- Today is the first sunny weekend we've had this spring. Not terribly hot, either! And everyone is out! The Farmer's Market was packed. The garage sales were plentiful and busy. And how would I know that? I was in a parade!
- The Shriners were having some sort of function (sorry--I'm not one). So that means--PARADE TIME!! There were midget cars, motorcycles, clowns, and bands! Well, a pipe band, and the local Shrine band. Unfortunately, the numbers have dwindled, so there were some ringers in the Shrine band, including me. Very short parade route, and truthfully, not worth the effort, but it was a nice morning, and the sun was out, so it wasn't too bad.
- Montana, South Dakota and Puerto Rico hold their primaries on Tuesday--the last primaries of the year. As such, we've been host to the Democratic candidates for the past day or two (the only time we really get attention). The only one coming to Helena, actually, will be Bill Clinton. Chelsea was in Billings, and everyone liked her. Obama will probably get the vote, though.
- Lots of local/state elections going on next week too. I HATE the lawns near major intersections in town. Way too many campaign signs.
- It looks like someone threw a switch on over the past day or two. Lawns, trees and flowers have all sprung to life, almost on cue. The lilacs are almost out, even! Actually, I think they've opened on the west and center parts of town. Not on my side yet. Just another day or two I think!!! Woohoo!
- Both public high schools here have graduation ceremonies this afternoon. Makes me realize that for the first time in years, I have paid virtually no attention to the activities of either school. Other than my former high school's championship football team. I've always kept an eye on the school's activities in the past. Does this mean that I'm finally losing my educator's mentality??
- I haven't picked up my horn since the last symphony concert in mid-April. An eternity for me. I knew that if I was going to be able to play at all in this parade, I needed to actually build my chops back up. And since I was playing a little bit each day, why not practice the music for the summer concert? I'm SO excited for this music!! And the best news? I've played most of it already, so I can concentrate on those pesky things like intonation, breathing, and phrasing!
Saturday, May 31, 2008
And the afternoon isn't even half over!
Lots of thoughts today:
Friday, May 30, 2008
Now THIS pisses me off...
I don't generally pass on things I get from email, but once in awhile, something just needs to be posted. I received an email yesterday just screamed for me to pass on to you. It seems that there's a way to get a picture of your current driver's license. Regardless of what state. That seems incredibly wrong to me. Of course, I was skeptical, so I had to try it. And there it was. I don't know if this is part of the Patriot Act, or Homeland Security, or if this is something that's been available for years. Not only can I see mine, but if I know enough information about YOU, I can get yours, too. And I'll admit that, yes, I tried a couple of you. And yes, it worked.
I know there's bound to be skeptics, but give it a try. The person I received the email from said that everyone that he's talked to has found theirs as well. I hope this stirs the same feelings in you as it did me...
I know there's bound to be skeptics, but give it a try. The person I received the email from said that everyone that he's talked to has found theirs as well. I hope this stirs the same feelings in you as it did me...
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Brown-Eyed HNT
This is one of those HNT's that just didn't work out quite the way I wanted it to. The idea was sound, but the execution just didn't match. As a result, and a quick scramble, this is what you get.
I've never quite known how to answer when I'm asked my eye color. The first obvious answer would be brown, but if you really try to examine it, you'll see that there's a variety of colors. A little bit of green, a little bit of yellow, and a total absence of blue. Of course, the photo doesn't lend itself well for that deep examination either, but take my word for it. :-)
(Feel free to leave plenty of comments about my long lashes!)
Earlier today, our Mystery Guest sat in the hot California sun, in a black cap and gown, and received her diploma from the great state of California.
She's done this while also working full-time, raising a dozen kids (or something like that), and authoring as many blogs (or so it seems!).
Her commencement ceremonies were webcast, and I did get to see her cross the stage! I'm happy to report that she actually graduate, she didn't trip (while on camera, anyway...), and she wore a little more than she was here.
No question she's an asset to the class of 2008! I'm sure you've got a good idea who it is, but she'll be revealed Thursday afternoon. Be sure to stop by and offer your congratulations!
Many of you know who the MG is, or thought they knew... This is Julie, of Julie, Do Ya Love Me??? fame. Which may come as a surprise to you! Stop by with your congratulations!
"...the Other HNT" is a bit more testosterone-infused than other weeks, but there's a little bit of something for everyone! Definitely NSFW, so be warned!
Summer is almost here. This week isn't cold and rainy like last week, but there's flood warnings for much of the state. I'd say that by June, the nice weather will be here. Time for BBQs, corn on the cob, potato salad, ice-cold beer, and plenty of time to do nothing. I'm good at that! Hope you're all getting as excited for summer as me!
One bit of bad news. I turned in my digital cable box Tuesday. You may remember that it was my cable company's way of "apologizing" for the problems they encountered while switching to full digital capabilities. Free upgrade for 9 months. Well, that ended, and given the fact that I had 15 free movies I could have gotten on demand, and never used them, I turned the equipment back in. I never bothered with the many channels available to me. The past few weeks I listened to alot of the big band/swing music channel, but I've already got more music available to me than I know what to do with. So the bad news? I can't find the original remote for my TV! The cable box's remote had to go back with it. So now I'm forced to get up and change the channels manually until I find it again. Or break down and buy a $10 universal remote. At least I've got an exercise plan now! Can you feel the burn??
