Thursday, March 31, 2011

Encore HNT

OK...one more. Really the last one.
Jameson, if you're curious.


"The bigger the picture the more it drives
Images into the front of the mind
While the back dries up from the lack of ambition
To think about sex and social position

You have to look further if you want to see more
Then think a bit harder than you ever did before
If something is wrong and it makes you think twice
You've got the incentive to act
It’s your choice"
"Point of View"
- Subhumans

This week's punk-ish Mystery Guest will be revealed Thursday afternoon. Be sure to come back and find out who she is!
Our MG this week is a newbie--Pocket RockettZ! Be sure to stop by and check her out. Sorta tame this week, but she's a cutie!

Still getting some great pictures over at "...the Other HNT"! Stop by and check out your fellow HNTers this week. Most definitely NSFW!
It appears that my previous post got some of you far more worked up than it did me! Glad to know you have my back though! If you haven't read it, please do. It's funny!
For those of you who are curious...last week's symphony concert was a grand success! It all went quite smoothly, but it was a long five days. A week off and I start long hours producing our opera next month. "Madame Butterfly". Two performances. Lots of rehearsals. Sets/costumes/props from professional opera companies in Salt Lake and Tacoma. Throw in a couple of birthdays and my "procedure", and April is going to be incredibly busy. Can't wait!

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

I'm a Male. Or a Voyeur.

During 6+ years of blogging, I have received a remarkably small number of comments that I'd consider 'negative'. Sure, there's been some that have disagreed with something I posted, but even those have been few and far between. However, I got one this morning that just made me chuckle. And I didn't want you guys to miss out on it. This appeared in last week's HNT comment box...(my comments in red)
"Some pictures are inappropriate; some aren't. This is disgusting. (a woman's rear end is disgusting?) Hell, no wonder women are often considered sluts. Those who publish such are worse. (ok...I'm worse than a slut...) Sure, her ass is lovely (wait a minute...it's disgusting, but it's lovely? how does that work?) but what is your purpose? (the purpose is to showcase a fellow HNTer, hopefully drive traffic to their site if desired, and counteract my own HNT each week) How did I mistake your blog and put you in my Favorites list? (I have no idea. curious myself, as to what brought you here in the first place...) You must be male or voyeuristic. (guilty as charged, on both counts. obviously I'm male, or did you not look at the nose? and can't I be both?)
Of course, the commenter was signed as "Anonymous", as dissenters who prefer to hide from rebuttal usually sign themselves. If I really cared, I'd check my stats to figure out where they were from, but frankly, it's not worth my time. I do have to give props for proper grammar, spelling and punctuation. A rarity among anonymous commenters! And I wonder what pictures this person didn't consider "inappropriate".

I'm really curious, though, if they hit up OHNT!

Traffic Rant

I've had this post in draft for awhile, then I saw that Lightning Bug's Butt posted a similar one last week, so I figured it was time to hit that "publish" button.

Pardon me in advance for going off on a rant, as you know I'm loathe to do it here (pfffttt...), but over the past 10 days or so, I've witnessed all sorts of traffic behavior that makes me want to go hmmmm... I've often wished that there was some sort of gun-like device that I could aim at an offending driver's car and render it immobile. Until that driver was forced to take a battery of tests that proved their competency to drive (ignoring, of course, that they supposedly took one to get their license in the first place). In no particular order, things I've seen recently:
Running a red light - I'm not talking about sneaking through at the end of a yellow. I'm talking the full-blown, talking-on-the-cellphone, oblivious-to-the-color running through the light. It's good that the guy in the pickup truck saw her, because he would have caused some major damage to her...

Turn signals - Apparently some people don't quite grasp the concept. I'm not sure which is worse...not using them at all, or actually turning them on halfway through their turn. I can understand that some people don't use them at all times. I'm guilty of that myself. But when you're in traffic, and you're going to slow down to make a turn, using the turn signal could probably save your life! Or at least keep me from doing major damage to MY car! Which brings me to...

