Word of the Day

Aggrieviate - To make a burden heavier.

So...what did you do yesterday? I was going to wait until today to filter the Limoncello...twice, but since I had two double batches of the stuff along with a double batch of Arancello to double filter... Time to get started. I figured that there was no way that I could get everything done in one day. I boiled up two huge pots of simple syrup which needed to cool before I added it to the filtered Limoncello. After I finished with all my filtering and mixing, I ended up with three gallons of Limoncello (not ready yet...it had to age another 40 days and then go through two more filtering processes before I bottle it into the final decorative bottles). I'll tackle the Arancello filtering process today. The simple sugar syrup is cooked and waiting. I also need to decant the first batch of wine that I've got aging in the closet. But...that'll will have to wait for a week or so because I woke up feeling kind of funky this morning. Maybe I inhaled too many of those Limoncello fumes. No...I didn't sample any of it. But I've got to tell you the fumes were REALLY potent. Oh well...I'll tackle the wine and Arancello next week. Why a whole week? Especially since I'm feeling just fine right now?

Because tomorrow Arizona Daughter and I are heading off to Vegas. Just Arizona Daughter and Me. No HTP. The last time Arizona Daughter and I had a Mother/Daughter quality Vegas time thing was when Arizona Daughter celebrated her 21st birthday. That was bunch of years ago. She couldn't join Me, DD Daughter and the Vegas Gals last year because she was working. I figured that this might be one last chance at another such. She and her hubby are moving to Minnesota at the end of next month.

So...anyway, I'm going to be doing all kinds of alcohol related manufacturing stuff next week. Though I plan to bring the laptop to Vegas, if I don't blog while Arizona Daughter and I are there, this might be my last blog until I get back. Wish us luck!

Murphyism of the Day

Sloan's Law

The changes in new models should be so attractive as to create dissatisfaction with past models.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

"It is important to remember that the French have always been there when they needed us."-- Alan Kent

Word of the Day

Aggravitch - An itch that that does not lessen with scratching but instead seems to spread to surrounding areas, causing immense annoyance and sometimes paranoia and self-mutilation.


I don't have enough sugar. My Limoncello and Arancello is ready to go onto the next step. But I need to make a huge batch of simple sugar solution. I do have six cups of sugar but that's not nearly enough. I need a total of 24 cups of sugar for the Limoncello and the Arancello. I guess that means I'll have to go out shopping again. *sigh* It seems like I end up visiting the grocery store at least once a day. Oh well....at least the nearest grocery store is only five minutes away

Murphyism of the Day

Fifth Law of Design

Design flaws travel in groups.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

"Nixon has been sitting in the White House while George McGovern has been exposing himself to the people of the United States." - Frank Licht, then governor of Rhode Island, campaigning for McGovern in 1972

Happy Birthday!


Arizona Daughter!



Happy Birthday


To You!



Happy Birthday


To You!



Happy Birthday


Dear


Arizona Daughter!



Happy Birthday


To you!

Actually, we celebrated Arizona Daughter's birthday on Tuesday night but today's the real day.

Happy Birthday!


Arizona Daughter!

Blog! OK....so I'm repetitive. Sue me. My folks are here and I fail to see the worth of blogging when I'd rather spend my time enjoying their company. We watched American Idol tonight. American Idol wouldn't be my first choice when it comes to watching TV. Quite frankly?...I don't watch a lot of TV. However, given a choice between American Idol and The Lawrence Welk Show? I'd rather watch the American Idol Show that I watched tonight. As long as I can skip the preliminary American Idol Freak Show, the shows that eliminate the tone deaf and the totally weird and demented, what I saw tonight was totally bearable.

Blog! More tomorrow. OK...just give me a few hours of sleep and I'll blog later today. I made chicken marsala from scratch. We celebrated Arizona Daughter's birthday. I got to see the first picture taken of my first grandchild. It's been a wonderful and full to the brim day.

Word of the Day

Aggravistle - The small and inaccessible piece of steak that clings between the teeth and refuses to dislodge despite constant agitation, causing continuous discomfort and extreme annoyance.

