My occasionally snarky thoughts on everything from motherhood, politics, life and current events. Cocktails are sometimes mandatory. Bottoms up!

Thursday, August 31, 2006

Chi Town...

A few pictures from our impromptu visit. We had a great day Tuesday at the Museum of Science and Industry.















Taking the tour of the U-505 and hearing the story of it's capture by the U.S. Navy was amazing.

And the girls got to try their hand at piloting their own submarines...











I think though, that the girls favorite part of the museum involved these little guys...












Nothing like seeing a teeny tiny miracle in real time. And they were very cute and fuzzy too...

We were at the museum for seven hours and didn't even come close to seeing it all. I think another trip will have to be made sooner than later. It's a great place.













We really did have a wonderful time.

Oh! And though WxMAn *did* want to go to the ESPN Zone, he realized that it would be packed for Monday Night Football so he made the wise decision to take me to Volare for some sumptuous Italian fare. He's a smart guy.

Wednesday, August 30, 2006

I'm Baaaaaack.....

Whew! And I have a ton of catching up to do. But we can at least get the Brain Bender resurrected, right?? Ready?

------------------

Two for one

Find the word that fits the definitions below when it is 1) a whole word and 2) divided into two words.

1) Whole Word: Walking

2) Two words:
a. part of a stair
b. type of noise

---------------------

Okay, just as soon as I get one last project finished I am taking the rest of the afternoon off... Heh. Talk about motivation!

Like always, the answers will be found later in the comments.

Update: Though Teresa and Oddybobo made a good effort, friend and reader Rich Blank is the Smartypants today. Whoohoo!

Monday, August 28, 2006

WxMan ~ Mr. Romance...

Not....

So, on our way to the Windy City for a night on the town built in babysitters in tow (a.k.a. grandparents) I broached the subject to my Hubby as to what he was thinking we should do for dinner. Keep in mind, it has been AGES since we went out...

Me: "So Babe, what are you thinking for dinner tonight? Something near the hotel??"

WxMan: "Yeah, The ESPN Zone is right nearby... I have always wanted to try that place..."

Me: ...

Me: "What?? No titty bars nearby you wanted to hit tonight??" [hello, sarcasm]

WxMan: "No. The nearest one is more than three miles away..."

Me: ...

Me: "Riiiiiiiiiight. You know, I wish I were surprised that you know that."

WxMan: "What?!?! I figured you would enjoy the House of Blues more anyway!"

Me: "Gee, ya think?"

----------------------

I guess I remain in charge of my own romance.... That's okay. I am better at it anyway. And at least we get to go out to dinner. Right?

Off...

...to the Windy City for an impromptu visit.

Grandparents head for home tomorrow, so we are looking to have some fun before they leave. And what's more fun than Chicago?!?! Wxman and I are even going to try to squeeze in a date while we are there...

So anyhoo, I am hoping that life will begin to get back to normal here in a bit as we settle into our new fall schedule. Not that it hasn't been fun recently, but I *am* looking forward to being able to come up for air soon.

Y'all play nice and have fun!

Saturday, August 26, 2006

Blatantly stolen from RSM....

And I'll admit it. I am a bit of a control freak. I am sure that WxMan and my kids would say that 36% is more than a bit low - I like to have a plan, and then a backup for the plan, and then a back up for the back up plan... I do.


You Are 36% Control Freak

You have achieved the perfect balance of control and letting go.
You tend to roll with whatever life brings, but you never get complacent.





And when entertaining, I definitely like to be the one hosting. You see, I am into making those around me comfortable - and I am damn good at it , if I do say so myself...

And also, I like to know that all contingencies are covered. If I am wet - I want to be able to get dry. Tired? I want a comfy chair. Hungry? Snacks should be at the fingertips. And I want those things for my guests as well. My friends get used to it eventually....

WxMan has told me to "relax" how many times?? I have lost count. My thought is that *he* is able to "relax" because I have taken care of all of the planning. Heh. And lucky for him that the planning makes me happy....

Anyhoo, RSM and I could definitely hang out. 44% control freak? Sounds like good people to me!

Friday, August 25, 2006

Fun with exercise?? Who knew!

Wow. This might be the only way I would enjoy being on a treadmil. Ever.


Friday's Twofer

TGIF!! And here are today's Brain Benders...

------------------

Tom Swifty

First unscramble the letters in each word below, then unscramble the word order to create a Tom Swifty sentence.

YTACTLI MOT DSIA YM VTEIRENRANIA LLRAEY OD BJO ESTODN DGOO YM STEP A HTWI.

-------------------

A statement has had all of its vowels removed. Replace them and find the statement.

Y C N T H V Y R C K N D T T T

--------------------

Well, I'm off. More erands to run and fires to put out. Fun for all I'm sure.

