Saturday!

And you know, yesterday ended really really well. WxMan took me to lunch, I had a lovely relaxed afternoon, all the girls really wanted for dinner was ravioli (easy schmeasy), and I got to cap the evening off with a conference call of bloggers!

Thanks to Michele over at Letters from New York City who had the venue and organized the event, and Tammi from Tammi's World who acted as our moderator it was a wonderful time!

Many laughs were shared by Teresa, Oddybobo, wRitErsbLock, Lemon Stand, Mrs. Who, and _Jon (who's blog has been missed).

Thanks so much y'all for such a fun fun evening! It was great getting to hang out!

Beat...

Time for the Friday Brain Bender. Ready to play?

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

In a footrace, Josh was not last. Wally was neither first nor last, Josh beat Mark. Ted beat Wally and Chuck. Wally beat Chuck. Mark beat Ted.

Who was last??

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

And it's all more interesting if you envision them in thongs with feathers on their heads... (Must be the cold meds).

Anyhoo, you know what to do. The answer will be found later in the comments. See you then!

Finished...

With the newsletter.

Finished with this week.

Finished with this cold. (Well, almost - I am attempting the old "Just decide you are better and you will be!" method of wellness.)

Finished with the laundry.

Okay, not really with the laundry - that is *never* finished. But a girl can dream. Anyway, it's Friday. And I couldn't be happier about it.

Spring break "officially" starts after school today, and we have no plans. I think the girls are just looking forward to some extended jammie time, and relaxation with a much looser schedule than usual. I know I am, anyway.

Weatherwise we might even get some Spring with our Spring Break this year - that's a bonus! Hell, if we could just dry up some of this mud I would be ecstatic! It's the simple pleasures...

So what are you doing for Spring Break?? Or what did you do?? I may need some ideas for later... But for today, after I perform the operation tidy rituals I think it's going to be me in a comfy chair with a good book. I am sick of being sick and I need the rest...

Quick question...

Just how many F-bombs am I allowed to drop while working on the church newsletter before lightening strikes, and my crispy ass gets sent straight to hell??

Two??

Twenty two??

Enquiring minds want to know...

Alphabet Soup...

Hey, soup is good for you! Here is the Brain Bender for Thursday. via the handy dandy discount MENSA calendar. Ready to play?

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

The 18 letters below can be anagrammed into a five word phrase meaning "try it out."

What is the phrase?

A E E F G H I L L N O P P R T T U U

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

Alrighty, you know what to do. The answer will be found later in the comments. See you then!

Holy Crap!!

Literally...

How can the "newsletter editor" kinda space out the fact that the newsletter is due out?? TOMORROW! Gah!

There goes my morning... And possibly the afternoon... Dang it.

Three!

Three more hours until the girls are home from school. Three more days I will be on antibiotics (yes - I am still sick). Three more loads of laundry I have yet to fold. Three more months and the new house will be done.

Three!

And three letters are all that's required in today's Brain Bender via the handy dandy discount MENSA calendar. Ready to play?

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

Place the same three letter word in each blank below to make four different words.

• ____GAIN
• ____RAGE
• ____GES
• ____TER

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

There you have it! And like always, the answer will be found later in the comments. See you then!

Well, this works...

via Michele from Letters From New York City

You are the World

Completion, Good Reward.

The World is the final card of the Major Arcana, and as such represents saturnian energies, time, and completion.

The World card pictures a dancer in a Yoni (sometimes made of laurel leaves). The Yoni symbolizes the great Mother, the cervix through which everything is born, and also the doorway to the next life after death. It is indicative of a complete circle. Everything is finally coming together, successfully and at last. You will get that Ph.D. you've been working for years to complete, graduate at long last, marry after a long engagement, or finish that huge project. This card is not for little ends, but for big ones, important ones, ones that come with well earned cheers and acknowledgements. Your hard work, knowledge, wisdom, patience, etc, will absolutely pay-off; you've done everything right.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

Heh. Well, the baby factory is closed around here but I *am* chubby and blonde. :-) The dress would be better red though. Just sayin'...

Who really needs a brain?

