Be Jealous Ladies

Be very jealous!

Happy Nevada Day - and Halloween Too

Happy Nevada Day! Things have changed a little since this picture was taken. Unfortunately, we do have a sales tax now, and Nevada is no longer debt free, but we're still so lucky to live in a state without an income tax - thank you tourists and all people who come here to throw your money away in our casinos. Thank you for helping us keep some more of ours :)

Halloween happens to fall on Nevada Day this year, so it's not just Halloween today, it's also a state holiday. Back before it was voted on to observe Nevada Day on a Monday or Friday in order to have three day weekend, it was always celebrated on Halloween. Matt never once went to school on October 31, and was shocked to find out, when he was nearly an adult, that Halloween wasn't a national holiday :D Doesn't it just seem right to have the entire day off to prepare costumes and get ready for trick-or-treating?

Anyway, we live in a unique state. Here are a few things I've seen in Nevada that were photo worthy. Only a few though mind you. My family gets irritated with me quite a bit for taking so many pictures, so sometimes I spare them the agony of me taking pictures of strange things. Sometime I would love to spend the day taking pictures between Reno and Las Vegas on HWY 95, and do a photo essay. I could spend an entire day in Goldfield alone!

This is not a fake movie set cemetery

This is the real deal in Tonopah, right next to the Clown Motel that has creepy clowns on all the room doors and is obviously a kidnapper motel.

The small town of Hawthorne is a military town that is decorated with antiquated munitions. Everything, including the giants pinwheels in the city park and the cemetery across the street, is adorned with missiles.

Homeowners even landscape with underwater mines and aerial cluster bombs.

Just outside of Mina on HWY 95, sits an oasis in the desert - The Wild Kat Ranch. The enticement of coffee and showers offers weary travelers respite from a lonely drive. Understated red lights warn women, children and intelligent men to just keep on truckin'.

Faux Greek fluted columns topped with Ionic capitals add an elegant touch of class to this otherwise drab double wide. Apparently, our hookers have an affinity for neoclassical architecture.

(Do you have any idea what it's like to pull out of a brothel parking lot in your mini-van?)

In Reno we have taxi cab ads battling it out for the bodies and souls of men, because men who visit brothel 'museums' (wink wink) are the only people who ride in taxis.

This is the Worth the Wait ad campaign

Desert living inspires art like this near Goldfield

And now I have to go downstairs to top off my glass of nightstand water. I've been sipping on it while finishing this post. Good night.

The end

Rogue Photo Links - A Cautionary Tale

Last night I almost died of intense mortification. Dead. On. The. Floor. Right here at my computer. What happened was that I had googled a photo of a mask, and linked it to a word in my last post. When I checked the link with the preview feature a couple times before I posted it, it worked fine, except that I did lose what I had just written, between making the link and checking it both times, and had to go back and re-write what I'd lost. It never occurred to me though, that this was an obvious clue of it being a rogue photo. It was 'masked'. But otherwise, everything was fine. Anyway, I finally managed to finish (because I didn't check it again) and posted it. I looked at my newly posted post to check for errors (I always find several) and decided to click on my link again. That's when I almost fell off the chair DEAD. Up popped porn in my face. I'm no connoisseur of porn (understatement of the year), but I can tell you that this wasn't ordinary. It was...I can't even say it. It was horrendous!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I quickly scrambled to get to my editing screen and had it down within a minute of posting, so hopefully no one decided to check me out during that 60 seconds. If so, I apologize!

People, check your links after posting! Especially if you have heart problems. And feel free to link this post on your blogs to let others know, then check it of course.

But I will leave you with something uplifting. Something lovely and of good report - a link (I will be checking it) to my favorite nie nie post, which was re-posted on her blog a couple days ago. If you don't know the nie nie story, click on the recovery link on her page, because I don't feel like recounting it right now, and you probably already know about it anyway. But here it is.

Oh, and sorry if I haven't notified you of your tag yet. It was because of my near death experience, and now I'm going to the gym. Will get to it later. Ciao for now peeps :)

Mi El Pollo Loco Locas

Harlene commented on the last post:

Right now I am wishing you could come pick me up in your van with the sweet stereo and go to El Pollo Loco and listen to that salsa music.

