Taking Off

I am outta here.....in just a few hours I will board a plane with my husband and my son and we are off to sunny Florida. Our daughter is meeting us at the Orlando airport and we are staying with my sister and her family. As a bonus, our cousin from Chicago and her family(minus one) are coming in tomorrow night. So it is a mini family reunion.

Our daughter has always loved Florida--even before she ever went there. When she was four years old she told me she was moving to "Flahda" and wearing Lee press-on nails when she grew up. The implication was "try and stop me."

My son loves the condo my sister has. It is on beautiful property and there is a lake called Lake Bryan nearby...named after him, of course.

We love going to escape the awful weather and capture some sun and warmth--the weather kind and the family kind!

I am almost ready...just have to apply my Lee Press On Nails!!!

Hail to the Chief

Ohmygosh I forgot how much I love Obama. He is just an inspired thinker and speaker. He makes me proud to be in America. He makes me want to do good things. He is a leader beyond compare. How could I have forgotten already??
He's for education...he's for health care-...he's for alternative energy.....that is why I voted for him. Not because he has a beautiful, intelligent, photogenic wife or two cute children. Not because he is willing to spend 2 hours(!) watching a seven year old play basketball with a final score of 8-6(!!) but because he has ideas that may just save us.
He has to get the Republicans on his side but I think they protest too much. They say they don't want the stimulus package but I bet none of them have turned down help for their constituents.
Ohmygosh I can hardly contain myself....he's been talking about education for more than 20 seconds. He is refusing to accept drop out rates. Ohmygosh, who is this man?? Are you sure he is a politician?? He want students to go to college and finish. He thinks early education is important. I can hardly believe my ears. He believes in parent responsibility. OHMYGOSH!!
He wants parents to read to their kids, help with homework and go to parent teacher conferences. SO DO I!!!!!!
He is going to end the war in Iraq--even John McCain stood up for that because Obama said he would do so responsibly. Wow, somebody said responsible and they're in government. He also sent out our support to the troops.. which no one could disagree with!
I've been listening to those anti-Obama Republicans too much. They appear tonight to be the minority. Most of the Congress on both sides are applauding our President and his ideas.
AND WE DON'T TORTURE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That makes me feel so happy as I saw a movie with torture in it and OMG, it was so awful. You just wouldn't believe..I wouldn't want to feel any responsibility for that happening to another human--no matter how bad he or she seemed to be.
He is a worthy man.

Technically Speaking

I am writing a lot today but I will be gone for a few so I thought I would just spill my guts, so to speak. I am technically challenged. I can turn on the television(remember, the new giant flatscreen?) and watch my shows but if something goes wrong like hitting the wrong button....well, that's it. I am stuck!
It just happened to me tonight and my husband is at a concert so he can't save me. I have no clue what to do so I am holed up in my bedroom at the moment sitting at my desk chair drinking Pinot Grigio.....in honor of Fat Tuesday. I did pass up cookies today. I almost convinced my sorry self that it would be okay since it was Fat Tuesday but cooler heads prevailed and I passed.
My MP3 player is on the fritz too. I don't have a clue what to do.. first, it just kept turning itself off which was really annoying. Then my husband pushed play( duh, Susan) and it seemed fine. So I did that today and guess what, it wants me to sync or lose my subscription. Say What??? what subscription and sync with what?? Oh, dear, I am really in over my head. And he's at that darn concert!
Sorry, I have to go now. I am being distracted by the mom of the Octuplets on ET. She is something else....but that's a topic for another day.

