Go Away Gustav!!!

Published: August 31, 2008
BIRMINGHAM, Ala-- Mayor Larry Langford said the Magic City is helping Gustav evacuees with compassion and love. At last check Birmingham has already housed more than three thousand displaced. The city expects the number could double to six thousand people.
Red Cross is housing people from Louisiana and Lower Alabama. In fact the Associated Press describes New Orleans as a ghost town, saying residents are really taking the mandatory evacuations seriously. At the BJCC people are constantly arriving, being processed through Red Cross.
Langford is encouraging evacuees to become familiar with Birmingham during the day so that everyone returns their respective shelter by 9 p.m.—to get a bed count and ensure everything goes smoothly.
“We are praying to God that the hurricane has minimal impact on New Orleans. We want to make the people comfortable while they are here. We do need volunteers to come down and help us and at the same time if everything goes well Birmingham will have once again risen to the occasion,” said Langford.
Officials are looking for more space for some three to four thousand people because evacuees are headed by the busload by the hour.

These poor people; haven't they had enough already? I ran into an acquaintance this afternoon in the grocery store. When I asked her what was new, she said they were preparing for another round of evacuations. I had forgotten that she's originally from NO and still has family there. She had a shopping cart full of food and was trying to get organized before her family made it to B'ham sometime this evening. I told her to call if we could help w/ anything -- extra sheets, towels, etc. Our neighbors on one side called yesterday to say that Gary's family was driving in from NO and they were probably going to have to park everyone's cars in the cul-de-sac. Again, told them to holler at us if they needed anything. I'm sorry that Gustav is going to hit but I'm glad that my friends here are in a position to help out their loved ones. And, I'm glad the citizen's of NO are taking this seriously.

On a sillier note, my husband is threatening to call Al Gore on me and vote Democratic this November. We've lived in this house 9 years and I still have no idea what day garbage and/or recyclables are collected. Since Chris has been travelling a lot lately, I've totally forgotten to take the cans to the street. Now the recyclable can is overflowing and Chris thinks I'm being an irresponsible citizen.

hot sweaty slimey friday night

Lots of fun last night at the football game. Tailgated w/ Rick & Tracy pre-game and had fun in the stands checking everyone out! I love seeing all the kids and chatting w/ the parents. Obviously, I don't watch much of the game, I'm more of a people watcher. I consider myself a "social" football game attendee. I was paying attention when Justin made the first touchdown. Dang, that boy can run! Looked like Justin was back to his usual perky athletic self last night!

Picture of KJ and the Buccaneer, our neighbor! He takes his job very, very seriuosly!

T had a little meltdown prior to game time. She had originally asked me to meet her at the High School around 4:30 to bring her costume and help her w/ her make-up. She called the house around 4:15 in a total panic and told Chris she was the only one not dressed yet. In the e-mail from the dance team instructor, she had to be ready by 6 PM, pre-game would start @ 6:30 PM, Kick-off @ 7 PM. So I rushed down to the High School, she met me in the parking lot, grabbed her bag and disappeared for half an hour while I stood in the dance room wondering where the heck she went. I don't know if she was nervous or PMS-ing or what but she was a wee-bit bitchy. She did a great job during pre-game, no prancing this week however.

Here's a picture of KJ in the t-shirt we made. She told me last night Mrs. Julie told her she liked her shirt every time she saw her. Wonder if Mrs. Julie knows how "craft challenged" I am and forgot to take the adhesive off the letters before I ironed them on!

Football Frenzy

First Varsity football game tonight. Last night KJ & I stopped in at to Michael's to buy t-shirts and letters and scull & crossbone appliques and make a t-shirt for her. All the school shirts she has are long-sleeved. I thought the orange shirt came out really cute but I couldn't figure out why the letters weren't sticking so well even after I ironed them on. So this morning I dusted off the sewing kit and tried to sew the letters on. That wasn't working out too great either. Chris takes a look and realizes I left the paper backing on the letters and never exposed the sticky part. So, I had to tear apart all the little stitches I made, peel the paper backing off each letter, re-position them and iron them on again. Much, much better! This just confirms what I've said all along: crafty I am not.

So Gov. Bob Riley has declared today "Wear your College Colors Day." I only have 1 Alabama t-shirt I like so I'm gonna save it for tomorrow when they spank Clemson. I bought the t-shirt at the Victoria's Secret Pink store. T wanted Penn State stuff from their new collegiate collection so I had to go on-line and buy her a t-shirt and sweatpants. The sweatpants look really, really comfy and now I regret not buying an Alabama pair. I told my brother he could buy her some of the Penn State stuff for her at Christmas because it would be local for him (each store carries their local school) but he flatly refuses to walk into Victoria Secrets and buy something for his 14-year old niece! Try explaining that to the sales girl! ha! ha!

I think T might have her first little part-time job. Tuesday night I dropped her off at 5:30 PM when I dropped KJ off at dance. T sat there and did her homework until her dance class started at 6:15 PM. Ms. Shannon grabbed T and asked her to help out w/ the little, little kid's dance class. T said she asked her if she could come in at 5:30 PM each Tuesday to help w/ the little ones. If T can get some kind of discount of her tuition, I'm all for it. Last night Ms. Shannon asked T to participate in the tap class. She gave T a pair of tap shoes and let her take part in the class. T said she stunk at it and didn't really like it.

