Word of the Day

Weepidy - Sadness.



On the Fourth Day of Getting Ready for Christmas....

I'm actually not sure how much getting ready for Christmas I'm going to be able to do today. And I know I won't be doing much or any in the coming days. That's why I've been running around like a crazy lady getting as much as I can done while I still have time. I still have to put up the tree and do all kinds of baking and buy gifts and wrap and get the Christmas cards out and get to the post office but those things are just going to have to wait a bit. HTP and I are going to be flying to Denver tomorrow with some friends. The daughter of one of our best friends just got married and we've been invited to the join in the celebration at the wedding reception being held on Saturday. Today is going to have to be spent getting things buttoned up here. The pet-sitter is coming today. I need to give her the key to the house and a gate pass. Plus, I need to explain the dogs' meds, foods, schedule...etc. I don't like leaving the dogs at a kennel even for the couple of days that we're going to be gone. I need to pack. I haven't totally decided what I'm going to wear to the wedding reception. I may go out shopping...again....after the pet-sitter leaves. Oh...and I need to wash my hair.

It froze last night. Having received fair warning, I covered the few remaining frost sensitive plants that survived last winter's cold weather. Does covering frost sensitive plants with old holiday tableclothes count as decorating for Christmas? I can't even remove them as yet. It's still too cold. 30°F. It's supposed to freeze again tonight. I'm thinking about covering and keeping some of my plants covered until we get back from Denver....just in case. I'm just praying that the new trees that we planted to replace those that died last winter, are as frost tolerant as they claim.

Murphyism of the Day

Spark's Rules for the Project Manager - Part II

1. Don't engage in arguments, but if cornered, ask an irrelevant question and lean back with a satisfied grin while your opponent tries to figure out what's going on--then quickly change the subject.

2. Listen intently while others are arguing the problem. Pounce on a trite statement and bury them with it.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

"Whenever I watch TV and see those poor starving kids all over the world, I can't help but cry. I mean I'd love to be skinny like that, but not with all those flies and death and stuff." --Mariah Carey

Word of the Day

Weelief - Short toilet stop.



On the Third Day of Getting Ready for Christmas....

I found some really old photo's of DD Daughter sitting on Santa's lap along with some of #1 son. Back when DD Daughter and Arizona Daughter were really young, HTP and I would take them to the Mall, sit them on Santa's lap and using our own camera, take Santa pictures of them. By the time, #1 son came along, they wouldn't let you take your own pictures...and by then, we could afford the cost of Mall Santa Photos. One. Those things are expensive! I'm not sure why I couldn't find the pictures of Arizona Daughter on Santa's lap. Not to worry, I do have them archived on the computer. Anyway, the old photos I found in the decoration box were starting to deteriorate so HTP and I scanned them into the computer so that we could halt the deterioration process.

My box of Christmas Frogs is empty. The Singing Christmas Frogs are decorating the house right now. Deck the Halls with Singing Christmas Frogs, "Ribbet, ribbet, ribbit, rib-ribbet, rib-ribbet." 'Tis the Season to be Froggy, "Ribbet, ribbet, ribbet, rib-ribbet, rib-ribbet." Now We Don Our Frog Apparel, "Ribbet, ribbet, ribbet, rib-ribbet, rib-ribbet." Troll the Ancient Froggy Carol, "Ribbet, ribbet, ribbet, rib-ribbet, rib-ribbit." RIBBET! The Angel Christmas Frogs are sitting on the wreath by my front door.

Murphyism of the Day

Spark's Rules for the Project Manager - Part I

1. Strive to look tremendously important.

2. Attempt to be seen with important people.

3. Speak with authority; however, only expound on the obvious and proven facts.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

"I would not live forever, because we should not live forever, because if we were supposed to live forever, then we would live forever, but we cannot live forever, which is why I would not live forever,"--Miss Alabama in the 1994 Miss USA contest.

Word of the Day

Webring - A gift you give your cyber wife.



On the Second Day of Getting Ready for Christmas.....

In between getting the laundry done, I managed to unbury the Christmas box that I keep in our closet. I've got an Easter Box and a Halloween Box...which also serves as a Thanksgiving Box but that's another tale for another season. They're buried too. Anyway, as I was saying, the Christmas box got buried under the suitcases that we hadn't stored away because we're going to be needing them on Friday...and then again next Tuesday. In the Christmas box, I keep various Christmas decorations that I don't want to keep in the garage. Candles. Candles melt. The garage is hot. I don't store candles in the garage. I also keep my Twelve Days of Christmas figures in a box in that box. Oh...and countless other little things that help make Christmas look a bit like Christmas. Anyway, I now have most of my Christmas decorations tucked here and there wherever things might fit. The things that don't fit remain in The Christmas Box. I put out my silk poinsettia plants. I put out the nutcracker figures that my daughters and I made at the church. My door wreath is gracing the front door. I substituted green party lights for the regular lights in my exterior carriage lights and added velveteen bows. That's the extent of my exterior light show. I've got my metal Santa and metal Snowman set out...guarding my front door. That's as far as I'm going to decorate the exterior of the house...well...I still need to put out my frog angels. Those will have to wait until tomorrow. I also hung up the Christmas crewel work pictures that I stitched along with a counted cross-stitch picture which I also stitched...when I had more patience...and when I my eye-sight was a lot better. One would think that all my preparations for Christmas would be complete at this point. (Old Grey Frog exits laughing hysterically....)


