Joe posted this so I'm going to answer the same questions!
1. What did you do in 2009 that you'd never done before?
Ok, so how pathetic is this? The one and only thing I can come up with is that we stayed at a different hotel in Orlando this year. So sad.
2. Did you keep your New Year's resolutsions and will you make more for 2010?
Well, I did lose 30 pounds and have gained back all but 9. So I lost weight - but gained weight - not where I wanted to be. Oh well, yes, I will try again. :)
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
One of my co-worker's gave birth to a little girl, Vivian.
4. Did anyone close to you die?
No - every year that goes by where I don't lose someone, I consider it a big success!
5. What countries did you visit?
None unless you count all the times I went to Cal's Canadian Cave of Cool to read his posts!
6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?
Where to start? More patience, more time with Joe, more money...
7. What dates from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory and why?
June 25th - Farrah Fawcett died in the morning, Michael Jackson in the afternoon. Farrah got the shaft in reference to coverage, that's for damn sure.
Can't remember the date exactly, but it was when Dave and I went to Universal - just the 2 of us.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Living to be 45.
9. What was your biggest failure?
See #2 above - failure is my middle name in regards to weight loss.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
A few times I felt like I wanted to just close my eyes and go to sleep forever, but I guess the worst was when I sneezed while getting up out of the chair and threw my back out. That was in January 2009. This year has to be better!
11. What was the best thing you bought?
Hmmm...tattoo
12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
I'm with Joe - my oldest son and his wife are rockin' their lives! He's been promoted, she's graduated from college with some degree in stuff I could never ever understand and they bought a house. Life is good!
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
Appalled? Tiger woods and DG. Depressed? DG and the effect on the kids.
14. Where did most of your money go?
Mortgage, car payment, monthly bills, stuff for kids for school, vacations (GOTTA have vacations!)
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
I am always excited, beyond words, for vacations. We always have a great time!
16. What song will always remind you of 2009?
Forever by Chris Brown. Only because of the YouTube video from a real-life wedding that was then repeated on The Office - loved 'em both and enjoyed the song even though Chris Brown is a dirty dog (my commentary) haha
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a. happier or sadder? Happier
b. thinner or fatter? Thinner (and I use that term very loosely!!!)
c. richer or poorer? Not richer, but definitely not struggling like a lot of people are. We have been extremely lucky.
18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Keeping the weight off that I had lost so that I could just build on that.
19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Eating.
20. How will you be spending Christmas?
Christmas 2009 was spent with the family and then drove to more family!
21. Did you fall in love in 2009?
Every day.
22. How many one-night stands?
None
23. What was your favorite TV program?
Comedy: Modern Family
Musical: Glee
Drama: Criminal Minds
24. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
I hate what one person has done to my husband and how that person has treated me and my family.
25. What was the best book you read?
Photographic Memories by J Mello
26. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Chris Brown's Forever (so sad, I know!)
27. What did you want and get?
I wanted to make it through the year without losing my job and still have money...and I did!
28. What did you want and not get?
What I wanted was to retire and move someplace warm.
What I got was a bonus at work and a freezing cold winter!
29. What was your favorite film of this year?
Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs...tied with...Paul Blart: Mall Cop
30. What did you do on your birthday?
Went to dinner with Joe and the kids and opened gifts. :)
31. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
A move to a warm climate but still get to keep my job to pay the bills.
32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009?
Whatever friggin fits.
33. What kept you sane?
Joe - plain and simple.
34. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Shemar Moore - yummy!
35. What political issue stirred you the most?
Hmmm...not sure if it's a political issue or not, but when people bash Obama and it always references his color. Yeah, well he's half white too, people! He's an American - like the rest of us. So let him do his job.
36. Who did you miss?
Dad, Uncle John, Joe (but not any more for him!)
37. Who was the best new person you met?
Best? Hmmm...not sure but most frustrating has to be Jeffscape!
Best? Debbie Nordstrom
38. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009:
When someone starts ranting and raging after something you wrote on Facebook, simply delete what you wrote and then the offender is ranting on and on and on in reference to something that is no longer there and makes him look like an even bigger @$$hole than he already is!
39. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
"Don't look back. Keep your head held high."
Best wishes for a happy, healthy and better 2010!
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Friday, December 18, 2009
Tenth Daughter - Fear in Shattered Color
She opened her eyes. Something wasn’t quite right. She squinted and looked towards the alarm clock. Hmmm…1:30 a.m. Why is it so quiet in here? She was staring at the ceiling now – trying to make out what the shadows up there were from. Still so very quiet. Huh, where is he? That side of the bed is still cool so he hasn’t been in here recently.