I've never quite known how to answer when I'm asked my eye color. The first obvious answer would be brown, but if you really try to examine it, you'll see that there's a variety of colors. A little bit of green, a little bit of yellow, and a total absence of blue. Of course, the photo doesn't lend itself well for that deep examination either, but take my word for it. :-)
Earlier today, our Mystery Guest sat in the hot California sun, in a black cap and gown, and received her diploma from the great state of California.She's done this while also working full-time, raising a dozen kids (or something like that), and authoring as many blogs (or so it seems!).
Her commencement ceremonies were webcast, and I did get to see her cross the stage! I'm happy to report that she actually graduate, she didn't trip (while on camera, anyway...), and she wore a little more than she was here.
No question she's an asset to the class of 2008! I'm sure you've got a good idea who it is, but she'll be revealed Thursday afternoon. Be sure to stop by and offer your congratulations!
Many of you know who the MG is, or thought they knew... This is Julie, of Julie, Do Ya Love Me??? fame. Which may come as a surprise to you! Stop by with your congratulations!
"...the Other HNT" is a bit more testosterone-infused than other weeks, but there's a little bit of something for everyone! Definitely NSFW, so be warned!
Summer is almost here. This week isn't cold and rainy like last week, but there's flood warnings for much of the state. I'd say that by June, the nice weather will be here. Time for BBQs, corn on the cob, potato salad, ice-cold beer, and plenty of time to do nothing. I'm good at that! Hope you're all getting as excited for summer as me!
One bit of bad news. I turned in my digital cable box Tuesday. You may remember that it was my cable company's way of "apologizing" for the problems they encountered while switching to full digital capabilities. Free upgrade for 9 months. Well, that ended, and given the fact that I had 15 free movies I could have gotten on demand, and never used them, I turned the equipment back in. I never bothered with the many channels available to me. The past few weeks I listened to alot of the big band/swing music channel, but I've already got more music available to me than I know what to do with. So the bad news? I can't find the original remote for my TV! The cable box's remote had to go back with it. So now I'm forced to get up and change the channels manually until I find it again. Or break down and buy a $10 universal remote. At least I've got an exercise plan now! Can you feel the burn??
Monday, May 26, 2008
Where's Lou Ferrigno When You Need Him??
I was going to mention this in the last post... Do we really need another "Hulk" movie?? If it were a sequel, then perhaps. But this appears to be yet another attempt at cashing in on the current comic book hero theme. What's sad is that neither of them even come close to matching the greatest "Hulk" portrayer of all time.
No one matches Lou Ferrigno as the "Hulk". And that's all Lou--no CG-enhanced body for him! And let's face it. There's never been a better Dr. David Banner than the scrumptious Mr. Bill Bixby!
No one matches Lou Ferrigno as the "Hulk". And that's all Lou--no CG-enhanced body for him! And let's face it. There's never been a better Dr. David Banner than the scrumptious Mr. Bill Bixby!
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Slow Weekend
It was a cold and rainy weekend (has been since Wednesday, and will be until Tuesday). Pretty much curtailed any activities, though I didn't have anything planned. Makes for a good weekend of random thoughts:
- The Law & Order: Criminal Intent marathon on Saturday took up enough of my time, but did they have to do another marathon with SVU on Sunday?
- Speaking of marathons--I caught the last third of Death Wish 3 (but skipped out on DW4). Charles Bronson is cool. The movie is tacky. The bad guys are cartoonish.
- There was also alot of Stallone, Schwartzenegger, Chuck Norris and Harrison Ford to round out a testosterone filled TV movie schedule.
- Haven't seen the new Indiana Jones movie yet. Please--NO SPOILERS!
- Took the car into the shop. The problem was not part of the prior problems, so it would cost $210 to fix. The good news--it's not a repair that needs to be made anytime soon, so it won't be.
- Got the music for the symphony's summer concert this weekend. There will be a space theme to it, with a very special guest narrator (more on that in a few weeks!). No hints, other than that the concert will be held on the 39th anniversary of the day man landed on the moon. This will be a good concert for the brass--I'm excited!!
- I'm one of those who doesn't get Monday off. Which is fine.
- Anybody tried the new pasta from Pizza Hut yet? Can't imagine it could be very good...
- I love a holiday weekend. I bought 5 12-packs of Diet Coke w/lime for $12. That works out to 20¢/can, and should last me the 5-6 weeks until the Fourth! If I ration...
- Working on getting the OsShirt back in circulation! Be looking for that!
Thursday, May 22, 2008
HNT In the Laundry Room
Sort of a boring Tuesday night.(with one notable exception...)
A good night to do laundry.
You never know what you'll find when you open that lid...
(why is it that the first thing I notice here is the nostril hair??)
This HNTer had made plenty of mistakes and that is where the basis for the name of her blog has come from. She learned the hard way you can't just trust just anyone that comes along.She has been blogging for two years now, this is her third blog, but only been doing HNT for about 6 months. And even though she'd like to think she's wise, she generally doesn't have a clue.
She's given us the sun, the moon and the stars. If you think you know who it is, be sure to email and ask! I think she'll tell! She'll be revealed late Thursday afternoon. Or early Thursday evening... You can check out the other side of her moon at her site--this is Wisdomstuff! Be sure to stop by and see her in the sunlight instead of the moonlight!
"...the Other HNT" has a nice variety of submissions, in their NSFW sort of way. Be sure to stop by and check out your fellow HNTers! Leave a comment or two, too!
Thanks everyone for your thoughts and comments regarding my dad. He's feeling much better, though he's not up to jogging yet. Then again, he never jogs, so that's probably a bad comparison. But he still can't really sit in a car to drive, so I'll get his for a day, since mine is going BACK TO THE SHOP!!! They assure me that it's a minor thing that they had hoped would fix itself when they put it back together the last time. Apparently, it didn't. Maybe this is why the total came in under estimate...
