Boobie-Thon '10 HNT

It's that time of year again for the 9th Annual Blogger Boobie-Thon! It starts up this Friday, and runs for seven days. For those who have never experienced it, it's a fundraiser to raise money for breast cancer research. Bloggers from all over the globe send in photos of their boobies (covered and uncovered) to help raise money for Breast Cancer Research. They have raised over $64,000 in the past 8 years.

As I've mentioned in previous years, my family hasn't had any history of breast cancer. Doesn't mean that it couldn't happen (we don't have a history of diabetes, either, and look what happened!). Almost everyone knows someone who's been affected by breast cancer. It's not a good thing. While millions of dollars have been raised and spent on cancer research, and there is some progress being made, there's still a long way to go. While raising a few thousand dollars may seem like a drop in a very large bucket, one must remember that the Great Flood started with a few raindrops. And if you don't believe in the Great Flood, try.....um....the last few snowflakes that fall to trigger an avalanche. Or the last straw that broke the camel's back. Whatever. You get the idea. Every little bit helps!

Over the years, many HNTers have contributed many boobie pics for Boobie-Thon. Including a few of the guys. Yeah, guys are encouraged to submit. Guys can get breast cancer too, ya know! Submissions are taken through next Thursday night, so I encourage you to send in a picture or two (a link to instructions can be found on the Boobie-Thon page). I opted to send in a picture of not just mine, but of one of my favorite sets of boobies. So be sure to look for boobs and moobs over there!

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Through the lens of my camera

I can learn to love my body.

This is the my choice of therapy.

This week's Mystery Guest has been enjoying her photo therapy for a couple of years. You can find her Flickr set when she's revealed Thursday afternoon.
this week's MG is Amber from over at Mommy Mania! Stop by and see what she's doing in the kitchen. And leave her some lovin'!

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Another fine batch of pictures submitted this week for "...the Other HNT". Be sure you stop by to check out your fellow HNTers! And don't forget to leave some comments...they'd sure appreciate it! As usual...NSFW.

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As part of my overall template upgrading, I've also worked on my separate HNT site. I'm placing all my HNTs in one spot. I'm about a third of the way through over five years. It's been really interesting to go back and actually look at some of these. In some cases, all I can think is, what was I thinking??? If you're up for some laughs, go take a look over there...

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The latest page of the OsShirt site should be up this weekend. It's the last and most recent location in Florida. Hippies and cops will be involved with this one!

Warm Days, Cool Nights, Newbies & Bewbies

What a great week of weather we're having! Not a cloud in the sky, temps in the upper 70s to mid 80s, nice cool (but not cold) nights. I do love this time of year!

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We've had a large crop of newbies joining us for HNT over the past couple of weeks. I don't normally do this, but welcome to Sunny, Gucci Mama, Dutchess, Blossom, Heather B, A Daft Scots Lass, CO_Sub, Diva, and to all the other new HNTers that have stopped by! We hope you have fun with it, and get to find some new friends out of it. If you haven't checked them out yet, you really should!

For their benefit (and as a reminder to the rest of us), I'm pasting the guidelines for HNT below. They haven't changed a letter since the day they were posted over 5 years ago. Some of them are a little outdated, but in general, it's a nice set of "rules"! Remember that the code for the HNT buttons are available there too, which will always take you back to that page.


The Beginnings
It was suggested that I include the inspiration for "Half-Nekkid Thursday". I would agree. Originally, I credited Cathy with posting pictures for Half Naked Thursdays. I wandered through her blog, and found numerous shots of kid's tushes, bare shoulders, hubby's tummy, etc. It didn't appear to be an organized thing, but a cool idea. So I ran with it. After publicly thanking her for the idea, both she and her husband Doug informed me that the true originator of the concept was The Blue Sloth. He has a HUGE amount of pics on his site--a majority of them of his kids & family. He used to take the kids to the beach and take half naked pics of them. Voila! An idea was born! Many thanks to this unknown genius! I know that he's been made aware of the phenomenon as it now exists. I hope he takes a little pride in its conception!

