Exceedingly Mundane

1. How many computers are in your home? Are they for personal or business use? Lots. 3 “regular” ones and one laptop from work. We have 2 PC’s running Linux that comprise Hambones, and my regular windows desktop.

2. How many cars does your household own? What are the colors of the cars? 2 Fords. Tim’s is a dark grey and mine is a maroon.

3. When was the last time you did a thorough cleaning of your home? Did you find anything that you thought you lost? Ick. That sounds like spring cleaning to me. Seriously, I try to keep things clean around here so I don’t have to do much deep cleaning. Of course, if you move the refrigerator or the couch or the bed, dust bunnies will be very prevalent. I don’t do that often!

4. Do you generally get along with your neighbors? Is there one neighbor that really gets on your nerves? Yes, we get along with our neighbors really well. Now that spring is upon us, we’ve been out more and so have our neighbors. We’ve been talking up a blue streak to several of them, catching up.

5. Are you basically content with your living situation? Why or why not? Heavens, yes. I am a homebody, nesting type person to the nth degree. I love being home. I love having a home. I love taking care of me and Tim. I wouldn’t change a thing (except to get another dog – hint hint).

Fun questions today, thanks Otto!

1. Do you own any box sets of your favorite shows? Not a single one. We own over 100 DVD movies, but none of TV shows. Tim doesn’t get into those at all.
2. Are you penpals with other people? Not really. Email buddies but no penpals
3. Do you still send out real, paper cards in the mail? Just the “regular” kind – birthday cards, Christmas cards, thank you notes. An occasional “congrats on the new baby” or sympathy cards. That’s about it, though.
4. Have you ever bought or sold anything on Ebay? Nope, not a single solitary thing. I’m staying out of that quicksand, as long as I can.
5. Did you have to set your clocks an hour ahead this past weekend? We move them on Sunday mornings, never the night before.
6. How many of your blog buddies’ birthdays do you know? Just family ones
7. When is your birthday (need not include year)? October 18

I was going to blog about this anyway, in my daily rambling. Might as well do Sindee’s fun weekly meme as the tool!

~April Fools~

By the way…
Have you been the fooler or the fooled?Always the fooled. 😕
Care to share? Yesterday, I was taken in twice. April Fool’s. Huh. Seems like a way to be mean to people, to me. 😛

Let’s see… Gail got me first. She called in the AM and convinced me she was sick, and that she might not be able to drive to North Carolina to visit Jeremy, Kathryn and Katelyn. She was going to keep Katelyn for a week, while Kathryn went back to work after maternity leave. She said she ate something and she was feeling horrible, yada, yada, yada. I’m so gullible that not only did I believe her, but I felt sorry for her, was sympathetic and hated that she wasn’t feeling good. Yeah, right. April Fool’s.

Then, Tim got me later on in the day. He and Don went to play golf at the Refuge. On the way home, he called on the cell and Chris and Elizabeth had just gotten here. I needed to go ahead and order pizza, so I switched phones and ordered 2 large pizzas plus an order of cheese sticks from our favorite pizza joint. Delivery was over an hour, so I got back on the cell with Tim and got him to stop and wait for pick-up (20 minutes). Tim called about 25 minutes later and said “I got the pizzas – did you order smalls? These boxes are really small.”. No, and I proceeded to get upset that they got our order wrong and we had 5 hungry people and two tiny pizzas. Well, after letting me wax on a while, Tim finally says the magic words “April Fool’s!”. Yeah, right. Got me again. I’m too gullible and naive and trusting for my own good.

They weren’t mean or malicious, but just go to prove that I believe and trust people. And people are mean to me. One of my favorite phrases is always “why is everybody always picking on me?” Never were truer words spoken.

Look at the new banner, so pretty and springlike 😀

::External Hard Drive::

Onesome: External– What sorts of gadgets do having hanging off your computer? We’ll spot you that printer, but how about other goodies like scanners, card readers, cameras, MP3 players and such? Oh wow, it’s geek heaven here. No, not really, but we do love our gadgets. My printer is an all-in-one (printer, scanner, copies, has a card reader also). Then I have my Dazzle card reader, USB connection to my iPod, USB connection to our Garmin GPS, and an optional cable to my camera (although I use the Dazzle 99% of the time). Finally, in a few days, I will have a Bluetooth USB adaptor hooked up (just gotta order it soon!).

