Happy Halloween!

Decision Time

It would appear the time has come to fulfill an ultimatium laid out several years ago...

I told my new brother-in-law that I would have to hunt him down and harm him should he ever hurt my sister. Tonight I received a call they were splitting, straight to divorce, no trial separation.

While I usually try to use my powers only for good, the thought of deliberately jeapordizing my karma is a bit daunting. Then there's the whole downside of legal reprecussions.

So what's the lesson here, kiddies? At least for me... don't make vows while you're 28 and hormonally hopped up (since I was pregnant at the time) that your 36 year old butt doesn't want to fulfill. Even if it was made in jest. The family girl in me is spoiling for a fight. The sympathetic sister in me knows it's rarely that simple.

The good news is her own son is 21, and they didn't have any kids together. I am grateful she won't have to suffer the aggravation of joint custody. Still doesn't keep me from being sad for her. Also brings back a lot of feelings I've worked hard to move beyond.

It's weird to be the one watching this time around. Also annoying that I don't know what to do to help. Other than wait. Since I'm SO good with the patience, ya know.

No comments from Igor!

Bark

Degolar put me in a dog frame of mind...

And, my throat freaking hurts. Not necessarily from the game, but I think rather from hanging with the kids after work Saturday.

Probably just a painful reminder of why I gave up smoking. Since it is only polite, and a lot less smelly, to go outside if you'd like a cigarette. After chaperoning young and drunk birthday boy Tom outside on a chilly night, I now sound like a Great Dane. Not that that should be bad... since after all, the.Danes.are.great.

Ok, too late in the night; or early in the morning for that breakdown of logic.

Working with the shoe store kids gives me a whole new perspective of youth. I think they were having a good time. But oy vey, I bet they felt like hell Sunday morning!

WOW!

Not World of Warcraft, but rather, what a weekend! What a minute... that would be WAW. Oops! When a girl is happy, accuracy can be a technicality.

KU wins (without a Mangino meltdown)
'Bods win
Mizzou loses (sorry, Hadrian)

Chiefs WIN!
Denver gets beat (at home), ha!
Pittsburg gets some comeuppance at the hands of (all teams)... da Raiders! Who woulda guess? Poor Ben the brick, woo hoo hoo!

Now while the college trifeca would have been even sweeter had K-State lost as well... I'll be happy with the Chiefs win. Awesome one to attend, BTW. Other than the usual drunk jerks and traffic aggravation. But the way Lyndy drives, we were still home well before dinner time. And we're owed two beers at the next game from Chatty Chad behind us. Or Adam, whatever his name is.

Deja Vu?

I have over 24 hours of music on my iPod. So in theory... if you shuffle the songs, shouldn't there be a strong likelihood you would NOT hear the same song every day?

I don't quite understand this technology. Although the songs can be random, I've notice it tends to play songs off several of the same albums in the same day.

Apple may utilize the same technology as the shoe store muzak. Although a song is not to repeat within a 24-hour period... I've already noticed it tends to play the same song during my shift, regardless of the day and time. Oh yeah, of course it couldn't a song that I LIKE. It's an annoying Alicia Keys song, where she's chatting up some boy on the phone.

Oy, it sucks.

On the plus side, though... there are two Everclear songs. Bonus, eh.

Being an Adult Sucks

My darling, wonderful, child is making my head want to asplode. He really is such a good and kind child most all the time.

When he's not, I hate being a tough parent.

Rain, Rain Down On Me

I love the rain.


But I don't love the headache it's giving me. Or the fact my boyfriend's asleep, and I'm watching it by myself. Oh well, he got to pull rank for taking us out to dinner tonight. It was nice to get out.

Also fun to buzz by the shoe store and let the girls check out my boys. We are making devious plans for young Tom's birthday party, Sat. night. He's really going to regret trying those women's boots on his first day at work. Hee hee!

Hopefully he's prepared his new lady friend. We told him she'd have to go if we didn't approve of her. "Tell her to be on her best behavior, Tom... since we won't be!" : P

Everything Looks Classy In Black And White

The Movie Of Your Life Is Film Noir

So what if you're a little nihilistic at times? Life with meaning is highly over-rated. Your best movie matches: Sin City, L. A. Confidential, Blade Runner

If Your Life Was a Movie, What Genre Would It Be?

Ms. Dewey Would So Not Approve

So, I intended to update my blog tonight... as I finally had a evening off, and sedated the boys with a home-cooked meal.

Blogger, though, had other ideas. I'm not sure what the issue was, but the blogspot.com sites would not load for love or money.

As such, I've now totally forgotten what I was going to post in the first place. Other than Degolar found this chick, and she's pretty rockin':



Oh yeah.. and Igor sucks. He and his crew roll to St. Louis on Tuesday. Yeah, that would be for one of those World Series game things. Stud!

As a closing note... I was actually up late enough to witness "Robot Chicken". My kid should now be banned from television until he's 30. Hello Kitty just kung-fu squished Joey Fatone's head. But he is determined to avenge his bandmates death at the Yakuza martial arts tournament. First he'll have to go through Hong Kong Fooey.