I've got company coming today. The guest room is clean. The bathrooms are clean. The kitchen is clean. That carpet if vacuumed. The house is somewhat dust free...even though I had to dust parts of it (read previous post as to dust removal and dusting) and I didn't remove any dust from HTP's office (my little rebellion...Hey! It's his office!). So, HTP and I got into a short discussion as to whether you should remove the dust from the furniture before or after you vacuum. I say that there was enough dust on the furniture and the ceiling fans that, since we have a hepa-filter on our vacuum cleaner which is supposed to keep dust from kicking up and flying all over the place, the dust removal process comes before the vacuuming. After explaining my very logical line of thinking to HTP, we did things my way.

Murphyism of the Day

Law of Product Design

If you can't fix it, feature it.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

"The patient refused an autopsy." --from a medical report appearing in the Journal of Court Reporting

Word of the Day

Aesthete's foot - The chronic condition whereby one's socks match one's shirt without fail.

I'm doing laundry because I didn't do laundry last Tuesday. Hey...it makes sense to me and that's all that matters. I also spent the entire morning removing dust from every flat surface in our house. Most people call this job "dusting" but it seems to me that "dusting" implies that one scatters dust everywhere. And...actually...that's what happens when I use my feather duster. But...this time, I used special dust rags with stuff that grabs and holds the nasty dust. And it is nasty. I ended up using six of those special disposable dust rags. Yucko. And now....I keep seeing places that I missed and for those I decided to use my feather duster. I removed most of the dust and threw it in the waste basket. Then...I dusted. I didn't remove any of the dust from HTP's office. Yet. I'm resting up. Maybe tomorrow...or...maybe he'll remove the dust from his own office. That would be nice. I can hear the vacuum cleaner. Maybe he's trying out a new method of dusting (which he mentioned that I should try) or maybe he's vacuuming the house. I had told him to hold off vacuuming until I'd finished removing the dust. I'm done...or as done as I plan to be today. There are other projects that I need to tackle but...tomorrow. I'll do those tomorrow.

I finished the "If It's a Boy" afghan this morning and started on the "If It's a Girl" afghan.

Note to DD Daughter

All I have to say is that I never sat down to eat an entire jar of pickles in my whole life. Even though I happen to love pickles. However, to be honest, I almost polished off a huge jar of green olives once upon a time.

Murphyism of the Day

Gore's Laws of Design Engineering

1. The primary function of the design engineer is to make things difficult for the fabricator and impossible for the serviceman.

2. That component of any circuit which has the shortest service life will be placed in the least accessible location.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

"War without France would be like ... World War II." -- Unknown

Word of the Day

Aeropalmics - The study of wind resistance conducted by holding a cupped hand out the car window.

I was out getting much needed groceries when I noticed that the gas station, operated and owned by the grocery store, was having a smoking sale on gasoline. 1.99.99/gallon. One day only. The line up of cars looked endless but I braved melting ice cream to get in line with my Chevy. As I sat in line with my car in park, I called HTP on the car phone to let him know about the smoking great deal on gas. I figured that he'd burn rubber on his way out of our neighborhood. He did sound excited. So, when I finally got back to the house, I was surprised to see the car sitting in the driveway. *sigh* Apparently, he was totally excited but he was too busy researching LLC's. So...I put away my melty ice cream and the rest of the groceries, called my neighbor to let her know about the smoking great deal on gas (only she already knew) and I grabbed my other set of car keys and returned to fill our other car with cheap gas. I noted when I arrived that the police had arrived on the scene. I wasn't surprised. Tempers were short the last time I sat in line...with our first car.