Stopping to make a right turn - What's up with that? Yes, if you're on a busy street and need to make a right hand turn, you'll need to slow down. But to come to a near stop on that busy street?? Unnecessary! Just ask the 5 or 6 cars who are backed up behind you! With luck, though, your turn signal is on. Speaking of nearly stopping...

California stops - I don't know if the rest of the country calls it this, but around here when a car slows down, but doesn't come to a "full and complete" stop at a stop sign, it's called a California stop. Just about everyone does it, especially at a non-busy intersection. But the extreme cases I've noticed a lot of recently are the ones who slow down barely enough to see if there's traffic within a half block or so. If not (or even if so) the speed through the stop sign. I'd love to plant myself on a couple of corners here in town with a video camera for a day or two...

Litter - I've ranted about this before. Where is it acceptable to toss a fast food bag out the window when you're through with it? Or a pop can? Or dumping cigarette butts from the ashtray? Sadly, the anti-littering PSAs of the 60s/70s only lasted one generation...

Lane changing - I sort of like this one. I love having some punk kid driving too fast, changing lanes constantly, thinking that it'll get him to his destination quicker somehow. If he's fortunate enough to be seen in my rear view mirror, I'm more than happy to keep him boxed in. I'm not above slowing down just ahead of the slow granny, being sure that there's not enough room for him to switch lanes. Or just ahead of the trucker who's more than happy to play the game too! And if I'm lucky enough to time it just right, to make it through an intersection before the light turns so that they're stuck at the light. It's the little things that bring a smile to my life...

Wrong way in the parking lot - If you're in a parking lot (big or small), and the parking is diagonal, and the cars are obviously parked in a manner that you couldn't possibly do, it means you're driving down the wrong way in the parking lot!! And rather than a.) avoid turning down that lane, or b.) extricating yourself as soon as possible, you decide to continue down the next lane in the same manner, just so you don't have to walk the extra 20' that a real parking spot would offer, then don't bitch at the person who backs into you because they didn't look for oncoming traffic, because YOU were driving down the lane the wrong way! I don't recall this being a huge problem in the past, but I've seen it happen maybe a dozen time since the beginning of the year. Even worse is when it happens in lots with big arrows painted on the pavement showing the flow of traffic...

Four-way stops - Another rant from the past. What is it about the concept of a four-way stop that women can't grasp??? Not all women, obviously, but I have to say that when I've come up against some sort of snafu, it is caused by at least one female driver. Literally. Every. Time. Four-way stop signs are a cost-effective way of controlling traffic in medium-traffic areas. If the drivers know what the hell to do!
Thank you for reading my rants. I feel somewhat better. Anyone have similar gripes?

Thursday, March 24, 2011

The Nose HNT

Last of the series. Really wish I could have found my brandy snifter...


DEFEATED BY LOVE

The sky was lit
by the splendor of the moon
So powerful
I fell to the ground

Your love
has made me sure

I am ready to forsake
this worldly life
and surrender to the magnificence
of your Being

- Rumi

During this week where we had a "super moon", this seemed appropriate. Our Mystery Guest is choosing not to reveal herself, however, more than she already has!
Another good week over at "...the Other HNT" this week. Stop by and leave some lovin' for your fellow HNTers! NSFW, of course.
Some other miscellaneous stuff...

Many of you took the quiz on the post below this one. I'm frankly surprised at some of the scores! Realistically, I figured there was maybe only on question that would have been tricky. You've proven that wrong! But what's gotten ME confused is exactly who has taken the quiz! If you look at the scoreboard, there's a couple of recognizable names, but after that...I'm thoroughly perplexed! At this moment, there's two people who have scored 8/10--Gucci (no suprise) and . .. ... (that's the "name" they entered--what can I say?). And there's E and Bubba. I have no idea who these people are, exactly. Oh, well. Still interesting to see what answers come up! If you haven't taken it yet, try your hand at it!

