Thought of the Day 2010 #27 - Cereal

I'm in a serial cereal eating pattern right now. Can't get past breakfast without some crunchy goodness and milk. Yum!

Thought of the Day 2010 #26 - Asking

I'm pleased that I received a couple of "Ask Me Anything" questions.
I've put the question box over there, on the right ---?
The answers will appear here on my blog and on
http://www.formspring.me/cataycom where you can also ask questions. So,
ask away! What have you got to lose??

Thought of the Day 2010 #25 - Go Ahead, Ask Me

Click this link and ask me anything! http://www.formspring.me/cataycom
I'll do my best to answer promptly and honestly. Feel free to ask
anything that pops in your head!

Thought of the Day 2010 #24 - Words

On any given day, I figure I speak about 500 different words. I clearly
need to get out more.

Thought of the Day 2010 #23 - PSotW

I finally updated the Photo Selection of the Week area of the site...and
filled in lots of blanks. Wooohooo!

Thought of the Day 2010 #22 - iPad

The new Apple iPad was introduced today. I'm excited to give it a whirl.
I'm excited by the size of the screen, the touch controls, and the ebook
support. My major disappointment? I really wish they would figure out
how to display pop-up books properly...

Thought of the Day 2010 #21 - eBay Greed

I received an email from eBay indicating that yet again they are
changing the sales fee structure in March. Because they change their
policies often, I can't help but imagine they have a board of greedy
bastards number crunching to find a way to get more, more, MORE profits.
Across the hall, they have a sniveling group of marketing weasels trying
to figure out a way to spin the new fee structure so that it seems they
are changing for the benefit of all. Eh, what's new? I guess a lot of
companies do that.

It's just that eBay is at this point nearly a monopoly for certain
categories of auction items. They have the buying traffic for antique
bottles (as an example). Moving listings to a startup online auction
house just isn't feasible without traffic to drive items to their proper
value. You just get nibbles and basically sell the items at a discount
due to the lack of interested buyers.

eBay knows this...and well, bend over. NOW!

I do have to give them a minor prop for their flattened final value
fees. They're high, but at least now they're very easy to figure.
Well...that is until they change their fee structure again later in the
year...

Thought of the Day 2010 #20 - Buttars

Utah State Representative Chris Buttars (quoted as saying, "...gays are the biggest threat to America" amongst other pearls) is an idiot. When I hear him speak, my skin crawls as his repulsive, cowardly and imbicilic thoughts roll through his lips.

Thought of the Day 2010 #19 - Luck

Does luck really exist? I would consider myself lucky to find out the
truth.

Thought of the Day 2010 #18 - Looting

In Haiti damage, is it really looting when the building being "looted" is completely collapsed? Isn't it more of a service of clearing rubble? No idea if the shop owners have insurance, but if they do, you know it's already been declared a complete loss.

Thought of the Day 2010 #17 - Seventeen

Remember when you were seventeen? I'm sure you thought you knew
everything, too. Turns out, we didn't even know half of what we know
now. Maybe when we are 80, we will look back to now and think the same
thing? Nah. We we'll probably be back to knowing half of what we know
now.

Thought of the Day 2010 #16 - Meyer Lemons

I picked up a couple of pounds of Meyer lemons the other day. They're a
small citrus fruit that is believed to be a cross between a lemon and
mandarin oranges. I put a call out for recipes and a couple of people
mentioned curd. I only remember having jarred curd once or twice, but I
had never tried Meyer lemons in *anything* before, so what da heck...it
was worth a shot. Turns out lemon curd is super easy to make..and it
tastes fabulous!! Now...what to put it on. Ivan suggested cheesecake.
Lemon and cheesecake?? You bet. So, as I write this a cheesecake is
brewing in the oven. Tomorrow...the full Meyer lemon deliciousness will
be had!

Thought of the Day 2010 #15 - Abnormally Paranormal

I think I've been watching too many paranormal movies lately. Ever since
I cleaned out the guest room closet this past weekend, I have a creepy
feeling coming from that room. Like a presence in the doorway. Oh, and a
couple of times I've heard footsteps when no one else is around.
Creeptastic! Maybe it's the ghosts of donated household miscellany??

Thought of the Day 2010 #14 - Food, Inc.

I recently watched the documentary, Food, Inc. It provides insight into
how our country's food is produced. I wish it had even more detail than
it did, but for 90 minutes of film, it showed some disturbing detail of
monopoly behavior going on in the industry. One of the most disturbing
stories was that of the Monsanto mafia controlling the soybean seed
market. Due to a law change in the 80's they were able to copyright seed
genetics. If you're a soybean farmer, the dark suited heat may come
knocking and suing you for copyright infringement, even if you had a
soybean crop that was accidentally crossbred by a neighboring field of
copyrighted beans. Why is this important? You don't eat soybeans. But,
you probably do and you don't even know it. Currently, soybeans and corn
are a component of ~80% of products in the supermarket. That fact alone
is freaky. Of course, if you buy strictly from the fresh veggies &
fruit, you can avoid them, but if you ever buy processed foods, a lot of
the mystery chemicals are soy or corn byproducts.
So, all in all, a very interesting and disturbing movie...and I'm only
touching on one small aspect. Well worth a viewing!