However, SuperBritney may be his undoing. Wrong, wrong... but very funny. Maybe only because it's so late.

Y'all be good.

Entertainment for Hours

VH1 Classics channel + Wikipedia = Memories O' Rama

But now "Jacksons, the American Dream" has come on. All good things must come to an end.

Happy Friday... the 13th

For the creepy girl in black, Friday the 13th should be a high holy day. Other than rocking a headache/neckache from the undead, it's been pretty quiet.

UPDATE: The shoe store closing deposit tonight? $666 in bills, making a grand deposit of $966.67. CREEPY!!! There was also a rush at 10 mins to close, and a Springer grandmother buying atheletic shoes and rubber clogs for her grandchildren. To wear to... a funeral. People are crazy! The other girl has sworn off working any more 13th Fridays.

In lieu of better content, here's a couple of fun distractions:

What Winter Sport Are You?

You Are Curling

What you lack in athleticism, you make up for in concentration. And while curling isn't much more of a sport than bowling, you *can* win a gold medal for it!

What Flavor Ice Cream Are You?

You Are Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

You are kind, popular, and generous. You tend to be successful at anything you try. A social butterfly, you are great at entertaining a crowd. You are most compatible with strawberry ice cream.

Potential TMI Post

It's quick. It's dirty. But it's fun. Just like me! : P

50 Things About Me:

1. I was born... to a young family before they were ready.
2. I was raised... in Tecumseh, KS by a strong work ethic. You want something? Go out and earn it. Then no one has the right to disrespect your sense of entitlement.
3. My parents are... Lynn and Andrea, Shirley and Alex.
4. I have... one older sister who is more than a stepsibling, and two younger brothers.
5. Our first pet was... I don't remember whom was first, but I remember German Shepards Lady, her children Poochie and Sargent, and cats Thomas, OJ, Muffin, Elliot, and Squealer.
6. My favorite pet.... is going to be the companion dog I'll have to buy when E goes off to college.
7. I was a... softball catcher for five years.
8. My favorite colors are... black and blue.
9. Beautiful flowers... are my favorite. Especially if they're a gift to me!
10. I was born on... February 17th.
11. I am Aquarian... (but not really) in every sense of the way. My moon sign is water, with a Venus water and Mars fire sign.
12. My best friend's name is... hard to designate. I have three wonderful close girlfriends, all invaluable in their own way. The Goddess is a hard act to follow.
13. We were the... debate geeks in school. Thank the punk rock gods!
14. I was a ..."B"... student in school; I could have done better if I tried. Jeremy made up for it.
15. My favorite subjects were... boys and forensics road trips.
16. I look a lot like... my momma.
17. My middle name is... Elizabeth, a Cropp family name.
18. I lived in... a small town where you could play all over the neighborhood.
19. I went to... Europe for a week... and didn't want to /couldn't wait to/ come home. Except I missed my boy too much. If he was with us, we'd still be over there.
20. The... family house in Slater... is a place where I am completely at peace.
21. I'd like to someday move to... New England.
22. My fave sport is... football... and the... Jayhawks... are my fave team.
23. I hate (sport)... ignorant fans or players that take competition too seriously.
24. I love/hate (TV shows)... love CSI, HGTV, Miami Ink, History Channel, and Travel Channel.
25. Thanksgiving... is my favorite holiday. Four day weekend, yay!
26. I am crazy about... comics and movies.
27. My hair is... longer than I should have it at this age. My eyes are.... blue.
28. I broke my... right forearm in the fifth grade, at the roller rink.
29. I hobbled around... every day I'm too vain to wear sensible shoes. Falling down stairs in the late '80s means my neck doesn't curve like it should. Too many days in heels makes for a cranky girl.
30. Diet Coke... is my fave beverage.
31. Teriyaki chicken or thai noodle bowls... mmmmmmm!
32. I can't live without... good steak. Chicken and fish are better for you, but I'm still a farm girl!
33. The first concert I ever went to was... Foreigner's Agent Provacetuer [sic] tour. Maybe 1985? Joe Walsh opened, promoting The Confessor. My young brothers wondered why he was stumbling around the stage. Just say no to drugs, kids.
34. I was.. 15.. when I saw them.
35. I like... most anything but country... music.
36. My favorite band is... Everclear.
37. I love... Queen.
38. Geez, 12 more things to go.
39. Aren't you bored yet?
40. Five years ago... I was enjoying new love.
41. Now... it's even better! : )
42. I need... a Carribean vacation.
43. Believe it or not... I do have moral compass. HA!
44. I've always wanted... less of a Redmond tummy, and more booty.
45. My... eyes... are probably my nicest feature (that can be said in front of my mother).
46. My biggest pet peeves are... people that can't manage to be polite. No one is impressed with selfishness.
47. If I could have any car I wanted, I'd choose... a BMW convertible, high gloss black.
48. I love... my son... more than I love life itself.
49. My... acquistion of aging facial hair... is freaking... me out.
50. Cuss? ... Me? No fucking way! What the hell kind of girl to you think I am? Damn straight!

