Together in the New Year...

You are the call and I am the answer.
You are the wish, and I the fulfillment.
You are the night, and I the day.
What else?
It is perfect enough.
It is perfectly complete.
You and I.

D.H. Lawrence



Dear Friends;

Thank you so much for sharing in my journey…
For being a part of my changes and travels and experiences…
I hope that you all have a safe and wondrous and fulfilling New Year…
With much love…

ME

I think I have fallen in love…

Dear Friends;

I think that I am finally falling in love…

It is the little things that I have started to notice… Those ever-present things that sit in the back of the brain that just beg some attention from time to time at random moments. Like knowing that Brie is a weakness so you add some to the basket, or that pretty toes are appreciated, so pedicures become de rigueur… The drive to don frilly frippery and soft silky things just because or to take that little extra moment to make sure that you look your best before heading out the door… Not to mention the sighs and the contented feeling. Or that certain glow that seems to appear in photographs, even when you are so tired your eyes hurt…

I am fairly certain that these are all signs of falling in love…

Special dates to see movies… Opening a really good bottle of Cabernet… Buying an entire lingerie ensemble just because… Making sure that the best sheets are placed on the bed and that they are always pressed just so…

These are pretty good indicators of falling in love…

Listening to what is wrong and then doing the things to make everything better… From just sitting quietly to putting on some silly music and singing terribly at the top of your lungs… Accepting those moments of weakness and understanding what it is to accept the imperfections that are a part of being human… Being patient when it is most certainly in your nature to be quite the opposite… And reveling in all the moments of laughter…

I don’t know what this is, if it is not the euphoria of falling in love…

And if you would have told me a year ago, or even six months ago that the person that I would fall in love with was someone that was already so very dear to me… Someone I had always known… I would never have believed you… But there it is… This incredible person staring back at me with acceptance and caring and understanding… And love…

I think I have fallen in love…

With ME…

Leftover cold Chinese Food right from the Carton...

Dear Friends;
It's one of those days...

The kind where I take advantage of good old feel better standbys... Like eating leftover cold Chinese food right from the carton with a fork and putting the chopsticks in my hair...

Last night I had a Dear Friend over... She was my inspiration and I tore through some of projects that I have been pushing off for too long... I am now properly armed for my trip next weekend as well... If being well dressed for the occasion is being properly armed...

Truth be told... It is the looming, impending, inescapable in front of me trip that I am dreading... Put it off you say? Just don't go? I can not hide... I will not run... I will face things and then go on... As I have...

But until then... I am out of sorts... I would rather spend the day buried under the covers...

Well... Actually...

I would rather spend the next week in bed. Or the tanning bed. Or buried up to my neck in the sand. Or holding my breath under water...

I feel as if I have been holding my breath endlessly now... At least if I were under water, I would feel weightless and floating and not just disconnected and out of sorts...

Perhaps I will go swimming... Put some of my restless energy to use... Feel the movement of the water rush over my skin as I pace my laps, one after another...

Of course...

I do have freshly washed satin sheets on my bed in a lovely shade of Aubergine, and an old Teddy Bear waiting to give me the same reassuring hugs that he has been providing for more than half my life...

Yes... A few good hugs... Another carton of cold Chinese... A few laps at the pool... Perhaps a nice long bubble bath... And I will once again be ready to take on the world...

One well dressed trip at a time...

Ais’s Top 20 Reasons to be HAPPY in December...

Dear Friends;

It’s that time when I recall that I have not posted up my HAPPY list for the month… It could be that I have SOOOOOOOOO many things to be happy for this month that narrowing the list down to just 20 seemed to be such a daunting task.

Some of the reasons are sure to carry over into January… Which is fast approaching… I love the prospect of overlapping my lists. I think that is exactly how life should be… Full to the brim and overflowing like a cup of good Sake shared between friends.

I hope that all of you, my very special, Dear Friends, have had a year that is just as bountiful and giving. I hope even more, that you too, have a difficult time selecting your “Top Reasons” to be Happy for 2006.

So, before I start waxing poetic…

Top 20 Reasons to be HAPPY in December:

1. Learning to feel the wind
2. Christmas Angels
3. Hugs from friends and family
4. Comfort food
5. Eating too much and not caring about the possibilities of an expanding waistline
6. Playing in a room of cracked mirrors
7. Learning that my choice of working with Acrylics over Oils is also good for the environment
8. Getting a new Uber-Cool camera
9. Pastry wrapped brie with brown sugar and honey
10. Completing a very special project for a very special child
11. Green eyes that twinkle with mischief
12. The folds and wrinkles of fur on an excited dog’s face when they know that they are going to get the treat for being good
13. Hearing Aunt LaLa… Aunt LaLa… Aunt LaLa… repeated over and over
14. Laughter that curls the toes and makes the sides ache
15. Long drives to see Dear Friends
16. Meeting the Dear Friends of Dear Friends and loving them too
17. Striped leotards with puffy sleeves from the 1980’s
18. Expanding and stretching the mind beyond previous capacity
19. Reading books recommended by Dear Friends that push buttons and cause you read them several times through to figure out WHY and HOW
20. Moving on, letting, go and living my life- on my own terms

I'm making a list and checking it twice... aka: What I want in a "Significant Other"

Dear Friends;

I have spent the past year fine tuning this ever-growing list of what it is that I want in a significant other… I know that it seems unbelievably long, and exceedingly detailed, but when it comes to the people that we let into our lives on such an intimate level, shouldn’t we be exceptionally particular?

I think that if we don’t know what it is that we want, we are opening ourselves up to letting in things and people that may not be good or right for us. If we don’t ask questions and look for answers, we discover that we are surprised when the information is accurately revealed. If we don’t have a guideline of what is important, we can so easily become sidetracked and loose sight of our goals and dreams.

Of course, not everyone has the need to write these things down. Some people are just able to know these things and keep them focused inside their heads. I am a list-maker, from a long line of list-makers. So I write important things down on a regular basis.

When I ended my marriage, a very good, Dear Friend of mine asked me what it was that I did want in a significant other, I could not answer the question. “I want to be with someone who is nice and funny”, I said. “That’s not very specific”, she said. “Half of the world can fit that description, but you would not want to be in that kind of relationship with half of the world, would you?” “No”, I said. “That would be silly. There is no way that half of the world is that right match for me on that level.” So…She asked again. “What is that you are looking for, what is it that you want, what aspects will you not live without again? What is important to you?” I still had no answer. I had never thought about things like this before. “Think about it”, she urged me.

So I did. Long and hard. And I came up with the following list. It was one of the (many) goals that I had set for myself to accomplish by Burning Man. Turns out when you really focus on something, especially when you are in the right space at the right time, these things take on a life of their own. I wrote everything that crossed my mind on little slips of paper, on napkins and ticket stubs, anything handy. One night, not long before Beltane I woke up from a deep sleep and just had to get to my laptop. I typed like a woman possessed. (I probably was.) I came up with a long list that very closely resembles this one. I wrote until I was done, and then exhausted, I returned to bed.

The next morning when I woke up, I thought that I might have dreamed the whole thing. I figured it was my sub-conscious telling me that I needed to really focus on what I wanted. So I gathered up all of those little bits and slips of paper and notes and set the wadded mass next to my computer. And then I saw the list. I was blown away… (I love when that happens. It was like finding money that you forgot about in a pocket when you are doing the laundry only even better.)

When I started matching up the bits of notations that I had made over the previous months to what I had typed onto the computer, I discovered something else, most everything was already there, and in even greater detail. It was broken down into tiny bite-sized pieces. I realized this way it would easy to identify things when I was caught up in the wonder of a terrifically incredible new person in my life. (And I do get caught up in the excitement and infatuation of a new person.)

Since Beltane, I have used the list greatly. And in many more ways than I thought I would. I use it as a tool to remind myself that I am a wonderful person who deserves wonderful things. I have used it to let go of wonderful people as they pass through my life on their own paths. (Just remember, there are many different kinds of wonderful, and often times it is not the right kind or at the right time.) I have used the list to give myself hope on those rare low moments. (How would I know what great things I was looking for if I had not been exposed to such greatness somewhere? That meant that greatness WAS out there. And that low moment would pass more gracefully.) And I have used the list to remind myself what questions to ask.

I am not saying that I am not open to other things, just that I won’t accept anything less. I know what I want and value what I am worth. And I know that as time passes on and I grow and evolve, so will my list. That is something I actually look forward to. And while my list is numbered, all of the items on my list are equally important.