Thought of the Day 2010 #13 - Oh My Darling!

Oh my darling clementine! It's clementine season and they are awesome
right now. Little gems of citrus goodness! Get 'em while they're
hot...'er ice cold!

Thought of the Day 2010 #12 - Lurve!

 

eShakti's new spring dress line is sooooo pretty! I pretty much want all of them! Or at the least maybe 7. The prices are inexpensive to start...and they allow for custom sizing for an additional fee. Soooooo awesome. It's like getting Anthropologie type clothing (which I lurve) in large sizes and easily half the price! Can you tell I'm excited by them?! Dang!

Thought of the Day 2010 #11 - Milk Man

I don't recall if I mentioned this before, but it came up again. My step
daughter avoids milk because of something a teacher told her -- "Man is
the only animal that drinks milk beyond infancy."

While true for the most part, there are several things that immediately
come to mind. First, lots of animals would choose to drink milk if they
could. Cats love milk. Dogs love ice cream.

Secondly, and possibly most importantly -- man is the only animal that
has flown to the moon. Just a silly example of the underlying problem --
we're animals, but we're a bit different than the rest with cognitive
and physical abilities that most other animals would dream of having, if
they dreamed.

While I don't believe we need to drink milk and possibly there are
negative issues related to milk consumption, I find it a bit
shortsighted to make the animal-man direct comparison in order to make a
case against its consumption.

Thought of the Day 2010 #10 - Haiti

My thoughts today drifted often to the horrific situation in Haiti. I'm
sure it's going to get worse before it gets any better.

Nothing torques me more about a natural disaster than narrow minded
people who blame a god's vengance on the situation. I actually saw
someone say that New Orlean's hurricane and Haiti's eartquake are tied
together because of the resident's religious beliefs. God is punishing
them for voodoo-riffic thoughts, I guess. Ugh. So, when a hurricane hits
a heavily Christian area, it's happening because...because just a
handful of nonbelievers brought it to the area, right??
That's right 'cuz ya gotta blame *someone* for a natural occurrence.
Seriously??
I wonder if they blame impure thoughts for pimples? And colds on past
uses of swear words?
Nutty, nutty, really.

Thought of the Day 2010 #9 - Projects

I'm not a project manager. In fact, I HATE project management. I like to tackle projects that can be done in a day. Longer than a day and I just feel overwhelmed and suddenly a relatively simple project seems impossible or at least improbable that a deadline could possibly be met.

I know, I know...a large project is typically just a series of smaller projects. Maybe this is why I hate project management so much...I can't see the edge of the forest clearly. No, I see every stinkin' tree and I can't see any way through to the end. Put all of the trees in a spreadsheet and it just seems even more overwhelming. The trees never disappear on the spreadsheet...they just get greyed out which means they're still there...calling me to cut them down....

I think the bottom line is that I wasn't meant to be a lumberjack.

Thought of the Day 2010 #8 - Brutal

After several weeks of partial work weeks, I'm looking at a whhhhooole
week of work this week. Brutal! Good thing MLK's day is next week to
ease me into this hectic (heheh! ok.."normal") schedule.

Thought of the Day 2010 #7 - Sappy

 

Confession time. I tend to ascribe feelings to inanimate objects. Like these stuffed toys that were found in a ditchbank. They must feel like they were rejected by their owners, right? I mean, how could they be loved for weeks/months/years and then discarded in a ditch like they didn't matter?? Oh, you might say they're just fiberfill and plush fur, but no...they've got feelings, too.

It's not just stuffed animals, either. If I leave a pillow case out on the line at night, I think that it might just feel cold or lonely or ignored or _____. Is that nuts or what?

It's not that I have overwhelming thoughts like this, just that it passes through my brain at one point or another, and often it becomes a motivating factor for me to donate rather than discard. Although, the thought of my possessions getting abused in the 'wrong hands' has crossed my mind. Ok, maybe that is a bit nutz....

Thought of the Day 2010 #6 - Conventional

While in Vegas, we were asked several times which convention we were
going to or were in town for. There were two HUGE conventions in town --
Consumer Eletronics and and Adult Entertainment Expo. I wasn't there for
either, but it made me wonder why they asked... 'cuz I don't remember
being asked that any time previously. Did I look like a porn producer or
a electronic guru?? Maybe both?