Aaah, that would be super! My next playlist will be Salsa just for you, and you can look at the pics from this post and imagine we are there together enjoying a #2 combo. Here are some photos I took with my camera phone at El Pollo Loco a few days ago.

Last Thursday was 80's day at school, but Ella didn't get enough of those leg warmers during the day, so she wore them all afternoon and evening, and maybe to bed too - I'm not sure.

The lense-less Hannah Montana 3D glasses make an appearance at Sophie's favorite restaurant.

Sophie tries out a menacing flour tortilla Jason mask.

And now I'm waxing nostalgic over our many tender memories at El Pollo Loco. There were the 3 or 4 times after they changed the rice recipe that we had to comfort Sophie. She was devastated that her favorite of all treats was no more. It was strange when we were there one day, and she refused to eat her rice. Sometimes El Pollo Loco rice was the first thing she would ask for upon waking - even before saying hello or good morning she would say, "I want El Poco Loco rice." Whenever anyone asked what her favorite food was, she always said El Poco Loco (her preferred pronunciation) rice, without hesitation. So, when she wouldn't eat it that day, I knew something was wrong. After trying for a while to get her to hurry up and eat, I noticed the coloring of the rice was somewhat different, so when I went up to refresh my diet, I asked about the rice. Sure enough, they had changed the recipe. When I told her the sad news she cried like a baby :( It was truly heart breaking. The next few times we went, she asked for the rice and had to be reminded that she didn't like it anymore. The reminder caused tears for the next few visits, and Ella and Eva were so nice to comfort her. Fortunately, she's since discovered Creamy Cilantro dressing.

Then there was the time I dared Ella to eat to the cooked jalapeno pepper that came on her salad. She did it for $10, and it wasn't that bad for her (she loves hot food). But then Sophie went to the salsa bar and grabbed a raw one, and I bet her another $10 (probably not one of my best parenting moments). She ate half of it. We weren't quite a mile from El Pollo Loco when she said I needed to get her to a bathroom fast. She didn't throw up though, and was fine within the hour :) Sophie and Eva were super supportive and comforting.

Then there were all the times that Eva refused to order anything because she wanted to go somewhere else, but then ended up eating all my beans and tortillas before finally ordering something half way through our meal. Good times!

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I'm going to make this easy on myself and tag the first seven commenters. jenn g doesn't count though since she is the one who tagged me, and she also tagged Carlen. So here are the lucky taggees (or unlucky, depending on how you look at it) Shellie, Jen, Julie, Harlene, J-Lo, Devon, Allison

So get crack-a-lackin' people (except for Jen, because I haven't done her tag yet)!

Oh, and a bonus tag

Laura

Tag - Seven Random Things

I've been tagged by jenn g, thank you. This tag is supposed to be random/weird stuff that no one knows about me. I did one of these tags a few weeks ago, and I think I reveal quirks all the time in my regular posts. But here it goes with some more fascinating details from my increasingly fascinating life. Just remember though, that the juiciest details have to be saved for my memoirs - the memoir that I know will someday be a bestseller - because it will be that amazing! ;-)

Que the violins please...

1. I was teased about my big ears starting in Kindergarten, when my sister Janene called me Dumbo while my mother was cutting my hair (sometimes I was also called Minnie Mouse). That moment was the beginning of a serious complex that lasted about 20 years. Even though I loved to swim and my ears never stopped me, I always dreaded my hair being wet and not having anything to cover them. My grandmother wanted to pay to have my ears 'pinned back', but I was too afraid. She had big ears too, and was never seen without her hair covering them. Because of my complex, I NEVER EVER wore my hair in a ponytail (unless it was when I was very young and didn't have a say in it yet), not even for sports, until I was about 18. A few years ago, my mother got out my grandmother's photo collection, and I discovered my favorite of all family photos below - George E. Rider, my great grandfather and fellow big ear soul-mate, holla! I saw in this photo that things could have been much worse for me!

2. I have to sleep with the open part of the pillow case away from my face - at the back of my head. I usually sleep on my side and I turn my pillow over with me so I will have the open end behind me.

3. I fill a large tumbler with ice and water to have on my night stand every night, but I usually only take two or three sips. It still looks like about the same amount of water everyday when I wake up. But on the rare occasion that I drink more than that, or that Matt's drinks some and it gets near half empty, I know I won't sleep well unless it's full, so I will go all the way down stairs in the middle of the night to fill it back up.

