Moen, Moen, Moen ... oh, Mowing!

As the season changed the grass in my yard started growing slower, thus making it a bit easier on my budget. Having to mow 1.5 acres of grass each week with a 20" mower takes a bit of petrol. We've been able to put off mowing for the last four weeks with the cold weather, but it's time now. I asked Ryan if he wouldn't mind making sure the mowing was done, especially the grass next to the house, before I got home from work. The look on his face was priceless, sheer puzzlement! He scratched his head and asked what do Moen faucets have to do with the grass outside? Nothing. Ryan was suffering from a "deh, deh, deh" moment. When he heard me say we needed to get mowin' he couldn't figure out what the grass next to the house had to do with our faucet which needed fixing was in the house.

Can we say selective hearing?!

Political Face Lifts

You know it's a crying shame that neither of the major political parties is able manage a blemish free campaign. This year brings with its election choices both a young candidate full of promises for change with flowery rhetoric, and a veteran candidate promising in unpretentious rhetoric that experience and wisdom is what we need going forward. And just when it appears that the campaigns are wrinkle free, BAMM, one of the parties vice-presidential hopefuls admits to having had an affair! What next?

Someone recently said that "politicians are little more than pimples on the face of America." Pimples? You have to be kidding! Our country's presidential campaigns are looking like a bad case of acne during puberty. It seems the harder they try to cover their flaws up with political makeup, the worse the outbreak. You would think that as effective as mud packs are for one's complexion, that the mudslinging between the parties would have help out by now. No? Perhaps then both parties should consider a real face lift ... literally!

Resources; Are there ever enough?

It's time to stop putting it off and just do it. I've tried everything I can short of hiring a team of miniature techies to climb into my computer and make it run faster. I even promised them miniature glasses of green tea and crumpets, but they declined the offer. Something about having to share the space with all of the dust aliens hiding out inside my CPU. Imagine that!

Seriously, I just have to bite the proverbial bullet, squeeze a bit tighter, put off some of the less important things, and purchase additional system memory if I am ever going to get back up to speed. At the rate this thing is moving now, the slugs that cross my porch at night are moving faster. How slow you might ask? I started a scan of the system earlier this morning and after 7 hours, 13 minutes, and 18 seconds and it is still scanning. :/

Anyone have a suggestion on which memory chip is better to use with a Dell?

Note to self: Remember to pick up a can of alien blaster!

What Happened to the Sizing of Clothing?

So tell me, what's up with the change in the sizing charts for women's clothing? It's enough to confuse anyone. There are petites, classic fit's, women's, plus sizes, and none of them are staying true to size. One year you're wearing what you think is normal sized clothing and the next you are in numbers you'd rather not discuss!

I must admit that years ago (and even now depending upon the maker) I had to wear clothing that was larger than those gorgeous outfits donned by the store mannequins. Like most young ladies I would gaze at them wondering how in the world I could ever get my svelte body into something so tiny.

Now, it's not what you are thinking, although I've been there done that before too. But as a youth I was endowed enough to warrant plus size clothing when it came to choosing the size of blouse or shirt. Since then, I have had a reversal of wardrobe challenges, and what once was an asset, is now less of an asset. Now the challenge is bringing up the rear so to speak.

A bit more walking and a lot less sitting sure would help improve those odds, or is that end?

Who Needs Memory Now?

Apparently, I do! After our trip to Tennessee this passed week, we headed home from Mr.D's place to finish out our camping adventure. We were about thirty minutes into the trip when I received a call from Mr.D who let me know I had left my modem to my computer. It's bad enough that I need a dell memory, but now it would seem that I need a new memory of my own. It wasn't bad enough that I forgot it, but my son saw it and thought it was a part of Mr.D's vehicle tracking equipment, and Mr.D thought it was a project he had been working on. So, I didn't feel so bad when they both told me they saw it sitting on the table and didn't think to ask about it.

Now who was it that needed more memory? ;)

PS Thank you "Mr.D" for mailing the modem, it arrived safely today as our USPS promised ... I only had to wait an hour after work for the mailman to arrive! LOL!

Vintage or Ice Age?

My teens are always teasing me about being from the prehistoric ages when the cavemen walked the earth and dragged around their women. They are too funny, or so they think they are! For instance, when a new style of vintage sunglasses comes out, they swear it's entirely new since there is no way humanly possible they could resemble those we wore in years prior to their existence.

Youth. Will they never learn that we are where we are because of our past and that our past is often repeated; even in fashion!

Men's Jewels

Though some men might like to read about their jewels as a subject of a blog read round the world, I would bet most don't. One such man who loved to show off his jewels, and probably still does, is "Mr.T" from the television show about four misfits trying to make right the wrongs of society. What prompts a man to talk about or wear men's jewelry the way "Mr.T" likes to?

Do you like wearing lots of gold or silver with your suits? How about a simple, but elegant watch that makes a statement about your style? You know, Father's Day is just around the corner. If that someone special is a good boy, perhaps he'll be showing off his jewels right here! ;)

Oh behave baby!

Thanks for hanging in there with me ...