So without further ado… My list of what I am looking for in a significant other (and other incredibly close friends):


1. I want someone who has answered all the questions on my survey, and is able to answer all the same information about me.
2. I want someone who likes to kiss and hug, be held, and to hold me, often.
3. I want someone who wants to touch me often and deeply.
4. I want someone who picks me up and carries me away, who will sweep me off my feet and also throw me over his shoulder.
5. I want someone who has the passion to throw me onto the bed and the compassion to know when to lay me down gently.
6. I want someone who I find to be completely irresistible in every way imaginable, and feels the same way about me in return.
7. I want someone who is able to get away from it all.
8. I want someone who understands that I am a person who makes mistakes and tries to correct them.
9. I want someone who believes in second chances for honest and good intentions.
10. I want someone who is understanding and compassionate, not jealous or possessive.
11. I want someone who will pick up the ball and DO something with it other than drop it for me to pick it up.
12. I want someone who will be content with themselves and sharing their life with others.
13. I want someone who is patient.
14. I want someone who fights fairly and does not throw punches, hit below the belt, or deliver low blows. Someone who is not abusive, mentally, emotionally, or physically.
15. I want someone who understands my need to sleep on it, and then discuss it in the morning.
16. I want someone who is open and will deliver real, honest answers to my endless questions.
17. I want someone who says what they mean, and does what they say, no matter what.
18. I want someone who is consistent and reliable.
19. I want someone who will make the time, all the time, not fit me in.
20. I want someone who will not string me along, or leave me waiting to know what’s next.
21. I want someone who is turned on by my brain, not just my body, but I want them to think that my body was made for pleasure.
22. I want someone who is open minded, and has a great acceptance and tolerance for others.
23. I want a powerful individual, who is a gentle person, and a caring, thoughtful partner.
24. I want someone who is well read, widely versed, and greatly traveled.
25. I want someone who knows home is where the heart is.
26. I want someone who can make me laugh, no matter what kind of mood I am in.
27. I want someone who knows at the sound of my voice what to say to make me smile and feel reassured and supported.
28. I want someone who is more experienced and wants to share all their knowledge with me.
29. I want someone who is open to hearing my thoughts and opinions, and values them highly.
30. I want someone who places me first in their life, but does not defer their life for mine.
31. I want someone who is accepting of my need for independence.
32. I want someone who will take care of me, as I take care of them.
33. I want someone who sees their future in my eyes, and their happiness in my heart.
34. I want someone who knows that they must love themselves, and make themselves happy, before they can share that with others.
35. I want someone who is kind and thoughtful.
36. I want someone who has good communication skills, and uses them everyday.
37. I want someone who enjoys, and thrills, on my being a girly girl.
38. I want someone who likes high maintenance, and will maintain me with pleasure.
39. I want someone who wants to curl up around me at night.
40. I want someone who will tell me, and show me, every day, that they love me.
41. I want someone who accepts my illness, and knows when I am in pain.
42. I want someone who can see through the smoke and mirrors, can see through the act, and knows when to lend assistance and guidance, and when to let me do things on my own.
43. I want someone who makes me feel the passion I felt when I was seventeen and with my first love.
44. I want someone who can cause me to be so wrapped up in them, that the whole world seems to melt away in minutes of my being with them.
45. I want someone who shares such a deep connection with me when we kiss, that it feels like perfection attained every time.
46. I want someone who matches me physically in such a way that I feel like a tall supermodel when walking on their arm, and completely small and enveloped when I am held within their arms.
47. I want someone who makes me feel comfortable being picked up and carried around.
48. I want someone who makes me want to jump into their arms, and wrap my legs about their waist and my arms about their neck.
49. I want someone who cannot help but to laugh with me when I giggle because it is impossible for them not to.
50. I want someone who is amused by my crazy capers.
51. I want someone who is indulgent with me in every way, especially to my silly whims, no matter how nonsensical they may seem at the time.
52. I want someone who has established a solid standing base level in the relationship, so that I never end up wondering where it is I, or they, or we stand with one another.
53. I want someone who has a sex drive to match mine, likes variety with consistency of enthusiasm.
54. I want someone who likes intermezzos as much as all night escapades.
55. I want someone with whom the passion is so strong that hours go by and it feels like it has only been moments.
56. I want someone who understands and likes that my family is important to me.
57. I want someone who likes to share in my family and the myriad family occasions that occur.
58. I want someone who wants to include me in their family.
59. I want someone who is both smart and intelligent.
60. I want someone who I find completely disarming, and is able to take my breath away every time I see them.
61. I want someone who craves the warmth of my body pressed up against them, the touch of my skin, the feel of every inch of me.
62. I want someone who does not think having sex four or five, or six or seven times a day is too much, and is also able, and desirous, to just make out for hours.
63. I want someone who misses me the second I am gone, thinks about me while we are apart and greets me like an eternity has passed each time we reconnect.
64. I want someone who is emotionally available.
65. I want someone who wants to share their secrets, longings, desires, needs, hope, dreams, and wishes with me so much that I am the first person they think of to tell.
66. I want someone who can’t bear to think of not having me as an important, integral part of their daily life.
67. I want someone who I can be silly and goofy with.
68. I want someone who I can be totally honest and open with, revealing anything that enters my life, or crosses my mind.
69. I want someone who does not wish to control me.
70. I want someone who challenges my body and my mind.
71. I want someone with whom I have incredible, stimulating conversations on a seemingly endless variety of topics.
72. I want someone who brings out the best in me, as I do them.
73. I want someone who makes me a better person for knowing them, and sharing my life with them.
74. I want someone who believes that love is the greatest gift that can be given to another person.
75. I want someone who cares about my thoughts, opinions, and desires.
76. I want someone who respects me.
77. I want someone who trusts me.
78. I want someone who has earned my trust, and shown me that there is no reason to question if it has been misplaced.
79. I want someone who likes and accepts change as a natural progression of life.
80. I want someone who grows from each experience and looks forward to the people we will evolve into over time.
81. I want someone who has a grand sense of adventure, no matter if the adventure is trekking into the unknown wilderness or spending the day in bed.
82. I want someone who believes that life is art, and the pursuit of any art form is worthwhile, from architecture to making the perfect cup of tea.
83. I want someone who wants to leap into the unknown, reassured that no matter what lies ahead will be glorious because they will share the experience with me.
84. I want someone who looks for the positive side of things, but can also be practical and realistic.
85. I want someone who practices hope daily.
86. I want someone who feels joy and passion from many things, including me.
87. I want someone who I inspire to even greater heights, and thusly inspires many.
88. I want someone who can deliver a grand speech, make a touching toast, and share in a conversation with a shy child, effortlessly.
89. I want someone who responds well to animals, though does not necessarily want to have pets.
90. I want someone who will dance with me in public, in the living room, under the stars, beneath a streetlight, and in the rain, just because.
91. I want someone who puts both lids down, doesn’t care which way the roll goes, and shares the covers.
92. I want someone who is affectionate with everyone.
93. I want someone who thinks that I am perfect in my imperfection.
94. I want someone who is driven to improve their world, not sit back and complain about it.
95. I want someone who is artistic and/or creative, able to think outside of the box, maybe even capable of building their own box.
96. I want someone who is sexually adventurous, respectful, responsible, and above all just as dedicated to my enjoyment as I am to theirs.
97. I want someone who will appreciate me the way I am, and not be focused upon loving my potential or an illusion.
98. I want someone who will be a good addition to my family and friends, and I to theirs.
99. I want someone who enjoys exploring the unknown, be it physical, intellectual, emotional, spiritual, or any other.
100. I want someone who is introspective and appreciates that quality in me as well.
101. I want someone who has a list, written or remembered, that actively pursues crossing things off and continually adding more to be experienced.
102. I want someone who derives pleasure from the items on my list and thrills when they are included in an adventure experienced.

Thanks to Desdemona, I am Ready to Get Laid (I Knew That Would Get Your Attention)

Dear Friends;

If plants are truly an indication of our capacity to share in a successful relationship- then I am ready.

My plant, Desdemona has taken over. It is as if she is a throw back to a pre-historic era. A time where everything was larger and in excess. At the very least, thriving with beauty and greatness.

Desdemona is beautiful indeed. Her leaves are large and supple filled with exquisite mottled color. A grand mix of green and white. Many of her leaves span the size of my hands. She is a Marbled Pothos. And I love her greatly. I spoil her with purified water and have her housed in a cloisonné pot I purchased on one of my many travels. She resides on top of my antique chest of drawers, where she has quite taken over. She is now extending over the sides and front making it difficult to access the contents within the drawers.

She brings me such a quiet pleasure. And I truly love her, this houseplant experiment of mine.

I care for her. I love her. And she brings me peace. I have never thought I would derive so much emotion from a plant, but I do. I love her simplicity and vibrancy, the energy of her very life.

Air, water, care, love, space, time, attention, and devotion. All the aspects of a relationship. In such a perspective, every connection I have will have the possibilities of such epic proportions and grandness.

Speak to Me Forsoothly and Mine will Surely be Thine...

Dear Friends;

There is a voice I long to hear. Every morning when I wake, it lingers in my mind. Leftover from words whispered in my sleep. I would know this sound anywhere. If I could not hear again, I would still know this sound. I would feel the vibrations, the resonance.

This voice is wondrous.

When heard in reality, I cling to it. I hang on every word spoken, cleaving each syllable in my head and storing them away to revisit later in the dark of night before I drift off to sleep. It is this sound that instills a peace, stirs my emotions, brings a heat to my passions, and sparks a joy in my soul.

The great power of a single voice should never be under-estimated. Such greatness can make miracles happen with just the intake of a breath. Such power can change everything with a single word, a ripple in the vastness.

Know Dear Friends, that each voice has this power… What you choose to do with it can affect others so very deeply. From touching their lives and dreams, to how the world is in its continual growth and expansion…

We each have a powerful voice, how are you going to use yours?

Change is Incredible...

Dear Friends;

A special friend of mine traveled great distances, in part to see me. He has been gone for the better part of a year, so when I heard he was heading out west, I did what I could to cover the remainder of the distance home.

We met up and talked. And this very shy friend of mine put himself out there and took a risk.

When I declined the invitation, my Dear Friend understood. However, he admitted that I had changed greatly in the past year. It is true, I have. And a lot of changes have happened in the very recent past.

I apologized for not having things turning out the way he expected- for being different. And then he gave me the greatest compliment. He said I was not what he expected- I was so much more. Sometimes it makes all the difference in the world to hear how far we’ve come, how much we’ve grown and changed. And from a man of very few words, to extend himself so far, to share such a gift, is truly priceless and special.

I am lucky indeed.

