I'm A What?

You're a Raccoon!

Devious and cunning, you like to hide behind masks and strike when
others least expect it. You maintain a carefully-crafted facade of being cute,
charming, and even lovable, but truly have moments of trickery and viciousness.
When finding no one to attack, but still finding yourself needing to fulfill
such primal urges, you will often attack bags of trash. Parts of you make a
popular motif for a hat.


Take the Animal Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.

Dame Limps-A-Lot

It's not broken, I just crunched it really good. They took x-rays just to be certain, they showed a normal foot, and she said I had great feet. The plan is to keep icing it for the next couple of days, and try to keep it elevated. Now those ice packs we took from the hospital will pay off. :)

The record stands, I have no broken bones.

Clutzy Family

I think I may have broken my pinkie toe. Same one Geoff broke a few years ago. It really hurts, it looks a little off, and there is noticeable bruising. So I guess I'll call the doctor tomorrow morning, and go from there. I'll tell you this, I won't go through what Geoff did. They gave him like 6 needles all around the toe to numb it, then snapped it in place and taped it to the toe next to it. Geoff said the needles hurt more than them snapping back in place. It was horrible to watch. I guess i'll have to update my 100 things list if it is indeed broken (#66- I have never broken a bone).

Just been a pretty laid back weekend. Geoff had to go into work on Saturday, so I didn't make it to Jayla's. I did get to Hallmark to buy the next ornament in the Dr. Suess series (it's the only series we currently collect). I will likely get back before Christmas to get some more ornaments. Since Geoff didn't work today, we played hooky from church and went to Peet's. It was his first day off since July 3. He's planning on taking next weekend off too, but I won't hold my breath. There is a lot going on at work for him, so I understand.

We're having ribs for dinner tonight. I may end up watching VH1's reality tv, which is addictive. I like Hogan Knows Best, it's funny. Plus, once a Hulkamaniac, always a Hulkamaniac.

Time to go. I'll close with a quote from Return To Me.

Megan Dayton: You're going to get a heart, I know. And you'll be able to do all the things you never could before. That's what you've gotta concentrate on. Think of riding a bike, and going to Italy... and dating really handsome men. That, I know, has to happen for one of us.
Grace Briggs: I'm getting a new heart, not a new ass.

From Alton Brown's Blog

Monday, July 11, 2005


Dear Tom Cruise,

Your lack of belief in the existence of clinical depression tells me one thing: you didn’t spend $10. to see War Of The Worlds. If vitamins can possibly help me out of this spiraling funk, please let me know which ones. Dinos? Pebbles? Freds?

Please, I’m crying out for help.

Alton Brown

Hee Hee

Favorite Quote Of The Week

Rob Thomas

On the rumors that he is gay and slept with Tom Cruise.
"I'm more offended by the rumors saying I'm a Scientologist."

Misc Thoughts

I read a news story last night that made me say, Yeah! See? I'm Not The Only One! A British teenager was hospitalized after riding Disney World's Tower Of Terror. It's a damn scary ride. I was traumatized riding it, I screamed bloody murder on it. I didn't go into cardiac arrest like the girl, but damn if I wasn't still shaking ten minutes after the ride. Poor Glen felt so bad for making me ride it.

Scrubs gets its recognition with a few Emmy nods, including best comedy and best actor in a comedy (Zach Braff). Couldn't happen to a better show. They're a long shot, but hey, sometimes the Emmy's can surprise you (not often enough though).

Friday I'm going to break the bad news to Jen that I won't be coming back to Harry & David. :( It's more than just missing my staff discount, I'll miss not working with Nicole and Jen.

So some retailers "accidentally" sold the new Harry Potter books, and this is news why? And a judge forbid them to read it? A little excessive don't you think? I mean if some lucky person got a hold of the next Lemony Snicket book ahead of everyone else, I'd think that person pretty lucky. I'll be rushing out to Tattered Cover on October 18th to get our copy, and ideally having it read the same day.

Anyways, I'm going to close now with one of my favorite quotes from Futurama.

God: Bender, being God isn't easy. If you do too much, people get dependent on you. And if you do nothing, they lose hope. You have to use a light touch, like a safecracker or a pickpocket.
Bender: Or a guy who burns down a bar for the insurance money.
God: Yes, if he makes it look like an electrical thing. If you do things right, people won't be sure you've done anything at all.

The Right Four Chords Can Make Me Cry

I have always loved that lyric, I think it sums me up nicely. Music is always able to provoke me, in good ways, in and bad ways. There's always some tune playing in my head all the time, or I'm singing something.

I've been listening to Paul Bellows' album Juliet Pauses. It's a great album (available on iTunes!), I only wish I'd had it when I had my show on KUCI. I emailed Paul to let him know how much I am enjoying the album, and he said thanks, and he's going to try to send me a Splendourbog t-shirt. I bought one for Meg years ago, and always wished I had gotten one for myself. Now I might. :)

I got a cd of the pictures Athena took at the baby shower, along with some printed ones. (Thanks Athena!) I'm going to Jayla's on Saturday to scrapbook for a bit, and I am hoping to stop in at Hallmark on the way there (Ornament Premiere). Dave & Jayla are selling their house. It's not the house for us, no dining room. And that's important to me. But it's a gorgeous home.

We met with the bank yesterday, and we're in a good position to buy a house/condo. We need to get some stuff put together, but maybe in August we'll be ready to get serious about looking. So we're fairly certain we won't be in this apartment much longer. If we can't get a house right away, we'll still move into a bigger apartment to save our pennies. I'm excited about the idea of spending Christmas in a new place.

Well, I want to get out for a walk before it gets too hot. I'll close with a quote from Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey.

Dead Bill: Ted, you know, if I die, you can have my Megadeth collection.
Dead Ted: But dude, we are already dead.
Dead Bill: Oh. Well then they're yours, dude.

What Country Are You?

You're Sweden!

After years of trying to rule the world around you, you've
finally put aside violence in favor of advocating peaceful resolution.  There's
still a little Viking in you, but mostly you like Nobel Prize winners and long
nights by the fire.  And safe cars.  You always read the safety manual
in airplanes, and you're just a little cold.
Take the Country
Quiz at the Blue Pyramid

You Know When

You know your church is cool when they play Lynyrd Skynyrd during a service. We welcomed a new Youth Director from Alabama today, so the worship team wanted them to feel at home. So they played the chorus from Sweet Home Alabama. It made for a great ending to service.

Geoff worked all weekend, thankfully not all day though. We spent some time talking about our living arrangements, and I'm hoping we can make it to the bank this week to talk to them about our options. Geoff definitely wants to leave this place in a few months. The big reason is we can't safety proof our kitchen, and Elijah will be crawling eventually. So do we maybe move into a bigger, nicer apartment for a year to save up for a good sized down payment on a condo? Again, we need to talk to the bank. But we have some condos in mind that we like, they're just priced in the high $280-300. Yikes!

So Geoff says probability is high that I'll be able to go up To Edmonton in January for my cousin's reception. Whoo-hoo. It will be just me & Elijah, and hopefully I can rent a car for mobility.

It's still really hot, and dinner is nearly ready. So I'll sign off and close with a quote from Dirty Work.

Dr. Farthing: I know there's nobody to blame for this but myself, well, I don't know, maybe the Buffalo Bills, the Boston Red Sox, Mr. T. or the Jets...
Mitch: Wait a minute, Mr T.? Are you telling me that you bet on the fight in Rocky III, and that you bet against Rocky?
Dr. Farthing: Hindsight is twenty-twenty, my friend.

Big Big Big

If you aren't reading Geoff's blog today is a good day to start. Big news for the Armstrongs (the ones south of the 49th parallel). Go on, go read his blog, then come back here. I'll wait.



Back already? So you've heard the news. Exciting huh? I don't think it's quite sunk in for me yet. Perhaps in a few months. So what does this mean? Well we'll be switching visas, to one that
A) won't let me work and
B) will allow us to start the green card journey.

It takes, at most, 6 years for the green card process. Hopefully it won't take that long. Once the green card comes through, then I can work again. I don't know much more than that about it. But as I learn more, so will you.

We've already found a realtor (Geoff's co-worker) so I guess we can start looking for a more permanent place in the next few months. We'll see what we can afford, and go from there. I would really like to stay in this area. It has Elijah's pediatrician, Peet's, a grocery store. The essentials. I suppose since we'd like to be in that place at least 5 years, and we'd like more children, we will try to find a 3 bedroom. Just the thought of our own washer & dryer... ah. :)

Alright, I'm signing off now and closing with a quote from UHF.

R.J. Fletcher: This is an embarrassment. A disgrace. What do you think R.J. Fletcher Senior would be saying if he were alive today?
Richard Fletcher: "Help me out of this box, I can't breathe in here. Help, let me out."

Sweet!

Bravo will begin airing tournament 6 of Celebrity Poker Showdown on August 18.

Same Old

Nothing much going on here. Elijah is getting over being sick, and I'm just trying to stay cool in the heat. We watched Lemony Snicket's A Series Of Unfortunate Events and it was pretty good. Okay so it's not exactly like the books, but the tone, the sets, and the acting were great. I'm anxiously awaiting the next book, due out October 18 (I think).

In museum news, Jeff left Education Collections and became the collections manager for zoology. What does that mean for our department? Well they are trying to fill his spot, but he'll try to oversee it until then. Like he wasn't busy enough before. Mary wants me to consider it, but I can't. My permission to work has lapsed (I'd have to reapply), and we might be switching visas which means I wouldn't have the option to work. Rich is off in Peru, so I don't know if he's considering the position. I haven't been back to volunteer yet since Elijah was born, and I don't know when I'll get back. I may look at doing Saturdays, but that will have to be discussed with Geoff. I did sign up for Mom To Mom at my church, which will be Thursday mornings. A chance to be with other Christian moms and Elijah will be in childcare there.