And the Winner Is

No, this isn't about the Oscars. On The Bonnie Hunt Show, she had the finalists for the Milkbone Dog Biscuit Spokesdog. No, really. Thousands applied, a hundred were chosen and the public(not me) voted on the 3 finalists. The winner would get to be on the box and also got $100,000!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So here is what I recall of the finalists.
The first one was a pit bull who had been rescued. The owner had fostered her and just fell in love with how sweet she was and trained her to be a therapy dog. She visits nursing homes and spreads the love. She also helped her owner overcome his fear of flying. He had good reason--he was in a crash in the late 80's and barely lived. So his psychiatrist suggested that they train the dog to be a service dog so she could fly with him. When they got on the plane to go to the show(his first flight in 27 years), she put her paws on his chest and laid her head down on him and he petted her the whole way there and he was fine. It was some story.
The second dog was a Great Dane--very Marmaduke-y and beautiful. His owner was a young woman who had owned him since he was seven weeks and he gave her a lot of love. They had to drive there because he was too big for the plane. So she drove from Wisconsin to LA.
The third dog was also a rescue. He was a blood donor for dogs! Really! His owner is a vet and she knew about the need for blood for dogs who have been in accidents or are having surgery. It only takes 3-5 minutes for the dog to donate and she swore he loved doing it. I forget the kind of dog it was but it was a friendly animal...but not too friendly.
So, the winner was...the service dog, right??? Nope. The blood donor...right? Nope. The winner was the Great Dane whose big contribution was having an attractive owner for the cover of the dog biscuits. The service dog owner was a heavy, older man and the vet owner was an older woman. The Great Dane's owner was hot. She was blonde and had a cute hairdo and a cuter figure. I think the whole thing was rigged.
It would be like Kate Winslet won the Oscar because she had the best looking husband. Not fair!
I wondered if the other owners were stunned. I would have been. If I had brought my best friend who gave back and the pretty one was the winner, I would have been royally ticked off. They were quite gracious though and applauded the dog and the owner. What else could they do?? After all, it was national television.
So we are so obsessed with beauty it even factors into the cover of a box of dog biscuits! That's pretty lame.

The Oscars--The Show Must Go On

I would hate to be a presenter at an event and have my ex-husband sitting in the first row staring at me....No matter how good I looked. Especially if he was with the most beautiful woman in the world....well, that Jennifer Aniston is a real trooper because that is just what she did and she lived to tell the tale.
Was it just me but did she keep glancing over at them(him) and when the camera came back to her she quickly tore her eyes away and semi-acknowledged Jack Black and the show. She was there with her date, John Mayer, but that didn't keep her from staring at Brad. Do you think he knew it...John, I mean? I'm positive Brad knew it--he probably expected it as his due. He is a big movie star you know.
I hope it made Jennifer happy to know she wasn't the only one. Whoopi Goldberg's former squeeze was there in the front row too. I think I saw her acknowledge him. It is Frank Langella but he was only there with his daughter. Plus he lost. Well, so did Brad but he got to go home with Angelina.
So today on Oprah, Gail interviewed Jennifer and John. OMG, she says to Jen, I am so happy for you--and turning away from the camera just a little, says---you know what I mean, as she jerked her head in John's direction. Like Jen has a hard time finding a date?? Like she isn't just as cute as a button and she's 40 years old?? And who, exactly, was Gail there with?? The camera crew from the Oprah show, that's who! That woman has some nerve.
I'm so glad I'm not a Hollywood star. Meeting up with ex-husbands and ex-lovers is not my cup of tea. I'll just content myself with watching those who are.