Twosome: Hard– What part of working with computers is hard for you? …working with one particular piece of software? Getting that camera to connect? …or dealing with the family members who don’t understand what the deal is ? Hardware has always been the hardest for me. I just don’t see things that well, to fit together and cable properly, insert chips properly, etc. I am so glad I have Tim to do all that for us now. He is much better at it than I am, anyway!

Threesome: Drive– What drives you to the computer? Is it friends? Work? News? Recipes? The weather radar? I’m addicted, plain and simple. I have been for over a decade. Email, IM, Hambones, blogging, surfing, shopping, reading message boards, looking things up, checking weather, researching travel, etc. You name it.

Monday, March 27, 2006

1. Do you use a bag/sachel/wallet? Yes, I almost always carry a “purse” with a wallet inside, along with many other items.

2. Do you use the same bag/sachel/wallet everyday or change depending on your outfit? I don’t have the patience to change it more than once or twice a year! I try to have a purse for spring/summer and one for fall/winter. I am still toting my black one from winter and I need to find a new one for summer this year. Last summer, I used the one I had carried the previous year, so it’s past time for something new and colorful for the summer. I just have a hard time deciding!

3. What do you carry in your bag/sachel/wallet? Wallet, keys, cell phone, sunglasses, chapstick, lipstick, various post-it notes and lists, pens, small address book, tylenol, cough drops, etc. Lots of junk! 🙂

4. Do you check and change the contents of your bag/sachel/wallet before you go anywhere specific or do you take everything everywhere? I just always make sure I have my keys, wallet and phone. Although on rare occasions I do leave without my phone (which stays in another spot in the house, and I have to remember to grab and throw in my purse)

5. How often do you have a good clean out of your bag/sachel/wallet? Only when I change it out for the season or it gets too junky. Not very often, that’s a chore I do NOT enjoy!

~Spring Planting~

By the way…
Do you enjoy gardening? Not as much as I used to. When I first moved into this house, I loved the idea of planting new flowers every spring and fall. I still do, but I just don’t enjoy getting out and actually doing it anymore! 🙂 I do though, and I tend to buy more flowers than I actually want to kneel down and plant.

If so, what do you plant in the spring? After Easter and the threat of frost passes, I plant several window boxes, hanging baskets, and flower beds of spring and summer annuals. Usually petunias, marigolds, moss rose, portulaca, periwinkles, things like that. I love color, and lots of it!

Do you plant flower beds, maybe a vegetable garden? Fill us in. Flowers, although I have really been wanting to plant herbs. I tried a couple last year, but they died when we went on vacation to Washington DC (too hot and no water). I am going to try again this year, I think. I want to plant herbs I can use in cooking (basil, thyme, chives, rosemary, parsley, things like that. But no cilantro. Ick. Tastes like dish soap to me!)

If gardening isn’t your forte, what other spring activity do you enjoy? I love to sit out on my deck and watch the birds, hear my windchimes singing, read a book and soak up the sunshine. I love spring and being able to be outside and not pouring sweat or melting. Which will happen soon enough. Come June, July and August, I will only want to stay inside with the AC running full blast. It just gets too hot and humid here for me in the summer to be outside all that much.

::New Car Smell::

Onesome- New: What’s new in your life? New car, new house, new job or new person, or even just a new toy you bought for yourself? Golly, same ole same ole around here, I think. We just got new Razr cell phones for our anniversary, so those are cool. I got my new digital camera for Christmas, and I still play with it a lot… and my iPod too! I heart all my gadgets

Twosome- Car: What kind of car do you drive? What kind of car would you like to drive if you could? We got me a new Explorer late last year. I had one years ago, and loved it, and wanted one again. I want a vehicle where I’m up above a lot of the traffic and construction. We’ve been living with a highway widening project here for nearly 3 years now, and not being able to see around or over the barrels is a nightmare! If I had a choice, I’d get an SUV hybrid. We were going to get an Escape Hybrid last year, but they didn’t have any on the lot, so we got the Explorer instead. Hopefully, by the time I’m ready for a new vehicle, they’ll have more hybrid choices, in larger SUV’s.

