Monday, January 15, 2007

Al Gore May Just Have a Point

Ok, so I know that Denver has been having quite a time of it this winter. And I also know that Oklahoma and Texas are currently digging out from under a huge storm. But here in Atlanta? I'm sweating. I don't sweat easily. I'm often cold, known to wear jeans in the summer and sit under an afghan when it's, oh, 70 degrees in the house. Now, though? I'm in yoga pants and a tee-shirt, carrying items from the house to the storage shed. All the windows in the house are open, ceiling fans are on, and I'm considering pulling shorts out of the bottom drawer in the bedroom. I'm not complaining, exactly, but it is just a wee bit weird to have this weather in the middle of January. Even in Atlanta.

The thing is, this isn't just a warm weekend. This whole "winter" in Atlanta has been, well, warm. Color me worried.

And also? I can't have shorts weather in the winter. My legs are pasty white and definitely not ready for shorts. This global warming thing is definitely bad for fashion.

Monday, January 08, 2007

Again With The One Word Answers

Once again, Shawnee has tagged me with a meme. One word answers only, so sit back and enjoy. And copy. (I copied one of her answers...)

* You Just Finished: changing
* The Weather Outside: cold
* Character On Your Childhood Lunchbox: none
* Your Mood: sated
* Britney Spears: pathetic
* Favorite Place In the House: couch
* Proud To Be: liberal
* Favorite Condiment: mustard
* Food Indulgence: popcorn
* Scent You Hate: musk
* Most Recent Purchase: sushi
* American Idol: vapid
* Last Part of Your Body Injured: wrist
* Your Desk: wreck
* Favorite Kind of Juice: tomato
* Animal That Freaks You Out: spider
* People Irritate You When They: ignore
* Your First Kiss: awkward
* Your Last Meal: sushi
* You'd Rather Be: tanning
* The Future: cloudy
* Hate To Look At: suffering
* The Ocean: fun
* Time Since You Got Up and Left The Computer: short

Sunday, January 07, 2007

Bell the Cat

Asha is quickly growing, and she snuck out of the house on New Year's Eve. I had a wretched 24 hours wondering if she would make it back here, but she did. She was probably at some wild and crazy cat NYE party and had the time of her life. That incident did prompt me to decide it was time to get her used to wearing a collar. The one I picked up had a bell on it. And oh, the hilarity. The video is a little blurry, but it's not because my camera couldn't focus. It's because she was moving JUST THAT FAST trying to get at the bell on her back. Hee!

Thursday, January 04, 2007

Just One More Day, Please!

Why are vacations never long enough? Tomorrow I return to work, and kids show up on Monday. I had grand plans to have the whole semester mapped out before I laid eyes on kids AND have my house cleaned and organized so I wouldn't have to worry about it while school is on AND have my budget laid out so I could save more money this year AND AND AND...

As I type this:

I have some of the semester planned. Like, oh, the first day. Maybe the first two days.

Three out of six rooms in my house are cleaned. And fairly organized. Of course, as those rooms got cleaned more and more stuff was dumped in the rooms not yet cleaned, so by the time I get to the last room, I'm not sure I'll even be able to open the door.

I know how much money I have left for this month. And it's, um, well...the word pathetic comes to mind. Sigh.

So much for grand plans. I'm going to eat one of the cookies I baked last night. That will solve, well, nothing. But it will taste good.

Tuesday, January 02, 2007

I Never...

Well, I guess this is kind of the opposite of that "I Never" game we played in college. Thanks to Shawnee for tagging me with this meme. I guess since she figured I'd copy it from her anyway, she might as well invite me to play along...

You're supposed to bold all the things you have done. I've tried to suggest the mitigating circumstances for some...