Murphyism of the Day

Bunuel's Law

Overdoing things is harmful in all cases, even when it comes to efficiency.

*****

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

"He has Van Gogh's ear for music." -- Billy Wilder

Word of the Day

Wambulance - What you send for when someone is especially whiney.

So...I was peacefully sleeping, minding my own zzzz, when HTP decides to come to bed and converse about cell phones and cell phone plans. Our current pay as you go cell phone plan is going to go away. They want to force us to use another pay as you go plan only it seems that it'll work almost everywhere but at The Lake. I guess I'll have to call them and speak to a real live person but from everything that HTP has read from their website, the Cingular Go Phone will not function at The Lake. It will work here in Arizona. It will work in Vegas. It will work for almost the entire way to The Lake and in Minnesota. It will not work at The Lake. So now what? HTP has been researching other pay as you go plans. Alltel may have one that would cost a bit more than what we're paying right now. But how long will it be before they decide that they want more money and switch their plans? I know. I know. It's just that I don't use a cell phone all that much. I hate to pay someone for a monthly plan when I have to maintain two landlines. Actually I would really love to have a real cell phone that would work wherever we might be but...

Anyway, so now I'm awake. My mind is buzzing with cell phone issues. My mind is REALLY awake and it's refusing to turn itself off again. It forced me to get up and get dressed and blog. And in a minute, it'll force me to go into the kitchen to heat up a cup of the coffee that's leftover from what I made yesterday morning. I don't usually get up this early. The dogs aren't even awake yet. I usually force myself to sleep until at least 6 AM. After listening to talk radio for a couple of hours and arguing quietly with my wide awake mind, I gave up and gave in. I'm awake. And HTP is asleep. He's sleeping! Argh! He's always been able to do that. I have to work at getting to sleep and staying asleep. And he couldn't have waited until morning to discuss cell phones? It's still dark out!

On the First Day of Getting Ready for Christmas....

I wrote the first draft of my annual Christmas letter. What format should I use? What should I say? What should I leave unsaid? Time to let it gel for a bit and maybe HTP will be able to add and subtract. I unpacked and arranged all my snowglobes. Good Grief! It's always a struggle to figure out where to put them all. Where should I put the Christmas Creche? And why does it look like I misspelled Creche and why does it look like I misspelled misspelled?

Murphyism of the Day

Dow's Law

In a hierarchical organization, the higher the level, the greater the confusion.

*****

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

"He uses statistics as a drunken man uses lamp-posts...for support rather than illumination." -- Andrew Lang (1844-1912)

Word of the Day

Wambo - Extreme excitement!

It's Sunday? Wasn't yesterday Sunday? My inner calendar is totally confused. It felt like a Saturday when I was out shopping with DD Daughter...but it was really a Friday. And then yesterday automatically felt like a Sunday even though I didn't go to church but it followed the progression. OK. So...today is Sunday. Again. Only it isn't again because Thanksgiving was on Thursday like usual and I really went shopping on Friday, not Saturday, and yesterday was Saturday when DD Daughter and GI Joe left so today is Sunday. Got it. I suppose it kind of like jet lag. My mind will adjust eventually until the next time some big event falls mid-week.

Murphyism of the Day

Law of Communications

The inevitable result of improved and enlarged communications among different levels in a hierarchy is a vastly increased area of misunderstanding.

*****

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

"He inherited some good instincts from his Quaker forebears but by diligent hard work, he overcame them." -- James Reston (about Richard Nixon)

Word of the Day

Walmartian - Describes a person who spends more than 75% of their waking time in any area Walmart store!

Left-overs. The challenge is to use up all the Thanksgiving left-overs before they go bad without over-doing the calorie intake or causing the eaters to rebel. What?! Turkey again?! A cook's lot in life is never an easy one. The thing to remember is that any casserole recipe that calls for canned tuna works just as well if you substitute turkey. And...I have a freezer. It's not that HTP and I don't like turkey. There is, however, a limit to any good thing.

HTP and I are in charge of using all the left-overs on our own now. DD Daughter and GI Joe left right after breakfast on their way back to California. They promised that they'll return for Christmas. They couldn't tell me exactly what day they'll be here. For the immediate future DD Daughter's time belongs to the military. The military determines when or even if she can take time off.

I got to drive the new car today for the first time since we got it. It didn't give me a moment of trouble....not that I was expecting any problems. Although the window sticker claimed that the gas mileage on this critter should be better than our SUV, I'm not seeing it. I'd say that the SUV may even get better gas mileage than our new car. Of course, the situation may improve after we've shaken the newness out of it.

Murphyism of the Day

The Salary Axiom

The pay raise is just large enough to increase your taxes and just small enough to have no effect on your take-home pay.

*****

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

"There's nothing wrong with you that reincarnation won't cure." -- Jack E. Leonard

Word of the Day

Wackaloon - One who is wacky and loony at the same time.

I can't believe that I'm actually going to go out shopping on Black Friday! After eating way too much yesterday, I really need to do some walking. At least. I also need to get an outfit for a wedding reception that HTP and I will be attending.

*****

I survived! DD Daughter and I went shopping on one of the worst days to go shopping and I survived. I also got an outfit to wear at the wedding reception that HTP and I are going to attend in Denver. I bought some Christmas presents. I got some Christmas present ideas. And...I bought myself a wine rack because I needed one and finally found one that I liked. I bought some unmentionables because they were on sale and there was a neato free gift and I haven't bought any unmentionables for a couple of years and mine are starting to look a bit tattered. Oh...and I bought a couple of new DVD movies. It's much cheaper these days to buy a DVD than actually spending the money it costs for two people to go out to a movie theatre.