She sat up in bed to get her bearings and strained to hear a noise, anything, from one of the other rooms. Nothing. Something akin to fear flashed through her mind. Should she be afraid? Should she be nervous? Hmmm…well, no sense sitting here waiting for…what? What or who could she possibly be waiting for?
Her feet hit the floor and she crept slowly over to the closed bedroom door. Still no noises – just an uneasy quiet. She quietly opened the door and saw a sliver of light coming from under the closed bathroom door. The fear dissipated – relief set in – he’s just getting ready for work. Phew.
Knock knock. No answer. Knock knock knock. Still no answer. Okay, the fear has returned. What is going on? She opened the door slowly and gasped. He was in there, in the tub, but the tub water was all dark and discolored and there was some blood on the wall. He was on his side and partially submerged. She screamed then and kept screaming until their 3 year old son woke up and ran in to the room. She was crying and trying to calm down while trying to reassure him to get back into bed and fall back asleep. He put his head on the pillow and closed his eyes, probably thinking that he’d never seen his Mom like that and didn’t want to ever again.
She called 911 then – what had seemed like 20 minutes, 30 minutes, had in fact been only 1 or 2. The female dispatcher sounded unconcerned. Why would someone sound unconcerned when they manned the 911 desk? Shouldn’t she be alert – awaiting a panicked phone call from a stranger? The dispatcher asked what the emergency was. The caller was no longer screaming but the urgency was evident in her voice. She needed help, could someone come right away? Yes, what seems to be the problem? My fiancé, I think he’s dead, he’s in the tub and the water is so dark and his face is in the water. Police are on their way. The caller hangs up.
The dispatcher calls back. Stay on the line with me please until the police get there. Okay, I will. The dispatcher asks her how the evening went. She said fine, had a couple of beers and I went to bed and he went to bathe. I woke up, he wasn’t in bed. Then I opened the door and he was there. Okay, the police are here. Go and talk to them, and I’m sorry.
She sat up in bed to get her bearings and strained to hear a noise, anything, from one of the other rooms. Nothing. Something akin to fear flashed through her mind. Should she be afraid? Should she be nervous? Hmmm…well, no sense sitting here waiting for…what? What or who could she possibly be waiting for?
Her feet hit the floor and she crept slowly over to the closed bedroom door. Still no noises – just an uneasy quiet. She quietly opened the door and saw a sliver of light coming from under the closed bathroom door. The fear dissipated – relief set in – he’s just getting ready for work. Phew.
Knock knock. No answer. Knock knock knock. Still no answer. Okay, the fear has returned. What is going on? She opened the door slowly and gasped. He was in there, in the tub, but the tub water was all dark and discolored and there was some blood on the wall. He was on his side and partially submerged. She screamed then and kept screaming until their 3 year old son woke up and ran in to the room. She was crying and trying to calm down while trying to reassure him to get back into bed and fall back asleep. He put his head on the pillow and closed his eyes, probably thinking that he’d never seen his Mom like that and didn’t want to ever again.
She called 911 then – what had seemed like 20 minutes, 30 minutes, had in fact been only 1 or 2. The female dispatcher sounded unconcerned. Why would someone sound unconcerned when they manned the 911 desk? Shouldn’t she be alert – awaiting a panicked phone call from a stranger? The dispatcher asked what the emergency was. The caller was no longer screaming but the urgency was evident in her voice. She needed help, could someone come right away? Yes, what seems to be the problem? My fiancé, I think he’s dead, he’s in the tub and the water is so dark and his face is in the water. Police are on their way. The caller hangs up.
The dispatcher calls back. Stay on the line with me please until the police get there. Okay, I will. The dispatcher asks her how the evening went. She said fine, had a couple of beers and I went to bed and he went to bathe. I woke up, he wasn’t in bed. Then I opened the door and he was there. Okay, the police are here. Go and talk to them, and I’m sorry.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Theme Thursday - History
From the Bare Naked Ladies (Love 'em!)
If you haven't seen The Big Bang Theory yet - make it a point...it's hilarious!
Our whole universe was in a hot dense state,
Then nearly fourteen billion years ago expansion started. Wait...
The Earth began to cool,
The autotrophs began to drool,
Neanderthals developed tools,
We built a wall (we built the pyramids),
Math, science, history, unraveling the mysteries,
That all started with the big bang!
"Since the dawn of man" is really not that long,
As every galaxy was formed in less time than it takes to sing this song.
