Are even more cheesy if you watch them without sound. Exhibit A: Billy Squier – Rock Me Tonight. It was on the 80’s feature playing on one of the tv’s at the gym this morning. There is a point in the middle where, if you didn’t know it was a music video, you would expect the paramedics to come crashing through the door at any moment.
I still love the 80’s music, though. I just try to avoid watching the videos. It’s a bit embarassing, really.
in my ringside seats (conveniently located in close proximity to the first aid kit). And I’m hearing funny noises from the fridge right behind me. Upon further investigation, I am convinced there is some variety of small critter in / under / behind or otherwise trapped by the fridge. Then it occurs to me that the garage door was left open all evening.
I’ll be sending DH out to do the animal control duties when he gets home. Last time I investigated a strange noise in the garage I ended up freeing a frantic armadillo from a mess of soccer nets and lawn chairs. In my pajamas. Once for that type of fun is enough, thanks.
I’ve seen this show before. So, yeah, I’d love to go watch it. Because, you know, I’ve been thinking that a few more gray hairs is just what I need. And my blood pressure has been far too stable for far too long.
One of the things DS1 got is a new computer game. DS3 is certain that anything DS1 can do, he can do. So he wants to play the game now but DS1 a) wants to be the first to play it and b) is engrossed in building his new marble roller so he’s not into the computer game now. In an effort to discourage DS3 from going ahead with the computer game (thereby depriving him of being first to play it) he says “{DS3} you’re not big enough. It says it’s for ages 6-10″ DS3: “Well, I’m gonna be 6.” DS1: “Yeah, but not for 363 days.”
This wouldn’t be so much of a mystery except that my office is at home, I live on 2 acres as do all my neighbors so I’m not close to anyone’s kitchen, I’m home alone and I’m not baking. And it smells like someone is making cookies in my kitchen.
I think my subconscious is attempting to thwart my dieting efforts with the power of suggestion.
from my foray of distraction into dailykos.com
As nightfall does not come all at once, neither does oppression. – Justice William O. Douglas
“Extreme violence has a way of preventing us from seeing the interests it serves.” Naomi Klein
I can live with doubt and uncertainty. I think it’s much more interesting to live not knowing than to have answers which might be wrong. — Richard Feynman
“A common mistake people make when trying to design something completely foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools.” Douglas Adams
From the signature line of a comment posted on a hilarious summary of the Republican debate as recorded by a 9 y.o.
“Iraq: the bravest 1% fighting for the richest 1%.” ~ An Unknown Kossack.
Usually we wait for a cold front for bonfires. But this last cold front was way too cold so we waited till it left. DH built a fire in the pit soon after dark. We cooked hot dogs over the fire first and then it was S’mores time. The boys all wanted to do their own hot dogs / marshmallows but the skewers we have are just not long enough so that was pretty short-lived. Which I was fine with as having my offspring – who habitually jockey boisterously for position no matter what the activity – crowded around a fire is not especially relaxing for me. But they got to try, anyway, then DH and I took over and everyone was happy, it was all yummy and dinner was accomplished injury-free. We employed a trick learned from my camping veteran niece this summer for making the perfect S’mores. You lay the chocolate on the graham cracker on a pan near the fire so it gets low heat while you’re roasting the marshmallows. Then the chocolate is semi-melted and the graham doesn’t break all to pieces when you bite it – it’s genius, really. Of course, the implementation of this was a bit tricky since we didn’t have those campground-style metal fire enclosures with the handy “warming tray”. But DH improvised a solution (as men just love to do) which worked well. His motivation was all about the problem-solving, though, not about making the perfect S’more since his rating of them as a treat was, and I quote “I can’t imagine anything more disgusting”. Good. More for me. 
But we all had fun and these activities are much more relaxing for me now that I don’t have to keep such a close eye on the boys’ every move. It’s nice to have them old enough to grasp the idea that falling into the fire would be exceedingly unpleasant.
