubba and the Dead Woman. If the fact that it was free didn't convince me, the word "Bubba" in the title should have. I labored through about 15% of the book, and then I deleted it. It had some humor in it, but the exaggeration was just too .... exaggerated. That wasn't the main reason I deleted it, though. It was fraught with comma errors and other grammatical errors. If the editor wasn't skillful enough to catch those, no telling WHAT other kind of crap he or she allowed to get through.

I was about to embark on a story about one of our dumb cats. But I couldn't make my brain make sense of it. So I'll save it for a more coherent night.

Random Sunday Thoughts.....

At least I have the day of the week right this time..... I think.

I've started a new crochet project. It's a baby blanket for a friend of Sweet Girl's who is due at the end of July. I calculated that if I started tomorrow, I would need to do 5.566666666667 rows every day to get it done on time. Because I'm sort of anal like that.

Because I was so tired after fixing dinner tonight (cheeseburger pie - average at best), I gave myself permission not to wash the dishes. Then I went and washed them anyway. That has nothing to do with being anal.

Two of my cousins planned to go skydiving today (tandem jumps). But they got rained out. I think we have discovered a way to end a drought.

When I got to the reunion this weekend, I had half a tank of gas. Being the mathematical genius that I am, I calculated that I could make it home on the same tank. When I was 39 miles from home, the gauge said I had 31 miles of fuel remaining. I wanted to argue my case, but I decided it was more logical to stop and fill up.

While I was in the pool today, Hubby's nephew's wife called and left a message asking if she and her kids could come over and swim. Last time she did that, she didn't wait for a response, she just came anyway. I fumed and fumed today, and then I decided to take matters into my own hands. But I took the coward's way out. I texted her back and told her "Today's not a good day to come swim. Sorry." I feel a little bad about it (only a little), but they call ALL. THE. TIME. And summer is the ONLY time we ever hear from them.

One of our cats just slithered her way out from under the loveseat. That's apparently where she goes during thunderstorms. I think I can cancel the weather radio app on my iPad and just rely on the cat. I may have spoken too soon. We just had another distant rumble of thunder, and she has retreated to the love seat again. The space she just slithered into is no more than three inches high, I swear.

There was no television in the cottage where we stayed this weekend. I told Hubby he would have pulled his hair out if he had gone. Hubby is bald.

The best part of coming home from being gone all weekend is knowing I don't have to get up tomorrow morning and go to school. I love summer.

I found my old high school chorus teacher on FBook this weekend, and he confirmed my friend request. Would it be rude to ask him where he got all the hair, since he had a combover going on back in 1974-1978, and now he has a full head of hair?

Weird cousins just don't get any less weird, no matter how many years go by.

Tuesday Randomness.......

Thunder has never sounded so beautiful. I hope it rains buckets and buckets.

I have yet to start packing for another week-long adventure that starts this Saturday. This one is something I've never done before, and I have no clue how/what to pack. Having the RV on BRAG has spoiled me. I'm trying to limit the number of electronic devices I take on THIS trip, but the concept is sending me into withdrawal.

Hubby and I went shopping at three different places today. I finally got to spend the gift card my sisters gave me for my birthday back in April. (Thank you, Katydid and Frogger Blogger!! I will be the best-dressed motorcycle mama in this household.) I shop very differently when Hubby is with me. Why don't I ever remember that?

I need to ride 44 more miles in June to meet my goal of 500 miles for the month. Did I mention I'll be gone for a week? With no access to my bicycle? I plan to ride a short ride tomorrow, and then maybe a short one (or two) the week after I get back.

I took Gus to the groomer yesterday, and while we waited, he acted just like a two-year-old, jumping on my legs and begging to be picked up. It was hilarious.

I haven't taken many naps yet this summer, which is a luxury to which I look forward eagerly. I took a nap today, though. In the pool. On my float.

Hubby's hamper was overly full when I finally did his laundry today. I found about seven loose one dollar bills in the dryer and his clothes. I did NOT return them. I consider the money a tip.

We tentatively planned a trip to the beach in the RV, but it has been difficult to find a state park that isn't already booked. Then I realized I'm sort of over the beach thing. I'll be just as happy to camp beside a peaceful lake for a few days. Could it be I'm finally growing up? Nah...... that couldn't be it.