If, for some reason, you didn't check out the HNT 3rd Anniversary page from last week, be sure to click on the button below! Forty-six of your HNT ancestors can be found over there, and they'd love to hear from you!
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Dad Update
Quick update on Dad... He got home last night. He planned on driving back from Missoula (because he drives all the time, unless Mom's driving him to the ER, or after heart surgery...). By the time he got to the car, he was totally exhausted, so Mom drove home. Little wonder, what with the lack of sleep, loss of blood and doctors up his wazoo all morning Sunday. So he's home, tired, a little sore (duh), and going to take it easy for a few days.
A note on Mom's phone conversation--Sugdaddy said it best. My family communicates in short hand. Any longer conversation at that point would have indicated that there was something wrong that I should be worrying about. If you want to read a similar conversation, go here to see what it was like being told your dad's going to be getting a pacemaker...
A note on Mom's phone conversation--Sugdaddy said it best. My family communicates in short hand. Any longer conversation at that point would have indicated that there was something wrong that I should be worrying about. If you want to read a similar conversation, go here to see what it was like being told your dad's going to be getting a pacemaker...
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Phone Conversation with Mom
Dad hasn't offered any blog fodder in awhile...
The moral of the story? DON'T LET ANYONE STICK ANYTHING UP YER ASS!
Bit of an update...Dad had 5 polyps removed Thursday during his colonoscopy. His surgeon came over from Missoula to perform it (Moose--help me on that--no one in Helena can do a colonoscopy???). Forward to Saturday. He started bleeding "profusely". They go to the E.R. He'd lost 1900 cc of blood and his BP was 60/32 (isn't that corpse-like?). They pumped 3 units of blood and 2 plasma to stabilize him before they could fly him to Missoula. Once there, they had to stabilize him again before performing another colonoscopy. What they found was 4 nicely cauterized scars, and a 5th one that apparently didn't take, or had a blood vessel sticking out or something, but basically was letting out blood somewhere between the flow of a very drippy faucet and an open garden hose. They cauterized it again, and clamped it off for good measure, and want him to stick around for another day or two just to be sure. Apparently is looking/feeling good, according to S2. Just tired. Change from the above story--the sisters took the car over this morning, rather than Saturday.
Os: Hello?What's sad/humorous about this? This is almost the full conversation--verbatim. I'll let you know about details later, if I ever get them.
Mom: Hi. I'm calling you from the hospital in Missoula...
O: *blink* (first thought-Dad, but not his heart. They'd have gone to Billings for that.)
M: We flew Dad here yesterday after he started bleeding profusely after his colonoscopy from two days ago...
O: (I didn't even know he was having a colonoscopy.)
M: He's already gone through 5 units of blood, and they expect to keep him here for another day or two...
O: (At least he's not being rushed out of there.)
M: Your sisters drove over yesterday to bring my car over and are on their way back this afternoon...
O: OK...
M: I was going to call you last night before everything happened, but I didn't...
O: (Obviously.) OK...
M: Can you do me a favor?
O: Sure! What do you need?
M: Can you pick up the newspapers from the front door for the next couple of days?
O: OK.
M: OK. Bye-bye.
The moral of the story? DON'T LET ANYONE STICK ANYTHING UP YER ASS!
Bit of an update...Dad had 5 polyps removed Thursday during his colonoscopy. His surgeon came over from Missoula to perform it (Moose--help me on that--no one in Helena can do a colonoscopy???). Forward to Saturday. He started bleeding "profusely". They go to the E.R. He'd lost 1900 cc of blood and his BP was 60/32 (isn't that corpse-like?). They pumped 3 units of blood and 2 plasma to stabilize him before they could fly him to Missoula. Once there, they had to stabilize him again before performing another colonoscopy. What they found was 4 nicely cauterized scars, and a 5th one that apparently didn't take, or had a blood vessel sticking out or something, but basically was letting out blood somewhere between the flow of a very drippy faucet and an open garden hose. They cauterized it again, and clamped it off for good measure, and want him to stick around for another day or two just to be sure. Apparently is looking/feeling good, according to S2. Just tired. Change from the above story--the sisters took the car over this morning, rather than Saturday.
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Well, that was short-lived...
My self-imposed hiatus from posting lasted all of a day...
You may remember that on Monday, I mentioned it snowed. Today we hit 88°, I think. We've skipped from winter directly to summmer.
To celebrate, I started some long-neglected spring cleaning. Not only in my apt., but also on my blog. I finally went through my blogroll with the sole intent of deleting links. I deleted over 200 links, and still have over 500 left!!! And I didn't have the desire to go through M, R, S, T or W! That will take another 3-4 hours, for sure! Most of them were dead links, but alot had gone to passwords, and others had just been neglected for a number of months, even years. If you find that I deleted yours, please let me know and I'll get it back up there!
Thursday was the beginning of the third week of May. Lots of things have happened during that week throughout my life. My sister, S2, was married during this week, as have a couple of my students. There's birthdays to be celebrated (including a really special one just yesterday!). HNT was started during this week. And two other things...
Kamey, who has been mentioned on numerous occasions as one of my beer drinking, road-tripping, concert-going buddies, graduated yesterday from Pacific University with her Doctor of Optometry Degree!! Know what that means, don't you? Free eye exams for life!! Couldn't come at a better time, either... Congrats, Kamey! The beers are on me next month!
Twenty-eight years ago, at 8:32 AM PDT on May 18, 1980, a 5.1 earthquake caused the north face of Mt. St. Helens to crumble in the largest landslide in recorded history.