Well I'll be signing off and taking advantage of a sleeping baby. I'll close with a quote from Lemony Snicket's A Series Of Unfortunate Events.

Uncle Monty: Now, the children will be helping us extensively with the research in Peru. Do you have any experience with children?
Count Olaf: [in disguise as Stephano] Children are strange and foreign to me. I never really was one. I do know that they are an important part of the ecosystem.

This Sucks!

TBS has decided to stop airing Ed. Now I have to hope they can get a DVD out. Last I read, they were having problems with the music licensing, since music plays such a big part of the show.

Which Fantasy/Sci Fi Character Are You?

Galadrial

Possessing a rare combination of wisdom and humility, while serenely dominating your environment you selflessly use your powers to care for others.

Even the smallest person can change the course of the future.

Happy 4th!

Canada Trip

Pictures are up from our trip to Canada. There are only 3 pages of them. :)

Congratulations!

Congratulations to Athena & Andrew who are expecting! Couldn't happen to a nicer couple. We'll be praying for a safe pregnancy. Enjoy these months of anticipation and togetherness. :)

Hot Hot Hot

It's stinkin' hot here. I'm not surprised, I just haven't adjusted to it yet. I can't say enough how happy I am to be home. It's just hard to be away that long, plus travel & family can be stressful. Overall, I'd rate the trip a 6. There were some annoying things that had to be dealt with, and that's the big thing. But I have a lot of great memories to take away from the trip. Elijah seemed to like everyone, and everyone loved him, so what more can you ask for? I'm seriously considering skipping Alberta next year, going to the condo in Victoria, and just having everyone go out there for a few days. That's if it's financially feasible.

I'm unbelievably itchy (thanks Calgary!) from mosquito bites. I can't remember the last time I had to deal with that. They aren't bad here, and it sounds like Calgary has it much worse this year than in years before. Blame it on the rain (thanks Milli Vanilli!).

Paula says Honey did great, and was very affectionate. Well, she loves anyone who provides food. I'm thankful for Paula's willingness to cat sit. I should try to take her out once I get some spare coin (ha ha ha).

As mentioned, I was doing laundry today. And I exaggerated on the photo count, it was at 136. :) I picked the photos out, I just need to upload them onto my server. That would also require having 2 hands to do that... so we'll have to wait until Elijah goes to bed.

If you visited the baby blog then you would have seen the link to the pictures Athena took at the baby shower. My friend Cate noticed that I had cut my hair. Yep, it's short, and I love it! I wanted something low maintenance since I don't have time to be spending on my hair.

Well there is unpacking to be done, so I'll close with a quote from The Thomas Crown Affair.

Detective Michael McCann: Can I drop you off someplace, at your hotel?
Catherine Banning: One, I keep an apartment here, and two, I am going to your office.
Detective Michael McCann: [after a pause] She keeps an apartment. I keep goldfish .

Happy Canada Day

I'll be spending my day doing last minute laundry and flying home. I can't wait to go home and see my cat, sleep in my own bed, and return to normal.

Breezy

Things have been so laid back here in Calgary, it's nice. We had a great time in Banff, despite the intermittent rain. We first headed to Bow Falls, which I had never seen before. We got some great pictures (still have to wait to see pics until I get home), and then we headed to Melissa's for lunch. It had been over 25 years since the Armstrongs had been, and probably close to 20 since I had been. The food was yummy, and the restaurant was just as I remembered it. Following lunch, we walked around and window shopped.

Tuesday we drove downtown, and window shopped some more in the rain. I would have bought something had I found something I liked. We had lunch at Sunterra, and then headed home. That night we drove in the rain over to Meghan & Mike's new pile o' bricks. It's a cute apartment, lots of space. We ordered in Moxies and just let them bond with Elijah. We treated ourselves to dessert at Marble Slab. Geoff and I shared a Willy Wonka (double dark chocolate, chocolate chips, and hot fudge). Mmmmmm.

Today was very low key, just walked up to the shopping plaza near Glen & Diane's, fought off the mosquitos, and hit Safeway, Rona, Chapters, Crowchild Liquor, and then Timothy's. We're having steak for dinner, and a big bbq tomorrow night for Glen's lab. I'm treating myself to a pedicure tomorrow afternoon, it's been over a year since I had one, and my feet are all callousy.

I was reading Paul Bellows blog and he mentioned his albums were now available on iTunes. I figured it was only going to be on the Canadian version, but it's on the Yankee version too! I'm super stoked, and I think I'll be buying one of the albums on Saturday. Cause I'll be settled back in my routine by then. If you haven't heard any of his music, I would strongly recommend it.

Well dinner is nearly ready, so I'll sign off with a quote from Pirates Of The Caribbean.

Jack Sparrow: No. Not good. Stop. Not good. What are you doing? You've burned all the food, the shade, the RUM.
Elizabeth: Yes, the rum is gone.
Jack Sparrow: Why is the rum gone?
Elizabeth: One, because it is a vile drink that turns even the most respectable men into complete scoundrels. Two, that signal is over a thousand feet high. The entire royal navy is out looking for me; do you really think that there is EVEN the slightest chance that they won't see it?
Jack Sparrow: But why is the rum gone?

Book Book

You're The Great Gatsby!

by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Having grown up in immense wealth and privilege, the world is truly at
your doorstep. Instead of reveling in this life of luxury, however, you spend most of
your time mooning over a failed romance. The object of your affection is all but
worthless--a frivolous liar--but it matters not to you. You can paint any image of the
past you want and make it seem real. If you were a color of fishing boat light, you
would be green.


Take the Book Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.

I'm happy with that, I love The Great Gatsby.

Sigh

Well, I'm back in Calgary after a whirlwind visit in Edmonton. Elijah has been an amazing little boy this trip, he's been so well behaved.

We got into Edmonton on Tuesday, and just sort of spent time getting settled. Wednesday, dinner at Uncle Kim's and Auntie Joanne's. Every visit with them, I enjoy their company more. I think it's also the most I've talked to my cousin Josh. He's graduating high school this year, he has his grad on Tuesday night. He's going to wear a white tux with tails and a monocle. :)

Thursday was lunch with Wendy at the Wonderful Garden (it was tasty) and then I made a spaghetti dinner for us at my mom's. Friday was Lisa's party, which was the best time ever! Lisa you rock, and thanks to all our friends who were there. I can't remember the last time I had such a good time. That is what's missing in Denver, our friends.

Saturday we went out to the farm, and Elijah met his great-grandparents. They adored him, and as always, Grandma put on quite the spread. We then went to Colin & Dawn's for the night, and when Dawn fell asleep, the 3 of us played some poker. Colin won, but I want a rematch!

Tomorrow we'll go to Banff, and Tuesday we see Mike & Meg's place. I may try to get Geoff to post some pictures, as I'm not near my server. Athena & Lisa also took pictures, so check their blogs in a few days.

I'll close with a quote from School Of Rock.

Dewey Finn: Sell my guitars? Would you tell Piccasso to sell his guitars?

We're Heeerrrreee!

We arrived in Calgary, safe and sound. Elijah slept through the whole flight. He seems a little out of sorts, but I'm sure he'll adjust after a few days. I can't complain about the trip, well I could, but I won't. I sure enjoyed having Harvey's once I landed. Tomorrow we drive up to Edmonton. We got a really cool rental car, it's pimpin'. :) A big Impala.

There's nothing else going on. It's only appropriate to close with a quote from Airplane!

Hanging Lady: Nervous?
Ted Striker: Yes.
Hanging Lady: First time?
Ted Striker: No, I've been nervous lots of times.

The Law Offices Of...

We went to a law office this morning, after failing to get our letter notarized at the bank. The bank couldn't do it because we had the wrong verbage. Luckily there is a law office behind the liquor store, beside the King Soopers. They were very nice, edited our letter and notarized it for free. If I ever need a lawyer, I'll be going there.

Because the liquor store had a sign out front advertising a sale on Geoff's favorite beer, Flying Dog, we stopped in and bought a 12 pack. It felt weird buying beer at 9am. I guess it will be nice for him to have here once we get back. It's not like he won't be having beer in Canada, I mean who are we kidding?

So now all that's left for the trip is laundry, packing and going. Excited? Not really. Stressed? Not as much as I was a few days ago. I don't know how much blogging will get done in Edmonton. We'll have the laptop, but we need to find out where there is wi-fi, and if it's free all the better. I'll try looking online, but Chris, if you know a place, let me know. I figure of all the Edmontonians who read this, Chris would be the one who would know.

A few of my friends (Chris, Ashley, and Roland) posted a theology quiz on their blogs, and my result was 71% Evangelical Holiness/Wesleyan. I'm not sure what it means, so I may look into that. Some of the questions weren't understandable to me, so I'd choose the middle. It was interesting though, and made me think about what I would answer.

Anyways, I'm going to close now with a quote from I.Q.

Albert Einstein: Are you thinking what I am thinking?
Ed Walters: Well what would be the odds of that happening?

Happy (Early) Father's Day

For My Geeky Friends

I am Mario.

I like to jump around, and would lead a fairly serene and aimless existence if it weren't for my friends always getting into trouble. I love to help out, even when it puts me at risk. I seem to make friends with people who just can't stay out of trouble. What Video Game Character Are You?

Wish I Was There

I've been exchanging emails with Athena a lot in the last few days. One of the things we were talking about was traveling, and it has renewed the hunger in me to go back to Scotland. I miss it, I miss the freedom of having my days wide open to do what I please. I miss exploring a new town. Athena wants badly to return to Greece, understandably.