A Night at the Oscars, Part II

Well, the big night is over. I stayed up to watch the whole boring show. Hugh Jackman just tried too hard for me. Ok, he's charming...he needs to get over himself already. I could have done without the singing and dancing parts too. I know he's been on Broadway but he is an okay singer at best. His pal, Beyonce was a terrible lip-syncher too.
Where to start on the gowns?? First off, where was everyone?? I expected to see many more stars especially among the presenters. I expected to see gorgeous gowns on gorgeous women. I was sorely disappointed.
Natalie Portman was the best dressed of the evening in my opinion. When she walked on stage with Rabbi Stiller(oh, I mean Ben) she took my breath away. What was with him anyway?? You know that huge beard was fake. He is such a nice looking man--too bad he felt compelled to play the fool...oh well, maybe it was an homage to Jerry Lewis--another nice looking man who always felt he had to play the fool.
My tie for the worst is Sophia Loren, retired dance hall girl..well, that's what she looked like and Goldie Hawn who will not grasp the idea that she is over 50 years old and needs to dress like it. Her face lift is horrible and her poor little boobies were smashed in that dress trying to make some semblance of cleavage. Get a grip, hon.
Whoopi Goldberg says she doesn't really like to wear dresses.... good idea, Whoop. Her leopard print was ok, I'm thinking of asking to borrow it for my niece's wedding. Poor Meryl Streep didn't do much better. Her dove gray dress looked like an old lady's dress--something Gramma would wear to your wedding. Her daughter looked beautiful though.
Surprise of the night was Tina Fey. She looked marvelous in a sexy dress that showed off all her assets. A big improvement over her Golden Globe dress...she must have read this blog.
Now for the Never-Disappoints! Mickey Rourke, no comb and now he wears jewelry of his dogs. I thought the dog thing was cute when he made the speech at the Golden Globes but really??? Marissa Tomei must have read this blog too because she sat next to him and she looked fabulous. Her dress was really a knock-out(pardon the Wrestler pun). She would have looked good anyway but sitting with the trainwreck that is Mickey only made her more beautiful.
Tilda Swinton continues in her insistence on covering that stick she calls a body with the weirdest clothing known to man and the hairdo that isn't. Adrian Brody should be told that you WASH YOUR HAIR for the Oscars...unless you are Mickey Rourke. Phillip Seymour Hoffman looked his usual gross self and added some kind of beanie to his ensemble--probably because he didn't wash his hair either!
Sean Penn and Robin Wright Penn looked like Hollywood royalty and even upstaged Brad and Angelina. Robin Wright Penn is more beautiful than ever and she had legs that didn't quit. Sarah Jessica and Matthew Broderick looked like they were trying too hard. And what was with her giant belt on her wedding gown?? It must be the latest thing because Miley Cyrus had on a giant belt too on her sequin decorated doily dress. I would have thought that the girl from Highschool Musical was dressed in a beautiful dress if I hadn't just seen the Food Network's special on designing Miley's birthday cake. Why, you ask?? Well, one of the cake decorators decorated the cake with Miley's roller skate which had those same flowers on it. So, i just thought the kid looked like a roller skate...or a cake, take you choice.
I could go on and on but I just can't do it anymore. I was looking for an evening's entertainment and I ended up with a non-enchanted evening! Boo-Hoo....is this what the recession has done to Hollywood??

A Postscript: My apologies to Mr. Stiller(as I am sure he is reading my blog too). Apparently he was channeling Juaquin Phoenix who has recently appeared on David Letterman looking amazingly like that! I had no idea. Not a Letterman fan. Apparently I am not a big Joaquin Phoenix fan either as I didn't know how to spell his name. Sorry(like he'd even notice)........just watched him on Dave...never thought I'd say this..Poor Dave!

A Night at the Oscars, Part I

Oh, I just cannot wait until tonight. It is Oscar night and I will have my pen ready to take notes. Will I try to guess who will be the best actress? Not on your life. I will be watching to see who wears the best gown. That's right. I don't give a darn about the silly awards. They don't mean much to me.
Last night we finally watched last year's "Best Actor", Daniel Day-Lewis, in There Will Be Blood.
It was the most creepy film I have ever made myself watch. He was creepy, the story was creepy, oil wells are creepy, the religious zealot was creepy....I could go on but I think you catch my drift. If that is the kind of movie that wins Oscars then I am glad to say I have seen NONE of this year's nominees.
Did anyone cheer that Amy Adams when she was in Enchanted?? Was she recognized for an Oscar for that performance? Heck,no. Put her in a creepy movie about a priest who may or may not be a pedophile and she's in!
So I will not worry about Amy Adams getting the Oscar but I will be checking out her gown, jewels and her hairdo! I will be rooting for her to be in my top ten of Best Dressed. I hope I don't mix her up with that Isla Fisher girl.......but, never mind, I will look forward to a few other of my favorites.
I'm guessing that Marissa Tomei will be on my list too. Not the same one as Amy though. And poor Meryl Streep will probably make my list too. Not the same one as Amy either.
Don't think the men will be off the hook either. Wait til we get a load of Mickey Rourke tonight. My bet is he still hasn't combed his hair! Jack Nicholson will have some creepy sun glasses on, I'll bet you a dollar to a doughnut on that one. Who will have the most handsome tuxedo is anyone's guess. I'll go for Brad Pitt unless his friend, George is there. Then all bets are off.
Someday I hope I get a chance to be at the Oscars. Maybe things look better in real life than they do on television. If I do get to go, I probably will not have seen any of the movies then either. Oh well, I will keep my pen discreetly hidden while I take notes on the gowns!