I pulled my car (the second car) into line and put it in park...waiting. Patience is a virtue. I waited through three series of two cars fueling in my aisle. See, I noted that two cars were able to fuel at a time on the aisle that I was waiting in. Oops! The car on the first pump (just as I thought I'd be able to pull my car forward) pulled out early and someone coming the opposite direction scooted in to fill his tank...coming from the wrong direction. More waiting. The car in front of me couldn't pull out because this guy who scooted in the wrong way was still fueling. I waited. Patience. There was a long line of cars behind me. Finally "the scooter", with much difficulty, managed to back his car out so our aisle was clear enough for the car in front of me to exit and me to pull my car forward. The way this works is that you pull forward...ALL THE WAY! Etiquette...don'tcha know. In the meantime, as I pulled my car forward so that the car in back of me could fuel up at the tank in back of me, I'm getting a killing glare from some lady that was sitting in a non-existent line. A scooter wannabe line. I can only figure that she planned to follow in the tire prints of the other "scooter". She didn't even bother to hide her anger over the fact that I pulled forward into "her" space. Never mind that she was heading the wrong direction to fill her tank. If looks could kill, I'd be dead right now. I'm rather surprised that she didn't get out of her car to deck me. I ignored her. I figured that if she had the temerity to dispute my claim, I'd let her have it. She didn't. However, she made it almost impossible for me to pull forward after I'd filled my tank. I don't know what the heck she was thinking. All I can figure is that she thought her time was worth far more than mine. I did note that she "scooted" into the vacant spot that I'd vacated as soon as I managed to squidge my way around her. I hope that she found it almost impossible to back out after she fueled. Nasty of me but I REALLY hate the killing glare she gave me. I suppose I would have felt better if I'd marched over to her car while my car was fueling and gave her what for. Closure. A person really needs closure at times like that. Oh well...I guess that's what blogs are for.

Murphyism of the Day

Law of the Lost Inch

In designing any type of construction no overall dimension can be totalled correctly after 4:30 PM on Friday.

Corollaries

1. Under the same conditions, if any minor dimensions are given to sixteenths of an inch, they cannot be totalled at all.

2. The correct total will become self-evident at 9:01 AM on Monday.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

"So that's 24 points for Schumacher and 23 points for Hill-so there's only one point between them if my mental arithmetic is correct." - BBC sports commentator Murray Walker

Word of the Day

Aeroma - The odor emanating from an exercise room after an aerobics workout.

We're back home in Arizona! I've got exactly twenty minutes to blog. That's how much more time is on the timer for the frozen pizza that HTP and I are going to have for supper tonight.

The drive back home was uneventful. There were lots of people at The Dam but there wasn't a huge line-up. I didn't run over a single person who wandered in front of my car while staring in awe and wonder. The only real traffic that we hit was once we got to the north end of Phoenix. Some of this was due to a hot air balloon that looked like it was planning on setting down right in the middle of I-17. It set down in the middle of a bunch of trees instead. I figure the trees were the better option. Things speeded up remarkably after people stopped gaping at the hot air balloon hovering so incredibly and perilously close.

The car is unpacked. I'll have to do laundry tomorrow. And I'll see about planting those rubber tree slips that my Mom sent home with me...tomorrow.

Murphyism of the Day

Third Law of Revision
If, when completion of a design is imminent, field dimensions are finally supplied as they actually are - instead of as they were meant to be - it is always simpler to start all over.

Corollary

It is usually impractical to worry beforehand about interferences - if you have none, someone will make one for you.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

"Only thing worse than a Frenchman is a Frenchman who lives in Canada." -- Ted Nugent

Happy Birthday to Me! Happy Birthday to Me! Happy Birthday Meeeeee! Happy Birthday to Me!

HTP and I shared a wonderful birthday dinner. We're heading back home to Arizona tomorrow so I'm busy packing before I pour myself into bed. I'm still in the black when it comes my gambling gains vs. losses. I'll try to blog tomorrow once we get home.

Word of the Day

Adverteasement - Any sexual representation used for the purpose of obtaining an individual or group's attention. Often used in media outlets.

Happy Valentine's Day!

I gave HTP some very special sugar free chocolates and a card. HTP gave me some wonderful sugar-filled chocolate and a card. What?! That's it?! Hey! We're in Vegas, aren't we? We had a wonderful meal and I'm just finishing up the bottle of Merlot that we ordered with dinner. What more can you ask?

OK. I promised so...

