I had such a fun Saturday! Well, it didn't start out that fun. We sat around waiting for the bug man to come and spray the house for vermin. He was supposed to show up between 10am-12pm, but the time passed and no one showed up. I thought perhaps that bug guys are like cable repair guys and they just get there when they get there, but Steve finally had to call them and find out where they were. Apparently even though you can make an appointment with them for a Saturday, and no one from the office calls to tell you any differently, they don't actually do appointments for Saturday. No one was going to come. BLAST! Steve had to call and make another appointment for later this week, but he did lodge a complaint with them. SO THERE! :P I just hope the complaint doesn't cause a problem with our service. I found a giant roach in the garage (on it's back, but I'm convinced that it was just sleeping. I sprayed it with my own bottle of pesticide and saw it wiggle. Yuck.) and an absolutely enormous spider in a web it had built by the garage. I'm not kidding, the thing was huge. It was an orb spider, which are already big, but I think this one had recently eaten a cat or something because it was bigger than I thought was necessary. We also killed that one with the spray. I kind of felt bad for killing the orb spider because they don't bother people and they tend to move their webs from day to day, but the hastared thing was too big to be normal and it was also on my house. It had to go. I still get the shivers when I think about how big it was. Eeeeeeesh.

The fun part didn't start until we went to dinner with Sara and Ron. We met at Papou's, which is a Greek restaurant I'd never tried before. It was really good! I've only had Greek food once before, but I think I'll be having it again. Sara made fun of me because I got chicken instead of something with a Greek name, but I was being cautious. It was good, anyways! At least I didn't do like the lady at the table behind us. She ordered some kind of fish, and it came out to her head and all. She said 'Oh, God! I can't eat that, it's got its head! I'm from the south, we batter and fry fish out here! I'm sorry, I can't eat it! Oh, my God!" All I could think of was that scene from "A Christmas Story" when the Old Man says "It's...smiling at me..." about the duck at the Chinese restaurant! :) Anyways, I recommend Papou's. Good stuff.

Afterwards we went to watch the Dixie Derby Girls Roller-Derby. I'd never been to see one of these before, although Steve had. It was interesting, but I had no idea what was going on. Steve tried to explain, but I never fully understood it. It was girls on skates going around in a circle and knocking each other down. There were also points involved, but I didn't understand how they were scored. I had much more fun people watching. There were all kinds of people there, some of which I don't have names for. There were normal looking people, goth people, giant facial piercings people, strangely tattooed people, a guy who looked like he'd be kind of sticky if you accidentally touched him, the people with bad shoes, and there were an abundance of skankily dressed women there. Good times. There was also a group of people who did the "Thriller" dance during intermission, and it was one of the best jobs I'd seen anyone do since the real video. I was impressed. We didn't stay for the whole thing, so we ended our night talking at a Starbucks. It was lots of fun!

VERY RANDOM ACTS OF BLOGGING

1) I wish that I could be neighbors with Neil Patrick Harris and his boyfriend. I want to have dinner parties with them and be godmother to their dog. I also want Mr. Rogers to be my neighbor on the other side. Of course, I think that he's technically already everyone's neighbor. Anyways, that's how I feel about things this morning.

2) Steve downloaded a bunch of TV theme songs and we listened to then while getting ready this morning. I realized that I must have watched a LOT of TV growing up because I knew most of the words to everything. I'm not sure how that makes me feel!

3) I found a use for some of my vodka last night! I made scones, and apparently alcohol keeps gluten from being able to form as easily in some baked goods, so I sprinkled some in. Worked like a charm! It was only a teaspoon, but at least it's not just sitting there anymore!

RANDOM ACTS OF BLOGGING

1) Had to go give blood to the lab vampires this morning. I do not enjoy needles, no sir. Actually, it wasn't that bad this time. They used the butterfly thingie and it didn't hurt much at all. The worst part was waiting to go in. I think I got there by 7:30 and didn't get to go in until after 8. They are usually not that slow, but it wasn't too bad. There were a couple of people in the waiting room who started complaining, but I just tuned them out after a while. I mean, what good does it do to complain about having to wait? It doesn't make the wait any shorter unless you piss someone off, and then they take it out on you in a painful, stabby way. Ugh. I don't want to piss off a phlebotomist . Heck, I'd bring them cookies if I thought it would make things go more smoothly.

2) Starting September 1st, I will be under contractual obligation to be nice about the place I work on all blogging and social networking sites. I will no longer be allowed to "disparage the organization, campers, their families, visitors or other employees." I will also have to curb my vulgar language and "be respectful in all communications and blogs relating to the SpRocket." I guess that means it's a free for all until September 1st! HELP! HELP! I'M BEING REPRESSED!