Oh, To Be Thirteen

No, not thirteen years old. Nobody in their right mind would want to be that age. I,personally, was skinny with pimples, kind of greasy hair, and a "pixie" haircut. Never again!! Think about when you were thirteen years old...now don't you feel silly for thinking that was my theme today?
I am talking shoe size. My husband needs some new "tennis" shoes. I know there are hundreds of kinds out there walking, running, soccer, cross-trainers, to name just a few but let's just call them tennis shoes for now, all right? The mere number of tennis shoes is mind boggling enough but when you are a size 14 narrow, things change rapidly.
We were in a shoe store today. They had at least 250 different styles of shoes to choose from. They had 4 size 14's. Really! One of them was silver with a red swoosh. Well, my husband is rather conservative when it comes to footwear so they were O-U-T! The other three pairs were no good either.
Now if you wore a size thirteen there were about 100 choices. See what I mean?? Just one little shoe size makes all the difference and I know the culprit. It is the toe next to my husband's big toe. It probably has a name but I don't know it. It is about 1/2 to3/4 of an inch longer than the big toe. I guess it could be named Fourteen!
I have offered on occasion to lop off the ends of those Fourteens but so far he hasn't given me the green light. Oh, well.....it was just a suggestion.
Anyway, earlier in the day we did find a store that had three pairs of Size fourteens and he did buy a pair. They are really jazzy. They have a lot of silver(as in metallic) on them. They were a perfect fit so we did buy them but he wants to keep looking. I know he will wear them to the Y when we work out but I don't think he really wants to wear them around--you know like to the mall or out to dinner.
You wouldn't believe how gaudy these new -fangled tennis shoes look in a size fourteen. They're pretty bad. Think Circus clown on acid. Now, in a size thirteen.....not so much.
I know that my husband would really like to find a pair of all white plain tennis shoes. Not Keds but maybe Reeboks. Oh, if he was only a 13.......................where is my kitchen knife?


Just kidding!

A Tale of Three Women

Have you seen Barbara Walters on The View lately?? She is blonde as can be and as skinny as a toothpick. You know, she has been a pioneer for women in broadcasting and many women consider her a leading feminist. She makes fun of her uppity friends who eat like birds and is always supporting women just the way they are. She never called Rosie fat(at least not in public) and she never tells Elizabeth that she has a stick up her butt. So. Imagine my surprise when Barbara and the girls were discussing Hillary Clinton's trip to Asia and Barbara says that she saw Hillary getting off the plane and she looked like she had gained weight! Say What????
And maybe she decided to give up dieting since she has such an important job....HUH?????? Barbara, what is up with you?? Hillary Clinton is a leader of our country and we are interested in her skills and abilities not her dress size!!!!!! We can't all be a size 2 like you and that is OK, got it?? Maybe she thinks because she is about a million years old it is ok to start taking shots at people. Well, it isn't. What a BI-OTCH!!

I went to the grocery store yesterday(in inclement weather) and did some grocery shopping to get us through the weekend. Everything was fine until I came to the check-out girl. Speaking of Bi-otches--she was a big giant one!
I always bring recyclable bags for my groceries so it feels like I'm doing my part(at least a little) to save the planet. She took first one and put it on her little hook and since I had put my frozen and cold stuff at the front of the order, I suggested nicely she might want to start with the insulated bag instead. She looked at me like I was a booger and said she would use that one on the second hook (which I hadn't noticed). SO I apologized. Then one of the cereal boxes was hitting the screen that shows me what I've spent. She picked it up and put it in front of all the food. SO I said I would put it back with the other cereal and she said,"I'VE got it." OOOOOOKAAAAAY.
Believe me I didn't open my mouth again except to say, "Have a nice day." Oh, yes, I did. I told that mean and nasty woman to have a nice day. She was abusive and looked at me like I was some kind of scum on her shoe and I still said "Have a nice day." What a sap I am!

My husband has no fear. He would take any risk posed to him. Skydiving, lead him to the first plane. Diving underwater?? Go for it. Speed in a race car?? Sign him up! Scary movies don't phase him. Big scary guys don't worry him. But I have found the chink in his proverbial armor. He is scared of Winona Judd! He absolutely quakes with terror when she does those ads for that weight loss product. He always says with a tremble in his voice, Ew, look at her. I like to tease him that she is his scary girlfriend.
I can't say I blame him. The poor girl has to have image insecurities when she has that beautiful mother and that gorgeous sister. It isn't easy to be the ugly duckling in a family of beauties. She has a beautiful singing voice, I understand. But that doesn't make a gawky teenager feel any better about her looks. If her hair wasn't so orange and she didn't wear all that make up she might look not as scary. Again, I have to wonder who tells her that looks good. As with other celebrities who look weird or wear weird clothes(see my Golden Globe rant), who told her to have Bozo the Clown red hair and slap on the pancake makeup?? Whoever it is should be shot!

