Oh. My. Lord.

I think this is a sign of the apocalypse.

Hard & Heavy

Basically it's a Time Life compilation of music my dad wouldn't let me listen to when I was a kid because he thought it was devil music. Seriously, it's a Time Life compilation. I don't even know what to think about that.

Just in case I didn't catch you anywhere else I posted this, you can go here to download the new 2009 (a couple of days early) Space Camp Podcast, or you can subscribe to it on iTunes for free! If you look for it in iTunes, you have to do a search for "Space Camp Podcast" or search for the artist "U.S. Space & Rocket Center."

It's nothing fancy, but it's been well received thus far. :)

I FEEL SO STUPID!

Have you ever seen someone waving at you and, of course being the enchanting individual you are, you wave back enthusiastically only to find out that they were waving at the person behind you?

Well, I have, and it's always embarrassing. Even if that person doesn't see me waving, I always feel stupid.

Recently, I had something very similar to that happen and even though I didn't make a big scene, I am still embarrassed. Specifics aren't really important in this story, so I'll just tell you why I'm embarrassed.

I overheard someone talking the other day about something nice and Christmassy they had gotten for a friend of theirs, and how they were excited about it. In the context, I thought they were talking about me (I know, I know, but seriously, I thought it was me). I got a big, warm fuzzy thinking that they had done something nice for me, so I went out and bought a gift for them (which I wasn't planning on doing, but wanted to return the favor because I thought it was so sweet of them to think of me.) As you can probably guess, it turns out that they weren't talking about me at all and now I feel like some kind of lunatic because I handed over this wholly unexpected gift and stood there like a muppet while I realized it wasn't me they were talking about in the first place. Now I'm afraid they are going to feel awkward and obligated to return the favor, which I would never want in a million years.

If I'm going to overhear things in the future, I'm seriously going to have to make sure I overhear EVERYTHING that is said. *dies*

Dear 2008,

This is the post where I would usually write a long and philosophical post where I talk about all of the things that have happened this year.

I'm not doing that this time and you know why.

Oh, I know that things could have been infinitely worse. I'm not an idiot after all. But for someone who has grown up in a relatively happy, blessed and sheltered world, it was quite a shock to my system.

So instead of giving you a retrospective, 2008, please just imagine me kicking you in the crotch and giving you the bird while you lay whimpering in the street. Turn about is fair play, after all.

Hugs and kisses,
Kelly

EDIT: See what I was doing there? I was anthropomorphizing 2008. You know, just in case you got confused.

RANDOM ACTS OF BLOGGING

1) I hate Christmas shopping sometimes. Not because I don't want to give presents (I love that part) but because I always want to find a really fitting gift for the people I shop for, and sometimes it's impossible to do that unless you have a long time to look. I didn't have that kind of time this year, and now I feel that some of my gifts will be slightly cheesy. :( Oh well, I'm glad to be able to give them, if nothing else! :)

2) You know that song "Baby, It's Cold Outside?" It's one of my favorite Christmas songs normally, but when I heard it the other day I realized that it could be interpreted as a rather cheerful song about false imprisonment and date rape drugs! Heeheehee. At one point the woman says "What's in this drink?" and the guy is trying to keep her from leaving his house. Steve and I spent the duration of the song changing the lyrics into creepy innuendos and lines from "Silence of the Lambs." Good times.

3) Grandma made some homemade gingerbread (not cookies) and it is gooooooooooood. I don't think I'd ever had actual gingerbread before! Now I'm determined to figure out how to make it. I'd ask her for the recipe, but she'll just tell me how to make it instead of writing it down. Bless her she's 86, so I shouldn't complain, but I can never remember everything she tells me to do.

4) OOOH! In case you don't know yet, starting in January I will be one half of the pair of Sprocket employees who will be writing and recording the Space Camp Podcast! I'm so excited. Granted, it's nothing spectacular, but it's a short, kid friendly broadcast that has a "Today in Space History" segment performed by my co-worker Andrew and my own "Tech-Knowledge" segment. Yes, I am the one of us to talk about technology. To be fair, though, it's very basic stuff and it will mostly be talking about who invented things or how ideas for certain things came to be created. The one I've recorded so far was about who invented the cell phone and the fact that he got his idea from watching Star Trek. If you have iTunes, be sure to subscribe to the podcast starting in January, and I think you may can download it also from our website, www.spacecamp.com. It's free, and you'll get to hear my intermittent southern accent kick in. It was really bad when I said the name "Gene Roddenberry."

