SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT

I've got the perfect example of why you should take artists seriously:

Adolph Hitler.

See, he was an artist who couldn't sell his work. No one took him seriously as an artist. Look what happened. Of course, it probably helped that he was possessed by the demons of hell, too.

So the next time you start to make a "do you want fries with that" joke or pass by a street vending artist, remember...you say the wrong thing and BAM!!!! We have a new furher on our hands.

Weekend Update!

Well, the weekend is over and I survived another one. I had planned on it being a lazy weekend, but I was wrong!

Friday after work I went to Home Depot to get some landscaping supplies. Steve and I want to try and make out yard look nicer due to the sheer bleakness of our yard when compared to everyone else on our street. I was able to get those edging stones (42 feet worth) and a Garden Hound, which is a priceless, manual, tilling thingie. I can't really explain it better than that. Anyways, mom had called and invited me to come stay with them friday since Steve was in GA, but I had to go home and take care of the puppies. I had dinner and started doing laundry, which if you read my entry from Friday then you'd know what an adventure that was, and I ended up staying up until about 1:00 AM. I'm too old to stay up that late!!!!

Saturday I woke up early and started working on the landscaping. I've never set up edgers before, but I don't think I did too bad of a job. I totally had a groove going until I hit a pocket of spiders and was forced to quit due to getting the complete heebs. I couldn't decide whether or not they were grass spiders or brown recluse spiders, and I didn't want to take the chance of getting bitten and ending up with volcanic leasions on my immediate personage. I put everything away and got on Google, to find out what kind they were. Unless I am mistaken, I found a nest of wolf spiders. One the size of a quarter. *SHUDDER* I would have had to stop anyway because I was going to have lunch with my mom, dad and brother at their house, and then I was going on to Lee and Rhonda's to mow the lawn. So I did that, and it was after dark before I got home. I ended up renting Mean Girls, which was hilarious, and doing more laundry. Fun stuff.

Sunday I slept late and ended up missing class, but I did make it in time for the service. I went to my parents house again for lunch, and then I came back home to do dishes and more laundry. I didn't get even half of what I needed to do done, believe it or not. Steve came home later that evening, and I spent the rest of the time listening to his weekend stories.

I think I'm going to have to impose a "Doing Stuff" hiatus on myself until this semester is over. This means no trips away from Huntsville (unless I see that I have a break in school/housework), no going out unless I have everything done that needs to be done, and weekends I'm not working will be delegated to working on the house and yard. SIGH!

SIGH

Knowing the truth isn't always as fun as the fantasy one tells themselves, is it?

@!%&@! truth...

THAT'S NOT A BLOG, IT'S A SPACE STATION...

OK, can you guess what I've been watching this week? Heeheehee

Steve FINALLY got his DVD versions of the original Star Wars trilogy and we've watched the heck out of the special features. I can't believe that I lasted as long as I did, but some of those things are really interesting. It's funny to find out about all the famous people who auditioned for the parts and to hear how the characters and sound effects were thought up. George Lucas is truly a very talented man. I just wish he'd leave well enough alone, though. The next thing you know, he'll have replaced everything with computer animation. SIGH.

Did I tell you that my Graphics II teacher is apparently a male version of Lois Lane? The other day I was standing in the hallway(with my glasses pushed up on my head) and he passed by. I smiled and said hello, but he kind of just looked at me and walked past without saying anything. When we got into class later on, I put my glasses back on and he looked at me and said "Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to be rude, but I didn't know who you were without your glasses." I was all....uh, okay. "You'll never guess my secret identity..." Now, I know I look goofy in my glasses, but I also know that they don't completely obliterate my face. I thought that was just funny!

