Thanksgiving was a success! BIL3 was the cook, which was a surprise! He did mighty well, too! Kept the women out of the kitchen, too! The two nieces never shut up the entire night. They haven't seen each other since August, so it was non-stop. Throw in N1's former college roomie who joined us, and it was a true cackle-fest!
Dad forced himself to come too, at great personal discomfort. I got a clearer picture of what/how he feels. He's sore, he's tired, and a bit week. His main discomfort comes from the fluids that he's retaining. His doctor estimates about 10 pounds of fluid in each leg. Having endured that when I had my leg injury 2 summers ago, I'm fully aware of that pain. And the fluids have swollen him up as high as his belly. To be as delicate as I can--his scrotum is almost the size of a basketball. Hence the problems with walking/sitting/sleeping. No place for "things" to go. Diuretics are the obvious answer, however that will send his blood pressure plummeting. And since it's almost corpse-like already, that's not an option. So he'll just have to wait it out. And it's not going to be a quick process. But he's feeling good, and the heart problem seems to be behaving. It was a good Thanksgiving.
Not a good Thanksgiving for all. It's a sad commentary on our society when a mob, anxious for Christmas specials, will trample a man to death. That was the Wal-Mart on Long Island. Then there's the two left dead at a Toys 'R' Us in California, both of whom shot each other when their "women" got into a fistfight. Sometimes it's just embarrassing to be a human...
On a cheerier note--football playoffs continue on Saturday!! The University of Montana Grizzlies will be hosting the Texas State Bobcats. Griz/Cats #2! The Griz are expected to win rather handily (though it's the playoffs--who knows?). Once again I'll be wearing my Griz slippers and eating a turkey sandwich for the afternoon!
The Carroll College Saints got some odd news on Tuesday. Their opponent this weekend, Northwestern Oklahoma State, forfeited their game. Apparently, 3 NWOSU players dropped some classes that put them below the 12-credit requirement to play. As soon as their administration found out, they contacted the NAIA and forfeited the game. An odd situation that finds the Saints with a bye for the week, and a semi-final game next week. Certainly not the way one would want to go on, but the week off will definitely help with the late season injuries!
This is my final chance for relaxation for a couple of weeks. From now until the 16th, I'll be involved in rehearsals, performances, set-ups, tear-downs, or any combination of those. Including a triple-header on the 13th! It's easily my busiest time of year, but it's also the most rewarding. I just have to remind myself of that during the two weeks! Blog surfing will be cut back quite a bit, but I hope to keep some sort of routine...
Started Black Friday on an ominous note. I received a late afternoon call on Wednesday, asking if I could make it to a Symphony staff meeting on Friday morning. With the vice-president of the Board. This, of course, could not possibly be a good thing. As we met this morning, before he arrived, there was a general uneasy feeling among all the staff. I wasn't the only one worried. Well, the announcement was that there would be a change-up in the administration of the Symphony. There was some discussion of finances and fundraising in these tough economic times, but no mention of staff cuts (even after being asked that question point-blank!). As with most non-profits, there's some rocky roads ahead of us, and it ain't ice cream. Hopefully we'll come through it alright...
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Thanksgiving HNT
I'm at a bit of a loss on what to do/say for this Thanksgiving HNT. I covered the Wednesday Weirdness questions in the post below (check them out!), so that took care of most of my thoughts.
I can announce the December themes!! We've been doing this since the first December of HNT, and it seems to work out well! I'll have specifics over on the sidebar, and I'll make constant mention of them. New twist this year--since Christmas Day and New Year's Day fall on Thursday, the HNTs that week will become Half-Nekkid WEDNESDAYS! I'll post on Tuesday night prior. The themes/dates:
I needed to find something turkey-ish for HNT. I knew I wasn't going to have a nekkid turkey around, but then I remembered a picture I took awhile back. Right after I got my new camera. A series of pictures distorted through the bell of Amy (that's my smaller trombone, for the newbies--yeah, I name my horns--deal with it). Happy Thanksgiving to all of you. Even my heathen Canadian friends who celebrate early! ;-) Unlike last year, I'm opting to keep it as a click-through. You have been duly warned. I present to you, my Butterball. Sorry--no giblets showing!
Some great pre-turkey dinner pictures over at "...the Other HNT" this week! It'll be interesting to see what next week holds! Stop by and leave some comments for your HNT friends over there! Yes, Virginia, it's NSFW.
I can announce the December themes!! We've been doing this since the first December of HNT, and it seems to work out well! I'll have specifics over on the sidebar, and I'll make constant mention of them. New twist this year--since Christmas Day and New Year's Day fall on Thursday, the HNTs that week will become Half-Nekkid WEDNESDAYS! I'll post on Tuesday night prior. The themes/dates:
Thursday, Dec. 18th will be Christmas HNTTo delve a bit deeper about who/what I'm giving thanks for this year... For those of you who sent in their good wishes for my dad (and thank you!), and for those of you who have since asked how he's doing--pretty good, actually. As S2 described it, his femoral artery "disintegrated" when they tried to snake things up towards the heart. He's seen his doctor since coming home, and he had some trouble walking, but I think that's just from being bed-ridden and not being allowed to work it out some. The plan for Thanksgiving dinner will probably be decided tonight. S2 already volunteered to be in charge this year, so if Dad's able to move, and he's not too tired/weak, we'll have dinner with her family. If he can't, then we'll move the whole thing back to my parent's. It's going to be low-key, since S3 and her family will be in the opposite corner of the state (that's like 3-4 states away for most of you!) with BIL3's extended family, and N1 might not be here either. We haven't done "low-key" in a long time, but it will still be a nice gathering! And we're just thankful that his surgery came off OK (well, the heart part of it!).
Wednesday, Dec. 24th will be Three Christmas Wishes HNT
Wednesday, Dec. 31st will be your Year's Favorite HNT
I needed to find something turkey-ish for HNT. I knew I wasn't going to have a nekkid turkey around, but then I remembered a picture I took awhile back. Right after I got my new camera. A series of pictures distorted through the bell of Amy (that's my smaller trombone, for the newbies--yeah, I name my horns--deal with it). Happy Thanksgiving to all of you. Even my heathen Canadian friends who celebrate early! ;-) Unlike last year, I'm opting to keep it as a click-through. You have been duly warned. I present to you, my Butterball. Sorry--no giblets showing!
Tried to come up with a poem. Didn't work.
Here's some interesting facts about our Mystery Guest...
Well, it's a bit earlier than normal for me to be revealing the MG, but dammit, there's turkey to be eaten! Our lovely MG in pink is the sultry, seductive Canadian ~Jobthingy~! Be sure to stop by and say hi if you haven't been there yet. Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving!Here's some interesting facts about our Mystery Guest...
- She owns 4 pairs of bunny ears.
- She drinks beer like a guy.
- She thinks she was a guy in a previous life.
- She's certain she had a large, gorgeous cock.
- That's what her great rack is in this life.
- She's hot-headed.
- She has 5 tattoos.
- And 3 piercings.
- She cusses like a sailor.
- She cares about everyone too much.
- She has WAY too much love to give.
- She's the nicest person you'll ever meet.
- She has her own weird language.
- She speaks fluently in both French and English.