Like always, answers will appear in the comments later! Have a lovely afternoon!

Down....

Or at least that's what internet service was around here yesterday.

God only knows what happened to Charter, but by the time service was restored to my humble abode, it was too late for me to play anyway. Boo.

But signs of the return to school continue, and that's always a good thing. Now it will just be a process of finding that balance between school, soccer, orthodontist appointments, and just having time to play. Oh, and "What's for dinner?" continues to be popular...

So no Brain Bender yesterday, so we'll have a twofer today. And it's Friday.

At least we have that....

Happy Friday, y'all!

Wednesday, August 23, 2006

Fun with numbers...

...I'm going to guess $49.58. But that's only because we are off to buy school supplies.

(And the best part about buying school supplies?? That means that school is going to start soon.... Whoohoo!)

Here is Wednesday's brain bender....

-----------------

Start with the number represented by C in Roman numerals, ass the number of deadly sins, then subtract the number of the "_______" sisters, the select women's colleges.

What number do you get?

-----------------

Well, that's interesting. Huh. These MENSA folks surely get a little strange in their combinations sometimes, though I suppose college and deadly sins do kind of go together on some level...

Well, I'm off - New pencils to purchase. And you know what to do! The answer will be found later in the comments!

Update: Oddybobo is today's official Smartypants (even with my assinine typo). Whoohoo!

Tuesday, August 22, 2006

Honest to God things I heard at work today....

You just can't make shit like this up.

--------------------

"I swear, I feel like I have a wet dog between my legs...."

--------------------

"I never knew I could be this hot or this wet at work...."

---------------------

"Do you think the M.O. [machine operator] got promoted?? To Prince of Darkness maybe?? That would explain a lot...."

----------------------

The M.O. : "Get outta here! Take a walk and cool off.... You're dripping all over my parts!"

SmartAss: "Hey wait a minute, dammit. I'm a lady ~ I would never drip on your parts. Only my husband's....

-------------------

Oh yeah. It was 105 degrees at work today... That was fun. I can only hope that they get the frickin' a/c fixed, and soon....

Busier than a one legged man....

....well, you know the rest. I feel like I should have circus music accompanying me where ever I go. Gah.

At any rate, I mustn't shirk my duties. What would happen if we stopped wasting time at work exercising those braincells?? Huh??

Flabby thoughts, friends.... Flabby thoughts. And we can't have that. So here is Tuesday's Brain Bender.....

-----------------------

What four letter word can be placed in the blanks below to make five different words?
  • _____ LINE
  • _____ WAY
  • _____ STRONG
  • _____ REST
  • _____ FIRST

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Well, it's time for me to continue getting my ass kicked working through my day. Like always, answers will be found in the comments later. Have fun!

Update: Eric the consummate Straight White Guy is also today's Official Smartypants! Whoohoo!

Monday, August 21, 2006

Not one for the boys....

I think. (Though I could be wrong.) Here is Monday's Brain Bender.....

-------------------------

Which of the words below is least like the others?
  • CORAL
  • CERULEAN
  • CRIMSON
  • SCARLET

----------------------------

Pretty straight forward, though I think WxMan would have trouble getting it. Have fun and happy Monday! And like always, the answer will be found later in the comments....

Update: Well, my theory was proved wrong. (Unless there is something he is not telling me....) Friend and reader Rich Blank is today's official Smartypants. Whoohoo!

Sunday, August 20, 2006

Filed under WTF???

You know, just when I think, "Hey, my kids are older now. They are really growing up and getting much easier to get along with!!" I get a BIG dose of cosmic comeuppance.

BIG.

Just because they are older now only increases the size and scope of items they can destroy, apparently. And there are still places here where logic does not live.

Yesterday while doing some cleaning in preparation for my in-laws to arrive I came upon this...
(click to enlarge)

You see, Sporta (my youngest) has become a teeny obsessed with the spraying of "air fresheners" - I personally think that they all smell like things once lovely but now chemically altered and gross and have had many many discussions with her about proper uses of these sprays. Emergency stinkage only....

But, since logic doesn't yet live here all the time what that translated to was:
Mom says not to do this = I should do it anyway
The day before, the cabinet was fine. Yesterday? Paint bubbling off and icky blue showing through. Thanks so much Clorox Disinfecting Spray. You suck.

But you weren't done quite yet, were you.

As I grabbed the handle of the refrigerator to get a diet coke, I felt something slimy within the recessed handle on the door. "No big deal..." I thought. "Probably just some jelly or peanut butter - I have been finding little gobs of peanut butter all over the kitchen, I need to talk to the girls about that too...."

As I got the dish rag to clean whatever mess it would be, I noticed that it was most certainly *not* peanut butter or jelly. It was black slime and smelled strongly of petroleum. Plastic?? Melted gooified plastic???