T had to watch the Democratic National Convention last night for one of her homework assignments. She had a worksheet to fill out highlighting key points in the speech: terrorism, healthcare, environment, energy, etc. She was at dance class late last night so she missed the first 15 minutes or so but was still able to complete most of her assignment. Chris got home right in the middle of it so we watched the majority of the convention as a family. I'm glad she watched it and has a little bit more understanding of how politics work in the US. I, on the other hand, found Obama's speech to be fairly negative and full of empty promises. Hurricane Katrina is a horribly sore spot w/ me and I was terribly offended when he made a comment about GW allowing a city to drown before our eyes. So, what are you saying? GW has control of the weather now??? Hurricane Katrina was a series of unfortunate events. You had a natural disaster followed by a man-made disaster exasperated by a un-prepared local and state government. The violence and looting that occurred had absolutely nothing to do w/ the levees breaking. Where were the reports of folks in the mid-west demanding FEMA trailers and restitution when the floods occurred earlier this year? There were no reports because it didn't happen. I'll NEVER forget a news report I saw during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. A woman in her late 40's/early 50's was being interviewed and she was bitching up a storm because "she'd be in this shelter for over 24 hours and ain't nobody offered her a hot meal yet!" A hot meal? Are you freakin' kidding me? Your city is under 10 feet of water and you're demanding a hot meal??? You knew this storm was coming for a couple of days and you didn't prepare? Where was your hurricane readiness kit? Where were your emergency supplies? You didn't have an evacuation plan in place? You can't tell me you didn't see this storm coming -- we have cousins in NO and they boarded the house up and left 2 days prior to Katrina hitting.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Really looking forward to the long weekend. Chris has been travelling alot and he's in desperate need of a break.

The girls got up well this morning and both made it to school on time. Poor KJ! She has gym first thing in the morning (actually, that might be best for her. Kind of get her going in the AM). T packed her lunch this morning and used the Harrod's lunch bag she bought in London. She looked like a proper British school girl! NOT!

Last night was our "free" night (no dance). T needed "sticky boobs" for her dance team costume (basically it's just cups that adhere to your skin -- backless, no straps) and a couple of other things for Friday night (a hair net, hair spray, bobby pins, etc.). We went to the new Target and it only took 12 minutes. We had dinner at the Mexican restaurant in the same shopping center and were home by 5:30 PM. The new shopping center is still being built but I'm curious about one store in particular -- a Nestle Toll House shop! What could it be? Just a cookie store like Mrs. Fields (who recently declared bankruptcy!) or maybe like the Great American Cookie store at the mall? Maybe more like a Starbucks where you can sit, relax with a hot chocolate and a warm cookie???

After KJ did her homework we watched part of the new Cheetah Girls movie we TiVo'd and after she went to bed T and I watched Project Runway. I also stayed up to watch a Lifetime movie I TiVo'd about the Texas "Fab 5" cheerleaders. OMG. It was so horribly cheesy and the acting was terrible. There's 2 hours of my life I'll never get back.

Can You Actually Die from Embarrassment???

The dance team was supposed to have a practice w/ the band today on the field in preparation for Friday's season opener. However, practice was cut short and moved inside due to all the Fay rain we've rec'd. KJ and I got to the high school a few minutes early and were able to catch the dance team practicing their "pre-game prancing" (Chris & I make neighing horse noises when she does it in the house). So, being the smart-ass mother that I am and KJ being the equally annoying little sister that she is, we decided to honk the horn like morons and yell "Go T-Bone" as the dance team pranced around the parking lot. Didn't go over to well with T. She was shooting daggers out the corners of her eyes (but she never missed a beat!) and the minute she got in the car she yelled, "PLEASE DON'T EVER DO THAT TO ME AGAIN." Just doing my best to keep it real for my home-girl.

bitten by the bug

"Without travel I would have wound up a little ignorant white Southern female, which was not my idea of a good life." -- Lauren Hutton

Came across this quote from Lauren Hutton (super-model from back in the day, big gap in her front teeth). Anyway, I thought this described T to a, well, to a T! Although she knows she has a nice life here in B'ham, she can't wait to hit the bricks the minute she's old enough. The other day she told me "there's too much to do and too much to see to stay in one place too long." I just don't think she's a true GRIT (Girl Raised in the South), she's got to much Yankee in her (KJ, on the other hand, has already informed us that she plans to go to school at UAB so she can come home EVERY night for dinner. Shit!!!). T really wants to go school abroad and wants to see the world. Penn State, however, is Plan B. We went to the high school last night for a meeting on a future London trip. The itinerary was incredible and hit the spots we just didn't have time for in June: Stonehenge, Oxford, Stratford-on-Avon, Globe Theater, etc. Back-to-back Europe trips would have just about sent Chris over the edge (his toes are hanging over as it is). Plus, Miss Priss is sure to be looking for a car at some point next year.

I've been closing my eyes a lot lately and chanting my new mantra hoping this will all just go away: I'm not ready for this. I'm not ready for this. I'm not ready for this.

Starfish

The Starfish Story

adapted from The Star Thrower

by Loren Eiseley (1907 - 1977)

Once upon a time, there was a wise man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work.

One day, as he was walking along the shore, he looked down the beach and saw a human figure moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself at the thought of someone who would dance to the day, and so, he walked faster to catch up.

As he got closer, he noticed that the figure was that of a young man, and that what he was doing was not dancing at all. The young man was reaching down to the shore, picking up small objects, and throwing them into the ocean.

He came closer still and called out "Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are doing?"

The young man paused, looked up, and replied "Throwing starfish into the ocean."

"I must ask, then, why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?" asked the somewhat startled wise man.

To this, the young man replied, "The sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don't throw them in, they'll die."

Upon hearing this, the wise man commented, "But, young man, do you not realize that there are miles and miles of beach and there are starfish all along every mile? You can't possibly make a difference!"At this, the young man bent down, picked up yet another starfish, and threw it into the ocean. As it met the water, he said, "It matters to that one."

Rainy Monday

Nice rainy, dreary Monday. I have to cover KJ's class today for approximately an hour so the rain isn't really going to cramp my style. Everyone was a little slow moving this morning, especially the little one. It was partially my fault. I let her stay up until around 9 PM to watch the Olympic torch being passed over to London. I loved how they used the big red double-decker bus to represent all things London. T-bone was almost killed by a double-decker bus our first day in London so we got a big laugh out of the bus on last night's closing ceremonies (instead of looking right-left-right when crossing the street, she looked left-right-left and almost walked right into on-coming traffic. I had to actually pull her back by the sleeve of her sweatshirt. I would have had a hard time explaining to Chris why his daughter wouldn't be coming home!).

Homecoming

T went shopping for homecoming dresses w/ friends this afternoon. She tried on a couple of things (see picture below), had her friend take a pic of her in it and then e-mailed it to me while I was at a scout swim party w/ KJ. She had the store hold this dress for her and the original plan was for us to go back on Monday. She came home so excited from the mall we decided we couldn't wait another day so we ran down to the mall so I could get a good look at the dress. I liked the dress alot on T, I really did. However, I saw another dress hanging up right next to the dressing room and asked her to try it on just for fun. OMG! She looked like a Barbie doll when she came out of the dressing room! Both of us totally fell in love w/ the other dress (which, unfortunately, was twice the price). My daughter has requested I don't post a picture of the dress she choose (you know, gotta keep up the element of surprise!) but I was very proud of her. She had babysitting money saved up and said she'd pay for half the dress. Now, I'm sure we're gonna end up paying for her mani & pedi and new shoes (and possibly a matching purse!) but I was very pleased that she made the offer to pay for half the dress.

Now, on to the Olympics -- can't wait for London '12. It's gonna ROCK!!! Stones, Beatles, The Clash, Princes William & Harry, Fish & Chips, Spice Girls, Monty Python, Harrods, Beckham. C'mon, you can't go wrong w/ London!!!

homecoming dresses?

T just came downstairs and said she's going homecoming dress shopping with a bunch of girls. Umm. Ok. I guess. Wait. What? People, you don't understand! I'm too young for this!

Rainy Saturday

You know I love a rainy day as much as the next person, just not when I have to go out in it and run errands. I thought today would have been the perfect day to get some things done while Chris was at his football draft. I picked up KJ from her friend's, drove up to the Summit and had lunch at Johnny Rockets. I needed to get a shower gift for Amanda (got her a crock pot from her registry @ Bed Bath & Beyond) and I needed to get a gift for our new little great-niece (although I still think of myself as far too young and sassy to have a great-niece!). Went to Swoozies for Eva Marie's gift but was very disappointed in the baby section. Not much there. We went to Urban Outfitter's for T (she luv, luv, luvs that store!) and we also went to Francesca's. From the Summit we went to Patton Creek to check out the baby gifts at Wrapsody. Again, not much there. Love Wrapsody -- it's one of my favorite stores and they have the most awesome seasonal decorations! From there we went to Barnes & Noble so I could look for the 3rd book in the Twilight saga. I only want it in softcover, not hardback. No such luck. Went to Wal-mart so T get could something for her "big sister" on the dance team. Picked up pizza on the way home and now KJ & I are watching Ella Enchanted w/ Anne Hathaway. God! She is SO gorgeous!!!

Fast Fashion

http://jezebel.com/5040032/we-love-cheap-stuff-but-fast-fashion-is-hard-to-defend
Interesting article about Fast Fashion (i.e., buying cheap because "it's just gonna go out of fashion so it's easier to dispose of it"). Believe it or not, I saw this on the blog of one of the younger guys who played on Chris's men's lax team. As a society, we're so used to just running into a store, trying on clothes and walking out w/ an outfit and not ever thinking about where our clothes come from or what material they're made of. I'm guilty of it. I don't think Fast Fashion affects men the way it does women. I do try to have "timeless" pieces -- a white button down shirt, black pants, a great pair of jeans, good pair of black shoes, a classic black purse, a wrap dress I can wear anywhere, etc. Unfortunately, with my limited social engagements, I very rarely have the opportunity to wear said "timeless" pieces! ha! ha!

Paris Pics

Saw this picture on-line today and it made me think of the picture

.

Taylor took of her Coke bottle at the cafe across from the Notre Dame:

Babes in Bikini's in Beijing

Congrats to the US Women's Soccer team on their gold, the US Women's Water Polo team on their silver and the US Men's Volleyball gold win!

The Today Show just had a quick little segment on the beach volleyball bikini dance team. Basically it was gorgeous Chinese girls dancing in bikinis in between beach volleyball games, during time outs, etc. Chris will be upset he missed it! He's been in Dallas all week and comes home today. It's been a long, long week. Although he travels alot, a full week is rough on everyone (especially him -- he likes to be home in his own bed, eating w/ the family). When the girls were little, they both used to cry so bad when he left. I mean, not just a couple of tears but all out bawling and crying for days. It got to the point that he would even hate to call home because they would cry on the phone w/ him and beg him to come home. It's not like I was beating them or anything!

Please keep the girls and I in your thoughts this weekend. This is Chris's Fantasy Football weekend. A couple of buddies are flying in from all around the country today, they're probably going someplace for wings tonight and then tomorrow the festivities begin. One year it was at Troy's house, one year it was at the club house, one year it was in Vegas (Chris didn't make that draft) and one year it was at our house (that was the year Mario's head went thru the wall and I think it was the same year my mums were wiped out). This is what happens when 12 over-grown, drunk, 40+something boys get together and the testosterone is flying.

Special shout out to my friend margaret -- it was good talking to you this morning! we need to get together soon.

P.S. Smart Food is my new favorite snack. KJ & I are totally addicted. We've been eating it for years but now it's available in handy-dandy 100 calorie packs.

Taking a break...

...from watching the Olympics (heard the USA softball team loses). Catching up on my TiVo and watching Project Runway. Reminds me of years ago when Chris & I saw a Female Impersonators show in Atlantic City. After a while, you forgot you were actually watching men pretending to be Cher, Joan Rivers, Madonna, Diana Ross. Makes me wish I had a gay friend. A gay friend to go shopping w/ me, take me out to lunch and tell me what to do w/ my hair & makeup!

Middle of the Week

yay! it's Wednesday! KJ got up great again this morning. She was ready a few minutes early and said she wanted to make the bus. Drove T to school and took my car for an oil change. I know, I know. My life is so exciting.

I was going to post about the Chinese Hip-Hop Grannies on the Today Show this morning but my friend Shawn beat me to it. I was glad to see Shawn Johnson win the gold in the balance beam last night but I totally cringed on the couch last night when that little girl fell off the beam. It looked painful. Poor thing.

Tonight is our "quiet" night. No dance. Everyone's just going to relax and go to bed early.

Olympics Update

So last night was the uneven bars individual competition and the US athlete won the silver in a really weird tie-breaker situation. I don't necessarily like this young lady, I don't think she comes across as a gracious winner (or loser), but I do think she was better than the Chinese gymnast who won.

I watch the Today Show pretty regularly and luv Matt & Al (did I ever tell you about the time I met Al in the Bahamas???). They always test a new sport at the Olympics (who can forget the sight of Al Roker and Matt doing the luge at the winter Olympics??). I didn't catch the beginning of the segment but I think the event is called Rhythmic Gymnastics. They use a ribbon, a hoop and a rope. Matt & Al did a routine to the song Dream Weaver and I was laughing so hard. I'm the only one in the house and I am totally cracking up outloud!

Also on the Today Show was a segment w/ martial arts star Jet Li. Very interesting story. He's originally from Beijing but was in the tsunami holding his daughter in his arms when they were rescued. He has since they started a charitable organization in conjunction w/ the Red Cross and have raised $15 million to date. Right now they are concentrating on the recent earthquake victims. Ann Curry asked him, "what do you hope to get out of this?" and he said, "I don't hope to get anything; I hope to give."

Monday, Monday, Monday

10 AM Monday morning. KJ was a little slow moving this morning; T always wakes up good. I fell asleep quickly last night but didn't stay asleep. Got up at some point and moved to the couch. Chris took the girls to school this moring and I went back to bed for a little while to catch up on some sleep. Never actually fell back asleep but I did rest for while. I have so much laundry to catch up today it's not even funny. Poor Chris, I don't think he has any clean underwear.

Marathon

Meant to blog about this yesterday but I forgot: I don't usually care much about Track & Field during the Olympics but we caught the women's marathon and how cool for the winner to be the sole runner in that HUGE bird's nest and have EVERY eye on you! It's amazing how much a minute really means in competitive sports!

Fan Day

Fan Day today @ the mall. Freshman Dance Team was a little nervous since they've only been at it since the first day of school (August 7). Thought the girls did well. The band did great and all the football players were there signing autographs. The cheerleaders passed out shakers and little footballs for the players to sign. KJ got the 3 J's to sign her little football -- Jack, Justin & Jayson. KJ's funny when it comes to the lax/football players. She gets shy around them sometimes. She wanted their autographs but didn't want to go alone; she made me go w/ her then I end up looking like a stalker/groupie. Awkward.

Not much going on Today

Chris went to a rival high school's workout this morning (more for the exercise; he's not pulling a "Julia Child" and spying on the competition). He had to some stuff to do at the lax store, too. T went to a company picnic w/ Austin and KJ's been playing w/ the little girl across the street. Looks like it's trying to rain.

I finished reading "New Moon" today; I dunno. This story is getting really stupid. However, now I'm hooked and will have to see this thing thru.

Not sure what's been happening in Beijing today; I've had the TV off enjoying the peace and quiet.

Band-Aids

Nice quiet day. Put some of my books on e-bay. It's time consuming but I'm glad when it's done. I like to see if I have any 'watchers' or any 'bidders.'

I stayed up late to watch the all-around women's gymnastics competition. I was hoping Shawn Johnson was going to win. She's got a bubbly little personality. I was a little annoyed that the woman who won changed into a pink bodysuit. She was born in Russia, her dad was on the Russian Olympic gymnastics team but she grew up here in the states. I understand that last night was an individual competition but you are still part of the United States Gymnastics team. That's who got you up on that podium. Not the Russians and pink bodysuits.

My stomach's been bothering me again; I really hope I don't have to go back to the gastoenterologist. Not my favorite doctor in the world. The nurse just called me back as I was typing this and put me back on the prescriptions I was on while I was in Europe. I felt great when we came back from our trip and didn't have problems for probably close to 8 weeks. So, between the prescriptions this week for T and now my prescriptions, my CVS bill this month is going to outrageous.

There' are few things more satisfying to me than standing in front of a pantry, a closet, a dresser drawer, what have you, w/ a big plastic garbage bag throwing stuff out. I cleaned out our linen closest today -- mainly the aspirin, expired cold medicine, old prescriptions, expired NyQuil (always makes me think of the Denis Leary skit where he talks about NyQuil -- Capital N, little y, BIG F*CKING Q!). I put all the bandaids in one spot ("someone" has a bad habit of tearing thru the bandaids when she's in a hurry and they end of all over the floor KJ), put the tweezers in some alcohol to clean off any tick residue, splinters, whatever.

Feel like I'm getting my house in order. Small steps.

Chinese Breakast

The scripture says, "A fool uttereth all his mind: but a wise man keepeth it in till afterwards.”

Good thing I ate my breakfast already. The Today Show has a segment on typical Chinese snacks -- crickets for breakfast. I'll stick to my toasted English muffins and tea thank you very much.

Had a wicked headache last night and didn't sleep great. I woke up very snuggly and had a hard time getting out of bed. Got some cleaning today. Whoo Hoo!!!

Supposed to be a really nice day today. The sun is shining. I think Chris has men's practice tonight; maybe I'll walk around the track while he's practicing.

I haven't signed the girls up for fall dance classes yet but they start next week. My fall and spring are quite literally going to suck: Monday is freshman football, Tuesday-Thursday are the girls dance classes, Friday nights will be Varsity football games (which T needs to participate). Sunday is fall ball lacrosse for 6 or 8 weeks. While Chris & the girls are at fall ball, I'm going to take a Yoga class on Sunday afternoons. Then, come spring time, football will be replaced by lacrosse (both girls & Chris) and I think KJ still wants to do softball. T has made up her mind that last year was her last softball season. KJ also has it in her head that she wants to start taking drama classes somewhere. Just what I need.

"Where there is no extravagance there is no love, and where there is no love there is no understanding." -- Oscar Wilde

Kissing Toads

Took T to the dermatologist very, very early this morning. She had these weird bumps on her stomach that needed to be looked at. I thought they were moles (she prefers "beauty marks"). I come from a long line of mole-y females: I have several moles, my mom has them and my grandmother had them. The nurse took a look while she was taking down our pertinent info and thought they were warts. Doctor came in and called them something totally else (molluscum aka non-cancerous skin growths) and said they will go away. They may get red before they go away but they will go away on their own. I drove her to school right from the doctor's office, she was chomping at the bit so she wouldn't miss dance class. She maybe missed 15-20 minutes of dance class. I filled my car up w/ gas after I dropped her off and ran to Bruno's for milk. I bought fresh green beans thinking I'd make a nice chicken dinner tonight: chicken, green beans, mashed potatoes. One small problem. I got home, looked in the freezer to defrost some chicken, realized I have none. We T gets home I'll run back out to Bruno's for some chicken.

Dance meeting went well last night. The dance sponsor seems super sweet. She had goody bags for all the girls and had lots of refreshments for us. I think I overheard her tell one of the parents that she's recently divorced. The girls found out yesterday who the captain is. There was actually a tie so the squad will have co-captains. T said one of the girl's selected really gets the dances quick but is kind of quiet. The other girl is a little bossier so they should make a good combination.

This is an Outrage! (according to Chris and his Fantasy Football Friends)

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — The Meadowlands Sports Complex has issued new rules regarding alcohol and fan behavior.

Tailgate parties can only start five hours before New York Giants and Jets games instead of seven. Also, season ticketholders who are ejected from the stadium or arena will have their tickets revoked.

Last season, security at Gate D was increased at Jets games because hundreds of men would gather at halftime and demand that women expose their breasts. View-blocking banners will be hung on the spiral staircase to help eliminate the problem.

Unchanged is the halftime cutoff for alcohol sales.

The moves were announced Tuesday by the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority.

Jeffrey's the Man

Got my highlights today. yay me! I guess I've been going to Jeffrey since I moved here over 9 years ago so technically, he's the longest running friend I've had in B'ham. Ha! Ha!

Met Chris for lunch for Mexican food and then tried to run a few errands. I dropped some bills off at the post office (my speeding ticket was one of them) and I ran to Costco to buy photo paper for our printer. I have found Costco's store brand, I think it's kirklands, to be the best high gloss premium photo paper. I hate Kodak's paper. Anyway, I want to print out all our Europe pics and get them in an album. Do you know how hard it is to find an album? Just a plain old photo album? Not a scrapbook, not a memory book. Just a simple photo album? Couldn't find anything in Hobby Lobby nor could I find anyone to help me find anything. Michael's had a few photo albums, very generic, just a solid color. That was fine w/ me. I bought a dark blue one. It says it hold 400 pics so now I'm thinking I should go back and get another one because I took over 300 pics in Italy alone.

Tonight T & I have a meet & greet w/ the new dance team sponsor. We know the dance team instructor who teaches T's class but we've not met the new teacher who will be sponsoring the freshman dance team. She's an English teacher but T does not have a class w/ her.

Love this weather today; wish I had time to curl up on the couch and read my book. I'm reading the second book of the Twilight saga. Again, still not sure how I feel about these books. They're kind of slow moving. She just seems to be talking alot about how much she loves loves loves Edward and right now she's bugging him to make her a vampire, too. She's almost a little boy-crazy in my opinion. Things need to start getting interesting for me. SPOILER ALERT: Tracy or anyone else still on the first book, don't read any farther if you don't want to know what happens.

I know at some point during the saga, the Native American friend, Jacob, turns out to be a werewolf. I've also heard some people are very disappointed in the book that just came out the beginning of August. Apparently some things occur that are just not phyisically and reproductively possible and fans of the book are outraged.

Starting our first full week of school. KJ woke up very good this morning. Last night she took a bath, brushed her teeth and choose her outfit for today all w/out me asking her to. I was very proud of her. My little girl's growing up. T woke up great (as usual). She has never, ever given me a problem in the morning. She wakes up like Chris; KJ wakes up like me. Cranky and very tired.

T had her first day of dance class today. She was really, really looking forward to it and wore one of her little dance team outfits. She has a list of what she needs to wear for each day. Monday was the white tank top and black shorts. Teusday is the orange tank top and black shorts. Since she has dance class 1st period, she'll just go to school in dance gear and then change after class. Today they learned how to "prance" and they worked on the school fight song. She's such a goober. They voted today for dance team captain. I asked her who she voted for thinking she was going to say she voted for herself. She voted for someone else. I asked her what happens if everyone else voted for themselves and now she just gave this other girl her vote and now this other girl wins by one vote??!! She looked at me and said, "I better change my vote the minute I get to school tomorrow!" She had no idea she could vote for herself. She was aggravated in French class today. They are supposed to do some big project but instead of starting at the beginning of the alphabet, the teacher started in the middle for some strange reason and came back all the way around to T. Soooo, instead of getting to choose the Eiffel tower, the Metro, Notre Dame or some other place that we actually saw in Paris, she got some building or something that we've never heard of.

Watching Olympics right now and that cute little Tom Daley from Great Britain is participating in the synchronized diving. T is suddenly interested in diving. Actually, he reminds me a little of her boyfriend, Austin (FYI -- that's Austin in the striped shirt).

Olympic Sunday

just chillin' watching the Olympics. US women's gymnastics started a little iffy but boy! That little Shawn Johnson is a sparkplug! Her beam routine was outstanding!

Did anyone catch that big bike crash earlier today? T was downstairs watching the bike race and I had just turned on the TV upstairs but for some reason the DVR had been running for a couple minutes already. She came running upstairs and said, OMG! You have to watch this bike race! I hit rewind and we watched that girl lose control of her bike and crash into all the other riders. Then, if that wasn't bad enough, the poor thing lost her water bottle and ended up in like a 5 foot ditch! I had the giggles really really bad and we just kept rewinding it, adding our own sound effects as she wobbled and then crashed. I made Chris come downstairs and watch it and KJ heard us laughing so hard so then we had to rewind it for her. I know, I know. I have a twisted sense of humor.

Christmas in August

forgot to mention in my earlier blog: i bought my first Christmas present today! I bought something for someone at Smith's Variety today in Homewood. Believe it or not, they were starting to put out their Halloween and Christmas decorations. I bought something Christmas-y and love the fact that they gift wrap for free. The sales clerk asked if this was a gift and did I want it wrapped. Yes, it is a gift and I'd like Christmas paper, please. She looked at me like I was crazy! After her initial confusion, she said "we don't have any Christmas paper out yet; maybe I have some leftover stuff in the back." I told her I wasn't picky -- plain white paper, gold or silver paper would be fine. Let this be a lesson to Smith's Variety: Don't put out Christmas gifts if you don't have Christmas wrapping paper. Duh!

Anyway, the sales clerk told me I was the first Christmas customer of the '08 season. Go me!!

Have you seen this 14-year old Olympian from Great Britain?? Isn't he the cutest little thing? He's on the diving team and I know a nice girl from Alabama who'd be perfect him! ha! ha!

Last night I took a bubble bath and got really cozy on the couch while I watched the opening ceremonies for a while and then went to bed. My sweetheart husband let me sleep in this morning. UNTIL 11 AM!!! I couldn't believe it! At some point during the night I got up and moved to the couch. When I woke up, it was 11 AM! Chris got up early and went to a lacrosse scrimmage so he let me and the girls sleep. All week he's been saying he was going to clean the garage this weekend. However, he came home from lax and decided he would take KJ down to U of A to swim and hang out at their aquatic center. They have a lazy river and a cool spiral slide. Chris went there during lax camp and thought KJ would really enjoy it (I think Chris probably enjoyed it more ... a lot of students were moving in this weekend; he was probably hoping for some eye candy!). On their way home, they're going to get some Dreamland for dinner. Yay!!

T and I got a lot accomplished today. During breakfast we went thru each of her class syllabus's (what is the plural of syllabus? syllabi?? Heather -- can you answer this question?) and made sure she had all the supplies she needed for each class. We got all her binders and notebooks together, labeled, etc. and made a list of what she still needed. She also needed a few last minute things for dance team. She should have had these things for dance camp but since we didn't go.... Anyway, we went to the dance store in Homewood and from there we found our way downtown and walked around some of the shops. After that we went to Walmart to buy those pesky last minute school supplies.

Yesterday I got a lot done while everyone was in school. I took EVERYTHING out of the pantry next to the fridge, threw away stale crackers, Halloween candy from God knows what year, salad dressings that had expired, etc. The cabinet is really deep and things have a habit of getting shoved in the way, way back. I threw away 2 kitchen trash bags full of stuff. From there I cleaned off the top of the fridge (very gross up there!) and then I cleaned out and organized the pantry in the laundry room. I also did a couple loads of laundry. My next project is the "sneaky spot" which will be referred to as my "office" from now on. KJ still has a lot of dress-up clothes in there, a lot of kid books, etc. I half-heartedly started to make it my own spot a year or 2 ago but never got really far.

No major plans for Sunday. Maybe Chris will get started on the garage! ha! ha!

Saturday Stuff

I noticed that Las Vegas Daily Photo stopped by to post a comment about the Olympics. Very cool! Vegas Daily Photo is one of my favorite blogs (see listing at lower right). I always get a kick when I get new visitors!

On a more serious note, I just saw on the news that Comedian Bernie Mac passed away. He was only 50 years old. I thought he was much older than that for some reason.

08-08-08

It's summer Olympics time! Doesn't your heart do a little flip when you hear the theme music? Don't you just get a twinge of American pride when you hear the National Anthem at each medal ceremony? Did you know this is the year of the Rat? For the next couple of weeks we're all focused on some foreign land and we're obsessed w/ their culture, food, landmarks and idiosyncrasies (i.e., wearing a green hat in China means your significant other is cheating on you. Who knew!! and why would you advertise it by wearing a green hat???).

All of us have favorite Olympic memories but I think one of my favorite images is the one of Bruce Jenner winning the Decathlon in '76. Another favorite memory of mine is the Atlanta '96 Olympics. We had just moved to Cincinnati and two days after the moving van left our driveway, the Olympic Torch Relay came right down the road outside our sub-division. I remember it was very early in the morning, kind of gray and drizzly but I put T in the stroller (she wasn't even 2 yet) and we walked down to Montgomery Road. It was very exciting, thrilling and very emotional. The entire road was lived w/ people waving American flags. Also, who can forget Muhammad Ali lighting the torch??? That was also the year the women's gymnastics team was from Cincy or trained in Cincinnati (Jaycie Phelps and Amanda Borden) and we went to the Tri-County Mall for their homecoming and T had her picture taken w/ all the girls.

What's your favorite Olympic memory? Which do you like better: Winter or Summer Olympics?

NObama

Saw an interesting quote on Tracy's blog about Obama's shiny veneer finally showing some cracks. Had to check it out for myself:

http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/pundits-begin-to-worry-about-obama/
If I've said it once on this blog, I've said it a thousand times. I'm not a very political person and really like for everyone to have their own opinions. However, his arrogance, his lack of accomplishment, his Muslim ties, and his constant flip-flopping are of a HUGE concern to me. We've all got the internet, we've all seen those excerpts from his books about his hatred (OK. maybe "hatred" is too strong a word, maybe I should say his "strong dislike" for white, middle-class Americans) is disturbing at the least (don't even get me started on his uppity snooty wife and her college dissertation!). Yes, I'll be the first one to agree that we need change. We've had 8 years of Republicans (and if I remember correctly, 8 years of Democrats before that! Tell me, who's cleaning up who's mess???). However, is Obama really going to serve me and my family best? Me and my white, middle-class American family???

the most wonderful time of the year

Check out KJ's cool messenger bag! She bought some pins to put on there to personalize it: an iCarly pin and, of course, a Jonas Brothers pin. She asked for a sandwhich today rather than buying her lunch and she got to use the new Vera Bradley lunch bag she picked out over the summer.

Some back-to-school photos. If you are a regular blog reader you know T is a freshman today (What??? When did that happen???) and KJ is a big bad 3rd grader (she's up on the 2nd floor now w/ all the other big kids -- only the babies are on the first floor!). Today was a very good day all around. Both girls woke up really well, I made scrambled eggs and toast for everyone (no; that is not a mis-print!). KJ had a few minutes to spare and decided at the last minute that she wanted to ride the bus. Since T had no idea what her schedule was due to a last minute change at registration, I told her I would drive her in plenty of time to make first period. Traffic was quite bad so I don't think she had much time during Zero period to figure much out. I'm sure the front office @ the FC was a zoo today. T didn't even know where her locker was. Round-trip from my front door, to the FC and back again to my front door was 47 minutes.

Met some ladies for breakfast at Panera today and had a lot of laughs. Tracy had her camera; should have gotten a group shot or at least a shot of our littlest friends, Miss Ella and Little Miss Shyness. Everyone was anxious to have a free day to get some errands done. I had some clothes in my car to drop off at the consignment shop and while I was in there Chris called and asked me to meet him at Moe's for lunch. I can definitely get used to this!

KJ has her last hip-hop class of the summer. If it's not thundering & lightening like it supposed to later this afternoon, I plan to walk around the track while she's @ dance. Got to work off my bagel and my quesidilla!

Freshman Eve

I can NOT believe T is on the verge of becoming a high schooler. Technically she's going to be at the Freshman Center which is approximately 1/2 mile, 3/4 of a mile from the "senior campus." A high schooler nonetheless. Wow. I'm just at a loss for words. She's not taking a Zero period this year but I need to get her to school a little early tomorrow because she does not have her schedule yet. We had to make a change at registration so other than her dance team class first period, she doesn't know anything. Chris will drive KJ to elementary school and I'll drive T to the freshman center Thursday & Friday. The rest of the year, she's bus-sing it whether she likes it or not. I'm excited for her and all the wonderful things that go along w/ growing up (homecoming dances, football games, driver's licenses, etc.), at the same time I'm not looking forward to all the drama we've avoided all thru middle school. The fights w/ boyfriends, the fights w/ girlfriends, the fights w/ girlfriends over boys, the fights w/ her over boundaries and limits, fights over tattoos and body piercings, etc. Seriously. I am way too young and sassy for this nonsense!!!

Some Gift Ideas

Whoo-Hoo!! Less than 50 days to my b-day!
Tonight at dinner I told Chris I'd like a pedometer for my b-day, a sports watch (I had to carry my cell phone around the track so I knew when it was time to get KJ). I'd also like a new iPod. My MP3 player is fine, a little old, but serviceable.

Tuesday B4 School

Wow! The school clock is counting down fast!


KJ had hip-hop 2nite and Chris had men's practice. I walked around the field for a mile and ran up the bleachers twice (I know, I know. It's not the 3 or 4 miles my Facebook/Blogger friend Tracy does daily but hey! This Yankee hates the heat and I certainly hate the kitchen!).

KJ & I ran to the bookstore before meeting Chris for dinner. I broke down and bought the 2nd book in the Twilight saga. I guess I'm just gonna have to see this thing thru to the end. I bought Twilight the week the latest book was coming out. At that time, the lady in the book store invited me to the midnight launch party at the end of the week for the new book. Well, tonight when I bought book #2, she told me they had almost 3oo people in the store the night the latest book came out. I'm guessing all 300 people were fans and most of the 300 bought copies of the book. I went on the Twilight website to make sure I had the books in the right order before I bought book #2 and they had a section about "midnight parties." So, I'm guessing this occurred across the country. Do the math. That's a lot of books!

Bright & early tomorrow (emphasis on the "bright" and WAAAYYY too "early") GW is coming over for the day. Mom is back to school and she needed some help w/ the kids. Guess I'll just have to drag her around w/ me while I do my errands. If she thinks she's gonna sit at the pool and relax all day, she's got another thing coming. KJ informed me on the way home from hip-hop that she has no socks and T needs a few things. Maybe I'll follow Tracy's lead and go to the Tar-jay that opened a couple exits down the road. I didn't even know it was there until we went to Tuscaloosa last week. T also noticed there is a Maurice's and a Rue 21. She doesn't really need anything other than shoes.

OMG!!! T is flippin' channels and Two-A-Days in on MTV. Holy freakin' Deja Vu!!!

Vonnie, if you're reading this meet us at Panera around 9 AM Thursday for a back-to-school breakfast. I don't have your e-mail!

T minus 3 days and counting . . .

Can't believe the kids go back to school Thursday. From 1 - 3 PM today was KJ's Meet the Teacher where you meet the teacher and drop off your school supplies, get your desk organized, sign some emergency forms, etc. She does know several kids in her class so she was happy. I had one impression of the teacher immediately upon meeting, tried to be a little more open-minded at the 5:30 PM Parent Meeting. First impression stuck. We'll see how the year goes.

After Meet the Teacher we were on a search for footwear. We went to Marshall's and Payless and somehow ended up at a teen consignment shop. T bought 3 pairs of jeans. One of them was a brand new paper of Paper Cloth Denim for only $45 (we've seen this brand in the stores for $100-$160).

Chris mowed the lawn after dinner and now he & KJ are having a water balloon fight on the front yard.

Sunday Serenity

Woke up this morning around 7:30 AM and since I was alone and it was nice and quiet, I read for a long time. KJ came downstairs and got in bed w/ me for a little while. I love when she does that. Wonder how much longer that will last? She's my snuggler fo' sho'.

Chris is on his way back home from his ATL tournament. They didn't do as well as he would have liked. This all-star team is very young. He lost a lot of seniors to graduation and kind of has to start all over again. He had a great defensive line and he's feeling the loss of his "4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse" -- Bryan in goal, Grant, Jacob & Conor as long poles. College coaches from Harvard, Drexel and Loyola were there scoping out the boys (that sounded a little creepy, didn't it??).

Hot again today. What else is new? This is the month of August in the deep South. T went to the pool for a little while; KJ & I haven't left the house. I'm dreading stepping out on the back porch to put the steaks on the grill. I've been doing a ton of laundry today and trying to catch up. I've just accepted the fact that catching up on laundry is damn near next to impossible.

The girls have 4 days before school starts. T is so pissed. KJ is very excited to meet her teacher tomorrow but T is just so aggravated about the whole education thing disrupting her summer. If she doesn't find some appropriate shoes to wear to high school, she may just be going barefoot.

All Shopped Out

Yes, we were out today participating in the madness known as Tax Free Weekend. Since all of the boys who work at the store are in ATL w/ Chris for an all-star tournament, I had to hold down the fort. I made the girls come w/ me to keep me company and we closed up shop an hour early. We hit Justice (which was horrifying! Thank God T was w/ us because she held our place in line while KJ & I were still in the dressing room!). KJ got some capri pants (which she can wear until late October down here!), an iCarly t-shirt, a Jonas Brothers t-shirt, and a new pair of jammies. We went to the mall which really wasn't too bad. T bought a pair of skinny jeans in Macy's, 2 cute jackets and some other things at Forever 21, a new backpack and some other stuff I really can't remember. She couldn't find a thing at Belk's and she's still searching for shoes. She didn't find a single appropriate shoe at DSW, Macy's or Belk's. Everything looked like an old lady shoe or a stripper shoe. KJ also got some t-shirts at Limited Too.

I ordered Wicked tickets for me and kJ in Atlanta in October. What a freakin' fiasco. I'm so mad at myself. I should have ordered them when I was on-line late last night. I'm not thrilled w/ our seats but it was the best available for a Sunday matinee. Apparently I already had an account w/ Ticketmaster but couldn't remember the password. So, they sent an notice to my e-mail account. Which normally would have been fine but I was at store and we've been having problems w/ the Internet lines. So, every time I tried to order tickets via Ticketmaster, they kept telling me my password was wrong, I'd have to check my e-mail for the new password, but then the Ticketmaster thingy timed out and I'd loose the good seats I just had! Very, very frustrating. It didn't help that customer's kept coming in. I should have put a CLOSED sign on the door until I got the tickets ordered!

Friday Nite Funnies

(as always) had a good time at Scott & Debbie's. Good food, good fun. T & KJ came w/ us and we all hung out, laughing, eating and drinking (I should clarify -- only those of legal age were drinking). KJ had fun playing w/ their dog & cat and of course started in on the whole "when are we getting another dog?" thing. She's relentless.

Wicked tickets go on sale 8/2/08 so we had a big debate in the car whether the entire family is going or just KJ & I. After T & I saw it in London, I had told KJ I would take her to see it when it came here in April '09 but then I found out it was coming to the Fox Theater in Atlanta and everyone says it's a much better venue. So I thought KJ & I could go to ATL on Saturday, spend the day doing whatever she wants (probably the aquarium and/or American Girl store), spend the night, see the show Sunday afternoon. Then we ran into this whole big thing about how KJ should have just some time w/ me since T had time w/ me in Europe but then T brought up that we ALWAYS spend b-days as a family (she really doesn't care, she just wants to see Wicked again), etc. I think right now, it will just be me & KJ. I'm thinking Chris will have fall ball on Sunday's anyway.