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The Guidelines
I offer these guidelines for "Half-Nekkid Thursday":

• In that North American, Puritanical way that most of my readers think, "Nekkid", or its variations, somehow insinuates sex, or its variations. WRONG!! The purpose of "Half-Nekkid Thursday" is not to see sex acts! It is the celebration of exposure. Of your big toe. Of your breastbone. Of your knuckles. Of your uvula. Whatever. Of course, sex acts can qualify, so if you want to post those.....
  
• "Nekkid" is not the same as nude! Again, nude qualifies, but it is not a requirement!
  
• Pictures should be taken of you or by you. Don't be going to some internet site and downloading "Half-Nekkid" pics. And don't use Uncle Bob's pictures from Spring Break '72, either. Let's try to keep this fairly "real".
  
• You don't necessarily have to be the subject of the picture. By the same token, if you're not, then the subject(s) should be known to you. No fair going to the beach and snapping pictures left and right. Yes, they might be "Half-Nekkid", but they don't follow the spirit of "Half-Nekkid Thursday".
  
• While animals can be included in a "Half-Nekkid Thursday" picture, they are not the focus, therefore cannot be the subject. If an animal is all that keeps your picture "Half-Nekkid" rather than "Full-Nekkid", that's OK.
  
• You are allowed a very limited number of cute-kids-in-the-tub type of pictures. We're interested in YOU!
  
• Use some originality with your shots. Facial shots should be limited. Artsy body landscapes, conversely, are highly encouraged. If a partner/family member is needed to take the picture, that's OK.
  
• Props can help you with creativity, and their use is encouraged, but not necessary.
  
• As we get into this, you may find that you want to post more than one picture for "Half-Nekkid Thursday". I would discourage this practice unless absolutely necessary. You should hold some pictures in reserve, in case you find yourself without a new picture down the road.
  
• While I can hardly control when you post pictures on your own blogs, let's try to keep "Half-Nekkid Thursday" special, and post "Half-Nekkid" pics only on Thursdays. If you feel the urge to post them more than once a week, I might recommend just emailing them out, rather than posting.
  
• Tattoos are certainly an acceptable subject, regardless of location. Scars are also acceptable, but please respect the others who visit "Half-Nekkid Thursday" on a regular basis. Spread out the scar pictures over a few weeks' time, please!
  
• Speaking of scars--If you use a picture of a scar, it must be accompanied by some sort of humorous anectdote as to how you got it. For a long, but good example, go here.
  
• Other skin conditions might not be acceptable, due to good taste. These include, but are not limited to warts, zits, lesions, ingrown hairs, boils, open sores, peeling skin, scabies, rashes, or any other assorted gross things. I'm not saying that you can't post them. Just use your best judgement, for the sake of the rest of us.
  
• When referring to "Half-Nekkid Thursday", please spell it correctly! Not Naked, not Neked, not Nakid. It's "Half-Nekkid Thursday".
  
• It's very important to not be dissing other's submissions! We're all going to have half-hearted entries from time to time. None of us is better than the other. One the other hand, it's completely acceptable to heap praise upon those that deserve it!
  
• IMPORTANT!--Remember to visit my current "HNT" post and leave a comment indicating that you've posted a picture for "Half-Nekkid Thursday". Consider my blog as the informational kiosk for "Half-Nekkid Thursday". You'll be able to see who is joining the tradition. Commenting is much easier for all concerned, rather than updating my blog each time someone posts their picture. I will try to keep the Blogroll in my sidebar updated each week.

I hope that these guidelines help all of you. Get those cameras going!

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Don't forget that the 9th Annual Blogger Boobie-Thon starts up this Friday. For those not familiar with it, be sure to click the link and read up on it. Participants have raised over $13,000 dollars over the years for breast cancer research! Photo submissions are being taken now for Friday's launch, so if you feel inclined, be sure to join in! Read the rules though...boobies only, covered or bare, and anonymous, please! Looking forward to seeing many of yours over there next week!

Happy Birthday!!