I haven't gotten an update regarding Rachel's grandson, Kaisey, and the custody case that's pending. I do know that she's still a bit short on the money end. If you haven't checked out the post, you should. Anything that you might be able to contribute would be appreciated!

Symphony weekend this week. Playing Mahler's 6th Symphony. A huge work (about 25% more musicians than normal), and we'll be busy from Thursday afternoon until after the concert on Saturday night. Once again, I'll be sparse around here.

Sunday, March 20, 2011

My Quiz from QuizYourFriends.com

Since I've got nothing better to do, here's a quiz. It appears the last time I did something like this was about 5 years ago. Have at it...





I have to come up with a title??
1) Color of my current vehicle?

Blue

Silver

Maroon

Red

Powered By: QUIZYOURFRIENDS.com

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Ba mhaith liom beoir HNT

By the time that some of you read this, I'll have already had my first green beer at O'Toole's to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. I'll probably have a shot or two of Jameson Irish Whiskey, and maybe splurge on a pint of Guinness. Then I'll have to go to work. I won't make it to Butte, where the big celebration happens in MT. But back in the day...

I don't often talk about my Irish roots, primarily because I don't know a great deal about them. They come from my mother's mother's family--the Milligans and O'Hearns. She has attempted a bit of genealogy, but that was before the days of the internet. I think we need to get her interested in that again. After all, she did find we were somehow probably related to John the Warrior, who lived in the 10th century!

But for now, I raise my beer to you. Beannachtam na Feile Padraig!



UPDATE - HA! In 2005, I posted that I spent St. Patrick's Day in Butte, which is where all of Montana celebrates SPD. I even scheduled an appearance on the webcam at the M&M Bar, so that people could see me. Take a look at the number of people who still end up on my site after doing some sort of search for the M&M webcam! For those of you who are looking for this year's link...go here!

For those of you wondering about my day so far...I did, once again, get the first green beer out of O'Toole's tap at 8AM. Along with a couple of shots of Jameson, a Bailey's, many more green beers, but no Guinness. Yet. Work, however, seems to be dragging along...











A perfect pint of Guinness is
(Let me shed some light)
A perfect pint of poetry
Metaphorically it's right.

Guinness is a mood
Not prejudiced by class.
Waiting with a poem inside
Inside of every glass.

For each it has this mystery
Like the sea that calls one's name,
On a night when dark its fingers reach
Through foam and soul inflames,

And be it weather warm or chill
The thirst of one each glass will fill,
For none can match the essence still
That a perfect pint of Guinness will....


Our lovely beer girl will be revealed on Thursday afternoon. Or you might be able to find her as our St. Patty's girl from years past...
Our Guinness girl is Maggie, of course! If you haven't been by, you need to...her video HNT is a hoot! If you want to see her last SPD MG appearance, check out the 2009 archives.

There's a bit of Irish spirit over at "...the Other HNT" this week, too! And most definitely NSFW. Stop by and leave an Irish blessing for your fellow HNTers!
May the Irish hills caress you.
May her lakes and rivers bless you.
May the luck of the Irish enfold you.
May the blessings of Saint Patrick behold you.

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

All Over the Place Today...

Be sure to check out the post below this one about Rachel's grandson. It's important!
While I'm not a fan of getting up "earlier" at the moment, that extra hour of sunlight after dinner certainly makes up for it! Spring is a-comin'!
For the first time in ages, there's a family with 3-4 kids living in my apt. building. That would be in a two-bedroom apartment. They laugh, they play, they make noise at all hours of the day. I don't think they understand the apartment building mentality. I don't think I'll be baking an apple pie for them as a welcoming gift.
I have a couple of friends on Facebook who use their status updates for constant religious affirmation. I'm not talking about an occasional "God is great" status. I'm talking about every freakin' status, multiple times a day. I always wonder whose benefit that is for--them or us?
Speaking of religion, did you see the video of the wack-a-doodle college girl from UCLA? She says that many Christians prayed on Ash Wednesday for God to show the atheists who's boss, and two days later, He "shook Japan by the shoulders" to answer their prayers! Apparently, her definition of 'atheist' would be 'non-Christians'... She's absolutely giddy about how quickly He answered. And can't wait to see what He has in store for the US by the time Easter rolls around, because there's so many atheists here. Freak.