Monday Observations......

AKA Random Thoughts.

AKA Musings.

AKA ____ Things I've Learned this Week.

• Laughing at a gymnast from an opposing team is probably bad karma, not to mention bad manners. But when she's a hot-dog freshman who forgets her floor routine, it's hard not to laugh. When they show it on ESPN instead of editing it out, it gets even funnier. When they show a REPLAY of her forgetting, it's side-splitting.
• If I have to drive 10 miles to a bike shop to buy a new tube for my rear tire, it only makes sense to take the bike along and let the professional change the flat. AND pick up a spare tube.
• Having taco salad (or any other Mexican food) before going to Zumba class is just asking for trouble.
• I had never heard of the Wonderlick (Wonderlic?) test until I read about it being administered to football players who have just entered the NFL. A certain star receiver from a certain football team for which I am a RABID fan, who left before his senior year so he could play in the NFL, reportedly scored a 6 out of 50 on the test. If that's true, I hope he never, ever returns to graduate from my university. After looking at some of the sample questions, I would be ashamed to share an alma mater with him.
• The sister who is the most calm and level-headed out of the three of us came over to the dark side on Saturday, if only for a moment. She is the one who reminds me and Katydid from time to time (meaning every meet) that good sportsmanship is important and it is impolite to boo the judges. She felt the judges were over-scoring the team that went on to win (and she may be right, but at least SOMEONE in the family has to remain objective - ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha), and when one of their gymnasts fell on her bars dismount, Frogger Blogger shouted, "Nine-nine THAT!!!!" Much to the glee of most of the people in our section. Minus the parents of the gymnasts from the aforementioned team, who were seated about three rows ahead of us.
• Hubby and I went to see our "godson" play baseball last night, and it was hard to get to talk to the Warrior Princess for all the damned MLB scouts who kept butting in. I lost count, but my co-worker who is one of the assistant coaches said there were 14 of them there. They look just like normal folks, wearing blue jeans and shirts with the tails out, but walking around with video cameras and stop watches gives them away.
• The tree that I had to drag out of the road before I could go to school this morning fell from our neighbor's yard. It couldn't have happened more perfectly, falling right along the fence line. If it had fallen the other way, it would have taken out Hubby's truck, and possibly my car. That was the fiercest storm we've had in quite a while, and the damage around our county is significant.
• There may be no food more perfect in the world than Cool Whip that hasn't quite thawed out all the way. Makes me want to go refreeze the rest of it.

Random Tuesday Thoughts......

I post random thoughts when I don't have enough fodder for a complete blog topic, but I have these tidbits swirling around in my head. Full disclosure here.