THINGS I WANT TO DO, BUT PROBABLY WILL NOT GET TO DO

1) Eat at elBulli. Apparently there is a two year waiting period and the food can cost up to $500 for a couple. I still want to do it, though.
2) Go on a picture taking tour of Italy, Ireland, Rome and Japan.
3) Get a special "white glove" tour of the Vatican art collection. (If Josh ever becomes pope, I'm calling in a favor, though.)
4) Make cheese. Butler said I wasn't allowed to get a cow because they scare him.
5) Sit next to Stephen King on a long flight and make him tell me why he always kills off people I like in his novels.
6) Sit in a huge bowl of melted chocolate. I mean, I could actually probably pull this one off, but it would be weird.

That is all for now.

RANDOM ACTS OF BLOGGING

1) My office is never going to dry out at this rate. Two new leaks have sprouted up and it feels like the air conditioner may be on in stead of the heat. I'm going to die of exposure INSIDE this office. I will haunt them so hard!

2) Speaking of people dying up here, this is what happened to Mace Windu:
You can't really see the actual water damage, but brother-man here is all kinds of melted. :(

3) OOOOH! Guess where Sara and I will be going on April 4th? We are going to see Wicked! I KNOW! I'm so excited! I had no idea that it would be coming to Alabama at all, much less to Birmingham. She got us some amazing seats and I'm super excited! I've been wanting to see the play since I read the book. Yay!

4)I totally flaked out on a project I was doing yesterday. I started working on it, got halfway through with it, walked away from it for a second and completely forgot about it. Hopefully I can get it done today and make up for my mental lapse. Right now I'm just hoping that my stickers weren't really important.

5) My cell phone is acting weird. I keep getting the alert sounds that mean I have a text message, but there is no text message waiting when I open the phone. If any of you fine people are trying to text me, I haven't received anything. Please don't be irritated.

Did you know that in the UK, the word "Flapjack" doesn't mean the same thing as it does here? In America a flapjack is a pancake, of course, but in the UK, it is a term for a wonderful, buttery, sticky, gooey oat cake that you cut up into pieces like brownies or cookie bars. Normally I don't gush about sweets unless they contain a fair amount of chocolate, but today I'm going to gush AND I'm going to give you the recipe. That's how good these things are.

As I was wondering through the interwebs, as one without a specific destination is bound to do, I came across a web page dedicated to deciphering the differences between the words we Americans have for certain foods and the ones the British use. Since Steve and I have been watching a lot of British television lately, I was interested, because at times I had no idea what the people on those shows were talking about. The word "flapjack" wasn't mentioned in the article itself, but further down the page in the comment section. Something about it just sounded so good that I had to try making them, so I did. Since I had no idea what one of the ingredients even was, I was a bit afraid that these things might not taste very good, but oh, mama, I was wrong about that! So go, I implore, nay...I demand, that you go to your nearest grocery store and pick up the ingredients for this and make them immediately. If nothing else, they are pretty darned good to eat at breakfast! Go, I say!

The flapjack recipe is very flexible. You can adjust the amount of sugar and syrup to taste and texture (more syrup=more sticky/gooey). It is a great canvas for add-ins: dried fruit, nuts, seeds, spices. So far I've only made them the way the recipe calls for plus adding some dried cranberries, but I'm thinking that chocolate chips might also be good in these.

Ginger Flapjacks (UK):

1 lb oats or one full cup of oats.

1 tsp ground ginger

8 oz butter

4 oz demerara sugar (I didn't know what that was, but you can sub light brown sugar)

1/4 cup golden syrup (Lyle's is the UK standard; heard you can sub 1/2 light corn syrup and 1/2 honey if you can't find golden syrup. I found a tin of Lyle's at my local Publix in the same section as Karo syrup.)

Preheat oven to 300F

Combine dry ingredients. Melt butter, sugar, and syrup until sugar dissolves. Combine butter mixture with dry ingredients. Press into a parchment lined 12"X8" pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes (15 minutes for a softer flapjack/20 minutes for a firmer/crunchier flapjack). Cool in pan 10 minutes and score into bars/squares. Let cool completely before cutting all the way through. Makes about 24 2-inch squares.