Murphyism of the Day

Third Law of Productivity

When the bosses talk about improving productivity, they are never talking about themselves.

*******

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

"He had delusions of adequacy." -- Walter Kerr

Word of the Day

Vuja de - The opposite feeling of Deja Vu. When you get that eerie feeling that this is the first time this is happening.

Happy Thanksgiving!

It's Thanksgiving! I made sticky buns for breakfast. I baked the Pumpkin Toffee Pie...which too longer to bake than the hour that was called for on the recipe but...whatever. I made the stuffing. HTP helped me give the turkey a bath before we stuffed it. It is now roasting in the oven. I made the sweet potato casserole and the green bean casserole. I made the traditional cranberries. I still need to put the dill pickles in the fridge so they'll be cold but I can't do that right now. My dill pickles are in my guest room pantry where GI Joe and DD Daughter are taking a nap. I already had to disturb them to get the green beans for the green bean casserole. The dill pickles can wait.

Murphyism of the Day

Levin's Law

Following the rules will not get the job done.

Corollary

Getting the job done is no excuse for not following the rules.

******

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

If you can't be a good example -- then you'll just have to be a horrible warning. -Catherine-

Word of the Day

Visable - An item you can purchase using your Visa card, because Visa is everywhere you want to be...

We have a new car. We had it here at our house for a while anyway. Unfortunately, a UFL was sighted. Unidentified Fluid Leak. Coolant? Transmission fluid? I guess if we actually knew, it wouldn't have been a UFL. It would have been an IFL. Identified Fluid Leak. The dealer sent a tow truck to retrieve our new vehicle to figure out and fix the problem and hopefully return our brand new car. Today? Only The Shadow knows. (I've been listening to old time radio shows on our XM radio...can you tell?)

I ran out to the store this morning to buy the few things that I'd forgotten to buy yesterday. It's perfectly understandable that I wouldn't remember the whole list because I failed to bring the list with me...because I didn't know that I would be going to the store last night. Anyway, I started to make the Texas Cranberry/Jalapeno Relish this morning and I discovered that I'd forgotten to buy a key ingredient. Lime. I added it to the list of the other things that I'd forgotten, and headed off to the store.

While I was at the store, I stopped at the bank which has a branch at the store. I figured since there wasn't anyone in line and I needed to add money to the account I share with #1 son, I'd make a quick stop. Not so quick. When I got to the store, there hadn't been anyone in line. When I looked up from filling out my deposit slip, I was shocked to see five people in front of me. How did that happen? And none of these people had minor transactions. Sigh. I did finally get my deposit taken care of but it seemed to take forever. Ahead of me was someone who apparently wanted a whole bunch of money in large bills so the teller had to go in the back to retrieve money that he didn't have in his drawer. Ahead of me was the man with a huge deposit from some store where everything had to be added up and re-counted before it could be deposited. Ahead of me was the group of four Mexicanos who didn't speak English but they still wanted to cash their checks despite the fact that they didn't have an account with the bank and the checks weren't from that bank. Someone was sent to get someone else who could actually speak Spanish so they could be told that the bank couldn't help them. All I wanted to do was deposit one little check into my account. I'd even taken the time to fill out a deposit slip.

Oh well...I made it. I also made the Texas Cranberry/Jalapeno Relish. And, I've decided that I'm going to make Chicken Marsala for supper. Only I'm going to stuff the chicken breast with prosciutto and cheese before I fry it up. I know that GI Joe doesn't like mushrooms but I'm sure he can shovel his off to the side or give them to DD Daughter. GI Joe and DD Daughter should be here for supper tonight. A late supper...fashionably late. I'll make the pumpkin pie first thing tomorrow morning...before I stuff and put the turkey into the oven.

Murphyism of the Day

Owen's Law

If you are good, you will be assigned all the work. If you are really good, you will get out of it.

******

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

Inside me lives a skinny woman crying to get out. But I can usually shut the bitch up with cookies. - (Unknown)

Word of the Day

Vicidance - A victory dance.

I made an apple pie yesterday. It turned out great! I love that pie crust recipe. Even I can't mess it up. HTP wondered why I'd made the pie yesterday. Thanksgiving isn't until Thursday. I told him that I wanted a piece of apple pie. With a chunk of extra sharp cheddar cheese. That's why I made an apple pie yesterday. My mood improved ten-fold as I bit into a warm slice of apple pie and nibbled on my chunk of cheddar. I won't make the pumpkin pie until Wednesday night. I figure that if there's any of the apple pie left for Thanksgiving, people can choose between having Pumpkin Toffee Pie or Apple Pie. If not...they'll just have to settle for the pumpkin pie. It's not like we're going to have a crowd of people over here for Thanksgiving.

I'm hurrying with the laundry today because we need to go see a man about a car at 2 PM. All morning HTP has been talking to a car dealer....yesterday too...and last week. It looks like we're going to be buying that Chevy Impala Super Sport today. Red. Sun-roof. Shiny wheels....no chrome. Ebony interior. We decided that we didn't like the neutral interior...too white. Dirt magnet. We haven't actually seen the actual car that we plan to buy as yet. The car just came onto the lot yesterday afternoon. It was enroute when HTP saw it on the inventory list and started nosing around with the internet salesperson.