  • smoked a cigarette - ok, so I smoked throughout high school. And ran track. I wasn't hypocritical. I was complicated.
  • crashed a friend's car
  • stolen a car
  • been in love - almost constantly from the age of, oh, 8. And usually unhappily. Woe is me.
  • been dumped - see above. Sigh.
  • shoplifted
  • been fired
  • been in a fist fight - with my little brother. That counts, right?
  • has feelings for someone who didn't have them back - what is this? Let's remember all the depressing times?
  • been arrested
  • gone on a blind date
  • lied to a friend - yes, but I'm quite sure I had a good reason. Ahem.
  • skipped school - but only during the lunch period. Or AP English. Because she didn't care.
  • seen someone die
  • had a crush on one of your internet friends
  • been to Canada
  • been to Mexico
  • been on a plane - just two days ago
  • purposely set a part of yourself on fire
  • eaten sushi - every Monday, standing date with several friends. I crave it often.
  • been jet-skiing - and I love it. I'd love to live on a lake or some body of water.
  • met someone in person from the internet - and doesn't it usually turn out badly? I still have hope...
  • been moshing at a concert - I love to do it, but since I'm only 5'1", I usually end up with an elbow in the eye. No joke. I got a black eye once.bold
  • taken pain killers - almost daily
  • loved and missed someone - again with the depressing questions
  • made a snow angel - I lived in Illinois and Ohio as a child. Snow angels were a way of life in the winter
  • had a tea party - I'm almost certain I did as a child. A pretend one, at least.
  • flown a kite - never very well, I'm afraid
  • built a sand castle - again, not very well. I'm not so...artistic. Or patient enough to stick with it until it's an actual castle. It usually ended up more of a sand lump
  • gone puddle jumping - does this mean jumping in puddles? I still do that occasionally. It's fun. When it's warm. Not so much when it's cold.
  • played dress up - I loved this as a child. I still remember some "glass" slippers we used to play Cinderella.
  • jumped in a pile of leaves - although now I'd be scared of slugs. Or spiders. Ewww.
  • gone sledding - Pasfield Park, in Springfield, IL. FABULOUS times as a child. No sledding in Atlanta, though. Sigh.
  • cheated while playing a game
  • been lonely - who hasn't?
  • fallen asleep at work or school - thankfully, not while I was actually *teaching*.
  • used a fake ID
  • watched a sun set - I think that is supposed to be sunset, but I'll let it go...
  • felt an earthquake - would you believe we had one here in Georiga a few years ago? Very strange. Woke me up in the night, and I remember thinking, "oh, it's only an earthquake" and falling back to sleep. In the morning, I sat up and thought, "what the f***???" Apparently, there is a fault in Alabama. Make your own jokes.
  • touched a snake - duh. Oh, you mean *the animal*? Tee hee. That too.
  • slept beneath the stars - I love camping
  • been robbed - house broken into, and the worst thing they took was the camera with pictures of my recent vacation. I'm still mad about that.
  • been misunderstood - I teach MATH. When do my kids EVER understand me??
  • petted a reindeer/goat - um. I'm not sure how these go together. No to the reindeer, but yes to the goat
  • won a contest - well, I've won a drawing. Does that count? Or winning scholarships?
  • run a red light/stop sign - nearly daily. I'm horrible.
  • been suspended from school
  • been in a car accident - several. But only one on the day of a wedding. (Sorry, Shawnee!)
  • eaten a whole pint of ice cream in one night - oy. Don't remind me
  • had deja vu - does this mean I'm in the Matrix?
  • danced in the moonlight - with the devil? Oh, sorry, Batman flashback. We did have outdoor dances in high school, though. And there was one very romantic night with the guy I was dating ...
  • liked the way you looked at least at one point in time - um, ok. How pathetic is this question? I like the way I look a lot of the time. I'm not perfect, but...
  • witnessed a crime - you mean besides ones I've been involved in? I teach high school. You'd be surprised what crimes go on. Or maybe you wouldn't.
  • been obsessed with Post-It notes
  • squished barefoot through the mud - just yesterday, while trying to find my lost kitten
  • been lost - Not often, but it happens
  • been on the opposite side of the country - just once. I do like San Francisco!
  • swam in the ocean - every summer, now that I'm only a couple hours drive from it. I love just floating...
  • cried yourself to sleep - lots, but probably the most ridiculous one was the time when my parents wouldn't let me stay up late to watch the final episode of M*A*S*H. Good lord, I must have been at least 11. Sad.
  • played cops and robbers - I'll always remember the time we were playing and I was acting as though I'd been shot. One of my friends leaned over me and yelled, "she's dead!" just as a *real* cop drove by. We were mortified when he stopped to check on us. Although in hind sight, good for him!
  • recently colored with crayons
  • sung karaoke - regrettably
  • paid for a meal with only coins
  • done something you told yourself you wouldn't do - all the freaking time.
  • made prank phone calls - yes, but I'm sure it was all Shawnee's idea
  • laughed until some kinda beverage came out of your nose - I remember a particularly painful experience with a slush puppy in the skating rink once.
  • caught a snow flake on your tongue - again, I grew up in Illinois and Ohio. My brother and I loved to do this.
  • written a letter to Santa Claus - I'm quite sure I did. Although I really don't remember really believing in him. I knew it was just a wish list to my parents!
  • been kissed under the mistletoe by your boy/girlfriend
  • watched the sun rise with someone you care about - remember that romantic dancing under the moonlight I mentioned? Yeah. It was a nice night.
  • blown bubbles - I still love doing this.
  • made a bonfire on the beach
  • laughed so hard you pee your pants
  • cheated on a test - only in French class in high school. I *cannot* do languages. Plus I hated that teacher. Good reason, I know.
  • been kissed by someone you didn't like - only when I hadn't yet broken up with them...
  • gone skinny dipping in a pool