If I'm away from Edmonton too long, I miss it and want to go back to visit. But then as the trip looms closer, or once I'm there, I wonder why I wanted to go. I love my family, but these trips always bring stress. Mind you the Scotland trip had it's own stress. I guess I'd rather just have family meet us somewhere. I doubt seriously that would ever happen, and I don't think that would solve all the problems.

I have to remind myself that I only visit Alberta like once a year, so this may be the only chance some people get to see Elijah in person. But if we hadn't had Elijah we wouldn't be taking this trip. So I guess I should just suck up whatever bothers me.

Wow, this is pretty negative. I didn't really expect it to be so down.

Nothing else is going on here. Geoff is nearly ready for his trip. We need to get the letter notarized, but then that's it for us I think.

Father's Day is Sunday, and Geoff is happy he gets the best of both worlds, the morning with us, the evening with his Dad. We'll be playing hooky from church and treating him to breakfast at The Original Pancake House. I wonder if Geoff will order the Dutch Baby, it looks like this:


This will be the 2nd Father's Day without my Dad. It's a lonely feeling to not have your Dad, as Lisa and Kelly can attest to. i know it's really hard on Colin. I'm very much looking forward to seeing him.

I guess I'll sign off. Since I don't have to wait around today for Fed-ex, I'm going to go for a walk. I'll close with a quote from Family Guy.

Brian Griffin: Peter, only one gift was for charity. The rest were for the family.
Peter Griffin: No, the rest were FROM the family... weren't they? Aw crap, since when did they change the meaning of "for" to "from"?
Brian Griffin: I think they had a meeting about it last night.
Peter Griffin: Why wasn't I told?
Brian Griffin: They sent you a card, but it said 'For Peter' on it, so you must have thought it was FROM you, so you didn't uh... You know, it's just easier to call you stupid.

How Much?

Just wanted to give y'all an idea of what music I'm listening to the most. I'm sure people out there are cringing. :)

The 15 Most Listened To Songs On My iPod (Pearl)

1. Trust Yourself - Blue Rodeo (15x)
2. Can't Get You Out Of My Head - Kylie Minogue (15x)
3. The Rockafeller Skank - Fatboy Slim (13x)
4. Cuban Pete - Jim Carrey (12x)
5. Baby Did A Bad Bad Thing - Chris Isaak (12x)
6. Waiting For That Day - George Michael (12x)
7. (Can't Live Without Your) Love And Affection - Nelson (12x)
8. The Ballad Of Peter Pumpkinhead - Crash Test Dummies (11x)
9. Walking On Broken Glass - Annie Lennox (11x)
10. Laika - Moxy Fruvous (11x)
11. All For You - Sister Hazel (11x)
12. Some Fantastic - Barenaked Ladies (10x)
13. Everlong - Foo Fighters (10x)
14. Sympathy- Goo Goo Dolls (10x)
15. Ooh It's Kinda Crazy - SoulDecision (10x)

The 15 Most Listened To Songs On My Computer (Plankton)

1. Stacy's Mom - Fountains Of Wayne (10x)
2. Soul To Squeeze - Red Hot Chili Peppers (10x)
3. Change Your Mind - Sister Hazel (9x)
4. Does Your Mother Know - ABBA (9x)
5. The Real Sin Savior - Apologetix (9x)
6. To Last A Lifetime - Del Amitri (9x)
7. Parents Just Don't Understand - DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince (9x)
8. She Will Be Loved - Maroon 5 (9x)
9. Banditos - The Refreshments (9x)
10. Ladies & Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space - Spiritualized (9x)
11. Just Between You & Me - Lou Gramm (8x)
12. Don't Do Me Like That - Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers (8x)
13. Ebay - Weird Al Yankovic (8x)
14. Do I Have To Say The Words - Bryan Adams (7x)
15. Ode To Calgary (Dance Mix) - The Unknown Poets (7x)

I have to say that the new feature I love the most about iChat is being able to display what I'm listening to. I wish I could see what everyone I'm chatting with is also listening to. But not everyone I chat with has iChat. :(

Conspiracy Theories And Other Annoying Things

Okay, seriously? Michael Jackson is not guilty? I will admit the defense gave me reasonable doubt, but he certainly is guilty of behaving inappropriately with children. Sleeping in the same bed as a child? I would never share my bed with a child, except maybe my son. Not even my nephew. I'm very disappointed. I thought for certain he would be found guilty.

There is a bird that I see in the Cherry Creek when I walk to the mall. The last 4 times I've gone with my camera, he's not there. Today, no camera, he's there! I think it's a long-billed curlew (except with a shorter bill), or at least that's the closet I can find. If only he'd let me capture his picture! I'm telling you he's conspiring against me.

We watched the movie Dodgeball this weekend. It was pretty funny, but the downside is having that annoying Milkshake song stuck in your head.

The only thing more annoying than the Milkshake song, is not being able to escape Tom Cruise on every channel. I kind of wanted to see War Of The Worlds (since I liked the book), but now I don't think I could take 2 hours of Tom. Just please stop waving your arms, jumping on couches, and stop trying to convert everyone to Scientology.

I guess I'll sign off. I'd love to sneak in a nap, but I doubt Elijah would go for that. In any case, I'll sign off with a quote from Dodgeball.

Cotton McKnight: It's time to separate the wheat from the chaff, the men from the boys, the awkwardly feminine from the possibly Canadian.

Dwe Dot Dot Dwe Dow

Reruns of The Tick are airing on Toon Disney starting tomorrow! I think I still have like half the series on tape from back when Comedy Central aired the reruns. I sure wish this would get released on DVD.

It's been rainy here most of the last 2 days. Our church was supposed to have a picnic today, I guess it will get moved indoors.

This week's errands: get that letter notarized at the bank, do laundry, pick up iced tea for Diane, pick up lemon cookies for my mom. I think that's pretty much it. I may look at suitcases at Target, since Elijah and I won't be able to fit everything into my suitcase. We could if we still had the big suitcase, but that's the one the airline lost 5 years ago. I still have a picture of it. :)

Well, there have been some comments asking me to clear up my comment about not being in love with Canada anymore. I need some time still to form my thoughts clearly.

I'll close now with a quote from The Tick.

Tick: Well, once again, my friend, we find that science is a two-headed beast. One head is nice, it gives us aspirin and other modern conveniences... But the other head of science is bad. Oh, beware the other head of science, Arthur. It bites.

Nobody's Perfect

This picture was taken 5 years ago when we visited Ottawa. That's me, back when I felt like I loved Canada. I have to remind myself that no country is perfect, they all have their flaws. Geoff and I hate that it feels like we are being treated as 2nd class citizens sometimes.

We called Passport Canada to get an update on Geoff's passport application. There was a problem with his picture, so they sent him a letter on Wednesday (which we obviously didn't get). After being frustrated by the plebe on the phone, he asked to speak to a manager. well he was on break, but Geoff insisted that he'd wait on hold. I'm sure you know how it's easier to solve a problem if you can talk to a real person, and if that person has some authority. To sum it all up, this guy is going to handle it personally. Geoff is going to resubmit a new photo, and his passport will be sent to Calgary. They are returning his ID so he'll be able to enter the country.

We were talking about it last night, and I was telling him how I wasn't looking forward to taking the trip without him. Elijah and I were still going to go regardless of Geoff's status, since he needs to meet his Grampy, along with the rest of the family (and friends) who haven't met him. We're much less stressed now that there is a solution working it's magic.

I guess now I can get excited. I probably won't feel that way until my feet hit Canadian soil. Or at least until I am standing in line at the Harvey's in the Calgary airport. :)

I don't know if you are hearing about this where you are, but a Denver police officer was killed last month by an illegal immigrant. He ran to California, then back into Mexico where his grandma turned him in. Mexico has a policy of not releasing criminals if they face the death penalty or life in prison without parole. Canada, as I understand, will also not release a criminal (or suspect) if they face the death penalty. I couldn't find anything about their stance on life imprisonment without parole. I don't think that's fair for them to decide that the person should be eligible for parole. Geoff said if he sits in Mexico prison for the rest of his life, he doesn't mind. I guess I just hope the family can have some closure. Like I was saying earlier, no country is perfect.

I'll close with a quote from L.A. Confidential.

Ed Exley: I'm talking about the gas chamber, and you haven't even asked me what this is about. You've got a big "Guilty" sign around your neck.

Just Gets Weirder

I'd like to say life has gotten back to normal but it has not. I may post the latest on my neighbors in a day or so, I just need to process some stuff.

Onto nicer topics, we went out to dinner last at the Macaroni Grill. Elijah did alright, slept through half the meal, but then we had to take turns with him outside. I think it was the lighting in there that he didn't like. Because once outside where it was light, he was happy. Anyway, I wanted to post because I tried something I've been wanting to try for a while. I had Prosciutto Bruschetta (Toasted bread topped with mozzarella cheese, prosciutto and our brown butter and sage.) Yes, it was as tasty as it sounds. Always watching Mario cook with prosciutto, I wanted to try it. A word of caution, if you order it from MG, it's a fairly big dish. I paired it with a caesar salad. Geoff had Chicken Cannelloni (Hand rolled pasta stuffed with roasted chicken, cheese, spinach and baked in an Asiago cream sauce. Topped with red sauce.)

Well, not much has been done this week. I went to the museum picnic yesterday, and it wasn't all that. Mary was late, so I skipped on the trip to the zoo, and we sat under a tree eating lunch. Her girls were happy to see Elijah, and he was happy just to sit in the shade. Geoff has to work this weekend, so I may be taking a trip to Peet's by myself on Saturday.

Alright, I'm going to sign off and close with a quote from Grosse Pointe Blank.

Marty: They all have husbands and wives and children and houses and dogs, and, you know, they've all made themselves a part of something and they can talk about what they do. What am I gonna say? "I killed the president of Paraguay with a fork. How've you been?"