- She apparently doesn't know that 'alot' is actually supposed to be two words.
Some great pre-turkey dinner pictures over at "...the Other HNT" this week! It'll be interesting to see what next week holds! Stop by and leave some comments for your HNT friends over there! Yes, Virginia, it's NSFW.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Wednesday Weirdness #31: Thanksgiving Edition
I've never done a Wednesday Weirdness, but I liked this week's questions, so I'm in!
1. What are you thankful for this year? - Well, besides the obvious (family, health, etc.), I'd have to say it's some of the new friends I've made in the past year. There's a couple that have become very close. This isn't to diminish the thanks I've got for my old friends--one can never have too many! And thankful for the circumstances, means and abilities to meet some of them!
2. Since some of our participants are not in the US, what do you think about Thanksgiving? - Are you asking us to give our impressions for those of the non-American persuasion? Tough, that's the way I'm reading it! I think Thanksgiving has gone the way of most every other recognized holiday in the States. Some try to make it a religious holiday, which it isn't. Others look at it as the day before the "official" start to Christmas. Even more think of it as a day for men to watch football, and the women-folk to stay in the kitchen preparing a bountiful feast. Very little "giving of thanks" occurs during the day. Or sharing one's bounty with those who don't have it. I'm not saying I'm much better at any of that--I'm just saying that Thanksgiving has become sort of generic, like many other holidays. But I do like a good turkey dinner!
3. What is your favorite part of the holiday/ your least favorite. - Favorite part would definitely be the gathering of the family. Anyone who's read my blog knows we're pretty close-knit, and can actually stand being in the same room with each other! My least favorite, unfortunately, is the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Not the parade itself, but the broadcast of it. Back in the day, you got the feeling you were there. Now the music is all canned, everyone stops and does their bit in front of the cameras, singers lip-synch, and the whole thing is just like an Orange Bowl halftime show--and don't get me going on what's wrong with that!
4. Mashed Potatoes or Sweet Potatoes? - Mashed, with giblet gravy! Big honkin' chunks of giblets! There's only one person's sweet potato salad I'll eat, and she's dead. So no more of those will pass these lips!
5. Do you own eating pants? Describe. - No. I tend to just grin and bear it until I get home, where I change into NO pants. Then fall asleep on the couch.
6. What is your favorite thing to do with the Thanksgiving leftovers? - Eat them? And they rarely last through the weekend.
7. Who are you most looking forward to seeing? Least? - No one, in particular. For either part. Though it will be nice to see Dad, rather than visiting him in the hospital!
8. Do you go shopping on the day after Thanksgiving? - Are you nuts?? I'm lucky if I can get my shopping done on the day before Christmas! And yes, I've waited that long... This year, though, there's some online specials that my boss wants me to snag for work, so I'll be doing that on Friday! I'm more than happy to shop and spend other people's money!!
1. What are you thankful for this year? - Well, besides the obvious (family, health, etc.), I'd have to say it's some of the new friends I've made in the past year. There's a couple that have become very close. This isn't to diminish the thanks I've got for my old friends--one can never have too many! And thankful for the circumstances, means and abilities to meet some of them!
2. Since some of our participants are not in the US, what do you think about Thanksgiving? - Are you asking us to give our impressions for those of the non-American persuasion? Tough, that's the way I'm reading it! I think Thanksgiving has gone the way of most every other recognized holiday in the States. Some try to make it a religious holiday, which it isn't. Others look at it as the day before the "official" start to Christmas. Even more think of it as a day for men to watch football, and the women-folk to stay in the kitchen preparing a bountiful feast. Very little "giving of thanks" occurs during the day. Or sharing one's bounty with those who don't have it. I'm not saying I'm much better at any of that--I'm just saying that Thanksgiving has become sort of generic, like many other holidays. But I do like a good turkey dinner!
3. What is your favorite part of the holiday/ your least favorite. - Favorite part would definitely be the gathering of the family. Anyone who's read my blog knows we're pretty close-knit, and can actually stand being in the same room with each other! My least favorite, unfortunately, is the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Not the parade itself, but the broadcast of it. Back in the day, you got the feeling you were there. Now the music is all canned, everyone stops and does their bit in front of the cameras, singers lip-synch, and the whole thing is just like an Orange Bowl halftime show--and don't get me going on what's wrong with that!
4. Mashed Potatoes or Sweet Potatoes? - Mashed, with giblet gravy! Big honkin' chunks of giblets! There's only one person's sweet potato salad I'll eat, and she's dead. So no more of those will pass these lips!
5. Do you own eating pants? Describe. - No. I tend to just grin and bear it until I get home, where I change into NO pants. Then fall asleep on the couch.
6. What is your favorite thing to do with the Thanksgiving leftovers? - Eat them? And they rarely last through the weekend.
7. Who are you most looking forward to seeing? Least? - No one, in particular. For either part. Though it will be nice to see Dad, rather than visiting him in the hospital!
8. Do you go shopping on the day after Thanksgiving? - Are you nuts?? I'm lucky if I can get my shopping done on the day before Christmas! And yes, I've waited that long... This year, though, there's some online specials that my boss wants me to snag for work, so I'll be doing that on Friday! I'm more than happy to shop and spend other people's money!!
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
TMI Tuesday #162
1. What is your favorite Thanksgiving food? - I don't really have a specific favorite. With the exception of the black olives, the celery sticks filled with some orange junk, and sweet potatoes, I love everything! If pressed though, I would have to say my favorite would be the mashed potatoes and gravy. I can never have too much of that!
2. You can flip a switch that will wipe any band or musical artist out of existence. Which one will it be? - Oh, so many choices, and yet so hard... If I'm going to wipe one out of existence, I'd want it to be someone who was influential, so that their clones wouldn't produce, either. With that in mind, I think it would have to be the Mickey Mouse Club alumni (Britney, Christina, Justin, et. al.). Musically inept, talentless hacks, who have conned the music executives (also musically inept, talentless hacks) into producing them. Since you asked...
3. You seem to be having an excellent day because you just came across a hundred-dollar bill on the sidewalk. Holy crap, a hundred bucks! How are you gonna spend it? - That puppy is going to be spent either on groceries, or bills--whichever I need to deal with at the moment. With luck, Taco Tuesday at Taco John's!
4. What is your favorite curse word? - For as much as I use a particular one, I actually prefer "asshole". Drawn out and sort of nasal. Most often directed at drivers with their heads up their ass.
5. Rufus appears out of nowhere with a time-traveling phone booth. You can go anytime in the PAST. What time are you traveling to and what are you going to do when you get there? - I'd like to go back to high school and make some radically different choices. Or, I've often told others that I was born about 30-40 years too late. I'd love to live during the heyday of the big bands, and play in one of the famous ones. As long as I didn't have to do things like fight in WWII...
Bonus (as in optional):You accidentally eat some radioactive vegetables. They were good, and what's even cooler is that they endow you with the super-power of your choice! What's it gonna be? - Shape-shifting. That would even be better than invisibility! And you could shape-shift into a bird, so you could fly!
Be sure to stop by the TMI site to see who else is playing this week!
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Weekend Updates
All three of my favored football teams kicked butt this weekend. Yay! Interestingly, all three scored 35 points to win their games!