And the Horoscope says:

Mutual expectations:
This influence will show you in a positive way the duties and obligations that you have to live up to in your relationships. This will not be especially difficult for you, because you get considerable gratification from being of service to your loved ones. The reality of your emotional relationships is extremely important to you. Because you want relationships that are real, this is a good time to sit down with a loved one and arrive at a conscious understanding of what you expect from each other. A relationship can be ruined by not knowing what each party demands and needs from the other. Today you can make this clear to both lovers and friends and thereby minimize a possible source of trouble in your relationships.

Funny I was just thinking of this… Sometimes I really do wonder if there is something to be said for a consciousness that has last for countless civilizations over the course of centuries…

Like the Vikings, I was HERE...

Dear Friends;

Today I wrote my name in wet cement… I created a beautiful masterpiece of letters and signed it with my handprints… Then I dragged my father to the beach. When we returned, I discovered that it had been wiped cleaned. Funny how things like that happen… I was given a clean slate. Everything wiped clean. Then the workers came to me and said that they had been instructed to clear it, so they did. They felt badly and said that I should put it back. They came to me twice. Funny that. Leave your mark. Have it wiped clean. Be approached to have it put back. And then replace it once again.

I think we all leave a mark. A residue, an imprint on the wet concrete that surrounds our lives, and the lives of those we come in contact with. Just remember to mark your life carefully and with purpose.

So what did I finally etch in the pavement, leaving my graffiti marks in struck into the un-hardened stone like some modern day Viking traveler?

the sunny side of the street
you are here
life is sweet- enjoy it well

The rest of my writings, my Dear Friends, are for those that find their way to my childhood home and see that I was, indeed, here.

I see you... Or do I?

Dear Friends;

So here it is… I am “seeing someone”.

I don’t know what this means. Not a clue. “Seeing someone”.

I don’t know what this means in general, when you tell people that you are “seeing someone”. I have no idea what it means to the person I am currently “seeing”. And I have no idea what this means to me. But there it is, I am “seeing someone”.

Perhaps it is like “dating” someone. But I have always thought that “dating” was something done casually, and with as many people as possible, so that you might attain whatever goal set for the purpose of “dating”. Be that company, fun, companionship, sex, or finding that possible right someone special.

And then there is that ever-adolescent phrase of “going together”. As in, this is my boyfriend/ girlfriend. Or the more adult way of putting it, this is my “significant other”.

So does “seeing someone” slide somewhere in the middle?

In it’s ambiguous nature, “seeing someone”, does not really define the boundaries of a relationship. Not at all, aside from the obvious visual meeting of my eyes to his face and vice versa. I meet him, I see him, and we do things… So we are “seeing” each other? Hmmm… And of course, this addresses none of the other things like; if we are “seeing” each other, then are we also “seeing” other people? And what about intimacy, both of the physical and the emotional kind? Where does this fit in?

I was new to dating a year and a half ago. I made it my mission (At the time it seemed to be more like my Mission Impossible…) to go out and meet as many different people as possible. To hang out and spend time with all sorts of people, so that I could get a better understanding of myself, the world around me, what I wanted from the world, and the other people in it. I became a Grand Master in the fine art of dating. I am now the Female-Approachable-Extraordinaire. I speak to strangers every time I go out. I smile and am smiled at all the time by countless people of every age and kind. I get asked for my number endlessly, and more often than not I have an entourage of admirers wherever I go. (As my closest friends like to tease me…)

But this change in life and relationship phase, this moving into the consideration of anything more than something casual in its connection, is so very new to me. I think it is thrilling, and exciting, and scary as hell… And, I have no idea as to how to proceed.

Okay, I do have SOME idea. I will be myself, as I have always been. I will be honest and straightforward. I will listen with my brain, as well as my heart, not just my body. And I will be kind and respectful. I will also do exactly as I am doing right now, over analyzing the situation, and the varied paths that it is bound to take. I will question anything and everything, and wonder constantly. I will continue to think that this someone is incredible and amazing, even if it turns out that he is not the right someone for me. And, I hope that at the end of it all, I will finally discover what it means to be “seeing someone”, and that I will have mastered this phase in relationships as gracefully as I have the one for “dating”.

Let's all Sing Along...

Dear Friends;

I have been preparing for a delightful show up north and came across a few old songs that seem to be refreshingly new once again.

I found them to be entertaining and thought you, my Dear Friends might also.

I mean no harm by them of course, other than the side effects enjoyed from a good giggle, chortle, laugh or guffaw. (Or two)

Enjoy!


B-I-M-B-O
1) There was a girl that went to Crown
And Bimbo was her name-o
B-I-M-B-O, B-I-M-B-O, B-I-M-B-O,
And Bimbo was her name-o!

2) There was a girl that went to Crown,
She had large tracts of land-o
(gesture for big tits)-I-M-B-O etc.
And Bimbo was her name-o

3) There was a girl that went to Crown
Her talents they were many-o
(gesture for a nice body)
(gesture for big tits)-M-B-O etc.
And Bimbo was her name-o

4) There was a girl that went to Crown
And she made very merry-o
(throw arms in air and yell "whee!")
(gesture for a nice body)
(gesture for big tits)-B-O etc.
And Bimbo was her name-o

5) There was a girl that went to Crown
And she was made the Queen-o
(put Crown on head)
(throw arms in air and yell "whee!")
(gesture for a nice body)
(gesture for big tits)-O etc.
And Bimbo was her name-o

6) There was a girl that went to Crown
And she got very pissy-o
(point to various members of audience, and say:
"You're banished, and you're banished, and....")
(put Crown on head)
(throw arms in air and yell "whee!")
(gesture for a nice body)
(gesture for big tits)
And Bimbo was her name-o


THE KINGDOM THAT SWALLOWED A LIE
-Ardjukk Afraid-of-His-Cats
There once was a Kingdom that swallowed a LIE
I don't know why they swallowed a LIE......
Perhaps they'll die!

There once was a Kingdom that swallowed a RULE
"The King's Word is Law" (We learn it in school!)
They swallowed the RULE to hold up the LIE
I don't know why they swallowed the LIE
Perhaps they'll die!

There once was a Kingdom that swallowed some BULL
"The knights run the Kingdom, they have all the pull!"
They swallowed the BULL to back up the RULE
"The King's Word is Law!" (We learn it in school..)
They swallowed the RULE to hold up the LIE
And I don't know why they swallowed the LIE
Perhaps they'll die!

There once was a Kingdom got screwed by the CROWN
Bent over, and down, they got screwed by the CROWN
They got screwed by the CROWN 'cause they swallowed the BULL
(etc as above)
I don't know why they swallowed the LIE......
Perhaps they'll die!

There once was a Kingdom that wrote to the BOARD
They wrote to the BOARD in great disaccord
They wrote to the BOARD they'd been screwed by the CROWN
Bent over and down, they were screwed by the CROWN
(etc as above)
And I don't know why they swallowed the LIE......
Perhaps they'll die!

There once was a Kingdom that took up the SWORD
'Cause they didn't get s*** when they wrote to the BOARD
They took up the SWORD when they wrote to the BOARD
They wrote to the BOARD in great disaccord
(etc as above)
I don't know why they swallowed the LIE......
Perhaps they'll die!

There once was a Kingdom that threw up the LIE
Right in their eye, they threw up the LIE
They threw up the LIE and they changed all the RULES
Opened Crown Tourney to all but the fools,
They opened Crown Tourney to sweep up the BULL
And let in the People, a real Miracle!
They swept up the BULL and laughed at the BOARD
And every man-jack of 'em joined the Dark Horde!
And so they lived happy, and wealthy and wise
And if this is treason, then it's all a LIE
Can YOU see why?

I Would Do Almost Anything to Have My Knee Stop Hurting...

Dear Friends;

Just a quickie... Was wondering if it is just my drug induced state, the effect of the full Scorpio Moon, or the excitement of tonight being Beltane (For those of my Dear Friends who don't know about Beltane... Think Christmas for the ...um... consenting adventurous and you get the idea. In the sense that Christmas is about Santa Clause and not religious... If you want to know about the real side of it... Ask me tomorrow, after I have opened all the presents and am sitting gleefully in all the pretty wrappings strewn about the floor...)

Anyway... What I was wondering Dear Friends... was how many of you have done a load of laundry... Just for the panties? I confess to Southern California draught conditions, hand washed in the sink... please don't tell me I am wasteful of water... But I have a single pair of rockin panties rolling away in the dryer.

I have to wear them tonight. If I am going to end up dancing in my panties... it must be THIS pair... But is it just me? Perhaps I should go get a cup of coffee... or two... Perhaps I should have just decided that it's Beltane and gone sans panties... But I can't help it... Change only happens so fast...

At the mention of change... I need to go back into the depths of my closet and figure out what I am placing on top of the perfect panties...

Kisses Dear Friends...

Remember tonight is heaven on earth... Go out and enjoy making new friends, or making good friends close friends... Whatever you do... Enjoy... I am... (In my rockin and rollin uber panties- Of course!)

Dreamy Eyes Equate Brick-like Brownies...

Dear Friends;

Do you remember the cap to my pen? The one that Dreamy Eyes from the airport walked away with? Yeah... I had forgotten all about it too... Can you imagine that? I know! Seriously though, I really did... I was distracted... Again... By a pair of dreamy eyes... (You soo did not see that one coming... Right?)

Dreamy Eyes not only called me, he drove several hours to spend time with me in the kitchen preparing a 4-course dinner for 20. The conversation was so... stimulating... (HaHa... Shhh...) that I forgot all about the brownies that I had in oven... For the record my Dear Friends, placing things into an oven, and then forgetting all about the time, is something that I do not do. Now one of the guys on my team does things like over-toasting his baguettes because he gets distracted, but that's not me... Unless of course, I am looking into really dreamy eyes... And then, well, it's buh-bye brain... Hello brick-like Brownies...