Oh yes....

Apparently Sporta had felt the need to spray (and freshen!) the fridge too. Good God. The Clorox Disinfecting Spray (sunshine breeze scent) had pooled in the recessed handles and melted the plastic.

Melted. Goo. Plastic. On the fridge....

Arrrrrrgh!!!

1....2....3....4....5....6.....7....8....9....10....

After much discussion between Sporta and I, there will be no more spraying of anything around here. She is done. Spray free. And the Clorox shit Disinfecting Spray sunshine breeze scent?? In the trash. (Sunshine breeze, my ass.) Never to be seen here again.

Today though, I discovered yet another example of logic not living here. I am soooooo not out of the woods yet.

Behold! (Oh I sound like Eric now...)

And what would make a kid think that this was a good idea, I ask you???

I mean, I get that it's sugar.... But to just take a bite out the the package and everything?? And then put it back in the cupboard??

Again... Good grief!!!

I don't even want to think about what comes next.... Is it cocktail hour yet?

Friday, August 18, 2006

Easy schmeasy....

Is today's Brain Bender. But that's okay. It's Friday - I think we should all relax. Ready???

-------------------

What is the original wording of this altered proverb?

The appearance of calmness on the surface of a body of liquid that is moving beneath the surface does not indicate the depth of the flowing liquid at that point.

---------------------

Okay, I'm off to scrub the kitchen floor, but you know what to do. The answer will be found later in the comments. Happy Friday!

Update: Oddybobo is the smartypants of the day. Whoohoo!

Time's a wastin'....

Company arrives tomorrow so it's time for me to get crackin' and get this place ship shape. (There's nothing like the impending arrival of guests to motivate a body to clean house, is there?)

So I have lots to do and the proper motivation to get it done. Also, I want to get the piano inside sooner than later. Tee hee! (Though the girls have really been enjoying the acoustics in the garage.)

I got this via email - my 12" donation to Locks of Love was one thing, but this... Well, wow.



Gesto de Amor "Gesture of Love" indeed. Nothing lost in the translation there.

Thursday, August 17, 2006

Freebies....

So, you wanna know what I got?? Wanna see??? I am so excited.....

Oh, and just for the record, all of the guesses were good ones but none were correct.

Oddybobo guessed a COUCH.

Nope....

CalTechGirl guessed A BIG CABINET like a china hutch or buffet.

Again, no....

And Rave guessed a BIG SCREEN TV.

Though that would make WxMan very happy... No.

This is what I got for free. (Thanks to my friend Diane who called me to let me know it was available....)














It's in my garage right now because it needs a good cleaning and a little TLC, but the keyboard action is excellent and it sounds great! It's not even that out of tune!!

I can clean the ivories and work on the body damage that exists, but is a whole PIANO!! And it was free!!

A lovely old mahogany upright piano. And I've got just the spot for it.

The girls are super psyched and are asking for lessons already.... I wonder if they realize that that means piano practice... Heh....

Wow... This is downright erie...

Found via T1G over at Drunken Wisdom what your name says about you...


There are 19 letters in your name.
Those 19 letters total to 97
There are 7 vowels and 12 consonants in your name.

Your number is: 7

The characteristics of #7 are: Analysis, understanding, knowledge, awareness, studious, meditating.

The expression or destiny for #7:

Thought, analysis, introspection, and seclusiveness are all characteristics of the expression number 7. The hallmark of the number 7 is a good mind, and especially good at searching out and finding the truth. You are so very capable of analyzing, judging and discriminating, that very little ever escapes your observation and deep understanding.

You are the type of person that can really get involved in a search for wisdom or hidden truths, often becoming an authority on whatever it is your are focusing on. This can easily be of a technical or scientific nature, or it may be religious or occult, it matters very little, you pursue knowledge with the same sort of vigor. You can make a very fine teacher, or because of a natural inclination toward the spiritual, you may become deeply emerged in religious affairs or even psychic explorations.

You tend to operate on a rather different wavelength, and many of your friends may not really know you very well. The positive aspects of the 7 expression are that you can be a true perfectionist in a very positive sense of the word. You are very logical, and usually employ a quite rational approach to most things you do. You can be so rational at times that you almost seem to lack emotion, and when you are faced with an emotional situation, you may have a bit of a problem coping with it. You have excellent capabilities to study and learn really deep and difficult subjects, and to search for hidden fundamentals. At full maturity you are likely to be a very peaceful and poised individual.

If there is an over supply of the number 7 in your makeup, the negative aspects of the number may be apparent. The chief negative of 7 relates to the limited degree of trust that you may have in people. A tendency to be highly introverted can make you a bit on the self-centered side, certainly very much self-contained . Because of this, you are not very adaptable, and you may tend to be overly critical and intolerant. You really like to work alone, at your own pace and in your own way. You neither show or understand emotions very well.