Just heard from S2. She just dropped off Mom and Dad. He's doing well, but stiff after riding in a car for 4 hours. And he didn't get much walking done while at the hospital, so he's not walking very well right now. Thanks for all the good wishes. I'll keep you updated (hopefully not much more to say!).
Aready polished off my first half-gallon of egg nog. Damn, I do love this time of year!
- Helena Capital HS won its third straight state AA championship by defeating Billings West, 35-14. It was a close game until the second play of the third quarter, and the Bruins simply put it away. They are already favored to make it to the championship game next season!
- Carroll College started its defense of its national championship by defeating Dickinson State (N.D.), 35-18. They will be putting their 27-game winning streak on the line when they host Northwestern Oklahoma State next Saturday. It will be a rematch of the 2003 championship, where Carroll won their second straight championship against the team quarterbacked by Patrick Crayton (currently playing wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys).
- The University of Montana defeated their cross-state rivals, Montana State University, 35-3. Coupled by an unanticipated loss by Weber State to Eastern Washington (26-33), the Griz captured their 11th consecutive Big Sky Championship (co-champions with Weber State). This also propelled the Griz to the #4 seed, meaning that, for at least the first two games, they will host! First opponent--Texas State. With any luck at all, it will be cold and snowy!!!
Just heard from S2. She just dropped off Mom and Dad. He's doing well, but stiff after riding in a car for 4 hours. And he didn't get much walking done while at the hospital, so he's not walking very well right now. Thanks for all the good wishes. I'll keep you updated (hopefully not much more to say!).
Aready polished off my first half-gallon of egg nog. Damn, I do love this time of year!
Friday, November 21, 2008
Current Dad Update
I've been a bit distracted over the past couple of days, courtesy of dear old Dad, lack of sleep, and busyness at work. But this is a post about Dad. I haven't done one in awhile (haven't needed to...).
A few months ago, I wrote about how he had a bit of a problem after a colonoscopy. After a pretty uneventful summer, he started having some blood loss again. His doctors wanted to alter his coumadin dosage, but his heart doctor had concerns about that. They compromised, and decided to run a quick check of his heart/pacemaker before any decisions. And that's where they found a problem.
Apparently, his aneurysm has grown. So now, rather than worrying about his colon, he was scheduled for heart surgery. He, my mom and S2 drove down to Billings on Wednesday, and was scheduled for surgery on Thursday at 8AM. Mom called me in mid-afternoon to tell me how it went.
The surgery took over twice as long as anticipated, because the walls of the femoral artery (the way to a man's heart is no longer through his stomach, but his groin...) were collapsing. So they had to spend more time snaking through before replacing or reinforcing his previous stent. I'm not sure what they did. Anyway, they're keeping him a little longer than planned. Because his heart wasn't pumping as well as it should have been, he's been retaining fluids. So rather than coming home today, they hopefully will be coming back tomorrow--maybe Sunday. They meet with the doctor tomorrow morning, so in the meantime, he'll stay in ICU (doesn't need to be there--there's just no more beds available in the hospital). Part of what they'll also be looking at is whether he can walk or not. That may be a whole new set of problems we get to look forward to!
I called her tonight, and the first question she had for me was whether the high school championship game was being televised. She figured that since the Helena team was playing a Billings team, they'd be able to watch it. Unfortunately, it's not. But for the rest of you...the Helena Capital Bruins just defeated the Billings West Golden Bears, 35-14, to win their 3rd straight Class AA state championship! Woohoo!
A few months ago, I wrote about how he had a bit of a problem after a colonoscopy. After a pretty uneventful summer, he started having some blood loss again. His doctors wanted to alter his coumadin dosage, but his heart doctor had concerns about that. They compromised, and decided to run a quick check of his heart/pacemaker before any decisions. And that's where they found a problem.
Apparently, his aneurysm has grown. So now, rather than worrying about his colon, he was scheduled for heart surgery. He, my mom and S2 drove down to Billings on Wednesday, and was scheduled for surgery on Thursday at 8AM. Mom called me in mid-afternoon to tell me how it went.
The surgery took over twice as long as anticipated, because the walls of the femoral artery (the way to a man's heart is no longer through his stomach, but his groin...) were collapsing. So they had to spend more time snaking through before replacing or reinforcing his previous stent. I'm not sure what they did. Anyway, they're keeping him a little longer than planned. Because his heart wasn't pumping as well as it should have been, he's been retaining fluids. So rather than coming home today, they hopefully will be coming back tomorrow--maybe Sunday. They meet with the doctor tomorrow morning, so in the meantime, he'll stay in ICU (doesn't need to be there--there's just no more beds available in the hospital). Part of what they'll also be looking at is whether he can walk or not. That may be a whole new set of problems we get to look forward to!
I called her tonight, and the first question she had for me was whether the high school championship game was being televised. She figured that since the Helena team was playing a Billings team, they'd be able to watch it. Unfortunately, it's not. But for the rest of you...the Helena Capital Bruins just defeated the Billings West Golden Bears, 35-14, to win their 3rd straight Class AA state championship! Woohoo!
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Playoffs HNT
Haloscan has made some improvements.
But there's still a quirk or two.
DO NOT ENTER
YOUR EMAIL!!!
Or you'll get 100 emails
telling you someone commented.
DO ENTER YOUR
BLOG'S URL!!!
If you don't, no one will make it over.
I think the spam problem has been taken care of.
Hope it's all worked out!
As mentioned in my prior post, and evident in my current template colors, it's playoff time for my favorite football teams!
Nothing terribly fancy to say here. The high school championship game will be televised, I believe, and the two college games will be televised on Saturday. What you see to the right is pretty much the way I'll be for the weekend. In my fuzzy warm Grizzly slippers!
"Congratulations! You're not perfect! It's ridiculous to want to be perfect anyway. But then, everybody's ridiculous sometimes, except perfect people. You know what perfect is? Perfect is not eating or drinking or talking or moving a muscle or making even the teensiest mistake. Perfect is never doing anything wrong - which means never doing anything at all. Perfect is boring! So you're not perfect! Wonderful! Have fun! Eat things that give you bad breath! Trip over your own shoelaces! Laugh! Let somebody else laugh at you! Perfect people never do any of those things. All they do is sit around and sip weak tea and think about how perfect they are. But they're really not one-hundred-percent perfect anyway. You should see them when they get the hiccups! Phooey! Who needs 'em? You can drink pickle juice and imitate gorillas and do silly dances and sing stupid songs and wear funny hats and be as imperfect as you please and still be a good person. Good people are hard to find nowadays. And they're a lot more fun than perfect people any day of the week." ~Stephen Manes, Be a Perfect Person in Just Three Days!We'll reveal the MG on Thursday afternoon!
Not too much of a surprise here, but this week's MG is the perfectly imperfect Dana! Be sure to check out some more red lace at her site (if you haven't been there already--and why would that be??).
A somewhat testosterone-infused atmosphere over at "...the Other HNT". But plenty of ladies, too! Be sure to check out your fellow HNTers! And, of course, it's NSFW!
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
This, that, and other things...
<-----Did I not tell you that someone at Blogger has a sense of humor?This may come back to bite me in the ass later on, but it was 71 degrees here today! November in Montana! Woohoo! Just like Florida--NOT!!!
While in Indy, I noticed that gas prices were right around $1.85/gallon. Here, I came home to $1.99/gal., and it's down to $1.95/gal. this afternoon. While I like that, it pisses me off that prices were more than double that just 3 months ago, and that there's nothing to protect us from having that happen again. Don't even get me going on the price of gas in Wichita...
I'm not a traveler, in any real sense of the word. And when I do fly, I'm rarely on a strict timeline (such as a meeting or something like that), so I don't really get too terribly upset with the little glitches and delays. But what really irked me was the attitude of passengers who are too cheap to pay the $15 to check their luggage. Sure, I don't like doing it either, but I suck it up, and carry on a backpack with my computer, electronic stuff, and maybe an emergency shirt and toothbrush. But those with two bags got pissed because there was no room left in the overhead. And the suggestion that those of us who only had a small carry-on (like a backpack) were asked to stow it under the seat. Bullshit! I paid $15 to check--that buys me a space up above!!
Another passenger complaint--the passenger who ambles down the aisle as we're loading, finds their seat, then takes another 2 minutes to stow their bag, take off their coat, open their bag to pull out a magazine, make sure the seat was right, turn around to see who else is near them, and be totally oblivious of the 30 other people still trying to get to their seat.
It's close to my favorite time of the year--football playoff time!!! For those of you who follow big-time college football, this would be the concept that the rest of us use to actually crown an undisputed national champion! All three teams listed over there in my sidebar are obviously involved in the playoffs!
First off--the Montana State High School Association Class AA football championship will be played on Friday night. The Helena Capital Bruins (my alma mater) will be hosting the Billings West Golden Bears. This is the 4th straight year Capital has found themselves in the championship, and will be looking for their 3rd consecutive championship.
Next--the Carroll College Fighting Saints start their NAIA playoff run by hosting the Dickinson State (N.D.) Blue Hawks on Saturday. Carroll is looking to win its sixth national championship in seven years. The Saints also have the nation’s longest winning streak at any level — 26 consecutive games.
Finally--the University of Montana Grizzlies will be hosting the "Brawl of the Wild" against the Montana State Bobcats (notice the return of PEEMAN!). Saturday will be the 108th meeting. Montana leads 67-35-5 and has won 19 of the last 22 meetings. MSU’s last win in Missoula was 10-7 in 2002, which broke the Grizzlies’ 16-game winning streak (1986 to 2001) over the Bobcats. The Griz will be in the FCS playoffs, possibly seeded in the top 4, but will probably not earn their 16th consecutive Big Sky Conference title, due to a loss to the Weber State Wildcats. Montana has now won 31 of its past 32 regular-season games and 22 of its last 23 Big Sky contests. They also have the longest playoff appearance streak in all of the 1-AA/FCS.
If you need me this weekend, my butt will be firmly planted in my chair in front of the TV!
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
HoosierLand
TMI can be found below...
So very many stories to tell. You get alot of time to think while waiting in airports, on planes, on the highways. Of course, do you think I can remember all of them now? Ha! So we'll see how I do. I'll leave the airline thoughts and the Peyton Manning worship for a later post. If you're interested in a good recap, check out Dana's post for her take on things.
Woke up before 4AM so I could drive to Billings (3.5 hours away) to catch my flight to Indy. Why would someone do that? To save hundreds of dollars on plane fare! I don't pretend to understand geo-political economic state of aviation, but I know that saving money is a good thing! God bless Priceline! I opted for a rental car, as I didn't want to get surprised by car trouble. I do like a car that implies that it could be/should be driven at 140 MPH!
When getting a cheap ticket from Priceline, you are sometimes subject to bizarre travel routes/layovers that make no sense at all. In this case, luck was on my side, and I was able to contact a particular HNTer whom we all know, and talked her into meeting me for a quick lunch date during my layover! She is opting to remain anonymous, but I had to take a picture of us together. Let me say that she was everything I expected, and more. Charming, witty, and sort of leaning towards the cute side! And I imagine that most of you would have enjoyed the chance to spend a little time with her! This is the best picture I could get her to pose for. Thanks for a brief, but wonderful time!
I landed in Indy at their brand spankin' new terminal about 10 minutes ahead of time, but glitches in the brand spankin' new terminal kept me in the plane, on the ground, for about 45 minutes. Ah, well. The extra time helped M perfect the huge fanfare and celebration awaiting me at baggage claim. She did wonderfully! She and I head to the hotel, and I get in touch with NY Diva (who lives in Indy). She met us at the hotel, and we went to a little beer place nearby for dinner. We then headed to the Rock Bottom Brewery for a couple of more beers. And lots of conversation. It was good to get a sense of who we were going to be spending the weekend with! I came to the realization that I was the only one with a camera, but pictures of us drinking beers is sort of boring. Since it was my camera, you get them, and not me! We kept it a relatively early night (well, for this guy from the Mountain time zone). Sorry, M. This picture doesn't quite capture your loveliness...
Dana drove down the next morning, and the three of us went to the airport to pick up Another Suburban Mom, who flew in from the east coast. We immediately headed to Five Guys Burgers. I might have had the best burger I've ever had. I certainly know that if I wasn't in public, I'd have scarfed down another two of them, and not really care about how messy I was! We met up with NY Diva and P. & S. (and their son E.!). They weren't able to get a babysitter, so this was the only chance to meet everyone. E, of course, used his cuteness to charm the ladies. I didn't have a chance.
The evening found us in the Broad Ripple area of Indy. Very college-like area. We went to dinner at the Broad Ripple Brewpub. British pub-like atmosphere, darts in the back, great food! Living Diary and Flyboy met us there. Many beers were consumed (one person, in particular, or so I'm told). And great food. Cameras came out and pictures were taken (which you might find on some of the other sites).
While I was content to drink beer and eat British desserts, the ladies wanted to check out a bar we'd noticed while looking for the brewpub. The Wild Beaver Saloon. You can probably see where this will go... ASM and M decided to try the Beaver Juice (you had the option of 3 different colors), Dana started in on the Patron--I believe Flyboy and I were the only ones to stick with the beer. It was loud, smoky, and full of college aged kids. As old geezers, I'm impressed with our ability to stick it out! But the geezerness of some of us (no, not me!) made us realize that many of us had to travel the next day, and we also had a brunch date to make in the morning. But a fun night was had by all!
Fortunately, we all were able to roll out of bed the next morning and meet up with American Honey and Yummy (her honey) for brunch at Le Peep. It was a quick trip to town for them, but I think they liked it. We certainly did! Then it was time to start thinking about heading home. Dana headed out, M took ASM to the airport, and NYD volunteered to babysit me until it was time to go to the airport (late afternoon). She took me downtown to see the sights (what a great town!), including the new football stadium and the Speedway. While driving around, M texted to let us know she hadn't left yet, as she was waiting for her daughter, so we met up with her to kill
some time at a Barnes & Noble. It was obvious that the weekend had taken its toll on all of us. M's daughter called, so she left, and NYD and I went to the airport to have a little dinner, and then we said our goodbyes. I was able to catch up on some football from the monitors in the concourses. Nothing really exciting for the rest of the night. Oh, I did talk with Moose for as long as I had cell service. It's good to have her in a far western time zone! I got back to Billings at 11PM, drove back to Helena and got home around 3AM, and was wired enough to not go to bed until after 5. Certainly too tired to do this post!