4. I've broken lots of bones:

Kindergarten - three fingers playing wheel barrel races. I was the wheel barrel.

2nd grade - two more fingers playing smear the queer (it's not called that anymore, is it?).

About 12 years old - cracked two ribs playing goalie. I was kneed in the back, but I saved the goal, so it was kind of worth it.

About 13 years old - broke two toes on my right foot trying to kick a boy named Russell. He was sitting on a desk and moved his leg out of the way. They still bother me when I swim in very cold water.

9th grade - chipped my ankle bone at practice trying to stop a fast moving softball soccer style.

10th grade - broke my nose warming up for a softball game. I was watching a soccer game going on on another field and didn't know the ball was being thrown to me. I can testify to everyone, that you never want to have your newly broken nose shot up with novacaine (in the nostril), and then set back into place with a stainless steel broken nose setting tool while still conscious.

11th grade - chipped bone in my right wrist sliding into 3rd base. Those fiber glass casts are really hard to get off early at home and secretly in the bathroom with only your left hand to work the tools with. But it can be done.

27 years old - broke my right radius bone at the elbow playing indoor soccer.

28 years old - shattered my right radius bone at the wrist playing indoor soccer. An emergency surgery by an excellent orthopedic surgeon saved the mobility of my wrist. The pieces were held together by four pins and an external fixator for six weeks. I was all marked up on one hip with a Sharpie for a bone graft, but it wasn't necessary in the end. I scored a bunch of goals against some old ladies that night though, so it was kind of worth it.

5. I get stressed out when I can't find the remote control for my car stereo. Yes, I said car stereo. Matt got me a wonderful new stereo for Christmas that my i-pod hooks up to, and it came with a remote control. It was the best Christmas present ever. Now I don't have to stretch my arm all the way the the console. It's a long 12 or so inches to have to reach, and my arm can become tired skipping through all the songs that come on that I keep meaning to delete from my i-pod. Now I just rest my right arm on my arm rest with remote in hand, and adjust my music with only the touch of a finger. I turn it up, turn it down, skip forward, skip back or hit repeat, all from the comfort of my arm rest. If the remote falls between the seats or is otherwise missing, it's cause for pulling over to conduct a frantic search.

6. I'm not really into purses and handbags. Sometimes I think it's my duty, as a woman, to be into purses. But try as I may, I just can't make myself want to go to one of those knock-off parties. I just found out what a Coach purse was about a month ago.

7. I love salsa - the music.

I will tag some people in my next post because I don't feel like making all the links right now, and because this is my blog and I can :) I still have to post my Sarah Palin pictures too, and another tag. I need to learn how to type faster!

My Possible Future Obsession

Tonight I was channel surfing and decided to check out the Documentary Channel (197 on Dishnetwork). I've gone to it many times, thinking I'd only watch for a minute, and ended up watching an entire show, being fascinated, and sometimes learning about something I've never heard of, like 'noodling'. Noodling is a way of catching ginormous catfish with only your bare hands. I know all about it now.

Tonight I stumbled upon a show called 'Other People's Pictures'. I was wishing I could walk right into my television. It spoke to me. Here's a description from NPR

All Things Considered, June 20, 2004 · At New York's Chelsea Flea Market, collectors sort through boxes and albums full of discarded snapshots: a black-and-white photo of a yawning girl, a Polaroid of a couple embracing at the kitchen table, a yellowed print of a group of Nazis smiling in the snow. Kaleidoscopic slices of life, these abandoned photos can sometimes bring in hundreds of dollars a piece. Other People's Pictures, a new documentary from filmmakers Lorca Shepperd and Cabot Philbrick, examines the lives and minds of nine people who collect these lost and discarded photographs. One man searches only for "male affection" snapshots of men embracing or holding hands. Another looks for pictures that simply tell an unfinished story. An Israeli immigrant who lost family members in the Holocaust and whose own family album was destroyed years ago, owns what he calls a "banality of evil" collection: photos of Nazis in everyday situations.