Rambling Thoughts

Boy Oh Boy! If I was that Amy Adams girl(you know, she was the princess in Enchanted) I would be royally teed off right now. Have you seen that girl named Isla Fisher???? She looks exactly like Amy Adams. I swear. She even sounds like her. I bet when Amy goes to auditions now--there she is...Isla, I mean. How frustrating. As if it isn't hard enough to make it in Hollywood as it is! I can just see it at the Oscars on Sunday. They will announce Amy coming down the red carpet(she is up for an award) and OHMY..it is really Isla Fisher. YIKES!!
I never met anyone who looked just like me--let alone have to compete for the same job or position or even a sandwich. It must be mortifying.


Don't you just think that George W. is sitting on his behind in Texas having a laugh riot????? I mean, come on, he had to know what a mess Obama was getting into. I know he wasn't the brightest bulb on the tree but really, I'm sure he knew. I just picture him there sipping on his mint tea(first it was a mint julep but then I remembered he doesn't drink anymore) and every once in a while he just starts laughing--probably until iced tea snorts out through his nose.

And remember that poor girl, Kendall, on my soap, who just woke up from a COMA a few days ago??? And they told her that her husband fathered a child for her lesbian sister?? And her brother was dead and oh, yes one of her employees. Well, she just ran her best friend(who was dressed in a wedding gown, veil and motorcycle jacket) off the road and now she's DEAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Plus the best friend's groom told her that her husband slept with her sister's new wife!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Isn't this girl so lucky that she woke up?? She would probably like to hit herself over the head with a brick so she could go back to comaville!

Ohmygosh, could taxtime please be over, those one eyed people are driving me nuts!

And could we please have the sun back???????? I just saw a person dressed as the statue of liberty in front of an H&R Block on my way home. It is pouring down rain and it is just this side of freezing. Please, God, I never need money that badly. The person was really covered up, even his/her face. It looked like she had a black sock pulled over her head and not even eye holes.... Or nose holes that I could see! This is some kind of new torture that we have in our area where young people and those down on their luck(I presume) stand on the street with a big sign announcing $5.00 pizzas, plumbing services, and store closings. No matter if it is 90 degrees or -9 degrees the poor saps are out there probably making minimum wage.

Next week I am going to Florida and I can't wait for the warm weather as well as the company. It is kind of a family reunion with cousins and second cousins. It is my generation(all three of us--me, my sister and my cousin) and our kids. I wish it would hurry and get here. Cleveland is getting me down.

Why is it that every blog entry where I don't have a theme always turns out to be the longest?? I'm sure I don't know...but I did have some things on my mind, which, I have to confess, doesn't happen every day!

Out of the Mouths of Babes

Yesterday, I had a girly-girl day with my sister in law and my two little nieces. They are 12 and 10 and just about the most adorable girls in the world. They are long limbed and slim as reeds. They have great senses of humor and clever wit. They are silly and loving. I just adore them.
Well, we went to a new store called Justice and it is just for preteens. They had the cutest clothes...I could have bought out the store. Everything matched and the spring colors were very pretty. They never have anything so cute for us grown ups....I'm just saying.
I held clothes and coats while they tried on and gave my opinion. Everything looked great and their mom was happy that things fit. They are both so slim it is hard for them to find clothes.
Anyway, we went to Panera for a nice lunch and we had fun. They love to hear stories about when I was little and when my kids were little. So I regaled them with tales and they had fun laughing about little things that changed since "back in the day."
When we went out to the car, the younger one said, "Aunt Sue, you shouldn't say back in the day like that." When I asked her why not she said that it meant the olden days. Well, I had to find out what she considered the olden days. The two girls thought about it and decided it was the 1820's!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! " You don't want anybody to think you were born in the 1820's."
No argument from me. Here, I always thought that expression referred to the 50's and 60's--1950 I mean. Although, being the world's oldest woman might not be that bad especially if I dye my hair brown again and feel like I do now. That would be all right!!! I wonder what it would be like to be 159 years old ? I wonder if you would be wise beyond words or just trying to keep up? Well, it isn't likely that any of us will ever know. Or maybe by the time my nieces are as old as me, they might have the chance. Who knows?

