Random

Remember last year when a woman was kicked off a Southwest flight for what she was wearing? Well, supposedly, it has happened again. However, these two "brilliant" women claim it was their great looks that brought on discrimination. I think they should just get over themselves.

I am tired of having actors and actresses win Oscars for playing real people. I look at it as mimicking and not acting. With a fictional character you have such a difficult job of creating every little aspect. Yes, they are great actors but I just feel there is an ounce of laziness present. Hard to explain... This made me feel better about the Oscars.

I can't believe I just read this.

I'm going to read fiction! Hooray! (At least I'll try to...)

But, I will most likely turn to this half-way through the above book. I'm a non-fiction gal. And its ok. I know, I'm also a dork.

Here, enjoy a music video! They're coming to Boise!

America Saves Week

Hey, its America Saves Week! Hooray! I can't wait to save my pennies all week!


Oh, wait! Doesn't this contradict the fiscal stimulus the U.S. government is suggesting? Aren't we supposed to spend money? Isn't that what is going to jump start our slowing economy? Hmm....

????

Should I be concerned that my second-grader Nick pinches his nipples while practicing his spelling list? Should I rename him Nip?

FF: 180

Appetizer

Have you ever played a practical joke on anyone? If so, what did you do and who was your victim?

The earliest one I can remember was dragging a dead cat into a girl's yard for some prank. All I can remember is the cat part. I was in the 4th grade with my friend Denise and the victim was Elizabeth, a girl who drove us crazy. In general, my family is known for practical jokes. Whether it be switching the fortune cookies for ones that have dirty messages or sending traveling missionaries to your home we've done it or thought about it.

Soup

What do your salt and pepper shakers look like?

HA! I'm the proud owner of my grandmother's Depression era salt and paper shaker collection! I think I have close to 200 sets of shakers that will shake no more. I have several nice outhouse sets, along with chickens, priests, skulls, and A-bombs.

Salad

Where is the next place you plan to visit (on vacation or business)?

Vegas. Need sun and all you can eat buffets.

Main Course

What kind of lotion or cream do you use to keep your hands from getting too dry?

Aveda Hand Repair. Its a little oily but it feels lovely. My hairdresser gave it to me. I also love Bliss hand cream--its not as oily and feels heavenly.

Dessert

Make up a dessert, tell us its ingredients, and give it a name.

This one is real, Burnt Sugar Cake. My great-aunt was famous for it. One would go for 200 smacks at her church auction, a cake! It sounds odd but the way she made it was so fabulous. It was easily my favorite dessert.

BTT: Format

All other things (like price and storage space) being equal, given a choice in a perfect world, would you rather have paperbacks in your library? Or hardcovers? And why?

I would rather have hardcovers in my library. In fact, when I buy used books online I usually opt for the hardback. I don't mind if the dust cover is missing or in poor shape I just prefer hardbacks and here is why.

• They usually have better cover designs. I have two copies of some books because I find the hardback cover more appealing and will pass on the paperback to friends.

• The paperback usually get bent up, the spines creased, or pages torn due to a soft cover. I'm hard on my books.

• I don't like paperbacks that have the Oprah's Book Club label, or other reading group label on them. Hardbacks usually don't have these labels. Nor do I want the "Reading Guide Inside" label. I'm not interested in these. I also don't like paperbacks with movie themed covers. I don't want the movie, I want the book. I think by having a movie scene as a cover it cheapens the book. I also don't want friends thinking I just read the book because it was a movie. People forget that it was a book first.
  

• Yes, the price is different however if I want a book badly enough I'll read it at the library and wait to purchase a used hardcover copy. I'm usually a year behind in my reading anyway so price usually isn't an issue.
  

• Storage? We have more books than the rest of the people on our block. Some people have televisions in their living room, we have a library. They surround us. Hardcovers don't take up more room that paperbacks when you have as many books as we do. I think we will always make room for books. We also try to weed through them every so often. In fact we did this over the weekend.
  

"Idaho Travel Packages"

At first I couldn't believe this story when I read it. Then I remembered I live in Idaho where these types of jokes unfortunately occur way too often. However, this is Idaho and this prank came from Montana so I feel an itsy bitsy better. Here, read it for yourself:

"Montana's gay and lesbian community is calling on Rep. Denny Rehberg, R-Mont., to apologize for a gag he recently played on one of his colleagues. On a congressional trip to the Middle East last month, Rehberg left an "Idaho Travel Package" on the airplane seat of Rep. Mike Simpson, R-Idaho.

The contents included a stuffed sheep with gloves attached to it, a Village People CD, books on cross-dressing and sign language and a T-shirt that reads, "My senator may not be gay, but my governor is Butch." The shirt referred to Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, who was caught in a men's airport bathroom sex sting, and Idaho Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter." (more of the story)

Dan Savage, a syndicated columnist and writer for Seattle's The Stranger believes the "focus on Rep. Denny Rehberg’s real crime: attempted murder. Sending a colleague into the Middle East with a Village People CD and a t-shirt with the word “gay” on it? Is Rehberg nuts? Or was he trying to get Simpson beheaded?"

I agree with Savage and Montana's gay and lesbian community. This is ridiculous. Oh, and I want one of those shirts.

Between the Thighs

Over several pitchers of crisp, cold beer last night The Philosopher and I learned we share the same fear. There may come a day in our futures when we will be unable to see through our thighs. And it scares us. I'm pretty sure Farmer Ted and the Coach think we're nuts but for us, that gap, that slice of space represents stability. We may not be in the greatest shape but the gap is still there, and our sanity in place.

In other news I've spent the weekend organizing mementos. Its amazing what you collect over time and the crap you deem special. For instance, I found the Asshole's braid of hair he gave me when he chopped it off, along with pictures of him posing with his AK-47. Nice! Its these moments when I ask myself what the f%$# was I thinking? Gangsta bitch! It is still in my hope chest. (Why are they even referred to as hope chests?) I couldn't bring myself to toss it. I feel that if its gone, that part of my life is gone. And while that was a horrible time for me I'm not willing to forget that I lived through it. Make sense? The Philosopher agreed which was helpful since we shared a similar hell.

I found a brand new Prosser High School blanket that my father told me to NEVER use! "Tis a keepsake!" he said. Well, I called him. I told him its been ten years and its going to be utilized. Why? Why would I want to keep a crappy high school blanket in pristine condition? For what?

Love letters. What do you do with them? I'm thinking of blogging them since they are too funny to keep to myself. Again, what was I thinking in my choice of boys? Stories to come soon.

Found mixed tapes and CDs from Valentine's Day past. GREAT! I put those with my Jetson's movie soundtrack tape and Oly band demos from the mid 90s. Now if I only had a cassette player...

Listening to Beastie Boys throughout it all.