I accidentally put in a bit too much of the golden syrup, so my finished product is a bit gooey. Instead of being able to eat them with my hands, I'm going to have to eat them with a fork. They are still delicious, just not hand-holdable. I'll also go ahead and warn you that when you take these out of the oven, they aren't going to seem done. Maybe it was the excess of syrup, but even after baking for 20 minutes, when I pulled them out of the oven, the middle of the pan shook like unbaked batter. However, just let them cool completely and they will firm up.

So there you go. Yummy stuff. Let me know if you made these and how they turned out! :)

7 Layer Meme (again, stolen from Annie)

LAYER 1: Tell us your…

* Name: Sheena, Queen of the Dwarf People or Kelly
* Birthday (month, day): February 14th
* Birthplace: Huntsville, AL
* Current location: Huntsville, AL
* Eye color: Dark Brown, almost black
* Hair color: Dark Brown with reddish bits in it
* Height: 5′4″
* Righty or lefty: Righty
* Zodiac sign: Aquarius

LAYER 2: What’s…

* Your heritage: As far as I know I'm Swedish/Native American, but there is more I don't know
* The shoes you wore today: My ragged, fake, Wal-Mart Uggs
* Your weakness: Puppies and chocolate, but separately
* Your fears: Roaches, heights, closed in spaces
* Your perfect pizza: I don't care for pizza
* Goals you’d like to achieve: Happiness, security, minions
* Your first waking thoughts: Can I make myself go to the gym today? No? OK!
* Your best physical feature: My eyes
* Your most missed memory: Being silly with friends

LAYER 3: Do you…

* Smoke: no
* Cuss: I'm trying to stop, but I do occasionally. Ok, I do it a lot, but I really am trying to stop.
* Sing: Lots. All of the time
* Do you think you’ve been in love: A couple of times, actually.
* Did you go to college: Yes!
* Liked high school: Mostly, but there were some unpleasant times.
* Want to get/stay married: I'd like to stay married.
* Believe in yourself: Not anymore
* Think you’re attractive: No
* Think you’re a health freak: Bwahahahahaaaa...*cough...wheeze* No.
* Get along with your parent(s): Of course.
* Like thunderstorms: Love them. The louder the better.
* Play an instrument: Xylophone, clarinet, piano, Rock Band drums. :)

LAYER 4: In the past month have you…

* Drank alcohol: blurg, no
* Smoked: No! Yuck.
* Done a drug: Not an illegal one
* Made out: Ha, no.
* Gone on a date: No
* Gone to the mall: Once, but I hope I don't have to go back for a while. Yikes.
* Eaten an entire box of Oreos: I don't care for Oreos.
* Eaten sushi: Yuck, no.
* Been on stage: Yes
* Been dumped: No
* Gone skating: No
* Gone skinny dipping: No (wow, I'm boring.)
* Stolen Anything: I was going to get some hot chocolate from the unmanned concession stand the other day, but after I got out of an ethics meeting, I didn't feel right about it!

LAYER 5: Have you ever…

* Played a game that required removal of clothing: I don't think so.
* Been trashed or extremely intoxicated: Yes
* Been caught “doing something”: God, no!
* Been called a tease: No
* Gotten beaten up: Only by my sister.
* Shoplifted: No, I was too chicken.

LAYER 6:

* Age you did get/hope to be married: 22
* Numbers and names of children (either you have or want): None. Do Not Want.
* Describe your dream mate: I'm too disillusioned about this. I couldn't tell you anymore.
* How do you want to die: Quick
* What did you want to be when you grow up: A ballerina or Prison Guard.
* What country would you most like to visit: Italy!

LAYER 7: Now tell…

* Name a drug you’ve taken illegally: Ativan, but it was an emergency.
* Name a person you could trust with my life: Only me
* Name a favorite CD that you own: Most of mine are self recorded, so I don't have a "Favorite"
* Number of piercings: 7 - Two I still use, four others I don't use anymore, all in my ears.
* Number of tattoos: None
* Number of times my name has appeared in the newspaper: A few. I did a lot of stuff in high school that got recognition. Usually FFA stuff.
* Name a past experience that you regret: I once told a boyfriend that I loved him when I really didn't. Then I told him I didn't mean it and it really hurt his feelings. I hate hurting people's feelings.