I could do this. I'm already obsessed with my grandparent's photo collection. I've looked at every single picture many many many times - some of them I've pondered. Some of them I was able to put names to after hunting down a long lost elderly relatives who held their secrets. There's joy and meaning for me in reclaiming a lost cousin, aunt, uncle or grandparent on an unmarked photo. There is a joy for me in looking at every detail of the picture, placing it in an historical context, and wondering what unknown drama might be related to it. I love the difference in the style of photo paper and dimensions used in different eras. I love the envelopes they've been saved in that sometimes have random notes or mathematical problems written on them. I could sit and look at them for hours on end, forgetting myself and time completely. I can see myself obsessed like the people in this film.

Aaaah, but time. When will I ever have time to for this love to become a full blown obsession?

*sigh*

Here are a few of my favorite snapshots from the family collection. I actually started a blog for the purpose of posting pictures like these for my family, but I haven't gotten very far. It's kind of overwhelming, and I want to write something of particular note about each photo. Instead I spend my time doing stuff like making a video montage of Piper Palin (and let's not mention the housework I'm ignoring - oh, I just did).

Priororities Rachel! Geez.

My mother is in the middle, her cousin Larry on the left, and my Uncle Bud on Easter morning 195? (I'd have to look up the specific date). See the tops of the Easter baskets? The cowboy gear was from my great Aunt Kay who couldn't have children. The television is to die for!

My mother with some kind of awesome cornrows, doing what all women are destined to do.

My mother, circa 1946 at Griffith Park, in what looks to be a stroller/lawnmower.

My sister's 12th birthday, August 1978. That's me in the front, my sister reading a birthday card, and my Aunt Julie and Uncle Greg. They always gave us music :)

Piper Palin's Possible Future Endorsement

I went to see Sarah Palin today, and she had Piper along. Most people are familiar with the lick seen 'round the world, so if this VP thing doesn't work out, they could do an endorsement together, and I know of just the right one.

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Crack in the News Again - Relief for Sufferers

Remember when I was a Modbe consultant for about 5 minutes a couple years ago? Probably not - but I was. I still get their e-mails which I have directed to my spam box, but sometimes one slips through to my regular mail. Yesterday I noticed that the subject heading of a slip though said Pre-Order True Rise Denim Jeans Today. Well that piqued my interest, and I wondered if these 'True Rise' jeans were the answer to the lady plumber crack epidemic I wrote about back in June (which you can read here if you missed it). I did some googling, and found out that indeed, Modbe has created a pair of jeans that specifically takes care of this fashion atrocity!

At first, I thought Modbe had been blog stalking me, and that in a way I could take credit for helping to put an end to this unsightly and embarrassing wardrobe malfunction. But, it seems that these 'True Rise' jeans appeared on scene a couple months before my crack tirade. That was kind of a bummer to find out, but the fact that at least one company out there has our best interest at heart, restored my faith in humanity. Kudos to Modbe - vanquishing lady plumber crack one rear end at a time!

And Modbe's jeans also come with a fancy embellishment that is eerily similar to what I suggested would be a great design for my 'Lady Plumber Crack Crack Guard'. Check it out

Here's the description taken from the website on which I found this photo:

Love the look of low rise denim, but hate the consequences? Meet True Rise, Modbe's latest way to keep you covered. Bending, stretching, reaching, playing. No worries. And did we mention all the pretty little details? "Designer Jeans" used to mean clever embellishments and having the right brand tags. Designer jeans were status symbols. Now designer denim has moved to the masses and these high-end jeans focus on comfort and fit. Modbe jeans give you both. So what goes into an designer pair of jeans?

Dang! I think I'm ready for Project Runway!

You can order True Rise Jeans here

I'm not even getting paid for this, can you believe it?

On Returning to the Gym and a Slumbering Pony

Today I'm in need of some handicap bathroom bars because I went to Body Pump on Monday, and Spin yesterday, after a very loooong absence from the gym. I did actually make my quarterly annual return two weeks ago, but it didn't really hurt because I mostly chatted with gym friends I hadn't seen for a while and did my own thing on weights down stairs, which is code for I really didn't do much at all on my first return. If I don't do a class, I kind of wimp out, tell myself I'll try harder next time, and leave after about 25 minutes of not very strenuous machine assisted weight lifting. But not this week! Now I'm getting serious, and every fiber of my legs' being is screaming out as a result!