Your Soul Urge number is: 6

A Soul Urge number of 6 means:
With a number 6 Soul Urge, you would like to be appreciated for your ability to handle responsibility. Your home and family are likely to be a strong focus for you, perhaps the strongest focus of your life. Friendship, love, and affection are high on your list of priorities for a happy life. You have a lot of diplomatic tendencies in your makeup, as you are able to rectify and balance situations with an innate skill. You like working with people rather than by yourself. It is extremely important for you to have harmony in your environment at all times.

The positive side of the 6 Soul Urge produces a huge capacity for responsibility; you are always there and ready to assume more than your share of the load. If you possess positive 6 Soul Urges and express them, you are known for your generosity, understanding and deep sympathetic attitude. Strong 6 energy is very giving of love, affection, and emotional support. You may have the inclination to teach or serve your community in other idealistic ways. You have natural abilities to help people. You are also likely to have artistic and creative leanings.

If you have an over-supply of 6 energy in your makeup, you may express some of the negative traits common to this number. With such a strong sympathetic attitude, it is easy to become too emotional. Sometimes the desires to render help can be over done, and it can become interfering and an attitude that is too protective, rather than helpful. The person with too much 6 energy often finds that people tend to take advantage of this very giving spirit. You may tend to repress your own needs so that you can cater to the demands from others. At times, there may be a tendency in this, for becoming over-loaded with such demands, and as a result become resentful.

Your Inner Dream number is: 1

An Inner Dream number of 1 means:
You dream of being a leader and one who is in charge. You want to be known for your courage, daring, and original ideas. You seek unconquered heights. People may get a first impression that you are very aggressive and sure of yourself.

------------------

I'm seriously a bit startled. A whole lot of this rings true. Especially the number 7 and number 6 stuff... Wow.

So try your own! Does it ring true for you too??

Free!! Free!!!

The best things in life are free!!!

And this has absolutely nothing to do with today's Brain Bender, I am just super excited about a treasure that has made it's way to my house!! Whoohoo!! Pictures to follow soon....

Anyway, on to today's exercise in time wasteage...

------------------

What two words, formed from different combinations of the same eight letters, can be used to complete the sentence below?

After the outdoor __________ , the park's Lost and Found office was filled with many __________ people had left behind.

--------------------

Okie doke! I'm off to get batteries for the digital camera. And like always answers will be found in the comments later. Toodle-loo!!!

Anybody want to guess what I got?? For free???? (hint: I had to get my neighbor to help me get it home - he has a trailer.) Thanks Dave!!!

Update: Rave over at Quid Nunc is today's official smartypants. Whoohoo! (And she is sporting a new look over at her place. Unsurprisingly, I like it a lot!)

Update 2: Whoops - spoke too soon, Rave's blog is back to normal. Tweaking the template is never easy.....

Wednesday, August 16, 2006

Gigantiword

Otherwise known as Wednesday's Brain Bender. Ready to play?? Here we go!

----------------

Fill in the blanks to complete the word below.

I _ F _ A _ T R _ C _ _ R _

------------------

I have a feeling that speed will be a factor today. At any rate, the answer will be found in the comments later! Happy hump day!

Update: (And I am very tardy with it...) Rachel from Pereiraville is the speedy smartypants! Whoohoo!

Time to lighten the mood....

How??

Well, uh.... Underwear! That's it! Let's see what the Underwear Oracle has to say this morning!

What Your Underwear Says About You

You like to think of yourself as innocent, even though you're not!

You're comfortable in your own skin - and don't care to impress anyone.



And having a superhero name is always a good thing, right?

Your Superhero Profile

Your Superhero Name is The Red Blaze
Your Superpower is Artificial Intelligence
Your Weakness is Balloons
Your Weapon is Your Mystic Gel
Your Mode of Transportation is Jet Pack


Hey! That's better than Neurotica! But I wonder what happens with balloons... Hmmmm....

Tuesday, August 15, 2006

Waiting... waiting.... waiting.....

God, I hate the waiting. Waiting for the phone to ring.

Good news.

Bad news.

Just news.

It's the waiting that kills me...

Update: The PETscan looked good, but they have decided to be agressive in their treatment of Dad's cancer. Daily radiation treatments are scheduled. I feel like I should breathe a sigh of relief, but I just can't get there quite yet...

King Arthur's Brain Bender...

Or at least that's how it reads to me.... Ready to play?? Here we go!!

------------------------

What do the following words have in common?
  • KNIFE
  • THUMB
  • SWORD
  • HIGH

--------------------------

See?