Hey, 10! Call Me!!!

I present this because all of us need a pep talk every once in a while, and galdarnit, this is the finest inspirational speech I've ever heard!

DIABOLICAL SEA MONKEYS!

If it rains much more in the next day or two, I'm seriously going to consider wearing floaties to work.

For those of you lucky enough not to work in my office, you probably don't know that it actually flooded in here yesterday. I'm not talking about a tiny bit of water on the carpet, either. I'm talking a soaked carpet, wet paper, ruined foam core apocalypse.

I realized something weird was going on when I walked into the museum and saw two large, drip catching garbage cans sitting in the center of the walkway that runs underneath my office. At first I didn't understand how bad things would have to be upstairs for water to have to actually get through the floor, but then I remembered that my office is right above a concrete barrier that serves as a ceiling downstairs. Oy vey. When I opened the door that runs to the third floor offices, I noticed that it was very humid and there was a very bad smell coming from my end of the hall. I walked into my office and my feet squelched on the carpet. I looked down and saw that with each step, water was welling up around my feet. It was so nasty. The floor up here is filthy at best, because it's too difficult to get a vacuum cleaner up the stairs, and I could only imagine what kinds of new life forms were being reconstituted like diabolical sea monkeys in the now soaking nap . The water was still dripping onto the carpet occasionally, but it had slowed down enough to make passage into the room safe enough. My office was destroyed. Granted, my computer was salvaged, due to my co-workers efforts and my other electrical equipment was luckily sheltered under a concrete overhang, but almost everything else in there was wet, had been wet, or was damp because the heater came on at night and caused the humidity to rocket. I hadn't seen windows that steamed up since I was 16!

I called the COO, because the last time our ceiling leaked this bad (albeit on the other end of the hallway) he came up to survey the damage. You know, kind of like how the president will fly to one of those towns that have been badly damaged in some kind of storm. They can't do anything to help, but they walk around looking concerned. Apparently the Leak Of Doom was too old news to get him back up here, so a team of building maintenance men came up to see what was going on. They sort of tried to use a shop vac on the carpet, but even they saw it was an exercise in futility. They did empty out the water filled garbage cans for me, though, which was nice.

By this time I was wet to the knees. As you know, I'm short, and most of my jeans are a smidge too long for me. Their hems touch the floor, and I'm bad about stepping on them. This time, however, every time I'd do it, water would wick up through the hems. My feet and legs were wet and cold all day!

They finally decided that they would attach a rain gutter along the seam in the roof that is leaking so badly. Attach a rain gutter INSIDE my office. I mean, seriously, I can't get more white trash unless I get patio furniture and have a duck running around loose in here. Come on! At any rate, the gutter actually worked very well, with only a little bit of leaking in some spots. They have to channel the water into a trash can for now, which they have to empty periodically, but they are going to figure out a better way soon. I hope. We've estimated that about a hundred gallons (maybe a bit more) soaked through my office yesterday. Nice.

Losses are few, but annoying. I have been recycling old signs so that we don't have to order more foam core as often, but my stash got wet and is now mostly ruined. A bulletin board that I keep some of my sketches and samples on got wet and I had to throw a lot of things away. Spiderman got soaked, but he's made of nylon, so I'm going to leave him alone and see if he dries out. I had a sketchbook that I had been using to draw what was going to be my Christmas card this year, and now that is ruined. Both chairs in my office are wet, but I don't have anywhere else to sit, so my butt has been wet for two days. It's not pleasant. Luckily my Chewbacca and Obi Wan standees were in a safe place, but Mace Windu wasn't as lucky. He wasn't my favorite Jedi, but dangit, I liked him protecting the door. If anyone knows what a Jedi funeral entails, please e-mail me and let me know so that he gets a proper send off.

At any rate, things seem to be getting less...wet in here. I'm hoping that my carpet dries out soon and the bad smell goes away. If you've heard that I have died of some kind of weird fungal disease, please note that it probably came from the carpet in my office.

That is all.