Of course, there's also the faction of freaks who believe that the devastation in Japan is God's retribution for Pearl Harbor. WTF??? I though Hiroshima and Nagasaki took care of that. Then there's the video of a USC big-boobed blond bimbo (alliteration is a wonderful thing) who bitches about the Asian population on campus. Especially when they're using their cell phones in the library. As she's "deep in studying". They're all calling about that "tsunami thing". She immediately realizes that that's probably insensitive, but still, if you know you're calling about that, can't you do it outside??? Yep, racism is alive and well in America, folks.
I'm getting really tired of people whose profile pic or avatars show off a nekkid body part. Are you really that much of a narcissist that you think we need to see that all the time? The women are just as bad as the guys in this regard, too. Or am I getting cranky in my old age?
Speaking of old age, there's a guy whose house I pass just about every day on my way to work. And almost every day, winter or summer, you can find him outside, cleaning things up. If there's snow, he's shoveling it. Perfect walls of snow along his driveway and sidewalk. Gutters cleared of ice and snow. In the summer, he's mowing his lawn with an old mower. Not a gas mower, mind you, but the old-fashioned kind. With trimming shears in his back pocket. He'll get on his hands and knees to clip the edges to exact lengths. EVERY SINGLE DAY. In the fall he rakes the leaves--because he can't possibly have one leaf on the ground. In the spring, he's raking up the dead grass in anticipation of green grass. I'm not sure how I feel about this guy--is it sorta sad, or a wonderful thing?
In Montana legislative news--in a 6-6 deadlock, the effort to repeal the marijuana laws got stalled in a Senate committee. For all the weird and wacky things that the House passed, the Senate appears to have cooler heads. This was a better result than anticipated, but the fight to overturn this particular voter's initiative isn't over, I'm afraid. No word on the spear hunting or the silencers on hunting rifles yet...
The soul band had a gig Saturday! It's been six months since we've played together, but one long rehearsal last week had us back in form. It was a Mardi Gras themed dinner/auction/dance for the local Food Share. Great crowd, full dance floor ALL night long, and we didn't do too badly! For a project that was a 'summer-only' thing, it looks like we're here to stay for awhile!


Sunday, March 13, 2011

A Serious Request

I got an anxious request from Rachel on Saturday. But first, some background. Rachel is one of the original six HNTers. I'm not sure how we landed on each other's blogs way back when, but she's the one who figured out that we lived in the same town. She's become a very good friend and beer drinkin' buddy (back when I could still do a lot of that). What I got to know about her that she kept off-blog was that she was also a single mother. Very few, if any, got to know that about her. And as time went on, it would come to pass that she would inevitably become a grandmother! This is a picture of her 2 year old grandson, Kaisey.

So, to her request... Kaisey lives with his mom Jean, and her fiancé Bob (no, those aren't their real names). Jean is going to school full time working towards a vet degree. Bob is working two jobs to support the three of them. The other character in this drama is Lou (again, not his real name). Lou is Kaisey's biological father.

As you can imagine, Lou is causing waves. He has not been a part of Kaisey's life in the least. Jean has always had custody, based on the parenting plan that the two of them had set up. Lou does not pay any sort of child support, and has only seen his son on a handful of occasions. Lou has never shown any interest in being a father, and Lou and Jean were never planning on getting married. In fact, Lou has four Family Member Assault charges against him for beating on her when they were together.