Over the past few months I've been through a lot of changes, from working 72 hours to 28 hours per week, from a quiet semester with minimal school activities to spring and its jump start on things to come for all, and a computer system that caught a cold, or something and has had to have a cleanse and may need more memory. Geesh, it sounds a lot like me, the more memory thing that is! Anyway, thanks for sticking with me as I work through all of this and the impact that spring has sprung upon us. I have a feeling there are more surprises to come ... oh goody, prom is this Saturday! Updates at eleven on the twelve o:clock news. ;)

Oh, THOSE movers and shleppers!

The other day a friend of mine mentioned something about movers and shleppers and I was like ... What?! For a moment there I thought he was talking about movers and shakers and was just having a brain fart. Sorry ... LOL! I wasn't quite sure what he meant when he said "mover NYC", but living in the south it might have meant something along the lines of ... mover Nice Yellow Caboose over here, or thar, or anywhar. Who knows?

Obviously someone does, because while I was searching online I found out that he was actually talking about a moving company in New York City. Now his comments were making more sense. Thank goodness for internet and its wonderful search engines! Glad I didn't jump into the middle of that conversation. Imagine my embarrassment ... really!

:]

the Dawnster & a Monumental Greeting!

A friend of mine who works in d'burg in southwestern NC celebrated her "40th" birthday this past week on January 16th, and as she approached her cubical she was greeted by the handiwork of some sinister "Happy Birthday" pranksters! LOL! Just so happens, "Mr.D" works with the Dawnster, yet he claims to be totally innocent of any participation in the deeds done in her honor. Hmmm ... innocent eh? Pop on over to her site, the easy chair" for a look at the surprises ... do they just have too much time on their hands or are they just the best of coworkers and friends?

This be one o' me favorite pictures o' th' birthday girl ...

Happy Belated Birthday, Dawn!

The Race is On!!!

It's day four of the 2008 tax season and all of our tax professionals are in their gates! On the left we have "Laborious" Lucinda, "Stedfast" Susan, and "Meticulous" Marisa, and to the right we have "Justly" Joanie, "Advantageous" Annette, and "Gracious" Gracie; all are neck and neck and as the clients enter the office one by one ... the race is definitely on! Who will get the next client?

Well, it doesn't quite feel that way just yet, but we're told it will some day soon. Until then, perhaps we need to have dueling treadmills to work off some of this good eating we've been doing in preparation of our busy season. If not, we are definitely going to need to do laps around the building before too long. Being desk bound for 11 to 12 hours per day, six day per week is going to put a hurting on the wardrobe at this rate, not to mention the waistline!

I don't know, but I think it might be time to figure out some kind of routine exercises we can do at our desks besides keyboard reps!

Did you say Crisco? Oops!

Do you know what happens when you are half listening when others are talking? You hear half of what they say! Or do you?

Just the other day, a certain blond (I won't mention any names) was working on her computer trying to find out what was making it stick so badly. As she was trying intently to figure things out she thought heard someone in the background offer a suggestion, but she continued working. Frustrated she arose from her task, went to the kitchen, grabbed a small can from the cupboard, and returned to the computer.

As her son returned to the room he asked her what in the world she was doing? There she sat lubricating the insides of her computer!

"I'm making sure my computer runs smoothly by applying some used Crisco," she replied. Her son nearly fell over from laughter. She gave him a puzzled look and asked why he was laughing to which he explained, "Mom, they were discussing a used cisco, not applying some used Crisco!" Can we say ... oops!

The moral of the story is to stop and listen, you could save yourself a lot of trouble!

Does Your Sink Stink?

Some sinks stink and some sinks sink, but Kohler sinks make one think that perhaps now might be the right time for a new sink, you think? Mine stinks, not literally, but it has no real appeal, dull, drab, fake porcelain top glued to a fake wood cabinet. Sounds great, right? Not even great! I'll be glad when the landlord starts fixing things around this house that are in dire need of repair, and as you can see from this picture the wall looks worse than the sink. In fact, the sink looks pretty good compared to the wall. Oh well, until then I'll do my best to dress it up a bit. Wish me luck!

A Play on Words Video

What do remembering things on a day-to-day basis and a memory foam mattress have in common? Check out this video assignment to see what I mean:

"Remembering With Memory Foam Mattress"

Thanks to Ryan, Jennifer, and "Mr.D" for all of your help in making this video possible, without you it would have been much more difficult a task.

Hope you all enjoy!


Comments and suggestions are always welcome!

Business Meeting or Free- for-All?

Today our office met with at least three of our satellite offices to go over the 2007 Tax Updates. It was an excellent informal meeting and there even though there was a lot of information to learn we all seemed to understand the changes. There will be stricter guidelines for income tax preparers, and penalties for oversights on compliance issues but overall it won't effect the professional preparers who correctly do their job. It was nice getting to meet everyone and to have the meeting be informal, however, there were two preparers who insisted on chatting to each other for a majority of the time. I sure hope that they are more professional in their office when they are dealing with clients, but it was disrespectful to our owners to chatter while they were conducting business.

