Someone's in the Kitchen With Otis Redding

Well, it's Halloween. WEE.

Halloween's not really a biggie for me. On the rare years that I go to a costume party or something like that it's fun and all, but I really don't get excited about this particular holiday.

That's not to say I'm against it or anything, that whole thing about some groups of christians getting weirded out about Halloween and having alternative "christian" celebrations came on after I was a kid. I got originally spooked on Halloween because my brothers told me scary stories, not because I knew that any Satanists were looking to steal my cat. I remember laying awake at night, thinking something would happen on this particular night because it was the night that the bloody hand got loose and did bad things to people. Later, in Jr. High, I was terrified going through the haunted house my church high school group did in the Holmes' barn. They had spaghetti swimming in ketchup for brains in a cauldron and freaky webs everywhere and hands coming out and grabbing your ankles, and "bloody" axes laying around in the straw. It was some scary stuff. I knew it wasn't real, but I just couldn't stop being scared and screaming my head off and then having nightmares about it. And ya, I know - my CHURCH sponsored this stuff.... would be very strange these days, wouldn't it?

But it's a mixed bag. Cause some people just dress up like Yoda and pass out candy and get to know their neighbors better. Which is a good thing. I dressed up as Goth Girl one year and it was really fun when no one recognized me. I love stuff like that. I love candy corn and I remember those wax pop bottles where you bit off the top and sweet liquidy stuff came out. I love pumpkin carving and seeing my friends' kids all dressed up all cute and stuff. I love Peeps ghosts and pumpkins.

I'm uncomfortable with the scary horror part that comes out on halloween. When I was a kid, we loved fake blood and grossing each other out. We told each other spooky stories with the flashlight pointing up on our faces to make ourselves look scary and we creeped each other out with ghost sounds after dark. I loved it until the lights went out for the night. I can't tell you how many halloweens and slumber parties left me unable to sleep for a while.

Maybe I should tell you that Nancy Drew mysteries gave me nightmares. heh. I'm not kidding - I was really that sensitive.

So I'm not saying Halloween is bad or having fun with spooky stuff is bad because I don't think this is a black and white thing. Cause I think there are some kids who have less vulnerability for whatever reason so telling stories in the dark about the hand that went scratch, scratch, scratching on the roof of the car in the abandoned cemetery while the terrified couple sat trembling in fear inside is just all fun and games. They can feel a little creeped out, scream just like those who are really truly terrified by it and then go right to sleep. At least I think this is how it worked for some of my friends... but maybe not?

I did not have that ability. I knew the stories weren't real, but once the lights went out at night, I could not use logic to completely convince myself that the stories I was hearing would never happen to me. That the ghosts would probably have no reason to hang out in my closet and that there really wasn't ever going to be a werewolf living in our barn.

So I was scared anyway. I think that's what it was about. And I don't think I'm alone in that. I think we were a lot of us scared anyway for a lot of reasons - both real and imagined. It didn't take much to freak ourselves out. I think by telling scary stories we made fun of ourselves with it. I think we played with it in order to stare fear in the face and feel brave, even if it was just for a little bit.

A ring ding ding ding d-ding baa aramba baa baa barooumba!

Sometimes I'm a little slow on the uptake. (Cause I rarely listen to Top 40) This isn't really new, so maybe you've heard/seen it but I hadn't yet....

See the video here.

Read more about the Crazy Frog here.

And - just in case you'd like to sing along, the Lyrics go like this:

A ring ding ding ding d-ding baa aramba baa baa barooumba
Wh-Wha-Whats going on-on
Ding ding
Lets do the crazy froogg
Ding dingA Brem BremA ring ding ding ding dingA Ring Ding Ding DingdemgdemgA ring ding ding ding dingRing dingBaa-BaaRing ding ding ding dingA Ring Ding Ding DingdemgdemgA ring ding ding ding dinga Bram ba am baba weeeeeee
BREAK DOWN!
Ding dingBr-Br-Break Itdum dum dumda dum dum dum dum dumda dum dum dum dum dum dumda dum dumBrem daemdum dum dumda dum dum dum dum dumda dum dum dum dum dum dumda dum dumweeeeeeee
A ram da am da am da am da weeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!
Wh-Whats Going On?
ding ding
Bem De Demding dingda daA ring ding ding ding dingA Ring Ding Ding DingdemgdemgA ring ding ding ding dingRing dingBaa-BaaRing ding ding ding dingA Ring Ding Ding DingdemgdemgA ring ding ding ding dinga Bram ba am baba..ding dingBr-Br-Break Itdum dum dumda dum dum dum dum dumda dum dum dum dum dum dumda dum dumBrem daemdum dum dumda dum dum dum dum dumda dum dum dum dum dum dumda dum dumding dingBem
e Dem!