Sir Firebrandt tested the sharpness of the knife on his thumb and returned it to it's sheath before bringing his sword up in a high arc ready to do battle.

Anyway, the answers will be found in the comments later. Cheerio!

Update: Friend and reader (and official smartypants) Rich Blank was first in with today's answer. Whoohoo!

Monday, August 14, 2006

Camping....

...backyard style.

Free Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.us

Oh yeah... Sometimes I am jealous of my kids...

Double Trouble

And time to play.... Ready for Monday's Brain Bender?? Here we go!

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Fill in each blank below with a word that fits the definition on the left when read normally and fits the definition on the right when read backwards.
  • Clever ________ Trolley cars abroad
  • Break sharply ________ Cooking ware
  • Repeated rounds ________ Container for thread

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Okay! So, you know what to do. Answers will be found in the comments later!

Update: Today's official smartypants is Teresa from Technicalities (who has a must read message for the TSA and great info for the rest of us - just sayin'....) Whoohoo!

Thank you sir....

...may I have another??

Another day of "weekend" that is! Whoohoo!

Got the call this morning that I didn't have to go into work so the Best Weekend Ever continues around here.

Have we done much? Well, no - and that's part of the appeal. The perfect blend of chores and fun has been achieved. It really has been fabulous. No trips to the ER, bickering held to a minimum, necessary projects completed, new little paradises found, and at one point I had smoked chicken and portabella ravioli in a homemade creamy alfredo sauce....

Friday night we went to dinner with friends. For no good reason in my little town we have a teeny tiny and freekin' incredible Italian restaurant/pizza place. Someday I have to get the secret of the alfredo sauce out of the proprietess... I hope the law of omerta doesn't apply to recipes.

Then it was cocktails on the deck with the neighbors who had placed a bid on their dream house and were over the moon with the prospects and possibilities. That kind of joy is contagious... (And has WxMan ready to look for a new house as well.)

Saturday started out with some household chores and then WxMan entered uncharted territory. Back to school shopping with the girls (which I always enjoy - not!).

Computa (eldest) and Sporta (youngest) were practically vibrating at the prospect of getting some new threads. To say I was dreading the ordeal a bit apprehensive would be a vast understatement - but at least this year WxMan had my back. (Sadly the local color was more reserved this year... I was kinda hoping he would get the full experience.)

The good news?? We found a great sale going on and shirt lengths are increasing (thank God). The bad news? All of the weird knockoff styles from the seventies are beginning to morph into some of the styles from the early eighties.

People, we have gaucho pants and little starched shirts that come with teeny little vests and ties, fer heaven's sake.... And camo patterns on everything. Ev-re-thing.

Anyway, WxMan and I survived the retail feeding frenzy and even managed to squeeze in a couple of items for ourselves. Lunch in the food court and then home. Homity, home, home, home.... Oh! And with a bit of wisdom from the mall Chinese place...

"Business is like tennis, if you don't serve well you lose."
Word.

Sunday we all got to go to church together for a change. The girls were armed with Jesus approved water balloons for the kids activity. (No, really!) And I got to be seen with my thus far mythical husband... (Just for the record, did you know that a cooler full of water balloons weighs approximately a gazillion pounds??? Well now you do....)

Then home for a quick change and to pack a different sort of cooler to go to a neat little lake (sand beach and everything) for an afternoon of picnic lunch and water fun. The best part?? This place is maybe 10 minutes from my house. Who knew?!?!

WxMan and the girls rented a rowboat and went out to fish while I kept an eye on all of our stuff settled into a comfy lounge chair with a really good book.

I can't believe we had no idea about this place until this week! It's one of those, "well, why haven't we been doing this all along!!" types of places. Well, now we will.

Then home again, home again just in time for a quick clean up and a very impromptu bonfire/cookout with the aforementioned neighbors (their offer was accepted!).

Hot dogs, chips, fresh fruit, smores, root beer and cocktails. And only one visit from Officer Friendy - I knew the bottle rockets weren't a good idea, but something happens to boys when there's a fire... (Even when the "boys" are pushing forty...)

Anyway, see what I mean? Perfect.

And today I get to have some more. So I'm off to make a big breakfast, and to figure out what's on today's agenda. Monday can wait until tomorrow....

Friday, August 11, 2006

So Whatcha Wearing???

Under that kilt??

You know, seeing this made me think about Contagion for some unknown known reason. (Scroll down for the picture.) Hmmm....



And having met Contagion myself, I can attest to the fact that the man is far to SHY to ever pull a stunt like this....

(Not - though Ktreva might have something to say about it....) Heh.

The good and the bad...

The good news?

With WxMan home this week we are getting a TON of projects done around the house and are having lots of fun....

The bad news??