If you want to read more on my take of the occasion, go here, and be enchanted by the story of the first true love of my life!
You may remember that on Monday, I mentioned it snowed. Today we hit 88°, I think. We've skipped from winter directly to summmer.
To celebrate, I started some long-neglected spring cleaning. Not only in my apt., but also on my blog. I finally went through my blogroll with the sole intent of deleting links. I deleted over 200 links, and still have over 500 left!!! And I didn't have the desire to go through M, R, S, T or W! That will take another 3-4 hours, for sure! Most of them were dead links, but alot had gone to passwords, and others had just been neglected for a number of months, even years. If you find that I deleted yours, please let me know and I'll get it back up there!
Thursday was the beginning of the third week of May. Lots of things have happened during that week throughout my life. My sister, S2, was married during this week, as have a couple of my students. There's birthdays to be celebrated (including a really special one just yesterday!). HNT was started during this week. And two other things...
Kamey, who has been mentioned on numerous occasions as one of my beer drinking, road-tripping, concert-going buddies, graduated yesterday from Pacific University with her Doctor of Optometry Degree!! Know what that means, don't you? Free eye exams for life!! Couldn't come at a better time, either... Congrats, Kamey! The beers are on me next month!
Twenty-eight years ago, at 8:32 AM PDT on May 18, 1980, a 5.1 earthquake caused the north face of Mt. St. Helens to crumble in the largest landslide in recorded history.
If you want to read more on my take of the occasion, go here, and be enchanted by the story of the first true love of my life!
Thursday, May 15, 2008
The Day After...
If you're interested in this button for your site, you can download the code on the guidelines page. Click on the large HNT button over there in the sidebar to get there.Thanks to all of you who enjoyed the site and seeing/visiting some of the old-timers! The page will stay up for as long as I'm blogging, and the button will always be available in the sidebar. And a bigger thank you for the participants!! You made it fun, and it was great to get back in touch with all of you! I hope you enjoyed catching up with your "classmates" as much as we did!
We got a bit of unexpected press for this too! Some of you will recognize the name Audacia Ray. She's a sex writer/blogger/nerd and author of the book "Naked On the Internet" which came out last year. Among the numerous positions she holds is editor of Naked City, which is the new sexuality blog for the Village Voice. She did a nice little write-up about HNT's 3rd Anniversary! Complete with a picture of one of my favorite MGs! The young lady shown was informed about it this afternoon, and she loves the idea that she's almost famous!As some of you know, I've gotten about 12 hours of sleep since Monday. I might not post again for a few days. For the first time since I started blogging, I am SO tired of downloading, uploading, posting, linking, checking, cross-checking, typing, etc., that I don't even want to get into my dashboard. Don't worry--just a quick chance for a breath of fresh air!
Three Years of HNT
(warning: mucho longo post ahead!)
"A blog I ran across awhile back (and I don't remember the name) had a wonderful feature called 'Half-Naked Thursdays', where the author would post pictures of her bare shoulders, her kids' behinds, her husband's belly, lots of arms, etc. Nothing remotely graphic, but maybe a little suggestive. I think all of you should do that too!"
That's how it started. An innocent comment amongst the others on a Saturday morning in May. Hoping that I might get a bare shoulder from Rachel, or a belly button from Moose. Not much more. Five days later, on Thursday, May 19, 2005, about six of us participated in the first Half-Nekkid Thursday. Including two bloggers that I'd never heard of before, but through that whole friend of a friend sort of thing, there they were! Here you have three of the original HNTers! Rachel, Moose and me. Not nekkid, obviously. A little tipsy, maybe, but not nekkid. (clicky~click!)I could get into a whole history thing, but you can go to the "Guidelines" page for all of that. Or I could be really sappy and introspective, but dammit, it's a celebration, and I wanna have fun! So, first off will be (keeping with the theme) a list of three "threes" (none of which are in order):
My 3 personal favorite HNTs:I suppose I should say something about the past three years. I'll try to do it without pontificating. (HA!) I've never really thought of HNT as "mine", as much as it is "ours". Our friends are posting HNTs. Our friends are going through tough times. Our friends are celebrating. Those who look at HNT from the outside will never understand the community that we are, or the relationships that are formed. We're sort of like the Borg. We are interconnected. We notice when someone leaves. We notice when there's someone new. We notice when someone's not playing nice.
My 3 favorite HNT redheads (I'm gonna catch hell for this...):
My 3 favorite Mystery Guests
That seems to be the new problem of the past year. It was blogged about within the past week by someone else. It comes down to a matter of respect for each other. HNT has weathered some nasty attacks in the past, but primarily from non-HNTers. We basically knew that "they" didn't get it. But the past year, more than ever (and in my mind, it's been a long-standing problem), certain commenters seem to be ignorant of "the line", or ignore it completely. And more and more HNTers are tired of it.
"The line"--that razor-thin place between flirty innuendo and vulgar comment. That razor-thin place between artistic photography and softcore porn. I got an email this week that said, "...it's so easy to be crude. There's no challenge or pride in producing that..." I couldn't agree more. And it extends to the comments, too. Unfortunately, there are some of us who see a half-nekkid (or more) woman posed on a bed, and rather than complimenting them on their artistry, they go the easy route and make some crude comment like she was showing off her wares for sale. While some of us are OK with that, or just blow it off, at other times it's wholly inappropriate. It's a matter of knowing your audience, whether it's the person you're commenting on, or the others that will also read your comments.