Thought of the Day 2010 #5 - Delay of Game

I've been a bit behind on posting Photo Selections of the Week to this site. Apologies! When I return from Vegas (yup, going again!) this weekend, I hope to play catch-up.

Thought of the Day 2010 #4 - Skype

If you haven't tried Skype yet, what's stopping you?? I've only had good
experiences with it. Video calls from as far as Spain is just as clear
as my friend's video calls from Minneapolis. The sound quality is
excellent, too. So, computer to computer calls with video...you're
wondering what does it cost to use?? NOTHING!! Seriously, you've gotta
try it.

Thought of the Day 2010 #3 - Math Problems

A sample math problem from schoool: You've got two trains on different
tracks heading toward each other. One is traveling north at 65 miles an
hour and the other is traveling south at 150 miles per hour. The
northbound train is 15 miles farther south than Saint Joseph, and the
southbound train is 30 miles north of Cottonville. It's 3 o'clock. At
what time will they pass each other?

My answer was always the same -- "Who cares?"
Seriously. It was the 80s -- no one was riding the train back then,
either. (Amtrak, you know it's true.) So, conceiveably it was just
frieght. If you were *that* concerned about the exact time the two
trains would cross paths, maybe you should have been a train engineer.
Otherwise, it really doesn't matter when the chickens in one box car
were going to cross the corn syrup cars.

No wonder I didn't get the best grades in junior high math.

Thought of the Day 2010 #2 - Old School Mario

I'm reminded while playing the old school Mario Brothers on the Wii,
that as I've gotten older, my mad video game skills have NOT improved
with age.

Thought of the Day 2010 #1 - So, What's Stopping You??

If you're fat and have ever thought that you can't do something
(swimming, dancing, going out to eat/dinner/party) because you feel that
you will be ridiculed or unwelcome, the only person you have to blame is
you. There are assholes everywhere that will mock, but just ignore their
attempts to puff themselves up, and just enjoy yourself!! The asswipes
will eventually lose their power over you, and you'll be able to live a
full life. It's not always easy, but the alternative is to let the
asswipes control your life. You DO NOT want to give them that power over
you.

Thought of the Day #318 - Run of ToTD

I started the "Thought of the Day" posts on the blog as a personal challenge. How hard can it be to have just one little old thought per day? Well, as it turns out, pretty tricky.

While 318 ToTD's isn't tooooooo bad out of the 365 potential, what I've found most shocking is the lack of depth in most of the thoughts of the day. I'm going to admit something here...and I'm certain you'll all be shocked...I don't share EVERYTHING on this site. Shocking, I know. Obviously I've got more thoughts whirring about my bitty brain than I ever post here, but most of the time I think "Eh...who really cares? It's really not worth posting." Then of course, the thought crosses my mind..."But you need to post SOMETHING." Yeah, so those are the days you get the "Crap, I'm tired," or "The sky is pretty," shit.

It's hard to post things, too, when I know there's not much of an audience here. I can count most of the people who stop by regularly on one hand -- Gary, John, Claudia, Paul and sometimes Peter or Bruce. (Hi, ya'll!) I'm sure there are another silent few, but without any sort of feedback, it's a bit like writing in a private journal tucked away under the mattress. Eh? Maybe that's ok.

Thought of the Day #317 - Star Trek

I finally had a chance to see the summer blockbuster "Star Trek". Loved
it! It gave me faith in sci-fi movies again. I WILL be seeing again!

Thought of the Day #316 - Time Off

It's been great having a few days away from work, and getting extra time
to relax with family. The only downside...a really bad period. It
started on Christmas eve (what a great gift, Santa!) and has lasted
through tonight. Fatigue, cramps, and heavy bleeding does not lend
itself to social festiveness, but I think I made enough appearances to
not completely be a Christmas ghost. Onward and upward!

Thought of the Day #315 - Christmastime Requirements

It's just not Christmastime without a viewing of "A Christmas Story" and
"It's a Wonderful Life". Classics, and very required.

Thought of the Day #314 - Invisible

I may be invisible, but I'm not sure.

Thought of the Day #313 - Fat Legs Flying

When flying to Minneapolis last week, I walked through the metal detector at the SLC airport and was told to stand off to the side. The guard manning the detector then called for the woman to come over for a "bulk check" on my legs. At 4:30 in the morning, I thought it was more facinating than anything. So, the woman comes over, kneels in front of me and proceeds to feel up my "cute legs." (Those were her words, not mine!) As she's kneeling down there I say, "Wow, I didn't know they provided this service." A quick way to deflect my sleepy akwardness and at least she got a giggle. Anyway, this is just my word of warning. It could happen to you if you have fat legs and look like you're packin' drugs/weapons/TNT in your tights.

Thought of the Day #312 - Flying

Traveling for work during the holiday rush sucks. I'm just sayin'.

Thought of the Day #311 - Hair

I got about 10 inches of hair cut off. It feels as if I've been set
free!

