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.

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!

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!

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!

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...

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!

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!

Status Update

Saint-Saëns and Gounod have failed to beat me down, though the Catholic Church is doing its best. Even Mother Nature has finally taken pity on me some! Will hopefully be back on track tomorrow.

#49 HNT

I was a bit early. I wanted to avoid the downtown rush hour traffic, and hopefully get a parking spot near where we were to meet. As I walked in, I was happy to see that it wasn't really crowded yet, so I did a quick look around to see if she was there already. But there's that feeling of "will I recognize her?" as I'm checking out the tables. Satisfied that she wasn't there, I waited for her at the front door.

As the minutes passed, my mind started to wander... Would I recognize her as she walked in the door? Would this be a quick dinner, then get out of the place? Could I entertain her with any sort of discussion? Would I be a bore? A disappointment? Or even worse...how could I sneak away without appearing obvious if she turned out to be psycho or started on some super conservative topic of conversation??

There's two things that immediately struck me as Gucci Mama walked in. And they weren't her boobs (but, oh my!). First was her auburn hair. She's never quite captured that color in any of her pictures, but damn! Secondly, she was far taller than I anticipated. Of course, when I mentioned that to her, she immediately showed me the 4 inch heels she was wearing. You know that first impression you get when you meet someone for the first time? And you just know you're going to click? She nailed it!

We had a great time! We gossiped. We talked about you. And you. And definitely YOU! And him. And the icky him. All of them. And her. And him and her. And her and him and her. And...well, you get the idea. Personal secrets/stories were shared. Pinky pacts were made (three, I believe). Then we finally got around to ordering dinner! All while being checked-up on by her sister, who was texting her every half hour to be sure she was OK. They even had a "code" word, just in case! She didn't want to have Gucci and me headlining the next edition of Dateline or something! (I think it was bad enough that Gucci was having dinner with one of those 'internet people'. Good thing she didn't know it was that 'nekkid' guy!) All in all, we spent about five hours together. Eating, drinking, sharing, laughing, surprising. And embarrassing each other with our amazing pool-shooting abilities... Probably could have gone longer, but by that time, her sister had pulled out the big guns and put the Wee Guccis on the phone, crying for their mama.

If I had to describe Gucci, I'd say she's exactly what you'd expect from her online persona. And nothing at all like it. Make sense? Intelligent, confident, and a hoot (don't know if that's "Gucci-like", but it's an apt description). As for the boobs and ass, yeah, I scoped them out pretty well while she was bent over the pool table for those long awkward shots. I think she purposely opted for those particular ones. But definitely two thumbs up! I'm fairly certain that this won't prove to be a one-time meeting. At least, I hope not. Thanks for a great time, Gucci! I now have a much better idea of what we should wager for the next Grizzly/Bobcat game!

---

The shadowed dark

The amber glow

They call to me

Cloaking woman

In whiskey warmth, alluring touch

Whispering words

Of passion, of sultry sensuality

Echoes of the man craved

From white dawn to rose-tinted dusk

This week's Mystery Guest will be revealed Thursday afternoon. Of course, leave her a comment on her site if you know who she is!
Not too hard to recognize this week's MG as Cheeky Minx! Stop by and say hi (and wish her a late happy birthday, too!).

---

A good showing over at "...the Other HNT" this week. Definitely NSFW. Leave some comment loving for your comrades over there, OK?

---

Jobthingy sent me an email this week with a link to a story on power of anonymity - the good and the bad. It's a pretty good read, and food for thought. And it off-handedly refers to HNT, too!

---

It's going to be sub-zero temps for the next few nights, the wind's blowing, and it's snowing. Must mean the symphony has a concert at the Cathedral this weekend! Things start up on Thursday afternoon, so it might take me a few days to make the rounds... Hopefully I'll get some stuff posted, too. The MT Legislature is the best comedy in town these days, except their actions are affecting real lives. Not quite the sideshow as Wisconsin or Indiana at the moment, but equally embarrassing and frustrating!