The Final Countdown Meme

The Final Countdown Meme

I stole this from Annie because she always has the most funnest memes on her blog!

TEN things you wish you could say to TEN different people right now:
1. Don't worry, it'll happen soon. Not as soon as you want, but sooner than you think. :)
2. I want to forgive so much, but I don't know if I have the power to do it. I'm trying really hard.
3. As wonderful a woman as I think you are, sometimes your selfishness astounds me.
4. No, I won't, and you can't make me! So, NYEAH!
5. Yeah, I know what you said about me and that's why I don't feel comfortable around you anymore.
6. You smell like sausage! Every day! You Do! Why?
7. Super size this please, and cover it in chocolate.
8. I liked you a whole lot more when you at least pretended.
9. Because I'm too embarrassed, that's why!
10. Sometimes just because you want something doesn't mean you are supposed to get it. Deal.

NINE things about yourself:
1. That whole thing about wanting to sit in a box full of puppies isn't an exaggeration. I'd love to really do that.
2. I don't always think I'm right, and I'll respect you more if you argue a point with me instead of just rolling over and saying I'm right. Just don't be a jerk about it.
3. I really do think I like dogs more than I like people. That worries me.
4. I love my job, even though I complain. Having said that, I still hope to get a better one some day.
5. This is not to illicit compliments, I swear, but I think I'm ugly. No amount of compliments has ever changed my mind about this.
6. My favorite part of the morning is when I put on makeup. It's just fun!
7. I love the beach!
8. I love to travel, and I hope to see a great deal of the world before I kick the bucket.
9. I always put on lipgloss just to go to Wal-Mart. I still think of it as "going to town." :)

EIGHT ways to win your heart:
1. Honesty above all else
2. Treat me as if I'm important to you
3. Make an effort to really understand me and what I love
4. Unexpected kindnesses, even little ones
5. Act silly with me, even in public. I very rarely do anything too embarrassing anymore.
6. Take a real interest in my life, even the bad parts
7. Remember that sometimes a hug can say more than words ever could
8. Tolerate my obsession with chocolate and art supplies

SEVEN things that cross your mind a lot:
1. "Wow, I wish I could lose weight!"
2. "Don't fall down the stairs. Be careful on the stairs."
3. "I don't want to clean anymore. We'll just get it dirty again. What's the point?"
4. "Help!"
5. "Where are my glasses? I can't see without my glasses! I left them right here!"
6. "There are just not enough occasions to wear costumes."
7. "I'm going to eventually have to wash dishes or call the HAZMAT team to haul them away."

SIX things you do before you fall asleep:
1. Change into pajamas
2. Tell the dogs goodnight
3. Set the alarm clock
4. Say a prayer
5. Snuggle into the pillows
6. Put my cold feet on Steve

FIVE people you couldn’t live without:
1. This one isn't fair. I could live without everyone, but it wouldn't be very much fun.
2.
3.
4.
5.

FOUR things you’re wearing right now:
1. Glasses
2. Knee socks
3. Cargo pants
4. Starfish necklace

THREE songs that fit your life perfectly:
1. "Some Days You Gotta Dance"
2. "Every Day Is A Winding Road"
3. "Miss Celie's Blues"

TWO things you want to do before you die:
1. Learn to dance.
2. Learn to play the violin.

ONE confession:
1. I'm afraid that one day I'll realize just how very little I've impacted the lives of the people around me, but only after it's way too late to do anything about it.

I think we've all seen that t-shirt by now. You know, the one that says "My Purpose In Life Is To Be A Warning To Others." I've finally embraced the fact that it could actually be true about me.

Case in point: This is going to be a bit TMI for some of you, but not in a really bad way. Normally I wouldn't talk about this sort of thing because it just seems kind of indelicate, but it has to be explained in order for you to fully understand how STUPID what I did was.