A great weekend. Good people. There was alot of hesitation from the others going into this, as only a couple of them had experience meeting other bloggers. All that apprehension seemed to disappear quickly with every new meeting, and it was great to put flesh and bones to the people we see on the on the screen. Gossip was rampant, no one pissed anyone off, M almost killed 4 bloggers in one fell swoop, and there were no public half-nekkidness incidents (other than Dana and ASM--go see Dana's site for evidence!). And I'm definitely looking forward to the next gathering, whenever/wherever it may be!
So very many stories to tell. You get alot of time to think while waiting in airports, on planes, on the highways. Of course, do you think I can remember all of them now? Ha! So we'll see how I do. I'll leave the airline thoughts and the Peyton Manning worship for a later post. If you're interested in a good recap, check out Dana's post for her take on things.
Woke up before 4AM so I could drive to Billings (3.5 hours away) to catch my flight to Indy. Why would someone do that? To save hundreds of dollars on plane fare! I don't pretend to understand geo-political economic state of aviation, but I know that saving money is a good thing! God bless Priceline! I opted for a rental car, as I didn't want to get surprised by car trouble. I do like a car that implies that it could be/should be driven at 140 MPH!
When getting a cheap ticket from Priceline, you are sometimes subject to bizarre travel routes/layovers that make no sense at all. In this case, luck was on my side, and I was able to contact a particular HNTer whom we all know, and talked her into meeting me for a quick lunch date during my layover! She is opting to remain anonymous, but I had to take a picture of us together. Let me say that she was everything I expected, and more. Charming, witty, and sort of leaning towards the cute side! And I imagine that most of you would have enjoyed the chance to spend a little time with her! This is the best picture I could get her to pose for. Thanks for a brief, but wonderful time!I landed in Indy at their brand spankin' new terminal about 10 minutes ahead of time, but glitches in the brand spankin' new terminal kept me in the plane, on the ground, for about 45 minutes. Ah, well. The extra time helped M perfect the huge fanfare and celebration awaiting me at baggage claim. She did wonderfully! She and I head to the hotel, and I get in touch with NY Diva (who lives in Indy). She met us at the hotel, and we went to a little beer place nearby for dinner. We then headed to the Rock Bottom Brewery for a couple of more beers. And lots of conversation. It was good to get a sense of who we were going to be spending the weekend with! I came to the realization that I was the only one with a camera, but pictures of us drinking beers is sort of boring. Since it was my camera, you get them, and not me! We kept it a relatively early night (well, for this guy from the Mountain time zone). Sorry, M. This picture doesn't quite capture your loveliness...
Dana drove down the next morning, and the three of us went to the airport to pick up Another Suburban Mom, who flew in from the east coast. We immediately headed to Five Guys Burgers. I might have had the best burger I've ever had. I certainly know that if I wasn't in public, I'd have scarfed down another two of them, and not really care about how messy I was! We met up with NY Diva and P. & S. (and their son E.!). They weren't able to get a babysitter, so this was the only chance to meet everyone. E, of course, used his cuteness to charm the ladies. I didn't have a chance.
The evening found us in the Broad Ripple area of Indy. Very college-like area. We went to dinner at the Broad Ripple Brewpub. British pub-like atmosphere, darts in the back, great food! Living Diary and Flyboy met us there. Many beers were consumed (one person, in particular, or so I'm told). And great food. Cameras came out and pictures were taken (which you might find on some of the other sites).
While I was content to drink beer and eat British desserts, the ladies wanted to check out a bar we'd noticed while looking for the brewpub. The Wild Beaver Saloon. You can probably see where this will go... ASM and M decided to try the Beaver Juice (you had the option of 3 different colors), Dana started in on the Patron--I believe Flyboy and I were the only ones to stick with the beer. It was loud, smoky, and full of college aged kids. As old geezers, I'm impressed with our ability to stick it out! But the geezerness of some of us (no, not me!) made us realize that many of us had to travel the next day, and we also had a brunch date to make in the morning. But a fun night was had by all!
Fortunately, we all were able to roll out of bed the next morning and meet up with American Honey and Yummy (her honey) for brunch at Le Peep. It was a quick trip to town for them, but I think they liked it. We certainly did! Then it was time to start thinking about heading home. Dana headed out, M took ASM to the airport, and NYD volunteered to babysit me until it was time to go to the airport (late afternoon). She took me downtown to see the sights (what a great town!), including the new football stadium and the Speedway. While driving around, M texted to let us know she hadn't left yet, as she was waiting for her daughter, so we met up with her to kill
some time at a Barnes & Noble. It was obvious that the weekend had taken its toll on all of us. M's daughter called, so she left, and NYD and I went to the airport to have a little dinner, and then we said our goodbyes. I was able to catch up on some football from the monitors in the concourses. Nothing really exciting for the rest of the night. Oh, I did talk with Moose for as long as I had cell service. It's good to have her in a far western time zone! I got back to Billings at 11PM, drove back to Helena and got home around 3AM, and was wired enough to not go to bed until after 5. Certainly too tired to do this post!A great weekend. Good people. There was alot of hesitation from the others going into this, as only a couple of them had experience meeting other bloggers. All that apprehension seemed to disappear quickly with every new meeting, and it was great to put flesh and bones to the people we see on the on the screen. Gossip was rampant, no one pissed anyone off, M almost killed 4 bloggers in one fell swoop, and there were no public half-nekkidness incidents (other than Dana and ASM--go see Dana's site for evidence!). And I'm definitely looking forward to the next gathering, whenever/wherever it may be!
TMI Tuesday #161
1. When did you last use your cellular telephone as a flashlight? Trying to read the menu at a dimly lit brewpub on Saturday night!
2. On a scale from 1-10, how comfy are you being naked? 10, if I'm home alone. 2, if not. Didn't used to be that way, but this body has totally gone to hell.
3. What is the longest you've ever been celibate after having lost your virginity? Currently in a funk so long that most priests have a better record in this area than me. And that's not with altar boys, either!
4. Have you ever had sex in a car? If yes, since you were a teenager? Oh, yes! But probably not since my late 20s?
5. When did you last use food or drink as medication? Never used drink as medication, but food is another matter. Not specifically, but overeating has been a problem with me for a long time.
Bonus: Name three words that:
a) get you excited - Free. Cold. Beer.
b) make you squirm - Colonoscopy. Snip. The blogname of a particular (but unnamed) HNTer (no, not that one--the other one).
c) make you laugh - Flick. Titillate. Uvula.
Monday, November 17, 2008
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Indy!
Updates from the road will be more difficult than anticipated.
I'm here. Beer has been consumed. Food has been eaten. Gossiping has commenced!
I'll try to post, but there's so much to do, and so little time to do it!
I'm here. Beer has been consumed. Food has been eaten. Gossiping has commenced!
I'll try to post, but there's so much to do, and so little time to do it!
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Haloscan sucks chocolate salty balls...
I am SO sorry for what people had to endure to post their HNT comments this week. I originally installed it for comments because Blogger was having problems when I first started blogging. And quite frankly, it's a very good application. I'm going to have to look into switching, but I've got 4 years of comments that I don't want to lose (that's tens of thousands...).