The funny thing is, I had forgotten all about the dreamy eyes and the cap to my lucky pen. All I remembered was that there was this incredible connection. This unbelievably good vibration that I had gotten from him. And when he showed up at the door... and I saw him... All I could see were these dreamy eyes again, and the way that when he smiles, it traves all the way up to those eyes that have the ability to make all the thoughts turn into vapors inside my brain.

The incredible thing is, that the conversation is so stellar that I can (temporarily) forget about those eyes... And I still had forgotten all about the cap to my lucky pen. Until a few minutes ago, when I went to edit something in a past blog and there it was... And for a moment, I was actually wondering, what cap to which pen?

Really now... Who needs a lucky pen anyway? Oh my dear, Dear Friends, I am such a fickle creature... Well... Only about some things, I still do not like Starbucks... And I still love silly socks... And crazy escapades still happen to occur in my life on a regular basis, not that I will Blog all of them...

So...

Here's to life and laughter and endless distraction...
To brick-like brownies that our waist-lines thank us for not consuming...
To successful dinner parties that make my Mother's 60th birthday memorable...
To Dreamy Eyes that are a part of a much dreamier package...
And to Dear Friends who understand when they receive letters and postcards written in crayon because all of the pens have dried out due to missing caps...
Cheers...

Bring on the Braids...

Dear Friends;

It is once again that time. Time to be me and look back in wonder at the world that lies before me.

I was flying this latest trip. Rather than driving and seeing the road pass under the hood of Gracie and stopping for coffee in the weird and unknown locations and collecting postcards to mail away. This time I flew.

I decided that as I was on a late plane out, that dressing for the flight was really silly. Everyone will be nodding off, no business suits to drool over and milkshake date with my brother as soon as I step off the plane. So I braided my hair, put on a sherpa newsboy cap, and dressed casually in my new gaucho jeans and baby doll top. Nothing tight or fitted. No major make up. Just me and a really cool pair of boots. This becomes important later.

It started with me cramming an in an out cheeseburger into my mouth at the side of passenger drop off… Right in front of the Sheriff standing curbside. It must have made his night because he was openly laughing.

Hey I was hungry and the gourmet bakery that we had stopped in at on the way to the airport was closed early for the day. That left fast food. So I succumbed to a very messy cheeseburger. I will pay for it for the next week, and I can hear my arteries crying out in protest, but it was actually pretty good. Face cramming mess and all. I even had Allyn hug me goodbye in a way that enabled me to check my teeth and make sure that I was smile worthy.

You should have seen me when I was selecting the phone in the first place. It is one of the low-end models. Partly because I did not want one that had a camera feature on it and largely due to the fact that it was the only phone with a mirror on it. Perfect for checking teeth and lipstick. Very discreet. Especially when you are enveloped in your best friends arms the way that I was when I was standing curbside a few hours ago. Especially when the Sheriff is already watching me to see what funny thing I will do next to entertain him.

I have two philosophies when going through airport security. One: Smile big and say hello to everyone. Two: Always wear silly socks. It works like a charm every time. Even the grumpiest of personnel become friendly when greeted by my socks and a smile.

This time I was told that my smile was beautiful and was engaged in lengthy conversation while I was putting all my things back on and repacking my laptop. I ended up with a phone number and an earnest “Please call and keep in touch so we can go out when you are next in town”. Cool. Not too bad for being in braids.

I headed up to the gift shop to get more postcards to send to everyone. While I was paying for them the attendant at the register looked at my ID and said my name. Correctly. And then she proceeded to tell me it was very sexy. I was very sexy. And she gave me one of those long, long looks. I need to master that look. Wow Lorna, you are pretty sexy yourself. Okay so the braids are not as bad as I thought.

I left the gift shop and found my gate. I sat down and was immediately engaged in conversation by someone. Who also told me how beautiful my smile was. We had a wonderful conversation, short as it was because his flight was boarding.

I even refrained from telling him that his eyes were dreamy. Who says that really? “Your eyes are sooo dreamy…” Brain, please kick in at some point here. Say something to the pretty man who is very obviously interested in you. Nope. It was all that was going through my head.

We exchanged numbers and he barely made his flight. He was so distracted he kept the cap to my pen… So now I have to see him, I mean what is a pen without it’s cap right?

Actually I am bummed about the cap because it is the pen that I swiped from the hotel we stayed at when my Team medalled at State a few months back. It was kind of a safe travel/ lucky pen sort of a thing. Silly. I know. But there it is. So Mr. Dreamy Eyes, I really do want to see you again, but I also want the cap to my pen back… Oh well… But the bright side is, I think the braids might actually be okay.

The flight attendant from the UK chatted me up during the flight. He reminded me of Patrick Stewart. He even had the accent. Love it. I was even given a cheeky wink when I was passing by him on the way to the loue.

I am beginning to think the braids are not just not bad, not just okay, but downright awesome. They certainly seem to be working for me. Like my own personal press agent. Maybe it’s the hat… Or the combination of the two. Either way it has made for an entertaining night of travel. Especially since I was just looking forward to having a strawberry milkshake with my brother after an up close and personal view of the stars.

As I am writing this as I fly over the State, I am wondering what the effect the braids will have in San Diego. I find that the more I am away, the less like So.Cal. Barbie I become. Instead of standing out in San Francisco or Seattle, I now stand out at home. I look like I am visiting from somewhere else. Which I guess I really am now.

At least I will be able to ask my brother what he thinks. He is the one picking me up from the airport. I am so excited, I can’t wait. I feel like I have been gone forever, and in 24 hours I will be gone again.

Whatever do you do about laundry though? I still can’t figure that one out.

De-Mudding is a Dirty Business...

Dear Friends;

I spent the past several hours doing the great de-mudding of the century. Even including the first Great Wet War and the cars that had to be literally dug out of the mud, I have not been so exposed to such clinging muck. My most wonderful best friend in the world, who does not go to events, has been so kind as to assist me in my great washing endeavors. But trying to explain to her how it is that I came by such filth and a new overly bright pair of pink galoshes is rather difficult.

This is the friend who has been teaching me the fine art of massage, of which several of you have benefited from. She is the one that I like to have facials and pedicures and girly gossip with at 2am. Who knows the best homeopathic remedy for making skin softer than silk and hair glossier than you ever thought possible. She is the next Martha Stewart and Miss Manners and is the perfect Dr. Professor's wife. Together we are the complete embodiment of the historically traditional perceived female. We are the masters of the art.

And she has known me for over half of my life. She knows that I am Miss Clean Pristine. The epitome of everything soft and feminine and everything girly. So how do I explain to her how I came to have everything coated in mud, myself included, and still have a splitting grin that really seems to be going from ear to ear? That when ordinarily I would be quiet and reserved from the mess and chaos that I am currently covered in, I am now spinning for joy instead? She will never believe me. And in truth I have tried to tell her and she just keeps shaking her head. She is waiting for the real reason. But it is there. So simple. So undisguised. So mundane. And still she waits. It must be a man. Well there were men, several… But not in that way that she is expecting. And there were women as well, in the same way as the men. Good, gentle, kind and thoughtful, men and women who were helping out a veritable stranger though the mess of mud. She is used to my wild tales and we have shared many a Banbury adventure together. So she is waiting for more. Expectantly.

I learned a very valuable lesson this weekend. One of the great depth and fortitude and caring for fellow man sort of lesson. I also allowed myself to be exposed in my time of weakness, something that I try not to do. I mean it is one thing for others to be aware of the dangers and concerns in one's life but to actually expose them to the emotion and feelings that actually do go along with it… that is just not acceptable. My father is probably having conniptions right now. Airing my dirty laundry. Yes Daddy, I am… And not just figuratively, quite literally as it turns out.

So this weekend I exposed my dirty, muddy filthy laundry and came away with wonderful guardian angels to show me that sometimes mud can be a good thing. And so can be trusting strangers and new friends to not laugh at you in your time of drowned cat muddy misery. Sometimes it can even forge real bonds. Which I feel that it did. So my Dear Friends… If I seem a little different these days, if the trip has changed me into a more relaxed person, then I want you to know that I fully embrace it and am grateful to everyone who had a hand in it. Mind you, I think I have seen enough mud for a while, but I just might be able to survive Pensic after all. And I even have the garb in which to go and play in.

I am the Center, Because I am a CAT...

Dear Friends;

What I had thought was going to be a simple blog has morphed into something else entirely different all together. I was planning on recounting my Western Crown experience and yet, I have discovered that my brain has run off in another direction and left the rest of me having to decide if I will follow or flee while the coast is clear and I have the chance I follow My body is rather fond of my brain

I had a Dear Friend awhile back, who had the gumption to compare me to a cat. This was not possible to me, and I protested greatly at the time.

I think cats are lovely creatures, each one a sleek, unique wild thing. Something to admired and respected from a goodly distance as they have sharp claws and teeth and are not afraid to wield their weapons upon whomever they so deign as unworthy of their graces.

I am actually quite afraid of cats. I was attacked by them as a child and have never quite had the adult part of my brain convince the childish memories that it really was a circumstantial event that had transpired.

I have several friends that have cats, and for some unknown reason, they all like me. They seem to desire the close contact of my legs or lap. They prefer where I am sitting to all others, and if I find that I am sleeping over, the cat invariably ends up insisting that it share my bed. And let me tell you my Dear Friends, this has been the unknown explanation for many dark circles under my eyes when I stay over.

But I got off on another tangent I was going to tell you about this feline comparison that my Dear Friend had made.