Sam's Town Video Poker

I arrived at the designated poker tournament location at 9:15 AM on Day 1 of the tournament because I'd stopped to pick up a cafe latte in The Park. After some consideration, I probably should have arrived at 9 AM but...I wasn't late. If I'd known that there was a continental breakfast provided in the tournament area, I would have arrived somewhat earlier than 9 AM and noshed on bagels and coffee. I don't eat sweet rolls or drink fruit juice. However, since it was Day 1 and since I didn't know about said continental breakfast or coffee, I now know that I should have gotten in line at 9 AM for the 9:30 AM session because I missed out on the cute little stuffed animals that they were giving away on Day 1 as you picked the number for your machine. Dang it! I ended up with a light up star ball that bounces but doesn't light up. *Sigh* Anyway, the numbers for the machines were written on ping pall balls and you had to draw them out of a box. The number for my machine was #35. What a dog! Do you remember what I said about how you can practice all you want but if you draw a dog for a machine you're pretty much out of luck? Well...I drew a dog. I got a total of 2 full houses, 1 flush and 1 straight. My total end score for the first session was 710. OK. Believe it or not, I wasn't in last place. Out of 251 participants in the tournament, after that first session, I was in 165th place. *sigh* At this point, need we go on? We must. My next and second session of three took place at 1:30 PM that day. Having missed out on the stuffed animals from the first session, I arrived early only to find out that there were no more "toys" to be awarded. *sigh* Again, we drew ping pong numbers from a box. This time, I drew the number #27. I did better this time on my machine but...still...no four of a kinds, specials or other. My score for the second session was 835. *sigh* At this point I knew that I wasn't a contender for any prize for this tournament. I figured that I'd have to get a Royal Flush or at least Aces with a Kicker or a few four of a kinds in order to advance to prize status.

Day Two. Only one more session. I arrived early hoping to snag a stuffed animal. Apparently, the stuffed animals were only given out on Day 1. *sigh* I pulled the #2 ball from the box. By this point I already knew that a miracle would have to occur for me to advance to prize status. Although I did get on four of a kind (four kings) during my last session, the end score of my last session of 965, when added to my previous scores?,... I didn't bother to go to the prize distribution party at 1 PM today even though they provided cake and champagne for the party. Here's what I finally decided on this tournament stuff is. I'd do it again. It was fun. What's not fun about being able to play without having to shell out money? And? You need to get major four of a kind payoffs and, major plus, a Royal Flush, in order to get a monetary prize here at Sam's Town. Neither one of these should prevent anyone from entering such a tournament. Miracles do happen. Santa Claus exists. Hey...I could have been a contender... I wasn't but...what the heck. Sam's Town paid for my three night stay...neigh...they paid for my four night stay. They paid for all my food and beverages during my four night stay. What's not to like about this tournament?

In the meantime?...I got two Royal Flushes on one single machine today. Progressive jackpot machines. Miracles do occur. HTP and I had planned to stay one more day than we normally remain in Vegas on one single trip...because tomorrow is my birthday. Happy Birthday to Me!...tomorrow. Anyway, I've been really strict on budgeting this trip because I've been trying to stretch three days of gaming dollars over a four day gaming dollar stay here in Vegas. My two Royal Flushes were a minor miracle. Woohoo! However...I still plan to keep to my budget. My gains from this trip will finance our next trip...whenever that may be.

Murphyism of the Day

Second Law of Revision

The more innocuous the modification appears to be, the further its influence will extend and the more plans will have to be redrawn.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

"The last time the French asked for 'more proof' it came marching into Paris under a German flag." -- David Letterman

Word of the Day

Adultish - Closely resembling an adult person.

Video Poker Tournament - Sam's Town

HTP and I arrived in Vegas at around 2:30 PM. We checked into our room and were told that were were to meet for a pre-tournament reception at 6 PM. People started lining up to get into the reception at around 5:30 PM. I got in line. The line moved quickly...once it started to actually move. When we reached the front of the line we each received a packet with information about the tournament, name tags, and the times for each of our three sessions. We also each received a gift. The gift? Three small crystal vases that match the large vase that we received as a gift for New Year's Eve. Nice.