Someone is having a birthday today! Can't think of anything more that she'd want than four hot women in big hair and leather! Unless they were undressed...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MY DEAR FRIEND!

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You'll notice that things are looking a bit different around here. Some people were getting security warnings based on Blogrolling's imminent demise, and frankly, after 5 1/2 years of keeping the same template, I was getting tired of the look. So I bit the bullet, and made the transition to "new" Blogger. I do it with mixed emotions. One of the things that I've enjoyed about blogging is learning how things work. I've assisted many of you with your own blogs over the years. It's not that I really knew what was going on, but I've spent an awfully long time playing in the guts of many templates. I've learned what things can be adjusted, and where to make those. I was able to come up with the click-through instructions (for Blogger) that most of you use, based on examination a couple of different ways to accomplish the task. I've altered my background for special occasions or seasons/holidays. No classes, no instruction--just hands-on experimentation.

"New" Blogger admittedly takes much of that ability and makes it easy for anyone to customize their templates. Also admittedly, I'll enjoy being able to do things quicker. But I'm going to miss playing around with the code. Oh, I still do. I've already had to do some things with this template. I'll be tweaking it over the next few weeks. You may or may not notice any changes. The only thing I see as a possible glitch is that those of you who follow me might have to re-follow me. Even though I couldn't ever display my followers in the 'old' Blogger, I've still got almost 140 of you! Early examination of my Dashboard, however, doesn't register them. So follow me again, if you'd like! Still haven't decided what to do about my blogrolls yet though...

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My football teams are making it hard to walk around bragging about. The high school team lost to the cross-town rivals Friday night (BOOO....!). And my Griz are just looking average. They almost didn't win their own homecoming game yesterday in what should have been a cakewalk. I know they've got a new head coach, but things haven't changed THAT much! Carroll College is finally looking like the team that we've hoped for. They're undefeated, but they've looked a little shaky at times. I'm hoping the rest of the season goes better for all three teams!

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Looking forward to having dinner with Rachel on Monday night. I've missed being able to communicate with her all summer. It'll be good to see her again. I just hope she's shaved her legs since coming off the mountain! :-P

The Future HNT

I would like to thank Google/Blogger for the adrenaline rush this morning for many of you. Spammers apparently used my gmail account in the wee hours of the morning (third time since Spring). Google decided to shut me down completely. This site, OHNT, all others associated with that email address. It took a simple one-word word verification to get it all back this morning, but not before I received dozens of emails (which I couldn't access) asking what was up. Of all the days to do that...

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“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”
~Eleanor Roosevelt

“Stop acting as if life is a rehearsal. Live this day as if it were your last. The past is over and gone. The future is not guaranteed.”
~Wayne Dyer

“The best way to predict the future is to invent it.”
~Alan Kay

“I look to the future because that's where I'm going to spend the rest of my life.”
~George F. Burns

"The future is always beginning now."
~Mark Strand

"The past is a source of knowledge, and the future is a source of hope. Love of the past implies faith in the future."
~Stephen Ambrose

"The future is not what it used to be."
~Malcolm Rifkind

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444
Poet
Wife
Geek
HNT
Japan
Writer
Knitter
Sinatra
Kimchi
Mother
Hockey
Smoker
Pierogies
Party Girl
Daft Punk

This week's MG is appearing for a fourth time, but won't be revealing herself. Each of these terms can be used to describe her. Longtime HNTers should be able to figure out who it is though!

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An interesting mix over at "...the Other HNT". Be sure to stop by and visit your fellow HNTers! As always--NSFW!

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The OsShirt site continues to document the wide and varied travels of the most coveted Hawaiian shirt in blogland! See who's had the pleasure of wearing it, and the wild times they've shared!

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A head's up for you, especially the newbies! The 9th Annual Blogger Boobie-Thon will be starting up at the end of next week. The site is still showing the last posts from last year, but there should be new info coming out soon. It won't be an official theme, but I hope you all support this wonderful cause by posting boobie pictures!