Say Cheese

I have always had a wacky sense of humor. Just sometimes things strike me as funny that nobody else seems to appreciate as much as I do. My family has always teased me about it. Even though I am about the most tenderhearted person around, there is a John Wayne movie where he is training a bunch of young boys to be cowboys that always cracks me up. Bruce Dern is the villain and he is very villainy! I don't really remember much of the plot--I'm not even sure I saw the whole movie--but at the end the kids and Mr. Wayne tie Bruce Dern to a horse and he gets dragged all around for his punishment. It is the funniest thing I ever saw in my life. Just thinking about it makes me laugh so hard I get tears in my eyes. The last time I saw it I laughed for twenty minutes afterward. Something about it being so serious and to see that fake Bruce Dern bouncing all over the ground just tickles my funny bone. I know, I know, it is sadistic but there it is.
Last night, I watched The Amazing Race and they had a segment in Switzerland. The contestants had to carry big rounds of cheese down a hill before they could get the next clue.
They had to work together and bring down 200 lbs. of cheese!!!!! Each one weighed 50 lbs. They gave them these Cheese carriers that were made out of wood that you carried on your back. OHMYGOSH!!! First of all, the hill was muddy and slippery. Second, those carriers all started to break. Some tried to carry two at a time. That was a big mistake. Those cheeses fell off and rolled all over--even into the neighboring yards. People were falling and slipping and they ended up scooting down on their behinds carrying the cheeses in their laps. It was hilarious. I cannot even describe it. The whole thing was so funny I couldn't catch my breath I was laughing so hard.
And I was not the only one. The Swiss men who were watching were laughing their butts off too! That made me laugh even harder.
Anyway, I never thought cheese was all that funny...now I don't know if I can ever look a cheese in the eye again!

Heart of My Heart

Yesterday was Valentine's day and boy, oh, boy did we celebrate!!!
First we went to the Y and worked out.
Then we went to the grocery store.
Then we finished painting the kitchen wall.
Then we ate a nice dinner.
Then we watched a movie...well, we tried to watch a movie, but we both fell asleep...probably the result of that nice bottle of wine we had with our nice dinner.
Then we woke up and went to bed.
Not the most romantic day we ever had but that's ok.
We really needed to finish that paint job and we had to go to the grocery so we could eat.
We have to work out if we want to be healthy.
Movies can be recorded so there was no loss there.
We need our beauty sleep!
SO, with all that, it was a pretty nice day.
I did get a wonderful gift though. It was a new chair!! It is red leather(very Valentiney) and is in my back room. I got my husband a wonderful gift too. It is a red leather chair(yes, the same one)!
So far, the only one who sat on it is me. It is pretty comfy but a little slippery if you are wearing satiny pj's which I was at the time. Otherwise, it will be just fine. So come on over and have a seat. You'll absolutely LOVE it!!

My Fish, Dorothy

Have you seen the new ad with the little girl who is e-mailing her fish's picture to her family? She is the cutest thing on Earth....and she is only 4 and a half years old. She isn't fake either like the baby that buys on the stock market. She is real. She knows what she is doing. Her fish is named Dorothy and she could fix up the photo and make it look better and send it through her email all in a thirty second ad.
Well, people, that just goes to show how much the world is changing. A 4 year old is more sophisticated than I am when it comes to technology. YIKES!! All of we "older" people(that is older than 4 or 5) need to get on the ball here. We have to keep moving with the times no matter how fast the pace is. It can't be that hard...after all, the kid is only 4 and a half years old!!
I can remember back in the 80's, I was terrified of using the computer. What if I did something to break it. Even my husband's assurances that I couldn't really break it didn't help too much. I guess it wasn't until after I somehow got a ticking grenade(you know the kind like they used to have in the cartoons..it looked like a cannonball with a fuse) and somehow the computer teacher was able to fix it and no harm done, I finally felt comfortable.
I had no trouble learning about EBay, that's for sure..oh, and Paypal too. I have a lot of fun sending emails and am always filled with wonder at how easy it is to stay in touch with friends that way.
Learning to print a photo was a lot more challenging but I kept at it and after many goof-ups, I can do it. I can even attach them and send them to my sister! I get a little nervous every time and I only hope it works...I am never positive that I am doing it right.
At work, I taught myself how to use Constant Contact, which is a mass mailing site. I can print a letter and make an envelope to match. I can find the templates I need and I know how to print name tags. I wonder if that little girl can do that??????????
Lots of people in my age group are afraid of the computer. I'm telling you to go for it. I don't know how I got along without mine.