The reception was nice. Drinks, appetizers and desserts. Finger food. Plenty of food so that HTP and I decided that a dinner following the reception was unnecessary. At the reception some of the tournament rules were clarified. All the practice I put in learning Jacks or Better Video Poker strategy was useless. We were told that we would all be playing Double Double Video Poker. Since I'm familiar with the strategy, I don't believe that I will have any problems. From all that I'm hearing, you REALLY need to get a Royal Flush in order to win the tournament. The goal is to get as many points as you can. 4000 points for a Royal will obviously help accomplish this goal.

Basically, we'll arrive at the playing area 20 minutes before each of our sessions. At this point, we each draw a number from a basket and this number will determine which machine we'll be playing on. I'm not sure if this number drawing happens before each of the sessions or not. I do know that we have three playing sessions which will last 20 minutes...each. Each player will receive 1000 credits to play during the 20 minutes. Your session is done when the 1000 credits are gone or the twenty minutes is done....whichever comes first. Any credits that you haven't played because the twenty minutes are gone and your machine has frozen will be forfeited. After your twenty minute session, someone will come and verify how many points or credits that you won during the session. I was assigned two twenty minute sessions tomorrow (the first day of the tournament) and one twenty minute session on Wednesday (the second and final day of the tournament). The awards ceremony and prize distribution will take place following the final session on the second day.

So...here's what I know for sure. Tomorrow, I need to show up for my first 20 minute session at 9:10 AM. My playing time is at 9:30 AM. My second session is scheduled for 1:30 PM...so I'll have to be there at 1:10 PM. My final session is scheduled for 9:30 AM on Wednesday morning. I need to wear my name tag for the sessions.

Murphyism of the Day

First Law of Revision

Information necessitating a change of design will be conveyed to the designer after -and only after - the plans are complete. (Often call the "Now they tell us!" Law)

Corollary

In simple cases, presenting one obvious righ way versus one obvious wrong way, it is often wiser to choose the wrong way, so as to expedite subsequent revision.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

"What does an actor know about politics?" - President Ronald Reagan, complaining about Screen Actors' Guild president Ed Asner speaking out on U.S. foreign policy

Word of the Day

Agiliteeth - The skill of using dental floss to effectively clean the entire mouth. Often perfected by individuals with germ phobias

I stopped at Target on my way home from church because I needed to buy some Aleve Cold & Sinus. It's gotten really hard to buy the stuff because I guess a few bad pennies buy it as an ingredient to make homemade drugs. So now all of us are having to be punished by showing picture ID and I suppose my name is now on some drug database somewhere. If I didn't have a sinus headache and drippy nose from allergies I wouldn't buy the stuff. I can buy a bottle of Everclear without showing ID and having my name entered into some database but I can't buy allergy meds?

Anyway, I also bought some new shirts and socks and hair things. I needed some new socks and I couldn't resist the shirts. As for the hair thingies? I probably could have lived with the one hair clasper but then I saw these neat ponytail things that look like hairclips when you've got them in your hair. I'd never seen anything like that before and since I have long hair and am tired of hair scrungies, I thought I'd give them a try.

I'm doing laundry now. Tomorrow HTP and I are heading to Vegas for a video poker tournament and Valentine's Day and my birthday. Three birds with one stone. I've decided to try and chronicle my experiences with playing a video poker tournament in my blog while we're there since I couldn't find any decent descriptions of such an event on the internet. I found one short description of a video poker tournament that was held in Laughlin. I'm not sure if the rules for that tournament will be the same the rules that I'll find at this tournament.