Real Life ::: Blog Life

Something happened during last week's symphony rehearsals. Not anything earth-shattering, but it was certainly eye-opening to me. The conductor, who tends to be 'intense' during rehearsals, wasn't particularly happy with the second violins at one point, and had them repeat a small section over and over. They weren't getting it, and he and they were both getting frustrated. Finally, the principal player snapped at him. Which made him see red, but he held back and didn't retaliate. For those unfamiliar with the rehearsal process, the conductor (any conductor) is a dictator. There is no popular vote, no opinions that should be expressed, no consensus by committee. Any problems/suggestions/opinions can be discussed, but privately, and certainly NOT during a rehearsal. The proverbial dead horse was beaten, so we moved on, and dealt with it later. But it was certainly an uncomfortable moment.

I ran into another woman who played in that section on Monday. She expressed her frustration with that situation, and what can we do about his bullying, and yadda, yadda, yadda... I smiled and nodded. I've been on the receiving end of his persistence as well, so I know what it's like.

But what I wanted to say was that I didn't agree with her frustration. We've known what he's like for 8 years now, and we're all big boys and girls. We should be able to make the adjustments he's asking for, regardless of if we think they're correct or not. Again...going back to the dictatorship. This woman later emailed me, and was sort of prodding me to agree with her. I avoided replying to her. I just didn't want to get in the middle of it.

So what was the eye-opening part? I (and literally every one of us) do the same thing here in blogland.

• How many obviously bad decisions/choices do we read that we don't say anything about (yet gossip about behind the person's back)?
• How many extra-marital affairs (real or cyber) are blogged about that we know will end badly in one way or another (yet encourage and give high-fives for)?
• How many family woes do we read of (yet don't offer constructive help, rather 'help' by relating similar stories)?
• How hypocritical do we find others in their writings about friends and/or enemies (yet smile and nod at them)?
• How many times do we shake our heads at someone's writing (yet seek out someone to chat with who shares your own opinions)?

The fact is--we don't want to rock the boat. We don't want to lose someone's friendship. We don't want to verbalize our own opinions, for fear of being chastised or ridiculed for disagreeing. We want everything to be smooth sailing. Peachy. Rosy. And when someone does rock the boat, we see the reaction, and don't want to be on the receiving end of someone else's fury. For the most part, most of us don't have the balls to challenge. To disagree. To speak our mind. We have become a wide community of sheep. Rather than be the one to be the dark cloud, we pull sunshine out of our asses, smile and nod, and then express our sorrow or disappointment when things go south.

I'm guilty of it. You're guilty of it. It happens in real life. It happens here.

Joy, Upset, Dorkiness and Sadness

We performed Beethoven's Ninth last night. It was an interesting evening, to be sure... First, you must understand two things:

1. There's a long segment in this symphony where the basses don't have a thing to do. Not a single note for page after page.
2. There's a bar right across the street from the concert venue, rather popular by local musicians.

It had been decided that during the performance, after the bass players had played their parts in the opening of the Ninth, they were to quietly lay down their instruments and leave the stage rather than sit on their stools looking and feeling dumb for twenty minutes.

Well, once they got backstage, someone suggested that they trot across the street and quaff a few brews. After they had downed the first couple rounds, one said, "Shouldn't we be getting back? It'd be awfully embarrassing if we were late."

Another, presumably the one who suggested this excursion in the first place, replied, "Oh, I anticipated we could use a little more time, so I tied a string around the last pages of the conductor's score. When he gets down to there, he's going to have to slow the tempo way down while he waves the baton with one hand and fumbles with the string with the other."

They had another round and finally returned to the Civic Center, a little tipsy by now. However, as they came back on stage, one look at their conductor's face told them they were in serious trouble. The conductor was furious! And why not? After all... It was the bottom of the Ninth, the score was tied, and the basses were loaded.
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Ah, an oldie, but a goodie! Anyone who knows the Ninth knows that the basses work their asses off in it! Anyway, the concert went off without a hitch, and was a great way to open the season!