Bad Girls

Toot Toot, Yeah Beep Beep

You gotta love Donna Summer. What brings to mind this song? Well...

I got an interesting letter in the mail today. It was a thick envelope, from someone I did not know. I opened it and got quite the surprise. It turns out that our newest neighbors, who've been here only a few months have been very busy making "friends". Friends who pay for "services". Yep, our neighbors are ladies of the evening. That's the nice way of saying it. Surprising? Yes. Even though we long suspected that was the case. There were too many signs pointing in that directions. The signs were practically neon. The letter was from a company who has been keeping them under surveillance.

I took the letter next door to ask Paula if she got one too. She hadn't and was shocked by it. We agreed that I should take the letter into the office and let them know. They had gotten the letter too, and were surprised that I had received a copy. They wondered how many other people in our building got it. They informed me they have given the ladies notice to move out.

I had quite the time discussing the situation with Ryan, since Geoff wasn't online and Paula wasn't home. I wanted advice. Ryan suggested talking to the neighbors, letting them know about the situation. As of now, they still aren't home. Will I talk to them? Doubtful. Since the office visited the website they were advertising on, they were content with the proof they needed. It's still all so weird to me. Even with living 10 minutes away from two girly clubs, I didn't expect to encounter something like this.

In other neighbor news, the guys downstairs are moving out, so says Paula. I'm not so sad to see them go, though they haven't been as loud as the one time we reported them. They've been cold towards us since then, even though they admitted that party had been out of their control. Let's just hope the 2 new sets of neighbors we get will be as nice as Paula & Simon.

I guess it's only appropriate to close with a quote from Pretty Woman.

Edward Lewis: You make $100 an hour and you have a safety pin holding your boot up?

Tunes and Politics

Getting mail is fun. After an offer was placed before me, I took it, and I got a package in the mail. Awhile back I posted about Brock Skywalker's album, and that I thought it wasn't his best work. Brock posted a comment on my blog offering to send me a copy of the album. And today Cerebral Re-Runs by Brock Skywalker & His Irregular Heartbeats was in my mailbox. It's good. The snippets I heard before didn't come across as well as the album does. Naturally some songs I like more than others. But I gave it a listen through, and I'll likely give it a few more plays. I'd recommend it if you like Brock's work with Captain Tractor.

I spoke with Diane on Sunday, and she was telling me about an incident in the Canadian gov't that took place a few weeks ago. It prompted me to read up on it online. I figure if I can read a few different sources, I may be able to get a full picture of it, not something one-sided. I still don't think I have all the facts, but it's left me wondering about myself. I have never been a feminist, and I don't feel oppressed. Maybe it's the way I was raised, maybe I just don't see myself the way other women see themselves. I guess just chalk it up to another thing I don't understand. Anyway. I'm digressing. Diane was saying that the media was turning into a sexist issue. That a man can change parties and not get the kind of criticism that this woman got. Like I said I don't think I have all the facts, so I shouldn't form an opinion on it. My dad always said don't discuss politics and religion. There is a reason for that. But I like those topics. :)

Let's talk weather! After a weekend of rain, it was sorta nice to have sun. It's a little hot for me. I know, I know, I lived in California for 4 years and I complain about the sun here. I am hoping for nice weather for our trip. Speaking of the trip, I have to line up a cat sitter. I may try Paula, but I fear she may have a bit much on her plate right now. I'll be seeing Mary on Wednesday at the museum picnic, so she'll be my back-up. If it weren't so much trouble, I'd bring Honey with us.

Well I'm going to go try to start dinner and do some laundry. I'll close with a quote from Dogma.

Bethany: Were they sent to Hell?
Metatron: Worse. Wisconsin. For the entire span of human history.

Nothing New To Report

Not much is going on here. I'm going to lunch with Shannon and Kaylynn at Chick-Fil-A, and I'll be hitting Hallmark to buy Father's Day cards.

Last night on NBC they had a show I swear was made just for me, Hit Me Baby One More Time. It's like Bands Reunited, but then they compete against each other. It was pretty entertaining, at least to me.

The weather has been alright this week, some rain, some shine. I've blistered up my feet pretty good this week, you have to love summer for that. Geoff says I should just always wear my hiking boots like he does, but it's too hot for boots. And boots certainly don't go with shorts unless you are camping. At least that's how I feel.

I'm not yet looking forward to our Alberta trip. I will get in the mood once everything that needs to come together does. I have faith it all will.

I was able to get in touch with my friend Adam, finally. Got the short version of what he's been up to the last 10 years or so since I've seen him. If time permits, I want to see him for coffee. If I am able to see everyone it would be a feat, and the first time that's ever happened. Lisa is doing a lot to make that feasible. I mean we're only in Edmonton for 5 or 6 days, so it's a whirlwind trip. I pretty much have everyday booked. A little frightening, and I'm sure Geoff will be annoyed by that. he likes to be laid back, I like to squeeze everything in. Mind you, Elijah could be dictating my days, and I'll have to work around that.

I guess I want to mention that I don't understand how people can view Mark Felt as a bad guy. I mean there has to be accountability for our leaders, and he did a great service to the U.S. people. That's my opinion anyway. I love the movie All The President's Men, and I tried to read the book, but didn't finish it.

Anyway, I'll close with a quote from my favorite movie about former President Nixon, Dick.

Henry Kissinger: I'll take responsibility here. I'll be the only person in this administration who's willing to take responsibility for anything.

Encouragement

In a world where too many people don't take marriage vows seriously, it's encouraging to see this couple. Geoff said on our wedding day he wants us to be married for at least 75 years.

I Love You Devil Cookies!

These are the best store bought cookies in the world. We call them devil cookies because they're so good it isn't natural. Find them, buy them, consume them!

Just Another Day

It's a holiday, but to me it's just another day. Except the tv programs I would normally watch are absent. Geoff has gone into work for a few hours, and though i have the car, I don't really have anyplace I want to go. If I had brought the stroller with me when we drove to Geoff's work, I'd be at Peet's now with my caramel freddo and a book. :)

I watched Ken Jennings get beat on Jeopardy's best of the best of the best (sir! with honors). The thing was I found that two of the final Jeopardy questions were things I knew. Also the double Jeopardy seemed easier than the first round. I did dismally in the bible category they had. I knew the answers, I just couldn't get them out, save one. Don't feel bad for your favorite mormon Jeopardy winner, Ken is getting his own game show. It'll be like Win Ben Stein's Money, so it may not be that bad.


Geoff and I are super duper bummed that we'll be missing Ryan & Kana's wedding. It's on the day we fly home from Calgary. We can't move our flight plans, it was the only day we both could fly home together. I know it will be a wonderful special day, and hopefully Ryan will post pictures. And we'll celebrate with them when we make it out to Irvine. Congratulations you two!


Well, I'm going to sign off now. I'll close with a quote from Conspiracy Theory.

Jerry Fletcher: A good conspiracy is unprovable. I mean, if you can prove it, it means they screwed up somewhere along the line.

Stupidity

I stole from Andrew & Mike's sister Katherine:

I remembered!

I remembered yesterday that thing I wanted to post:

If you play Pink Floyd's Dark Side Of The Moon to The Muppet's Wizard Of Oz, does it make sense? :)

Let it be said my biggest pet peeve, or at least the thing that peeves me off more than anything is bad drivers. I've had my share of bad drivers. In less than 24 hours, I have encountered two drivers who didn't give a lick about me and my stroller being in the crosswalk. Yesterday one driver plowed through a stop sign while I was in the middle of the road, and today a driver actually clipped the stroller's back wheel. Geoff chased that guy half a block, and would have continued and caught him had we known he was going to be stopped at the next light. The thing is there a cop right there, but he didn't see it, he was looking for speeders. I was so angry that this guy clipped the stroller, I didn't stop being mad for the next hour. I just can't believe some people! Everyone is fine, we were very lucky.

My new beverage of choice this summer is Peet's Caramel Freddo. It is divine!

I'm so happy my 100 things (see previous posts) has spurned Athena & Geoff to do their own. It takes some time to do, but it's so much fun to learn new things about people. Lisa says she'll try to tackle it.

No plans for the long weekend, just hopefully spending some family time together. So I'm going to go spend time with my family now, and close with a quote from Stripes (which is on right now).

John Winger: We're all very different people. We're not Watusi, we're not Spartans, we're Americans. With a capital "A", huh? And you know what that means? Do you? That means that our forefathers were kicked out of every decent country in the world. We are the wretched refuse. We're the underdog. We're mutts.

Integrity

I'm getting really tired of the rush to publish "news" that people can't wait to verify if it's even true. I've come to expect that all stories have a retraction written at the same time as the story. People are so riled up by the story, they don't even hear that there is a retraction and apology.

I think I may need to keep a notebook on my person at all times, because I said something witty on Sunday and wanted to post it. Now I can't recall it, and wonder if it was even very witty. :)

The Queen was walking around my old stomping grounds yesterday (the legislative grounds). I would have loved to have seen that. How many people can say they've seen royalty in person? Perhaps if I'm ever near her stomping grounds, we'll hook up for tea.

Well, I don't have much else to say. So I'll close with a quote from The Addams Family.

Girl Scout: Is this made from real lemons?
Wednesday: Yes.
Girl Scout: I only like all-natural foods and beverages, organically grown, with no preservatives. Are you sure they're real lemons?
Pugsley: Yes.
Girl Scout: I'll tell you what. I'll buy a cup if you buy a box of my delicious Girl Scout cookies. Do we have a deal?
Wednesday: Are they made from real Girl Scouts?

100 Things

I followed some blog links from someone I know, and found this idea. It's to write 100 things about yourself. I've been working on it for a few days, typed it out in Word, and now I'm ready to post it. If anyone reads all the way through this, I'd be surprised. Happy, but surprised.