Last week I told you I had been sick. At first I thought it was a cold, but I never had a fever. I then thought I might have a sinus infection, because I get those a lot. However, I didn't have headaches or a sore throat. In fact, the only problem I really had was an extremely stopped up nose (when it wasn't running), sneezing, I was tired most of the time, and my eyes were constantly burning and watering. It had gotten bad enough for me to need to take a day off from work last week, and although I was hoping it would be better by the weekend, it wasn't. Steve bought me medicine, I took vitamins, I rested, I did everything I could think of to get better, but it just wasn't happening. I even went to Steve's company Christmas party completely stoned on cough medicine and Dayquil. It was rough. Because I felt so bad, I didn't go to church yesterday and I was just about to the point here I was going to agree to go to the doctor, even though I knew I would wind up getting a shot (which I'm just terrified of for some reason.) I don't have a problem with doctors, of course, but I would have had to go to the Doc-In-A-Box and it never fails that they ALWAYS give us the same meds if we go to see them with those particular symptoms: A shot for the congestion, a bottle of codeine cough syrup, and a pack of antibiotics. I had my own reasons for believing I didn't have a sinus infection, and I didn't want to have to take antibiotics because I worry about becoming resistant to them. Also, they don't really seem to help me a lot of the time and it seemed like a waste of money. So, I looked up a few home remedies to help my stuffed up nose and found something that sounded useful. I don't know if any of you have ever heard of nasal irrigation, but it is basically where you pour warm salt water into your nose to help flush out bad things. I had done it before, but forgotten about how well it worked, so in a last ditch effort not to have to go to the doctor, I decided to try it.

I have to stop here to explain the part of the story that might be a bit TMI. Since a day or so after I started feeling sick, I had been getting a slightly bloody nose almost every day. It wasn't bad, but if I had to blow my nose...yeah, there you go. Don't make me explain further. My nose also started to burn when I would breathe, as if the air I'd breathe is was scorching my sinuses. At first I didn't know why there could be bloody noses or the pain could be happening, but I had also been using all nasal spray and drops every day so I could breathe and realized that with the constant blowing of the nose, violent sneezing, and spraying of different things up my nose, I probably had very raw nerves in there. It was unpleasant. But I digress...

I got the salt water solution ready and went into the bathroom to do the irrigation thing (I'm sorry, I know it's gross, but bear with me.) Oh. The. Humanity. I don't really recall much about the next minute or so except for extreme pain and a blinding urge to rip the nose off of my face. It didn't occur to me before I began the ill fated treatment that if I used salt water to flush out my nose, I would basically be pouring salt water onto raw nerves. It was horrible. I just stood there, swaying on the spot, trying to keep my head from exploding. I think I might have tried to scream, but no sound came out of my mouth. Needless to say, the home remedy was abandoned completely. It hurt so much. It was like someone inside of my head trying to claw their way out.

After that, I just couldn't think of what to do, except maybe one more thing. I have to take two allergy meds every day, but I was out of one of them and had forgotten to refill my prescription for a couple of weeks, and so I called it in. As soon as I got it home, I used it and could tell a difference within an hour. I didn't realize that I depended so much on that particular medication! Apparently I'm allergic enough to something in my house or at least allergic to something I came in contact with, that my head will shut down if I don't take my medicine. I'm not completely well yet, but I can already tell a huge difference. Now I'm just trying to get better from the beating my respiratory system has taken over the last week or so. Once my voice comes back, I should be fine. :)

EH, WHY NOT?

A CHRISTMAS MEME

Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping paper, even though I hate wrapping gifts. I’m just not that good at it and it frustrates me!

Real tree or Artificial? Fake. I don’t like cleaning up after real ones and I feel guilty about killing a tree just to decorate it. Traditions be damned!

When do you put up the tree? We don’t have a set time of year, except it happens after Thanksgiving. We probably won’t bother this year though.

When do you take the tree down? Whenever we get tired of it. Sometimes it's early February before we do.

Do you like eggnog? Not even a little bit.

Favorite gift received as a child? Barbies. I looooooved me some Barbie dolls and all of the trappings that went with them. I also once received a microscope, and I used it until it pretty much comitted suicide from over use.

Do you have a nativity scene? Two or three, I think. I want to carve one of my own, though.

Hardest person to buy for? Jon, Amy’s husband. I don’t know him well enough to know what he would want.

Easiest person to buy for? My brother. He’s always happy as long as he gets to unwrap it himself. If he unwraps a See-N-Say, his joy is boundless. This NEVER changes.

Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail, but only if I remember to buy stamps. I'd rather say it in person. However, personally, I'd rather get cards only from my real friends and family instead of an impersonal card from people who barely talk to me any other time of year, especially when I know the only reason I'm getting one is because my name is on a list.