Murphyism of the Day

Osborn's Law

Variables won't; constants aren't.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

"What do you expect from a culture and a nation(France) that exerted more of its national will fighting against Disney World and Big Macs than the Nazis?" -- Dennis Miller

Word of the Day

Adorkable - Equally adorable and dorky

There are days that I feel like I'm running off my feet doing all kinds of things, accomplishing so much and then I look around and it doesn't look like I've done one thing. These are the days that I work on the invisible things around the house that need doing but no-one really notices too much when they don't get done until they grow and grow and become gigantic and huge and hard to miss. I guess today is going to be one of those days. I went outside and re-sprayed the weeds. I sprayed the weeds a few days ago. Those weeds have pretty much browned out and hopefully died. The thing is when you're spraying for weeds, new ones keep popping up and sometimes you just "think" you sprayed a weed and you didn't. I keep on thinking I should put some kind of food dye in the weed spray so I can actually see when I spray the weeds. The people who spray the community shared properties use some kind of green color that fades in time. I suppose I should go out and put some pre-emergent weed preventer down. Only...I want to wait until "Spring" when the plants start budding out and I can do some yard clean up to get rid of all the dead leaves and stuff. That way I can use a pre-emergent with fertilizer. Dual purpose. Kill two birds with one stone. HTP is going out to buy me some pre-emergent. In the meantime, I'm going to continue on taking care of all the invisible things that need taking care of before they become huge and visible. Invisible things that become visible and huge are just totally disgusting.

Murphyism of the Day

Jose's Axiom

Nothing is as temporary as that which is called permanent.

Corollary

Nothing as permanent as that which is called temporary.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

"You can observe a lot by watching." - Yogi Berra

Word of the Day

Adoricious - The quality of being able to be adored. Used in place of 'adorable' which often tends to imply cuteness as opposed to the ability to be adored. Useful when subject or a quality of the subject is endearing, but not necessarily cute.

It's Friday! Of course, that pretty much only means that tomorrow is going to be a horrible radio day with infomercials for vitamins and supplements. Infomercials on TV as well.

I can't say that TV and radio have had much to offer today either. It's been non-stop coverage of the death of Anna Nicole Smith at the age of 39. I can't help but feel bad about the whole thing, this media circus circling around like a bunch of vultures. I guess she pretty much lived and breathed and craved the limelight. She's got it in spades right now. How sad that no-one loved this woman enough to save her...even if it meant saving her from herself.

Murphyism of the Day

Bitton's Postulate on State-of-the-Art Electronics

If you understand it, it's obsolete.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

"You know, the French remind me a little bit of an aging actress of the 1940s who was still trying to dine out on her looks but doesn't have the face for it."
-- John McCain , U.S. Senator from Arizona

Word of the Day

Adminisphere - The levels of management where big, impractical, and counterproductive decisions are made.

The water still flows in my fountain. The plants in my yard are still brown and dropping their leaves. Whoops...all except the weeds. The weeds are/were coming along just fine. I went out and sprayed Round-up on the weeds yesterday and they're just starting to shrivel a bit. The weather is perfect. Not too hot, and not too cold.

HTP got a jury summons questionnaire from Wisconsin. If it was anything like the one I got last year, he'll have had to tell them that his commute distance to the courthouse would be 2000 miles...during the winter. They haven't asked me commute yet. I doubt they'll ask HTP to commute either. Call me weird but I actually enjoyed the one time I ended up on a jury.

Murphyism of the Day

Schrank's First Law

If it doesn't work, expand it.

Corollary

The greater the magnitude, the less notice will be taken that it does not work.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

Q: Do you know how far pregnant you are now?
A: I'll be three months on November 8.
Q: Apparently, then, the date of conception was August 8?
A: Yes.
Q: What were you doing at that time?
-- Official Court Records

Word of the Day

Adjectize - To describe thoroughly with an excessive, and often an unnecessary, amount of words.

I've got happy hair again. That's how my hair technician described my hair yesterday after she'd finished with it. Happy hair. No more grey. All split ends gone. Happy hair. I bought some of the products that she used...just because. I happen to appreciate having happy hair. By the end of my appointment yesterday, my eyes were almost back to normal. Happy hair and happy eyes.

It's a beautiful day today. I've got the windows open. It's supposed to warm up to the upper 70's. The hummingbirds are darting back and forth and taking dips in the fountain. I love watching them but haven't put out my own feeders this winter. I noticed that my next door neighbor has a feeder out for them. It's nice being able to enjoy the hummingbirds and not have any of the work with keeping a feeder clean and fresh. Maybe I'll put out a feeder next year.

Murphyism of the Day

Meissner's Law

Any producing entity is the last to use its product.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

"The only time France wants us to go to war is when the German Army is sitting in Paris sipping coffee." -- Regis Philbin

Word of the Day

Acluistic - Describing or pertaining to anything clueless; without a clue.

My right eye is off and on blurry. Both eyes are still dilated from yesterday's eye exam for some odd reason. As for the results of the long three hour exam? Drum roll please. And the result is.... I have to wait and have my eyes re-examined in November. My eyes are healthy. My corneas are nice and thick. The doctor wants a more accurate (three hours with all those computerized machines and lots of eye drops) history of my eyes. My last eye exam was two years ago and wasn't three hours long with lots of machines. In comparison to the exam I had two years ago, which may or may not have been totally accurate, my right eye has worsened enough in those two years that the doctor wants to make double sure on the measurements. So, in November, I'll come back from Wisconsin and do a repeat of the three hour exam I just went through. He actually wanted me to come back in six months but in six months I'll be in Wisconsin. I'm not going to fly back to Arizona for a three hour eye exam in August. So...November. If my eyes haven't changed over a certain measurable amount, we're thinking of PRK eye surgery. Not Lasik. In the meantime, it's not going to hurt to wait.

I hope my eyes settle back down before I have to leave for my hair appointment this morning. It sure seems painfully bright outside right now and my photo grey lenses don't seem to be helping any. I pray that I don't have to explain to some policeman that my eyes are still dilated from yesterday's eye appointment. "But Occifer...."

Murphyism of the Day

The Basic Law of Construction

Cut it large and kick it into place.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

"I'm going through eye exercise therapy, strengthening my eyes. I'm supposed to like, rest them." - Martha Stewart, denying that she was dozing off during an Al Gore speech.

Word of the Day

Acknodledge - To nod at someone walking in the opposite direction while avoiding a conversation that can make one appear desperate or causing an awkward moment.

I've got an eye appointment today. I'm not at all sure what they plan to do for the two hours that they'll be looking at my eyes but I thought I'd better blog before I go...just in case. Just in case? Just in case my eyes are so dilated and screwy afterwards that I can't do anything for the rest of the day but blink owlishly at everyone. HTP's going to drive. I've always wondered about what a policeman thinks when he stops a driver whose eyes were dilated. And do the police actually believe that person when they say they were just at the eye doctor when from all outward appearances they look stoned out of their mind? HTP's going to be driving so I guess I'll just have to continue to wonder. Now...if my eyes are OK, I'll try and come back to tell you all about what went on.

Murphyism of the Day

Beach's Law

No two identical parts are alike.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

"As far as I'm concerned, war always means failure." -- Jacques Chirac, President of France

"As far as France is concerned, you're right." -- Rush Limbaugh

Word of the Day

Ack - An exclamation used when one is angry, upset, or choked up (literally or figuratively).

Movies based on books are what they are. The movie I watched last night, Angels Fall, was what it was. A movie based on a book. Having read the book, I was able to enjoy the movie. If I'd just watched the movie, I would have been disappointed. It was disjointed. Too much was left out. Oh well...I'll watch the other three movies and hope that they're better.

I spent the morning at church. Early to rise, orchestra practice and then playing for the third service. I think I need a nap.

Murphyism of the Day

Seventh Law of Product Design

No problem is so large that it can't be fit in somewhere.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

"I couldn't tell if the streaker was a man or a woman because it had a bag on its head." - Yogi Berra

Word of the Day

Accumulotion - The uncomfortably grotesque layer of slime that adorns the opening of a lotion dispenser.