However, it was purchased by a different company. I liken it to a tax attorney who purchases a French restaurant as an investment, then decides he wants to be the head chef. But his only cooking experience has been flipping burgers on the backyard grill. I'm not sure why MY comments have been affected. It could be as simple as reinstalling the template. What I DON'T understand is why no one else who uses Haloscan was affected. It's almost as though all of my settings were changed, and I don't like it.
Particularly offensive to me is the fact that many of you tried to leave a comment, but Haloscan (Akismet, actually) filtered them out as spam! INCLUDING COMMENTS I LEFT MYSELF!!! Puzzling, because Akismet is more associated with Wordpress. But I digress. Some of you may have noticed a lack of traffic--probably because your comments never posted. Others of you because, for whatever reason, Haloscan wouldn't accept your URL, and redirected back to the full comments page. Again, I apologize (though I really have no control). There's a number of other areas where I've lost control, so there's going to be some nasty emails to their support. HOWEVER, I'm off to Indy, so it won't happen for a bit.
I am posting the names and URLs of those who were considered spam, and were therefore not posted. I hope you take the opportunity to check them out!
However, it was purchased by a different company. I liken it to a tax attorney who purchases a French restaurant as an investment, then decides he wants to be the head chef. But his only cooking experience has been flipping burgers on the backyard grill. I'm not sure why MY comments have been affected. It could be as simple as reinstalling the template. What I DON'T understand is why no one else who uses Haloscan was affected. It's almost as though all of my settings were changed, and I don't like it.
Particularly offensive to me is the fact that many of you tried to leave a comment, but Haloscan (Akismet, actually) filtered them out as spam! INCLUDING COMMENTS I LEFT MYSELF!!! Puzzling, because Akismet is more associated with Wordpress. But I digress. Some of you may have noticed a lack of traffic--probably because your comments never posted. Others of you because, for whatever reason, Haloscan wouldn't accept your URL, and redirected back to the full comments page. Again, I apologize (though I really have no control). There's a number of other areas where I've lost control, so there's going to be some nasty emails to their support. HOWEVER, I'm off to Indy, so it won't happen for a bit.
I am posting the names and URLs of those who were considered spam, and were therefore not posted. I hope you take the opportunity to check them out!
Shibari - http:/Look for some stories and pics soon!/shibari-co http://benfessions.b logspot.com
Beautiful Dreamer -autifuldrea httmer30.blogs pot.com
Biscuit -p://obhhnt. http://amoblogspot.co m
Amorous Rocker -rouschick.b httplogspot.com
Sunshine K -://abnormal http://madthinkings.b logspot.com /
Bad Bad Girl - http://bbgblog.com/
Masquerade --masquerade http://joe.blogspot.c om
Fat Controller -heather.blo gspot.com
Mariposa -http://mari http:posashnt.bl ogspot.com/ //damagedst http:ar.blogspot .com/
B -//bfrolicio httpus.blogspot .com/
Semi-Celibate Man -://semiceli http:/bateerotica .blogspot.c om/
Cheryl -/sexysingle http://hetsassy.blogs pot.com/
Heterosapphic -ero-sapphic .blogspot.c om
Witness the anatomy of a HNT breakdown...
Haloscan has really mucked up my comments window.
You'll have to enter your name.
DO NOT ENTER YOUR EMAIL!!!
Or you'll get 100 emails telling you someone commented.
ENTER YOUR BLOG'S URL!!!
If you don't no one will make it over.
It appears you're going to have to type your
URL in as part of your comments.
Sorry for the inconvenience...
Follow along with this. It really does tie together by the end!
I had a fairly decent idea going into this week that I was going to be incredibly busy. Add in the fact that the high school friends and I got together again on Tuesday (and drank WAY too much), and I knew I'd be losing my normal day to pull things together. Generally not too much of a problem.
So the plan was to do a whole tribute about Johnny Unitas. For those of you too young to know the name, he was the best quarterback in the NFL in the 60s. He's in the football Hall of Fame. He still has some records that have not been surpassed. Graduated from the University of Louisville. Played the majority of his pro career with the Baltimore Colts (who have since moved to Indianapolis).
My HNT was going to be a picture of me in my 8th grade football uniform (remember--I'm super busy this week). Resplendent in my blue and white uniform (still the team colors of the Colts). Those who have followed along will remember that the 8th grade may well have been my geekiest year ever. So now I have to find the picture. After tearing apart my apartment (wasting precious time), I finally find it. I slap it onto my scanner, and... nothing. My computer can't find the scanner.
In the meantime, I'm getting inundated with OHNT pics (well, I can't complain there). Time is growing short. What will I do??? I cheat. I post a picture that I've used before. Instead of my geeky football picture, you get the view of what I might look like if I were to actually attend a Colt's football game. (trust me, this all wraps up nicely by the end!)
Do you travel? If you do, look me up. You can find me just a little south of here:Latitude = 34.0688
Longitude = -84.2720
Lat = 34 degrees, 4.1 minutes North
Long = 84 degrees, 16.3 minutes West
I find that hassle of traveling forces you to pack lightly. I always make sure to have a crisp white shirt and the fruits of Mollusca phylu, specifically bivalia -they work well with my skin. I like to dress up while I'm away - it's fun to be someone else on the road!. So I always make sure that I have the proper tools to make myself look like a 50's starlet. Can you guess who is behind the shirt?
We'll reveal her on Thursday afternoon! This lovely MG is the supremely sexy Southern Vixen. Be sure to stop by and see what sort of legal trouble she's been in!
We have a huge number of submissions over at "...the Other HNT". May well be the largest crop we've ever had! Come by and check them out! Of course, NSFW.
OK--tying things together. OsTour '08! I am going to be in Indianapolis (current home of the Colts!) this weekend. This, of course, gives me the chance to meet up with some of the midwest's finest bloggers! I have probably missed some people who live nearby who might want to join in, so if you're one of those, feel free to email me and I'll get you caught up on the details! Hopefully there's going to be some pictures/post over the weekend, but no guarantees. Definitely by Monday night, though! As far as surfing goes--I might not be around for a few days. Carry on without me!
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
TMI Tuesday #160
1. Ever been skinny dipping? Many times, long ago and far away... Fun story--was with a bunch of friends during college (male & female) in the Yellowstone River near Mammoth Hot Springs. A long continuing night of drinking. I waded further down the river (actually, UP the river), came around an embankment, and meet face to face with my sister. She had been in town for the weekend visiting her best friend. Ran into her, too. We don't talk about it at all these days...
2. How often do you kiss or make out without it simply being a foreplay activity? The only kissing I do these days is ass-kissing. And that bears no resemblance to foreplay. Unless I'm about to get fucked.
3. On a scale of 1-10, how content are you with your life? (1 is lowest, 10 is highest) Probably about a 7. Or 6.5. Do you think 'content' and 'happy' the same thing? Absolutely not. You can be much happier with your life, even if the contentment factor isn't quite at the same level. Contentment implies that there's always a higher level that can be achieved, but you're not quite there. You can be happy without contentment.