Worst Christmas? Last year, after dad died.

Worst Christmas gift you ever received? I don’t know if I have a “worst” gift, but Steve’s grandma gave me a hideous sweater once. I hid it after she went home. However, if Grandma suddenly gets over her fear of using computers and reads this...that statement is a lie. I wear it everyday.

Favorite Christmas Movie? National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. “Where’s the Tylenol!”

Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Yes. Sometimes, other people need things more than I do. I've never done it just to get rid of something, though.

Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Sausage balls, but I'll pretty much eat anything that comes out of a Christmas tin decorated with pine cones. Nothing ventured, right?

Clear lights or colored on the tree? Clear, as long as they don’t blink. If they are going to blink, I need colored lights.

Favorite Christmas song? Oh, Holy Night

Travel at Christmas or stay home? Travel, but not far.

Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? If I sing the Rudolph song.

Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Both, because we have two families to visit who do things on different days. Of course, Steve and I usually never wait on Christmas to open gifts because we have no self control. We're lucky if we even get a chance to wrap them before we give them to each other.

Most annoying thing about this time of year? Greedy people who can’t be happy unless they get a lot of expensive stuff and people who shove their "selfless" good deeds in my face. Yes, I'm glad you gave your last five bucks to the salvation army bell ringer, you are truly a saint. Smarmy idget. If you spent as much time doing good as you do bragging about it, the world would truly be a better place. Now get off my lawn.

Favorite thing about this time of year? I used to have a good friend from out of town who would visit me every year around this time, and I looked forward to that all year. Now we’re all old and don’t do it anymore, but I always like to think about that. It was very special to me. I suppose that would make "good memories" the best thing for me.

Favorite ornament, theme, or color? I have 12 beautiful silver glass and prismatic glitter ornaments that I bought when I worked at Pier 1. They are beautiful when the Christmas lights hit them. I’d hang them up all year if I could find a place to do it!
>
> Favorite food for Christmas dinner? Dressing
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> What do you want for Christmas this year? A better outlook on the future would be good. My optimism and trust in my fellow man to be returned, maybe. Oh, and a Red Ryder BB gun with a compass in the stock and this thing that tells time.

>Have a wonderful Christmas!

RANDOM ACTS OF BLOGGING

1) You know, I like guy's chest hair as much as the next person. Well, I probably like it more than some because that's just how I roll. However, there is a video that plays downstairs in the museum that shows a SkyLab astronaut taking a bath (you know, the whole vacuum thing). It's basically a short clip of a dude vacuuming water off of his chest hair. I can't explain why, but it makes me throw up in my mouth a little every time I see it. It bothers me so much that I really want to steal the DVD it's playing from and hide it so that I don't have to see it again. It's disturbing.

2) The dress I bought for Steve's company Christmas party arrived, and it actually looks better than I thought it would. However, it's about 4 inches too long for me, and by that I mean it drags the floor even when I'm wearing heels. I'm going to have to cut it off, and I'm scared. Luckily, it has an unfinished hem, so I won't have to figure out how to sew it back up, but I'm afraid I'm going to ruin it. However, if I don't cut it off, I'll trip on it. Sometimes, being short sucks.

3) I was out sick yesterday due to the annual bout of crud that I get every year. Luckily I had built up just enough personal time not to lose pay for the day, but now I don't have anymore. I basically slept all day and overdosed on vitimins. Hopefully I'll be much better soon, but as for right now, I wish I were back in bed!

4) Grandma is in town. She turned 86 yesterday, and I had no idea she was that old! I hope I'm as feisty as she is when I'm that age!

If I didn't know for a fact that it would result in much wailing and gnashing of teeth, I'd totally steal this dog. However, I will allow her to stay with her very hip owner-lady, Bonita. For now.

Her name is Coco. She is adorable.

My dogs would have eaten this costume before my camera was even on. :)

THANKSMAS!

We came back from our annual trip to Georgia last Sunday after a very nice Thanksgiving/Christmas celebration with our Puckett & McGee Family!

I had to work on Wednesday, but was able to leave a bit early so that Mr. Lee could pick us up for our trip. We don't normally all drive together, but this year we did. Steve is still enamored with his GPS thingie, so we followed a new set of directions to Casa Puckett, and managed to get there before it was very late. We spent some time talking with Aunt Brenda, Uncle Garry, Amy and her two kiddies (who came especially to see us) before going to bed.