It's still cold here in Arizona. When I woke up this morning, my thermometer told me that it was a chilly 36-degrees outside. Right now? 62-degrees. I'm getting a bit tired of cold weather. If I liked cold weather, I'd winter up at The Lake. Only...it's LOTS colder there right now and I don't like cold weather so I'll stop my whining. It's supposed to warm up to the upper 70's this week. We'll see. At least I don't live in Florida where major storms seem to hit on a fairly regular basis. If it's not hurricanes taking aim, it's tornadoes. This morning I was watching a reporter on TV interviewing a man in front of what remained of his house in Florida after the latest devasting results of tornadoes. Reporters always ask the same questions but my ears perked up this time. The reporter asked, "Will you rebuild?" The man looked at her and answered that he and his wife just lived in Florida during the winter months. They were from Illinois. Then he continued to answer her question with, "Nope, not this time. Next winter I think we'll go to Arizona." Seems like Arizona realtors are going to be keeping busy...even more so than right now. Disaster strikes in California (earthquakes) or Florida (hurricanes and tornadoes) and Arizona starts looking really good.

It's pizza night. I'm planning on watching Monk tonight and that Nora Roberts movie that I missed on Monday of last week. They're going to re-run it. Woohoo! Now, I only have to remember to remember.

Murphyism of the Day

Law of Corporate Planning

Anything that can be changed will be changed until there is no time left to change anything.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

"We can stand here like the French, or we can do something about it." -- Marge Simpson

Word of the Day

Accordionated - Having a strong ability to control and manipulate accordion-like objects such as maps and oriental fans.

Even though I love to cook, there are some things that I just do not have a talent for when it comes to cooking. One of those things is, sad to say, fried or broasted chicken. I LOVE Southern-fried chicken. I don't have the talent for making it. None at all. I LOVE broasted chicken. Again...no talent, no equipment. You need special equipment for broasted chicken. I can buy something that isn't Southern-fried chicken at the store...and it tastes tons better than my worst attempt at making Southern-fried chicken. HTP and I had it for supper last night. 8-pieces for $3.99. Greasy, fattening, not too bad. Edible. Kind of like a combo of Southern-fried and broasted but a huge miss for both. *Sigh* However....I didn't have to attempt making anything like it. When it comes to broasted chicken...I guess I'll just have to wait until I get back to Wisconsin. There's a restaurant twenty miles south of The Lake that serves WONDERFUL broasted chicken. In the meantime, I'll just have to make do with the $3.99 greasy chicken from the store.

Murphyism of the Day

Wright's Law of Quality

Quality is inversely proportional to the time left for completion of the project.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

"Sometimes in order to make progress and move ahead, you have to stand up and do the wrong thing." -- Congressman Gary Ackerman (D-New York), explaining why he supported a new welfare bill.

Word of the Day

Accidue - Small pieces of broken glass, metal and other debris that remains at the scene of an accident for months after.

My rain gauge is getting quite the workout this winter. We received just under 1/2" of rain yesterday. I just gave the windows on my house an appraising look to see whether or not the weather is forcing me to wash windows. Not yet. I think I can hold off on washing the windows until next winter.

I've been practicing my Jacks or Better Video Poker skills. I don't normally play Jacks or Better Video Poker. I prefer Double Double Bonus Video Poker and Double Bonus Video Poker. Sometimes I play other Video Poker varieties...just to keep things interesting. Later this month I'm going to be playing in a Video Poker Tournament. I've never played in a Video Poker Tournament before but from what I've been able to find out, the game that is played in these tournaments is Jacks and Better. Each Video Poker variety has its own unique strategy that a player needs to follow in order to increase the odds of winning or breaking even. So, I'm practicing. Jacks or Better Video Poker. Will this help me win or even get a minor prize in this tournament? Can't hurt. Will I win? I'm not holding my breath. I'm only going into this for the fun of it. However, there's no reason to go into this with a negative. Practicing strategy will help stack the odds a bit more in my favor. Nevertheless, no amount of practice will help me one little smidgen if I get a dud machine. A dud machine? A dud machine is one that refuses to deal you anything but the worst possible hands. I've played at a bunch of such dud machines. No amount of "feeding" ever changes the money sucking outflowing tide. The dud machine will continue to deal out non-paying hand after non-paying hand. The smart player gets up and moves to another machine as far away from the dud machine as possible. Why? Dud machines are notorious for paying off for the very next person who happens to sit down.

Murphyism of the Day

Robertson's Law

Quality assurance doesn't.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

"Going to war without France is like going deer hunting without your
accordion." -- General Norman Schwarzkopf