EDIT: Ike WAS on his way here

EDIT: Ike hit our Gulf Coast friends pretty hard, but all we got was some rain. No trace of precipitation now!

I thought I'd be smart and go fill up since gas prices are going up so quickly. I was pleased to pull into my neighborhood gas station to see prices only $3.42/gallon of unleaded!

Right about the time I'm ready to pump, a nice man in an orange safety vest walks by and puts this on my pump:

Orange safety vest man said they'd be completely out of gas in about an hour. Guess I'm not the only smart person in North Dallas! So, I bought this instead:

I didn't mind, though, because an elderly man pumping his gas on the other side of my pump said his daughter is in Houston (actually, Katy) and he can't get in touch with her. You could see the worry in his face. I'm hoping and praying that our family & friends on the Texas coast are safe as are any of yours.

Come hurricane, rain, or shine, the dogs had a great time in the car!

It's a Blog Singalong!

C'mon everyone! (Ahemmm . . . Kristin clears her throat.) Let's all sing a song. Our song is written to the tune of the popular "Three Blind Mice". And - hhhmmmmm - sing!

One blind chick

One blind chick

See how she saunters

See how she saunters

She's getting so old that she can not see

So with reading glasses she'll no longer be

One blind chick.

One blind chick.

Yes. I'm so freaking old and blind that I actually bought a cheapie pair of reading glasses tonight. I can see, but it's weird and now I have a headache. Could be the wine, but I'm thinking it's from the new specs. Vision and function over beauty and pride I suppose. HMPH.

Have & Have Nots

Darn Heather & her non-lazy blog! I'm not sure who wrote all of these, but some I've never even thought about.

Bold = I’ve done it
Regular = I haven’t done it
Strikethrough = I won’t do it
Italics = I would love to do it


1. Touched an iceberg
2. Slept under the stars
3. Been a part of a hockey fight
4. Changed a baby’s diaper
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Swam with wild dolphins
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a tarantula
10. Said “I love you” and meant it
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Stayed up all night long and watched the sun rise
15. Seen the Northern Lights
16. Gone to a huge sports game
17. Walked the stairs to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown and eaten your own vegetables - what a dream!
19. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
20. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Bet on a winning horse
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Taken an ice cold bath
28. Had a meaningful conversation with a beggar
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Ridden a roller coaster
31. Hit a home run
32. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
33. Adopted an accent for fun
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Felt very happy about your life, even for just a moment
36. Loved your job 90% of the time
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Watched wild whales
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Gone on a midnight walk on the beach
41. Gone sky diving
42. Visited Ireland
43. Ever bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited India
45. Bench-pressed your own weight
46. Milked a cow
47. Alphabetized your personal files
48. Ever worn a superhero costume
49. Sung karaoke
50. Lounged around in bed all day
51. Gone scuba diving
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Done something you should regret, but don’t
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Been in a movie
60. Gone without food for 3 days
61. Made cookies from scratch
62. Won first prize in a costume contest
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Been in a combat zone
65. Spoken more than one language fluently
66. Gotten into a fight while attempting to defend someone
67. Bounced a check
68. Read - and understood - your credit report
69. Recently bought and played with a favorite childhood toy
70. Found out something significant that your ancestors did
71. Called or written your Congress person
72. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
73. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
74. Helped an animal give birth - does a human count?
75. Been fired or laid off from a job
76. Won money
77. Broken a bone
78. Ridden a motorcycle
79. Driven any land vehicle at a speed of greater than 100 mph
80. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
81. Slept through an entire flight: takeoff, flight, and landing
82. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
83. Eaten sushi
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read The Bible cover to cover
86. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about
87. Gotten someone fired for their actions
88. Gone back to school
89. Changed your name
90. Caught a fly in the air with your bare hands
91. Eaten fried green tomatoes
92. Read The Iliad
93. Taught yourself an art from scratch
94. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
95. Apologized to someone years after inflicting the hurt
96. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
97. Been elected to public office
98. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream
99. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
100. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn’t know you
101. Had a booth at a street fair
102. Dyed your hair
103 Been a DJ
104. Rocked a baby to sleep
105. Ever dropped a cat from a high place to see if it really lands on all fours
106. Raked your carpet
107. Brought out the best in people
108. Brought out the worst in people
109. Worn a mood ring
110. Ridden a horse
111. Carved an animal from a piece of wood or bar of soap
112. Prepared a dish where four people asked for the recipe
113. Buried a child
114. Gone to a Broadway (or equivalent to your country) play
115. Been inside the pyramids
116. Shot a basketball into a basket
117. Danced at a disco
118. Played in a band
119. Shot a bird
120. Gone to an arboretum
121. Tutored someone
122. Ridden a train
123. Brought an old fad back into style
124. Eaten caviar
125. Let a salesman talk you into something you didn’t need
126. Ridden a giraffe or elephant
127. Published a book
128. Pieced a quilt
129. Lived in an historic place
130. Acted in a play or performed on a stage
131. Asked for a raise
132. Made a hole-in-one - miniature golf!
133. Gone deep sea fishing
134. Gone roller skating
135. Run a marathon
136. Learned to surf
137. Invented something
138. Flown first class
139. Spent the night in a 5-star luxury suite
140. Flown in a helicopter
141. Visited Africa
142. Sang a solo
143. Gone spelunking
144. Learned how to take a compliment
145. Written a love-story
146. Seen Michelangelo’s David
147. Had your portrait painted
148. Written a fan letter
149. Spent the night in something haunted
150. Owned a St. Bernard or Great Dane - close!!!
151. Ran away
152. Learned to juggle
153. Been a boss
154. Sat on a jury
155. Lied about your weight
156. Gone on a diet
157. Found an arrowhead or a gold nugget
158. Written a poem
159. Carried your lunch in a lunchbox
160. Gotten food poisoning
161. Gone on a service, humanitarian or religious mission
162. Hiked the Grand Canyon
163. Sat on a park bench and fed the ducks
164. Gone to the opera
165. Gotten a letter from someone famous
166. Worn knickers
167. Ridden in a limousine
168. Attended the Olympics - London 2012 to hopefully watch my niece Whitney!
169. Can hula or waltz and polka
170. Read a half dozen Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys books
171. Been stuck in an elevator
172. Had a revelatory dream
173. Thought you might crash in an airplane
174. Had a song dedicated to you on the radio or at a concert
175. Saved someone’s life
176. Eaten raw whale
177. Know how to tat, smock or do needlepoint
178. Laughed till your side hurt
179. Straddled the equator
180. Taken a photograph of something other than people that is worth framing
181. Gone to a Shakespeare Festival
182. Sent a message in a bottle
183. Spent the night in a hostel
184. Been a cashier
185. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
186. Joined a union
187. Donated blood or plasma
188. Built a campfire
189. Kept a blog
190. Had hives
191. Worn custom made shoes or boots
192. Made a PowerPoint presentation
193. Taken a Hunter’s Safety Course
194. Served at a soup kitchen
195. Conquered the Rubik’s cube
196. Know CPR
197. Ridden in or owned a convertible
198. Found a long lost friend
199. Helped solve a crime
200. Responded to a NJP newsletter