Thursday morning was very fun and very busy. Aunt Brenda and I cooked lots and lots of yummy things, and we actually followed a recipe for the dressing this year! It was scientific and everything! I also learned how to properly use a food processor, but only after accidentally liquefying three onions. Don't laugh! The recipe said "Finely Chopped" and I defy any of you to find onions more finely chopped than those! :) I think we pretty much cooked all day, except for those moments that we stole to take baths and change clothes. Steve and Greg went on their annual squirrel hunt, not killing anything (thank goodness). After the episode of the squirrel killing bucket that happened while we were in Myrtle Beach, I don't think I could take much more. I kind of lost track of them after a while, but mainly because I was busy cooking. I'm so glad they let me help fix Thanksgiving dinner! I love to cook, and I'm usually too tired to do it! Everyone finally arrived, with Amy bringing her own yummy part of dinner. As we sat down to eat, I realized how tired I was, and I almost dozed off into my cranberry sauce.

While serving dessert, Aunt Brenda swears that someone was throwing food at her, but we can't figure out who it could have been. We still don't know where the mashed potatoes that landed on her hand came from.

Friday we had plans to go to a Christmas party (yes, we celebrate both at the same time because it's the only time we all are together during the year) at Greg and Kristen's house, but unfortunately their little boy came down with strep throat. BOO for germs! That didn't stop Kristen from outdoing herself and somehow managing to send over a large amount of very good food that she had fixed for us! I felt bad, though, that she went to so much trouble and didn't even get to enjoy it. We all took full advantage of it, though. I think I ate my own weight in everything. I'm fairly certain that I gained roughly 23 pounds over the weekend. However, it was Thanksmas, so I was allowed to indulge. Shut. Up. We all exchanged gifts afterwards and had a very good time doing that!

Normally we would have left on Saturday, but we stayed an extra day so that Steve and Greg could watch the Georgia/Georgia Tech. game and the Auburn/Alabama game together. At least I thought that was what we were doing, but I don't remember seeing Greg until the very end of the Iron Bowl. Where were you, Greg? I also went with Amy and Uncle Garry to pick Jon, Amy's husband, up from the airport. He had gone to visit an old (and by old, I mean she was 80) friend over the holiday, so unfortunately we didn't get to see very much of him while we were there. At any rate, we had another good day of visiting, whatever the reasoning for it!

A funny/disgusting thing happened at dinner that night that I've got to share. I have to take responsibility for it, because I wasn't paying attention to the things I laid out on the kitchen island. We were going to have Thanksgiving leftovers, and when it came time to eat, I jumped into the fridge and pulled out everything I could find that resembled leftovers. Unfortunately, Uncle Garry has a broken foot, so Aunt Brenda fixed his plate and brought it to him while he was sitting in his recliner. We were all kind of scattered around the den eating, so it wasn't very obvious, but at some point I noticed Uncle Garry get up and hobble out of the den in the middle of dinner. He came back after a while and said that there was something wrong with the cranberry sauce because it tasted like pure salt and he had to go and spit it out. Aunt Brenda told him to talk to me about it because I was the one that made it, but he said, "No, not what she made, the kind from a can." He pointed to the container that was sitting between the turkey and the dressing and I started to laugh. I had to tell him that it wasn't cranberry sauce at all. Earlier in the day, I had carved up a monster sized ham so that it wouldn't take up so much room, and Aunt Brenda had saved some of the drippings to use for cooking. She put them into a small, yellow container. As you know, the gelatin from baking anything on a bone makes the drippings look like jelly, and since I hadn't been paying attention when I took the food out of the fridge, I grabbed that container and put it with the rest of the food. The yellow container made the brown drippings look red, so poor Uncle Garry got a mouthful of cold, salted, ham fat. I don't know if I should be as amused as I am about that, and if not, I'm sorry!

Sunday Steve and I accidentally overslept, and since Steve had to go into work (gee, thanks...whomever needed him to come in) we had to jump up and head out before Uncle Garry even woke up! All in all, it was a very fun visit, and I'm glad I got to be there. :)