Murphyism of the Day

Chapman's Law

Don't be irreplaceable. If you can't be replaced, you can't be promoted.

******

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

Nobody can make you feel inferior without your permission. -Eleanor Roosevelt-

Word of the Day

Vertizontal - A better way to say diagonal.

I decided that it really didn't matter today which side of the bed I got out of when I got up this morning. It was the wrong side of the bed. I had no choice. The dogs wanted to go out. The dogs wanted to be fed. My first indication of my mood was my reaction to finding the windows that I'd opened last night, closed in our bedroom this morning when I woke up. I'd spent the entire night totally over-heated and hot, kicking off covers and tossing and turning because apparently it was windy out and HTP didn't like the sound of our windchimes. ARGH!!!!! He closed the windows and I didn't figure why I was getting so hot until this morning. I suppose I could blame my mood on PMS if I wasn't long past the age of PMS.

Despite my crummy mood, I decided that I'm going to make my own pie crust instead of using the pre-made "just un-roll it and bake" crusts that I bought at the store the other day. My pie crust recipe has to "rest" in the fridge for at least a day before I dare roll it out. Good thing. There is no way that I could ever roll out a flakey crust and bake an edible pie with my current mood. I suspect that I'm going through coffee withdrawal symptoms. It's a good thing HTP is off researching ancestors. And...he's promised to bring pizza home for supper.

Murphyism of the Day

Second Law of the Corporation

Any action for which there is no logical explanation will be deemed "company policy".

*****

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

My second favorite household chore is ironing. My first one being hitting my head on the top bunk bed until I faint. -Erma Bombeck-

Word of the Day

Verbalexia - When I get my words all mixed up in my head and they come out of my mouth backwards, too.

I saw HTP eyeing my system last night before I shut down. He was actually sitting at my desk. I shoo'ed him away. He's been making noises about downloading updates for my browser. The thing is, he updated his system last week and then in frustration because things weren't working as well or as fast, he came over and used my system. So...why would I want my system "up-graded"? I just got used to my current browser and now he wants me to learn something different. And on top of that, from all the mutters and grumbles I'm hearing from HTP's office, HTP doesn't even like the new upgrade. I suppose I'll have to have him upgrade the thing but I'm going to see how long I can delay things.

I got to see The Da Vinci Code last night. That was such a good movie. It was so nice seeing it finally. Actually, I think I preferred seeing it in the privacy of our own home with our own surround sound. We could get up and move about. We could sip on a glass of liqueur or wine. Our friends brought along a bottle of Da Vinci Chianti...but we didn't get around to opening it. There were a lot of liqueurs to sample. Anyway, despite all the controversy that arose from the book and movie when it came out, even the two Catholics (HTP and my friend's husband) who were watching it last night seemed to enjoy it. I'm not going to discuss myth or reality here. Good grief! I didn't hear anyone screaming about the reality of Star Wars or any other movie. It's a movie! It's a book! The movie was well done and it followed the book. I loved the book. There was a hint at the beginning of the DVD that Angels & Demons might be made into a movie. Dare I hope? I wonder if HTP will let me see it again when DD Daughter and GI Joe are here for Thanksgiving. Or maybe when my folks come next month? I would really love to see it again. I know I missed some stuff.

Murphyism of the Day

Anderson's Laws of Survival for Low-Level Managers

1. Never be too right too often.
2. Hints are better taken than given.

*****

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

"I've just learned about his illness. Let's hope it's nothing trivial." -- Irvin S. Cobb

Word of the Day

Venticle - To vent via lengthy and intense email with enough words to create an entire magazine article.

We're taking the weekend off from car hunting. Instead I went out shopping and got the DVD for The Da Vinci Code. The movie came out while we were at The Lake so I never got to see it at an actual movie theatre. HTP and me are going out to eat with friends and then afterwards we're going to come back here to see the movie. I read both Angels & Demons and The Da Vinci Code and I've been eager to see the movie.

Murphyism of the Day

Engle's Law

When you stand up to be counted, someone will take your seat.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day (s)

"I am enclosing two tickets to the first night of my new play, bring a friend... if you have one." -- George Bernard Shaw to Winston Churchill.

"Cannot possibly attend first night, will attend second... if there is one." -- Winston Churchill, in response.

Word of the Day

Vehiculized - To own a vehicle.

We're still working on the car hunting thing. After posting a question on the internet regarding the positives or negatives of buying a car with California emissions, we've eliminated two of the possibilities in town. We've been told unconditionally that cars equipped with California emissions are not recommended unless you happen to live in California. And then you don't have any choice in the matter. There is a car out-of-town but I'm not sure if we want to drive three hours to buy a car unless this guy's really willing to work with us on the price. We've got time. There's another car here locally that fits our specifications. It all comes down to how hungry these guys are to make a sale.

I strained my second batch of pomegranate wine that I had brewing in a bucket in the guestroom. It filled two gallon jugs. I've added the two jugs to my collection of older wine in jugs aging in the closet. At the end of the month, I'll have to rack the first batch of wine that's aging. I've decided that I may prefer using a balloon as an airlock vs. the actual airlocks that I have. I'm having more troubles with the actual airlocks with wine bubbling over and onto the floor. So far the only problems that I've had with the balloons is that....none. When the balloon starts blowing up, the pinholes that I made in the top of the balloons allow the excess gas to escape without allowing in any air. I'm told that sometimes the balloons might break but I haven't had this happen as yet.

