Popcorn...

It has been awhile since my last stupid dog video, so without further ado:

Meme...

This is totally a Facebook thing, but I really wanted to post something on my blog today and have nothing interesting to say. Alas!

Anyway, here are 25 random things about me:

1. I have a completely irrational fear of commitment. Being engaged to Trevor is putting a damper on said fear of commitment, but I still haven’t gone dress shopping. You really aren’t getting married until you buy the dress, after all.



2. I also have irrational fears of donuts, mayonnaise-based food, lanyards and screw-cap seals on plastic bottles. Oh, and Meryl Streep completely freaks me out for some reason.



3. I will not buy or cook raw meat. Just looking at it makes me want to gag. If it wasn’t for Trevor, I’d still be a vegetarian.



4. I went to an all-girls boarding school, and loved it. That is, until I went to a coed college and remembered how much I liked boys. Of course, not being around the opposite sex since middle school (when boys still had cooties and were all shorter than I was) meant that I was seriously socially impaired for most of the next four years.



5. I’ve always been a tomboy. I played three varsity sports in high school, and rugby and soccer in college. I almost never blow dry my hair or wear make up, and wish I could wear a hoodie/t-shirt and blue jeans every day.



6. Despite number five – I was both a sorority girl AND a debutante. Gasp!



7. If I could, I’d totally have a house full of black dogs with white paws.



8. My favorite character in a book when I was little was HANK THE COWDOG. I’ve tried to brainwash Hilary’s son, CJ, since birth, but so far I have been unsuccessful.



9. I am addicted to GHOST WHISPERER. And, yes, I know the acting is horrendous.



10. I don’t like the color “yellow” as a rule. I think it is too angry.



11. I am way-obsessed with my overall fiber consumption. When I am 80, prunes won’t be strong enough. I’ll need colon-blow.



12. I have only seen the Grand Canyon from the bottom up. Never the top down.



13. I really want to visit Iceland. Dude: it’s the land of fire and ice! How can you NOT want to go there?!



14. I have an obsession with 20th century dictators. I don’t idolize them or anything, but find them fascinating. What about them and their personalities made millions of people want to follow them? I also enjoy meteorologists and generic weather-people in general. I can still name the local weather person in each of the major cities I have lived in over the course of my life. My personal favorite: Wayne Mahar in Syracuse, New York. Wonder if he still sports his red jacket?



15. I lost 80+ pounds in high school. I’ve never gained it back, but haven’t lost anymore, either. I’m destined to be this weight forever, apparently.



16. I randomly get “stuck” in things. Once, in high school, I got stuck in my desk and a small army of teachers were called upon to get me out. I had somehow gotten my feet tangled up in the book basket under my chair. There was a moment when I thought they might have to dismantle the desk.



17. Two of my most favorite foods are popcorn and olives. Yum.



18. I am allergic to Texas. Yes, literately. My allergist keeps recommending that I move to a more arid climate.



19. I wish I could live in the mountains. Hiking is one of my favorite pastimes, and I miss having seasons.



20. When I was little, I needed a helmet. I ran my head into everything. I even fell off a dam once. If you could shave my head, you’d see nothing but scars, I’m sure.



21. My favorite number is “8”. I have my own made-up version of numerology. No one gets it except me and my gynecologist (oddly enough).



22. I once got lost on a bike path.



23. I got a pony for my fifth birthday, and horse for my seventh. This sounds really cool until I mention that my dad is a cattle rancher. I got the pony and horse so I could help move cattle from point A to point B without realizing that I was being subjected to child labor.



24. During times of high stress (or bordom), I can easily chew two or three packs of gum in a day. Sometimes all at once. I consider it to be a talent.



25. I own multiple pairs of support hose and wear them regularly (if not voluntarily).

Happy Friday, everyone!

Haskell dealing with the cold and ice...

...sorta'

(Note: Sorry the first two images aren't so great.
They were taken with my cell phone. Nuf' said, right?)

Icy Roads = NO WORK!

I woke up this morning to a thin coating of ice on...well, everything. Luckily, DISD was closed (a rare treat), which meant the museum was, too.

So, I went back to bed, slept until 11 AM, and spent the rest of my unexpected day off inside watching episodes of LAW AND ORDER SVU. All in all, a good day.