Lou apparently found out that Jean, Bob and Kaisey were in town last weekend, and requested to see Kaisey. There was no objection to that, but when they met at the location, Lou served her with custody papers. And while the details are a bit sketchy to me, it appears that at one point, Lou actually tried to walk off with Kaisey. Also known as attempted kidnapping. Police somehow got involved, who suggested that Jean get out of there with Kaisey, as the papers did give him custody rights.

So the situation is this--Rachel has hired an attorney for Jean to fight the custody rights of Lou. Based on his assault record, the fact that he hasn't shown any interest in being a father, and the feeling that this is nothing more than an attempt to hurt Jean. Rachel, friends and family members have scratched and scraped to come up with the money needed to retain this attorney, but they're falling short. Not by much--only about $1000. But it's $1000 that they have no resources to come up with. And that's why she's come up with the Kaisey Defense Fund. Her hope is that some of you will be able to donate a few bucks.

Now, I'm not one to weigh one person's problems against another's. During this weekend, many of you might have contributed money towards the Japanese tragedy. Others of you have probably contributed towards cancer research or some other disease for your own personal reasons. These are drops in a very large bucket compared to the amounts that are needed. I'm a firm believer that the small drops are important. But those same drops, in a much smaller bucket such as Kaisey's (his is more like a shot glass), will make a real difference. So if you've got it in your heart to help out, whether it's because you're moved by the situation, or because you remember Rachel from the old days, please consider making a donation. It's just $1000 that's needed. This should be easy to take care of. Please give what you can--any amount will be truly appreciated. Just click on the button below. I'll keep you up to date with what happens. Many thanks to you in advance.
OK, there's some sort of problem with setting up Paypal's donation button. So if you're going to send money, log in to your Paypal account, and send your donation to: kaysgma@gmail.com
And thank you!

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Smaller Drink of Water HNT

Continuing my experimentation with water and glass. And, for the record--the only manipulation is making the photo black & white, and increasing the contrast to make it darker. No other effects are being used.


"Watching me like you never watch no one
Don't tell me that you didn't try and check out my bum
Cause I know that you did
Cause your friend told me that you liked it

Dancing at discos
Eating cheese on toast
Yeah you make me merry make me very very happy
But you obviously, you didn't want to stick around

So I learnt form you

I can be alone, yeah
I can watch a sunset on my own
I can be alone, yeah
I can watch a sunset on my own
I can be alone
I can watch a sunset on my own"

"Merry Happy"
- Kate Nash
Our seemingly shy Mystery Guest will be revealed on Thursday afternoon. Be sure to check back later!
This week's MG is that sweet young thing from Sex Babble, Lola! Be sure to stop by and say hi!

Once again, some great additions for "...the Other HNT"! Stop by and check out your fellow HNTers, and don't forget to leave some comment lovin'! NSFW
There won't be an official theme next week, but St. Patrick's Day falls on next Thursday. Time to get your Irish on! Personally, I'll be at O'Toole's at 8 AM to grab that first green beer out of the tap--an almost 20 year tradition! And a shot or two of Jameson's. Now that I've got a better handle on the diabetes, I think I can have a mini-splurge! But still...nothing like the old days. Sigh... Still, I'll do the O'Hearns and the Milligans and the generations before proud!
The soul band has a gig on Saturday. A fundraiser for the local Food Share. We'll make some money, but not our regular amount. It'll be good to get back into this groove. So in preparation, I've got rehearsals most of the rest of this week. I'll stop by when I can!

Monday, March 07, 2011

This 'n That

I don't generally think of death--particularly my own--this past year notwithstanding. However, I had a dream the other night about my pending death. I also had happened to catch the 1979 movie "All That Jazz" before going to bed. If I had the option, I'd like to go out the way Joe Gideon did in the last 10 minutes of that movie. Of course, it would only be perfect if Ethel Merman came out to sing "There's No Business Like Show Business" like in the movie!