Thought of the Day #310 - Rush Rush

I've been working long hours and my etsy.com jam has been selling like
hotcakes, which means lots of jars to wrap, and mail. Just seems
neverending at this point. Although I have a major deadline next week
for work which *should* be at least one end in sight. Oh, and that
Christmas thing is coming up right after I get back from Minneapolis
next week, and I haven't done any shopping or baking or really, any
enjoying. It's all just rush, rush. I just wanna sit back, (without the
thought of deadlines, last minute freelance jobs or etsy or ebay sales),
with a mug of hot chocolate and watch some lights twinkling on the tree.
Maybe I can get a holiday raincheck for mid January?

Thought of the Day #309 - Hands

The difference between a 40 year old's hands and a 20 year old's?
Moisture. Lotion is the temporary fountain of youth for hands!

(Seriously, though, stop looking at your hands.)

Thought of the Day #308 - Ironic

I just don't understand people that can't understand other people.

Thought of the Day #307 - Long Day Trapped in the Office

14 hours, snow falling outside, long day, cold outside, trapped, flat
butt, tired eyes. Work.

Thought of the Day #306 - Taking No For an Answer

There's not much in life that I hate more than salespeople who ascribe
to the "don't take no for an answer" school of sales. It makes me
bristle faster than a rattler tied around an ankle. I said, "I'm not
interested." When I said that, trust me and wholeheartedly believe, I'm
not interested. Ask me another time and I'll hang up on you on the phone
or slam the door if you're at the front of the house. I do not worry
about 'hurting your feelings' 'cuz the second time you asked, it was
clear you had no respect for my feelings.

Thought of the Day #305 - Cold

It was so cold tonight that while I was packing up the patio set
cushions in preparation for snow, my fingers started to feel numb. Word
to the wise--wear mittens or gloves when going out in the cold,
especially when the windchill gets in the single digits or colder and
you plan on touching a lot of metal furniture.

Thought of the Day #304 - Sluggish

I feel like a slug. Well, excet I'm not leaving slime trails behind me
as a shuffle across the floor.

Thought of the Day #303 - Uhrohs

I have some partial filled jam jars in the fridge from when I was making
jam. I tried one variety today and it had sugar crystals in it! Uhrohs!
Not good. I don't know if it crystallized 'cuz it was half full, or 'cuz
it was refrigerated or if the whole batch was supersaturated sugar that
will eventually crystallize in the jar! Grrr. I've never had it happen
before, but now it's got me worried about the jams. I'm thinkin' of
having a jam tasting party so that we can open one of each variety to
make sure there are no others that are crystallizing. I saw
crystallization mentioned in a jam book and figured that only happens to
"other people". Oh, the horrors!

Thought of the Day #302 - Tiger

So, Tiger Woods dinged up his car on a fire hydrant and then a tree. He
got some lacerations on his face, probably from airbags, I would guess.
All this is headline news because...??
1. It's a slow news day. 2. Tiger is a wealthy, famous golf pro. 3.
Tiger has a squeaky clean public image. 4. All of the above. Are any of
these valid reasons for me to need to know about this? Nope. The news
media often sucketh.

Thought of the Day #301 - Haircut

I think my hair might be getting a bit too long. When shaving my underarms, I accidentally cut off some of my hair...from my head, you see? It made it's way to my pits with the flow of water...and blammo...my shaver was covered with a severed pile of inch long hair.

Thought of the Day #300 - Giving Thanks

I'm thankful for so many things. Family and friends primarily and even
online pals with whom I've shared correspondence and notes. I
appreciate and am thankful for all of the love, laughter and positive
influence from my family and friends.

I am also thankful for the basics....food, clothing, and shelter. I
have more than I really need in all of the basics. So many people in the
world are lacking the basics and even millions more don't have luxury
items that are common in our westernized culture. We're very lucky and
that fact doesn't fall upon overindulged blindness.

Thought of the Day #299 - Hosting Thanksgiving

I wish I was hosting Thanksgiving dinner this year, but alas, I will be
traveling a few hours south to dine elsewhere. I prefer to host because
I like the challenge of getting all of the foods cooked and ready at the
same time. I also looooove the smell of baked pies and turkey and well,
all of the other fabulous scents of the day. I also like doing the
traditonal foods, but also throwing in something new each year. Some
awesome dishes have been discovered -- corn casserole being one of my
favs from several years ago. Oh, there was a really yummy spinach puff a
couple of years ago. While I lurved it, it hasn't received a lot of
familial requests. Ya win some and lose some, I guess.

So, this year, I'm just making and bringing rolls...but to make it a
little hazardous, I made and formed the rolls tonight. I popped them in
the freezer so that they will thaw/rise on the drive. Now, this could be
a complete disaster, but I thought it would be a safer bet than
par-baking them. Oh, and the reason for this? The rolls are so much
better when served fresh from the oven. There really is no comparison.
Oh, and the smell of baking bread *and* turkey? Delovely!