Now, your turn!

Random Crap

I always have weird crap flying through my head, and since Todd isn't home, you get to hear it instead.

1. I wonder if I smell like dog a lot. Steve always tries to lick me to death, and anytime he hugs me I'm covered in dog hair. I shower and use deodorant, but I hope I don't still smell like a dog. Do I?

2. Speaking of dogs, Pippin & Steve have been wrestling a lot lately. For some reason, their favorite place to begin most matches is between the coffee table and couch. (You know, where all the vast open space is in the house??) Tonight, they started under the coffee table. I yelled at them to stop because I was drinking wine from my Waterford and it was wobbling under the "wrestling mat" called the table. I guess they don't understand what Waterford is because they didn't stop immediately. Interesting.

3. I need to go see a neurologist. I've lost feeling in some of the fingers on my left hand & I'm having aches/pains in my arms, hands, and fingers. My mom said I need an MRI. Oh goody. Nothing like lying perfectly still in a tube that's probably frying what's left of my bum uterus. That's a whole different ball of wax though.

4. I'm tired. If I drink enough wine, maybe I'll actually go to sleep.

5. I think our dog Mackey sees dead people. He stares into the air and stares at corners pretty much every day. I look every now & then to see if I can see what he's looking at, but I can't. Perfectly sweet dog but weird as hell.

6. The other day I was driving home and a leaf was blowing towards the front grill of my car. After it went out of my sight, I reached down to my ankle to get the leaf. Heeelllllloooooo - I was in the car & the leaf was outside of it. My husband thinks I'm losing my mind. Still. Again.

7. I fired my Wal Mart yesterday. I won't go back there again. They're rebranding and totally redoing the store. Shopping there is like walking in the land of the dead because everyone is walking around with a stunned look on their faces because nobody knows where the eff anything is anymore. (nice runon sentence huh?) Plus, the layout sucks. Luckily, there are two WMs and eight other grocery stores within three miles of our house. I should be fine, but that one store was really my favorite.

8. I hate running errands - especially returning stuff. I have a couple of outfits that I decided look like crap on me (after I got them home) & I need to return them. As in, I need to return them before the ninety days is up later this week. ugh.

That should be it for now. Need to finish my wine, grade a crapload of papers, clean the dishes, iron my stupid shirt for tomorrow (I NEVER iron), and finally get some sleep.

Great Cooking Trick

Cool way to peel a hard-boiled egg . . . without peeling it!




Instructions:

1. Cover the eggs with water and boil on low for about 12 minutes
2. Cool the eggs by placing them in cold water with 1 teaspoon of baking soda and ice. The baking soda raises the pH level and reduces adherence. If you choose not to use baking soda, be sure to move the eggs into cold water with plenty of ice immediately after boiling
3. Crack the top of the egg and remove a small piece
4. Crack the bottom (wide end) of the egg and remove a small piece
5. Hold the egg in your hand and blow vigorously into the narrow end of the egg, which will expel it out the wide end.

Doesn’t get much easier than that! Just be ready to catch it when it comes out!

My Bid for Office

Crazy as it seems, I'd appreciate your vote!

Kristin for President

If Today Wasn't Thursday

. . . then it had better be Friday! I am BEAT. This whole back-to-school thing is tough. Training a new group of kids is hard work - and I have to teach them while that's happening!

Overall, my class is very sweet. VERY talkative and VERY immature for their ages, but sweet so far. I hope they simmah down, grow up some, stay sweet, and not make me insane in the process.

So, dear blog, I'm not ignoring you. I'm just tired.