On my way home, right before I was to turn into our neighborhood, and before my legs tightened up and while still wearing my spin shoes, I decided to take the 3 or 4 minute drive down by the gun club to see what the wild horses were up to. There are always some there in that general vicinity. Ever since I saw that little clash a few weeks ago with Joanie, I've kind of become addicted to checking them out in hopes of seeing some more excitement, especially since they're so close. Something about the prospect of equestrian violence keeps me going back for more. That's kind of disturbing, I know. But I'm not hoping to see any injuries sustained, just a good old fashioned smack down - and I have! I was always the first one to run to see a fight at school. Again, kind of disturbing. I'm not even a violent person, nor have I ever been in a cat fight. I just have always liked to see innocuous, mild, bloodless, athletic type fights. Like in some martial arts movies in which the fights are basically well choreographed, fluid, and graceful violence. I think I may be revealing too much about myself at this point.

Anywho, I've been going back to look at the horses for a few minutes here and there (a new video will be coming soon), and yesterday I saw an adorable little one lying down for a nap (probably it likes to stay up and blog way past its bedtime). It was out cold in seconds flat (kind of like how fast Matt can fall asleep), and with no other horses very close, I was able to get a closer look. Cycling shoes are apparently just the thing to wear for sneaking up on sleeping horses.

They're not terribly particular about where they lay their heads

Looking the gift horse in the mouth

Happy Birthday Eva ♥

Today we honor Eva on her 9th birthday!

Here are some things you may not know about her

She came equipped with her own internal GPS system. From an early age, she's been able to navigate her way around town from the backseat. For instance, let's say we're going to Target, but on the way I decide to go to El Pollo Loco first, which means that I would need to stay on the freeway a few exists longer. The very instant the car doesn't veer to the right to take the Neil Rd exit, she knows it and will say, "I thought we were going to Target?" This will happen without fail, because she's clever that way.

She also knows where she's been, even if it was only once, while she was sleeping in the backseat, in the dark, at a roadside rest stop where we stopped so I could use the restroom. The next time we pass said rest stop, she will inevitably say something like, "isn't this the place we stopped five years ago, to let Mom go to the bathroom, while I was sleeping in the backseat, and it was dark out, and before I fell asleep we were eating Skittles?"

Sometimes we like to quiz her on directions. About two or three years ago, we were sitting in the brand new Taco Bell on South Meadows. It was dark out, and it was our first time there. We asked her to point in the direction of random locations like, Utah, Grandpa's house, Janene's house, the church, Target, Walmart, Lake Tahoe, downtown, etc.. Out of about 25 questions, she only got one wrong.

She has excellent hearing. Like the Bionic Woman, she can tune into sounds normal people can't hear or don't notice. She's especially good at hearing what music is softly playing in stores and restaurants over lots of noise, and telling me one of my favorite songs is on. One of my proudest moments as a mother happened at Swensen's with Trisha and her kids, when, over all the ice-cream noise and chatter, she heard Janis Joplin and declared, "Mom, your favorite Janis Joplin song is on." I've never been more proud ;-)

She's an excellent big sister! She watches out for Sophie at school, picks her up at her class to walk to the bus together, and then sits with her everyday. She helps Sophie with things she has trouble doing in a sweet and loving way. She protects her.

She learned how to ride a bike in less than five minutes.

She likes to talk a lot in school (hmmm, wonder who she got that from), but works really hard on paying attention and only talking when she should - or at least keeping it on the down low ;-)

Things you probably already know about her

She's a social butterfly

She's a loyal friend

She's kind

She's funny

She's fun

She's feisty

She's got a powerful set of lungs - I'm talkin' Powerful!

She's independent

She's moody!

She's clever

She's an excellent student

She's sensitive

She's loved ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Dear Winter

Isn't it a little early for this?

Russian Sage yesterday in Sparks (so much more lovely than our native Sagebrush)

Last week on the 4th, we had the first snow up in the mountains...

...and yesterday down here in the valley.

(Dear Rabbitbrush, may this snow render your yellow flowers impotent - incapable of making me sneeze and causing my eyes to itch and be watery)

And this morning...