Thought of the Day #298 - Hoarders

I watched an episode of "Hoarders" on A&E tonight. I knew it was about
people hoarding junk in their houses, but I wasn't expecting it to be so
very sad. They did an excellent job of showing the effects of hoarding
on the families. What was very disappointing was that the situations
weren't resolved...which made it even more sad. I can't help but wonder
if our retail economy isn't to blame for some of these situations?

Thought of the Day #297 - Grandma

My step-daughter had a wee baby girl tonight (7lbs 14ozs, 20" long)
which makes me a grandma! I'm so excited to see her. She's three hours
south of here, so I won't see her until Thursday. From what I can see
from photos, she's pretty much perfect. The baby will have four grandmas
-- Let the spoiling begin!

Thought of the Day #296 - Awesome!

Dexter's Thanksgiving episode was awesome tonight. Stressfilled, and
full of sweet surprises. Episodes like this one make me happy. :-)

Thought of the Day #295 - Irritating

Not much is more consistantly irritating than a canker sore on the
crease between your cheek and gums. Grrr.

Thought of the Day #294 - Tap Water

The best part about winter? Cooooold tasty tap water. Soooo good.

Thought of the Day #293 - Meteor

Last night about 12:15ish, I was heading to bed. With fresh underwear in my hand, sitting on the edge of the bed in a dark room, I was trying to figure out which side of the undies was front or back. The front is narrower than the back, you know. I was feeling the seamlines when all of a sudden I could see them...plain as day. Literally as plain as day -- the light streamed through my window like a gently pulsing electric explosion. I looked behind me to see the house next door lit up brilliantly. As soon as it began, it was over.

I got up and exclaimed, "Oh my god, what was that?! Did you see that?!"

Ivan jumps out of his slumber and we look out the window. Nothing. No sound. No traffic on the street. Nothing. I told him I wasn't sleeping. (There are times I *see* things while sleeping. *ahem*) We continue to look out the window and nothing is on fire, and there are no little green men wandering around -- both of which were definite possibilities at that point. Ivan heads back to sleep and I continue to look out..."What was that?! Maybe a cop car shining his light on the house? I mean it was brighter than anything I've seen from them...I really thought electrical explosion, but there was no sound...It was a really cool toned light...but with red...maybe it was..."

It was so unusual that it sent me into full-on chatterbox mode. After a few minutes I quieted down, jumped into bed and continued to think of the possibilities. I seriously thought that *it must be* something someone else had seen.

I'm happy to report this morning...that it was. From KSL.com: (http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=8714738)

SALT LAKE CITY -- A fast moving meteor lit up the night skies over most of Utah just after midnight Wednesday. KSL News has been receiving hundreds of calls from southern Utah to southern Idaho. There also are reports of people seeing it from Wyoming, Las Vegas and areas of California. People are reporting a flash so bright it lit up the entire sky for a couple of seconds. Some people are also reporting a slight rumbling sound a few seconds after the flash. One caller told us it knocked a few items off her shelf. One resident who lives in Cedar City said she could see the mountains and her grass for a few seconds. Another resident in Bountiful said the sky was so bright, it shut off the light-sensored street lights for a few seconds. Patrick Wiggins, who is a NASA ambassador living in Tooele County, says the bright light is most likely a bolide meteor.

I'm happy I wasn't alone in seeing this. :-)

Thought of the Day #292 - Stockings

I'm in the middle of a Christmas stocking project for a friend of mine.
Four stockings with different festive motifs that need to get to her by
Thanksgiving. The pressure is on and I'm finding my glitter glue skills
are sorely lacking!

Thought of the Day #291 - Good News for 40-something Breasts

From CNN.com:

"Women in their 40s should not get routine mammograms for early
detection of breast cancer, according to updated guidelines set forth by
the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force."

Breasts around the country were heard breathing loud sighs of relief.

Thought of the Day #290 - Patience

People lacking patience drive me batshit crazy.

Thought of the Day #289 - Whale Mating Calls

Just listened to a new Mariah Carey song. It was soft, melodic and quite
pretty until she broke out in those "whale" calls. It ruined the whole
feel of the song. Someone needs to harpoon the whales so that she can
sing!

Thought of the Day #288 - Personal Definitions

What defines who you are?

What you do? What you think? What you feel? What you believe? Who you
love? Who you hate? What you know? What you don't know? What you look
like? How much money you have? The car you drive? The clothes you wear?
Where you live?