3) I spent Saturday evening at the American Cancer Society Summer Lights event. It was very posh. :) Steve's company bought a sponsor table and we were BIS (butts in seats) representatives for them. It was actually very enjoyable. Homer Hickam was there as one of the special guests, but once again I didn't get to say anything to him. Oh well, we have crossed paths before, and I'm sure we will again. We were there with Emily, Brandi and their spouses (hey, guys!) which is always a pleasure, and another couple who's name escapes me for the moment, but whom I also liked a lot. I promise. I'm just bad with names. While I was walking around, looking at all of the stuff for the silent auction, I saw our wedding photographer, who's husband died of the same kind of cancer that Steve's mom had. She said she didn't like to come to things like that, but someone had bought a table in his honor, so she felt she should be there. She was so sad that it made my heart hurt. I didn't really know what to say, but I told her I was glad to see her. I would have hugged her if I knew her better. She looked as if she needed a hug. :( Hugs help, even if they can't fix. After we parted ways I finished looking around at all of the stuff up for auction. It was too tempting to bid on stuff, even though I knew I wouldn't win anything. I was in a room full of people with money, and I figured that if nothing else, I'd drive up the prices on a couple of items! I'm glad I didn't do more than a couple, because apparently the ACS invited a lot of tightwads. A great deal of things got no bids at all and I actually won one of the items I bid on. It was a large bottle of Vodka 360, a kind of self-righteous, "eco-friendly," tree-hugger's alcohol. I've already gotten annoyed at their back patting just from reading the booklet that came with the package. I don't know what possessed me to bid on vodka, but I liked the bottle and package design. I'm kind of a sucker for good packaging. Anyways, now I have this big bottle of 80 proof fire water and I can't bring myself to drink it. I keep having flashbacks to New Years Day 2006, when I felt like I had spent the previous evening swallowing live matches and ipecac syrup. I'm not giving it away, though. I like the bottle too much. I've looked online at different things you can use vodka for other than drinking, and I think I'm going to try a few of them. If nothing else, I'm going to make my own vanilla extract, which sounds easy enough. Some of you may be getting a bottle of it if I do it right. :)

4) After the lab, I went to the Starbuck's drive through and got a frappacino and a scone. When I got to work, I looked up the calorie count so that I could enter it into my iPod program. I wish I hadn't checked. The drink wasn't that bad, considering, but the scone... Jeepers. I might as well have just gone ahead and taped it directly to my ass. Note to self: No more scones from Starbucks. Ever.

RANDOM ACTS OF BLOGGING

1) Good grief, I'm tired. I've been busy all week and I'm still not done with everything yet. Things at work have been kind of nuts because when the crowds die down after school starts, people begin to realize they need stuff from me! I don't mind, it makes the day go faster and all, but geez. I've also been busy with church stuff since the hostess committee has been working at lots of events this week. Well, I say "lots" but there will be a total of 3 after tonight. That's still a lot more than we usually do in a week. Yesterday I hit "kill me" mode and kind of just zoned out at my desk. Luckily I was able to finish a couple of things, but the blank spots in my day couldn't have been good for productivity! I have also frequently zoned out at home too. I have done dishes and a couple of loads of laundry, but other than that I've been useless. It's bad, though, because I have so much to do and I'm too tired to do it all. It's too much for one person, so I get discouraged. Eventually, I'll have to do it, though, or our house will be condemned.

2) The cat is back. Spot, as I call her (after Data's cat of course), has been showing up more and more often lately and I've been feeding her a little bit almost every time she's there. I know that's stupid, but I'm still not sure she has a home. I'm afraid she's probably lost, but because her owners didn't give her a tag I can't get her back home. I think she must've been someone's indoor cat, because she really, really wants to come inside our house when we open the door. She HAS gotten in a couple of times, but I have to put her out again. It makes me feel so bad. She isn't very old and she's so sweet. Last night I didn't have much time to mess with her when I got home, so I gave her a few bites of a leftover chicken finger and left her alone out on our stoop. She stayed out there for a long time, and when it started to storm, I wanted to bring her inside so badly, but I couldn't. Not only were the dogs in there, we don't have a litter box, and I didn't want to have to deal with that. I went out there and held her for a little bit and you could tell she was scared. When I started scratching her and petting her, she did that weird "kneading" thing with her front paws on my chest. What is that? Ugh, I can't afford another animal! As much as I like Spot, I want her to find her real home so that I don't have to worry about her anymore. She makes me so sad. :(

3) If you are the kind of person who uses those powdered drink mixes that you add to bottled water, let me recommend Welch's brand grape flavored drink mix. It actually tastes like grape juice, albeit a bit watered down. Good stuff!