...our beautiful flowers covered with snow

Slide Mountain - 11 October 2008

You know I love you Winter, but could you please hold off just a little bit longer? Today's 8 am soccer game was kind of chilly!

See Ella Run

Ella just finished her first season of cross country. She made us proud for several reasons:

She tried it (it was her own idea), even though she didn't like running

She didn't complain or ask to quit when she was tired and sore the first week

She ended up actually liking it

She only called me twice to bring her shoes that she had forgotten for practice

She is making healthy choices and kind of inspiring me

She's awesome!

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Camille Paglia

I've read Camille Paglia on and off for over ten years now. She's an unlikely candidate to be one of my favorite columnists since she's an atheist/feminist/lesbian/pro-legalprostitution/pro-pornographyasartform person. BUT, she's also a brilliant writer/wordsmith/arthistorian/popcultureguru/professor, who acknowledges the hypocrisies of some the leaders and ideologies in the modern feminist and liberal movements (conservatives have them as well, I know), decries the snobbery and elitism of the mainstream media, embraces religious freedoms, and admires the faiths of others - and she makes me laugh out loud a lot. She is a breath of fresh air, even though I disagree with so much to which she personally subscribes. I always thought I must be one of her few LDS readers, but in her latest column, she answers two different letters from LDS fans, and another that mentions Mormons in relation to women's sufferage. There are four pages to this column, and the the LDS letters are on pages 3 and 4, and are printed in bold type. I really loved the letters, and also her warm replies. On page 2 she talks about the reaction of feminists and the media to Sarah Palin. I think she nailed it! Check it out if you like.

I keep meaning to not talk politics on this blog, because I meant it originally to be mostly family and lighthearted stuff, but I keep breaking my own rule. I.will.try.to.stop.

Hwy 395 - The Shoe Tree And A Tribute Of Sorts

Carlen posted about a shoe tree her family visited a few weeks back, that reminded me of our nearest shoe tree not far past Hallelujah Junction on HWY 395, which is the way we drive to visit my mother in Susanville (where I'm not from). Here is our shoe tree Carlen.

We've driven the 90 mile stretch from our house to my mother's - oh, I don't know how many times, dozens and dozens, and the shoe tree is always a welcome sight on this not very exciting drive.

The shoe tree used to be filled out with branches, but was struck by lightning a few years ago (kind of like in Jane Eyre, when the chestnut tree is split in two by lightning after Mr. Rochester kisses Jane beneath in the rain), leaving it a bit scrawny looking. And then the shoes are periodically removed by the Health Department. But nothing can stop shoe tree lovers from reclaiming what is theirs, so the shoe tree lives on, despite government time wasting and the laws of nature.

First prize goes to the hot pink fiberglass cast with cast boot!

Ella sizes up a pair of faded blue Converse All-Stars

Stopping at the shoe tree prompted this question from Sophie (who is ever the deep thinker), "do they have a shoe tree in Berkeley?" Why would she ask such a question you say? Because she was witness to other strange tree happenings in Berkeley not too long ago. She's clever like that! And now, this leads us to a newsflash - the epic tree-sit in Berkeley came to an end not too long ago. There were lots of tears and kumbayahs. But I digress - a lot!

Our family has a lot of history on Hwy 395 between Reno and Susanville. Matt and I did a lot of dating on it. For real. We spent many many hours in the car (I lived in Susanville and he lived in Reno) talking, getting to know each other better, listening to music, gazing at each other, wondering what our future together would be like, etc.. Matt literally drove through a blizzard white out to get to me, only five days after we'd met at a dance (such were the powers I once possessed). I've gotten speeding tickets, and I've pulled over on the shoulder to nurse screaming babies on it. I've been stuck for ages in road work traffic, and I've passed hundreds of freakin' slowpokes slowing me down. I've been mesmerized (many times) by a rising full yellow moon. And I've been spooked on pitch black moonless nights, while driving pregnant without a cell phone, in a junker early 80's model 280Z with Ella in the back, and wondered where I would hide us if we broke down, and a serial killer stopped to help. Would there be sagebrush large enough to hide us both? Would Ella be able to keep quiet? Should I stay there until morning, or try to walk for help? Would I ever make it home alive?