Threesome- Scent: Scents are great at bringing back memories. Is there a scent that any time you smell it you flash back to something in your past? Coffee reminds me of Tim. Opening a thing of Oil of Olay night creme smells just like my grandmother. Smelling a lily in a bouquet of flowers reminds me of being in the hospital, when Tim brought me flowers and the smell of the lillies made me sick. Probably more, but those are the first that come to mind 🙂

Monday, March 20, 2006

How about some ‘fill-in-the-blanks’ this week? Thanks for playing, everyone! =)

1. When driving in my car, my radio station is usually tuned to 102.9 – Miss 103.
2. When I turn my television on, even if I’m not really paying close attention to it, it’s usually on channel 13 or 4 (CBS or ABC).
3. If I owned a pet, I would own a golden retriever, because I’ve had them most of my life, and they are hands-down the most wonderful dogs on the planet. Loving, patient, happy, very easy to train. I want one again soon!.
4. I own an HP all-in-one printer. I bought it because I wanted one unit to replace the separate printer and scanner I used to have on my printer stand – takes up less space. An added bonus to this one is that it has a media card reader as well.
5. You can find all kinds of books in my bookshelves, but mostly this type: women’s fiction and all of John Grisham’s books.
6. I take about a truckload of pictures every month.
7. I blog about 30 or more times a month.
8. I’ve been really busy reading and hanging out with Tim and family lately.

Haven’t done this one in several weeks…. I’m a day late, but let’s give it a whirl anyway:

I say … and you think … ?

Sugar rush:: lots of chocolate 🙂
Chemical:: reaction
Suspension:: bridge
Defending:: freedom
Conference:: call
Dance:: Garth Brooks, The Dance
Weather:: dreary
Fuel:: gasoline
Heartbreak:: Hotel
Insult:: be mean

I found this meme last week, and failed to notice that the one I did was from the week prior. So, I’m going to post last week’s and this weeks, and try to catch up!

This week’s question:

1. Have you ever read a self-help book? Nope, not that I can think of
2. What do you think about self-help books in general? They’re ok for some, but not really for me
3. Would you ever recommend a self-help book? I’d have to read one first… I am semi-interested in some of the Oprah-inspired medical books by Dr’s Mehmet Oz and Michael Roizen (sp?). I might check one of those out of the library one day, but it’s not high on my list at all

And last week’s, that I missed!

1. Do you have any books that are signed by the author? No, but I wish I did. They often have book signings at Lemuria here by John Grisham, when he comes out with new books. But, I’ve heard and read in the paper that it’s a stampede, and I think they may even limit the number of people who they allow to stand in line. I’ve just never gone that extra effort to go line up and try to get his autograph. There’s a new smaller bookstore that has opened up in Madison, called YellowDog Books, and I’ve seen listings in the paper of local authors doing book signings, but again, I haven’t gone.
2. Do you have a story behind the autograph? See above, wish I had one to have a cool story about!

Ooh, kind of a toughie this week, at least for me. This kind of meme is always more of a brain stretch for me

A good Monday to all! And now for this week’s challenge…

Using the letters in the word ‘MONDAY,’ list things that you do (or would like to do) in your spare time.

Move – or at least I try to. Walk, exercise, lift arm weights, I try to keep moving and stay fit and healthy
Oprah – I like watching Oprah, Martha and my soap during the day. Go ahead, give me one of those bon-bon comments, I dare ya
New books – I love to read and love getting new books from the library and bookstore. I rarely reread books, always want something new!
Drink – more coffee. I like trying out new flavors of coffees, new creamers, and new stuff at Starbucks.
Always – tell Tim I love him, I try to every day. 🙂
Yell – at the TV during certain reality shows like American Idol, Survivor and Amazing Race. Sometimes we see things at home that those people obviously don’t see and I just want to yell at them.