Not me - I am on autopilot. But here's the brain bender so you can play. Ready?

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

Nick decided to test his new bicycle for the upcoming endurance race. He rode his bike at six miles per hour and arrived in the next town one hour earlier than if he had ridden at five miles per hour. How far did he ride?

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

And why was he going so slow? Good grief! Anyway, like always the answer will be found later in the comments. See you then!

New Construction

Here's where we are...







Here's where we are headed...












That's the plan anyway.

Yesterday I got to meet with the chickie in the builder's office who assists in selecting the interior options for their new homes. It was great fun, with the exception of one eentsy beentsy little personality quirk she had going.

As we were chatting along while I looked at flooring samples, carpet swatches and cabinet doors, she would tell a little story. Usually beginning with some interior selection some other buildee had made and then followed by:

"And then, you know, they were unable to sell their house. And they lost their new home... It was so sad..."

[[WTF???]]

"Oh, but don't worry - you guys will be fine!"

The kicker is that she entertained us with not just one of these little anecdotes, but three. THREE!!! Color me crazy, but thinking about the whole freeking deal falling through is not something I want to have in the forefront of my mind as I try to envision my counter top options thankyouverymuch!! Lord!!

Other than that, though she was quite pleasant. ::rolls eyes:: And I am happy with my choices...













The lighter flooring is for the master bath and girls bath, the darker is for the garage entry into the laundry room. Oak floors for the dining room, kitchen, and breakfast area, and carpet for the rest of the house. Hickory cabinets in the kitchen and the "tuscan marble" counter tops.

I am quite pleased.

Now I am working on my color palette for the interior walls and I am going to bury St. Joseph today.

Hedging my bets? Absolutely. Because...

"Then, you know, they were unable to sell their house. And they lost their new home... So sad..."

...sticks in your head, yo. Sticks in your head.

Bend your brain with me!

Not that I can think with all of these cold meds, but hey - you guys still need to waste time at work, exercise those brain cells, right? So here we go!

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

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

The spurned lover decided to take the __________ revenge. He resolved to __________ her most expensive possession: a world-famous portrait.

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

The brain bender is brought to you by the handy dandy discount MENSA calendar and like always, the answers will be found later in the comments. See you then!

I'm Alive!

The Open House here went well! We think... Lots of folks came through to lookie loo. And the Realtor was pleased. I guess that's a good sign.

Oh! And our offer was accepted on the new house! Whoohoo!!! (Just for giggles, we drove past the 1st house we bid on. Huh. Still on the market... Sucks to be you, Builder Dude! Too bad you didn't want to work with us!) Not that I'm bitter. We definitely have the right house now.

So today, we meet with our builder to choose counter tops, fixtures, flooring, and the like. Naturally, at the same time we have a showing scheduled - so the dogs get to come too. Lovely.

I'm still sick - but thanks to sudafed I'm getting lots accomplished. **sigh** What are you going to do...

Anyhoo, I have pictures to post later. WxMan and I went out to check the progress being made on the new house. We have siding! Yay! :-)

Now if I could just breathe again...

Wiped out

I am. Totally.

Between getting the house on the market and "show ready" and suffering from the mother of all head / chest colds I am toast.

Happy Friday, y'all. And don't take the ability to breathe for granted - just sayin'...

Terrifying...

The word "showing."

As in: "We'd like to come by for a showing this afternoon... And can we schedule another for tomorrow?"

Holy sh*t. I do not feel anywhere NEAR ready for this...

Word fun!

Well, for y'all at least. Me? I have to get back to work.

Here is today's Brain Bender from the handy dandy discount MENSA calendar...

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

Each of the words below begins and ends with the same letters. Fill in the blanks to complete the words.

RE _ _ _ _ _ _ RE
DE _ _ _ DE
AL _ _ _ _ _ _ _ AL

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

And hey - bonus points if you can use them in a sentence! Like always, the answers will be found in the comments later. See you then!

Be careful what you wish for....

(Updated 3-21)

Hoo boy.

The realtor and decorator just left. My house looks very.... different. Pretty! But different.