4) Do you remember the cartoons from the 80's that had the really rocking-out theme songs? I never really thought much about it until Steve started watching old episodes of M.A.S.K and Pole Position (and if you aren't familiar with either of those, count yourself lucky.) The singers just sound so earnest. Do you think they kind of felt stupid when they were recording those songs? I mean, if you sing about Jesus, or love, or even Dr. Feelgood, I can understand really jamming out, but a cartoon theme song?

Observe:
Also:
and last but not least:

I actually just caught myself dancing to these, so I think I should stop here.

Urg. Busy, busy, busy. Everyone needs signs!
That about sums me up! :) Be back soon.

Do you want to know what I think is weird? Getting older.

I'm not talking about the actual passage of time or anything like that. I'm talking about what happens to us when we get older. I realize I'm only 31, so I'm sure I haven't encountered a large fraction of what will eventually happen to me as I age, but the stuff that has happened so far is just so strange.

I've started getting a lot of white hairs on my head. I love them and I think they are beautiful, but it's strange to be brushing my hair and see them because they are so OBVIOUS in my dark hair. I can't stay up late anymore. Well, at least not like I used to. I could stay up all night, pop a couple of No-Doze and make it through the day with little to no trouble. Now I am lucky if I'm not completely unconscious and drooling by 10:00 PM. I also creak. It's creepy and I hate it, but my knees make sound when I walk up stairs! SOUNDS, people! Knees should be seen and not heard! My eyesight is not as good as it was even a couple of years ago and my hearing isn't good at all (but to be fair, it's probably partially genetic and I always wear my iPod which isn't doing me any favors.)

I guess it's weird because I don't feel any older on the inside. I feel like I always have; kind of silly, just as dreamy, and not at all serious. That clashes mightily with the slow but steady degeneration of my physical self. Boo. It's too bad that we can't always be as young as we feel, isn't it?

Urg. Anyways, that is my philosophizing for today. Now get off my lawn.

Well, that does it. I've heard everything.

With all the art I was exposed to, I'm surprised I didn't kill you all.

At least I would have had a good defense!

RANDOM ACTS OF BLOGGING

1) Now that it's over, I can tell you about the Astronaut lunch last Friday! The time finally came where I had to go downstairs with my boss. He was going to be down there taking pictures as well as kind of helping me through the process. Everything started out just fine, I was given a clipboard with 6 names on it and told to check tickets and names. Not to difficult, right? Of course not! So I stood by the doorway and waited, checked tickets and answered questions. While I'm doing this, food service was getting the lunch ready (BBQ and Chicken Fingers) and everything seemed to be going smoothly. Hoot (HOOOOOOOOOT) Gibson came in, and it turned out he was a very nice man. Possibly THE nicest astronaut I'd ever had the chance to meet, and with working at the SpRocket, that is saying a lot. We had most, if not all, of the ticket purchasers already in the dining room by that point, but none of the Libyan kids were there yet. One of the S. Camp guys was there with me, waiting for things to get started, and he said that they were on their way! He also said that the ambassador was being brought down there too, so it would be a few minutes before we could really get started. I didn't really understand that, because we have people from the ambassador program here all of the time, but we don't ever really make a big deal out of them. They are usually just teachers or people from an exchange program overseas. Kind of a glorified chaperon. At any rate, we had to wait on him before things could get rolling. At this point, I was still nervous, but had made peace with the fact that I was going to have to do the thing, so I was as close to zen as I could be.
Suddenly the Libyan kids show up and we get them in line for the buffet. There was a lot of activity and noise, and the place began to fill up with people. We had people from the upper Administration of the SpRocket coming in, and there were a lot of other people that I didn't know walking around. There went my zen! It was at this point that someone said that the ambassador was coming, and there was a flutter about this. I still didn't understand why it was a big deal until someone told me he wasn't a S. Camp ambassador, he was the UN Ambassador from Libya who had come to see the kids graduate camp! An actual, foreign dignitary! Not only that, but there was a lady from the federal government working as his aide, a State Department guy, several other government people came along and the place was crazy full. I really must have looked panicked, because a lady who works in the Administration offered to do the astronaut introduction for me. I was more than happy to hand that over to her, let me tell you! So my job was downgraded to holding the clip board and telling people were the bathroom was, but I didn't mind. However, I have noticed that if you want to look important, hold a clip-board, because it makes you look official. As I was standing there the Ambassador came over and shook my hand and told me I had done a great job! I just said thank you, because I didn't want to have to explain why I was really there. :) After that, things went smoothly, and I stayed until all the pictures had been made and hands had been shaken. Oh, and in case you were wondering, I didn't yell out "HOOOOOOOOOOT!" when I met him. I said it very quietly while he was up giving his speech. I couldn't help myself!