We've hit every bathroom, and almost not made it in time, many times. We were nearly blown into a ditch in high winds on Thanksgiving Day, in our high wind profile 1984 Volkswagen Vanagon. I've almost fallen asleep on it many times, and I've drunk eldless amounts of diet coke on it as well. I've sung some of my best karaoke ever on 395 driving to and from my mother's, and my family has rejoiced and given thanks with each perfectly sung note ;-) Why am I going on and on about Hwy 395 anyway? I don't know. Maybe because it goes on and on, and it's part of our history, and it has a really cool shoe tree with a hot pink fiberglass cast with boot hanging on it.

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Dancing With The Stars Recap

My Maksim! The only male dancer worth looking at is gone. I think I said it before, he's just H-O-T hot! And his accent - gone.

Oh, and poor Misty. She's gone too, which I'm not all that broken up about - but did you hear her Achilles tendon snap? WOW! Hope it won't be a chronic career ending injury, just for DWTS. Too bad!

What else happened tonight anyway? There were some really good dances, and it's amazing what Cloris can do, even though she can't really dance, but I was kind of bored. It's all about who had the best song for me at this point. So, tonight's winner is Warren Sapp, who danced to 'Lovin U' by Alicia Keys

Music Playlist at MixPod.com

The worst choice - Toni Braxton dancing the Vietnamese Waltz (that's not a typo, it's what she called it) to that horrid 80's-ish stadium rocker version of 'Für Elise'.

As Per Your Request, Part 2

jenn g said in the comments from the last post:

"I'm still waiting on your Palin commentary."

Oh yeah. I was so distracted and carried away with my legs, hair, and cute self last night, that I completely forgot all about Sarah Palin.

Well, I was so pleased with her highlights! I'm glad she's staying away from the ever increasingly popular chunky zebra stripe look. As a woman of 'maturing age', and as a VP candidate, understated highlights are the perfect choice.

What kind of lipstick does she use anyway? I can never get mine to stay on that long. The color choice was impeccable, as was her classy/sassy black business suit with accenting elegant, yet toned down earrings. Her ability to edit her style flawlessly is obvious - brevity being the guiding principle.

In comedy, timing is essential. An ill timed punchline can often deflate the impact and humor of an otherwise knee-slapping joke (as the author well knows). Unsurprisingly, the same holds true with the political debate wink. If performed too often, too soon, or with too much force, a debate wink can be falsely interpreted as anything from elitist condescension, to a 'hint hint', or to a stigmatism. But if done at just the exact right moment, with just the exact right accompanying half smile, a debate wink can become even more persuasive than the actual words coming out of a politician's mouth. Let's just say Sarah Palin 'got her wink on' last night, and to great effect! Know what I'm sayin' dawg? After only two winks, she could have said she wanted to reinstate the death tax, nationalize health care with Hilary, or have Bill Clinton as her intern for all I cared.

So, for all of those incredibly substantive reasons - the hair, the wardrobe, the make-up and the winks, Sarah Palin was the hands down winner for me.

And I didn't even need the filter of the main stream media's psychobabble to tell me all that.

As Per Your Request

jenn g. said in the comments of the last post:

"You need to post your 20'ish photo!"

How did jenn g. and I get on the subject of funeral program photos anyway? Well I'm glad we did, because I've inspired myself to go to spin class at the gym tomorrow. I want my dimples back!!! But ouch...I'm already feeling the pain of my no longer accustomed to the bike seat rear end. Mommy!

But back to my 20'ish picture. This was in December of 1989, so I was just shy of 21. Wouldn't it be lovely on my funeral program? Maybe along with an up-to-date photo-shopped photo of my choosing? I'm gonna get to work on that once I get my dimples back, and I'm gonna photo-shop myself the whitest teeth you've ever seen :)

While I was looking for my 20'ish picture, I found these two gems, which I post here for two reasons. First reason - my legs. Check 'em out!

Second reason - in 1980 I was totally rockin' the Sphinx look!

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Meanwhile, back to the present. We have a future fashion icon in the making here in our midst. Ella accents this charming Harris Tweed Fidel cap beautifully with black 'Hannah Montana 3-D Movie', 3-D movie glasses, sans the 3-D lenses. Coming to a playground near you...keep an eye out.

And some extraordinary news from the dentist today (besides her clean bill of health)...Ella does not have wisdom teeth!!!