And it will be interesting to see how WxMan takes to the relocation of his chair...

Our house goes on the market tomorrow. Tomorrow! Holy crap.

The good news? After "staging" the realtor feels that we can increase our asking price. I love my cute little house.

The bad news? Lord - it's going to have to look this way... INDEFINITELY.

I don't know which to hope for! That the house sells immediately? Or that we have some time to allow for the completion of the new house...

My head hurts. And I have to admit, I almost got a little teary a couple of times while we were working.

I love my little house. I just wish it wasn't so little...

Update: Yup - I guessed it. WxMan was *not* happy about his chair placement. So he put it back. I explained to him that he would need to re-do the placement every day that we had a showing and though he's not crazy about it, he agreed...

"But I can't believe they moved my chair!"

Babe, you have no idea what you're in for. Just sayin'...

Late again...

Sorry guys, Lifus interruptus... Here is Tuesday's Brain Bender.

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

Find a six digit number in which the third digit is the sum of the first and second digits, the sixth digit is the sum of the fourth and fifth, the first digit is one less than the second and two less than the last, and the sum of the first and fourth digits is the fifth. The sum of all digits is 24.

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

Gah. Y'all are on your own with this one. Numbers make my head spin...

Anyway, like always the answer will be found later in the comments. See you then!

And then there's the stuff that reminds you.....

.....that as a parent - your job is to let them know, "You can tell me anything!"

The trick is to *not* freak out...

(It's not anything serious - I consider ourselves in the "practice rounds" of this deal. )

But still....

You?

Brain Bender...

...from the handy dandy discount MENSA calendar. Ready to play?

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

Jane has twice as many brothers as she has sisters. Her brother Jim has one more sisters than he has brothers. There are no more than eight in the family.

How many boys and girls in the family?

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

And more importantly, what are their names? Anyhoo, like always the answers will be found later in the comments. See you then!

Last day of winter...

...first day meeting with the home builder.

Seems rather fitting doesn't it?

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Remember, today is a good day...



...to keep those hands busy! Have fun y'all!

More words...

For the last Brain Bender of the week. Ready to play?

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

Unscramble the letters of each word below finding the missing letter that completes each word. (The missing letter indicated by the question mark is the same for each word.)

• EILDE?


• EMANIE?


• RESESP?


• ETNDE?

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

Alrighty then, you know what to do. The answers will be found later in the comments.

Meanwhile, I am off. I have a lunch date with WOOKIE! More later...

But how in the world do you pronounce it?

Found over at Tammi's place...

Your Irish Name Is...

Siobhan Browne

What's your Irish Name?

Oh man! I think I better stick with "Richmond" this year... (At least until the libations begin to flow.)

Seeboyfan?
Seeohan?
Sibah?
Sibhan?
Mrs. Browne?

Dang....

The eyes have it!

via Michele over at Letters From NYC

You scored as Diamond Eyes. You are full of confidence, just don't let it go to your head. Its great to know your worth it! Isn't it? Just remember those of us down here. You are probably quite popular. Diamond Eyes 58% Mysterious 50% Eyes full of Pain 42% Passion 25% What do your eyes reveal about you?(PICS!) created with QuizFarm.com

Oooooh pretty! And sparkly! But me? Eh? I don't think so... But then what do I know. Oh look, something shiny!

Odd Man Out

Is the title of today's handy dandy discount MENSA calendar Brain Bender. Ready to play?

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

Which of the scrambled words below is least like the others? (The difference has nothing to do with vowels, consonants or syllables.)

RTOCAR
TRAKEHCOI
QUAHSS
YRELEC
REGMAHRUB

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

Is it just me, or do all of those sound like words a Klingon would know?? Huh. Anyway, like always the answers will be found later in the comments. See you then!

'Round and 'round and 'round she goes....

Where she stops? Nobody knows... And now she is so dizzy she can barely remember where she's been...

Still no winners in the Great House Hunt of 2007..

WxMan and I spent a healthy part of the day viewing properties with our realtor.