Though my coworkers insist that I am the "Queen of Chatter" in our office, I gladly relinquish that crown to these two today! I am sure my coworkers are just kidding about me ... really, they are!

Hurry, but don't you SPEED!

Today I needed to go to the courthouse to pay a ticket I had received last month. I had misplaced the amended ticket and spent the day looking for it to no avail. I decided to stop by work on the way there and found that I hadn't left it there either. Frustrated, I passed by a coworker who suggested I just go down and pay it, that the courthouse would have a record of it on file. So, off I went to the courthouse.

It was almost 5:00 p.m. and if I hurried I would make it there in time to take care of ticket and avoid that dreaded court appearance. When I arrived the woman started filling out a paper receipt based on what she had in the system. It was for the original ticket and when I explained that it had been amended she pointed me in the direction of the DA's office to obtain a copy of the amended ticket. It was up to them whether or not they would reissued a copy. Thankfully the lady there did!

Next, we rushed back to the courthouse as it was nearly 5 p.m and they would be closing. As we entered the door the lady there was just shutting the door to her office and pointed me in the direction of the Magistrate's office out and around the side of the same building.

Finally, the young lady there was able to issue the paperwork for me to sign for the amended offense, and even though we ran into a snag momentarily about the cost of the ticket, she was able to figure it out based on the paper from the courthouse. Why was that important? Without it, I would have had to repeat the entire process again tomorrow.

As we exited the building it was raining rather nicely and both Jennifer and I got soaked, but at least the ticket is now PAID!!! :)

Ahhh the sound of audio racks!

What is it with some of the male species? Rack, racks, racks! That's all you hear about sometimes. If it's not the rack on a buck, it's a rack on the wall for hanging that 1,000,000th baseball cap, or maybe it's that rack on the waitress at "Hooters." Well, I have a rack of my own ... yes, it's the sweet sound of audio racks as that frying pan lands upside my ex-hubby's head for once again pointing out that yet another woman has a larger rack than mine. Nothing like it in the world! Oh, my bad ... it's not that kind of audio racks? That's not what the waitress told me as she brought him a glass of ice to cool that bump on his head. Of course it would have been a sweet sound if I could have found a frying pan, he had to settle for the searing sound of my discontent instead!

Would smacking an ex qualify as a "rack of ham?" ;)

Diamond Rings: Some Do & Some Don't

Why is it that some women are fortunate enough to receive diamond rings while others are not so fortunate? Is there some magic to getting the man of their dreams to surprise them with such a lovely gift? Perhaps there's a magic spell, that's it! It has to be!

I don't recall any of my friends or other women I know having to kiss a myriad of frogs, toads, or duds to warrant such a show of affection and devotion. As time goes on I've noticed that some of the women, who receive that all "illusive" ring, are women that tend to treat their men with disdain. Is that the proposed formula for romance and commitment these days?

Who knows? For those women that have been less fortunate, stop kissing frogs! There is no prince behind that green mouth and besides it stinks! LOL! Well, from what I remember it did ... of course that was yeeeeeaaaaarrrrssss ago!

To those women whose "Knight in shining ... cough ... armor" does ride in, we'll believe for the best, that he'll know your heart and you'll not have to resort to behavior that is beneath you! Seriously though, I hope that those women who have never received such a gift will not be second to any who were before them.


A hint to you men out there ... REMEMBER a gift so personal which reflects such affection and devotion should never be "re-gifted", that's just WRONG!

Cheers ;)

PS Ladies, you can always buy your own rings if you'd like ... you deserve to feel good about yourself and let it show! Personally, I prefer yellow gold settings!

What do Astronauts & Race Car Drivers Have in Common?

You guessed it, protective underwear! Oh, you didn't guess that? Well, think about it for a minute. I know, most people think of babies or the elderly when they think of having to wear such a garment, but there are other reasons for using such protection. Imagine not wearing something similar while racing around a track for hours or floating around in space for weeks on end, the very thought sends shivers through my veins. All right, so this doesn’t add any attraction factor to those sexy race car drivers ... sigh ... like Bobby LaBonte and Tony Stuart! Whereas some Nascar fans might not agree with my picks for sexiest drivers, they might agree that certain drivers (who shall remain nameless) really need to be in diapers! ;)

Milk Crates, Giant Spools, & Coaster Furniture?

Think back to a time when making your new home a place where you could relax involved some ingenuity. You are just starting out and have little to spend on traditional furniture. Being the resourceful person that you are, you find a giant spool which you convert into a coffee table. You cut the spool into two pieces (this allows you to share the wealth and you give the extra table to a friend), then you sand and varnish the entire surface area. Next you paint it with a coat of polyurethane to seal it with a protective layer. All you have for a bed is your mattress, so you collect milk crates from the local markets until you find a better a frame. They work great if you use them on a carpeted floor. Since they are designed for gallons of milk they are the perfect height to raise the mattress off the floor. Someone suggests Coaster Furniture but for the life of me I can't imagine what that would look like; perhaps an end table? You could lay out either a round or square pattern of coasters, glue them together, then glue stacks of coasters together to make legs.

What did you use to make functional furniture when you first started out on your own?