Road Trip & Other Things

Mini road trip this afternoon. Hope to come back with all sorts of pictures and stories!

#49--here I come!

---

In other news...I've got about 4 posts swirling in my head, but haven't found the time nor desire to actually get them written out. I do have notes, though, and they aren't time-sensitive, so they'll eventually get out.

---

The most screwed up symphony concert of the season (or decade--yeah, I know that's a bold statement for being so early in said decade) occurs this weekend. Five rehearsals or performances in four days, with complete set-up/tear-downs FOUR times. Funny how the church we're performing in considers itself a place of worship rather than a concert hall. On the plus side, we've run into so many obstacles that we may give up ever playing there again, which would be my ultimate goal! So I'm just rolling with the punches this weekend!

---

I'm finding that even though I'm not online a great deal these days, Word With Friends is keeping me in touch with an awful lot of people! Thank God they finally came out with an Android version!

---

Unless someone steps up to the plate, I've got no Mystery Guest this week. It's open to the first to request it--email me!

In case she snuck over here...

Happy Birthday, VK!

Coming Out of the Closet HNT

I had a routine doctor's appointment last week. Just a six-month checkup on how the diabetes is going, and how I'm doing with it. I'm happy to say that I'm still doing pretty well. For the most part. I've actually gained weight, but I'll blame that on winter, for now. My blood sugar level is pretty good, but my blood pressure is a little higher than he'd like. So there's an adjustment in my meds. I got my cholesterol test results back today Tuesday: 134 (LDL level was 67--feel free to be impressed if you know what "normal" is!).

So this was turning out to be a decent visit, with my doctor being pleased with just about everything. Until, out of the blue, he asks, "Have you had a screening for colon cancer?" WTH?? Where did that come from? Now, for the record, I know full well that I'm at an age when there's all sorts of tests I should have had by now. That pesky "no insurance" thing has pretty much kept me from scheduling them. But now, in my condition, I need to start thinking of all these things, especially if he's going to be bringing up the subject. I knew he was serious when he gave me a "kit" to take home to take a stool sample. And I could just stick that in the mail and send it in. There's so many things wrong with just this part of things, and we hadn't even started discussing the actual procedure!

He went into his whole spiel about why I should have one, and what they're looking for, yadda, yadda... A colonoscopy, which is what I really need, costs really big bucks for someone who's uninsured, so we talked about the poor man's alternative. A flexible sigmoidoscopy. Google it, if you need to. The good news--he only shoves this ten-foot long rod up your ass part way. The bad news--nothing to sedate me. "You might feel some discomfort..." Ya think?!?

At this point, let me note that this particular area has always been a one-way street, exit only, other than the times that my mother used to take my temperature down there when I was six (for you young whipper-snappers, a rectal thermometer was the only way to take your kid's temperature back in the day. Right, Tony?). Anyhow, he went into some detail about the preparation for this inspection, including the fasting and the cleansing and how people generally take the day off for something like this because they were up all night sitting on the toilet, 'cleansing', because lord knows they want things spotless up there while they're exploring one's ass. How he'll "gently insert" this gargantuan rod, and take a look around the walls of my colon. It'll be like a parade, where they close off the streets, run the parade the wrong way on the one-way streets of downtown, and bring in the pooper-scoopers to make sure it's all clean once everyone's gone through. And then it turns into an art stroll. If he sees something interesting, he'll just pluck it off the wall and take it.

So, sometime in March (date is yet to be set), I'll be losing my anal virginity. Coming out of the closet, as it were. I'm not sure if I'm supposed to supply candy or flowers or anything. Maybe candles? Wine? On one hand, I'm sure I'll have some good blogging material. On the other hand, it might open up an entirely new lifestyle for me. I'll let you know. If I'm lucky, I could ask for a prostate exam while he's down there and get myself a two-fer!