Murphyism of the Day

Prince's Principle

People who work sitting down are paid more than people who work standing up.

*****

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

"Thank you for sending me a copy of your book; I'll waste no time reading it." -- Moses Hadas

Word of the Day

Vastation - Using your paid vacation days, but staying home.

I think all the grocery stores in our area decided to get together and fix the price of turkey this year. Every single grocery store is selling their turkeys for the exact same price. They're not over-charging but this is the first year that I've checked the food ads and every single grocery store has their turkeys at $.47 per pound. Maybe they'll lower their prices next week but I decided that I'd better get that frozen bird in the fridge so it'll thaw by Thanksgiving. I don't care what they say on the net. It takes a full week for a 20-pound turkey to thaw.

I went ahead and bought most of the fixings for Thanksgiving today. I still need to get a few more things but I can do that next week. There's time and some things are best if they're bought fresh. I'm going to try a few new recipes this year. One of the recipes is for Texas Cranberry-Jalapeno Relish. Another recipe is for Pumpkin Toffee Pie.

Murphyism of the Day

Grizzard's Sled-Dog Principle

Only the lead dog gets a change of scenery.

*****

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

"Poor Faulkner. Does he really think big emotions come from big words?" -- Ernest Hemingway (about William Faulkner)

Word of the Day

Vaguegrant - An unsure transient.

I've been dividing my time between Sudoku puzzles and knitting. I listen to the radio while I'm working on the Sudoku. I watch TV while I'm knitting.

Car scouting continues. Although the Impala has a bigger engine than the Lucerne, our insurance agent at The Lake tells us that there isn't all that much difference when it comes to insurance costs. I think it might be because the Impala has four doors which kicks it out of hot rod status.

Murphyism of the Day

Fifth Rule of Success in Business

Keep your boss's boss off your boss's back.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

"I have never killed a man, but I have read many obituaries with great pleasure." -- Clarence Darrow

Word of the Day

Vacustipation - The condition your vacuum cleaner is in when you suck up a sock.

OK. I washed out a gallon-size milk carton. I poured the wine from a gallon-size jug of wine into the perfectly clean gallon-size milk carton. I learned something new. Apparently, when you buy a gallon of milk, you don't actually get a gallon of milk. Either that or when you buy a gallon of jug wine you get more than a gallon of jug wine. I ended up having to pour about a cup of jug wine (which remained in the jug wine jug after completely filling the plastic gallon-size milk carton) into a really clean 2-Liter pop bottle. I imagine that you all are wondering why I went through all this. I have a Mother. Apparently the thought of me pouring perfectly good jug wine down the garbage disposal was just too much for her. The only thing I want to know is how long it took her to talk my Dad into firing off that e-mail requesting that I save the jug wine for her in an old milk carton. Which I washed out really well. I love you Mom.

Update on the car hunting and scouting. HTP and I went out yesterday and test drove both the Lucerne CXS and the Chevy Impala SS. We also noted that neutral leather looks off-white. And...we prefer the Precision Red color over the Monterey Metallic Red (or whatever they want to call it), which looks more burgandy than red. Sometimes you just can't tell what colors look like when you're looking at them on a computer screen or even on those tiny swatches in the showroom books. I've decided that if we get the Impala, only HTP and I can drive it. Sorry #1 son, DD Daughter and GI Joe, Arizona Daughter and TJ. After test-driving the vehicle, both HTP and I decided that the car is dangerously powerful. We both ended up bending the salesman's ear about our various "experiences" with a certain TransAm convertible. OK. Arizona Daughter never personally was driving during any of the experiences where the TransAm ended up in any number of shops looking like it should have been deemed "totaled" and neither did #1 son, GI Joe, and TJ...but they still can't drive it. It's amazing how we actually can talk about those past experiences now without breaking out into a cold sweat. Not to worry...we still haven't made any decisions. We're waiting for a call from an insurance agent at The Lake.

Murphyism of the Day

The Chief Executive in Charge of Titles Law

The longer the title, the less important the job.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

"A modest little person, with much to be modest about." -- Winston Churchill

Word of the Day

Utmostrageous - Utmostly outrageous!!!

I've decided that I'm not fond of jug wine. The Chablis is just too sweet to gag down anymore. I know that it goes against my teachings but I think this stuff would work just fine as a garbage disposal sanitizer. I need the jugs but at $7.99/jug, I'm not going to feel too guilty about chucking the wine that fills the jugs. OK...I'll drink one glass of wine per jug. That way I'm not totally wasting the stuff. And no...I won't cook with it. You shouldn't cook with any wine that you wouldn't want to drink.

I spent some time before breakfast this morning re-potting some of my houseplants. I noticed that they'd become pot-bound over the summer while they were visiting at my friend's house. Re-potting is always a bit of an iffy proposition for me. My Mom has a lot better track record of this but there was no getting around the fact that the re-potting HAD to be done. Even I could see that there wasn't much dirt left in the pots that wasn't choked with roots. Then...I just planted the mini-roses that I bought the other day outside. I'm not sure if they'll actually survive or not. Again, I haven't got a good track record when it comes to miniature rose bushes. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. At least they looked nice as temporary houseplants. Now...I just need to go out and buy a couple more temporary houseplants with pretty flowers. I'm going to hold off until closer to Thanksgiving. I really don't need more houseplants right now.