I suppose that we'll always have those who don't know how to express themselves in non-juvenile ways. But still...a bit more respect would go a long, long ways! *steps off soapbox...*
I can't imagine what my life would be like if I weren't involved with HNT. Certainly alot more sleep. And I'd be getting off my butt more often. But I certainly wouldn't have the friendships that I have with many of you. Nor would I have the chance to show my half-nekkid self off with my three favorite girls: Michelle, Amy and Betsy. From all of us, we hope to see you again in another year! (wow--now I sound like the Christmas cards I didn't get out this year!)
(it's days like this when I wish I had a remote...)The Anniversary Project - As mentioned over the past month, I've been working on a project for this anniversary. Through many hours of work and pestering, it's done! In giving this some thought back in January, I was stuck. But after chatting with some people, the same theme sort of came up. "I wonder what so-and-so is doing?" Those HNTers who have disappeared over time. That's when it hit me. A majority of the current HNTers have no clue who started this thing, or kept it growing in those first months. There's no sense of history. Or tradition. Or what passed as HNT pictures in the early days, when the first view of boy shorts caused a virtual audible gasp! There's no question that HNT has changed drastically over three years.
I had to tread gently here...who to include, and who not to. It's actually a lose/lose situation there. Someone was going to be forgotten. But it couldn't be a free-for-all, either. So parameters were set. Invite anyone who posted HNTs in 2005/early 2006 to submit pics and blurbs, and be treated like the MG. The limiter here--they have to have dropped out of HNT or blogging altogether. Slim exceptions--those who have quit HNT, but will, on rare occasion, still post one out of the blue. Emails were gathered as best as I could, and I sent out an invite to 100 former HNTers. The short story--46 answered the call! Actually, more answered, but to decline the invitation for one reason or another (time, spouses, professional reasons, etc...). I expected far less than that! Hence the immense amount of work that this has been.
At this point, it's highly important to note that there are many CURRENT HNTers who have been around since the very earliest days!! And their contributions cannot be dismissed! But here's where I really can't remember who all of them are. I feel I have to mention the following: Monkey, Jessica, Married In Ohio, Polt, Shumpy, and far too many others to name off the top of my head... You guys ROCK!!! If you started in 2005/early 2006, and/or have over 100 HNTs under your belt, PLEASE mention that in the "I'm up" comments, and as part of your post, if you can. We all need to know who you are, and recognize you, too!They have their own URL (click on the button below). The participants have had access since yesterday so that they could tweak things as needed. They've been commenting up a storm! It's like a high school class reunion over there! Be sure to check it out, either by clicking on the random thumbnails, or by the list in the sidebar. And leave lots of comments--think of these people as your ancestors!
Wishing You Were Hereby Karen Suriano
Last night was wonderful making love to you
My fingers instinctively knew just what to do
If I could play piano like my hands played you
I’d be a hit anywhere, in any venue
Absolutely fabulous making love to you
Maybe next time you could be there too
But alone with the sunrise, I'll fire up the brew
God knows I need my coffee more than I need you
Our coffee sipping MG this week is the elegently lovely, caffeine-powered, fitter-than-90%-of-us Biscuit! Stop by and check out how she celebrated "three", if you haven't been there already. You won't be disappointed!
And we're not done yet!! "...the Other HNT" has a good supply of pictures this week, and not encumbered by that pesky "three" thing! But they are NSFW, as usual! It won't get posted until closer to midnight. Sorry!
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Bullet list
A bullet list today...
- Niece's graduation was nice. Big family dinner was great!
- Mother's Day brunch was also great!
- Missed out on seeing Rachel this weekend. Dammit.
- Spending alot of time on the great HNT anniversary project. You guys are going to love it!
- Don't forget--the theme this week is "Three"!!
- I don't do Myspace much, other than to check up on people. I still have a winter/Christmas theme up. But it chaps my butt when someone in my friends list shuts down their site. Not because I'll miss them there, but because I have no clue as to who it was! I just note that my number of friends has changed!
- It snowed yesterday
- It's supposed to be mid-80s on Saturday.
- Gas is up to $3.599 right now.
- My car works fine now, but I can't afford to drive it. Which seems like a waste of $970!
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Busy Weekend!
Lots going on this weekend. Good thing I have a newly-repaired car to do it all!!
First up will be my oldest niece's college graduation. This is the one I bragged about being the 4.0 GPA student in high school and the MT Gatorade Player of the Year in soccer. The one that boarded a plane in Belize with a machete in her carry-on bag. And made it through customs in Atlanta!! The one that helped the Carroll College soccer team make it to the national tournament in Florida that I almost went down for. She's the first of the grandchildren to graduate from college, so Mom & Dad are pretty proud too. The whole family will gather for commencement, sitting in the same seats we did to watch her graduate from high school!
Evening finds us doing a celebratory dinner at the new clubhouse at the country club. I haven't been given the tour (her dad, BIL1, is the golf pro and general mgr.), but I think this is the first official weekend open. From what I've heard, it's big and cost a small fortune (in Montana dollars), and quite impressive. Can't wait!
A possible rendezvous with Rachel, who's back in town for the weekend, later in the evening.
Tomorrow, it's a Mother's Day brunch with the whole family again, back out at the country club. I'm not sure if there's a BBQ planned for dinner. We might be sick of each other...
Woven amongst the free time will be alot of work on the HNT project I've got in the works for the anniversary. It's alot of time-consuming work, but it's going to be well worth it!
- As everyone should know, we'll be celebrating HNT's 3rd anniversary this week. How do you get to celebrate? With the theme, of course! Which is "Three". Interpret that any way that fits. Don't ask me for ideas--I don't even have one for myself yet!