• I like my Tuesday Zumba class much better than my Thursday one. The instructor on Tuesday (and Friday, but I don't typically go to that one) is full of spunk, and she is so animated. She has great musicality, and it looks like she's just having fun up there. I'm always surprised when we do the cool down, because I can't believe the hour is over already. 
• The Thursday instructor is relatively new, so maybe she will come around. Or maybe I will give her a break and stop comparing her to the Tuesday night gal. One thing that irks me is her lack of musicality. At first I thought she didn't have a sense of rhythm, but that's not it. She doesn't change the moves with the musical phrasing. She'll start doing a new move in the middle of a 4-count measure of music, and it drives me crazy. Worse, sometimes she starts doing a new move on the off-beat. The stubborn side of me wants to do it the RIGHT way and stay on the beat. The proud part of me does it her way so it doesn't look like I'm the only one in the room doing it wrong.
• I was very proud of myself Sunday night for getting my cycling things ready for Hubby to take me to school on Monday. I packed my clothes and even put air in the tires. Then the air went out of my own personal sails, because when I was taking the pump off the tire, I pulled the valve stem out. Naturally it was on the BACK tire, which is a b**ch to change because of the chain ring and all that mechanical stuff whose names I don't know. I was determined, though, so I proceeded to change the tire. In the dark. With only a little help from Hubby. I was very proud of myself, until he dropped me off at school on Monday morning and I saw where the tire was bulging because I hadn't seated it properly in the rim. I couldn't ride with it that way. The only solution was to let some (a lot) of the air out, pop the tire back in, and hope that was enough air to ride home on. It was tough pedaling, and I did NOT throw in the extra 4.5 mile loop I usually do. But I made it, and I learned a lesson. Or two.
• Gus has been "fixed," but apparently he doesn't know it. He has a ritual (usually reserved for the rare occasions when we have company, so he can embarrass us fully) in which he picks up one of his stuffed animals and shakes it violently. He'll toss it a few times, pick it up and shake it, toss it again. This is apparently foreplay. Because after a few rounds of tossing and shaking, he begins to hump the toy. He looks like a miniature kangaroo when he does this, standing up on his hind legs with the toy clasped between his front paws, and afterward he has a body part hanging out that we don't normally see. He appears to be very proud of it - typical male. In this state, he is paralyzed. He can't walk, he can't move, he just stands there and pants in the afterglow. I could offer him a treat, some cheese, a walk in the park, or a free shot at the cat, and there isn't a thing he could do about it.
• I have a catch or a crick in my neck/upper back that is driving me crazy. It hurts worst when I'm sitting in my recliner. I was going to use it as an excuse not to go to Zumba tonight, but then I remembered it was Tuesday, the night I like. I figured I could sit here and hurt, or I could go to Zumba and hurt, but at least in Zumba I would be burning some calories. It still hurts, but it's better than it was. I would give my pinkie finger for some pain pills. Of course, if I gave my pinkie finger, I would NEED some pain pills. I seriously think the crick/catch was caused by playing Mario on the Wii. Don't tell Hubby.
• I wore capris to school today for the first time without checking to see if they are still in style. I also completely ignored the fact that my legs are A) paler than ghosts; and B) hairy. I wore sandals and DID remember to put my toe ring back on. 
• One of my students came into my room today and stared open-mouthed at my desk. I had my desktop computer running the program our students use, my iPad open to a spreadsheet I had been working on, my personal laptop open in a desperate attempt to restore it to some semblance of operation, and my iPhone nearby. She said, "Do you really need ALL those electronics?" She has no idea.
• Our students have been taking state-mandated graduation tests all week. I had to administer one section on Monday. Toward the end, one of the students raised his hand and summoned me to his seat. He whispered, "Can I smash that wasp? 'Cause I'm allergic to them." I resisted the urge to tell him that was the stupidest damn remark I'd heard so far that day. The wasp had been on the window the entire testing period and was not in danger of going near him. If he'd been concentrating on his test, he would never have seen it, because it was BEHIND him. Another girl looked completely bored and had only answered half the questions. But she spent a great deal of time examining her hair for split ends. 
• Technology amazes and fascinates me. I'm still in awe of the fact that my iPad and my Kindle "talk" to each other. Each one knows where I left off in a book. (I read on the iPad downstairs; the Kindle stays by my bed.) I get a message that says, "On your Kindle, you were at location ______ at _______ PM on _______." Sunday night, my Kindle knew that my iPad had been in the Central Time Zone. I'm pretty sure it was jealous, until I explained that it was only Alabama.

Have a good rest of the week, and thanks for stopping by! I appreciate you more than you know.

Monday Musings......

Also known as "random thoughts."

The word "musings" makes it sound more erudite. But don't let it fool you.

Our neighbor across the street still has electric Christmas candles in her bedroom windows. They are behind the blinds, and I'm sure like us they never open those blinds because they face the street. So she may be blissfully unaware that her Christmas candles are still burning. And they're orange to boot. The fact that they are still burning would bother me even if they WEREN'T orange, but they are, so that makes it so much worse. She's not the kind of neighbor I can go up to when she's out in the yard smoking her nasty cigarettes and say, laughingly of course, "Hey Judy! Christmas was over a month ago! Enough with the orange candles!" I don't think Judy even knows my name. She and her husband have lived in their house just a little longer than Hubby has lived here (around 38 years), but we aren't exactly friendly with them. It's not that we're UNfriendly. It's just that I've tried to have a conversation with both of them, and it's an exercise in futility. I can't follow their train(s) of thought, especially when they go off on so many different tracks at one time. Judy's husband, John, thought we had a new dog because Gus got a haircut. See what I mean?

I was looking through a cookbook today and saw a recipe for fish tacos. That's a concept I haven't been able to wrap my head around. I like fish, and I like tacos, but I cannot imagine them together. I'm sure the recipe is delicious, but I don't think I can bring myself to try it. It's sort of like beer and chocolate. I like both of those, but not together. Strawberries and chili. Lasagna and watermelon. Ice cream and corn chips. Swiss cheese and popsicles. Wine and pop-tarts. Green beans and cinnamon rolls. Asparagus and potato chips. Pasta and maple syrup. Honey and stir-fried rice. I'm sure you get the idea.

Every month or so, some phantom person (I've never seen him) drops off a collection of books and other things in our copy room. We have a week or two to look them over, and we can order whatever we want from the collection. We leave our checks in the envelope, he drops off our purchases, and someone in the front office sends an email that our books are there. It's such a nice surprise, because I usually forget what I've ordered. It's like Christmas all over again. He has other things besides books: a huge bouncing glitter ball (I now have an $8 toy in my cabinet at school that I won't let the kids play with), stuffed animals that sing/dance/make noise (almost bought one but restrained myself), craft kits with a bajillion pieces (bought one of those bad boys and sent it to my great niece, tee hee), beautiful handmade greeting cards (that are almost too pretty to send, which might explain why I now have 3 boxes of them). Hubby commented a couple of times on the fact that every time the book dude comes, I buy a cookbook. My lack of interest in the cooking department has been well documented here. Yet I continue to buy cookbooks. And mark recipes that sound like something I might like. I can only imagine what Hubby's comment will be when he discovers that today's book dude purchases include a package of specialty cleaning cloths.

I checked my bank balance over the weekend to make sure I wasn't close to being overdrawn. January is such a loooooooooooooooooooooooooong month for teachers. We got paid on December 17th and not again until today. I realize it's the same money and it should last all month, but that's not the way it works. And $2.90 isn't really THAT close to being overdrawn, is it? (Note to self: It helps to write EVERYTHING down when you use your debit card like it's a bus pass.) I was pleasantly surprised to discover that my deposit had gone into the bank on Saturday, fully two days before payday. I was even more pleasantly surprised when I checked the bank balance this morning and my monthly check had been deposited AGAIN. I haven't seen that much money in my checking account since ..... well, ever. I knew it was too good to be true, so I didn't get overjoyed about my windfall or book a cruise to Europe or anything. Still, I checked several times throughout the day, and every time I saw the money was still there, I sort of "heh heh heh"ed under my breath. I just checked a few moments ago, and sure enough, it's gone. They say you can't miss what you never had. But they're wrong. So very painfully wrong.

Sunday Randomness........

It's possible .... not probable, but possible .... that I have become too electronic. Right now my iPhone, iPad, Kindle, and Nintendo DS are all charging.

Tonight's football game between Minnesota and Philadelphia has been postponed until Tuesday because of dangerously cold weather. Has the weather become that much more extreme in my lifetime, or have we become a nation of softies? I remember a time when professional football would be played in whatever weather there was. I'm not saying it's a BAD thing that officials are being more cautious these days. I'm just saying it's noteworthy.

As of two and a half hours ago, I have a new great-nephew. Plans were for him to arrive by Caesarean section on Tuesday, but we all know how well babies adhere to plans. Instead he came on a snowy day-after-Christmas, all 10 pounds and 9 ounces of him.

Even though we have leash laws in our county, there are three dogs in our neighborhood that roam freely. They aren't nuisances for the most part, but one of them has taken to jumping the fence INTO our yard. Not only does that make Libby bark furiously (but not furiously enough to scare him off, mind you), but he also helps himself to Libby's food. Just what we needed - another mouth to feed. Luckily he also knows how to jump back over.

For someone who hates to cook, I also have an aversion to the microwave. I will use it to thaw out frozen soup, for example, and then pour the soup into a saucepan to heat it up. Somehow I have the idea that it tastes different or something.

If you're planning a trip to Jamaica anytime soon, stick to shopping in the duty-free shops. I found a receipt from the Harley-Davidson store, and that was the first time I realized the sales tax was 17.5%.