-- or something like that.

Not As Annoyed

I see Ice Cream is preferred over Super Glue for keeping maternity pants up! (according to the comments on the last post) I assume you mean I should EAT the ice cream....not use it in place of super glue to hold up the pants?

anyway..........
Grandma to the Rescue! Amazing Mom showed up yesterday with a grocery bag full of maternity clothes and baby boy clothes!

And Pants that STAY UP!!

Hooray for the Staying Up of the Pants!

Annoyed

Maternity pants do not stay up. I must Super Glue them to my butt!

Dirty dishes pile up. They should not pile up like that. They should wash themselves and put themselves in the cupboard without being asked every time! Lazy Dishes!

Good Stuff, Maynard!

Rick's CD has been out for a while now, and I forgot to plug it on here. You can hear some songs from this CD if you click HERE. The rest of his new site is pretty cool too, if you haven't been to the new one. You can view art by the whole fam, you can watch movies made by Rick and see pictures taken by Pearl, Sock Monsters made by Rose, and posts written by both Rick and Brenda. It's really a super web site. (designed by Brad Yarhouse who is also a really cool guy)

Those of you from the area: If you were at our wedding you might remember hearing the song he sang called Lover and a Friend - that one is on this CD, and we're really geeked about that. I mean, who gets to hear the cool song at their wedding whenever they want - in stereo -mixed in a studio!? That is just way cool for us. Unlike many CD's I listen to, I happen to like all ths songs on there. 2nd to Lover and a Friend though, the title song is my fave.

This is good stuff, Maynard! Go check it out!

I Finally Reached Enlightenment And All I Got Was This Stupid Aura

I read today that questions are for understanding people, not for making ourselves sound smart, to challenge, or to couch criticism. OUCH. Ya, I'm guilty of doing those things sometimes.

A number of times I've thought lately how sick I am of hearing all the crap that comes out of my mouth. What if I just stopped talking for a while. Like maybe a year? Ok maybe not that long, but there's really not that much that necessarily must be said, is there? I miss things because I don't ask the right questions. I forget to stay engaged in learning about another person. I don't think to ask the right things at the right times, and later find a good friend's life plan is taking a different course and I didn't even know it even though we talk regularly. Maybe I am talking about me too much. Maybe I'm too busy trying to sound smart or "challenge" or voice my own opinions.

What if I stop trying to prevent people from forming an opinion about me without my help? What if I just trust that they will think what they will and that takes nothing from me as a person?

Maybe my communication style needs a "de-cluttering" of sorts. Simplifying life might include budgeting words better, asking more questions internally before spending the verbage. If that metaphor works, then it could also include worrying less about image and investing more in questions that pay interest in the form of connection.

Final Chapter of Attila the Hun's Campaign

Picked up one of these yesterday. A Pet Hair Magnet. It RAWKS! Like a big RAWKING thing that RAWKS on RAWKERS! I used it on the stairs and in the hallway and on the cat tree and on the hairified chair in the living room and the hairified chair in the dining room that Mr. Hobbes loves to sit on! It works better than the sticky tacky roller thingy and it works better than the vacuum and it works on a train or in the rain or in a cab with Aunt Lorraine!
If you're looking for something like this, there's my recommendation! It now comes with the Captainwow Seal of Approval, and that's really sayin' something!

Also of interest: (or not)
Attila the Hun did not conquer Rome as intended. He (I) marched through the provinces, decimating at least 4 more populations before approaching the city of Rome. Pope Leo asked to speak with Attila outside the city gates. He took his army because he did not trust the Romans, not even the Pope. Alas, the pope would not speak to him but in private. So he left his men and had a private little visit with the Pope. What the Pope said to Attila is not known, but he turned his army away from the city and let it be. A short time later, he took a new wife to add to his harem, and on his wedding night he died in bed, having choked on his own nosebleed. Pretty ironic for one who said that grass would not grow where his steed had trodden.

So, the campaign is over. I was victorious, but not in the way I expected. It was fun. I hope you didn't mind me going on about my bloody cyber battles. You'll hear no more from Attila the Hun, maybe later I'll channel Montezuma and tell you all about it.

Galadriel and Attila the Hun

Ya, so Attila the Hun is on sabbatical or something. I just haven't had the energy for the final push into Rome. Also, I took this personality test, which gives you an idea of how noisy it can get in my head when Galadriel and Attila the Hun are having a disagreement:

Got this one from reverend mommy's random thoughts

Meanwhile, we did get a truckload of crap to the dump, which is fun. Getting rid of junk is always a good thing. It was scraps from the deck project and ripped out trim and rubble from the kitchen project, and other things we'd put in the garage. Like the chair that fell apart while Kevmo was SITTING IN IT. And the camp chair that fell apart when Paul was SITTING IN IT! The Conspiring Chairs and much of the other chaos that was cluttering up our yard/garage is now gone.

Today is a rainy cold day, Kevmo took the day off to use up some vaycay time so we went and saw Flightplan in the theater. We were the only two in the theater and so we could talk whenever we wanted which was fun. We ate lots of popcorn and drank a gallon of Dr. Pepper and the movie was better than we expected. JACKPOT!

Also, they really need to hurry it up with the Wealthy Street Make Our Cute Little Uppity Part of Town Even Cuter and More Uppity Project. They're putting a damper on my Uppity D&W runs!

Also, I know that it would make movie plots less interesting but seriously, Jodi. If you're going to hit the villain in the head with a fire extinguisher, you need to HIT! HIM/HER! IN THE HEAD! REALLY REALLY HARD! Not just knock him/her a little bit for a loop so that he/she can recover quickly and come after you.

Maybe just remember that for next time.

I Am Attila The Hun - Watch Me Dial 911!

In the wee hours of the morning, I called 911 for the first time in my life. I was so groggy, I didn't even know what to do, I went all the way downstairs even though there's a phone in the room I was sleeping in. I had been up earlier because I was hungry and unable so sleep. I must have just fallen asleep when I heard glass breaking, and I opened the window so I could hear better where it was coming from. It was coming from up the street, so I called 911 and they were getting 2 other calls for the same thing right about then. The guy chose that moment to run away and shout some stuff, so I recognized his voice as the stoned/drunk/cognitively disabled man (it's unclear if it's any or all of those) that woke me up a few nights ago, beating on the neighbor's car and getting yelled at by them. That night he ran away wailing and shouting obscenities too, after a long confrontation with our very loud neighbors. Now I wish I'd called the cops that night - but it seemed no one was getting hurt and with my very vocally loud neighbors, I never know if they're really seriously angry or just being very seriously loud. See, when I hear yelling, I think that hitting is next and if I hear lots of yelling then I think that lots of hitting is coming up and it makes me very nervous. I always assume that someone is about to get badly hurt. A friend of mine explained to me that it's a cultural thing, these neighbors of mine are just loud that way, and after observing them for a while, I can see that they don't seem to be physically violent, just very verbally expressive. ( I think.....)

At any rate, this time the cops nailed the stoned/drunk/cognitively disabled man. Actually, I was still in Attila the Hun mode, I wanted to run out into the street when I saw him running and take him down, steal his bat or shovel or whatever he was using, and make sure he didn't get away. But I realized just soon enough that I was without glasses, I was in my PJ's, barefoot, and 5 months pregnant. Not so much of a great time for running down and ass kicking - except in cyberland.

Everyone's fine, except for the porch windows he broke in the neighbor's house. I'm so glad no one got hurt. It took a long time to simmer down from that though, so it was another long night. However, I did get to read a really good article that my husband brought home for me to read. If you've ever seen the movie The Other Sister , it talks about this topic. The article was about Carrie Bergeron, a woman with Down's Syndrome who is getting married to a man with Down's syndrome. Their families have specific concerns and they have a lot of determination to make it on their own. You can read more about their story at that link if you want. I find it fascinating to read about people with disabilities who are determined to live independently and how with the help of a community of people, that is often more possible than once thought.

In other news, (because I know you're wondering) Attila the Hun conquered the Visigoths, the Alans and the Western Roman Empire yesterday. It was a long, bloody, and costly battle. I lost many many armies of men (and women) but ended the battle 24 calvary strong and with 4 trebuchets still intact. I demanded my dowry and received it. Still, I am restless. Today we will march on Rome in the last battle of our campaign. Details at 11.

Incidentally, Blogger's Spellcheck wants to replace Trebuchets with Therapists!!! HAHAHA!!

Nunzilla

I am Attila the Hun! I burn and pillage villages and ransack gold mines to make medallions for my warriors!!!

GRRRR!!!!!

I also bungled an alliance with the cowardly Burgundies, halting my progress into the Western Roman Empire, and turning all of their allies against me. I neglected to remember that I could garrison my units inside battering rams and left them out in the open to be massacred. It was a bloody mess. I lost my entire army so I must retreat and rebuild.

I guess even Attila the Hun makes mistakes.

Incidentally, I used to think Attila the Hun was a female. An enormous woman, dressed in a Habit. A sort of Nunzilla. Yikes!

Meme-orize it!

A Meme from SpookyRach: (not in the correct order, I got mixed up)
Labels are below each pic.


Googled my Grandmother's Name

Googled my favorite food.


Googled my favorite Smell.
















Googled my Name.











Googled the town I live in Now




















Googled the town I was born in.















Googled my favorite drinky drink.
















Googled my favorite song.

The Monster is Awake

Well I finally did it!

(No, I don't mean THAT, ya Perv!!)

I re awakened the Monster. You see, a year ago, I quit my job that was nearly an hour away so that I wouldn't have the commute. It seemed right at the time to take a break and not work for a while. (which turned into a long while...but that's another topic.) My wiser self knew enough to realize that I needed to limit my computer game time or I would be living in complete chaos and the house would be a wreck and I had some solitude to practice and lake draining and apparently, hormonal angst to wade through.

And I'm glad, because frankly - most of that good stuff happened and I re decorated the kitchen, and kept things under control for the most part. While I may have had days where I zoned out online, I've done pretty well keeping a balance. I've learned to slow down, walk slower, not berate myself for not being in motion at least 75% of the time. I've learned to not demand of myself constant multitasking. I took time to cry over stuff I never took time to cry for before. I let myself feel stuff I'd busied myself out of feeling. I spent time practicing silence and solitude. Sometimes really well, sometimes not so well, but I learned to let it flow and not be so hard on myself. I read new authors and learned stuff and it's been a great year. Thankfully, I have Amazing Man who is understanding and cool and supportive of all this. (even if a bit jealous)

One of the things I've been abstaining from is my favorite game Age of Empires. I went an entire YEAR (or at least close to it) without playing ANY Age of Empires! This is no small thing, I tell you. You might think I could play just a little of it now and then. But you see, I can play this game for many hours straight and forget to eat or pee or anything - it's that completely absorbing for me! Which is exactly why I chose to steer clear of it for the time being. I think I should get a coin or something for a year of sobriety.

Well, yesterday I had the urge and the time, so I played. And man was it GREAT!! I forgot how good it feels to kick some major booty and hear the drums and the music and explosions and take over THE WORLD!!! MMUUWAAAHHAHHHAAAAAA!!!

Have a good weekend y'all - I've got some ancient empire butt to kick!



Unrelated question of the day: If I spin around in circles a lot does the baby get dizzy?

Little Wow

Well, we had our ultrasound last evening, and found that we have a very active little one. The baby was very cooperative and gave us a full crotchal view, so we are as about certain as anyone can be with an ultrasound that we'll be having a little BOY!

Everything looked good, and it was amazing to get to see our little dude moving all over the place. Grandma was able to join Amazing Man and I, so she got a good look too, which was fun for her.

So, 1000 points to Martha Martha for guessing a Boy. YAAAY!!!! Good guessing! See, it pays to be contrary sometimes....

A few of our "off-line" friends also guessed boy based on wives tales and me hauling around a lower slung belly, I guess... but they were right. Grandma was right on the money too.

So now we know and we can proceed with name picking and decorating and allathat fun stuff!

In other news, well, there is no other news except that Hobbes hacked up an exceptionally large gift of a hairball this morning.

So on that note, I think I'll just leave you with a quote from Queen Elizabeth the first. "Though God has raised me high, yet this I count the glory of my crown that I have reigned with your loves. I do not so much rejoice that God has made me a Queen, as to be a Queen over so thankful a people."

Boy or Girl?

Tomorrow evening, we'll be going to an ultrasound appointment and hopefully having the opportunity to get a clear shot of the appropriate angle so as to determine whether we are having a boy or girl!

How's that for a needlessly wordy sentence!? We're pretty geeked though, can't wait to know whether to call this bump in my belly a He or a She!

And to pick out a name!
And to start getting the room ready.

1000 points to anyone who guesses correctly!
WEEEEEE!

A couple of times this weekend I looked down and was considerably shocked at the size of me. Almost as if I forgot I was pregnant! For a fraction of a second it's like: WOAH! WHAT HAPPENED!? Oh, ya.

This weekend I spent some time watching some back episodes of LOST. So I can be clued in better this season. I think it's a pretty cool show, but I need to not see any of those crash scenes before flying! Scares me. Any of you watching this show!?

Tonight we went to our Sunday Night Potluck where the pot LUCK was that 3 of us brought cake and someone brought ice cream too! WEEEE!!! And I drank a Pepsi!
WEEEEE!!
Chocolate and sugar high! WEEEEEE!!

WEEEEE!

WEEEEEEE!