We were talking about a variety of subjects and of course the conversation wound itself around to where it usually did The people that we were dating, or were interested in, or no longer interested in, and so forth Instead of his usual inquiries and good advice, my Dear Friend looked at me and stated rather bluntly that I was just like a cat. No preamble, just, "You know, you are just like a cat". Of course I protested greatly. To no avail. He simply shook his head and stood up. And thus began the short stand up routine of Aislinn the Cat.



You want love on your terms. Your terms only. It does not matter what someone else wants It must still be solely your terms. Not now. You may not love me now. No No Wait, now you may love me. Hello I said you may love me now. Love Love Wait No I don't want you to love me right now That is more than enough. But you may look at me. Admire from a distance. Keep looking That's right Keep looking. Wait. Don't look. Why aren't you looking? Admire. Just further back. Too close. Perfect. Admire me. Dote upon me. Care for me But don't touch. Okay You may touch. But not that way, and not there, here. Wait I changed my mind You may look. I know you love me I am so wonderful that you must love me. Everyone loves me. Why does everyone insist on loving me? It is so disruptive to my grooming and pampering and lounging about in the sunshine and dining on fine food and sleeping on soft surfaces That's right. They have to love me. It is something that they cannot help. So then Love me from over there Ahhh! Stop. Stay. Wait. Okay You may continue to love me Sorry That was not good enough But you You over there Pretending not to see me You may love me. Ohhh you love me Attention please A little more. No. Too much You You over there Love me Oh who needs them I love myself and I have the basking of sunshine to occupy my time Shhhh do not disturb the glorious basking. Shhhh. You can wait. You can wait until I am ready for you to love me



Now I do think that this is a bit exaggerated. But in many ways true. I refuse anyone to get to close to me. But I do enjoy the company of others. I do like to have lavish things showered upon me, but only when I think that it is acceptable and appropriate. And I do not like my freedom smothered. I think that good personal care is very important, and that everyone needs time to bask in the warmth and glory of their environment. And who doesn't want love and attention on their terms?

The one thing that I can see being true, is that I seem to always land on my feet. I am able to walk a very fine line, and have gotten very good at the fine art of balancing. On the rare occasions that I miss-judge the distance or depth of my leap, I am excellent at making the discovery mid-soar, and completing the necessary adjustments before the ground comes looming ever closer. Then tah dah. On my feet. I meant to do that. I meant to have tie-died garb with giant brown splotches for Pensic. I meant to have the mail carrier for our route changed. I meant to clean my windshield with soft Day-Glo pink panties. I did.

And that my Dear Friends is how life goes on for me. One stand up routine at a time. Blown out of proportion, but still containing within a small piece of truthful insight delivered at the hands of Dear Friends. One smile leading into peals of laughter, fits of giggles, and bellyaches of chuckles and guffaws. Which is exactly how I like it. After all it is on my terms And my terms are pleasure, delight and exuberance and excess

The biggest irony of all, is that I have a cat. Well sort of. I have the shared experience of a polyamorous stray that has decided she loves me, and therefore resides in my backyard from time to time. She prefers the afternoon sun and solitude that the unused yard provides. That I feed her gourmet cat food is a plus.

She is exactly the cat I would have selected if I were to choose from all the varieties available, and that too is funny. She is a long hair kitty of extreme diminutive stature. She has tufted ears and blue eyes. She has a creamy white underside and a barely noticeable tiger-striping pattern in soft tan and silver gray. She is very pushy and likes to climb up my body so that she can share my breath and rub her face against mine. My kitty-lover friends have told me that the rubbing of her drool on my skin is a sign of great endearment, but I tend to think that she is just using me as a napkin. And for some unknown reason, she has chosen me, and I have come to adore her for it.

I have given her a name that I think is rather fitting, though I am sure that she has several names being the type of creature that she is. Sound familiar and fitting my Dear friends? I call her Holly Golightly. I thought it to be rather appropriate. Especially as I am apparently a cat myself



Let me also take this time to point out several other women who have been compared to or referred to as cats. In an artistic, musical, or literary sense of course

Maggie the Cat, from Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
Catherine Zeta Jones, as the Cat Burglar in Entrapment
Cat Woman, in the Batman comic book series
Josie and the Pussycats
The Pussycat Dolls
Cat, from the children's book: The bluebird/ The Bluebird of Happiness
Bast, the Egyptian cat goddess
Pussy Galore, from James Bond Movie, Goldfinger

Play Clothes and Borrowed Viking Bling...

Dear Friends;

This past weekend was an incredible event for me. I attended the West Kingdom’s Crown Tournament. I was warned that it was referred to as March Drown by the regular attendees, but I really had no idea as to what that would mean for me.

Now I am wondering my Dear Friends, why it is that every time I journey northward and attend an event in the Principality of Cynaqua, it rains. And not just rains… Pours buckets… Like giant tears falling from the sky. As in cats and dogs tap-dancing on the walls of the tents and pavilions. As in I end up a muddy, drenched, cold, forlorn mess. I am wondering if it the Cynaqua fashion statement… “Everything goes with mud”… Or “The women look better wet”… Or “Oil Caaaannnn, Oiiiil Caaannn”…

My wonderful guardian angel picked me up in the city and we battled the traffic to the site. The tent I was sharing was already set up by another fabulous person, and shortly after the arrival and disposal of my suitcase and bag into the tent, I was dressed and ready to take on the party. Which I did. For a while. It was very quiet.

Seems that in this particular principality they really do like to go to sleep early. I had been warned about this when I attended the Coronet back in October and ended up in a motel for the night. I should have remembered this information when what was left of the party people ended up in our tent talking and laughing and trying to un-stick the garb from various body parts. This was about the time that the constable came up to the tent and told us to be quiet… Apparently it was to late to be partying… What is wrong with this picture? It is still dark, and there are still hours of good darkness left in the land to laugh over… Were we actually supposed to be sleeping?

So we dispersed a bit, and the remainder of us hovered together under the pile of sleeping bags on a really tall airbed. I say really tall because it was the only thing to keep our bodies out of the murky wet as we awoke to the swishing of water in the puddle that used to be the floor of the tent. It was not just a puddle, it was a giant puddle. Everything was soaked through.

When we stuck our heads out the door after the daylight arrived, it was awful. Sammy’s tent had the river running through it, Peza’s pavilion fell on one end and Shaia’s tent had completely collapsed into what looked like a Lake Erie of a sinkhole. Compared to that, the moat around our tent, and in the tent around the mattress, did not seem so bad…

Until I went to get out of the clothes that I had slept in the night before, and discovered that everything was ruined. As in destroyed, utterly un-wearable and hardly salvageable.

And I cried. For clothes, I fell apart at the seams and cried.

And that was where Crystel Leake found me, totally embarrassed for being, yet again, the pampered princess who could not bear the rain. And I do so love the rain… Just not when it involves cold and mud and layers of long dresses stuck to my legs so that I cannot move about and it destroys everything that I have to wear for the weekend. Everything that I worked so hard to make. And then just as we were seeing if anything at all survived, and lucky for me the Viking apron and Saxon overdress with all the handwork made it okay… My wonderful angel showed up at the door to the tent bearing clothes that she thought that I might need as I had traveled so light and might be wet and cold.

And then when my angel found out that I had the choice to wear the wet muddy dress from the day before or to go about in my reproduction of the Emperor’s new clothes, she found another lady who was about my size, who was more than happy, and very gracious, to offer me the wearing of some of her beautiful clothes for the weekend. The angel then took us to buy dry undergarments, and launder what was left of my clothes.

Everywhere I went, incredible people who had heard what had happened and offered to help in any way surrounded me. By that afternoon, I was a better person and back to my regular self. I now have Pensic worthy garb that can be destroyed even more because what more could I do to it. I finally have SCA play clothes!

I proudly wore my SCA play clothes with borrowed Viking bling and attended my first West Kingdom Court. I have popped into courts in the West before, but I have not actually sat a court. Well… I guess I still have not sat a West Court… I was standing behind the thrones attending to Peza so that I could actually spend some time with her. This way, I was also able to play the “Let’s make funny faces game” with so many other fabulous people. And the cups kept being passed back and forth, from thrones to our hands to be filled with some beverage or other, and then passed back up. The royals up here do believe in being well hydrated.

Note to self; take that philosophy back home. A well-hydrated person is a happy person… Of course the populace as a whole was rather happy, with all the singing and waving of arms I kept waiting for kumbyah to break out… I loved it! Then the Vaudevillian Court was over and the parties began.

Even the dinnertime is a party. Everyone together at big tables… and food being passed all around… and sharing off of other people’s plates… and the stealing of forks… and the endless laughter. I felt like I was at summer camp. The toasting went on forever… Which led to more laughter… and then the great mingling from party to party around the Erick.

The best part was that there were different types of parties that all took place next to each other. The silly rowdy one, the mix and mingle around the huge dessert table one, the bardic circle one, the regular ebb and flow one, and the one with the only fire pit and no people… I went from party to party and had the most wonderful conversations. I hardly recall what they were about just that we were all laughing and smiling and it was good. I think that I like those the best. And I did not even worry that I had been in the same dress for more than four hours or that I had to wash my hair in the sink at the laundry mat and dry it outside in front of the 7/11 next door, or that I had on the most hideous bright pink galoshes. I was somewhat warm, I was dry, it was not raining, and I was in stimulating company. I am fairly certain that I was grinning like a fool for most of the night. My cheeks hurt when I finally did go to bed.

Have I mentioned that I have discovered that I like the hospitality of the West so much that I have already adopted it?

We had some friends, who were planning on day tripping that we offered to share a piece of the mattress and bedding with, and another who had totally wet bedding and was going to sleep in a car… So we all climbed in like little sardines in a can and lined up one by one on the short ways of the bed to sleep. The answer to the question of how many people you can fit onto an airbed is four… but it makes for tight quarters… Get it? Quarters… HaHa… Yeah… But it was. At least it was warm. And I, being the short one in the group, actually managed to have my feet on the bed and not hanging off.

Note to self; next time two airbeds… More bodies and more room. I love the slumber party atmosphere though. I could not stop laughing. And I did manage to dose for a bit too. So I am now even closer to my friends than ever before. In ways that I never expected. And I have made so many new friends as well.

I guess that my repeatedly being compared to a cat might not be so inaccurate after all…
I dislike getting wet. I like to be well groomed at all times. I want attention on my own terms, and typically get it. I can twine around legs with the best of them. I fit into small spaces, I can balance on the edge of an airbed and I always seem to land on my feet.

PS. I thought you all were joking… I did get a really big laugh that there truly was a granary across the street and several train cars as well… Next time I am soooo crossing some things off my list!!

All the Colors of the Rainbow...

Dear Friends;

Here is the survey that I finally participated in... As it is such an unheard of occurrence, I thought that I would save it in here for posterity... It was short and a bit different, perhaps that is what moved me to fill it out and post it. Or perhaps I am in the mood for being more revealing than usual. Either way... If you missed the bulletin, enjoy!

My First MySpace Survey:
Colors:

xXRed:AngerXx

1. Are you currently mad at someone?

Mad about someone... Everyone... I love people!

2. Which of your friends has the worst temper?

The Party Princess with angry friends... Please... We prefer the Art of Pleasure...

3. Have you ever thrown something at anyone?

Kisses are best!

4. Does your face turn red when you're angry?

Have you known me to be angry?

5. When you're mad do you prefer to stare angrily or yell and scream?

Neither, I walk away and move on... Life is far to short and I just don't have the time to waist on such things...



xXOrange:ExcitementXx

1. Has anyone ever thrown you a surprise party?

I don't like surprises...

2. Are you easily excited?

How good are you?

3. What event is coming up that your most excited about?

The unplanned event that takes place every day in between the crazy schedule that I maintain...

4. Which of your friends is most excitable?

All of my friends are highly responsive people...

5. If you won a million dollars what would be your first thought?

taxation

6. If you could have anything right now what would it be?

Everything... Doesn't everyone?



xXYellow:Self-discoveryXx

1. Name?

Which one??

2. Where were you born?

Here... 1st generation American on one side and the land of my forefathers on the other...

3.Whats your main goal in life?

To live it...

4. Do you want to have children?

Perhaps...

5. How do you want to die?

Quickly



xXGreen:OpinionsXx

1. Gay Marriage?

Love is love. And marriage is just a type of contractual agreement...

2. Lowering the drinking age?

(Go Laura!) Lower the drinking age, raise the driving one... This way you can really celebrate when you turn 18... Drive, drink, graduate from high school, fight for your country, get married, and have sex, all legally!!

3. Capital Punishment?

Should they really sell tickets to view that??

4. Abortions?

My body my choice in all matters...

5. Recycling?

Is good for the planet...



xXBlue:DreamsXx

1. What was your latest dream?

If you ask me when I'm asleep, I might tell you then...

2. Which of your friends do you dream about the most?

Which of the friends am I vibin' on at the time?

3. Have any of your dreams come true?

I tend to spend the time problem solving...

4. Do you usually remember your dreams?

I see a haze... a swirling mist... for just a few more dollars the clarity might surface... oh it's fading... moving back into the shadows... ahhh... it's getting dim... Sorry...

5. What was the weirdest dream you've ever had?

The first time that I piloted a glider I dreamt I was Snoopy, WWI Flying Ais (Ace... I know...)



xXPurple:LoveXx

1. Straight, Gay, Bi?

What didn't I kiss you too?

2. do you have a bf/gf?

As many of both as possible

3.do you have a crush?

Not into orange soda, but the fridge is stocked with Jones's Sour Apple Soda and Diet Coke

4 who is the best "hugger" you know?

Hmmm... I won't kiss and tell names... Why would I hug and tell? But I will say this: The kind of hugs I like best are the ones that pick me up off the ground or swing me around...

5. Do you believe in Love at first sight?

Every time that I look into a mirror...

6. Have you ever been in love?

Just this weekend I was in love with the body heat that kept me warm, the new pink galoshes that kept my feet away from the mud, the kissing liquor that was being generously shared, and the wonderful friends that I spent time with...

Dear Mother Nature Letter...

Dear Friends;

I received the following as a bulletin from my sister-in-law. She, my brother and the kids live in Denver where spring is a very important rite of yearly passage.

THE BULLETIN:

"I don't know about all of you, but if yesterday was the first day of spring, some one forgot to tell Mother Nature. It was cold! Windy! and Snowey! Where were the flowers? the birds? the sun? Was it more like spring for you??"

As I have been in a rather flippant mood these past several days, the response included below is the message that I sent back to her to warm her day. (See what a good and caring member of the family that I am? Don't you wish that you were a part of the craziness that makes up my familial dynamics??)

THE RESPONSE:

"No spring here... San Diego has had a delayed winter. I think that is really what is happening here. All the seasons are just pushing back further and further so that when March rolls around we are expecting spring but really it won't begin for another two months. Kind of like summer not getting here until July or fall until mid- October and winter in late December.

Really now, September was the hottest month of last year and I did not even start wearing my coats until November, and we all know how cold I get...

You are so right. Someone should send an e-mail, or at the very least a text message to Mother Nature about getting things back on track. Perhaps she is on vacation and has not kept good tabs on her replacement. Maybe we should CC Father Time just in case he knows were she is.

Let's see, it should be something like a Dear Santa letter, but perhaps a little shorter than what I remember writing as a child. After all, I have been taught to not be quite so materialistic as was back then. Of course if you saw my shoe collection then you know that I was really not paying attention to that lecture when it was being delivered.

Dear Mother Nature;

Please attend to the situation regarding the passing of the seasons. I have noticed that they are off kilter from what they have been known to be though-out the time that I have grown up and been wasting the oxygen that all your trees provide. I am sorry that it is our fault that global warming is occurring, but truly, it is your place to insure that things like the weather stay on track. How else can I justify not wearing white after Labor Day?

When you now insist on making October feel like July, I become confused. And really, I am from southern California, and sweaters just don't fit in with my Easter hat, lightweight cotton dress and flip-flops.

Also, if you can do something about updating the oxygen emissions of those trees that we are so rapidly depleting, then perhaps my mind might be stimulated enough to think about thinking up some way to do my part to stop the overwhelming consumption of the natural resources. Or maybe I won't. But you are a mother and are supposed to put me first. So if you could also think about some way to include world peace in all of this, I would really be happy. But not if it slows down the correction of the season timing issues.

Thank you so much for your time. I know that you won't let me down. I have been so good, and after all I am only human. If I have any faults or am lacking in meeting my responsibilities, it really can't be helped.

I just know that you won't let me down for Easter. Oh, and please tell the Easter bunny for me, that I really would prefer dark chocolate this year, I hear that it is better for my health.

Many Thanks,
Muse and all her friends and family

Okay, perhaps that won't work... I guess we should just bitch about the changes and look for pink sweaters to wear to church to please mom for the annual family photos. Hope this brightens your day since I can't send the sunshine to you. Virtual hugs and warm fuzzies to you and yours...

Love,
ME

Rites of Spring...

Dear Friends;

I am feeling the rites of spring being thrust upon me early. I am noticing the birds are back in full force on their way to their Northern homes. They seem to be all twitterpaited, like some Disney animator granted blue-fairy status brought them all to life. I fully expect Snow White to start singing about how someday her Prince will come... (And the weird part is, I do know a Snow White in good Springtime spirits... so you can imagine how weird this is for me...)

Truly though, Dear Friends, I am feeling restless. I am in need of an adventure. Not dramatics, but something thrilling and exciting. Like the first time I went to Magic Mountain and had to be pried from the bars of Freefall I was so overwhelmed by adrenaline. (I was also so scared that I vowed never to go on that ride again... And I haven't... I jumped from an airplane instead... Now that was incredible!!)

I get easily sidetracked... What I was trying to say, was that I am experiencing an overwhelming sense of adventure coming upon me with a healthy dose of playfulness thrown in. I might erupt in a fit of giggles at any time. It has been happening more frequently over the course of the past week and shows no sign of abating.

The cool part is that I have been checking things off my "List" faster than I can add them on. If this current mood lasts through the Summer, I will be in dire measures to refurbish said "List". And about my "List"... For those of you who do not already know, I have this "List" that take just about everywhere with me. I started it about 18 months ago when things changed drastically in my life. It is a wonderful thing. I searched high and low for just the perfect book to write it down in. And when it did come along it almost leapt into my hands... Sort of like the bedding that jumped off of the shelf and into my arms to be fondled in Wal-Mart... Ohh... fondling... Wal-Mart... uggh... ick... sorry for that... Anyway...

The book where my list is penned is a beautiful Capezio Performance-Pink. Any ballerina knows this shade on sight and either gets this rush from thrill or wants to vomit due to so many hours of torturing tiny toes until bloodletting occurs... For those of my Dear Friends who do not dance, just call it a delicate pink and you have an idea of the shade. And of course the fabric is stitched in a diaper diamond pattern with white thread. Very classic, and very simple. (For while I am a girly-girl, I tend to veer away from overly frilled monstrosities that masquerade as Lara Ashley creations from the 80's... Imagine Victorian meets 40's movie glamour and you are really close.)

Sidetracked Again So... The book has a beautiful silver closure and the pages are thick and smooth. They almost beg to be written upon... So I do... Often. Oh how I love how the pen glides across the pages... So much so that I have about 200 things to cross off of my "List"...

All this, my Dear Friends, was to say to you...

If you have a sense of Springtime coursing through your veins right now If you too have a desire to take on the unknown To feel the rush and the thrill and the excitement of being all things at once, especially curious and silly, let me know... One of things that I love most is a partner in crime. I am more than happy to go out into the wild blue yonder alone and see what there is to see... But the view is always better when you share it with a friend...

Like the song says... "Hey hey oh playmate... come out and play with me..."

What I Really Wonder About You...

Dear Friends;

So I try to keep up with all the bulletins that come across MySpace. One of the things that I have noticed is that it seems that everyone likes filling out those surveys and questionnaires. The ones filled with all sorts of questions. Some silly, some nonsensical, and some run of the mill. But really, why do I want to know what is the closest purple object to you? I love reading about what strikes your fancy and what information you are going to reveal to the world at large, but I actually do want to get to know my friends better.

I find that I am constantly changing and am sure you all are too. And there is so much information that creates the fabric of our unique existence, that no matter how much we share about ourselves, there will always be mysteries yet to be revealed.

So I made up a Survey of my own. One with real questions. (Not saying that the other surveys aren't filled with real questions, but you know what I mean.)

These are questions that I would love to know the answers to Nothing about what sort of coffee you drink, though that was useful information. No fluff, no filler. I figure if you took the time to answer those silly MySpace questions, you might answer these. Of course, my questions are far more revealing and intimate. I am sure more consuming as well.

But remember, Dear Friends, the only bad question is the one left unasked So I am asking



What was your most memorable toy as a child?
Why were you given your name and does it have special meaning?
What was the craziest thing that you did in your youth?
What tokens of your childhood do you wish you had saved?
What about being a child do you miss the most?
Did you try to grow up in a hurry?
What did you look forward to most as a child?
What did you wish for more often and/ or more sincerely than anything else?
What did you fear about becoming an adult?
What was the first book that you remember reading just for fun?
What early lessons from childhood have you continued to follow throughout life?
What fads did you embrace while growing up?
What childhood or high school dreams are you now glad never came true?
Name five childhood accomplishments.
What was the hardest thing about growing up?
What buzzword or phrase was highly popular during your teenage years?
How was your birthday usually celebrated?
Did you believe in the tooth fairy?
What are the biggest gaps in your education?
Of what early accomplishment are you most proud?
What is the way you like best to learn?
What was the number of students in your high school graduating class?
What do you do now to continue your education?
What did you discover about yourself in high school?
Did you go to college?
What was your major in college and how did you pick it?
Do you prepare thoroughly for tests?
What lessons have you learned between youth and now?
What magical things happened in your childhood that you still cannot explain?
What did you learn from your parents?
What family tradition would you love to continue and pass on?
Your mother often said _____.
What does your ethnic and cultural background mean to you?
What family trait would you like to pass on to your descendants?
How often did your parents say they loved you when you were young?
What are the ways that you tried to make your parents happy?
What values did your parents instill in you?
What do you think of families with two mothers or two fathers?
In your family, did everyone have their own seat at the dinner table?
If you were infertile, would you adopt?
What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of your family?
Do you think that intelligence is related to genetics?
What is something that you wish for your father?
What is one thing you really appreciate about your family?
Does marriage mean the same to you as to your parents?
What did/ do you call your grandparents?
What does true friendship mean?
What do your friends find likeable about you?
With whom would you like to develop a closer relationship?
You are embarrassed when you _____.
How do you like to show love to people who are special to you?
How sociable are you?
Whose advice do you listen to? And what type of advice do they give?
Who is the most innocent person you know? Why?
In your closest relationships, what is the connection between intimacy and independence?
What social situations make you flustered or nervous?
Who do you usually spend the holidays with?
How important is it for you to be popular?
Do you prefer company or solitude?
How do you most often communicate your feelings to close friends when they are not near?
What is the nicest thing you have ever done for someone else?
How would you spend six hours with your best friend?
Where is your favorite place to sit at home?
Do friends call you before they stop by?
What do you look for in a friend now?
What qualities would your relationships ideally have?
What grabs your attention when someone walks by?
What charity work have you done?
How do you prefer that affection is expressed toward you?
What are two things that help people have a close relationship?
What kinds of people do you like the most?
Who is the kindest person you have ever known?
What quality do you like most in a person?
What makes someone unforgettable?
What are three good reasons someone should have you for a friend?
How long have you known your best friend?
What have you learned from your enemies?
Are you slow to trust people?
What traits do you not like in other people?
You can tell a lot about a person by _____.
What is a parent's greatest accomplishment?
What do you think is the most difficult aspect of being a parent today?
How many children have you planed to have?
What is the greatest lesson a child ever taught you?
Is it harder, easier, or the same to love an adopted child?
When should you tell a child that there is no Santa Clause?
What is the oldest age that you would want to begin parenthood?
How can you make your mom or dad smile?
Do you like to be around children?
What is your definition of love and how would you describe it to a child?
What is the most exciting thing you have ever done on a dare?
List ten things that you like to do for fun. Were they on your list five years ago?
What song best captures an experience or feeling you had?
What was the last book that you read and why did you choose it?
During which movie did you laugh the most?
What is the most fun you have ever had?
What book do you strongly recommend?
What song do you consider the most romantic?
Would you sing karaoke in front of strangers?
Would you compete in a beauty contest?
What figures do you doodle?
Do you enjoy playing games or have to win to enjoy?
Do you like being on the phone?
Do you mark in the books you read and why?
What performer would you most like to see in person?
What songs do you know by heart?
What things have you made by hand for people?
What circus act would you like to perform?
Where do you shop the most?
Do you write letters or postcards?
What picture would you like of something?
What song makes you instantly happy?
What is something you do to relax?
Do you prefer quiet of vivid paintings?
If you could paint anything in the world what would it be?
Do you color in coloring books?
Who is the most romantic singer?
What thoughts and feelings come to mind when you think of "play"?
If you were an artist, what would the theme of your drawings or paintings be?
Do you keep a sketchbook or diary?
Does it usually take you a long time or a short time to read a book?
Would you rather swim in the ocean or in a pool?
Do you think you are hard on yourself?
What is something you would like to do to improve your life?
What type of underwear do you prefer? Do you care what color it is?
Over the course of your life, what have you probably spent more time pondering than anything else?
In what ways are you creative?
Do you talk in your sleep?
Do you RSVP or ignore responding?
Are you well organized?
Do you set your watch exactly, ahead, or behind?
What is your favorite ice cream flavor and brand?
What do you often dream of?
Do you watch what you eat, or eat what you want?
Are you patient or impatient while waiting for something?
What is one of the simple pleasures in life you truly enjoy?
Do you seek out new experiences every day?
Do you prefer to watch or participate?
Do you prefer typing or writing in longhand?
What do you think about when you daydream?
Do you make the bed daily?
What do you wish for on pennies in a wishing well?
Do you dream in color or black and white?
Do you believe in love at first sight?
What is you favorite type of kiss?
How long does it usually take before you will sleep with someone?
What are the best reasons for getting married?
Do you believe it is possible to be with one person for the rest of your life?
What terms of endearment do you use?
Have you ever been in love with more than one person at a time?
What is a fulfilled sexual fantasy of yours?
What are the ways you like love to be shown to you?
What happened to your first love?
Define the perfect marriage?
Is marriage an outdated institution?
What is love and what makes love last?
Define "intimacy".
What about love makes you afraid?
In a relationship, how much independence do you need?
Are you possessive or jealous by nature?
What is the typical reason you end the relationship?
What is your strongest sexual asset?
Do you believe soul mates meet by accident or destiny?
What makes you blush?
Do you think honesty is always the best policy?
Do you think it is possible to live with no regrets?
What is your greatest talent?
What legacy would you like to leave behind?
Do you like or dislike change?
What is the most beautiful word in the English language?
What is your worst nightmare and how often do you have nightmares?
What will and will you not compromise on?
What things were you once afraid of, but are no longer?
Which of life's mysteries are you most curious about?
What superhero powers would you like to have?
Where do you have immense patience and very little patience?
What are some big things that make you happy?
What gives you a feeling of abundance in life?
Are you an optimist or a pessimist?
What three wishes do you have for your genie in a bottle?
What are you proudest of about yourself?
What is your need for privacy?
What is the worst thing that could happen to you if you took a risk and failed?
What is the best thing that could happen to you if you took a risk and succeeded?
How do you want your obituary to read?
Anticipation or the real thing, which is better?
What are the things you must do before you die?
What is the most interesting question has anyone ever asked you?
What makes you sad?
If you could create something very beautiful, what would it be?
What is your secret passion?
Do you like or dislike challenges?
How does one become a person of character?
What are your unfulfilled dreams?
What are some little things that make you happy?
When you look back on your life, what amazes you the most?
Are you an emotional person?
What is a secret that you keep from almost everyone?
What is one inhibition that you would like to loose?
Do you think there is life elsewhere in the universe?
Would you rather laugh or make others laugh?
Do you believe in fate?
Do you believe in self- fulfilling prophecy?
Is less more?
Are you a predictable or unpredictable person?
Are you a thinker or a doer?
Do you change your mind often or stick to your guns?
What do you like to do to life your spirits?
Of what ideas and lifestyles are you more tolerant of now than when you were younger?
What is the silliest thing people do in general?
What freedom do you value most?
Have you learned more from your successes or failures?
What is a fundamental truth that you hold?
Are you sympathetic to the underdog?
Who would you like others to think you are?
Do you concentrate on one great cause?
What is your favorite provision of the constitution?
What do you think is good about the world?
What are restrictions that you cannot stand living with?
Where are you likely to find untold treasures?
What is one thing in life that you care most deeply about?
What truth have you learned that you want to share?
Which would you like more, fame or success?
What is the perfect age and why?
How do you know "right" from "wrong"?
When is surrendering a weakness and when is it a strength/
What are three questions that you would like a world survey on?
What thought or sentiment would you like to put in fortune cookies?
Have you ever marched for or against anything?
While growing up, what did war mean to you?
What do you think of the creation and use of an international language?
Genetic engineering: beneficial or unnatural and potentially harmful?
What is your opinion of the draft?
How important is it to you to vote in local and national elections?
What is our country's most pressing problem today?
What will be the most powerful nation in 100 years?
If you were on a jury, could you send someone to death if he or she was found guilty of murder?
Why do you vote for "your" political party?
What news events have fascinated you?
How do you stand on the issue of abortion? Are you pro- life or pro- choice?
What do you think of equality in the military?
What is sacred?
The Bible: fiction or nonfiction?
Are you familiar with the beliefs of other spiritual traditions? Is there one that particularly interests you?
What additional commandment would you add to the ten?
Have you ever had psychic intuition or premonition?
Have any predictions for you come true?
If you believe in life after death, where do you think you are going or what do you think you are coming back as?
Do you read astrology column(s) regularly?
What is heaven like?
Do you believe in good luck charms?
Do you believe in miracles?
Does prayer help save people?
Have you ever doubted there was a God?
Do you believe in superstitions and how superstitious are you?
Do you believe in dj vu?
What do you really believe in?
Do you believe in angels?
What does God look like?
Do you believe in ESP, telepathy, telekinesis, clairvoyance, or channeling?
When between Thanksgiving and Christmas does your holiday spirit peak?
Do you believe there are witches?
Do you believe in the Devil or demons?
Do you believe there is a hell? If so, how can you keep from going there?
What were the most important holidays in your childhood home?
What are the qualities you love about being human?
What do you consider as a necessary evil(s)?
What is it about spirituality that brings us so much satisfaction?
What experience fills you with peace?
What important decisions have you based on intuition?
What is your individual purpose on Earth?
Does your happiness outweigh regret in general?
Do you believe in destiny or choice?
What is your biggest regret?
What about beauty draws us to it and why does it make us feel good?
What is the greatest leap of faith you have taken?
What is your idea of paradise, either before or after death?
What are the things that you used to be afraid of?
Are there unforgivable acts? What are they and why?
Define "the good life".
How do you measure a person's success in life?
Is failure always bad and success always good?
What would your occupation have been in the Old/Wild West?
Does your work keep you awake at night? Why?
Do you have a calling?
If you could have had any job in history, what would it be and why?
In what field of endeavor would you like a two hour crash course?
Are you a better talker or listener?
Are you practical or ingenious?
How much time per day do you devote to yourself?
How forgetful are you?
Do you believe a person is defined by what he or she does for a living? Why?
Do you think people would be surprised about your thoughts? Why?
Are you willing to pay the price of success?
What is your greatest ability or gift?
What was the first time you discovered power?
What is your favorite way of wasting time?
What do you consider wasting time?
What is the highest honor you have ever received?
What is the most important thing to know about you?