Christmas isn't the same if you don't have small children. No wonder people keep having babies.

Another (unwelcome) sign of middle age: I can't remember the last time I managed to sleep through the night. Even over-the-counter sleep aids aren't helping.

In four days' time I went from lying on a beach with a frozen drink in my hand to scraping snow off my car. Guess which one I prefer?

For Hubby's birthday (New Year's Day), I bought him a new propane heater for the golf cart. He has a cover for the cart, and the heater makes it pretty comfy on a cold day. He called me from the golf course the other day to ask if I still had the receipt, because it wouldn't work. (I didn't. I don't think.) Then he called back to say it needed a battery. "Yes," I said, "it's right here with the owner's manual." I took both to the golf course.

The buddy that Hubby texts back and forth with all the time (and back and forth and back and forth and back and forth and back and forth) texted him today to say that his 4-year-old had received some new clothes as part of his Christmas present from his grandparents. His son announced to everyone, "I'm not very happy about this."

I have to go to the doctor's office first thing in the morning, before the frozen snow will have had a chance to melt. I'm not very happy about this.

On the Upswing....

I've been a little under the weather this week. Because I have year-round allergy/vasomotor rhinitis problems, it seems I am ALWAYS sniffling. So when I actually do come down with a bit of a cold, it takes me a couple of days to notice. Monday I noticed because I had already gone through half a box of tissues on my desk.

I missed line dancing Monday night because of this stupid cold. It was raining and miserable and I felt awful. I felt even worse about missing class, because it was our instructor's last night. I hope she didn't think I didn't appreciate her. I'll have to email her. Someone else is going to take over her class .... someone who has never danced before. She's a step aerobics instructor. I can't wait to see how THAT is going to turn out.... I'll give her the benefit of the doubt, and she may turn out to be fine. Maybe.

Temps here are supposed to get down in the 20's tonight. I'm pretty sure I was not meant to live in temperatures that cold. It's why I was born and raised in the South. Canada, you can have your air back. You're welcome.

We are planning to take one last weekend trip in the RV this weekend. I was afraid Hubby would change his mind, because sometimes he mentions something and then forgets he ever said it. Oh yeah....he's male. We aren't going far, about 35 miles from home, to a very nice state park. His sister went kayaking there back in the spring and said they saw a bald eagle there. I hope we get to see something that cool. Hubby and I are pretty sure we saw an eagle last week when we came back from Florida. That was the first one I had ever seen.

I learned something important tonight. I was cooking some spicy pineapple fried rice to take for lunch tomorrow (yummy). I learned that if you're going to sprinkle crushed red pepper flakes into something you're cooking, you should just FLIP open the top where the shaker thingie is, NOT remove the whole freakin' top and POUR the flakes into the dish. I hope I live through lunch tomorrow. I'll throw a couple extra bottles of water into my lunch bag. Perhaps a fire extinguisher.

I must be feeling better. Last night I came home, announced there would be no meal cooked, threw myself into my recliner, and played Nintendo until time to teach online. (That was the only thing that kept me from going to bed at 6:00.) I did heat a can of chicken noodle soup, and I'm not sure what Hubby ate. He's grown. Tonight I came home, did a load of laundry, washed the dishes that have been piling up in spite of the fact that SOMEONE IS RETIRED AND COULD WASH THEM, cooked dinner, cooked the aforementioned way too spicy now rice dish, graded online assignments, had my daily phone conversation with the online student who needs a buddy more than he needs a teacher, and played just a little bit of Nintendo.

I just almost deleted this entire disjointed post, but I'm too tired to think of something else to write about. My apologies. I'll do better tomorrow night.

The Halftime Blog Post......

It's hard for me to corral my thoughts because it's halftime of the UGA-Ga. Tech football game. This game is huge EVERY year, but this year it determines whether or not UGA goes to a post-season bowl game. We're leading at halftime, but we have also looked shaky. As in fumbling the opening kickoff.

I spent most of the day with all of my siblings (yay!) and my mother (not so yay!). It wasn't a planned get-together, but we always have a good time when we get together. At least most of us.

Perhaps it says a great deal about the level of my own romanticism, but I hate, hate, hate the sappy Kay Jewelers commercials at Christmas time.