• The first one was okay - plenty of square footage, nice looking place, but it need to be fenced, the backyard was a bit of a "bowl", and the Family room would in no way accommodate the type of TV and surround sound WxMan really wants. Oh - and the entire interior of the house was baby blue. That didn't help either.
• The next house had great location (though out in the boonies), and the upper level was extremely well decorated, flowed well, fireplace, had lots of kitchen upgrades and a great deck. Nice sized bedrooms, and a fairly good sized fenced yard but the Family Room in the lower level was tiny, and along one of the outer walls had damp carpet that extended from corner to corner and peaked about 2 feet into the room. Uh.... no.
• The third house? Well, lets just say NO. No, no, no. For one thing, the interior was done in baby pinks and seafoam green throughout, the carpet was shot, the deck had dry rot issues (and dog poo everywhere), and not only were the lower levels unfinished - they looked like they had been layed out by a blind guy. On acid. And rollerskates. No.

After that, she handed us a bunch of *other* listings, and asked us to make some drive-bys and see if there was anything we thought we'd like to look into further. Two hours (and a yummy lunch) later we were home.

I love my goofy little house. I just wish it wasn't so... little.

Bleh - and now if I can just wrap my brain around what we have seen I'll be alright. I am formulating a new organizational system to at least *try* to keep me sane.

• Has EVERYTHING! At least 4 bedrooms, nice family room (in addition to the living room), eat in kitchen, and fenced back yard...
• Dang near everything: Has all of the bed rooms and square footage that we want, it just needs fencing.
• Has great potential: Meaning that the yard and upper level are great, the lower level/family room needs to be finished.
• Has good potential - LL not complete, lot not fenced, weird location or interior rooms...meaning it's got more issues than I want to address. Thanks for playin' - you're off the list.

I dunno - and I get carsick and confused when we are looking. But that is probably just the nature of the game, eh? But I will *not* lose hope!! We did see a few good ones today... Now I just have to remember where in the heck they were...

Alphabet Soup

For today's lunchtime brain bender (via the handy dandy discount MENSA calendar).

Ready to play?

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

How many common English words can you make from the letters below, using all six letters once in each word?

A C E N R T

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

Sounds pretty straight forward to me! And like always, the answers will be found later in the comments. See you then!

Sing it with me!

Three big fat robins...

Two kids in shorts...

And the crossing guard was wearing a sweatshirt...
(12 days of Christmas - y'all)

Spring has sprung in Wisconsin. For the moment anyway... I am not completely delusional, just way more optimistic than I should be. Wait - maybe that's the definition of delusional... Oh well, seeing 20 inches of snow melt in two days will do that for a girl.

Yesterday was absolutely glorious! 70 degrees by 4:00pm and Sunny McSunny. Loved it! I actually took time (without guilt) to pour a glass of wine and sit out on the patio with my book to soak up some au natural vitamin D. In short sleeves no less! Did I say glorious?

WxMan got home from work early and immediately threw on a pair of shorts to go out and shoot some hoop with Sporta. We are all ready for warmer weather - though I am not ready for shorts just yet...

It was a very nice break from the snowy cold. And everybody is hoping that Old Man Winter's chokehold has been broken...

I know, I know... by the end of the week we are supposed to be back to having highs in the 30's. Upper 30's though! Still Spring!

Yeah - it's official. I'm delusional. And that's okay...

Tuesday's Bending of the Brain

Ready to play?

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

Place the same three letter word in the blank below to make four different words.

• _____TIER
• _____KIN
• _____HEL
• _____LOAD

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

Okay! You know what to do. The answers will be found later in the comments. See you then!

Project management

I should probably just go ahead and write myself a schedule.

The good news - I am making some great progress on a few projects we have wanted to get done around here.

The bad news - I am no where *near* done yet.

And I am off to Home Depot yet again. How many trips to HD am I going to have to make?? Is there a set formula depending on the size and or age of the house you want to put on the market or something?

Bleh...

Oh - and it would be really helpful if someone could bop over and hold the end of the tape measure for me. Any takers?

It's Melting!!

Thank heavens! And it is supposed to be 60 degrees tomorrow (dang near that today). Whoohoo!