We've all had one at some point in our lives. Most of us still do. Some of us are ones ourselves. Some of us have sadly had to let ours go. What am I talking about? Mothers, of course!! Be sure to hug your mom if you can and tell you that you love her! To my mom, your moms, and those of you who ARE moms -- HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!! Hope you have a day of relaxation, appreciation, and hot monkey sex! Well, not my mom. Or some of your moms. Maybe I shouldn't have said that part...
(You wouldn't believe what images come up if you do a google image search for "mom"!)
First up will be my oldest niece's college graduation. This is the one I bragged about being the 4.0 GPA student in high school and the MT Gatorade Player of the Year in soccer. The one that boarded a plane in Belize with a machete in her carry-on bag. And made it through customs in Atlanta!! The one that helped the Carroll College soccer team make it to the national tournament in Florida that I almost went down for. She's the first of the grandchildren to graduate from college, so Mom & Dad are pretty proud too. The whole family will gather for commencement, sitting in the same seats we did to watch her graduate from high school!
Evening finds us doing a celebratory dinner at the new clubhouse at the country club. I haven't been given the tour (her dad, BIL1, is the golf pro and general mgr.), but I think this is the first official weekend open. From what I've heard, it's big and cost a small fortune (in Montana dollars), and quite impressive. Can't wait!
A possible rendezvous with Rachel, who's back in town for the weekend, later in the evening.
Tomorrow, it's a Mother's Day brunch with the whole family again, back out at the country club. I'm not sure if there's a BBQ planned for dinner. We might be sick of each other...
Woven amongst the free time will be alot of work on the HNT project I've got in the works for the anniversary. It's alot of time-consuming work, but it's going to be well worth it!
- As everyone should know, we'll be celebrating HNT's 3rd anniversary this week. How do you get to celebrate? With the theme, of course! Which is "Three". Interpret that any way that fits. Don't ask me for ideas--I don't even have one for myself yet!
We've all had one at some point in our lives. Most of us still do. Some of us are ones ourselves. Some of us have sadly had to let ours go. What am I talking about? Mothers, of course!! Be sure to hug your mom if you can and tell you that you love her! To my mom, your moms, and those of you who ARE moms -- HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!! Hope you have a day of relaxation, appreciation, and hot monkey sex! Well, not my mom. Or some of your moms. Maybe I shouldn't have said that part...
(You wouldn't believe what images come up if you do a google image search for "mom"!)Thursday, May 08, 2008
Euphoric HNT
One of the nice things about running off to Minneapolis this past weekend (other than the obvious!) was not worrying for one second about the state of my car. The estimate I was given before I left was about $1100 (and done from off the top of the owners head). Knowing that this is MY life I'm living, I resigned myself to the idea that it was probably going to run closer to $1200, and maybe more.
I got the phone call yesterday. My car is ready. And it only cost $970.oo!! How sad is that? Only $970.oo?!? Sort of like the euphoric feeling of finding gas for only $3.20! Unfortunately, I have a feeling that my concert attendance is going on hiatus for the summer. Not that I could afford the gas to go to any! But I am gearing up for a road trip to Denver in August!! Assuming the car lasts that long...
This week's Mystery Guest is a repeat contributor. Even though she'll be revealed Thursday afternoon, she wanted to be sure that I didn't make it too easy for people to figure out who she might be......
.....
She's Canadian...
.....
.....
Come back to find out who she is!
This rambling Canadian is the lovely CowGirl! Be sure to stop by and check out her top half over there!
"...the Other HNT" has another good collection of pictures. Lots of variety! Be sure to stop by. NSFW, as always!
Next week is the big week!! The 3rd anniversary of HNT! Be sure to celebrate with the theme of "3"! It's up to you how to interpret that. If nothing else, do something celebratory! Rumor has it that many old friends are going to show up!
Sunday, May 04, 2008
Back from the Land of 10,000 Lakes
She's going to shoot me for this, but Moose wrote a very detailed account of our weekend in Minneapolis. Of course, she's better at the details, because I'm old... Go there now to read her account, then come back here. I'll try to come up with observations that she didn't. Go. Shoo....
OK--welcome back! First off, let me say that she and I have known each other for almost 12 years. Some of you seemed to think that this was a random meeting. Hardly! But she's a keeper!
The rain on Friday was of epic proportions to this Montana boy. It just doesn't rain like that around here. Moose's driving skills were pretty good. She's competitive, and won't just let anyone sneak in from the on-ramp! She only got lost driving around once, which I was fairly impressed with. And she's got the vocabulary of a sailor, and isn't afraid to use it. I'd forgotten that.
Moose started the weekend off with a surprise. She told me that we were going to an art showing before dinner, which I thought was odd. What I didn't know until we were on the way was that part-time HNTer Sandi, the Manic Manicurist, was one of the artists showing! You know what that means! A picture, and a listing on the sidebar! Sandi claims #31!! Friday's dinner was great, but the dessert was phenomenal. Our waiter said he'd drizzle a little caramel on top. It was more like dump half a jar on top. IT WAS HEAVEN!Saturday was sunny, but windy. We made our way to the theater district and parked in one of the garages. Coming out of it, we're accosted by little bees and beauty queens. There was some sort of dance competition or something. Please don't get me started on my views about that! I don't know if having many beers before the theater is a good thing, but we did it anyway.