Steve and I had our pictures made for the church directory last night. We got to see the digital proofs and amazingly enough, the pictures turned out great! We got a whole lot of the prints to spread around the family. Lucky them, huh? Hey, you don't know, you may be getting one in your christmas card!!!! ; )

I've been trying to gather all of the laundry since this is the first time since school started that I've had time to do that, and I have to ask this question. When cleaning your home, is it a bad sign when you have to treat it like an archeological dig? Seriously, I'm finding things in layers. For example "Oh, here is the shirt that I haven't seen since July..." Ugh, I've got my work cut out for me!!!

I finally went and got the edging stones so that we can begin working on our landscaping. Who knows if it will look good or not, but doggone it, I'm going to do it or die trying. To start off, I bought 42 feet worth of red, scalloped, edging bricks. I was hoping not to have to get anything scalloped, but I didn't have much of a choice. I wish I could get some stones for a retaining wall, but I couldn't afford it this time. Well, maybe I can do that later.

You know what? I want to start a society called PETC or Pet-C. That stands for People for the Ethical Treatment of Celebrities. Seriously, I've just realized how low the media will go due to the latest Britney Spears marriage-or whatever. Now, I'm not a huge Britney fan, but I have begin to feel sorry for her simply because people will not leave her alone. It's bad enough when you can't even have your wedding because too many people are snapping pictures and hanging on to the fences surrounding the church or whatever, but when they all argue about whether or not they are legally married...jeez, it's too much. You know, if she wasn't famous, and her and her redneck fiance wanted to get married, they could have just had the ceremony in the backyard of her trailer. No one would have cared one iota. Well, except for maybe that guy she had been married to a few months earlier. He would have been outside her lot, sitting on the bed of his pickup, drunk, hollering "But Britney, I still loooooooooooove you...". It's always sad to me when people with white trash tendancies don't have the proper outlets, you know?

Anyways, back to the washing machine...

Betazed, anyone?

I have no idea if I spelled that right. Trekkies, forgive me.

For my birthday, Steve bought me a book called "The Secret Lives of Bees" which had a character in it who felt everyone's pain. Anytime she heard of anything that made anyone sad, she felt it as if it were her burden as well. It was so bad that she had to have her own version of a Wailing Wall, where she would go when she was sad. She wrote down what bothered her and stuck the paper between the stones, and that helped her get through it.

When I read that, with exception of the wall, I realized that I am that way and I hate it.

I know this will sound crazy to anyone who reads this (either of you), but when I hear of sad things - like the seige in the school in Russia, or about someone who is sick, or if someone loses a loved one - I hurt so bad and I find myself crying over people I don't even know. Today we watched a bit of a PBS special in class about slavery, and they showed a mother crying because her child had been sold. I almost burst into tears, but I don't know why. I know that stuff happened, but when I saw that little clip of film (yes, even realizing it wasn't real) it felt like a child of my own was being taken away. It's weird. Maybe it's some kind of harmonal imbalance, but jeez, I wish it would stop. Talk about being empathetic...more like just pathetic.

SIGH.

WEEKEND UPDATE!

Yes, it's that time again. Monday afternoon when I finally have time to tell you about my weekend. Aren't you excited?

Friday Steve and I went to dinner with his parents, to see them before they left on their trip. We had dinner and went back to their house to watch Pirates of the Caribbean. They also gave us the souviners that they picked up for us in Minnesota while they were there for a PSA convention. They are awesome people!