~A Meal Out~

By the way…
What are your 3 most favorite eateries? Hmm, very hard for me to pick. I LOVE to eat out, and we eat at tons of restaurants. Let’s see… off the top of my head I’d pick Golden Dragon (local Chinese place), Fratesi’s (local Italian place) and probably Sonic for fast food.
Why are they your favorites? Good food, some of the places I would pick if I were picking. But then again, I could easily add 10 more to this list – I love to eat!
What do you normally order at each place? At Golden Dragon, their shrimp with cabbage, at Fratesi’s a ravioli dish and Sonic…. either a burger and tots or a chicken sandwich with tots (Tim always wants to get fries though, so we usually do), and a diet Cherry Limeade.
Where will you absolutely not eat and why? Can’t think of anyplace off the top of my head 🙂

UPDATE – OOooh, I thought of one – I won’t eat one of those big chili dog things at Ward’s any more. I got sick as a dog off one years ago. I think they call them “The Big Un” or something. Tim wanted to eat at Ward’s this past fall, and I really had to suck it up to even go in there. Got something completely different and was so glad it didn’t make me sick. I don’t like that place, yuck.

Friday, March 10, 2006
Feast Eighty-Four

Appetizer
On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being highest, how intuitive do you think you are? Not very, maybe a 2 or 3? I don’t read people or situations well. I’m too gullible 😳

Soup
What is your favorite kind of gum? Anything fruity or cinnamon-y. I used to love Big Red, but try to chew sugar free stuff on the rare occasion I chew gum. I like the Trident fruity ones, maybe it’s called Wild Berry?

Salad
Name a CD you own that you would never get rid of. Eric Clapton “Journeyman” or Tim McGraw “Set this Circus Down”

Main Course
When was the last time you said something you didn’t mean? No idea on the specific, but I do this a lot. When I get upset or mad, there’s no telling what will come out of my mouth. It’s one of my worst flaws. Open mouth, insert foot.

Dessert
What is the sum of the numbers in your birthdate? (Example: 3 + 2 + 1 + 9 + 7 + 9 = 31) 30

Yippee! I found a new meme today, that is right up my alley. I have been reading like a crazy woman lately, and I wish I had found this meme sooner. I would be doing these every Thursday, for sure. I considered going back and doing them all, but decided to just do today’s. Here we go:

Thursday, March 02, 2006
Finishing

Today’s questions are from Marie, who’s a relatively new blogger. Thank you!

1. Do you finish every book you start, no matter how bad it gets? Why? Normally, I do. I usually only choose books that I think I will really like, or by authors that I normally read. Only recently have I had one that I really struggled with, but the completion-oriented OCD in me forced me to finish it. Even though I didn’t enjoy it at all! 🙂

2. Do you ever sneak-read the ending before you finish the book? If so, what about the book tends to cause you to do so? I flip to the back and see how many pages there are, but I really don’t read anything towards the end. Usually, I’m really good about it. Probably only one book in every few hundred am I tempted to read the ending. It would just sort of ruin it for me, so I never do it. Only if I’m really worried about how it will end, or … I don’t know. I just don’t normally ruin the ending. I enjoy the process of reading a book too much to give it away.

::On the nightstand::

Onesome: On– a clear day I can see all the way to _____! across the lake in our subdivision? 🙂

Twosome: the– very next project I’m going to work on is _____. …and why would that be ? Ugh. The taxes. I really need to get them done, but I just hate it. Why, I don’t know why, ask the dumb IRS people. 🙄

Threesome: Nightstand– What are you reading this time of year? A thriller? Romance? The tax code? Right now, I’m reading a historical fiction book, “In the Company of the Courtesan” by Sarah Dunant. I’ll go back to more Christian fiction by Karen Kingsbury after that. I’m going to read “One Tuesday Morning” about 9/11 and then more in the “Redemption” series. 😀