The show was GREAT! Not much in the way of sets, but the use of space and lighting was terrific. My only complaint, if I were to complain, and you know I usually do, would be that the "orchestra" was just a 5-piece rock band. With one of the keyboards playing all the orchestral parts--strings, brass, etc. Which is pretty much what I would have expected. But having led a full pit orchestra for this show, I would have liked to have heard that. But it was a minor thing. Ted Neely was amazing. If you saw him on the street, you'd think he was a burned-out hippie. Which he may very well be. There was an obvious chill up my spine when he first appeared on stage, but it didn't even compare to the feeling when he sang his first notes. It was as though he'd recorded the movie soundtrack just this year. Close your eyes, and it's so obviously him! And whereas I mentioned that Elton John wussed out on the high notes in his old age, Ted hit every one of them. And then some! Most incredible were the high notes in the scene in Gethsemane (after the Last Supper). Moose blamed the tears on the fog. She's lying. A most amazing vocal display. Makes Axl Rose sound like a trained opera singer! I don't understand how he can possibly do that 4-5 times a week, and twice on Saturdays...
Corey Glover played Judas. He is the former lead singer for Living Colour. Not a band that I would listen to, though I have heard their music. He made the character his own. I don't know the gentleman who played Herod, but he played it up to the max. "King Herod's Song" is the one point in the show where there's not only humor, but the leeway to present it in any number of ways. In this case, the music was altered from a honky-tonk ragtime feel to a spicy Latin number! Way cool (if they'd only used real trumpets...)!
Dinner Saturday was in downtown Edina. I wish Helena had a main street like this. A hip little diner, which even had a Missoula beer on tap! The beer Moose had problems naming was Land Shark. I get this whenever I can--it's not terribly common in these parts. But I tried to drink all sorts of beers, since there was such a variety not found at home.
Sunday was sleep in, and get to the airport and to home. Some other things I noted over the weekend...
- Apparently Minnesotans are messy eaters. Instead of nice linen napkins, you get a nice rolled up terrycloth face towel instead. Takes care of any mess!
- I'm not much of a friendly seatmate on a plane. I'd much rather sleep or do sudoku puzzles than carry on a conversation.
- Puddlejumpers are not built for big people.
- Airports are full of unhappy people. But people watching certainly is fun!
- I had to haul ass from the northernmost point of Concourse B to the southernmost point at Denver International Airport. A half mile (well, maybe a quarter mile). My arthritic knee didn't like it, but I actually had plenty of time. Still...
- I was not able to get past the DIA filters to get to this site (nudity), but had no problem getting onto the anon site. Go figure...
Friday, May 02, 2008
Leavin' On a Jet Plane...
...don't know when I'll be back again....
Well, I do. Sunday night.
Have fun!
Well, I do. Sunday night.
Have fun!
Thursday, May 01, 2008
Best Laid Plans....
So...
A couple of months ago, Moose lets me know she's got 2 tickets in row 4 for "Jesus Christ Superstar". I'm jacked, so I find a decently-priced (for Montana) airline ticket, from Bozeman to Minneapolis. She's excited that I'm actually flying to Mpls for the weekend, and all is good.
Fast forward to about 2 weeks ago. Rachel and I are in my car, and it's running a little funny. There's a burning rubber smell, like a belt, and my "service engine soon" light is on. I later determine that the smell was from a passing car, but the light comes and goes, and there's a fluttering sort of sound from the engine. I make an appointment to take the car in.
Fast forward again to yesterday. Short story (ha!)--I am without vehicle. The intake manifold gasket is leaking (badly) and allowing coolant to mix in with the oil. I don't know what that means exactly, but it doesn't sound right. The solution? Take the engine apart, flush it, replace the gasket, full oil change, etc., etc. I don't know what all that means either, but I'll be forking out about $1100 for the privilege. And I won't get the car until sometime next week...
I've spent the better part of today looking for a way to get to Bozeman. Ran through everyone in the family. There's only one "spare" car available, but if it were road worthy to make it to Bozeman, my niece would already have it there. Normally, I'd get Rachel to drive me down, but now that she lives 200 miles in the opposite direction, I don't see that happening. Right about now, I would imagine that Moose is ready to call me on the phone, because I haven't discussed any of this with her. (edit: HA! The post wasn't up for 15 minutes before I got her phone call!)
Good news, such as it is, is that Enterprise Car Rentals has cars for a flat fee of $15/day, with no mileage charge. I can handle that. So at 8:00 in the morning, I'll be headed for Bozeman in my rental car, and boarding a plane for Minneapolis (via Denver). Tomorrow night I'll be having dinner with Moose and enjoying a lovely spring evening in the Twin Cities (wearing a parka). I'll have my computer with me, but I doubt I'll be online much until I get home on Sunday. Look for pictures and a report then!
A couple of months ago, Moose lets me know she's got 2 tickets in row 4 for "Jesus Christ Superstar". I'm jacked, so I find a decently-priced (for Montana) airline ticket, from Bozeman to Minneapolis. She's excited that I'm actually flying to Mpls for the weekend, and all is good.
Fast forward to about 2 weeks ago. Rachel and I are in my car, and it's running a little funny. There's a burning rubber smell, like a belt, and my "service engine soon" light is on. I later determine that the smell was from a passing car, but the light comes and goes, and there's a fluttering sort of sound from the engine. I make an appointment to take the car in.
Fast forward again to yesterday. Short story (ha!)--I am without vehicle. The intake manifold gasket is leaking (badly) and allowing coolant to mix in with the oil. I don't know what that means exactly, but it doesn't sound right. The solution? Take the engine apart, flush it, replace the gasket, full oil change, etc., etc. I don't know what all that means either, but I'll be forking out about $1100 for the privilege. And I won't get the car until sometime next week...