I don't even care if the world will basically go swamp for the next two months - it's warm!!

Anyhoo, before I head back to the garage (why do we have all of this crap?!?!) here is the brain Bender for today via the handy dandy discount MENSA calendar. Ready to play?

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















Okie doke - you know what to do. The answer will be found later in the comments. See you then!

Monday...

And that means there is much to do. *sigh* Not just for me, though. I think it's true for everyone. And the Monday after we "spring forward" always feels a bit disconcerting to me.

Yes, it's only an hour that we lose, but dang it! It was my hour.

So after I get somewhat grumpy girls off to school, I am going to get my day squared away. Disconbobulated though it may be.

How do you feel about the first Monday after daylight savings time begins? Is everything just a bit *off* or am I being a big whiner?

Offer not accepted...

Well then, that's a bit disheartening isn't it!?!

But not to worry... We are in a perfectly fine place and there is no reason to rush. And thanks to a great conversation I had today with a friend, I know just how open our options are...

[Thanks Christina! You are a great treetalkerdownerouter... And yes, that *is* the technical term. ;-) ]

And we learned a lot this week -

• Like how marketable and cute our house will be when it goes on the market. Whether we hit the market sooner or later is the only question.
• And how the bank is thrilled about lending us money!
• And how easily/fast I can get this place squared away!

Hey - that's a lot. And my house is clean. Added bonus there! So back to square one basically. And you know, that's okay...

I saw 4 more houses I really liked today... This ball could still be rolling...

Update: And I should be more clear - the offer we made was to include all of the lower level renovations we wanted. The builder was unwilling to do the updates unless we were locked into a specific closing date (whether our current home had sold or not).

Since my last name is *not* Rockafeller, I do not want to risk having to float two mortgages. So we are just re-evaluating what we want to do here...

My visual DNA

Read my VisualDNA™ Get your own VisualDNA™

I really like this. And if you read my results (by clicking "Read my VisualDNA, then the book center top, then the tabs - mood, etc...) they are pretty darn accurate.

Cool...

Fun for Friday

As I come up out of the basement [Why do we have all of this crap???] to post the handy dandy brain bender courtesy of the discount MENSA calendar.

Ready to play?

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

1) Take a word that means "to rupture" and change one letter to find a word that means "austere."

2) Take a word that means "to mount" and change one letter to find the word for a weather area.

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

Alrighty then, you know what to do. The answers will be found later in the comments. See you then!

Friday Five

It's Friday. It's five am. And I have 50,000 things running through my head.

But just think, by Sunday it will be six am right now - a perfectly reasonable time to be up - when we as a nation do the "stretch time" equivalent of cutting off our own head and standing on it in an attempt to be taller! Yeah!

That makes sense! (not) and I hate it every year. Though I admit to enjoying "falling back" more than "springing forward" even if the whole deal is complete BS.

But I digress...

So it's Friday, and I think just to get the ball rolling (and to calm some of the lists running rampant through the 'ole gray matter) here are five things I plan to do today...

• Meet with the builder and get a contract squared away on the new house *gasp*


• Calm down after signing a contract


• Get the little house (a fab little finished cinder block storage house that I use for crafting in the summer and storage in the winter that I will miss so much!) squared away, organized and ready to be shown











• Calm down after having a mild panic attack while thinking about moving


• Have drinks and dinner with our former neighbors who went through all of this in Sept./Oct. and watch them laugh at me...

Yeah - it should be a good day. But just in case - somebody pass the valium, please?

Thursday's Bent Brain

I know I already have one. We have balls rolling, folks. I'm just going to keep running ahead of them...

Anyway, ready to play?

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

Find the letter that best completes the following sequence:

A _ B Y C Z D

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

Speed will be of the essence today, I think. And like always the answer will be found later in the comments. See you then!

Operation Tidy...

Well, the realtor just left.

The good news? She thinks my house is really cute and will sell for the price that we want to ask. Whoohoo!

The bad news? She left me with a bit of a chore list. Nothing unexpected, mind you. But now that I have been told, it *has* to get done. And oh goody - I get to spend some time organizing the garage! Yippee! At least we are supposed to be up in the forties this weekend so maybe I won't freeze to death while I am working out there.