Why You Should Work Out at Home...

Dear Friends;

So I know that I just posted a blog not so long ago and I really did promise to pace myself… but here it is… another day in the life of adventure story…

So I have decided that Springtime is in the air and that I need to be in top Springtime shape… Not to mention that I have discovered that I have a plethora of unused energy these days and no way to expend it… Wow… So the gym is where I can be found running up virtual stairs in attempt to exhaust my body enough so that my brain can function…

Apparently though, my brain does not function properly while on the machines… only after… And as I am not used to hitting the gym so early in the evening, I usually go it alone… Which may not be the case after you read what happened tonight…

I was fortunate (and I am using this word loosely here in recollection of the events…) to have a friend go with me to the gym tonight… She was okay with sitting on the recumbent bicycle next to the climber in the middle of cardio hell…

Now for the proper visual you need to be familiar with the distance between us. About three feet between machines and roughly three feet in height because she is sitting and I am greatly elevated.

So as you can well imagine… Trying to carry on a conversation was rather difficult… And when you add in the noise of the masses all trying to burn the butter off of their bodies all in the same room… Well as for me, I could read her lips… So she could speak softly. Me, on the other hand, I had to speak up. Like when you are talking to that dear elderly relative at the thanksgiving table and are asking them to pass the stuffing… Or when you say something because the volume is really loud on the radio and then all of a sudden they break to commercial… Or you are talking about Lenten resolutions and springtime accomplishments and say something like “You know, I just really need to get a girlfriend…” and this really hot guy decides that at that moment he is going to pass in between your machines and then give you this look like “ Well that’s too bad, I would have asked you out but clearly you are looking for someone with different qualifications…”

And that dear friends is exactly what happened… And not that it was that bad, but the guy on the machine on the other side just shook his head, gave me a long ponder and dismounted his machine… And the guy on the treadmill behind me got off and jockeyed into the newly vacated climber… and he had that “hey baby” grin…

So then my friend is watching all this, and she starts laughing… And heads start turning… And guys are talking to each other and then looking back… And yeah…

So I think that I am better off ending the sweat fest and going to the safety of home for the night…

So Dear friends, this is where you think the story ends, right? Oh but that would not be quite an adventure…

So as we are trekking out to the car which just had to be parked at the far end of the lot, We are laughing about the timing of announcing to the world about my need to get a girlfriend and how that was perceived… (And really, just where have you all gone with it, my Dear Friends who know me so well?? See what a total stranger would think…)

And just as I am saying it again… will I ever learn? There is a small cough and this buffed out guy struts past us in the “hah! I am the MAN” walk… Like he was auditioning for the part for us… And just as he got into his car he stopped and looked to see if we were watching him… Help please!

Nope no help… I am digging myself deeper Dear Friends… Because I switch to a different topic… Sex and the art of perfecting male stimulation…Which I had just been privy to new breaking information and felt the need to share with a close friend so that the information continues to be passed along… (Which is what you should do with useful information… Share it with others, education is a powerful thing and should not be wasted… But I veer off the subject…)

So as I am telling her about this powerful information, yes, another guy walks behind us and another and then another…

Where do they all hide when you want one? I mean, I love men, and I always want them… But the timing was all off… or was it just me?

It was me… Turns out that I am still all spun up and am far too playful to really care… I am in the "Hah! My tongue is longer than yours" state of mind… (Which is what I said...) To which she replied… "You really should get a girlfriend… You could make a woman very happy with that…"

After a few horse and Gene Simmons comments… I realized that there is no way I could have a girlfriend… We would end up spending all the time we were together talking and laughing and gossiping and checking out clothes and playing show and tell with the new tan, manicure, tattoo, shoes, haircut, etc… That nothing would ever happen because there would be no time left…

Top 20 Reasons to be HAPPY...

Top 20 Reasons to be HAPPY in March

1. maybe someday
2. Experiencing a visit from the green fairy
3. Finally being rid of the Arizona dirt devils, dust bunnies and mud monsters
4. Surviving the Bates Motel in Gila Bend
5. Satin sheet slip-n-slide
6. Wearing face paint and polka dots
7. Discovering a love for blue eyeliner
8. Friends who will drop everything to sit in a restraint until 2am to talk
9. De-brief parties
10. Indulging in girly-time get-togethers
11. New play clothes
12. Generalized infatuation with the opposite sex
13. Having three new instant pick-me-up songs
14. Knee socks
15. Receiving a fabulous kick in the butt just when you need it most
16. Black cherry brownie delight milkshakes from Sonic
17. Actually wearing shorts to the gym
18. Bonding with the parental units
19. Flying vs. driving
20. Traveling light for the first time

"FOOO-TTT-BAAALLL...FEEE-VERR..."

Dear Friends;

So just in case you all were wondering... (and even if you were not...)

Happy Super Bowl Sunday!!!

I have been so distracted by preparations for the upcoming event that I have not done my typical pre-game countdown... Wow... But last night I realized for the first time in almost a week that today is the day!!!

I could hardly sleep last night... It is better than Christmas... or Valentine's Day... Today is FOOTBALL!!!! This morning I bounded out of bed already ready to yell at the TV because I KNOW it will make a difference...

My second favorite team is playing my family's home team... And I just know that we are going to win... And for all of you who are fortunate enough to live in that pretty, green, rainy State (Also known as the birthplace for dreaded Starbucks Coffee...) We are going to WIN WIN WIN!!!! (And just to make sure that you get this in the right perspective...

For those of you who were fortunate enough to grow up with the Muppet Show...

Remember the character "Animal"? And how he would go around saying his name?? "ANNN-III-MAAALLL...ANNN-III-MAAALLL..." That is how I have been prancing around my friend's house for the past ninety minutes saying "FOOO-TTT-BAAALLL...FOOO-TTT-BAAALLL..." And I have not even had my cup of (non- Seattle brand- read: Starbucks) coffee yet...

Aren't you glad that you are wherever you are and not here with FOOO-TTT-BAAALLL FEEE-VERR..." and me? (See Momster... You did raise me right! So let me just say again for the record...

-I love my family-I love where some of them have decided to dwell
-I think their team is great
-I strongly dislike Starbucks
-I take six (yes... six) sugars and a lot of milk in my au lait
-The Stealers are Supreme-Today is my second favorite holiday
-I have serious "FOOO-TTT-BAAALLL...FEEE-VERR..."
-If you are not a fan of the game (GASP) there are always the commercials

Happy Holiday!!