At one point a rabbit came out of the trees about 20 yards away. The boys wanted to see how close to it they could get so off they went. It was pretty funny to watch the 3 of them acting like the stealth crew – “stealth” is really not an area in which they excel. Particularly as a group. Apparently, they did get pretty close – I’m sure the rabbit is used to them running about shrieking. Plus, we’d put out lots of food scraps etc. in those trees over the last week or so. Mr Rabbit was likely disinclined to go far from the buffet.
Then there was the frisbee in the dark game. No one got a frisbee in the teeth and there were no head-on collisions so that’s good. And I’m always in favor of them running out their energy before going back indoors. It was getting pretty cold by then and they could see their breath – enough of a novelty that they are entertained for some time with that whole thing.
It was DH’s night for bathing and bedtime so I would’ve happily stayed out by myself staring into the fire. But once I got inside I found the 6 things I’d left unfinished and then I turned on the NH debates and decided I’d rather be actually warm vs. being toasty on the front and freezing on the back. If I’d had any of my hot buttered rum mix handy I might’ve made a different decision.
A fun time, though. Bonfire nights are one of those things that help me feel better about having chosen to live in the boonies. It also reminded me that I should plan a weekend camping trip in the vicinity of the Space Coast – get some use out of that big-ass tent I got last summer.
I have a good friend who is from WI. Her and I frequently bemoan the glaring lack of common courtesy one encounters multiple times daily when living in South Florida. Which we both do, reluctantly. Yesterday it came up again as we’d both just returned from holiday trips. The things we mutually dislike about Life in South Florida tend to be more noticeable after you’ve gotten away from them for awhile. She mentioned a Trip to WallyWorld – that most hated of all retail experiences (OK, I realize some people love to go there and that all Walmarts do not suck as much as mine and hers apparently do. So, by “most hated” I mean by me, not necessarily universally). The peeve du jour was the fact that nearly everyone there consistently has total disregard for the Express Lane guidelines – including the staff.
But is not about bad behavior. It’s about good behavior – specifically, random acts of kindness (for anyone still scratching their head over the acronym in the title – and you know who you are ). I just feel compelled to make note of it in light of our discussion. Offset the bitching and moaning a bit.
Tonight I was forced to break my Successfully Shopping Walmart-Free streak of more months than I can count in hopes of finding a specific item that was not to be found elsewhere. It was just past the time everything else closes – typically, rush-hour at the 24 hour Walmart. In my experience, under those circumstances you can reasonably expect something along the lines of a real-life feature presentation of The Very Worst of WalMart Shopping.
So, I’m anticipating much aggravation and rudeness and thinking of my conversation of the day before while trying to park. I find a well-lit spot that’s close enough but just as I come up to it and start to turn into it I realize someone has left their shopping cart right in the middle of the spot so as to make it unavailable to anyone riding on 4 wheels. (See above on lack of common courtesy)
So, I stop and just as I’m going to back out – possibly (probably?) showing my aggravation on my face a guy who was had just got out of the car next to the spot, sees what I’m doing and walks back around his car to get the shopping cart and move it out of the spot for me. So there you have it – a total stranger going out of their way to be helpful . And at WalMart during the witching hour of all things.
It’s probably a sad commentary on my perspective and expectations of random people in public that I was so very (pleasantly) surprised by this action. It was one of those “wow, never would’ve expected that” moments.
It’s 51 degrees outside at the moment. Cold for a South Floridian, to be sure. But not so much by any other standard.
DS1 just came in after 5 minutes outside and asked for his mittens. Now, even though I would likely be wishing for the same – having adapted to S. FL over the past 14.5 years – it was all I could do to keep from laughing out loud at his request. My inner Canadian finds the suggestion that 51 degrees is mitten weather amusing.
I have a feeling, though, that I will get much more done today if I just go ahead and figure out what clever place I stashed the mittens after our last trip to Canada. I see a trip up to the attic in my immediate future.