100 Things

1. My middle name was supposed to be Jane, but Kelly was born first, so I got June. (or so I’m told)
2. I like liverwurst, but would never eat liver.
3. I gave up on the idea of going to college when I was in the 10th grade.
4. Though I was only in Glasgow for like 4 days, I miss waking up and looking at the Clyde through our hotel window.
5. I’d never eaten salad until I was in 6th grade.
6. I wore braces for 2 years.
7. I used to be able to do hurdles, now they kind of scare me.
8. I think my best feature is my smile.
9. Giving birth was the most painful thing I’ve endured physically.
10. I played handbells in elementary school.
11. I’m 5’5” but I secretly think I’m 5’6”.
12. I took jazz dance for 4 years, and ballet for 2.
13. My favorite school subject was Drama.
14. My least favorite subject was Math.
15. I transferred high schools after 10th grade because my attendance was so poor.
16. I collect giraffe stuff.
17. I once tattled on my brother when we both shoplifted candy from Safeway.
18. My favorite shoes are my Tevas.
19. I prefer Coke over Pepsi because my dad worked for Coke.
20. I have small fingers, my wedding ring is a size 4.5.

21. The first movie I remember seeing in a theatre was The Smurfs And The Magic Flute.
22. The first movie I saw without my parents was Big.
23. I had dogs growing up, a poodle (Sammy), and a husky (Smoky).
24. My parents split up summer I finished 6th grade.
25. My dad, my brother and I used to watch wrestling together all the time.
26. I saw The Tragically Hip play at the House Of Blues on Sunset Blvd.
27. I was camping with my grandparents when I heard that Wayne Gretzky had been traded.
28. I am a pretty good 5 pin bowler.
29. I used to have a radio show.
30. I was 20 the first time I was ever on an airplane.
31. The first CD I owned was Paul McCartney’s Tripping The Live Fantastic.
32. I was a cheerleader in Junior High School.
33. My movie guilty pleasure…Center Stage.
34. I sang in a band called Screaming Gyspy Mud Puppies.
35. I love the color my eyes turn when I cry.
36. I knew I wanted to date Geoff when I heard him play his violin.
37. My brother and I always have to karate chop each other’s necks when we see each other.
38. I cried after seeing The Blair Witch Project.
39. I had my tonsils taken out in the 11th grade. My mom stayed in the hospital with me.
40. I have stretch marks on my belly from being pregnant.

41. I once had 3 jobs at the same time.
42. I spent half a day in San Francisco by myself.
43. The only beer I ever tasted was Red Dog (yuck!).
44. I watch way too much tv.
45. The worst vacation I ever had was to Carson City, Nevada.
46. I love the way my cat smells.
47. Restaurants that serve french fries and gravy rank high for me. J
48. My favorite arcade game is Elevator Action.
49. I wanted to name a child Dade from my favorite movie, but Geoff says no way!
50. People always tell me how much my mom and I look alike.
51. I plan to get Lasik surgery when I turn 40.
52. I love going for walks with Geoff.
53. I have a cookie jar of a friar that says “Thou Shall Not Get Fat”. It belonged to my parents.
54. I organized a group of friends to perform Monty Python’s Lumberjack Song for the school talent show.
55. I sleep with a yellow baby blanket I’ve had forever.
56. I met my future sister in law for the first time at my wedding.
57. I have never smoked a cigarette or done drugs.
58. I love getting a pedicure, but could care less about a manicure.
59. I was baptized in the Pacific Ocean.
60. I love seeing Geoff and Elijah spend time together.

61. I miss driving down the PCH to Laguna Beach.
62. I auditioned for jazz choir in high school but didn’t get in.
63. Geoff and I had our first fight as a married couple on our honeymoon.
64. I want to become an American citizen someday.
65. I have 2 scars and they are both on the same arm. One from cutting my hand with a butcher’s knife as a child. The other from going through a window as a teenager.
66. I have never broken a bone.
67. I went to a shooting range once and learned I’m a pretty good shot.
68. My favorite ice cream flavor is World Class Chocolate at Baskin Robbins.
69. I have been bitten by a Doberman Pincher.
70. I lost a shoe during a race.
71. I won over $1000 at bingo.
72. I enjoy playing cards, especially Bridge.
73. I am thankful I got to talk to my dad about God before he died.
74. I didn’t learn to drive until I was 24.
75. My first job was working the popcorn stand at the Coliseum.
76. The most beautiful place I’ve ever been was at Young Life camp in the Princess Louisa Inlet, British Columbia.
77. Butterflies scare me.
78. I think my husband is hilarious.
79. My friend Doug and I snuck into a Rolling Stones concert.
80. I competed in a “Survivor” game for the O.C. Register. A frozen chalupa was my downfall.

81. I love to see my son’s smile.
82. I have been a bridesmaid 3 times, an emcee twice, and a flowergirl once.
83. Geoff and I had our marriage blessed for our 5th anniversary.
84. I am a big fan of black teas.
85. I went to a taping of Friends.
86. I am an honorary Krolik (a super nice family that adopted Geoff & I).
87. If I could play any instrument, it would be the bodhran (Celtic drum).
88. I make an excellent pasta sauce.
89. My mom and dad walked me down the aisle at my wedding.
90. I won the “class clown” paper plate award at my 9th grade grad.
91. I used to get mistaken for a girl named Cynthia at Harry Ainlay. After we met and became friends, we told people we were twins. The only thing we had in common was dark hair and glasses.
92. Once I got a Mac, I realized how much PC’s suck.
93. I have a competitive spirit.
94. I love to look at other people’s photos.
95. When we had to do a report on composers, I chose Englebert Humperdink from the list because I thought his name was funny.
96. I love a good rock ballad.
97. When I look back on some of the stuff I “believed in”, I’m embarrassed.
98. I sang a verse of When I’m With You by Sheriff to Geoff on our wedding day.
99. The best money I ever spent was paying for my brother, sister-in-law and nephew to come to California.
100. I found it’s hard to think of 100 things about yourself.

Fun With Names

Thanks to Athena for posting this:

Melissa June Armstrong's Aliases

Your movie star name: Chips John

Your fashion designer name is Melissa Glasgow

Your socialite name is Miska San Francisco

Your fly girl / guy name is M Arm

Your detective name is Giraffe McNally

Your barfly name is Chips Margarita

Your soap opera name is June Kirkpatrick

Your rock star name is Aero Cheetah

Your star wars name is Melhon Armgeo

Your punk rock band name is The Contentment Headphones

The Amazing Meganame Generator

ARRGGHH!!!

I'm such a dummy! I hadn't opened up my calendar since Monday, so I completely forgot that today was our lamaze class reunion! I really wanted to go too, to hear about how everyone's babies are. To show off our little cutie. Well, nothing to be done. I realized it 30 minutes after it started, so with the 30 minute drive out there, we would have missed it. Obviously I need to set up alarms for all my important dates.

Geoff is out on a big long run, he's training to run in a half marathon next month. I don't know if we'll go hang out there or not, it's at the Pepsi Center. I guess an option would be to take the light rail into downtown, hang out there and go back to see him finish. Who knows!

We went to the farmer's market today, and we were a little disappointed. There was only one produce stand, and the lettuce looked sad. Geoff did buy some tomatoes, but I couldn't convince him to buy me beef jerky.

I guess I'll sign off. I'm closing with a quote from Beetlejuice.

Adam: What are your qualifications?
Betelgeuse: Ah. Well... I attended Juilliard... I'm a graduate of the Harvard business school. I travel quite extensively. I lived through the Black Plague and had a pretty good time during that. I've seen the EXORCIST ABOUT A HUNDRED AND SIXTY-SEVEN TIMES, AND IT KEEPS GETTING FUNNIER EVERY SINGLE TIME I SEE IT... NOT TO MENTION THE FACT THAT YOU'RE TALKING TO A DEAD GUY... NOW WHAT DO YOU THINK? You think I'm qualified?

Hot And Not

It's really hot here, we've hit the 90's (that's 30's for you Celsius readers). God bless air conditioning.

And unlike everyone I know, we won't be going out to see the new Star Wars movie. I'm not really a fan, or rather I'm not fanatical like half the planet. No reason, I just don't care.

I want to address something that has been bugging me for a while. This isn't aimed at one person, but several people. Geoff is fine. He isn't to skinny, he does not have any problems physically. He eats well, and he enjoys exercising. He is healthy, and happy with the way he looks. So please stop suggesting he's too thin. As his wife, I would never allow him to get unhealthy, or allow him to jeopardize his health. His weight is just right for his height.

I'm sorry to those who might find that offensive, but as a protective wife, it's my right to express how I feel. I'd rather address this now before we go see family and friends, so that maybe I won't have to hear about it. And maybe I shouldn't apologize for offending people. Sometimes I feel like I'm always apologizing for expressing my thoughts. To the point now where I censor myself daily.

I had a frustrating day yesterday, so once dinner was done, I asked Geoff to take Elijah for a walk so I could have some alone time. I read my bible, and wrote in the journal that Kelly bought me in Thailand. The boys came home with a dozen pink roses for me. It was so very sweet, and completely unexpected. I've been smelling them all day. It was just as nice as the time I got alone to myself.

Well, parenthood calls. No plans for this weekend, except maybe checking out the farmer's market at Cherry Creek Mall.

I'll close with my favorite quote from The Emperor's New Groove.

Pacha: Uh-oh.
Kuzco: Don't tell me. We're about to go over a huge waterfall.
Pacha: Yep.
Kuzco: Sharp rocks at the bottom?
Pacha: Most likely.
Kuzco: Bring it on.

Shuffle!