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Look at my teams over there in the sidebar. Yep. My beloved Griz are killing me! They lost their second game in a row on Saturday (someone might have been following the game on their Droid during the long stretches that the trombones didn't have to play...). They haven't done that in quite a number of years. They're not out of the playoff hunt, by any means, but every game from now on is a "must win" game. On another note, it was the conference opener for both teams, and the home opener for Eastern Washington. Know how Boise State has the blue football field? This game was the first on EWU's new red field. To look at it is mind-altering. To watch it on TV is eye-popping. To watch it on TV for more than 10 minutes is vomit-inducing. Click on the link to see a Flickr set of the installation.

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Sunday was "Talk Like a Pirate" Day. So I dutifully changed my language on my FB to "Pirate". It wasn't until almost midnight that I realized that it only appeared in "Pirate" on my page to me. No one else could see it. While I got a warm feeling for being able participate in some way, I feel like a dork that no one else got to read what I was reading!

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This is Midget. Rachel's dog. (for the newbies...Rachel was one of the original 6 HNTers) Rachel has been working at a remote mountaintop lodge in Glacier Park this summer, leaving Midget with her parents here in Helena. It was tough to leave her for the summer, but had to be done. Rachel just finished her summer in Glacier and was coming back to pick up Midget. Sadly, before she got here, Midget got away, ran into the street, and was run over by someone. Whom some witnesses say purposely swerved to hit her. You know, life really sucks sometimes.

Rant

I've been blogging longer than most of you. Many of you don't even remember that there used to be an "old" Blogger. This site is based on "old" Blogger. Which is why there's no way to show my followers in the sidebar.

Anyhoo...In the old days, one picked up this javascript and that javascript to help manage your blog in better ways. One of those things I added was from Bloggrolling.com. They would manage your favorite links, and organize them in a variety of ways that you could tell them to. And you could add a link with the click of a button, and it would be automatically added to your blogroll. Based on the criteria that you defined for it. In my case, that would simply be alphabetical.

Some of you mentioned that you had received warnings when trying to get to my site on Thursday. I noticed on my own that my blogrolls had disappeared. Checking their support site, I'm informed that Blogrolling has pretty much been on auto-pilot for the past 6 months or more. And that none of the programmers who set it up are associated with Blogrolling anymore. Their suggestion? Delete the Blogrolling code. That's it. No suggestions on how to transfer the info or save it. Just a slam, bam, thank you ma'am. And that it's all going to be shut down in the near future.

So what does this mean? A loss of the history of HNT, for one thing. There's well over 300 links over there. Many of them are former HNTers, but at least there's a link to some of the old-timers. The blogroll has actually been cut down from over 900 which were there a year ago. I hated doing that. I actually check many of those links from time to time. And am often rewarded by a post from someone who forgot they even had a blog. It's nice to reconnect at those times. But now, I'm going to lose those. I also have that second blogroll of non-HNTers. Ones that many of you have never heard of. At least with HNTers, I can use YOUR blogrolls to visit. These, are soon to be lost to me.

So it seems I have one of two options. Get into my account, and manually copy/paste every link I've got, and save them somewhere until I figure out what to do. Or I can suck it up, switch to the "new" Blogger, and start adding my favorites. By hand. And doing that everytime I see someone new. Because my blogroll isn't so much a 'favorites' thing, as it is a roster. Is everyone on it? Of course not. Not because I don't like someone, but because I just never got around to adding them.

This little rant has gone on too long, so I'll extract it and make a separate post for it. First my Haloscan left, and now Blogrolling. I suppose change is inevitable, but it would be nice if someone reliable could take up the slack...

Fancy Schmancy HNT

The new symphony season kicks off this weekend. Technically, the summer concert is the first concert of the new season, but this is the one with the big "society" glitz (for as glitzy as Montana gets). It's an odd mix at the concerts. Old and young. And lots of very overdressed people. This is Montana, people. Don't look down your snobby noses at the ones who show up in jeans and a t-shirt!

When did classical music get to be so stuffy? Back in the day, listening to your local orchestra was equivalent to listening to the band in your neighborhood bar. Attending an opera was no more different than going to the movies today. And there certainly was no dress code attached to either the audience or musicians. Black tuxes and formals for musicians?? So unnecessary! Even less so for the audience!