I have had zero time to dink around on the internet blog. And besides, not much has been going on around here... (To be honest, that's been kinda nice.)

Anyway, it's Friday. Whoohoo!! Ready for the last Brain Bender for the week??

----------------------

Fill in each line with a word that fits the definitions on either side.

Be fond of ________ Similar

Rage at ________ Weather

Able ________ Container

-----------------------

Okay that'll work. I'm off to prepare lunch for the masses..... (Well, maybe masses is exaggerating a bit - but I will have double my normal amount of kidage this afternoon.)

Happy Friday to you, and like always the answers will appear in the comments later.

Update: Smartypants honors are shared by jvh, Rave, and Rachel! Whoohoo! Thanks for playin' y'all!

Thursday, August 10, 2006

Word Square

Today's handy dandy time-waster. Ready to play?? Here we go!

--------------------

Fill in the following word square so that each word can be read across and down.

C O S T
O * * *
S * * *
T * * *

---------------------

Okay, that's pretty straightforward. And like always, the answers will be found later in the comments.

Update: I have very smart readers. : ) Today's Smartypants are Rachel from Pereiraville, Rich Blank, and Judy from The Funny Farm. Whoohoo!

Blonde joke of the day...

Heh.

T-G-I-F vs. S-H-I-T

A business man got on an elevator.

When he entered, there was a blonde already

inside who greeted him with a bright, "T-G-I-F!"

He smiled at her and replied, "S-H-I-T."

She looked puzzled and repeated, "T-G-I-F," more slowly.

He again answered, "S-H-I-T."

The blonde was trying to keep it friendly, so she smiled her

biggest smile, and said as sweetly as possibly, "T-G-I-F."

The man smiled back to her and once again, "S-H-I-T."

The exasperated blonde finally decided to explain.

'T-G-I-F' means 'Thank Goodness It's Friday.' Get it?? Duuhhh..."

The man answered, "'S-H-I-T' means 'Sorry, Honey, It's Thursday'


h/t Loretta & Dal

At last!!

So this is what a laundry fairy looks like!!!



Now I just have to catch one..... You 'spoze I'll have to go to Japan?

Wednesday, August 09, 2006

Flowers and Dogs...

Well, why not.

As a friend mentioned to me yesterday (we were talking about a comment I had received), my blog doesn't have T & A. It primarily consists of D & K (dogs and kids). So this two-fer Brain Bender works at least from the "dogs" standpoint. Ready???

-----------------------

First, a puzzler sent to me from Leslie the Omnibus Driver:

7 dogs were boarding at the local Pet Lodge. Each dog was in a separate run, all in a single row. One of the employees left the cages unlocked and the dogs have all gotten out of their runs. She needs to put each of them back in the right cage, but this is all she remembers. Help her get them in the right cages, and QUICK!

Dogs: Beau, Duke, Fluffy, Lady, Princess, Rover, and Spike

1. Spike doesn't like other dogs much, so he was on one of the ends.

2. Princess was somewhere to the left of Beau.

3. Rover was in the third run from the right.

4. The only dog between Fluffy and Lady was Princess.

5. Duke was directly to the left of Lady.

*****************

And this one from our handy, dandy discount MENSA calendar....

Some letters have been removed from the names of the flowers listed below. Fill in the missing letters to find out what they are.
  • A _ _ R _ _ _ _ S
  • _ A _ _ F_ D _ _
  • C _ _ C _ _
  • O _ C _ _ _
  • P _ _ U _ _ _
  • _ E _ _ N _ A

--------------------

Okay! And like always, the answers will appear in the comments later.

Update: Today's official Smartypants is friend and reader Rich Blank! Whoohoo! And kudos go out to Raging Mom from The Splatter Zone for getting the last flower.

Wow. What does it mean though?

So WxMan is in the midst of taking a week off for no good reason (the *full* seven days, mind you) and much to my surprise, he is not just bonding with his chair playing PS2 and watching Magnum P.I. reruns.

You know what he's doing???

Chores. Lots of chores...

He even asked me for a list! Did you read that??? Asked. For a list.

Yesterday, (without any input from me) he got the rest of the edging installed and rock layed in the back yard, edged all of the sidewalks (and we have a lot of sidewalkage), ran the weedeater, mowed the lawn, sprayed the basement and all of the outbuildings for spiders and other vermin, made some headway on the garage, and spent time on the roof cleaning out gutters....

Holy Crap!!

Now I am starting to think that maybe he wants something.... But what could it be?!?!? The suspense is killing me....

Tuesday, August 08, 2006

Comment fun....

Over at CalTech Girl's place. Go see....

Why... why... why... why????

Do we keep all of this *crap* in the #$!^%#$! garage?? Why do I think I need this stuff??

And why do I always think to do these chores after the garbage guy comes for the week and never before??? Ugh....