---

"Nice legs Daisy Dukes
Makes a man go woo hoo.
Tight jeans double D's
Makin me go woo hoo...
Push it baby Push it baby out of control
I've got my gun cocked tight
And I'm ready to blow"
"Starstrukk" ~ 3OH!3

I am not your typical girl.
I tell it like it is and I hold nothing back.
I'm stubborn and over analyze the world, it's both a gift and a fault.
I'm a fighter and I'm sure I could kick your ass.

Know who I am yet?

Check back on Thursday afternoon to find out!

This week's MG shouldn't have been too difficult to figure out, but in case you're not sure...it's Daisygirl! Stop by and see some more pics in her jersey!

---

A little low on the numbers at "...the Other HNT", but not lacking in quality! Stop by and check out your fellow HNTers over there! And leave some comments! NSFW, as usual

---

If you missed it earlier, there's a new adventure on the OsShirt page! It's Vixen and Roxy, with more pictures and stories than what they let on last summer!

---

There's still time to help out Cher and her cancer treatments by purchasing something from one of a couple of different sites. There's the Scentsy site, which is all explained here, or the stuff from My 31 here. There's also a Paypal account set up in case you'd just like to donate money directly for her. She's currently undergoing radiation treatments, and has suggested that she might sneak in a picture or two while she's glowing for HNT! How could we ignore something like that?!?

---

It's been awhile that I've said anything, feel free to ask me a question or two in that Formspring box up there in the sidebar! Nothing's off limits!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Let me say it right off the bat...I don't hate Valentine's Day. I delivered VDay roses around town once! THIS blog even went all pink and red and hearts a few years ago. I'll deny it if asked, but I really don't mind the holiday. Most likely because I haven't had to worry about it anytime recently.

• I don't have to come up with some sort of romantic offering for anyone.
• I don't have to succumb to the crass commercialization that is almost approaching Christmas and Easter proportions.
• I don't have to watch a weekend of romance comedies on TV.
• I don't have to hustle to get the half-priced chocolates next week, thanks to my disease.

I'll treat today like any other day. To those who hate the holiday, try to find something/someone to like about it. If you totally get into it, then a Happy Valentine's Day to you!

---

All sorts of excitement around here sometime this week. And you should all be jealous. No details right now, but there's a 99% probability that I'll get to meet #49 on my list over there in the sidebar in a few days! I promise it will be well documented!

---

Remember Vixen's post in July recounting her weekend at Roxy's with the OsShirt? She didn't get into much detail, and the pictures were small, and in a collage. Stop by the OsShirt site to see better pics, and get the real story of the weekend!

---

After getting dumped with a ton of snow last weekend, most of it has already disappeared. Thanks to temps that hit 60° on Saturday, and strong (really strong, house-shaking) winds through the night and into Sunday. Spring is just around the corner!!

---

And because it's one of the great love songs of all time...a couple of versions of "My Funny Valentine". Enjoy!

iPhone HNT

Verizon and Apple officially release the iPhone 4 on Thursday. I have been an Apple/Mac geek since I bought my first computer way back when (holy cow! almost 25 years ago!). Needless to say, I was more than just a little miffed when Apple & AT&T came to an exclusive agreement. Not a big deal for those of you in the big city, but a problem for most of the western/plains states, where the network pretty much sucked. But now, Verizon gets their hands on it, and won't have to put up with all those early-day glitches.

Granted, I have never jumped on the bandwagon when Apple releases new toys. I let at least the first generation come and go, so that any unforseen glitches that might appear can be taken care of. So this time around, I'll sit back and let this one come and go as well. There's a rumor that the iPhone 5 will come out in the summer. I would hope that Verizon and AT&T will release the same models at the same time. That will give me time to hear the good and the bad. To make a decision between the iPhone and iPad (and I think I'll only get one or the other). And it will give me time to come up with the money needed for one or the other...