2) The yard sale is over and it was very successful! We had a lot of stuff to get rid of, and we didn't get rid of a lot of it, but a man came and bought everything that was left for $40 and hauled it off. Well, almost everything that was left. We have a ton of clothes that will be donated to Purple Heart, and we had a few things we figure we could find homes for ourselves, but we made some cash and now we don't have to worry about all of that crap anymore! There are still a few things left in the house, and we'll figure out what to do with all of that later. I'm just glad it's over. :P Yard sales are very, very hard work.

3) I sang at church yesterday morning, and that went well. I was afraid I wouldn't get to sing at all because my allergies are killing me! I don't know what is in the air, or if it's because I've spent so much time outside, but the only thing keeping my sinuses from completely slamming shut is the spray my Dr. gave me. Bring on Autumn!!!! BRING IT!

Do you ever wish you could have a fall in the floor, kicking and screaming, flailing your arms tantrum like a 3 year old because of something you don't want to do at work? I'm feeling that way today.

It isn't a big deal or anything, but today it's my turn to introduce the guest astronaut speaker for the Astronaut Lunch we have on Fridays. I just simply don't want to do it! Contrary to popular belief, I don't always like to be up in front of people. Heck, I'm terribly shy, I am just very good at hiding it most of the time. I have this feeling that I'm going to get up there to do my very minimal job of reading his bio and introducing him and I'm going to embarrass myself in some way. I'm seriously dreading this!

Also, and even more silly, is the fact that I have a weird tic whenever I hear the man's name. Our speaker today is shuttle astronaut Robert "Hoot" Gibson. Whenever I hear his name, I say "HOOOOOOT!" I can't seem to stop! It's like I have Tourette Syndrome or something. If I don't say it, it builds up! Also, the Libyan delegation of Camp kids will be in attendance, and every time I hear someone say "Libyans" I hear the way Doc Brown said it on Back to the Future in my head and I start to giggle.

I'm going to wind up looking like a lunatic. :{

SPECIAL GUEST STAR FEET

I got this from Kenny and Lauren yesterday! They are attending a smart people conference in Boston! I believe they are on Boston's Freedom Trail!

I have a Britney Spears song in my head. If it doesn't go away soon, I'm flinging myself off of the roof of the SpRocket.

You have been informed.

RANDOM ACTS OF BLOGGING

1) This weekend was unusually non-productive and I'm sad about that. I don't know why, but I just didn't feel like doing anything at all. I did end up mowing the lawn before the flood came, and I think I might have done dishes (can't remember) but that was about it. I had a lot I needed to do, so now I just have to do it all sometime this week. :( Boo. Procrastination is nice until the bill falls due.

2) Steve and I made a run to Sams on Saturday. That place is dangerous. I don't know what it is about buying things in bulk, but it is addicting. I mean, you could go to a regular grocery store and buy a box of dog treats, but you can go to Sams and buy a 10 lb. box of dog treats! You can go to a convenience store and buy a bottle of Gatorade, or you can go to Sams and buy a flat of bottles! Somehow buying in bulk is always better. However, we don't have much storage space, so now we have large boxes of food and stuff stashed in strange places. Silver lining, though...we have enough food to last us through a short term quarantine or house arrest!

3) I just drank a bottled smoothie that I got at Target. It's something called "Tropical Mango Probiotic 100% Fruit Smoothie" and it comes from the Naked company. I was perusing the ingredients and I saw that this small bottle contains something called Fructooligosaccharides. The remnants of my biology class memories tell me that this is some kind of fruit derived sweetner, but it certainly doesn't sound natural. I'm scared. I just hope that I don't also get a big dose of gamma radiation or something. Those two might not mix well. KELLY SMASH!

4) The yard sale we were going to have this past Saturday was postponed due to rain, and now we will be having it this Saturday! That means more running (or driving, rather) back and forth to Athens to finish things up. Whee. However, on the plus side, I've found more stuff at home to get rid of! Go me!

5) Steve and I have been watching the Buffy the Vampire Slayer series lately. I didn't watch it very much when it was actually on air and he never watched it at all. Turns out we both like it a lot, even though it's a bit silly. I think most of it is because of Joss Whedon's writing. He's very clever. Anyways, one of the episodes we've recently watched was "Once More With Feeling" which was the musical. It has some very catchy songs on it, so I hope I don't forget myself and start singing any of them aloud today. My co-workers may not understand. :P

6) I finally had to break down and change out my purse this past weekend. I really liked the one that Mr. Lee got me for Christmas, but it was huge! I realized that I just kept putting things into it and not having to take anything out! I swear, once I was rooting around in there for something and I put my arm in almost all the way to my shoulder. Unless you are Mary Poppins, that is not normal. I was afraid that one day I'd wind up having to crawl all the way in to find something and end up in Narnia. I never thought I'd say this, but you can have too much purse.