Thought of the Day #287 - Sparkly Sweaters

'tis the season for the onslaught of sparkly sweaters. You know the ones
-- you wouldn't be caught dead wearing them anytime aside from December
15 to January 2. They're acrylic, itchy and have more reflective
properties than a 80s discoteque. Yeah, so you know the ones you need to
avoid. DO NOT buy these. If someone buys one for you during the
holidays, slap them and immediately melt it in the microwave. DO NOT
donate them to a shelter, Goodwill or any other sort of non-profit.
Improverished people do not deserve such inhumane treatment.

Thought of the Day #286 - Thought Free

Some days it seems that my thoughts are poorly supported by any passion.
Today is one of those days. Eh. Yeah, like that.

Thought of the Day #285 - Health Care Reform Passes House

Withholding comment until I find out more beyond sound bytes....

Thought of the Day #284 - Ghost Towning

Spent much of the day at a ghost town in Utah. I love seeing and finding
remnants of the past. I also like photographing the remaining buildings
and surrounding environment. What's a little bit disturbing is that each
time we go back to this ghost town, the buildings degrade more and
more...some due to vandals and the rest due to natural erosion. It won't
be long before all of the remnants are wiped clean. But, not to worry
too much, there will be some current cities that will be ghost towns for
future generations to discover.

Thought of the Day #283 - Petroglyphs

The petroglyphs that I saw today bear a strong resemblance to the ones
that I saw at Capitol Reef that are hundreds of miles away. It makes me
wonder if the people were nomadic across hundreds of miles or if they
had common culture that was communicated over the miles on transportable
objects? I'll post pictures when I get back home.

Thought of the Day #282 - Summer Extension

I've been enjoying some unseasonably warm weather the last several
days. I even had lunch outside today. With the flurry of Christmas ads
on television and online, it's nice to forget all of the marketing that
early winter brings and embrace a little warmth.

Thought of the Day #281 - Darkness Falls

With the daylight saving's time change, it's really hard to get used to
the darkness in the early evening. It's such an energy drain. The good
thing is that it brings fond memories of playing in the snow after
school, and staying outside until darkness falls. It seemed sooo late
because of the dark. Another plus of this memory...coming inside and
getting fresh hot cocoa that Mom had been brewing on the stove. Yum!

Thought of the Day #280 - A Mighty Fine Quote

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." - Mark Twain

Thought of the Day #279 - Wii Active

After a several week hiatus, I'm back doing the Wii Active workouts.
It's crazy how it seems so much harder after not doing it for a long
while. *pooped*

Thought of the Day #278 - Pumpkin Feeders

I watched a documentary about growers of massive pumpkins/gourds...the
ones that are 1000 pounds and more. I couldn't help but see similaties
between pumpkin growers and feeders who fantasize about 1000+ size
women. There was one scene with the farmer massaging and caressing his
600+ pumpkin, much like I've seen feeders do in videos with their feedee
partners. In honor of Halloween, the similarities were "spooky!"

Thought of the Day #277 - Halloween

Getting ready for our annual Halloween party today. Initially, I was
going to host a baby shower in the afternoon, and the Halloween fiesta
in the evening. With my step-daughter's pregnancy moving along quickly,
her doctor asked that she not travel more than an hour outside of her
city. Sooo... party has been postponed until after the baby is born.
I'm trying not to go too crazy with the party preps. Typically, I expend
too much energy up front, that by the time the guests arrive, I want to
just run and hide. This year, guests are encouraged to bring something
to gnosh, and I've bought several things from etsy for sweet treats.
(Unfortunately, one of the cookie selections smell and taste a bit like
dish detergent. Disappointed in that, but the others are fabulous!)

Off I go. Gotta get some zzzzzz before tomorrow gets crazy. Happy
Halloween!!

Thought of the Day #276 - Admitting a Prejudice

Driving down the highway and seeing deer antlers sticking out the back
of a truckbed, I will admit that my first feeling is "idiot on board".

I'm sure not all hunters are idiots, but a great many are. The guys that
brag about the number of points on the stag's rack only makes me think
the guy (or girl, for that matter) is speaking proudly of their IQ
score:

"Gun go boom, deer died, I have 10 point IQ. Me wanna put on wall. Ain't
I great?"

Sorry, but that's how I see it.

I really would prefer that hunting was a fair fight. I would have
respect for guys who would run up to deer and take 'em with their bare
hands. Now, THAT would be impressive.

Thought of the Day #275 - Graham

Homemade, buttery graham cracker crust is such a wondeful flavor. Why
can't premade crusts or desserts with the "graham" crust taste like the
homemade or even something close?? It just seems so simple. Instead, the
storebought crusts taste like floury cardboard with some wheat chaffe
thrown in. Always soooo disappointing.

Thought of the Day #274 - How Is Yawning Related to Smartphones?

Both are suggestively done. Sit with other people checking email/news or
other content and suddenly your fingers get twitchy and YOU MUST check
out your own phone...just like being near a yawner. It's soooo
contagious!