Ummmm....speaking of pot, potting and re-potting. HTP and I both grew up in the era of....ummmm....pot, pot smokers and love beads. The aroma of said pot is something you just can't mistake or forget. Anyway, HTP and I were minding our own business, discussing cars, when a familiar, unforgettable aroma wafted in the open windows by my computer desk. I told you that the houses here are REALLY close. Anyway, we concluded that one of our neighbors might be....ummmm... Purely medicinal I'm sure.

We're still thinking about getting a new car. Thinking. HTP just called to find out the insurance rates on the cars that we're "thinking" about maybe buying. I'll keep you posted.

Murphyism of the Day

Wilson's Law

A person's rank is in inverse relation to the speed of his speech.

Word of the Day

Utiliffiti - The graffiti spray painted on the road that marks utility lines.

Yesterday was spent on a hunting expedition. I guess you could actually call it a scouting expedition. Window shopping for cars? We've been thinking about getting a new car. The key word here is "thinking".

Before we left Arizona last spring we were pretty much decided on the Lucerne CXS. Yesterday, in addition to re-visiting a Buick dealership to see a Lucerne, we stopped into a Chevy dealership to see the Impala SS. The engine on the Impala has more power than that in the Lucerne... though I'm not sure we actually would need that kind of power. The trunk on the Impala is bigger and there's this neat way you can lay the back seat down flat so you have even more room for packing stuff in. HTP and I do not travel lightly when we go back and forth to The Lake. The Impala isn't as expensive as the Lucerne. Gas mileage is supposed to be a bit better than that for the Lucerne...if you can believe them. We haven't test driven anything yet.

I do have to say that spending the day scouting is a lot more fun than sitting around the house working on Sudoku...or dusting...or doing laundry...or, well, I did plant that variegated rubber tree outside because it had grown too big for its pot and I think it'll do better outside. Anyway...I guess our next step is to think some more and then maybe test drive both of the cars.

On the same or related subject, maybe we should wait until the dealers have The Edge (Ford) in stock (December?). We saw the Lincoln equivalent, the MKX, (on the sly because they're not actually available as yet but they had a demo being detailed in the service area). It was pretty nice (kind of like the Navigator but a lot smaller. There were no grab bars or running boards. It wasn't all that easy to get in and out of the car. You really had to step up into it and I had to grab a hold of the framework to lever myself up. HTP bumped his head. I'm supposed to remind him of that if he starts thinking we should purchase this vehicle. On the plus side, the Edge looks like it'll be less expensive that the Lincoln version and from the promo's it actually looks nicer that the Lincoln version. Both would be able to tow our boat. I wonder if they'll put grab bars in the Edge?

HTP and I aren't in any great hurry to get a car. Though...I must say...that SS was a really neat looking car. Red. Leather interior. (Old Grey misses her TransAm...even if it did leak and was accident prone.)

Murphyism of the Day

Roger's Observation Regarding Laws

In a bureaucratic hierarchy, the higher up the organization you go, the less people appreciate Murphy's Law, the Peter Principle, etc.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

"He has never been known to use a word that might send a reader to the dictionary." -- William Faulkner (about Ernest Hemingway)

Word of the Day

Urfy - A feeling of depression, exhaustion and hunger.

Yarn. I need to go out and get some yarn. I don't have any Christmas yarn and I need to make a Christmas stocking for GI Joe. Since I'm such a fabulous knitter (not), I figure I'd better get started on this project asap. So far, I managed to find the pattern, the knitting needles, the stitch savers, the counter, and the little rings that you use to keep track of where you need to increase or decrease. I just need to go find the yarn. I hope I can find the right color. I hope I don't have to do this for each of my Grandchildren. OMG! I just thought of something. Do you think I should start thinking of making baby afghans?

On a completely different subject...a friend of mine sent me the following funny.



Murphyism of the Day

Imhoff's Law

The organization of any bureaucracy is very much like a septic tank -- the really big chunks always rise to the top.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

"He has all the virtues I dislike and none of the vices I admire." -- Winston Churchill

Word of the Day

Upscares - Fear of a second floor and refusal to climb stairs alone.

It's my brother's birthday today!

Happy Birthday Willie!

Happy Birthday to You! Happy Birthday to You! Happy Birthday Dear Willie! Happy Birthday to You!

It's also the Marine Corps Birthday!

Ooorah!

Murphyism of the Day

Vail's Axiom

In any human enterprise, work seeks the lowest hierarchial level.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

Inside every older person is a younger person wondering what the hell happened. --Cora Harvey Armstrong

Word of the Day

Upscalator - The escalators that take you upward.

I'm taking a break from cleaning pomegranates. My fingers are all pruney and I still have six more pomegranates that need cleaning. Which means for those who aren't in the know, I'm carefully separating the seeds from the membrane because the membrane isn't at all tasty and tends to make wine and juice very bitter. Pomegranate fruit is really seedy... even more than blackberries when it comes to the size of the seed. On the otherhand, the seeds aren't all that much bigger. Fiber. A good source of fiber.

Anyway, I now have pomegranate juice liberally splattered on the front of my formally white shirt. When am I ever going to learn that I shouldn't try to wear white when I'm tackling anything that has to do with berries? The shirt isn't irretrievable. I've done this enough that I know how to get berry stains out of clothes.