A two-fer....

WxMan is taking a weeks vacation so we are up to our eyeballs in "Honey-do" projects. So while I am puttering away, here is a Brain Bender twofer to help you waste time at work exercise those braincells. Ready??

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The multiplication problem below uses all the digits from 1 to 9 once only. Three numbers have been filled in to get you started. Can you fill in the rest??

X X 6 ( x) 3 X = 7 X X X

and....

Eight chocolate bars plus six gumdrops cost $.70. You could buy seven gumdrops for the price of two chocolate bars. How much change will you get back from $1.00 if you buy six of each??

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Okay, you know how to play.... The answers will be found in the comments later. I am off to the garage...

Update: Well, we got a good start on the garage. More to follow tomorrow... And in other news, Oddybobo is today's official smartypants! Whoohoo!

Monday, August 07, 2006

I'd love to post about something more....

I really would. But I got nuthin'. Zip, nada, nuthin'. A big frickin' void...

Oh well..... it's Monday. How about some pictures of really funky bags???

Now, this one?? I like it A LOT. I think it would go over really well almost anywhere... Well, in fly-over country especially.



















Now this? Equally startling (at first) to look at and a bit ton more disconcerting in my opinion.... Yikes! What say you? Good advertising? Or scary as hell??




















Hat Tip to Kathy H. for the pics. : )

Had lunch?

How about some alphabet soup... Brain Bender style...

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How many common English words can you make from the following letters using all five letters once in each word?

E A D D R

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Pretty straightforward for a Monday. And like always, the answers will be found in the comments later!

Update: Oddybobo the BoboBlogger is today's very speedy smartypants. Whoohoo!

And Sticks from Chaos to Serendipity gets the bonus redneck dictionary points with this word:
DEADR--She's deadr than a door nail. (Redneck Dictionary)
Thanks for playin' y'all...

Sunday, August 06, 2006

It's magic, Baby....

M...A...G...I...C...

No, really! Watch....



See?? Man, I wish I could do that....

Hat Tip: Loretta and Dal

Saturday, August 05, 2006

What is it with guys wanting to watch.....

....Desperado. Seriously?? No matter how many times they have seen it, the whole world has to stop so they can watch Antonio Banderas kill a bunch of people. I mean, Antonio is waaaaay hot and all (as is Salma Hayek) but still.

It it the guns? The massive violence?? The sex??? What????

And because it is on a "normal" channel today (not HBO or a show channel) I just heard one of the bad guys exclaim, "What the frijoles is going on out there! Watch him!"

How in the world can you watch/listen to that with a straight face even?? Good grief!

I just don't get it....

Friday, August 04, 2006

Shorn....

And I'll get used to it I love it.

Let's recap - we went from this.... (Forever worn pulled up or back or whatever...)











To this.....










Cute, huh? So now I just have to decide.... Do I go even shorter? OR let it re-grow?? Time will tell.....

The Name Game

Thankfully it's not the annoying song - just Friday's Brain Bender.....

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The names of six people are hidden in the sentences below. Can you find them? (The letters are in consecutive order.)

There always seems to be some obstacle to true happiness. No matter how hard you try, there are problems.

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Well good Lord, that's not very cheerful. And I think it's a bullshit outlook on life to boot. Well, ignore the downer sentence and commence with the fun part. (What's wrong with those MENSA people pulling this crap on a Friday. Sheesh.)

The answers will be found in the comments later. Happy Friday!

Update: Well *that* was fun. The "official" answers were Al, Rue, Hap, Matt, Rob, and Em.

Between VW, SarahK, Rachel and Rave, y'all got all of them but Hal.

There were some interesting contenders - VW listed "Rear" (poor kid) and SarahK submitted "Piness." Yikes.

Tobe was a popular guess and Rave found Bo. (I personally like "Bo" better than "Rue" - but whatever. Nobody asked me...) Rachel was the only one to list "Em."

But the most creativity points (maybe he's related to Frank Zappa) goes to Ben from The Path Less Traveled who gave us this list: Heral, Terho, Ardy, Repro, Blem, Appines, Noma, Stac, and Meob. Heh. Nice to see you back, Ben.

Today's the day....

I'm going to lighten the load around here a bit.

I just got a call from Stacey (the handy dandy hairdresser lady) and she's probably as excited as I am. Later this afternoon I will be free of more than a foot of this hot, heavy hair.

No more sitting back in a chair only to discover I can't move my head.
No more having to use Machiavellian looking clips to hold it all off my neck.
No more getting pinned down in bed.*
No more buying shampoo in 55 gallon drums.
No more three to four hour drying times.

Whoohoo!

WxMan? Not quite as happy at the prospect. But he'll live. And besides. It's going to a good cause.