I overate on Thanksgiving, haven't ridden my bike for four days, haven't exercised except to walk in the woods today looking at the land my mother is in the process of buying, and haven't cooked any healthy meals. But I did NOT gain any weight. In fact, I may have lost half a pound. That is amazing bordering on miraculous.

And now halftime is over, and I cannot multitask during a football game.

Friday Snippets.......

I was into the second paragraph of tonight's blog post when it started sounding familiar. I had to go back and research it, but I finally discovered I had written about the same topic on July 27, 2009. It wasn't really worth reading once, much less twice. Even more disturbing is the fact that I was using some of the exact same phrases. Have I become that predictable?

Sweet Girl missed two days of work this week because her car suddenly lost power on the Matthews Bridge and she had to have it towed in and repaired. I hate her working at nights for that very reason! Ten o'clock at night, and she's stranded on a bridge over the St. Johns River. Or some body of water. Whatever. Today she had Safety Stand Down (whatever that is, but it must be important), and afterward one of her leaders who has a bunch of letters in front of his name asked for five volunteers. Sweet Girl didn't want to volunteer for anything on a Friday afternoon, but she felt guilty about missing two days of work, so she raised her hand. The letters-before-his-name guy picked out everyone who raised his or her hand and told all of them to go home. That's what they volunteered for! I think that rocks. There's a saying in the military (other places in life too, I guess) that you should never volunteer for anything. There goes that theory.

You may remember the photo below from a blog post last summer (or the summer before). It's one of my favorite places on earth, Fort Yargo State Park, just about half a mile from our house. It's where Hubby and I take the dogs to walk, and it's where I take my kayak for some serene paddling. It is a fabulous park with camping facilities, 12 miles of mountain biking paths, several miles of walking paths, and of course the lake for fishing and swimming.

The picture below is the same lake, taken yesterday when we went for our walk. They have drained the lake (AGAIN!) to make some repairs on the bridge. I realize they can't exactly work on the bridge WITHOUT draining the lake, but I find it quite depressing. As I emailed to my principal today, the fish are all huddled up in a corner next to the dam going, "WTF?" Hubby claims he saw a couple of the fish walking up the beach with their coolers of beer, but I think he might be exaggerating.

It is the little things that make me happy. Do not laugh at me for what I am about to tell you. At school we use Outlook for our email, and of course it has an electronic calendar. I really like the calendar, because we can "invite" each other to things like parent conferences, and we know that everyone will get the same reminder. If we could only train one certain person who may or may not be in a position of authority to use this fabulous feature, it would be even more marvelous. For my personal use, I have used the Google calendar feature in the past. I like it because it sends me an email every morning letting me know anything that is on my calendar for that day. I stopped using it because I grew weary of having to update two different calendars, and I certainly wasn't going to CHECK both of them every day. For several months now I have received a daily email telling me, "You have no events scheduled for today." I was beginning to feel like quite the loser, with no daily events planned. Ever. 

Today I decided to go back to the Google calendar so my morning emails might have some substance. You know, like "Haircut at 4:00." "Gus to groomer." "Dr. appointment at 9:00." "Bicycle ride in ________." After I updated all my events through next July (because I use an academic year calendar, of course), I was about to close out of the calendar when I noticed there was a "Sync to Outlook" button. I was able to download the thingamajiggie and sync both my calendars together. (Is that redundant? I think so. Surely you wouldn't sync two things SEPARATELY.) I kept going back and forth between my two calendars, tickled pink that they showed both my personal appointments and the school ones. Perhaps I am in desperate need of a life; it's possible.

I had another technological moment of discovery last weekend when I was on my bike. Bear with me, because I have to back up just a little bit. I use a website called Bikely to create bicycling routes. I can click, click, click on a route, and the path will follow the road and calculate the mileage. It's incredibly accurate. I can then go back to the map and create a "cue sheet," indicating each turn and at what mileage, and print it out to take on a route, particularly if it's one I haven't ridden before. I only recently learned that just as I can download a route that I've already ridden FROM my GPS unit to the computer (that's where I get all those cute little maps that I torture you guys with after a bike ride), I can also upload a route INTO the GPS. That's cool enough, but last weekend I discovered an additional feature. If I go to the trouble to create a cue sheet, when I upload the map into the GPS, it shows the directions right on the screen. I was riding along last weekend when I looked down at the GPS and it said, "R on Hwy 23 sort of." I wouldn't have known those were my very words except for the words "sort of." Because who else indicates on a map that it is "sort of" a turn?