I'm cleaning up the last of my pomegranate crop so I can start another batch of pomegranate wine. I've decided that I really don't need any more liqueurs right now having made so many different kinds of liqueur over the summer. I'm altering the pomegranate wine recipe somewhat. It'll be at least a year from now before I know which of the recipes end up tasting the best. The batch I made with regular raisins or the batch I'm making with white raisins. So...in a year I'll know which recipe to use for the 2007 vintage of pomegranate wine. Like wine made from grapes, I imagine each year will have a somewhat different bouquet. This year's crop of pomegranates seem to be providing a much paler "seed" than last year's crop.

Last year I only thought that I might want to make wine. My main concern right now is finding a source for bottles. I guess I'll have to start drinking more wine. Waste not, want not. My Mom, if she's reading this, is shaking her head over the possibility that her daughter is becoming an alcoholic. Not to worry Mom. Drinking copious amounts of alcohol isn't my thing. I get sick. And sick is just no fun at all. Anyway, I don't have to actually do a final bottling of my Arizona wines until I get back to The Lake. I've got a while to "collect" my bottles from the wine that I drink and any the bottles I can acquire from my neighbor.

Murphyism of the Day

The Peter Principle

In a hierarchy, every employee tends to rise to his level of incompetence.

Corollaries

1. In time, every post tends to be occupied by an employee who is incompetent to carry out his duties.

2. Work is accomplished by those employees who have not yet reached their level of incompetence.

******

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

His mother should have thrown him away and kept the stork." -- Mae West

Word of the Day

Unyun - The mechanism we use in language to reverse something, e.g. unintentional, undo, unforgiving.

I can't say that I'm particularly happy about the results of yesterday's election. We'll just have to wait and see now what comes of it. From all that I'm hearing, the terrorists are dancing in the streets. Do they actually think that our troops are going to pack up and leave like the Spanish troops did after their election? I guess they'll just have to wait and see too.

Murphyism of the Day

Heller's Law

The first myth of management is that it exists.

Johnson's Corollary

Nobody really knows what is going on anywhere within the organization.

*****

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

Every time I close the door on reality, it comes in through the windows. --Jennifer Unlimited

Word of the Day

Unreal estate - The dream house you cannot afford.

Voting Day! It'll be nice to have something else in the news for a while. Who's going to win? Democrats? Republicans? Other? At this point I have no idea. I voted. Whether or not my vote will make a difference is something that remains to be seen. Even before the voting began, complaints of voter fraud and possible future voter fraud were shrieked about. If you believe the conspiracy theorists, the voting machines are rigged so the Republicans will win. If you believe the conspiracy theorists, the voting machines are rigged so the Democrats will win because the machines were made by a company owned by Chavez. I doubt that they could fiddle too much with my absentee ballot unless it gets "lost" in the mail.

Murphyism of the Day

Wellington's Law of Command

The cream rises to the top.
So does the scum.

Word of the Day

Unlocky - When you go out for the morning paper in your bathrobe and the door shuts, locking you out.

I got to spend time with DD Daughter and GI Joe before they headed off to California. We'll see them again at Thanksgiving.

#1 son drove to The Lake. He's exchanging the SideKick for the Buick. The only problem is that there seems to be a problem with the Buick's brakes. They sound funny. He's in the city right now trying to see if they can fix whatever needs fixing before he heads back to The Big City and college. I imagine that if there's too big of a problem, he'll have to go back to The Lake and exchange things back. Stay tuned.

And me? I finally managed to find the time to have the grey hairs on my head covered up. I wish I could have had this done before I had to play at the church or Arizona Daughter went shopping with me or before the garage sale or before DD Daughter and GI Joe came to see us. Oh well...since our camera isn't working, there isn't any recorded history of how grey I was getting. I hope that when the camera is fixed (before Thanksgiving?), my grey hair won't make too startling a reappearance.

Murphyism of the Day

Thal's Law

For every vision, there is an equal and opposite revision.

Word of the Day

Univarsity - An institution of higher learning specializing in sports.

I'm exhausted. It's all that I can do not to nod off to sleep. I got up at my normal time but I guess all my chosen activities for the day have worn me out. I was energized when I got back from church. I get a kick out of playing my clarinet at the church even if our musical director picks out music for me that stumbles my fingers and strains my brain with a multitude of sharps. At least playing at church allows me a very forgiving audience.

On the way home, I picked up a bottle of champagne. DD Daughter and her husband GI Joe are going to be here tonight! I think a welcome back to CONUS toast for GI Joe is in order, don't you? We're going to eat out at one of DD Daughter's favorite restaurants here. I hope GI Joe likes it too. I sure hope GI Joe likes Italian....he married one.

Another task when I got home from church was to get the wine buckets out of the guest room. Wine-making buckets just don't fit into the decor of the room...or the smell. The room was beginning to have the distinct smell of Eau di Vino. I'd picked up two nice water jugs (3 gallon) at Water and Ice. One of the batches of wine that I'm making ended up totaling two gallons. I've decided to pour it into one of the 3 gallon water jugs. My airlock won't fit on the jug but I read that you can use a balloon. Right now that batch of wine is bubbling away in my closet with a bright pink balloon acting as airlock. I remember that I didn't use an airlock for the rhubarb wines that my sister and I made over the summer so maybe this improvised balloon method will work at least as well. The other bucket of wine fit into one of my gallon wine jugs. I've got an airlock on that one. I want to start another batch of pomegranate wine using white grapes instead of the raisins in the recipe. 2-pounds of white grapes instead of 1-pound of golden raisins. By the time this recipe is ready for the aging jugs, I'll have another gallon jug of Chablis finished and another gallon jug added to my wine-making equipment.