4. What do you do to relieve stress? Music. I miss the days when I could sit at a piano for hours on end and just play, letting my fingers do whatever they were going to do (never reading music). Frankly, these days, I don't stress much, but if I need to do something, I'll play Sudoku that's included on my Mac. I'm fairly good at it.
5. What was the special trait in your first lover that made you decide that they were "the one?" Haven't found "the one". None of them have ever had any sort of special trait. A couple of them had some special tricks, but that's a bit different....
Bonus: How old were you when you first had sex? (positive experiences here...) I believe I must have been 16. Maybe 17. I don't really recall how old I was. But I do remember the experience!
Be sure to stop by and see who else played this week!
Monday, November 10, 2008
Lots o'Randomness
Another weekend full of football, and little else.
With the TV on all weekend, I saw alot of commercials.
Haloscan is apparently in a transition phase. You might have noticed that if you left me a comment. It was bought out by another company and transferring stuff to newer/better servers. Unfortunately, many of the features that were standard were discarded. As far as I can tell, there's been a bit of an uproar, so things will eventually go back to "normal". We'll have to see.
We had a very weird day here today. We very rarely get fog around here. Sometimes out by the lake and river, but not too much in town. And when we do, it's usually burned off by midday. Well, that didn't happen today. These are from about 3 this afternoon. Ignore the thing that looks like a tornado. I'm hoping that's not a scratch on the lens...
With the TV on all weekend, I saw alot of commercials.
- Crayolas - I've blogged about this in the past. Remember when Crayolas meant the 16-pack of crayons? Unless you were one of the rich kids whose parents got you the 64-pack. With the built-in sharpener. We heard rumors of a 128-pack, but we knew that wasn't true, because there couldn't possibly be that many colors. Anyhow, Crayolas have branched out to all sorts of things. The latest thing I saw was a watercolor-type brush that lights up and doesn't smear if used off the page. How do they do that? And what happened to the concept of staying inside the lines??
- Billy Mays - How does one get his gig? The beard is absolutely flawless. Fake-ish, even! And his enthusiasm--where do we get THOSE pills??
- 2 for 1 commercials - Sort of along the same lines. I'm glad I don't have an unlimited supply of money, or else I'd be buying all sorts of stuff. What's amazing about these offers, is that, once they've slashed the price down to $19.95, they'll send you TWO of the same offer!! Can we take this same concept down to the grocery store?
- Bob from Enzyte - What can I say? These commercials are SO ridiculous. But through it all, there's Bob. With his all-knowing smile!
Haloscan is apparently in a transition phase. You might have noticed that if you left me a comment. It was bought out by another company and transferring stuff to newer/better servers. Unfortunately, many of the features that were standard were discarded. As far as I can tell, there's been a bit of an uproar, so things will eventually go back to "normal". We'll have to see.
We had a very weird day here today. We very rarely get fog around here. Sometimes out by the lake and river, but not too much in town. And when we do, it's usually burned off by midday. Well, that didn't happen today. These are from about 3 this afternoon. Ignore the thing that looks like a tornado. I'm hoping that's not a scratch on the lens...
(click 'em to big 'em!)
Friday, November 07, 2008
Friday Stuff
Remember when I mentioned a few posts back that I thought the word verification words were becoming more word-like? I ran across my first "real" word this week (though I'll be damned if I can remember what it was). But this one I had to take a screenshot of. Yeah, so I have the mind of a 13 year old boy. I used to be one, you know! I think we should all make a collection of the "best" ones that we have to type in. Complete with definitions, if necessary!Thanks to all of you who helped BTExpress somewhat forget his 60th birthday! He emailed me yesterday, and the only thing I can describe him as is giddy! Good job, peoples!
I found a new pet peeve. Even worse than the women who don't know how to act at a four-way stop. Not quite as bad as trash being tossed out the car window. I'm referring to the person who pulls up to a red light in a right-turn lane, and only slows down enough to see that there's actually traffic coming in their direction. Rather than STOPPING, as required by law, they drive right through the turn. Causing the person coming towards them to either brake to avoid hitting them, or pulling up right behind them, almost close enough to kiss bumpers (hmmm...I wonder which one I'D do?). THEN, they decide to suddenly become law-abiding citizens, driving just under the posted speed limit. Yep. My new pet peeve...
I live in a town where, unless you have satellite, it's impossible to get the NFL Network. Who decided that Thursday night football was a good idea/necessary?
If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers, where's the peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked?
Thursday, November 06, 2008
Alternate Plans HNT
Well, two years of fighting, rhetoric, debates, arguments, accusations, and all the other fun stuff associated with a presidential campaign have come to an end. Temporarily. It's sure to start up again soon!
The American people have spoken. It appears that there's going to be some changes around here. Possibly the most impressive thing I've seen this time around has been the interest among the 20-something crowd. Bill Clinton had it too, but this seemed much more determined. And much more passionate. There were even some young bloggers that I didn't think would be interested in politics who really let their passion show. Kudos to them!
As for me, I wasn't as excited. Politics rarely does that sort of thing for me. I will admit that the state races were much more interesting for me. And, for the most part, the candidates and referendums I chose were winners (with one shockingly close county race that didn't go my way...). Montana will be shown on political maps as being a red state (that's Republican-leaning, for you out-of-towners). McCain won the state's electoral votes. But interestingly, the entire state administration is filled with Democrats. Our governor is a Democrat. Our two senators are Democrats (the incumbent who ran this year won by about a 3-1 margin). Our lone representative (that's right--Montana has ONE representative) is a Republican. But we'll show up on maps as a red state. I don't understand...
This election was an historic one. It was during the acceptance speech that it dawned on me, "Holy crap! We just elected a black man into the presidency!" And not thought of with racist overtones, but thinking about those images I saw in my youth from the civil war riots of the 60s. Certainly foreign stuff for this young white kid in the middle of Montana, where I had probably not seen anything resembling a minority. Yes, this was historic. Yes, there will be many changes coming. Yes, it's going to be an interesting four years!
Some say this was the election of a generation (actually, from the last numbers I saw, it might be the largest turnout ever, but only by a slight fraction). Some people sat around televisions and computer monitors all afternoon and evening. Me? I was preparing, just in case the result went the other way.
"Have you ever noticed a tree standing naked against the sky,
How beautiful it is?
All its branches are outlined, and in its nakedness
There is a poem, there is a song.
Every leaf is gone and it is waiting for the spring.
When the spring comes, it again fills the tree with
The music of many leaves,
Which in due season fall and are blown away.
And this is the way of life."
- Krishnamurti
Many of you will recognize this longtime favorite HNTer. If you know how to find her, stop by and say hello! She'll be revealed Thursday afternoon.
Of course, this is Zoely! She's still around, and is making a quiet return to blogging. Stop by and say hi, and check out some awesome New England scenery!
"...the Other HNT" has a nice variety this week. Along with a couple of newbies! Be sure to check them out and leave a nice comment for everyone! NSFW, as usual.
I don't know how many of you have done it, but hopefully many of you posted or sent pictures of your boobies to BTExpress! He turned 60 on Tuesday. He is probably the oldest HNTer out there (true?). If you didn't post one, I know he'll accept them by email!! Remember, BTE--I get a commission!!