A fraction of a second and the elements were made.
The bipeds stood up straight,
The dinosaurs all met their fate,
They tried to leap but they were late
And they all died (they froze their asses off)
The oceans and pangea
See ya, wouldn't wanna be ya
Set in motion by the same big bang!
It all started with the big BANG!
It's expanding ever outward but one day
It will cause the stars to go the other way,
Collapsing ever inward, we won't be here, it wont be hurt
Our best and brightest figure that it'll make an even bigger bang!
Australopithecus would really have been sick of us
Debating out while here they're catching deer (we're catching viruses)
Religion or astronomy, Encarta, Deuteronomy
It all started with the big bang!
Music and mythology, Einstein and astrology
It all started with the big bang!
It all started with the big BANG!
Check out the link here
If you haven't seen The Big Bang Theory yet - make it a point...it's hilarious!
Our whole universe was in a hot dense state,
Then nearly fourteen billion years ago expansion started. Wait...
The Earth began to cool,
The autotrophs began to drool,
Neanderthals developed tools,
We built a wall (we built the pyramids),
Math, science, history, unraveling the mysteries,
That all started with the big bang!
"Since the dawn of man" is really not that long,
As every galaxy was formed in less time than it takes to sing this song.
A fraction of a second and the elements were made.
The bipeds stood up straight,
The dinosaurs all met their fate,
They tried to leap but they were late
And they all died (they froze their asses off)
The oceans and pangea
See ya, wouldn't wanna be ya
Set in motion by the same big bang!
It all started with the big BANG!
It's expanding ever outward but one day
It will cause the stars to go the other way,
Collapsing ever inward, we won't be here, it wont be hurt
Our best and brightest figure that it'll make an even bigger bang!
Australopithecus would really have been sick of us
Debating out while here they're catching deer (we're catching viruses)
Religion or astronomy, Encarta, Deuteronomy
It all started with the big bang!
Music and mythology, Einstein and astrology
It all started with the big bang!
It all started with the big BANG!
Check out the link here
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Blizzard of '78
If you lived in New England in 1978 and were old enough to remember, you'd remember the Blizzard of '78.
In the span of approximately 30 hours, my small Massachusetts town was hit with almost 3 1/2 feet of snow. We lived on a main road in town, but our house was set back on a hill. We watched many a car try to get up the hill, to no avail. As a result, my parents opened their home to many of the stranded folks while waiting for the roads to be successfully cleared.
I don't remember too many of the people that stayed at our house overnight, but I do remember that my mother made hot cocoa in a huge, electric pot to warm them all up. I also remember that my Dad took me and my older sister out with him the day after the snow ended. He was a supervisor for a local chain of convenience stores and many of them had not been shoveled out. We spent almost 6 hours out there going from store to store and shoveling out the doors in the front and the back.
The following week my Dad told my sister and I that the company wanted to pay us for helping out shoveling. We were so excited - even more so when we got $21.00! That was a ton of money back then for a couple of young teens. Looking back after I became a parent, I realized that the "company" didn't pay us for anything - it was my Dad who provided our payday. For a man with 5 kids, that had to have been a lot of money. I can remember pretty much every hour of that day, probably because even though it was a lot of work, I got to spend it with my Dad.
Here are some shots from that storm.
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In the span of approximately 30 hours, my small Massachusetts town was hit with almost 3 1/2 feet of snow. We lived on a main road in town, but our house was set back on a hill. We watched many a car try to get up the hill, to no avail. As a result, my parents opened their home to many of the stranded folks while waiting for the roads to be successfully cleared.
I don't remember too many of the people that stayed at our house overnight, but I do remember that my mother made hot cocoa in a huge, electric pot to warm them all up. I also remember that my Dad took me and my older sister out with him the day after the snow ended. He was a supervisor for a local chain of convenience stores and many of them had not been shoveled out. We spent almost 6 hours out there going from store to store and shoveling out the doors in the front and the back.
The following week my Dad told my sister and I that the company wanted to pay us for helping out shoveling. We were so excited - even more so when we got $21.00! That was a ton of money back then for a couple of young teens. Looking back after I became a parent, I realized that the "company" didn't pay us for anything - it was my Dad who provided our payday. For a man with 5 kids, that had to have been a lot of money. I can remember pretty much every hour of that day, probably because even though it was a lot of work, I got to spend it with my Dad.
Here are some shots from that storm.
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Thursday, December 3, 2009
Theme Thursday - Friend
While I am known to be a huge Friends fan, this part of an episode was probably one of THE funniest I have ever seen.
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