Saturday Steve and I had been invited to a wedding, so we went to the Chaple On the Mountain and saw Stephanie Avery (a girld Steve had worked with at Sci-Quest) and Lance Mclaughlin get married. It was a sweet wedding. It was held in a tiny chaple that might seat about 40 people (if that many) with big stained glassed windows. I kind of got the idea that something went wrong, though. When the bride came in, we stood- as one is supposed to do at that time- but the preacher never told us to sit. So here we are, all standing during the ceremony. I also noticed that the preacher never asked them to light their unity candle. The whole ceremony lasted 8 minutes. We went from there to the reception site, which was at the Botanical Gardens Pavillion, and it wasn't even set up when we got there. I felt so bad! I suppose they didn't realize that the wedding wouldn't last that long, so they were scrambling to get everything done. It ended up looking really nice, but the wind was blowing things around like crazy. We didn't get to stay for very long because a bee flew up Steve's pants and stung him twice on the leg!!! Can you believe it? I laughted my head off, but not because he got stung. Just the thought of the bee flying into his pants was enough to kill me. I have to give him credit, though, he didn't freak out. He calmly told me that he was going to the bathroom to check out the stings and he calmly walked out and said we needed to go. He's such a trooper! Later of that day we went on a picnic to Green Mountain Nature Trail and we also went shopping. I had bought the new Sims 2 game, and we had to replace the video card in my computer because it wouldn't support the graphics. That night we had dinner with the gang and then I came home while Steve went to a movie with Greg. It was a great day. Steve and I hardly get to spend any time with one another these days, so it was like going out on a date! ; )

Sunday was busy too. We had the Note Burning ceremony at church to celebrate paying off the mortgage, and we also had a meal that afternoon. Since I am part of the hostess committee, I was downstairs cooking and decorating like a fiend. We finally got everything put together and it turned out great. I also had to get the scrapbook and bring it home to put in my first entry! Yay!

Remember when weekends used to be restful? When do I get a weekend from my weekend?

You know, a teeny part of me was a little disappointed that Ivan the Terrible wasn't as terrible as we thought he was going to be. I was curious to see what a hurricane was like. The rest of me, though, is content with the outcome. : )

I'm sitting here at work not doing anything today. We are super slow right now because people don't want to make plans this far in advance, but hey, I'm not complaining.

Yesterday I had to stop by Wal-Mart to get some glue and in the ramble around the store, I happened to pass the bread aisle, and it was completely stripped bare! I couldn't believe it!!! Why do people run out and buy bread at the first sign of bad weather? If someone can tell me, I'd appreciate it. I used to work at a grocery store and let me tell you, you see a whole new side of humanity during these "weather-related grocery store raids." People will tear your face off for a jug of milk or a loaf of bread. I even got yelled at once because there was only skim milk left in the case. A part of me hopes that the mean ones get home with their milk, and they have no power. That'll teach them to act like that!!!

We are going to dinner with Steve's parents tonight. They just got back from Wisconsin and they are about to leave on another trip out west, so we want to see them before they leave. We also have to buy a wedding gift for a wedding that's we're going to tomorrow. I can't believe that I forgot to do that before now! The main problem is that I have no idea where they are registered, so I'm just going to have to pick something at random and hope that it doesn't clash with their other stuff. What exactly is the etiquette on that? Do you not get them something if you don't know where they registered or do you get something and hope they can use it? Ah, who knows. I'm getting them something, though.

Well, I'm off! Have a great weekend!

I'm so freakin' tired. Why, oh why, isn't my work or school closed due to the hurricaine? Everything else is closed - other schools, businesses, even the Governor's office, but the Space and Rocket Center and UAH are still open. Darn them, darn them all to heck.

The reason for my tiredness? I got so busy last night that I forgot to set up my Mac workstation with printer and etc, so Steve and I get up at about midnight to do this. I needed to print some stuff from class, but while in the process of doing this I realized that the slightly different versions of my programs wreaked havoc with my design. I sat up until 2:00 this morning trying to fix these designs so that I could turn in the draft today. I am too old to stay up late!!!

Be proud of me, though! I went to the printing studio to work on my first project last night, and I got quite a bit of headway. 3 colors down, and about 3 to go. It took me four hours to do that much, so I'll be back in the studio on Friday night to see if I can finish it! Yay! I had never done a screenprint without the teacher there, but it went fairly smoothly. I didn't realize that it takes about 45 minutes to prepare to print, and about 5 minutes to actually do the printing. It was fun though.