Had plans to get together with my two HS friends for beers on Tuesday afternoon. I've mentioned them before (D & K, for identification purposes). Both of them are state employees, so they didn't have to work. We were going to celebrate D's 52nd birthday. Unfortunately, K called to say she was sick and couldn't make it. Did that stop D & I?? Oh, hells no! We drank like fish, watched the afternoon election coverage, played keno, and talked about all sorts of things. Oh, there were fried gizzards and mushrooms and onion rings and wings and cheese sticks. And D and I talked about friendships. We realized that, after 35 years, neither of us really socialize with our high school friends. And how wonderful it was that we "force" ourselves to meet at least 3 times each year to celebrate each of our birthdays! And if that means drinking alot of beer (Ranier!!!), losing money at keno, and eating far too much fried appetizers, I'm all for it! And since D's bday really isn't until NEXT Tuesday, and the state employees get THAT day off too, we're going to do it all over again!! (And that's just the beginning of a full week of partying! More on that later!)
The American people have spoken. It appears that there's going to be some changes around here. Possibly the most impressive thing I've seen this time around has been the interest among the 20-something crowd. Bill Clinton had it too, but this seemed much more determined. And much more passionate. There were even some young bloggers that I didn't think would be interested in politics who really let their passion show. Kudos to them!
As for me, I wasn't as excited. Politics rarely does that sort of thing for me. I will admit that the state races were much more interesting for me. And, for the most part, the candidates and referendums I chose were winners (with one shockingly close county race that didn't go my way...). Montana will be shown on political maps as being a red state (that's Republican-leaning, for you out-of-towners). McCain won the state's electoral votes. But interestingly, the entire state administration is filled with Democrats. Our governor is a Democrat. Our two senators are Democrats (the incumbent who ran this year won by about a 3-1 margin). Our lone representative (that's right--Montana has ONE representative) is a Republican. But we'll show up on maps as a red state. I don't understand...
This election was an historic one. It was during the acceptance speech that it dawned on me, "Holy crap! We just elected a black man into the presidency!" And not thought of with racist overtones, but thinking about those images I saw in my youth from the civil war riots of the 60s. Certainly foreign stuff for this young white kid in the middle of Montana, where I had probably not seen anything resembling a minority. Yes, this was historic. Yes, there will be many changes coming. Yes, it's going to be an interesting four years!
Some say this was the election of a generation (actually, from the last numbers I saw, it might be the largest turnout ever, but only by a slight fraction). Some people sat around televisions and computer monitors all afternoon and evening. Me? I was preparing, just in case the result went the other way.
(click it to big it!)
"Have you ever noticed a tree standing naked against the sky,How beautiful it is?
All its branches are outlined, and in its nakedness
There is a poem, there is a song.
Every leaf is gone and it is waiting for the spring.
When the spring comes, it again fills the tree with
The music of many leaves,
Which in due season fall and are blown away.
And this is the way of life."
- Krishnamurti
Many of you will recognize this longtime favorite HNTer. If you know how to find her, stop by and say hello! She'll be revealed Thursday afternoon.
Of course, this is Zoely! She's still around, and is making a quiet return to blogging. Stop by and say hi, and check out some awesome New England scenery!
"...the Other HNT" has a nice variety this week. Along with a couple of newbies! Be sure to check them out and leave a nice comment for everyone! NSFW, as usual.
I don't know how many of you have done it, but hopefully many of you posted or sent pictures of your boobies to BTExpress! He turned 60 on Tuesday. He is probably the oldest HNTer out there (true?). If you didn't post one, I know he'll accept them by email!! Remember, BTE--I get a commission!!
Had plans to get together with my two HS friends for beers on Tuesday afternoon. I've mentioned them before (D & K, for identification purposes). Both of them are state employees, so they didn't have to work. We were going to celebrate D's 52nd birthday. Unfortunately, K called to say she was sick and couldn't make it. Did that stop D & I?? Oh, hells no! We drank like fish, watched the afternoon election coverage, played keno, and talked about all sorts of things. Oh, there were fried gizzards and mushrooms and onion rings and wings and cheese sticks. And D and I talked about friendships. We realized that, after 35 years, neither of us really socialize with our high school friends. And how wonderful it was that we "force" ourselves to meet at least 3 times each year to celebrate each of our birthdays! And if that means drinking alot of beer (Ranier!!!), losing money at keno, and eating far too much fried appetizers, I'm all for it! And since D's bday really isn't until NEXT Tuesday, and the state employees get THAT day off too, we're going to do it all over again!! (And that's just the beginning of a full week of partying! More on that later!)
Tuesday, November 04, 2008
More Commercials
TMI Tuesday can be found below....
OK, I mentioned last week that I thought the A-Rod/Hawk/Phelps/Kobe ad for Guitar Hero World Tour was pretty good. It doesn't hold a candle to this one, though (thank you, Ms. Klum)...
Which, in turns pales to THIS one (doesn't she look a bit like Charlie?)!!
While I'm on the topic of commercials, this one is just disturbing. Possibly even more than Burger King ones...
OK, I mentioned last week that I thought the A-Rod/Hawk/Phelps/Kobe ad for Guitar Hero World Tour was pretty good. It doesn't hold a candle to this one, though (thank you, Ms. Klum)...
Which, in turns pales to THIS one (doesn't she look a bit like Charlie?)!!
While I'm on the topic of commercials, this one is just disturbing. Possibly even more than Burger King ones...
TMI Tuesday #159
First names and approximate age is fine too many of you aren't anonymous and too many of you wish to stay anonymous.
1. Have you ever had a moving violation? An auto accident? That was your fault? - So much to tell here! Moving violations--I refer you to the 7 tickets I racked up in the summer of 2006. Auto accidents--Four, that I can remember. Only one was my fault, and didn't happen until I was about 45 or so.
2. Have you ever voted? - I vote in almost every election. Without fail for the "major ones". I've missed a couple of school elections over the years. How old was your were you the first time you voted? - Eighteen years old.
3. Are you glad this election cycle is over? - I despise the rhetoric. I despise the lawn signs. I despise the radio hosts (though I'll listen--they are hilariously grasping for straws most of the time!). I despise the uninformed public (read that as ignorant). But I don't believe that this particular year was overly nasty, as some previous elections. The state races tend to be REALLY mean, but I didn't get that feeling this year.
4. Do you have guilty pleasure? What is it (or are they)? - Hmmm... Other than a bit of joy watching someone getting karma shoved back in their face, I don't think I do. Ooh--there's a great pleasure in knowing secrets. Hidden identities of OHNTers. Hidden liaisons. Hidden blogs. But I'm not sure if those would be considered "guilty". I don't have any sort of weird, kinky stuff that I'd call a guilty pleasure, if that's what you're looking for...
5. What is the most embarrassing thing you have done recently? - I don't embarrass very easily. I might blush, but I don't do anything that I'd consider embarrassing. Showing off my ass for HNT is about as bad as it gets, I think. Anyone know of anything else I should be embarrassed of?
Bonus: How much impact has the Wall Street and general economic wilt had on you? - A direct impact? Virtually none. One of the few benefits of being a musician. I have no savings, retirement, investments--nothing. I didn't lose a penny. As far as what could impact me, the same things that will affect all of us.
Stop by the TMI site to see who else joined in!
And GO VOTE!!!