So what's on my TO DO list for the week?

• re-organize the garage
• scrub marks off and touch up the walls and moldings
• re-organize and slick up the basement a bit
• clean and polish the hardwood floors
• deconstruct the kitchen - less is more!
• get the "little house" squared away and looking fabulous
• breathe
• don't panic
• don't get overwhelmed
• get my hands on St. Joseph to bury*

I admit, I added the last one - burying St. Joe has worked wonders for other folks I know. And I am not unwilling to believe...

The realtor really did mention "breathe" "don't get overwhelmed" and "don't panic" - I think she may have done this before...

So there you go. Bye-bye free time, hello every project I have been meaning to get to but have put off for one reason or another.

Now I just have to figure a way to get the girls on board with not making extra messes and keeping their room in order... What do you think - Bribery? Threats? Chocolate? All of the above?

Buckle up - it's going to be a bumpy ride....

A Two-fer!

Just in time to help you waste time at work exercise those brain cells. Ready to play??

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

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

It was a hard other choice: a car older than you or a new scooter.

[Pardon me, but what the hell?? Why can't they ever put together a "normal" sentence. Oh - and I'll take the car, thanks. Duh....]

and

We've removed all the vowels from a children's lyric and regrouped the consonants in their proper order. Can you put the vowels back where they belong?

MLTTL TPTSH RTNDS TTTP MVRP RMT

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

Alrighty, I'm off to continue Operation Tidy. And you know what to do. The answers will be found later in the comments. See you then!

Cleaning...

Hoo boy. You think having your Mother-in-Law come for a visit makes you want to get things ship shape?

Try having a realtor over to give your house the once over...

And everywhere I turn, I see more to do.

Ack!

Promotion!!!!

My hubby just got the call - he's been promoted and can finally run his own show. Whoohoo!!! Finally!!!

Gotta say it again...

Whoohoo!!!!

And he has just cut 2 hours out of his daily commute!! And they are going to pay him more and everything!!!

Whoohoo!!!!

No, I'm not excited at all or anything.

And after finding a house (the only one out of MANY that we have looked at over the past 6 months or so) that we both really like, this is making out to be an incredibly good day week.

Maybe I should go and buy a lotto ticket. Ya think?? :-)

Nothing like adding a little touch of panic to your life...

Good grief. Just the thought of trying to get this place ready to be on the market makes me slackjawed and glassy eyed. And panicky. Like spin around and try to think of where to start, panicked.

How do people *do* this??

I mean, I know how to move. Been there, done that a bajillion times. (Okay, more like 17 - but still!) And I get the logistics of that. But wrapping my brain around selling/buying a house into the mix has me all inside out.

What do you do first? What steps do you take? What if the house sells right away and the other house isn't ready? What if our house won't sell? How the hell can I keep this place ship shape enough to be shown at the drop of a hat?? How oogie is it that strangers will be trekking through?? Where do I put Taylor and Buddy (the dogs)?? What about all that crap I planned to put in a yard sale this spring?? WTF are we thinking?? Ack!

And then my mind bounces to the "Oh, get a grip." mode for a minute. And only for a minute...

Right before I enter the "This house is fine. And it would be sooooooo much easier to stay, wouldn't it?" mind set.

And then I remember the SPACE that the other house has. The price. The Kitchen! A real honest to God kitchen where more than one person could be! And it's pretty.... And the personal touches we could add in to the parts of the house that are as yet unfinished...

...

I'm gonna lose it for sure. Hope I get the laundry done first...

Where'd my day go??

What is it about running around with a realtor that makes hours scream by like minutes?? And then boom - you're discombobulated, confused, and yet curiously optimistic...

I dunno. Might be time for a cocktail - we may have lost our minds.

At any rate, I am late with the Brain Bender (from the handy dandy discount MENSA calendar). Sorry about that. Ready to play?

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

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

Harriet tried to write a history of her father's infantry __________, but it turned out to be so long that she had to __________ the whole middle section.