Last 15 Songs Played On Pearl (My iPod)

To Be A Lover - Billy Idol
Immigrant Song - Led Zeppelin
Dublin Lullaby - Captain Tractor
Wouldn't It Be Good - Danny Hutton Hitters
Hold The Line - Toto
She Says What She Means - Sloan
Amnesia - Toad The Wet Sprocket
Give Up The Funk - Parliament
We Can Funk - Prince
Animal - Def Leppard
Collide - Howie Day
I Ran - A Flock Of Seagulls
Famous Blue Raincoat - Leonard Cohen
Somebody's Watching Me - Morris Day
Your Little Secret - Melissa Etheridge

Last 15 Songs Played On Plankton (The Computer)

Opportunities (Let's Make Lots Of Money) - Pet Shop Boys
Kids Wanna Rock - Bryan Adams
Gimme Shelter - Rolling Stones
Roxanne - The Police
Shake A Tail Feather - Ray Charles (Blues Brothers Soundtrack)
You're What I Look For - Glass Tiger
(What A) Wonderful World - Sam Cooke
Poisoning Pigeons In The Park - Tom Lehrer
Sunflower Eyes - Easily Amused
Voulez Vous - ABBA
What Kind Of Man Would I Be - Chicago
Tonight, Tonight - Smashing Pumpkins
Get What You Need - Jet
Seagulls - Great Big Sea
Ebay - Weird Al Yankovic

Musical Baton

I stole this from Paul Bellows.

Total volume of music on my computer

20.98 GB

The last CD I bought

Christmas With The Rat Pack

Song playing right now

Opportunities (Let's Make Lots Of Money) - Pet Shop Boys

Five songs I listen to a lot, or that mean a lot to me

At Long Last Love - Frank Sinatra
Walls -Tom Petty
Banditos - The Refreshments
In A Little While - Uncle Kracker
That Song - Big Wreck

Five songs I’m happy I rediscovered while doing this

Hanky Panky - Tommy James and The Shondells
Money Talks - AC/DC
Why Can't This Be Love - Van Halen
Strike It Up - Black Box
I Go Blind - Hootie & The Blowfish

Five people to whom I’m passing the baton
Geoff
Roland
Ryan
Lisa
Athena

Gone To The Dark Side

We went out and got the dark chocolate M&M's last night. Very tasty. You can really taste it in the peanut, but not as much in the plain. I hope they stick around for a while. I love M&M's.

Opportunity Knocks...Can't Answer

The opportunity to have Rich's job for the summer has popped back up, and even though all the volunteers were hoping I'd be back, it's just not going to happen. The reasons? #1-my permission to work is going to expire next week, and I don't have the $120 to renew it. #2-childcare. Hiring a babysitter would suck up the money I would make. #3-remembering how much some volunteers drove me batty. So yeah, the money would have been awesome, and I'm sorry that everyone was looking forward to working with me, but it isn't going to happen. I will renew my work permission in a few months, in time to go back to Harry & David. Besides, I love spending time with Elijah, and I love having flexible days to do what I want (or have to).

I did get in touch with Mary, that's how I found out what the deal was with Rich's summer job. We're going to get together on Thursday. We'll be going to the museum picnic and zoo trip next month. She'll be bringing her kids, and they've been dying to see Elijah. That will be fun.

Well, nothing else is going on. So I'll sign off and close with a quote from Return To Me.

Tyler Dayton: And then we went to see the gorillas and Mommy said it was you.
Megan Dayton: I did not.
Joe Dayton: Oh, really? Did you go to see the elephants?
Megan Dayton: Watch it Joe.

How I Spent My Weekend

I am so ashamed (and yet I will blog about it) that I spent my Saturday watching the America's Next Top Model marathon on VH1. I left the house only to get the mail. I did miss 90 minutes of it when I took a nap, but other than that...

And I can't say anything bad about it. It was kinda cheesy, but I was riveted. You could easily turn it into a drinking game because there are lines that are repeated over and over again.

Friday we walked mall to pick up Geoff's glasses, and then treated ourselves to Coldstone Creamery. Today we went to Peet's after church, then spent the day inside with the air conditioning on. Geoff took care of Elijah, and I was able to do some organizing in the closet.

I don't have any big plans for this week. Elijah has a doctor's appointment tomorrow morning, and I may try to get together with Mary this week (if she'll return my phone calls).

I have become addicted to a new show, Judging Amy. Reruns air on TNT, and Hallmark so I've gotten hooked. I don't watch the new episodes, I'm content to stay in the past. :) It's a pretty good show, though it deals with some pretty serious subject matter.

I got an email this weekend from a friend (Eddy) I had at Harry Ainlay. I will try to write back this week, and find out if he kept in touch with Adam. I found it a little funny, I was only at Harry Ainlay for a year, so the fact that I was remembered is impressive to me. I'm always impressed when people remember me, as I don't ever think I could make an impression on someone. I kinda blended in back in high school, with the exception of my circle of friends. It was a very small circle of friends at Harry Ainlay, but I was Adam's date to his grad. That was a fun night, I remember that they served lemon sorbet and it was tasty.

I'm looking into things I may want to do in Edmonton, Calgary & Banff. One thing I used to always to do was catch a Captain Tractor show, but I don't think late nights are for me anymore. I'd feel weird getting someone to babysit Elijah so I can go out to a show. My time should probably be spent visiting with family & friends. The last Tractor show I caught in Edmonton was in Churchill Square in July 2002. It was awesome. Meghan, Susie & I met up with Doug & Kirsty. I got my picture taken with Brock after the show, then we took the LRT to University and walked down Whyte all the way to Bonnie Doon Mall. Ahhh, good times, good times.

Anyways, I want to go to Melissa's in Banff for lunch, and maybe try to check out Bow Falls too. If the gondola wasn't so expensive, I'd consider that as an option. I have no idea what I want to do in Calgary, maybe go to Calaway Park. My dad loved taking us there, it holds a special place.

Well, I'm going to sign off and close with a quote from Hackers.

Mrs. Murphy: Dade?
Dade Murphy: Yeah, ma?
Mrs. Murphy: What are you doing?
Dade Murphy: I'm taking over a TV network.
Mrs. Murphy: Finish up, honey, and get to sleep.

A Really Good Cause

I meant to write about this last week, but completely forgot until I chatted with Ryan today. KUCI is in the midst of their annual fund drive. They need this money to run the station for a year. It's tax-deductable, it's a good cause, and you can get some great thank you gifts. So please consider donating. Every little bit helps.

Paraskevidekatriaphobia

I don't put much faith in superstitions, though I know many people who do. Though I won't walk under a ladder, I don't believe something bad will befall me if I do. I think this one is funny, If you have 13 letters in your name, you will have the devil's luck. The date is not going to keep me from leaving the house.

Geoff is working a half day, then we'll head out to the mall to pick up his glasses. We'll also stop in at Harry & David to see Kevin and Nicole. I imagine we'll go to Peet's too.

Thanks to Roland for bringing to my attention that Wendy's is giving away free jr. frostys all weekend! Whoo-hoo! We live within walking distance of a Wendy's! Too bad the offer isn't available in Canada.

Because there are some deals you just can't pass up...we bought The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide for $10.19 from Amazon.com. Even with shipping, it was cheaper than Barnes & Noble was selling it for. And we found out last night Barnes & Noble stopped selling it at the discounted price. Now I'll be able to read past the third book. Regarding the movie, we will likely rent it, since we don't go out to movies. I don't trust all reviews, frankly there are times I think I will enjoy something and I am disappointed.

Well, I should get out of my jammies at some point. I hope you all get the chance to listen to Stevie Wonder's Superstition today. Or even Stevie Ray Vaughn's version. :)

I'll close with a quote from Scream. I was so happy it was on the other day, they always show Scream 2, and I like the first one much more.

Tatum: Oh, please don't kill me, Mr. Ghostface, I wanna be in the sequel!

How Canadian Are You?

Here's your score: 92

Wow. Pierre Berton, Peter Gzowski, Stompin' Tom, Pierre Trudeau, Bob & Doug, Anne of Green Gables and Rush all rolled into one. You make Dudley Do-Right look like Uncle Sam. Prepare for immediate idolization at home and a lucrative career in the states.

Stupidity
I got a bill in the mail this week for a doctor's visit from June 2004. This appointment was suppose to be covered, I checked before hand because it was to see the fertility specialist. My doctor referred me, and I checked with her and the insurance. So I've complained and they are going to get back to me. The manager will call in the next 24-48 hours. And I'll be asking him/her why they would wait 11 months to bill me. It's not like we're quibbling over a few dollars, it's $185. The funny thing is we didn't need to progress with the fertility specialist, we got pregnant before we had to go any further past the initial blood work.

Mother's Day was pretty good. Geoff was kinda grumpy most of the day, but the steak dinner was yummy. I got some phone calls and some cards (both paper & electronic).

We finally got our A/C fixed, and I couldn't be happier. Our apartment gets pretty warm, but not like the Irvine place did. People don't think Denver gets so hot, but it does.

I gotta put a question out into the void...why is Gwen Stefani singing about bananas in her song Hollaback Girl? Geoff thinks it's great, but he's always liked bananas and he's always had a thing for Gwen.

I'm a bad friend. I called Lisa in Vancouver this morning, and woke her up. It was 8 o'clock her time, I figured she'd be awake. She gets back today, and she said she'll call me tomorrow.

Scrubs season finale is on tonight. And next Tuesday the season one dvd comes out. I'm hoping to get it for Christmas. Until then, I'll have to make due with summer re-runs.

Not much else is going on. We've gotten Elijah's passport sent off, and Geoff sent off his info to renew his Canadian passport. He could tell you forever about what a stupid pain in the butt the whole process is. My passport is still good until 2008, then I can go through that trouble.