God, I'm excited about this.... (Probably and indication that I should get out more.) Tee hee!!

*Or at least if I do get pinned down, it will be on purpose....

Thursday, August 03, 2006

Well, the verdict is in...

I am not the worst mother in the world. (Well, I hope not anyway.)

Sporta's wrist was just sprained. ::whew::

And here I was afraid that I had ignored a broken bone with my usual "Oh Honey, it'll be okay.... Just put some ice on it!"

Thank Heavens. : )

Well, the heat finally broke....

.....Unfortunately, it's possible that my youngest got "broke" too. **sigh**

So yesterday as she was busy, busy, busy playing with a friend who was over. And running.... And giggling...

I was on the phone with a friend and heard what sounded like a bowling ball bouncing down the stairs. Uh-oh...

Stairs 1 - Sporta (youngest) 0

Her wrist looked fine last night - no extensive dramatics or tears. We iced it. She bandaged it up. All of the digits are working. But today? Apparently it still hurts like hell. Crap. So we are off to get it looked at.

So while I am attending to this bit of pure parental joy, here is today's Brain Bender....

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What one three-letter word can be placed in the blanks below to make four different words?

  • _____DOR
  • _____CEL
  • _____DID
  • _____DLE


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So like usual, the answers will appear in the comments later. Keep your fingers crossed for Sporta! (Well, not while you are trying to type, but you know what I mean.....)

Update: Rachel over at Pereiraville is today's official smartypants with her can-do attitude (and very cute orange skirt).

In other news, Sporta is slated to see the doctor in about an hour. She managed to go with me to run some errands and enjoyed Chinese food for lunch while we waited for the doc's office to call. I am hoping it's nothing serious...

Wednesday, August 02, 2006

I must be living right or something.....

Blogger encounters with crazy assed confused and frightened wild life have become almost commonplace.

That 1 Guy over at Drunken Wisdom has had his share of run-ins. There have been mutant gophers trying to take over his place , he's dealing with gators now down in Florida, and he's even had to deal with cats! Scary, scary stuff....

Bou over at Boudicca's Voice has had her scares with gators as well but just to be really different, she had a freekin' rat move into her van! (Ages ago, and it's gone now - but still!)

Then there's Eric the Straight White Guy. Hell. Where do you even start???

He's either doing battle with the wildlife at his place, hunting down Black Widow Spiders (with T1G in tow no less), observing/ravaging a beetle orgy, or telling tales of his lovely wife having to deal with a pool playing, ball licking possum in the garage.

RSM (from When the Smoke Clears) was unfortunate enough to witness a horny squirrel having his way with an unsuspecting door mat on his deck rail. Good lord...

And now Tammi has had her own horny Squirrel encounter over at Tammi's World - though this little fella didn't have any luck - cheeky SOB that he was. And I think next time Tammi will be armed...

Me?? Well, I got pretty much none of those things going on around here. But yesterday I did find that I was unknowingly playing host to some uninvited wildlife. Snakes?? Mutant gophers?? Hostile gangs of leather-jacketed squirrels?? Oh no.... Not at my house....

I have baby bunnies in one of my front flowerboxes right under the hummingbird feeder. See??? (Click to enlarge the images...)

Free Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.us Free Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.us

Now, how cute is that I ask you??? So I must be doing something right, don't you think?? Hummingbirds and baby bunnies. That's the life for me!

Math puzzler....

Ready for Wednesday's Brain Bender? Here we go!!!

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Amy is three times Marian's age. Two years ago, she was five times Marian's age. In four years she will be twice her age.

How old are they now?

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I can't even think of a way to snark about this one. So anyhoo, you know what to do. The answer will be found in the comments later...

Update: Once again Rave from Quid Nunc is our official Smartypants. Whoohoo!

Don't you just hate it when....

....you get a post almost done (with the exception of links) and then Blogger decides to throw a fit and eats the post???

Yeah. Me too.

So I guess it will have to wait for later....

$#!&^*$#!

Tuesday, August 01, 2006

Tuesday....

And it's been lovely, though admittedly it feels like we live on the sun.

Gah...

So to put some cool down in our day we rented an arctic movie for family movie night - Eight Below. Looks like a good one and it came highly recommended. If nothing else I will enjoy looking at the snow. Remind me of that when February rolls around, will you?

Anyway, please excuse the tardiness - here is today's Brain Bender.....

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Find the word that fits the definitions below when it's 1) a whole word and 2) divided into two words.

1) Whole word: an instrument that measures time

2) Two words:
a. the Paris subway
b. a city in Alaska

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Okay, you know how to play. The answers will be found later in the comments. Stay cool!!!

Update: The very cool Rave from Quid Nunc is todays official Smartypants. Whoohoo!