So here I am, with my Droid. With the shattered screen. Which I'm stuck with for awhile. And I can sit here and dream about better days ahead...

---

"I know a girl who's tough but sweet
She's so fine, she can't be beat
She's got everything that I desire
Sets the summer sun on fire

I want candy
I want candy
I want candy
I want candy

Candy on the beach, there's nothing better
But I like candy when it's wrapped in a sweater
Some day soon I'll make you mine
Then I'll have candy all the time

I want candy
I want candy
I want candy
I want candy"

"I Want Candy" - Aaron Carter

Please note that this week's Mystery Guest has also included this week's theme! She'll be revealed Thursday afternoon, but if you know who it might be, be sure to stop by and say hi to her!
Sometimes I wonder if I make the clues to easy... Of course, this week's MG is Cande from Diary! Be sure to stop by and say hi!

---

If you didn't help out Cher last week by buying something from Scentsy, there's another way you can help. Again, in her own words...

My friend Karin set this fundraiser up. It is through a company called My 31. It sells a variety of things. Purses, wallets, accessories, etc. Its pretty cool. We still have the Scentsy fundraiser going until the end of February, as well as the Paypal for those not interested in buying anything but want help. The direct link to My 31 is below. Pass along if you wish!

CLICK HERE

Now go buy something!

---

A weird day over at "...the Other HNT". Started out slowly, but we've got a decent showing over there. As usual, it's NSFW, but be sure to check out your fellow HNTers and leave lots of comment loving!

---

You'll notice that over the past three days I've been posting updates/Twitter statuses about Barefoot Dreamer's hospital stay. She's sore, on drugs, can't pee, can't eat real food, but survived. She's got about another week left in the hospital, but I won't post updates anymore unless things go bad. So with any luck at all, there won't be any!

"We Can Rebuild Her" - Day 3

Continuing updates from her FB statuses...

Update #1 - "they r rebuilding the nursing station which is RIGHT outside my door. So loud"

Update #2 - "but hey i get red jello this morn' love how they r mixing it up for me"

Update #3 - "Today has been a rough day. Shower, bandage change (ouch), first meal ( hard to digest) a walk.... I'm spent"

"We Can Rebuild Her" - Day 2

Updates as I get them...

Update #1 - In her own words: "May I just say 'ouch'."

Update #2 - In her own words: "So much pain. Morphine every 2.5 hrs."

Update #3 - In her own words: "TV is not fair with all it's food commercials when I am on a liquid diet"

"We Can Rebuild Her" - Day 1

As mentioned on BFD's site, I'll keep you updated on her hospital status, since she won't have a computer for the next week or so. If you haven't kept up, she checked into the hospital on Monday morning to have major surgery. Ureteral reconstruction. Google it if you need to--it's as bad as it sounds.

Update #1 - Out of surgery at 1:30 PM.

Update #2 - She's awake-ish, in pain, and very drugged up...

Update #3 - In her own words: "Made it through surgery. Woke disorientated and in pain, but feeling a bit better now."

More in the days to come...

Even Roseanne's version was better than that!

Was that not the absolute worst performance of the National Anthem that you've ever heard? Forget screwing up the lyrics! Just her entire performance... Where is the public outrage? How does the public let those in charge of these things know that we're tired of this crap? Why didn't that quartet of young girls from Dallas get to sing it? Or bring in that guy Chicago used during the playoffs? It IS possible to get a decent performance of the song, you know!

Don't ask my opinion about the halftime show...

TV, or not TV? That is the question...

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Groundhog Day HNT

In spite of his brethren's observations in other parts of the country,
this furry prognosticator saw his shadow today,
thus guaranteeing 6 more weeks of winter weather.
Enjoy it, everyone!