So...then I had to clean the bathrooms. It's amazing how icky bathrooms can get even if no-one has used them for six months. Dust and bugs. Yuck.

Maybe there's a reason I'm so tired. I've been busy. Time to take a break. But no naps! I never do well with naps. I always end up groggy and more tired than when I decided that I needed a nap in the first place. As a dedicated insomniac, naps are a definite no-no anyway.

Murphyism of the Day

Pfeifer's Principle

Never make a decision you can get someone else to make.

Corollary

No one keeps a record of decisions you could have made but didn't. Everyone keeps a record of your bad ones.

******

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

"I've had a perfectly wonderful evening. But this wasn't it." -- Groucho Marx

Word of the Day

Underwhelmed - Not impressed.

Garage Sale. I was up before the sun rose to gather whatever I could find that might need selling at my friend's garage sale. I'm sure that I had lots more but I didn't have all that much time to dig stuff out. At least I managed to sell most of what I brought. I have a ton of books I probably could sell but I just can't bring myself to the point where I actually sell any of my books...even those that I'm not particularly fond of. It must be my something to do with my upbringing. I know that I have tons of clothes in the closet that could be sold but I didn't have the time...take the time...to sort out everything. Maybe next year.

Murphyism of the Day

Kushner's Law

The chances of anybody doing anything are inversely proportional to the number of other people who are in the position to do it instead.

Word of the Day

Undercast - Low altitude weather; smog.

The phone has been ringing off the hook. Although we have our phone number on a No Call list, this doesn't stop Pollsters, Vote for Me'ers, himmers or her'ers, or Petitioners for charity from making full use of our phone number. It's becoming rather irritating. The In-Box of my e-mail account is filling up with Vote for Me'ers and Him/Her'ers too. I'm not eligible to vote here in Arizona so all your calls and e-mails in regard to Arizona ballot measures and candidates are for naught. I have to admit that the ballot initiatives here in Arizona are far more interesting than those at The Lake and it would be rather fun to vote here again but as long as The Lake is my home residence...I can't vote here in Arizona. I wonder if my phone at The Lake is ringing off the hook. Oh well...it's too late for any of you all anyway. I've voted. So has HTP.

I've cut down on my coffee consumption. I started on this when I was still at The Lake. I'm down to one cup of coffee a day. This doesn't mean that I've given up on caffeine. I've rediscovered a love for tea. Caffeinated tea. I've never understood why people even bother drinking tea or coffee if they're going to go and ruin it by de-caffeinating it. You'd think the process that they use to de-caffeinate something would be worse than leaving the caffeine in. There are herbal teas that don't have caffeine but I gag on herbal teas. They just aren't for me. They all taste too sweet and flowery. Blech! I'm drinking tea with lemon...or lime. I think I'm feeling better because of it. Or maybe it's a case of "I feel a lot better now that I've gone into denial." Whatever. At least it doesn't matter how cold the tea gets as it cools in my mug. I can drink tea at any temperature. Such is not the case with coffee. I've never been able to drink iced coffee...and I have tried. Arizona Daughter seems to like the icy confections that they serve up at those coffee shops but I've never been fond of them. Too sweet. Besides, no matter how slowly I sip on one of those blended ice drinks, I end up getting a brain-freeze headache. I don't drink frozen margaritas either. Or Slurpees. Or...well...you get the idea.

I swear that almost every pen in this house has dried up or has run out of ink over the summer! It's driving me totally crazy that I can't find one functioning pen! Dang it!

Murphyism of the Day

Dingle's Law

When somebody drops something, everybody will kick it around instead of picking it up.

****

Noteworthy Qoute of the Day

"I didn't attend the funeral, but I sent a nice letter saying I approved of it." -- Mark Twain

Word of the Day

Unbrella - A wind reversed umbrella.

Aside from stirring the wine, I haven't really done too much today. HTP has gone off to research all kinds of dead people. And I'm just feeling a bit lazy. I did go out and sawed off the nubs from the plants that I'd pruned the other day. I walked down the block to get the mail. Hold the phone.... I did do something else! I dusted off my clarinet. I organized the music that I have to play at church on Sunday. And...I practiced my clarinet for the first time since the last time I played at the church before we headed to Wisconsin for the summer. This is going to be really interesting. Will I screw up because I haven't played for so long? Or will my lip give out because I haven't played for so long?

Murphyism of the Day

Gottlieb's Rule

The boss who attempts to impress employees with his knowledge of intricate details has lost sight of the final objective.

Word of the Day

Typonese - A language that consists primarily of typos (errors).

One of the advantages of living in a Big City, is that there are any number of grocery stores that are only a mile or so from our house. I feel no real hesitation when it comes to hopping into the car and racing out to buy whatever I may need or crave. I suppose that could be considered as a disadvantage as well. Oh well.... At least I just ran out to buy carrots and celery but I did end up buying a couple of new plants that are really pretty right now...miniature roses. They'll probably die because I tend to kill plants but at least they look good right now. Hopefully I can add them to my landscaping after I get tired of having them as houseplants and they'll live long and prosper. I really do like roses.

Murphyism of the Day

Spencer's Laws of Data

1. Anyone can make a decision given enough facts.
2. A good manager can make a decision without any facts.
3. A perfect manager can operate in complete ignorance.