Thought of the Day #273 - Analog v. Digital

I genuinely enjoy analog pursuits where I get my hands dirty, but I
really, really wish there was an "undo" button.

Thought of the Day #272 - Hate & Fear

I believe that hate is often tied to fear - fear of the unknown, fear of
becoming more like the person hated, fear of the persons actions, etc.
Quite simply stated, if we overcome unfounded fears, we have less hatred
towards our fellow man.

Thought of the Day #271 - Indecent Exposure

I saw a news story tonight about a guy who was arrested for indecent
exposure for being naked in his own home. A woman and a child saw him as
they were walking by his uncovered window and apparently called the cops
after seeing his "bits" exposed through the window.
This link has the full article in it:

http://www.fairfaxunderground.com/forum/read/2/259880.html

I don't know how I can describe the incredulity I feel over this. NO ONE
should be charged with indecent exposure when in their own home. I don't
even care if the guy was masturbating in the window. It's his home and
his right to do what he wants regardless of window coverings. The
passersby are the ones choosing to *peep* through the man's windows.
While children may look, it was clear the guy wasn't trying to draw the
child's attention...he was just drinking/making coffee.
It's the parent's responsibility to educate their children not to look
in other's windows or to tell them to look away if there is something
offensive.

If this man ends up getting convicted, it will set a really bad
presidence. Will we be recovered by law to draw the drapes whenever
having sex? The joys of sex in a ray of sunshine would be over. Would we
be required to glass block EVERY bathroom window to prevent accidental
genital exposure? Will we be required by law to put on a robe the moment
we jump from the shower?? There is no end to how much this would limit
one of our simpler liberies.

Save your freedom and vacuum naked in your house without reserve!

Thought of the Day #270 - Wondering if You're Fat?

There's one fool-proof way to be sure...take a plane ride in a 737. The
seats are narrow, the aisles are narrow...sure to "out" you as a true
fat person. And if you're not fat, but have undiagnosed clausterphobia,
that too will be revealed.

Thought of the Day #269 - Fun!

I'm having a blast in New Jersey meeting old friends and new! Sorry for
the lack of TotDs. I am staying up waaaaaay too late, but at least
conversing is a much better excuse than "watching TV" or "browsing
online" for my time disappearing so quickly.

Thought of the Day #268 - 10000

The stockmarket hit above 10000, the first time in a year. I wouldn't
throw all my pennies back in, yet, if I were you. I think there's still
a lot of bumps ahead.

Thought of the Day #267 - Dying

I swear, dying my hair takes 10 years off my face. Bonus!

Thought of the Day #266 - Planning for Travel

On Thursday, I'm heading to New Jersey for the BBW bash in Springfield.
(If you're going to be there, please say howdy if you see me...) The
weather is going to be chilly -- under 50s for highs. Which means I'm
going to need warmer clothing...which means it's going to take up more
space in my carryon. (Just say no to checked luggage, if you can!) Fat
girl's clothing is larger than average size clothing, right? So, if
you're average size, four day's worth of clothing will easily fit in a
carryon. For me, I've gotta make very careful choices. In the summer, I
can eek out a week's wardrobe in a carryon, but just barely. So, all of
this babble means more planning ahead than my normal of packing the
morning of the flight. Boo. Well, back to my list writing. As you
were...

Thought of the Day #265 - Bullet Express

I realize the Bullet Express infomercial is supposed to be full of good
ol' white trash humor and semi-offensive stereotyped portrayals, but I
think what is the funniest part about it is the food preparation. The
food prepared, as demonstrated, would be soupy yuck. It surprises me
that with cooking shows as prominent as they are in today's culture that
an infomercial would even attempt to bluff the audience like that? Maybe
the people watching the shows on FoodNetwork never actually make
anything and don't have a clue as to how pizza is made? It just
befuddles me...

Thought of the Day #264 - Tumor Followup

As a followup to the recent "Tumor?" TotD, I'm happy to report that the
bump on my pinkie is almost gone, without medical intervention. Not a
tumor! Yay!

Thought of the Day #263 - B & L

In days gone by, when working at the office or in school, I rarely ate
breakfast or lunch. I wouldn't get hungry nor suffer any ill effects.
Jump ahead to the synthetic thyroid hormone years and now I actually get
downright crabby if I don't have something to eat during the entire day.
Today, I was too busy to eat during the day. Long about 4o'clock, I was
in a "don't bother me!!" mode. Grrrr. I didn't really have physical
effects, but dang, my emotional strings were short! Had dinner and all
was well with the world again. I almost think I was better off being
hypothyroid...my moods weren't dependent upon nourishment. Of course I
didn't have extreme highs either...just a constant hummmmmmmm....

Thought of the Day #262 - Plums

The dark blue/purple plums, fresh off the tree, are awesome!! I'm just
sayin'...