My Economic Plan

I have been working on an economic plan for the nation. So far, I only have a couple of things.
Did you hear about the banking executives holding their meeting in Las Vegas at the Venetian? Well, I have a better plan. There is a town here in Ohio that was the base for the company DHL which was a competitor of FedEx. Well, they are closing and the town of Wilmington is devastated. You see, most of the town works there. Yes, most of them. With the plant closing, most of the citizens of Wilmington will be unemployed.
So, I think that the banking executives should hold their next conference in Wilmington. They should stay with the unemployed families and pay them what they would pay The Venetian. I looked it up--it is about $440 a night for the Primo View. So, obviously, the citizens of Wilmington would have to give the exec the room that faces the DHL Center. They could eat their meals at the local restaurants and all in all they could boost the economy of that town at least a little.
I'm sure the wives of Wilmington would be happy to make $440 a night for a few nights. Bet those bankers would get their meeting over a lot faster too.

Another idea I had was that the interest on all education loans be forgiven. Not the loans..I'm not nuts. But if the interest was eliminated then the former students might have a little more cash to spend--like on goods, cars or who knows, maybe even homes. Think about it. It is really a good idea. I hope the President is reading my blog!
Oh, and all those executives who gave themselves giant bonuses and have done so for many years. They should be forced into an Adopt a Family program. They could supplement the income of the unemployed so they could continue to live the lifestyle that they are accustomed to--not the execs, the family. It wouldn't take much of their money. They could just use the interest on all the money they have socked away. Hmmmm, I'm smelling a trend here.

I don't know much about money and I don't know much about the economy but I do know something about human kindness. Why don't we start there?

The Eyes Have It

So I have this little eye infection I may have mentioned before. It is taking forever to go away. I have to put hot compresses on it and then drops. The compresses don't stay hot for very long so you have to do it several times in a row over the sink. The water is so hot it almost burns you but it doesn't last for more than a few seconds. I stand over the bathroom sink and that is awkward too.
Then come the drops. You know how when you pull out your lower lid there is a little trough? Well, the trick is to get the drops in there and then not to let it leak right out by, say, closing your eye...or accidentally, tipping your head...or the drop is too big and just floods right over the eyelid. It is really annoying and I have had to learn some tricks to make it work.
First, I can't blink for a while. I have to keep my head pretty straight. I have to keep pulling out the lid so the drop stays in the trough. But not too much or it just drips down my cheek. It is quite a show.
Anyway, I appreciate my two eyes especially since this ad with all the people with one big eye in the middle of their foreheads. Have you seen that one?? It is totally disgusting. I don't even know what the ad is about. It just makes my tummy churn.
There used to be this cartoon on television called Futurama. The girl on that show had only one big eye but she was a toon, not a real person. That was bad enough.
The one big eye thing is nothing new and this is not the first time it turned my stomach. Remember the CYCLOPS??? He was a monster in Jason and the Argonauts. I was so scared of it in that movie! Of course, he roasted sailors and ate them for dinner so he was doubly frightening. Maybe I never got quite over my fear.
They say the eyes are the windows to the soul. If you only have one eye...how does that work. Is it just a bigger window?? Or do you only get to see half of someone's soul when they look at you?
On those ads, I don't know if they blink or not. I always fast forward through the commercial. If I saw that I think I would be even more freaked out than I am!
The giraffe heads, the Teddy bear head and the Carrying your head around ads were bad enough but this is the limit for me. Stop with the CG of our bodies already!!!!!!! If you have to CG stick to Transformers or Spiderman and leave the television ads out of it...................please.

Happy Birthday to You!!