I also had to get a tire fixed this morning because there were two nails stuck in it! I'm glad that it got fixed, because it drives a WHOLE lot better! : )

SIGH

The crossing guards hate me. For those of you that don't know, I live between an elementary school and a K-12 private school. When I get to the end of my street to turn on to the busier road, there is a crossing guard stationed to my right (in front of the elementary school) and to my left (at the intersection). I think they must have walkie talkies or something, because unless I leave at an ungodly hour of the morning to get to work, they block me in! It's insane. I'll look to my left and see a line of Hummers and BMWs, and what not, coming my way, while to my right everything is clear. When that line to my left finally clears, another line starts in from the right. Not only that, but each car is the exact distance apart to keep me from being able to squeeze in between lines! I can just hear those smug crossing guards talking into their Walkie-Talkies *static* "Red 5, this is Rebel Base. Rudolph the red nosed SUV is out. GO! GO! GO!".

Last night, my best laid plans were almost null. I went to school to prepare my screen for printing this week, and had Mr. Crouse not been there, I'd still be in that studio this morning. Here is how it works. You have to take your screen and coat it with photographic emulsion, which is the consistency of elmers glue. You take a long metal trough and fill it with this gluey stuff. Then you press it up against the screen and slide it up the screen, and according to the teacher this is supposed to leave an even, thin film behind. Well, I held the tough backwards and I got that emulsion everywhere. Not only that, but when I finally got the thing coated, and the teacher went in there with me to check on it, the excess stuff had oozed down the frame and pooled at the bottom, and when he picked it up, it got all over him. THEN you have to let it dry. THEN you take a piece of paper that is ultra-violet proof and slide it under the dry screen and put it all on this glass table and expose it to the UV light. THEN you take the screen, and where the paper was, you now have a soft spot that you have to hose clean. So you grab a garden hose with a sprayer attachment and hose that sucker down until the soft spot has been cleaned off. THEN you have to wait for the screen to dry again. THEN you draw a picture on your screen and once that is the way you like it, you can start printing. Apparently, I'm retarded when it comes to screen printing. I was only going to stay there an hour so I could swing by Target before going home and making dinner, but it took me two hours. I still went by Target to get some stuff, and then I went home. Steve had made dinner (awwwwwww.....) and after I ate, I was going to clean. That didn't happen either. I'm about to the point where I think the only way I'll get my house clean is to burn it down and build another one. Too bad I don't have the courage to be an arsonist!

Tonight I have class again (Graphics and Screenprinting) and I'm going to make myself clean the kitchen when I get home. Want to take bets on whether it will happen? ; )

WEEKEND UPDATE

This weekend was more full than it had a right to be. Friday I had school and work, of course, and after work I went to Rhonda and Lee's house to mow the lawn. I don't know what Mr. Lee put of the grass, but it's beautiful! I don't usually call grass beautiful because I believe it's just glorified weeds, but their grass is dark green, thick, and soft! I hated to cut it or even walk on it! : )

Saturday I had to work, of course, and then I went to the gym. I don't know if it's just me, or what, but I almost died on the Stair Master! Actually, it's my fault for not knowing what is considered a "level". I was punching in my weight (yikes) and it asked me what level I wanted to start at. I just randomly punched in a 6, because that sounded like a good middle number. Apparently I was at an advanced level that only people who are in reasonably good shape can get through without dying. I actually had to stop and hang on to the sides of the machine until I wasn't seeing spots. Then I turned the level down to 1 and was able to finish my time. I'm such a wimp. Also, just a word to those who don't know, walking down stairs after you've just put yourself through unusual amounts of physical activity, is hard. I almost fell down the stairs due to jelly-legs. How embarrassing would that be?! When I got back down to the locker room, I opened the door and lo and behold, there was a lady with her breast out feeding her baby sitting right there in the doorway. Now, don't get me wrong, breastfeeding your kids is fine, I just don't want to see it. I mean, come on, there is plenty of locker room available for you to do that in, must you sit in the doorway and do it? Jeez... I didn't know what to do! I just sort of ran past her. I wish I hadn't seen that. After I got home and ready again, we went to see Bill Engvall, the "Here's Your Sign" comedian. He was hilarious!!!!! I'd never seen a comedian in person before, and I really enjoyed it!