I have named my new bike Jezebel. I don't know why. I was typing an email to Rozmo (who names everything) and the letters just jumped out there. Rozmo is the one who insisted that the members of Team Chi-Chis name their private parts. (Is that TMI? Sorry.) I named mine Gladys. Because whenever we finish a bike ride, that particular part of my anatomy is "Gladys" over. Get it? Gladys? Glad it's over? Sorry.

I have mentioned Lawanda the Warrior Princess before, a co-worker and one of my bestest friends. We have known each other only 6 years, but we have so much in common that we could be related. She is an incredible cook, a wonderful writer, and she can decorate beautifully for any occasion with a piece of tin foil and a shoelace. LWP isn't working with us anymore, and it kills my soul. We are trying to think of a way to get her back, but for now she has taken a job as a parapro in an elementary school. She makes copies all day long and listens to elementary school kids throwing tantrums and kicking the walls of the office next door. Her talents are so being wasted.

I have written a post before about her daughter, a sweet girl with a wicked sense of humor even if she IS smack dab in the middle of her middle-school years and everyone would like to pinch her head off sometimes. I'll be so glad when she is out of middle school and turns normal again. Even in her current state she is one of the neatest, most lovable kids I know.

LWP's other child is a senior in high school and has been playing baseball since he could walk. He is so not representative of MOST of the teenagers I deal with on a daily basis. He is intelligent, ambitious, talented, good looking, sincere, humble, athletic, honest, and ethical. He finished up his math courses last year but insisted on taking one this year as an elective to prepare him for college. He chose calculus. Not statistics. Calculus. As an elective. He has been offered a full ride scholarship to play baseball for one of the 4-year colleges in our state, not UGA, but another one with an excellent baseball program. He has also been contacted by 16 (so far) of the 32 major league baseball teams. MLB. He's a high school senior. You may very well see this young man on your television someday. Assuming you watch baseball, that is. Is it any wonder I refer to him as my godson? They didn't pick me; I picked them. LWP said if I took him as my godson I had to take his sister too, and I said "gladly."

I don't know when I've been happier for a weekend. Not to mention an entire week off from school next week.

Tuesday Randomness.......

• It is the last week in October, and the temperatures here are in the 80's. Seriously, it's almost 8:30 PM, five days before Halloween (my least favorite "holiday" of them all), and it's 79 degrees. The air conditioner is still running.
• Hubby texted me from the golf course today to inform me that I hung his shirt up inside out, he didn't notice it until he was on hole #6, and that must be the reason he was hitting the ball so badly. Oh, the life of a retiree.
• Season 11 of Dancing with the Stars is halfway over. Usually at this point in the season I don't want anyone to have to be booted off, but this season I'm not feeling it. In fact, I kind of wish they could ALL go. Bristol? Jennifer Gray(ey)? Rick Fox? Kurt Warner? Brandy? (Isn't having no last name sort of.... passe? So twentieth century?) Audrina? Kyle? Seriously? If I HAD to pick a favorite, it would be Kyle. First of all, he's dancing with Lacey, who is the rebel of the ballroom and one of my favorite pro dancers. Second of all, Kyle is proof that a young, short, round, African-American can bust some moves in the ballroom.
• I feel the same way about our candidates for governor. I wish they could both lose and someone who hasn't used negative television ads could step in.
• I'm having a little trouble getting motivated to stay on top of my online teaching job. I still haven't graded everything from last week. I'm anticipating a lot of high grades for turning stuff in. Just a feeling I have.
• I am about 30% of the way through my online book club's selection for September. I was about 15% into it before I realized it was nonfiction. The perils of reading a book on the Kindle - there's no back cover to read.
• I'm glad I was the one who chose the book for October, so I won't be TWO months behind.
• I don't mind packing my own lunch for school, but for some reason it irritates the crap out of me that I have to take my own ice.
• People keep asking me if I'm "really" going to retire after next school year. And I keep saying, "Uh.....HELL YES!" I wonder if there will come a time when I wonder if it's the right thing to do? And if someone will slap my face and bring me back to reality if I start to doubt?
• This week Georgia plays Florida in football. It's possibly the biggest game of the season. Every. Year. And it's the first time since 1979 that neither team is ranked in the top 25. I find that amazing.
• We had Performance Reviews with two students today because their performance needs a lot more than reviewing. It needs complete makeovers. I get more reaction when I talk to Gus about the economy.
• I don't get paid until Friday, and I still have money in my account. I have this (maybe irrational but probably completely justifiable) fear that I have forgotten to pay something major.
• I know we desperately need this rain......but COME ON! I have a NEW BIKE!