---

California girls, we're unforgettable,
Daisy dukes, bikinis on top!
Sunkissed skin,
So hot we'll melt your popsicle!
Oh oh oh ohhhhhhh!
"California Girls"--Katy Perry

OK, this week's clue is sort of like a trick question. Be sure to come by Thursday afternoon to find out who the Mystery Guest might be!
This MG is one half of "Married In Ohio" (California Girl and Midwestern City Boy). By all calculations, they are the longest-running HNTers out here (other than myself). Go check them out, but be aware that they tend to be more NSFW than most! And be sure to say hi!

---

Time for a bit of pimping, as I haven't done that much recently...

You may remember her as "~C~". Or maybe as "Cher". Her blog was "Sexy, Sassy, ENGAGED!" She participated in HNT, was a Mystery Guest, and might have even been found over at OHNT. About a year and a half ago, she disappeared to the Dark Side (Facebook, for the uninformed...). I've kept in touch with her off and on over there. About half a year ago, she started posting statuses about recurring trips to the ER. And was frustratingly private about what she'd let be known. She finally spilled the beans a week or so ago. In her words...

On September 27, 2010 I was going in for my 5th (yes, 5th) D&C surgery in less than a 2 year time span. The results came back abnormal. The next step was a biopsy and this time the results gave me the biggest shock of my life. I have CANCER. Me, a 25 year old, otherwise healthy mother, daughter, sister, friend.. I have Cancer. Uterine Cancer. Two ugly, horrific words... UTERINE CANCER.

I only have one option.. I have to fight this and I will fight it to win. I will not let CANCER take my life nor my spirit.

I recently obtained a new insurance policy, if you would go so far as to call it that. My first five doctor visits are at a copay of $50. Each visit after that I have to pay out of pocket until I meet my $7500 deductible. Once I meet the deductible the doctor visits will be covered 100% but the other stuff such as lab work, x rays, etc will only be covered 75% after I meet the $2500 deductible for those which is in addition to the $7500 deductible for the doctors visits and my $176 monthly premium for the coverage. The insurance also does not pay for much of my prescriptions either.

In light of all this, my friend Stephanie, an Independent Scentsy Director, has set up an online fundraiser to help raise money towards my medical bills. Scentsy is a wickless, flameless warmer you plug in. The warmer uses a light bulb to warm the wax at very low temperatures emitting the most amazing scents ever. It is safe to use at home, at work, with kids and around the elderly. With no flames, it's perfectly safe to warm anywhere you please and with over 80 scents to chose from, there is something there for everyone. Stephanie will be donating 100% of her commission to help cover my medical bills and prescription costs. To order simply go to www.ditchthewicks.com and click on the link next to CHERYL CASTANON. All orders through this party will be credited to the commission Stephanie will donate to me. https://smclark3.scentsy.us/Buy?partyId=24235880. Either link.

I would be forever grateful for your help and support as I begin my journey to fight cancer. Your thoughts, support and prayers are eternally appreciated. Together I know I can get through this but I cannot do it alone.

PS: For those of you who wish to donate and help but do not wish to purchase Scentsy products, you may donate directly VIA Paypal. All donations are 100% secure. You may go to WWW.PAYPAL.COM. The address is BEATTHECANCER@LIVE.COM .

If you're the type that likes candles or scents in the house to cover up, say, kid's or dog farts, hubby's smelly shoes, last night's dinner, or just like to have a scented house, I urge you to check out the Scentsy products. If you're going to buy things like that anyway, you might as well buy them from there! Hopefully Cher will be back in the near future with a new blog that chronicles her progress.

---

Yet another good week over at "...the Other HNT". Yeah, it's NSFW, but it's worth checking out! Be sure to leave some comments for your fellow HNTers!

---

THEME ALERT! - Short notice on this one, but it literally just came to me. NEXT WEEK, on Feb. 10th, Apple and Verizon will be releasing the Verizon version of the iPhone 4. To celebrate this long overdue event, please include your iPhone as part of your HNT! Of course, if you don't have one, you can't really do the theme (or can you...?). Looking forward to seeing what you come up with!