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

Alrighty then, you know what to do. The answers will be found later in the comments. See you then!

Love this...

It isn't easy being green, but green is one of my favorite colors anyway. Found over at CalTechGirl's place...

You Are Mint Green

Balanced and calm, you have mastered the philosophy of living well. Your friends seek you out for support, and you are able to bring stability to chaotic situations. You're very open and cheerful - and you feel like you have a lot of freedom in life. Your future may hold any number of exciting things, and you're ready for all of them!

What Color Green Are You?

Now I'm just ready to see some nice green foliage outside! The white has become rather boring....

I need inspiration....

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Yeah. That's working.

Not.

Mp3 Listening

As you may know, I am more than a bit of a technotard. I do not cope with new technologies very well.

At.all.

I use what I know how to use.

I am generally satisfied with what I have.

If I have a route that works well to get me from point A to point B I rarely deviate, unless forced to.

I have absolutely *no* desire to learn how to use new gadgets/systems.

I.just.don't.

This has caused some strife in my marriage - because I married Mister "lets try the newer faster shinier thing with more memory and we get another remote and you'll love it Honey and I *promise* I won't erase the hard drive again PINKY SWEAR!"

Gives me fits. It does...

But I must admit, I love this whole Mp3 thing.

Love. It.

I have been downloading music (legally, thankyouverymuch), ripping disks into it, and generally just being freeking thrilled that I can wallow in a cloud of my own tunes at any given time.

• While plodding behind the snow blower
• scrubbing toilets
• in the blogroom (while blocking out the screeches of the girls playing a video game) Golden, that...
• Vacuuming is much more pleasant

You get the idea...

Anyway, all the better is that I have a built in pocket for it to ride around in. Easy access, not obtrusive, wires running where they will not be snagged...

And I wear this "pocket" every day. In fact, I am occasionally motivated to wear "the pocket" just so I can have my little nano sized Mp3 player.

And if you're wondering (or need your own pocket)...

It's my bra.

Quite tasteful, usually - beige, white or black - but my bra none the less.

Finally. This farooking thing has a dual triple purpose.

:-)

Makes me happy... (And yes, I know I am easily pleased... )

And just for the record, the left breast "pocket" works best. Just sayin'... ;-) Oooh - and Smooth just came on. Sweet!

As I head out to trudge behind the snowblower...

You should stay in and waste time at work exercise those braincells. Ready to play?

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Supply the missing number.

E F G H = 10
F G E E = 13
F H F H = 8
G F G G = 9
= = = =
12 9 11 ??

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Okie Doke - out into the snow I go. And like always, the answer will be found in the comment later. See you then!

More snow....

What the...???

Alright, I realize it is March 2nd and technically still winter, but this is getting ridiculous!

Last Friday into Saturday a storm that was supposed to produce 1 - 2 inches of the white stuff, gave us 10.

Saturday into Sunday? 10 - 12 more. Then it rained... (Can I get a collective WTF??)

Throughout the week, we have had bits and spurts of more snow and then yesterday? Thunder and rain.

Today? More snow - and school is delayed. I am assuming because the roads out of town are in godawful shape. Whatever....

But what is this snow, rain, snow, thunder snow bullshit?? I thought Punxsutawney Phil predicted an early spring! Where is it??? I don't want to have to shovel my way there for cryin' out loud!!

This is starting to feel like that manure pile/pony joke somehow...

Update: School is now closed - Sporta and Computa are beyond thrilled! I'm still looking for the pony... ;-)

Leavin' on a jet plane....

At least Steph is. And we're off to Milwaukee - not in a snow storm this time, thankfully. Being March 1st, it's raining of course...

:^0

I will never understand the whims and woes of the weather....

Anyway, so you can play while I am gone, here is the Brain Bender from the handy dandy discount MENSA calendar.

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Five words starting with MAR are defined in the list below. Fill 'em in!

• An edge or a border ________
• A place to buy supplies ________
• A sculpting material ________
• Blemished __________
• Pertaining to war _________

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Alrighty now, you know what to do. The answers will be found later in the comments. See you then!