While searching for that clip on YouTube, I ended up spending far too much time there. Was disappointed though, that I couldn't find a good clip of the Bass-O-Matic sketch...
Remember last month when I mentioned that I'll be losing my 'virginity'? No date chosen yet for that, but I got the result of the stool sample that I had to send them via U.S. Mail. No blood in the stool. That's a good thing. I knew you'd want to know that.
I miss Limewire.
Remember the scene in "Rocky III" where Rocky and Apollo are sprinting on the beach and Rocky finally beats him? Does anyone think that there's just a little bit too much man-hugging and prancing and frolicking and jumping up and down in the water in their shorty shorts and perfectly-coiffed hair? All in slow motion?
My current setting on Pandora is on Earth Wind & Fire. I loves me some EW&F. I don't agree with some choices that Pandora comes up with that are supposed to match it (Michael McDonald-era Doobies??), but I love that there's a lot of Michael Jackson. And not the crap from anything after "Bad". I had no idea that "Off the Wall" was such a good album!
I'm not a fan of the drop-down menu to log out of my Gmail. Who asked for such a feature?
I'm envious of the humor and wit from some of the commenters I read on Facebook. I read some of them and have to ask myself where they come up with this stuff...
I think "The Sting" is one of the greatest movies ever filmed.
Watched an evening of "Hoarders" again, just to feel good about myself. I can't help but look around when I'm driving home, wondering where the hoarders are in this town. I suppose I could just look for the fleet of 1-800-GOT-JUNK? trucks turning down at the next corner. Or even better...look for some house where they've brought out every.single.thing for the owners to go through. All out in the open for the neighbors to see. Yeah, if you ever need to feel good about your own life, that's the show for you...

Friday, March 04, 2011

That Wacky State Legislature...

For something different, let's talk politics (have I ever done that here??). I mentioned a few weeks ago that the MT state legislature has been best described as a fully functional circus. While it's not quite as bad as what some other states have faced (Indiana and Wisconsin come to mind), they are beginning to get some national exposure. Of course, those getting the exposure are the nuttiest of the nutjobs in the legislature.

I stole most of the following from the "Montana Cowgirl Blog", where the writer is far more savvy about politics than I. Probably the biggest fight going on is the attempt to repeal the medical marijuana law that was passed by voter initiative a few years ago. On one side, you've got those who are "saving the youth of Montana" by using unsubstantiated claims, emotions, and outright fiction. On the other, you've got those using scientific data supporting its use. On the third side, you've got people who don't care one way or the other, but wonder why the legislature gets to overturn a voter's initiative (as opposed to a law passed by the legislature). No one disagrees that there are problems that need to be addressed and fixed, but the Republican's (and by Republican, I mean those wacky tea partiers) way of dealing with them is to scrap the law completely, rather than making the necessary repairs. Sort of like burning down the house because the faucet leaks.