Thought of the Day #261 - October

I'm workin' on a sweet little baby quilt for my soon-to-be
granddaughter. I'm hosting the baby shower on Halloween, too. It's going
to be a peek-a-BOO Party. Gotta get the invites done this week and get
other stuff done, too. Time is moving fast! Anyway, if I'm horrible at
timely blogging, you know why...

Thought of the Day #260 - Variable pricing

We would never put up with variable pricing on electricity or gas, so
why should we accept variations in the charges for cable television from
household to household? We don't really have options to choose the cable
provider due to contracts with municipalities. (Don't bother suggesting
satellite which I had a few years ago and had horrible connectivity.)
So, the cost should not vary from home to home in the same area since
there is absolutely no applicable competition.

Thought of the Day #259 - Can't shake it

Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and George W Bush look "separated at birth".
Is it just me??

Thought of the Day #258 - Tumor?

While I don't really think it's a tumor, a recently discovered ball
under the skin on my pinky, the thought has crossed my mind. Knowing
just enough about disease to be dangerous is a bad thing. For now, I
will just obsess about the ball. If it changes I might consult a
professional. Maybe. You know there are really only four options - live
with it; it will go away on its own; it will go away with treatment; or
I'll die from it.

Thought of the Day #257 - Letterman

While watching David Letterman tell his tale of extortion for sexual
affairs, I felt uncomfortable with the laughter from the audience. It
was as if they couldn't accept that he would tell a serious story. It
made me feel really sad for Letterman. Admitting the potentially
embarrassing information on TV was smart to ward off others who may come
forward with a similar plan to garner money from him, but being unable
to tell the tale without snickering from the audience must have been
frustratingly unnerving.

Thought of the Day #250 - Bread & Butter

Is there anything better than salty butter (cold or melty) on a chunk of
freshly baked bread? Yum! I wish I had some right now.

Thought of the Day #249 - Yellowstone

So much beauty, so much wildlife. Well worth a trip! (Short and sweet,
eh?)

Thought of the Day #248 - Vacations

Vacations shouldn't be stressful. I'm just sayin'.

Thought of the Day #247 - Texture

I'm a sucker for sweetly textured fabric. The duvet cover on the bed at
the hotel was just beautiful. Simple, white, but soooo detailed. Love
it!

Thought of the Day #246 - Yellowstone

I'm off to see the beauty of of Yellowstone Park in the morning. So
excited! It's been decades since I was there. I hear Old Faithful isn't
quite as faithful as it used to be. I will report back on its
timeliness.

Thought of the Day #245 - Peaches

Fingernails are stained brown in the corners. This can mean just one
thing. Peach processing. Peach jams, peach juice, peach pies, peach
crisp, canned peaches, frozen peaches. Processing is well underway and
will probably continue for a few more weeks. Poor fingernails.

Thought of the Day #244 - Google Phone

I'm a Google lover. Love Picasa. Love Google Analytics. Love sooo many
things, really. They rarely disappoint. Recently, I signed up for Google
phone. While I haven't publicized my number yet, I have been playing
around with the features. The most obvious benefit is the ability to
have one number that rolls to several numbers in the order you specify.
The other bonus is the ability to "send to voicemail" when a call comes
in...then, when the caller is in voicemail, you get to eavesdrop, and
accept the call during the message. Kind of like the good ol' answering
machine, but you could be *anywhere*.
Oh, another benefit...the ability to shop for phone numbers in any area
code. I selected a 424 area code 'cuz I searched on word match in order
to pick a number. (Yup, another built in feature to Google phone set
up.)
Over the next few weeks, I'm sure I'll fine even more benefits...if I
find something amazing, I'll blog about it.

Thought of the Day #243 - Political Separation

I am starting to feel that the difference between the two major
political parties in the US is solely "it's about me and mine" vs. "it's
about what's best for society." The former seems really short sighted
and selfish.

Thought of the Day #242 - Reality Trash

I'm not sure what causes me to watch the trashy reality tv shows aside
from extreme boredom, but when I end up seeing the shows I'm
consistently impressed by poor manners and cattiness. I'm sure I've
mentioned this before, but seriously...are there people like this in
*real* life??

Thought of the Day #241 - Busy Signal

Working on some Halloween stuff for Etsy. No time for deep or shallow
thoughts for that matter. Have a great weekend!

Thought of the Day #240 - South Carolina Rep. Joe Wilson

The knee jerk reaction by Republicans regarding Tuesday's presidential speech to school children was questionable. But Joe Wilson, a Republican from South Carolina, showed today what Republicans really wanted to show kids -- It's OK to be disrespectful to the President. It's OK to be disrespectful to people who are speaking at a podium. It's OK to be disrespectful to people who have a differing opinion.

Way to go, Mr. Wilson. Lesson taught and learned by millions tonight. One can only hope you are afforded the same treatment through the rest of your shortened political career.