The ridiculousness is made even worse in this town. Inevitably, there's women who way overdress for the occasion. And while their husbands might not be in tuxes, they dress better than they do for business meeting! Why? To be uncomfortable in a hot auditorium, sitting for a couple of hours listening to music? No, it's so that they can be seen. And boy, do they make sure they're seen! Heavy mingling in the lobby. Standing at their seats (particularly the expensive ones), so that all can see that they support the symphony and they're right there.

I suppose I shouldn't complain. There's nothing worse than playing to a small audience. And their enthusiasm during fund-raising is what keeps me off the streets. But personally, I much prefer the audience for the summer concert. Everyone wears what the weather will allow. Far less pretentiousness. All the common folk sitting on the grass. Sorta like it was back in the day...

But I digress. We're playing Beethoven's 9th Symphony. Sometimes referred to as the Choral Symphony. Arguably the finest piece of music ever written. First time a choir was used in a symphony--all very daring. And they sing the "Ode to Joy". A tune that is almost universally recognized. Beethoven was deaf when he wrote it. One can only imagine what he was hearing in his head as his fingers wrote the composition. At some point, he must have forgotten that he didn't write much for the trombones. With the exception of a brief 60 seconds in the second movement, the trombones have to sit, unfidgeting, and appearing to be interested, for at least 50 minutes before getting to play. And when they do, it's just the men of the choir, the string basses and the bones. What could he have possibly been hearing at this point??

Obviously I have to work on my unfidgetingness. That would include no cell phone pics. This is from Saturday's rehearsal. Remember I mentioned that there were two rehearsals? This is from the first one. We didn't play until halfway through the second. Do I look bored from this shot? I was. The good part though...the trombones got a standing ovation from the woodwind section for coming in at the right time!

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Years ago she would she would entertain us with her stories, tug at our hearts with her trials, but always bring a smile to our faces with her HNTs. To her, it was all about the art of the photography and never anything more: the curve of her hip, the details in the lace, the "Orion's Belt" line of freckles on her chest. She hid behind a cloak of anonymity, skittish kitty that she was, and then one day disappeared without a trace. I've always kept in touch with her and as the years have passed, our friendship has grown. I'm her Rascal. She won't be revealing herself but to those long time HNT'ers who pay close attention to certain clues, you'll know who she is. Know that she is doing well these days and still stops by every now and then to say hello.

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As usual, a wide and varied collection of pictures over at "...the Other HNT". Be sure to stop by and check out your fellow HNTers! Remember...NSFW!

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A new chapter in the OsShirt saga is up over at its site. It's the kick-off to the summer fun!

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Still open to suggestions for where to go with my ticket voucher. It's got to be used in the continental U.S. (sorry Moose), and wherever Delta flies (which is just about anywhere, I think). There's a location that is currently at the top of the list, but I could possibly be talked into someplace else. Looking at the end of January/early February, in case there's something going on that I simply shouldn't miss!

Stuff, once again...

• Saturday was a long day. Up early to load the equipment truck, unload it, set up for symphony rehearsal, rehearse, lunch, rehearse, tear down rehearsal, load equipment truck, unload it, show up late for family BBQ (which turned out not to really be a bbq, but it was nice to see everyone in the family!).
• Home in time to watch my Griz lose their first regular season game in years. That sucked.
• Sunday was spent watching NFL. It's going to be an interesting season!
• Remember my story about the Delta ticket voucher? Many of you insisted that I write to Delta about it. Couldn't hurt, could it? So I did. Still haven't heard back from them. However... I ran into a friend about a week ago who happens to be...a Delta ticket agent! I stopped by to see her this morning, and guess who now is in possession of a $400 ticket voucher?!? I've got some ideas, but will entertain suggestions!
• Mom's sister was in town this weekend, and used Mom's computer to show her grandkid's pictures from their Facebook pages. Guess who's now looking at getting her own FB page...
• Stayed up late Sat. night and watched a couple of 9/11 specials on the History Channel. Still brings a tear to my eye.
• Then as I was about to hit the sack, I ran across Comedy Central, and they were running an uncensored Richard Pryor concert. Later in his career. Post-self-immolation. And one I hadn't seen before. I had forgotten how wonderful he was as a comedian. Needless to say, I didn't get to bed terribly early.
• Monday Night Football. Double-header. Does it get any better??