I've spent the better part of today looking for a way to get to Bozeman. Ran through everyone in the family. There's only one "spare" car available, but if it were road worthy to make it to Bozeman, my niece would already have it there. Normally, I'd get Rachel to drive me down, but now that she lives 200 miles in the opposite direction, I don't see that happening. Right about now, I would imagine that Moose is ready to call me on the phone, because I haven't discussed any of this with her. (edit: HA! The post wasn't up for 15 minutes before I got her phone call!)
Good news, such as it is, is that Enterprise Car Rentals has cars for a flat fee of $15/day, with no mileage charge. I can handle that. So at 8:00 in the morning, I'll be headed for Bozeman in my rental car, and boarding a plane for Minneapolis (via Denver). Tomorrow night I'll be having dinner with Moose and enjoying a lovely spring evening in the Twin Cities (wearing a parka). I'll have my computer with me, but I doubt I'll be online much until I get home on Sunday. Look for pictures and a report then!
Festive HNT
I had a couple of different ideas for HNT this week. Thursday is May Day. If this were a few hundred years ago, that would mean dancing the Maypole and crowning the Queen of the May. While choosing a Queen would be cool, the fewer pictures of a half-nekkid me, prancing around a Maypole, the better. In Scotland (what a fine name for a country), students gather on the beach late on April 30 and run into the North Sea at sunrise on the 1st, occasionally naked. This is accompanied by torchlit processions and much elated celebration. Again, fun, but you don't want to see pictures of me, half-nekkid, having a heart attack after stepping foot into the still-icy North Sea.
I leave Friday to meet up with Moose in Minneapolis to go see "Jesus Christ Superstar". And to spend the weekend there. I could have planned another King Herod HNT like I had at Easter, but, no.
That leaves me with Cinco de Mayo. A curious little holiday that is actually celebrated more in the US than in Mexico. Sort of a Latino St. Patrick's Day. Borrowing a common St. Patrick's Day theme--on Cinco de Mayo, everyone is Mexican! In Montana, there's a low Hispanic population. Cinco de Mayo here means the 5th of May, and hopefully a 2 for 1 burrito deal at Taco John's. And drinking a few Coronas. Not one of the biggie holidays, by a long shot. But it did give me an opportunity to whip out my sombrero and put it to good use! Much better than the Maypole idea!
(I was going to make some sort of comment that I was thinking of Moose, my Maypole grew,
and I had to hide it under my sombrero, but I don't think I will...)
(Also--See that dark patch above my right knee? That's the burn from my laptop that rests there a couple of hours a day, every day.)
(Also--Look at how deformed the right leg below the knee looks. Leftover from my exploits from last summer!)
This week's Mystery Guest has a blog full of HNT pics but this is her first go round as MG. She's a classically trained singer and pianist who has sung opera professionally but she also loves drinking beer and playing fantasy football. She's a city girl with some very country roots and recently took a vacation to spend some quiet time on a family ranch. When she's in the city she's frequently out making mischief, quite content to be living the single life and documenting all the dirty details in her blog.
She'll be revealed Thursday afternoon, but as always, if you think you know here, she'll probably admit to it if you asked her!
This week's MG is Little Minx from over at "Arousal of the Minx". Stop by and fondle her archives!
Wow! What a turnout for "...the Other HNT"! Alot of submissions, and most of them were sent in early! I like it when that happens. Makes my day go much smoother! It's still definitely NSFW, but a notch tamer than recent weeks. Come by and leave some comments!
Don't forget the theme alert for two weeks from now! It'll stay up there on top of the sidebar until then!
I leave Friday to meet up with Moose in Minneapolis to go see "Jesus Christ Superstar". And to spend the weekend there. I could have planned another King Herod HNT like I had at Easter, but, no.
That leaves me with Cinco de Mayo. A curious little holiday that is actually celebrated more in the US than in Mexico. Sort of a Latino St. Patrick's Day. Borrowing a common St. Patrick's Day theme--on Cinco de Mayo, everyone is Mexican! In Montana, there's a low Hispanic population. Cinco de Mayo here means the 5th of May, and hopefully a 2 for 1 burrito deal at Taco John's. And drinking a few Coronas. Not one of the biggie holidays, by a long shot. But it did give me an opportunity to whip out my sombrero and put it to good use! Much better than the Maypole idea!
and I had to hide it under my sombrero, but I don't think I will...)
(Also--See that dark patch above my right knee? That's the burn from my laptop that rests there a couple of hours a day, every day.)
(Also--Look at how deformed the right leg below the knee looks. Leftover from my exploits from last summer!)
This week's Mystery Guest has a blog full of HNT pics but this is her first go round as MG. She's a classically trained singer and pianist who has sung opera professionally but she also loves drinking beer and playing fantasy football. She's a city girl with some very country roots and recently took a vacation to spend some quiet time on a family ranch. When she's in the city she's frequently out making mischief, quite content to be living the single life and documenting all the dirty details in her blog.
She'll be revealed Thursday afternoon, but as always, if you think you know here, she'll probably admit to it if you asked her!
This week's MG is Little Minx from over at "Arousal of the Minx". Stop by and fondle her archives!
Wow! What a turnout for "...the Other HNT"! Alot of submissions, and most of them were sent in early! I like it when that happens. Makes my day go much smoother! It's still definitely NSFW, but a notch tamer than recent weeks. Come by and leave some comments!
Don't forget the theme alert for two weeks from now! It'll stay up there on top of the sidebar until then!