Well, I'm gonna close with a quote from The Princess Bride.

Vizzini: I can't compete with you physically, and you're no match for my brains.
Westley: You're that smart?
Vizzini: Let me put it this way. Have you ever heard of Plato, Aristotle, Socrates?
Westley: Yes.
Vizzini: Morons.

Your Mother Was A Hamster
Happy Mother's Day!
Here is a picture of my gift from Elijah. Just gonna spend the day doing chores and hanging out. Geoff is making me steak for dinner. A pretty good first Mother's Day. :)

Well That's New



I've never had such a good dentist appointment before. The hygenist was very nice (Jane), and the dentist seems like an alright guy. And for the first time ever...no cavities! So my teeth are all nice and clean, and I'm set to go back in 6 months. The office is just up on Colorado Blvd, so it's a short walk there. And lucky Geoff, he gets to go tomorrow.

He is lucky, because Elijah was good for him this morning. I hope he'll be a good boy tomorrow as we go get his passport photo taken. I'm a little worried he may fall asleep on the walk to Sears, I want him to stay awake so it will be easier to get him to be good for the photographer. Then we need to get his passport application filled out and sent, since we leave for Alberta in 46 days.

Caught the strangest show on Cartoon Network on Sunday night. Robot Chicken. I don't know if the fact that it is on at 12:30am makes it funnier or not. But it's a little messed up, and a little funny at the same time. Kinda has some inside jokes, and they jokes come fast.

Gotta go be a mom, so I'll close with a quote from Kids In The Hall.

Filipino kid: You are American?
Tourist: No, I'm a Canadian. It's like an American, but without the gun.

Functional
I'm always amazed on how I can function on little sleep. I'm not happy about it, and I'm probably not quite myself, but I'm functional. Sunday night Elijah was up EVERY hour. Had we not had appointments to donate blood Monday morning, I don't think we would have gone. The Bonfils blood center was awesome. The staff was nice, the donation chairs are the best, and the snacks were good too. We're eligible to donate again at the end of June, but since we'll be in E-town, we'll donate once we get back.

Family Guy returned to tv on Sunday night, and in top form. The first 5 minutes were hilarious and it just kept on going.

My results from the Cherry Creek Sneak are not on the web, because I didn't bring my number with me to the race (I didn't know I was suppose to). They took Geoff's info from him though he forgot his number too, so his info is available. But there is a picture of me in the race.



I doubt I'd order it, since Geoff took a picture of me. We're hoping one of him shows up, since I missed him crossing the finish line. I do have one of him before the race started.



The baked spaghetti turned out excellent, it was very tasty. I used some directions from a few different recipes, and was very pleased with the results. It inspired Geoff to make his own dish last night, it was rotini pasta with chicken in an a la king type sauce.

Well, it's looking to be a beautiful day out, so I'm going to go for a walk with the boy. Up to Target, then hitting the bank and the library on my way home.

I'll close with a quote from Overboard.

Annie: I don't belong here, I feel it, don't you think I feel it. I can't do any of these vile things and I wouldn't WANT to. Oh, my life is like death. My children are the spawn of hell, and you're the devil. Oh God.
Dean Proffitt: But baby, we LIKE you.

Muppetational

The Muppets may be coming back to primetime tv. I for one am keen on the idea, I love the original series, and the short-lived Muppets Tonight. In a few weeks ABC will be airing a muppet version of The Wizard Of Oz. It'll be good to have something entertaining on television, because haven't we all had enough of reality tv.

Have you seen the commercials for Craft Corner Deathmatch? It's got to be the most pathetic show premise. Seriously. Extreme crafting. Ooh, I must tune in. (I'm being sarcastic, in case that's not coming across.)

Not that I have time to go to the movies, but I'm intrigued by the trailer for Crash. Sandra Bullock and Brendan Fraser? Hook me up! Oh, and about going to the movies, I saw on the news the other day there is a theater here that has Mommy Movies Wednesday mornings. Essentially, it's for moms to go to the movie and you bring your young kids. The lights are up a little more, and the sound isn't as loud. And if your child fusses, the people there understand, because they are moms too. Dads are welcome too, I think they just like the alliteration. I may have to check it out one of these Wednesdays.

I'll close with a quote from The Muppet Show.

Statler: Why did they want the igloo?
Waldorf: I don't know. Maybe somebody must have broken their ig.

Almost May
Is it possible for April to feel like the month went on forever, and also feel like it flew by?

Next week, I'll be donating blood and going to the dentist. Not on the same day. But it will make the week interesting I'm sure. I'm still trying to have a routine in my life. Geoff will have to stay home with Elijah while I'm at the dentist, so that may be challenging for him. Sometimes Elijah can hang out with Dad and be good, sometimes, he just screams because Geoff isn't Mom.

Katie, Katie, Katie, what are you thinking?
Tom Cruise? I'm a little disappointed, but what can you do?

I'm going to try to make a new dish this weekend. Baked spaghetti. I figure we need to inject new dinners in the rotation once in a while. Some meals we used to eat I grew tired of, like chili. I think I may be ready to reintroduce that. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Well, I should sign off. I'll close with a quote from Pleasantville.

David: I know you miss her, I mean, you told me you did. But maybe it's not just the cooking or the cleaning you miss. Maybe it's something else. Maybe you can't even describe it. Maybe you only know it when it's gone. Maybe it's like there's whole piece of you that's missing too. Look at her, dad. Doesn't she look pretty like that? Doesn't she look just as beautiful as the first time you met her? Do you really want her back the way she was? Doesn't she just look wonderful? Now don't you wish you could tell her that?

Good Day, And Welcome To The Great White North
I wanted to wait until we told the family first, but now I'm ready to let y'all know when you can see the Armstrongs on tour in Alberta. We'll be flying up on June 19th ( & 20th) and coming home on July 1 (Canada Day). Since we don't fly out until 5:30 on the 1st, I will still get to celebrate Canada Day, at least a little bit.

Here's a picture from many moons ago when our circle of friends used to celebrate Canada Day together. This is Geoff, Jason, Karen and Doug at Fort Edmonton.


I should check to see what Cowtown does to celebrate, perhaps a parade. Who knows, this may be Elijah's only Canada Day celebration. One never knows what the future will hold. I'm trying to not get ahead of myself and make solid plans, there is so much I want to do! Lisa's having a party, a "come meet the baby, and oh yes Melissa and Geoff will be there too" party. And a trip to Banff is a must.

We had to fly out on different days, but we get to fly home together. The things you have to deal with when flying on points. Not sure how I'll work out the carrying of luggage (mine & Elijah's) as well as his stroller/carseat. But for the 1st time ever, I'll get to pre-board!

Yesterday I called Mike to tell him & Meg the details of the trip. We spoke for an hour. It was fun, we talked a lot about tv/movies, and how they are settling in Calgary. We're hoping to have one night when the 3 of us can go over and check out their place. Also to give them one-on-one time with their nephew.

I'll close with a quote from Red Dwarf.

Toaster: Howdy doodly do. How's it going? I'm Talkie, Talkie Toaster, your chirpy breakfast companion. Talkie's the name, toasting's the game. Anyone like any toast?
Lister: Look, I don't want any toast, and he doesn't want any toast. In fact, no one around here wants any toast. Not now, not ever. No toast.
Toaster: How 'bout a muffin?
Lister: Or muffins. Or muffins. We don't like muffins around here. We want no muffins, no toast, no teacakes, no buns, baps, baguettes or bagels, no croissants, no crumpets, no pancakes, no potato cakes and no hot-cross buns and definitely no smegging flapjacks.
Toaster: Aah, so you're a waffle man.

Take my Quiz on QuizYourFriends.com!

Mmm, Ice Cream Cake

What's better than ice cream cake? A free slice of ice cream cake. Cold Stone is giving away free slices of ice cream cake from 5-8pm tonight. Visit the Cold Stone website to find your nearest location and see if they are participating.

What's Happening
Today the Armstrongs participated in their first family activity, the Cherry Creek Sneak. Elijah and I did the 3.1 mile walk, and Geoff did the 5 mile run. My race started at 8am, so we departed for the mall at 7:20am, walking of course. It was a cold walk, but once we got there (7:55am) it was time to go. Geoff stood in the cold waiting for us to finish (50 minutes), then his race began 9:25am. He finished his race in 42 minutes, but we missed him crossing the finish line. He was very pleased with his run, and we hope to see if his picture will be posted on the Sneak website on Tuesday (I'll let you know if it is). All this excitement has caused Geoff to finally post on his blog. Yeah, he has a blog, and he hasn't posted on it in 8 months. Hopefully it won't be another 8 months between posts.

The weather did not get any warmer after we were done our races, so we opted to take the shuttle home. It dropped us off a few blocks from home. It's raining now, so we were lucky the rain held off until the Sneak was done.

In travel news, we may just use our points to get one ticket home and buy the other, or we may try to fly out on different days. The only problem I have with flying out on different days is I will have to have a note from Geoff saying I am allowed to take Elijah out of the country. And I don't really want the stress of someone having a problem with the note.

Not much else is going on. Just being a mom, and trying to stay sane. I hope to arrange some tea dates for this week, and get to Hallmark to buy Mother's Day cards. Oh yeah, and I have to make an appointment to see the dentist (play horror music here). It's been two years since I've seen the dentist, and then it wasn't so much fun (crown lengthening). I find most dentists aren't so nice, so I hope to luck out and find a good one.

I'm going to close with a quote from What About Bob?

Bob Wiley: There are two types of people in this world: those who like Neil Diamond and those who don't.

Road Trip?

So flights to Calgary aren't so available in the time frame we were looking at. There are some available in August, but Grampy & Nana will be in Victoria. So we're thinking about driving up to Alberta. Which sounds kinda fun, but also kinda scary. I don't know how long it would take with the wee one. We're supposed to call the airline again next week to see if anything opened up.