Ice in the tree branches made for a sparkling sight that my camera couldn't quite capture. Take my word for it, though, it was beautiful in the late morning sunlight...

If my head explodes, this is the reason why...

Dude.

Let me tell you about my morning so far. And, yes, it is only 10 AM. I have been at work for a little over an hour.

They are welding somewhere in the building, and the stench is overwhelming. This is really saying something since I’ve been sick for the past several days and still cannot breathe through my nose (much less smell). But I know the smell is bad because I can taste it. “Welding” is not a taste I would wish on anyone.

There is some giant machine in the downstairs gallery closest to my office. Not sure what it is doing, but my office walls are shaking. And the noise is comparable to a jackhammer in the office next door, but with more screeching.

But my FAVORITE is that all this keeps noise and smoke keeps setting off the freaking fire alarm despite the fact the construction workers have (apparently) taped over all the building’s smoke detectors. The d*mn thing keeps cycling on and off every so many minutes. Combine that with the stench/taste of welding and the loud, shaking/screeching office walls, and you have one museum educator on the fast track to a super migraine.

And I just had this conversation:

Coworker: “How can you concentrate?”

Me: “What? I can’t hear you!”

Coworker: “[Louder] How can you concentrate?!”

Me: “Do I want to take a coffee break?”

Coworker: “[Screaming] How can you concentrate with all this noise?”

Me: “Oh! Sorry! It is a little loud in here!”

Coworker: “Yeah, you think?!”

It is going to be a long day.

Quick Thought: Since the smoke detectors are covered and we’ve been told to ignore the fire alarm, what would happen if the welder actually sparked a real fire?

Shudder…

Plant thieves beware!

Someone stole my red camellia today. It was on the driveway side of my front porch in a large, gray pot. I bought the camellia about three years ago, and it was the first plant at my new house to survive more than just a month or two. I’d never had much luck with outdoor plants previously, but this one thrived and grew tall.

Last year, it bloomed continuously for just over four months. The beautiful crimson flowers greeted me on the coldest of days, and brought a smile to my face.

The red camellia had just started to bloom again late last month.

And now it is gone.

Is it silly to mourn a plant? Because ever since I discovered it missing late this afternoon, I’ve been a tad bit teary-eyed. I fed it, watered it, watched it bloom and grow. And now only a circular stain remains where the pot used to be.

So sad.

So pointless.

I miss my plant.

Maybe next year, baby...

My coworker sent me this with the request that I “pass it along to Trevor”.

Hehe…

The Texas Highway Patrol is cracking down on speeders . For the first offense, they give you two Dallas Cowboy tickets. If you get stopped a second time, they make you use them.

Q. What do you call 47 millionaires sitting around a TV watching the Super Bowl?
A. The Dallas Cowboys

Q. What do the Cowboys and Billy Graham have in common?
A. They both can make 55,000 people stand up and yell 'Jesus Christ'.

Q. How do you keep the Dallas Cowboy out of your yard?
A. Put up a goal post.

Q. What do you call a Dallas Cowboy with a new Super Bowl ring?
A. A thief.

Q. What's the difference between the Dallas Cowboy and a dollar bill?
A. You can still get four quarters out of a dollar bill.

Q. What do the Dallas Cowboys and a possums have in common?
A. Both play dead at home and get killed on the road

(Poor Trevor)

On the flipside of Inaugural Day…

A text message I received from my mother tonight at 8:23 PM:

“I just0shook [sic] hands w/ President Bush and said, ‘Welcome home. [sic] Mr. President.’ And he looked right at me, put his hand on my shoulder and said, ‘I’m glad to behome [sic]’”

She’s currently in Crawford, Texas at a welcome home party for the former first family.

No matter how you feel about the former President, I think that is pretty darn cool.

Go Mom!

My grandchildren are already shaking their heads...

Keeping with the spirit of the technological age we all live in, I decided to stream live footage of today’s inauguration on my work computer, photograph said footage with the camera on my cell phone and post the images here on my blog. I did all this with a smile on my face as the phrase, “Can you GET any more 21st century?!” ran through my head. I dunno…it was probably the painkillers at work (I had another vein surgery on Friday, so prescription pain meds are my new best friend), but the whole thing totally cracked me up. All while being moved by the moment, of course. I guess you could call it giddiness.

Anyway, here is the outcome of my apparent midday madness: