It's OK Thursday

It's OK . . .

...it's OK that I bought 3 beach towels this week.  I have Spring Break on the brain.  Can't help it.
...it's OK that I was very excited to watch the Duck Dynasty season premiere last night.
...it's OK to know that Justin Bieber's birthday is tomorrow. 
...it's OK that I've worn black three days in a row this week. 
...it's OK that I am probably one of the few women on earth who have absolutely no desire to see "Les Miserables."  Especially after that Oscar performance.
...it's OK that I still don't care about the Bachelor and his virginity. 
...it's OK that I am looking forward to the possibility of snow this weekend.
...it's OK that I am looking forward to cleaning out my closet this weekend.  Got to make room for my Spring wardrobe purchases!

De-Bunking a Myth

In a perfect world I'd blog every day.  Some days I'm busy and some days I just don't have anything to blog about (shocking!).  So today I did a google search "things to blog about" and one of the suggestions was de-bunking a myth.  While I don't have any actual data or research to de-bunk a myth, it got me thinking about my favorite kind of shows on the History Channel. 

Lately, I've been watching alot of "Ancient Aliens" and "America Unearthed."  These shows are positively fascinating to me.  I love shows that encourage open discussion and dialogue and open up a whole new world of "what if's."  Let's start with "America Unearthed" today and I'll discuss "Ancient Aliens" another day.  Yeah, I know.  Some of you can hardly wait.

"America Unearthed" is hosted by Scott Wolter, a forensic geologist and president of the Minnesota-based American Petrographic Services."  He developed a new science called archaeopetrography--a scientific process used to date and understand the origins of mysterious stone artifacts and sites. The first artifact Scott studied using this new science was the Kensington Rune Stone, which he believes is an authentic, pre-Columbian land claim carved here in America by none other than the Knights Templar. The Kensington Rune Stone is this guy's claim to fame and he is hell-bent on proving that Columbus was not the first to discover America.  He is convinced that the Knights Templar were here as well as a "giant" race of people (Vikings?) that settled in Minnesota (which is totally plausabile in my humble opinion if the Vikings stopped in Iceland and Greenland before hitting North America).  One of the shows examined the missing colony of Roanoke and another dissected the possibility of whether Meriwether Lewis could have been murdered shortly after his return from the American West. 

I like the show.  I really do.  However, there have been some red flags for me.  Sometimes Mr. Wolter seems like he's really, really reaching to draw a conclusion which correlates with his personal agenda (Mr. Wolter has written a book on the Kensington Rune Stone so obviously his objective is to sell more books).  He's been called a modern-day Indiana Jones and the show has been described as "alternative history." 

Both the show and Mr. Wolter himself come under close scrutiny each week in a blog by a Mr. Jason Colavito who does his very best to de-bunk everything discussed on America Unearthed.  Colavito is a bestselling author and editor based in Albany, NY. He is internationally recognized by scholars, literary theorists, and scientists for his pioneering work exploring the connections between science, pseudoscience, and speculative fiction. His investigations examine the way human beings create and employ the supernatural to alter and understand our reality and our world. He has published several books and is "currently pursuing a number of projects, both in nonfiction and fiction" according to his website bio.  He's also launched his own line of print-on-demand books collecting rare texts about alternative history, the occult, and speculative fiction. Colavito holds a Bachelor of Arts from Ithaca College in Ithaca, New York where he majored in both anthropology and journalism. A summa cum laude graduate, Colavito was recognized as the Distinguished Graduate in the Social and Behavioral Sciences, and he was made the Jessica Savitch Communications Scholar for his work in journalism. http://www.jasoncolavito.com/blog.html  So yet again we have someone with ulterior motives -- to sell more books. 

Red Neck

"Just once, I would like to wake up, turn on the news, and hear...'Monday has been canceled, go back to sleep."  -- Author Unknown

Had such a nice weekend with T and the girls!  It was wonderful having a houseful of kids and the girls were super sweet.  They were so low maintenance and no trouble at all. 

Unfortunately, the tournament wasn't organized very well and the home team didn't have a contingency plan in place in the event of rain.  The fields were an absolute disaster and the Saturday games were cancelled.  Coach made some phone calls and was able to secure some turf fields for Sunday but the home team did not want to travel the 45 minutes up the road from Ttown to Hoover nor did they want to play on a high school field (which is weird because the high school facilities are a 1000 times better than the rec fields at Bama!).  The girls made the best of the situation and all went to the mall and out to dinner.  A couple of them went to Coach's game (which was super exciting!  It went into double-overtime but Hoovs lost by 1.). 

The bus came for the girls super duper early Sunday morning and we headed to T-town for two games.  Last fall Alabama beat the girls pretty bad but Saturday Ole Miss only lost by two and Ole Miss beat Samford pretty good so they ended up going 1 for 1 on the day.  T scored two goals in each of the games.  And, if I remember correctly she scored first in each of the games.  The weather was so incredible.  Such a beautiful day, not a cloud in the sky and I love being on the Alabama campus (kind of weird though being on campus wearing and Ole Miss sweatshirt and hat).   Unfortunately, I got sun burnt on the back of my neck and look like a total goober. 

I didn't sleep well Saturday night but Sunday night I had one of the best night's sleep of my life.  A very good deep sleep.  I was so snuggly and really had a hard time getting up this morning.  Monday's really stink.  

Poor Coach

Got SOOOO much done today!  House looks great!  House smells great!  I even had time to bake some cookies.  Beds are made, fresh towels in all the bathrooms, extra pillows on hand.  Now I'm just waiting on the "girls" to get here. 

Poor Coach.  He is going to be severely outnumbered this weekend and he's trying to get in as much testosterone as he can.  He's got a game tonight (in the pouring rain, no thank you) and 2 games tomorrow but they're later in the day so he'll be able to catch T's first game and most of the second.  Coach had made arrangements for the "girls" to use one of the Hoover fields tonight to get in a little practice and the former Alabama Men's coach was going to come out and work with the Ole Miss goalie but Parks and Rec closed the fields due to the weather.  Tomorrow's games are going to be a mess.  The Alabama Men's tournament organizers were scrambling to find alternative fields and the Women (i.e., the "girls") are playing on the Rec field (which is going to be more of a swimming hole than a field). 

Thank goodness for good friends, they are taking KJ to her vball tournament in Huntsville this weekend.  She made me promise that no one would sleep in her bed while she was gone.  She said she doesn't want any "strangers" in her bed.  I couldn't help but laugh.  Trust me KJ.  No one and I do mean NO ONE wants to sleep in that bed. 

It's OK Thursday

It's OK . . . 

...to be sarcastic. 
...that no one in my family knows how to replace a roll of toilet paper or load the dishwasher. 
...that I am completely bored with my current wardrobe.  Spring shopping spree!
...to not "get" the Harlem Shake videos. 

25 Random Things

Saw this over on www.CreativelySouthern.com this morning and thought I'd join in on the fun!

1. If anyone asks, I automatically say that my favorite color is green.  But I really like them all.  Except yellow.  I don't think anyone looks good in yellow.
2. I eat a brown sugar cinnamon pop-tart every morning at my desk.  Monday through Friday. 
3. I was a cheerleader in high school.
4. I'm not a cake person but I do like cupcakes! They are the perfect proportion.  Not too big.  Not too little. But I don't like a ton of frosting. 
5.  I have a cup of darjeeling tea every morning.
6.  I have a Schwepp's ginger ale every night. 
7.  I have a hard time throwing away old address books or planners.
8.  If money was no object, I'd have a personal chef.  I really, really, really hate to cook.
9.  I truly believe that some people should not wear yoga pants or leggings in public. 
10.  I am addicted to lip gloss. 
11.  I've had the same Brighton key chain for about 15 years. 
12.  I wear a size 5 shoe but they are very, very hard to find so I end up buying a 6 and then using inserts and/or heel cushions to make them fit better.
13.  I have to read a little bit each night before I go to bed to soothe my head.
14.  I don't like pancakes.
15.  I don't like diet soft drinks of any kind.
16.  The change purse in my wallet is filled with coins but none of them are US currency.  I carry around coins from Jamaica (our honeymoon 20 years ago), Pesos from Cabo and Cancun and Euros from my trip with T.  I also have casino chips from Vegas and a merry go round token from the Birmingham Zoo.
17.  I keep the cards from the flowers Coach has sent me over the years in my wallet and take a look at them when I need a pick-me-up.
18.  I have never worn false eyelashes.
19.  I have never broken a bone in my body.  The closest I've ever come is a really bad sprained ankle. 
20.  I've never had anything removed from my body either (other than 2 kids).  I still have my spleen, my kidneys, my gall bladder etc. 
21.  I was lucky enough to know both sets of grandparents and two great-grandmothers. 
22.  I'm pretty prompt.  I'm rarely, if ever, late.
23.  I clean out my handbag once a week.
24.  I've never played a real game of golf.  Mini-golf, yes.
25.  Still don't like bananas or coconuts. 

Tuesday already?

Tomorrow's Hump Day.  Where has this week gone???

I braved the bitter cold Saturday and sat through most of the JV game and all of the Varsity game.  JV lost by 1 and Varsity won (can't remember the final score).  After the game we grabbed a bite to eat and the assistant coaches and a couple of the kids ended up sitting at the table next to us.  We got home in time to see most of the high school's Beauty Walk on iHigh.  I missed all of the girls walking out at the beginning but caught the top 30, the top 10 and the finale.  Luv, luv, luv seeing the girls all dressed up and grown up! 

Sunday morning were two more games but I didn't go.  It was nice  to relax and sleep in a little and get a some laundry done.  Last night Coach and I went out to dinner before getting KJ from the airport.  She had a wonderful, wonderful time in DC and took some amazing pictures.  They were on the go the entire trip and she's exhausted and slightly cranky. 

Getting ready for the lacrosse team's arrival this weekend -- been buying snacks, bought some extra pillows in case someone forgot theirs and bought some fresh guest towels.  Hopefully most of the girls remember to bring their air mattresses.  The girls will get here late Friday night and will go out to dinner after the games Saturday so I just need to feed them breakfast Saturday and Sunday morning.  And hopefully it doesn't rain so I don't have 30 girls covered in muddy tromping thru the house! 

No Kids Allowed

Whoop!  Whoop!
Totally enjoying our "kid-free" weekend so far!

KJ is having a blast in DC!  She's been sending us photos and it doesn't appear to be too terribly cold.  She's not wearing a jacket or snow boots in any of the photos.  They were at the Ford Theater earlier today as well as the National Cathedral. 

T is having a bit of a rough day in Nashville.  They are played Vandy earlier today (and lost) and are about to play Clemson.  It's cold, the team isn't playing well and she's not a happy camper.  I think the girls are having a hard time bonding since their goalie passed away in the fall.  I think the older girls have lost their spark and the younger girls are looking to them for leadership.  They'll turn it around. 

Last night we had our annual lacrosse fundraiser and had a GREAT time!  I don't know a lot of these younger kids coming up or their parents but we had a lot of great food, great adult bevvies and some great items were auctioned off!  I bought a basket full of wine and two autographed books (my friend G's brother is an author and has written a book about their father's experience in WWII and his newest book is about William Faulkner).  I've had both of his books on my Nook Wish List and now I actually own signed copies.  I'm very excited to start reading!  http://www.jacksacco.com/

Today the sun is shining but I can hear the wind and it's supposed to be very cold out.  Coach (yup!  the lax season has officially started so he's back to being "Coach").  I plan to support Coach and the team but am kind of dragging my feet.  I really don't want to sit on the cold metal bleachers in the wind for two games.  Guess I need to make a to-go cup of hot chocolate, pack a seat cushion and a blankie and just suck it up!

It's OK Thursday (Valentine's Day Edition)

...It's OK that KJ opened her Valentine's Day Gifts last night.  She needed to pack some of them for her DC trip. 
...It's OK that I received a Justin Beiber Valentine's Day card from a co-worker.  It has a cool "I Heart Justin" tattoo! 
...It's OK that I forgot to mail my niece and nephew's cards (I'm lying.  It's really not OK).

...It's OK that Cosmo's and KJ's cards are sitting on the counter.  Not filled out yet. 

...It's OK that I obviously have become really bad and giving cards.  I buy them, just forget to mail them or give them. 
...It's OK I had to text T and ask her what the heck was a Harlem Shake. 
...It's OK that I bought the Alabama Shakes CD and the Florence + the Machine CD.  More than OK.  Both are great albums!
...It's OK to still use the word "album" isn't it???
...It's OK that I am now officially hooked on Duck Dynasty.
...It's OK that I've lived in the South for 14 years and am slooooowwwwllllly beginning to accept some things Southern -- I find myself using the phrase "Bless her Heart" more and more, I like Duck Dynasty, the show "Nashville" (and the soundtrack!) and the other night I had a dream that Blake Shelton (no Miranda in sight) was sitting across the table from me at a friends wedding. 
...It's OK that I will never like Sweet Tea.  I just can't.  When I drink it, I can just feel my teeth rotting out of my head. 


Busier than a . . .

take your pick:

1.a one-armed paperhanger with a case of the hives.
2.a one-eyed cat watching nine rat holes.
3.a one-legged man in a butt kickin’ contest.
4.a one-toothed man in a corn-on-the-cob eating contest.
5.a mosquito at a nudist colony.
6.a one-armed paper hanger.
7.a cross-eyed air traffic controller.
8.a set of jumper cables at a country funeral.
9.a cat with puppies.
10.a weatherman in a tornado (made me think of James Spann!!)
11.a desert cobra at a mongoose convention.
12.a termite in a saw mill.
13.a dog scratching fleas.
14.a one-armed-pimp in a bitch-slapping contest
15.a one-armed trombone player.
16.a rooster in a henhouse.

Some of these are pretty funny.  My dad always said he was "busier than a one-armed paperhanger."  I've never heard the "with a case of hives" part before. 

Got a lot going on . . .
-- really like my new job so far.  It's keeping me busy. 
-- trying to get KJ packed and ready for DC. 
-- she's had a lot of vball; weekly practices / weekend tournaments.  I feel like all I do is wash uniforms and vball socks. 
-- we've had a lot of lax (Ole Miss and Hoover) and the Hoover season doesn't officially start until Saturday; got our annual auction this weekend which is always fun!  Made up a tailgate basket (it's actually a cooler, not a basket but I guess it could also be used for a picnic) to auction off (a variety of gourmet beers, fun bottle-opener, blue corn chips, mango salsa, some kind of beer potato chips, crackers, sausage, cheeses, etc.).
-- getting ready for the Ole Miss to stay with us when they play Bama.  Not sure yet if the ENTIRE team (approx. 30 girls) or HALF the team (approx. 15 girls) are staying with us but that weekend couldn't be any crazier . . . they'll play 2 games on Saturday and 1 on Sunday so that means they'll be with us 2 nights (which means the woman who HATES to cook will be cooking for a small army).  Cosmo has Hoover lax games that weekend and KJ is supposed to be in Nashville for a vball tournament.
-- then we head into Spring Break.  T and the girls will be stopping here on their way to SB'13 to pick-up a friend from Auburn who will be joining them.  Not sure of the number but it could be anywhere from 5 to 10 girls.  I volunteered to make a lasagna and salad for them for that first night in the condo so they don't have to cook.  Who am I kidding?  I'll get Cosmo to make the lasagna.  KJ has SB'13 the week after T and was invited to the beach with friends.  I will probably end up cancelling the condo I had for the week and Cosmo and I are thinking of taking a quick, romantic, child-less trip for a couple of days.  I don't care where we go.  I just want to sit at a pool and/or get lots of spa treatments. 

KJ Update

Sometimes daughter #2 comes out with some great one-liners.  Some real zingers.  Last night I was on the phone w/ T before she was meeting a friend at the Library to study for their French exam.  KJ overheard me saying "Be careful walking home in the dark."  She yelled loud enough for T to hear:  "Don't forget your rape whistle!" 

Disclaimer:  I am not making light of rape by any means and we truly feel that T is safe on the campus of Ole Miss. 

KJ is heading to Washington DC this weekend with her class.  She's super-duper excited and really needs to start packing.  It's supposed to be very cold (mid to high 30's) and there is a possibility of snow.  Which is fun for the kids but makes packing more difficult.  

DC is one of our favorite cities and, like New York City, it's totally magical covered in snow.  The buildings take on a softer, blanketed look.  DC is a beautifully green city and I love to see the trees covered in a heavy snow. 

The Korean War Memorial is so incredibly realistic in any weather, in the snow the statues comes to life. 

awesome

So apparently I use the word "awesome" fairly often.  I didn't even know I said it until a couple of co-workers noticed they were using the word a lot and traced it back to me. 

Well, what am I supposed to say?  Cool?  Bitchin'?  Freakin' A?  Neat-O?? 

So basically, I've got the entire office saying "Awesome!" and honestly, I think it's pretty awesome!

#BRA

A while back I started watching a show on the Style Network, "Big Rich Texas."  The reality show follows a group of women and their daughters from the Dallas area.  The common denominator is that they all are members of the same country club.  A couple of the women are divorced, one has been married for almost 20 years to a man a little younger than her, holds some type of degree in biology or something and writes mystery novels in her spare time.  And she has a heavily tattooed and pierced daughter from a previous relationship.  One of the women owns a consignment store and one owns a construction company with her husband.  One of the women, the resident pageant queen, lost her husband by an accidental drowning.  She is raising her god-daughter to follow in her pageant footsteps. 

Of course there is the usual back-stabbing, "she said this," etc. among the women and sometimes the girls (most of the girls are in high school) but overall they are a fairly likable group.  Not so much for the spin-off, Big Rich Atlanta. 

This show is so awful yet I can't stop watching.  It's a god-damn train wreck.  This group of daughters are a little older (mid- to late 20's) and it's not really clear how they all know each other.  They seem like an unlikely group of friends and I think they were just thrown together for the sake of the show.  I just don't see these women running around in the same social circles. 

The cast of characters include sisters Myer and Harvin and their mother Virginia.  The girls are a hot mess and their mama came into town to save them and their fledgling jewelry business.  These two girls still live at home and are apparently still on mommy and daddy's payroll.  In this week's episode the two sisters had a physical altercation and Goose (yup, that's the mother's nickname because she drinks a lot of Grey Goose vodka), threatened to cut them off if they didn't sort things out.  She really laid it on the line -- no cars, no beautiful house to live in, no manicures, no pedicures, no spray tanning.  That's tough love right there.  Is it just me or do these sisters remind you of the movie White Chicks???

There are two African-American families featured on the show and quite honestly, I can't tell them apart.  One of mother's is a former back-up dancer for Bobby Brown and is now a dancing preacher.  The other mom owns a nail salon and is married to a R&B artist I've never heard of.  Again, they are so boring and so irrelevant to the show it's not even funny.  The one daughter is in her late 20's and still lives at home.  Her mom wants her to buy a house in the suburbs, find a man and start a family.  The daughter wants her parents to pay for a condo in the heart of the city so she can live the single life.  She's a nasty girl and fights constantly with Ashlee, the resident pageant queen. 

And now on to Ashlee, the self-proclaimed "Boss Bitch."  Honestly, she is the girl you love to hate.  She's constantly throwing parties for herself --she had a divorce party earlier in the season  and this week was her 28th birthday party (where she had all the guests professionally styled to ensure her party was "sexy").  Sometimes I think she's super pretty, other times I think she looks like a cross-dresser or a tranny (see photo below).  Some time, back in the late 90's or early 00's she won Miss GA Teen USA and has somehow been able to parlay that experience into a pageant business.  She is a master manipulator, spoiled and self-centered.    She harshly speaks her mind but she is positively oozing with Southern charm so that makes it all OK. 