Anyway...beyond the "repeal/reform" fight, our lawmakers have plenty of other bills on their plates. A small sampling (with my personal commentary in yellow):
  1. Legalize hunting with hand-thrown spear (Senate Bill 112) This will probably slow down the bison hunting near Yellowstone Park.
  2. Create fully-armed militia in every town (House Bill 278) Apparently the local high school football teams aren't defending their town's honor as well as some would like.
  3. Allow legislators to carry weapons in the Capitol (Senate Bill 279) But no smokin', dammit!
  4. Create an 11 person panel with authority to nullify all federal laws (House Bill 382) Really??
  5. Allow guns in schools (House Bill 558) Who would dare give a kid detention anymore?
  6. Eliminate educational requirements for persons seeking job of State Superintendent of Schools (House Bill 154) No need for the head of schools to be educated, is there?
  7. Lift nuclear ban for purpose of building a nuclear reactor in the Flathead Valley (House Bill 326) Ooh! That's where all the Californians move to when they come here! I like it! Ignore the fact that it's about the prettiest part of the state, and just a stone's throw away from Glacier National Park...
  8. Withdraw the United States of America from the United Nations (Senate Joint Resolution 2) But keep charging them rent for using the buildings.
  9. Eliminate all state incentives for developing wind power (House Bill 244) If they could only harness the hot air from chambers...
  10. Omit Barack Obama’s name from the 2012 ballot because his father was born outside of America (House Bill 205)(this guy was on CNN a week or so ago) This guy embarrassed the entire state on CNN...
  11. Compulsory marriage counseling for people seeking a divorce (House Bill 438) Good thing the government is looking out for us here.
  12. Give sheriffs authority over the federal government in terror investigations (Senate Bill 114) Can you imagine Andy and Barney taking care of terrorists?
  13. Legalize hunting with silencers (House Bill 174) Shhh...Be vewy quiet...I'm hunting wabbits!
  14. Lift the prohibition on carrying concealed weapons in bars, churches and banks (House Bill 384) In some Montana towns, that's all in the same building!
  15. Eliminate law that requires landlords to install carbon monoxide detectors (House Bill 354) The landlords will have to find another reason to jack up rental prices by another $100.
  16. Require the federal government to prove in court that the National Parks were lawfully acquired (House Bill 506) Not sure why this is necessary, exactly. Was there some sort of shenanigans going on when they were formed?
  17. Officially designate the “Code of the West” as the “Code of Montana” (Senate Bill 216) I have nothing. Click the link, find the HTML version and read. The "Code of Montana" would apply to all--except the MT GOP (at least it hasn't yet...).
  18. Declare that global warming is good (House Bill 549) After this winter, I'm not sure I disagree.
  19. Require state to back transactions of state business with gold & silver coin (House Bill 513) We're gonna need an awfully big piggy bank.
  20. Constitutional amendment to define person (House Bill 490) This is actually a bill to prohibit stem cell research.
In other fun news from MT state government, the Tea party encourages guns at Capitol rally, and the governor made and registered a new branding iron for the large number of bills he plans to veto.

Yes, it's fun being a Montanan!

Thursday, March 03, 2011

Tall Drink of Water HNT

Definitely going to have to experiment some more...


"Once in every lifetime
there's a chance to stand apart.
We can show the world our very best, reveal what's in our heart.
So the story goes and glory never will end,
this inspiration lights the fire within."


This week's Mystery Guest is a blast from the past! She'll be revealed Thursday, so come back to find out who she is!
I doubt there's more than two or three of you who will recognize this MG as Blondie. She hasn't regularly blogged in awhile (thus no link), and subsequently, hasn't HNTed recently either. Other than an occasional OHNT or two! Interestingly, she's revealed more of herself here than she ever did on her own site! Welcome back, Blondie! Wouldn't mind seeing more of you!

Some new "faces" over at "...the Other HNT" this week. Definitely NSFW. But stop by and support your fellow HNTers!
Have you been by to check out the OsShirt site recently? One more stop to write about to get caught up through the summer, then the European stories start!
Spring can't get here too soon. Just sayin'. But did you see that Daylight Saving Time starts in 10 days? What's up with that? Not sure if I'm ready yet. I thought it was the earliest it's ever started, but in 2009, it was on March 8th! How did I miss that???
Update on the prior post...the Catholic Church wasn't beating me down for religious reasons. After all, it's my regular church. Well, as regular as a casual Catholic can claim a church. No...this was just the staff making sure we remembered that we were simply guests in a house of worship, not tenants of a concert hall. Last-minute schedule changes were the way they did that, and all we could do was smile and nod. Expected, but still inconvenient.
A wonderful thing happened to me (and my sisters) yesterday. Not something I'll really get into, but a number of things fell into the right places, and stress levels have decreased considerably. Some decisions need to be made, but there's no real down side to that, either. I love things that happen out of the blue!