Sunday was just a weird day. I felt funny when I got up and while we were at church all I could think about was that I wanted to go home. I don't know what was wrong with me. I was at the point that I was almost in tears because I wanted to leave, but I have no idea why. I was able to make it through the service, but I practically ran out of the church and got into the Durango. Steve wanted to go to an Eagles picnic, and I hated to tell him I didn't want to go, so we went and had lunch and did a little bit of christmas shopping and went home. I was so glad to be home, and I didn't leave again for the rest of the day except to drive with Steve to get dinner. It was freaky. I hope that doesn't happen again.

IT'S OFFICIAL!!

I have a recipiant for the Kelly's Place first ever Bless Their Heart award. This award, given in the truest Southern Girl manner, will go to those unfortunates who I feel need a good dose of "Bless their heart!"

The first recipiant is a man we all know and love dearly, my own dear husband, Steve Pratt. Yesterday seemed to be a bad day for him both physically and mentally.

While leaving the Administrative Science building amidst the throng of short-sleeved-shirt-with-a-tie kind of guys (various geeks and nerds), Steve slipped on the top step and rolled all the way down, not only skinning his knuckes and elbow horribly, but also losing his papers and dignity as well. Apparently a Steve Urkel clone spoke up behind him and said "Don't worry, I did the same thing last semester." He bled quite badly in the car, but I'm happy to report that he is scabbed over nicely and only has a slight limp. We would all be happy to remind Steve with this advice: "That which does not kill us, usually makes people laugh at our expense."

All together now: BLESS HIS HEART!

As an addendum to that fiasco, last night he fell asleep while I was watching CSI. When it was over, I shook him and asked him to turn off the TV because the remote was on his bed side table. Apparently he was deep in a REM cycle, because no matter how I shook or patted, he wouldn't wake up. I finally got him to groggily wake up enough to say "What?" and I asked him to turn off the TV again. He turned over, picked up the alarm clock (said alarm clock is about a foot long and four inches tall, and stays plugged into the wall) and pointed it at the TV while pressing the "SNOOZE" button.

Once more with feeling: BLESS HIS HEART!!!

(karmic retrebution for this is going to be a bear, don't you think?)

How weird is this?

So, if you wanted, you could propose to your new girlfriend with your late wife?

If the size you are when your alive determines the size of the diamond you'll make, Steve's next girlfriend will be one lucky woman!

*wink*

PERSPECTIVE

I have a friend that I think is very wise, who shall remain nameless due to my reluctantly to give him a big head, who has recently discussed perspectives with me.

Today I had a first hand experience in how important it is to see things from a different perspective and I was greatly humbled. To explain this, I have to tell you something about myself that is isn't exactly flattering. Since before school started, I have been feeling sorry for myself. I have three 3 credit classes this semester, one on MWF at 8:00 in the morning and two from 2:30-8:30 on Tuesdays and Thursdays, I work full time, and I have a home to take care of. That's a lot on my plate mentally, physically, and emotionally. I've been whining about how much there is to do and never enough time to do it in. Basically, I've been a huge baby about it. Today, I was talking to a girl in my Lit class and asked her how far she had gotten into Huck Finn. Her reply? "Well, not far. I have three classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays plus the ones on MWF, I work full time, I have two kids and they play sports." She didn't mention her home life, but I didn't see a wedding band, so I assumed she was a single mom, and that in its self has to be hard.

Listening to her, I realized how good I've got it. So if you've heard me whine, I'd like to apologize. I'm not saying that what I've got on my plate isn't hard or time consuming, but it isn't going to kill me.