Thanks, Mom! HNT

August was a killer month for me. No question about that. Writing music for two different bands with different styles, during every free moment that I had (which, unfortunately means doing most of it late at night--that's when the creativity hits). Taking a 4-day trip to NY (which was really a saving grace, even though it put me a little behind). Rehearsals, gigs, a class reunion. Staff meetings for the symphony. And this summer's free concert. I know...wah, wah, wah...

As mentioned in my prior post, this past weekend's gig resulted in my getting to bed at 5 AM. I was SO looking forward to sleeping until noon, at least. Mom had other ideas and called me at 9. This is an incredibly good reenactment of that particular moment, including the really bright sunlight...

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Sorry, I've got no Mystery Guest for this week. And technically, no one lined up for the near future. If you're interested in being the MG, email me, OK? Even if you've been the MG before!

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Got some returning HNTers over at "...the Other HNT" this week. Good to see some of them back! (or front, as the case may be...) Of course, it's NSFW!

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Be sure to stop off over at the OsShirt site. New adventure over there that you probably want to see! And it's the one that sort of kicks off the really fun summer that it had!

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Is a bird in the hand really worth two in the bush?

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"Dirty Harry" marathon all week on AMC! Woohoo!

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Have I missed anything?

It's September! How did that happen???

I suppose I should get back on track here...

First off--have you guys noticed the new "Stats" tab on your Blogger dashboard? I think it just magically appeared sometime today/tonight. Go obsess now...

Got word that the OsShirt has made it to its next destination. It's now officially a trans-continental traveler! Look for signs of it soon! In the meantime, stop by the OsShirt site. The latest adventure from this past winter is posted there. You won't want to miss this one!

Big drama these past 10 days or so in blogland. I been quite content to sit far out of the way on this one. Sure, I've got plenty of opinions, but I've behaved! At least publicly...

Labor Day weekend was a bit of a waste for me, but beneficial! We played our wedding gig on Saturday night. Sort of a long drive to get there. A lot of waiting around. GREAT food! Free beer. Fantastic looking wedding party. Not much of a crowd for dancing though. Things started out pretty slowly on the dance floor, which, as performers, affects us as well. But by the end of the night, the dancers were out, and we were on top of our game. Went out to dinner with the newlyweds on Monday night, and they were ecstatic with us. Thank God! Now the looming question...do we have a future, or was that our last gig?

Drove back home afterwards, meaning I got to bed around 5AM. Then my mother, bless her, calls me at 9AM. Numerous naps were taken over the next two days, as well as a full 8 hours of sleep Sunday night. Haven't had that in forever! I think the month finally caught up with me. August is done! When did it start getting dark so early??

Symphony concert in less than two weeks, and I have ZERO stress about it! Yet....

Being on the road meant that I missed out on listening to/watching my football teams in action. You can see how they fared over there in my sidebar. Looks like it's going to be another good season!

Was so busy over the past week that I messed up and don't have a Mystery Guest for HNT this week. Unless someone wants to jump in and grab the spot (email me!).

One-Armed Wallpaper Hanger HNT

Busy like there's no tomorrow these days. Working on HNT from work, so it's short and sweet here. Of course, work is busy today, too. Relief comes after the weekend. But for now--part of the many reasons I enjoy playing with the soul band...

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"How wrong it is for a woman to expect the man to build the world she wants, rather than to create it herself." ~Anais Nin
Some call her sexy, some call her Sadie. The rest of us call her Sexie Sadie!

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Lots o' boobies and stuff over at "...the Other HNT". NSFW, as usual! Edit: OHNT won't go up until midnight, MDT. Too damned busy.

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Enjoy your Labor/Labour Day weekend (those of you who celebrate one or the other...). Don't drink and drive!