The next mother/daughter duo on the show is a successful Atlanta interior designer and her daughter Megan.  Megan is a complete and total idiot.  She has a squeaky baby voice and constantly looks like a deer caught in the headlights.  Apparently, she is a real estate agent.  I wouldn't buy an ice cream cone from this girl.  She now wants to start a "fashion truck" company (similar to a "food truck" but with clothes/accessories) and is upset because her daddy won't give her the start up money. 

All in all, not one of these women has a single redeeming quality among them. 

1st "It's OK" of 2013

  ...It's OK that I've fallen alseep on the couch twice this week while watching TV ...It's OK to be obsessed with "America Unearthed" on H2. ...It's OK that I watched "Duck Dynasty" for the first time ever this past weekend ...It's OK that I watched "Full House" with KJ this week and thought Uncle Jesse was totally rocking those acid wash jeans ...It's OK that all my "It's OK Thursday" items are about TV  

Lax, Football & Some Girl Power

Had a quick, but still great, visit in Oxford this weekend.  The mens & women's teams hosted a tournament in honor of their teammates, John & Sarah Wheat who were both killed in a car accident last fall.  It was cold and rainy and at one point it was even hailing but everyone played on.  T scored a goal in the GA Tech game, didn't score in the FL game.  The girls lost both games, not sure how the boys did.  The girls definately have some work to do and it seems not everyone is on the same page.  Some are very dedicated and others don't always show up to practice.  Kelly, the girl who stepped up and offered to play goalie in honor of her friend, had never picked up a stick before in her life.  When Coach is in Memphis, he tries to attend practice so he can work with her.  He doesn't want to step on anyone's toes but the girl definately needs some goalie-specific coaching. 

So, in between games we took T to lunch and did some shopping at Rebel Rags.  After the loss to FL we went back to T's room for a bit and visited w/ BB.  Friday was her 19th b-day so her family was in town, too.  Poor Cosmo!  Being in an all-girls dorm makes him horribly uncomfortable.  He's afraid someone is going to walk down the hall naked or something. 

Sunday KJ had some friends over to watch the Super Bowl.  Seriously, my girls love any excuse to have friends over.  Full Moon?  Let's have a party!  Daytona 500?  Party!  Gemini is in Mars Retrograde?  Duh!  Party!  T always had kids at the house and it looks like KJ is following in her footsteps.  The kids played a little pre-game cornhole while it was still light out and then watched the game.  Cosmo took the TV out of our room and put it in the living room in case they wanted to play the Wii while they were watching the game but I don't think they ever turned it on. 

After the black-out I kind of lost interest in the game and went upstairs and read my Nook.  Several parents started to pick up their kids at that time so it wasn't a terribly late night.  My favorite commercial was the old folks / Taco Bell commercial.  I always love the e-trade baby and I thought the Doritos goat commercial and the dad's dressing up ones were funny too.  Hate, hate, hate GoDaddy.  So demeaning to women.  I also liked Amy Poehler in Best Buy and I thought the kid getting punched at the Prom was good.


Even though it was a football game, there was a lot of girl power going on last night!  I thought it was awesome to see 9 year-old Sam Gordon sitting with the NFL Commissioner and Jennifer Hudson and the Newtown Choir was beautiful.  Not really a fan of Alicia Keyes and I didn't really care for her rendition of the Star Spangled Banner.  Just sing the damn song. 

And now on to the half-time show.  I think Beyonce put on a helluva show but it was just that.  A show.  A performance.  Don't get me wrong.  She looked incredible and can move like no body's business.  I just didn't think there was a whole lotta singing going on.  She definately had some kind of pre-recorded track playing and my favorite part was when the two other girls from Destiny's Child pop up out of nowhere!
Beyonce Halftime Show Read more celebrity gossip at: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/videos/beyonce-halftime-show/#ixzz2JwiSD3U0