The museum's volunteer appreciation luncheon was today, and Elijah and I went. I was very disappointed in the number of people there I knew, and also in the food. It was better last year. I didn't stay long, opting instead to go to the mall & Peet's. Stopped in at Harry & David's to see Jen & Nicole. Elijah was being really good, and Jen and Nicole each got to hold him, which they loved. I pray that someday Jen gets to have a baby, as she really wants one. And she was such a natural with Elijah. I remember the disappointment I felt when it took so long to conceive, and I can see it in her face.

Gary (the car) is going in for a check up next week. The service light went on the other day, and he is over his 100,000 miles. Hopefully it won't break us. Gary's been a good car, so we really can't complain. Plus if we do end up taking him on this road trip, it'll be good to have him looked at.

After giving it more thought, I do think we'll end up passing on attending Angela & Craig's wedding. I am considering going up to Edmonton for the post-wedding reception at the end of January. There will be a reception and dance. I know, taking a trip to the frozen tundra of Canada in January is crazy.

I was walking with Elijah yesterday, listening to my iPod, and it played Have A Nice Day (Stereophonics) and it reminded me of California. Driving to work, or down the PCH looking at the ocean. I feel like those 4 years in California are like a dream. A life I never really lived. It's crazy, I know, it just feels like forever ago. I feel that way about Edmonton too. The longer I stay in a new place, the more it feels like I've always been here.

I took a quiz called How Canadian Are You? I scored 13. Here's what it says about me: While you have not achieved the Canadian ideal, the wishy-washiness of your score is very Canadian in its own right. You don't take nutmeg on your rice pudding because it's too spicy.

I'm going to close with a quote from Newsradio.
[Talking about his vacation in Japan]
Matthew: You would've loved it, David. A week in a foreign country, strange people, strange customs...
Dave: Oh, I know what you mean. I've been to Canada.

Conundrum
I got my wedding invitation in the mail today, for my cousin Angela's wedding to Craig (now I know his name, I won't forget it again). The wedding is set for January 2006 on the beach in the Dominican Republic, at the Breezes Puerto Plata Resort. Here's my dilemma: I really would like to attend the wedding, but I have read such bad reviews of the resort online. Also, it's set in an exotic locale (re: bugs & lizards), and it would cost a bit for the 3 of us to go. I kinda feel like I should take this opportunity to travel to the Caribbean, because what if I don't get that chance again. But, I feel like if I was going to travel somewhere exotic, I'd want to stay in a 5 star resort. If the trip was free, I'd totally go. So what should I do? I don't know if we could even afford it.

Speaking of trips, we're going to knock out dates for our Alberta trip this week or next, since Diane said Air Canada is thinking of canceling their points plan. Have no fear, Ill be posting that info once it's been finalize.

I finally watched Garden State today. It was an alright movie, I could have done without the brief sex scene. Did it really do anything for the movie? I also noticed Zach Braff's got a big mouth, I never really noticed it watching Scrubs.

Great weather today, it was 70. I love it when it's warm.

Going to take advantage of a sleeping baby and do some chores. I'll close with a quote from Jurassic Park.

John Hammond: All major theme parks have had delays. When they opened Disneyland in 1956, nothing worked, nothing.
Dr. Ian Malcolm: But, John. But if the Pirates of the Caribbean breaks down, the pirates don't eat the tourists.

A Little More Like It
Ah, the weather has gone back to being a little more normal, thank goodness. The freak blizzard was nice in that we got to have Geoff here for his birthday. It will be nice to have him home tomorrow, though I'm sure he'll miss the luxurious accommodations of his hotel (king size bed, fluffy pillows and blankets, no crying baby). He says if we ever get out to Providence, we'll stay at the Biltmore in one of the jr suites.

It's been a HUGE blessing to have Diane here. I would not have survived without her, or rather Elijah wouldn't have. :) It's been a pretty laid back trip. We did venture out to the museum on Tuesday to get out, and to say hi to Erin & Julie.

I do have the travel bug, the desire to break out of my box and go somewhere. I've decided I'm going to try to sway Geoff into a drive up to Estes Park. I really want to see the town, and visit the Stanley Hotel (seen here)


Nothing else is going on. Life is just trying to keep up with Elijah, trying to get him into a routine (ha ha ha), and watching a little tv. I'm nearly all caught up on my correspondence and thank you cards. I think I'm ready for the Cherry Creek Sneak in 10 days. I do think we'll have to get Geoff new shoes before then, as he will be running the 5 mile race, and his current shoes are falling apart.

I'm going to close with a quote from This Is Spinal Tap ('cause it was on tv the other day).

David St. Hubbins: Well, I don't really think that the end can be assessed as of itself as being the end because what does the end feel like? It's like saying when you try to extrapolate the end of the universe, you say, if the universe is indeed infinite, then how - what does that mean? How far is all the way, and then if it stops, what's stopping it, and what's behind what's stopping it? So, what's the end, you know, is my question to you.

Denver Weather
One day it's beautiful, the next day...

This is what it looks like today (Sunday). It's suppose to continue to snow all day, with estimates of 1-2 feet of snow when it's done. Geoff's flight was cancelled, he won't be flying out until Tuesday. Crazy!

Misc. Thoughts
I'm feeling much better now, thank you. The cold didn't last long.

Is it just me, or does anyone else think it's wrong that people viewing the Pope's body are taking pictures? I certainly don't want people taking my picture once I'm lying dead. I just think it's disrespectful, and not just because he's the Pope.

We finally watched Spider-Man 2 this week (thanks to Alec for lending it to us). I liked it, and Geoff thought it was cheesy. I think they needed to make it more lighthearted, because they couldn't do that with the first one. Fans would have gone rabid. Geoff is keen on Venom being the villain in the next installment, and since I was never a comic book person, I have no opinion. But I'm happy with the choice of actor to play Venom, Thomas Haden Church.

The weather here has been fabulous, though they say it's going to snow this weekend. We'll see if it does, they haven't been too accurate with the weather lately.

I'm thinking about starting to write out my will. Not that I have an assets, or money, but I just want something in writing that states Geoff gets everything, and in the case that we both die, Elijah will have someone to go to. I've been meaning to write it for some time, and I think sooner is better than never.

Okay let's get a little less morbid. I love that I can watch Conan O'Brien on CNBC at 5pm. I find Conan hilarious. Meghan says she doesn't like him, which I find hard to believe. Maybe he was having an off night. Or maybe his humor is just more my style.

So the plans for our Alberta trip are trickling together ever so slowly. We decided we'll fly into Calgary, then rent a car and drive to Edmonton. Visit there a while, then drive back to Calgary visit the Armstrongs and Schmidts there, then fly home. I'd love to try to get in a day trip to Banff, since it's so close. But ideally the trip will allow everyone time with Elijah, and in my fantasy world it will be without conflicts or stress. (insert laughter here)

Well, that's all the excitement from this end. I'll close with a quote from Ned And Stacey.

Ned: "I don't really drink. I just like sayin' 'Scotch, neat.' It sounds better than 'Tea, neat.'

Goings On
Captain Tractor put out a new album, North Of The Yellowhead. I had no idea they were even working on one. To my surprise, Brock isn't listed as a band member anymore. I thought when he put out his solo album, he'd still continue on with CT. I'm a little disappointed, but also curious to hear how the CT album turned out. Incidentally, I have heard snippets of Brock's solo album, but I think his work with Captain Tractor is much stronger.

In Scrubs/Ed news, there is a rumor that Josh Randall (who played Mike on Ed) is going to guest star on Scrubs. There is also a chance Tom Cavanagh (Ed) will return as J.D.'s brother Dan. I'm still watching Ed regularly and still enjoying it a bunch. An episode the other day had me thinking of former co-worker Erik, as the episode featured the hilarious video Peanut Butter Jelly Time, which Erik had showed me. I miss Cramer.

We had a wonderful time with the kroliks who made it out here. Our time with Amy and Alec was too short, but Cindy, Alyssa and Abbie stayed the night. We went out to dinner at Gunther Toody's, and played a game of Yahtzee. I did get some time to talk with Amy before we took her & Alec to the airport. She's doing great at UCLA, she got all A's & B's for her first quarter at school. That girl is wicked smart.

Geoff leaves for Providence on Sunday, and we're going to celebrate his birthday when he gets back. Mostly because he'll be less stressed, and the gift I ordered him should be here by then.

I keep getting emails about the high school reunion, and while we have no intention of going, I may send them info about us and a picture. I have been checking to see if anyone I know has RSVP'd, but it doesn't appear to be so.

Dawn told me today Alberta is having a contest of sorts where Albertans can win a trip for 4 family members or friends to come to Alberta to celebrate the centennial. She's hoping to win it for us.

Well, it's time to have some ice cream. I am nursing a sore throat, so hopefully this will help. I'm going to close with the lyrics to Anything by Third Day. I just love this song.

I can't do anything
I can't do anything without you
But You can do everything
You can do everything You want
I just can't believe
I can't believe that You would love me
After everything
After everything I've done

And I want to love you
Love You more than life itself
And I want to hold You
Even though You can't be held
Because You're so much more
Than everything I've ever known
Anything, anything

I'd give anything
I would give anything to hold You
I want to live for You
For You alone I want to live
When I see Your face
I would do anything to know You
You gave me everything
You gave all You have to give

Halle, hallelujah
Halle, hallelujah
Halle, hallelujah
Halle

Holiday Food
I do want to post, and I will if I get a free hand. But until then, let's see what Bucky has to say about what food you eat for the major holidays.

Only fools say in their hearts, "There is no God."
--Psalm 14:1, NLT