Today is a very special day in my life. It is the day my first child was born twenty nine years ago. How could the time have gone so fast?? How did my baby become a man so quickly?? I guess every mother asks herself that.
My son is a terrific man. He is funny and kind. He is smart and tender-hearted. He has great friends and a great job. You should meet him.
When he was born it was a day quite like today. It was really cold and it was snowing but not too hard. We had to drive to the hospital at the crack of dawn as they were going to induce labor. But nothing could induce my son to be born so at around 3:30 pm. he was delivered by C-section.
I had some problems with the anesthesia so I was a bit out of it and I didn't get to spend time with my son until the next day. Well, I made up for time lost, I'll tell you! I never put him down all day. The nurse said not to fall asleep with him in the bed but I ignored her and kept him with me. I guess they worried I would squash him but as you see, he survived! I looked at his fingers and toes and couldn't stop staring at his beautiful face.
He was such a good baby and a good kid. He never gave us a moment's trouble. He was the first step to us becoming a family. He was a true blessing.
He still is. He gets my humor and shares a lot of common interests with his dad. He and his sister(after many years of arguing and fighting and driving me nuts) are good friends. He doubts himself too often. He doesn't seem to know how wonderful a person he is and how good looking he is! He should.
Every time he walks through the door, I feel a warm glow in the pit of my tummy. That's my boy.
Happy birthday, son!

A Super Super Bowl

What a great game!! Of course, my team didn't win as I predicted but they put up a great fight. The two teams played like champions. I didn't like it when they get so angry and violent toward one another. They are all millionaires, so what's to get mad about?? I guess that emotions run high and guys get carried away but I still don't like it.
Anyway, I enjoyed the excitement and only scared the cat out of the room twice with my yelling. The first time was when Fitzgerald made that run to the end zone in the fourth quarter and the other time was when the Cardinals kept sacking that giant Roethliseberger. That kid is a giant especially for a quarterback if you ask me.
That Mike Tomlin is quite a hottie. He is young and attractive and the head of a winning team. He seems to really appreciate his team members and seemed to get along well with the 1,000 year old Mr. Rooney. Maybe it was all an act for the cameras but I think I like him. Loved Mr. Rooney also for a different reason. When the interviewer asked him a question, Rooney went on and on--didn't ever answer the question...he must have memorized what he wanted to say and he said it!!
Didn't Broadway Joe Namath look tiny next to all those football players in their uniforms?? I had to chuckle. It's like the Arnold Schwarzenegger syndrome. Stop the steroids and turn tiny.
I love John Madden's commentary too. He talks about how strong they are and how big the players' hands are and how they can surge even though they are so big. It is very colorful.
As for the commercials, they were ok. Some I loved--I am a sucker for the Clydesdale horse ads. I think they are the most beautiful animals on earth. I loved the Bud Light Lime ad where the kid was dragging the sunny patch through a most dismal, snowy day. LeBron James made his debut as a Brown and changed football(at least for the short span of the commercial). That one was really clever. I also was awed by the truck ad where they drove up the tower of fire and the truck made it!!(do not try this at home)
I thought that the ad for some online job site was dumb. It went on and on about how you know when you are tired of your job. It went on too long.
All in all, it was a great time. The game was good, the ads were good, and the food was good. What more could you ask for from a Super Bowl?

Sunny Sunday

Well, today is a nice sunny day and not even that cold. It is a good day to get stuff done. We went to breakfast and then to the grocery store to get our Super Bowl food. We picked out lots of good stuff and braved the crowd which kept growing the longer we stayed and I left without every single thing I wanted but hey! there's always tomorrow.
We both wanted pigs in a blanket--you know-- hot dogs wrapped up in a crescent roll. That is our go to football and baseball snack. Sometimes we just get a taste for them and make them even if there isn't a sports event. I try to make them as healthful as possible but they are still not on the South Beach Diet.
We also got nuts--peanuts for my husband who is deathly allergic to any other kind of nut. Plus a peanut isn't even a real nut--it is a legume, pardon it very much!!!!!!! And a pizza from the freezer so we won't have to go out during the game or, even worse, the commercials.
We are official Arizona Cardinal fans even though we know nothing about the team because in Cleveland--WE HATE THE STEELERS!! It is a big rivalry. Not that there was any chance of the Browns going to the Super Bowl but we don't care we still hate them! After I am done typing this I am going to look up the team and at least find out who the coach and the quarterback are! It's the least I can do.
I also got cookies. Our grocery store had cookies in the colors of the teams and believe me they would make you an Arizona fan for sure. Have you ever seen black and yellow cookies?? Not a pretty sight. They even had a swirl cookie that was black and yellow dough!!! UGLY!!! Well, I did say we hate the Steelers, didn't I?
So by around 6pm we will hunker down and watch the pregame show and the game and the BOSS and the commercials and probably The Office special afterwards. I will be tired tomorrow from all the yelling and my team will probably lose(my team always seems to lose) but it will all be worth it...............I get to eat cookies!!!