I Wonder.......

.....why my part of driving the RV has to include I-285 around Atlanta AND backing into our driveway?

.....when the weather is going to be just one season or the other, instead of a combination of several? (Oh, I forget....I live in the South.)

.....how many of the students who requested clearance to work on their online curriculum over fall break actually will do any work?

.....why I froze leftover meatballs and then ATE THEM TONIGHT, when they gave me heartburn the FIRST time around?

.....when our cat is going to accept that we are not giving him canned food anymore and stop meowing for it? (He weighs more than the dog.)

.....if it will be warm enough this weekend to put my kayak in the water?

.....what the final verdict will be on our sick television? (It would be the newest one, the 52" one, that breaks.)

.....what I will do tomorrow while Hubby plays golf?

.....if the rest of the school year will go as fast as the first nine weeks have?

.....if I can do any better this weekend on my college football picks?

.....whether we will get paid for our online jobs this month, or if we will just receive some more emails telling us what to do IN ORDER TO get paid?

.....how many days in a row can I get away with not wearing a bra (after I retire)?

.....who will get booted from Dancing with the Stars next week?

.....how much of the Braves' first playoff game I will get to see tomorrow night, if first pitch is at 9:36 PM?

.....when I can talk Hubby into another RV trip?

Monday Randomness......

I am way too tired to put together a coherent blog post tonight, so I will have to fall back on the old random thoughts thing. I just hope I can think of more than one.

• The new bike I wanted is out of stock. I have to wait until the 2011's come in (out?), and then it probably won't be red. Please, please, please, please don't let it be ugly.
• I just saw a scary thing on the Little League World Series. A foul ball hit the home plate umpire in what I thought was the throat, and he went down like a sack of flour. He later walked off under his own power, though, and they were talking like it might be his clavicle.
• I have completely emptied out the closet in Sweet Girl's old room. How can the contents of a closet cover an entire bedroom?
• Here's how long it has been since I cleaned out Sweet Girl's closet: In it I found an old poster of the UGA gymnasts. It featured a freshman by the name of Julie Ballard who graduated in 1998 and is now the assistant coach at Georgia.
• I almost dozed off before it was time for line dancing tonight. Then I nearly dozed off WHILE I was line dancing. Jeez, could that song GET any slower?
  
• Some people don't appreciate my humor. Or what I think is humor. At Subway tonight the girl asked if I wanted either of my sandwiches toasted. I told her to toast the one I ordered for Hubby, "because that way it will be like I cooked." She didn't even smile.
• When I left for school this morning, I knew I needed to stop for gas. As soon as I left our subdivision I realized I had left my credit card at home. Along with my driver's license. By the time I went back for those, I didn't have time to stop for gas. Good thing it's only 7 miles to school.
• The humidity was down to about 45% here today. So 90 degrees only felt like 90 degrees.
• I see two women walking every morning on my way to school. Evidently they meet at the house of one of them and walk up and down her driveway. On my way home the other day I saw the one who lives there stop her car at the end of the driveway to get the mail. Instead of walking.
• I want to retire the same way Lou Pinella of the Chicago Cubs did yesterday. Just get up one morning and say, "You know what? I'm not coming back tomorrow."
• When I don't want the clothing donation folks to call me, it seems they call every other day. Let me gather up several bags of items to be donated, and the phone is stubbornly silent. I can schedule a pick-up online, but I am also stubborn.