Review: Welcome to the Drama Club

Fate must be trying to tell me something... while on the plane, out of 484 songs to shuffle through, iPod plays Everclear every other song. It also reminded me I need to post a breakdown of the latest Everclear album.

1. Under the Western Stars -- Starts off with a synthy cowpunk flair, but enough rhythm to make you rock. A song saying 'yeah, so we didn't work, but I have this new thing going that is looking good'. A decent opener, overall. By the end of the track, the guitars have you convinced it's a good song. "Hard promises broken, should've never been made."

2. Now -- starts acoustic, builds with layers. A testament to where Art is now, having come through the dark of soul-searching and emerging the other side. A great song. If it is released as the next single, I will be a happy girl. Truly optimistic and catchy enough for everyone to love. "This is where I wanna be now."

3. Shine -- Think "AM Radio" with just synth and handclaps. I'm not totally sure of the intent of this song. He indicates the exwife had duplicious intentions, yet so did he. So he just encourages her to "open up and show the world the freak inside." ??

4. Hater-- Art is marketing this single as "the breakup song of 2006." No, my brother... you gots to write a better song for that. Yeah, you're pissed at the exwife for not being the girl you thought she was going to be. Quit chasing after girls half your age, and you might find one that knows who she is. PS: dude, you're white. Don't try to rap (on the intro). PPS: Too much cowbell is NOT a good thing. I don't care what Will Ferrell says.

5. The Drama King-- Art strums "I wish there was an easier way to be in love." See previous age-appropriate comment. Meow! Overall, though... it's a great melancholy song. There's talk of it being the next single, which would be a good move several times over from "Hater"

6. Glorious -- Art reps his cowpunk past. "I was asleep when I was living the dream." This song totally reminds me of his second exwife (from the World of Noise and Sparkle and Fade era). Lots of references to starving artist days and young love. I'm guessing his wrote this to fulfill the 'make amends' stop of the Repairing Karma tour.

7. A Taste of Hell -- adorable (to a parent, at least) intro of kidlet rock-rapping. Overall, the song is really poppy, and damningly catchy. It's a two-can-play-that-game kissoff from Art to the last exwife. "You get what you pay for, you gonna own what you sell."

8. Portland Rain -- my absolute favorite song on the whole album. At first, I was upset they blantantly went for the Maroon 5 synth blues angle. Yet Art is sad, but not necessarily mad at the exwife. He has proven (time and again) to be a fairly simple man... give him an income to support those he loves, and a woman to satisfy his personal security needs... and he shall not want for much more.

9. A Shameless Use of Charm -- another Maroon-y pop rocker. It does have a fairly profound premise "they were looking for the easy way to have it all."

10. Clean -- Quasi cowpunk ballad for his adolescent daughter. (Again, from the parent perspective...) It is adorable. If the daughter didn't cry when she heard the finished version... she will years later, as a parent herself.

11. Broken -- Starts out with a twang, then layers in other music. This should be a single release, but I'm not holding my breath. The most cathartic songwriting on the album.

12. Your Arizona Room -- hope springs eternal for Mr. Alexakis. His divorce papers weren't likely dry before he's taken up with another girlfriend. And again, he is convinced he can make a fresh start to relationship success. Though now he's got God (thanked on the liner credits) on his side... oy!

Hidden Track-- Beautiful Dream, or The Good Life -- comes in about minute eight off track 12. A great bar song. The boys just playing and having a good time. Starts with the kidlet intro long version. A great song in a "Friends in Low Places" mindset.

Hi

Feeling lonely? A sense of abandonment? Well, you have good cause for such.

I've been a poor blog owner. It's not that I don't love you... I do. Just have been trying to find enough time to give you my full attention and posts worthy of comment.

Tonight and tomorrow night, I'll work on getting stuff together for Phoenix. Have to go there this weekend for work. Staying with the Johannsson's Saturday, and REALLY looking forward to the family time. What kind of gifts do you take to Russian kids 14, 12, and 10 whom have been in the states only a couple of years? Especially when their folks can provide everything they would ever need?

Chiefs game (on TV) Sunday, work Monday and Tuesday, then back late Tuesday night.

Turns out I'll have to work at the shoe store the next night back, and most of the weekend. Oh well, that's what I get for liking money.

So please forgive me for being insensitive to your needs. Really, it's not you. It's me.

PS: Igor can take good care of you. Especially if you like sports. He's been the posting fool. Wrapping up summer baseball and getting to the only sport that matters (says him)... hockey.

Game on!

Life Imitates Art Music

Props to the ever great Sarah Kate for another reason to make me appreciate my iPod. Though now I have a whole new list of music to covet, since she has great musical taste!



1. Put your music player on shuffle.
2. Press forward for each question.
3. Use the song title as the answer to the question even if it doesn't make sense... but be prepared to be shocked!

How am I feeling today?
HANGING ON A CURTAIN--MORPHINE

Will I get far in life?
WHY I DON'T BELIEVE IN GOD -- EVERCLEAR

How do my friends see me?
WHERE FISHES GO -- LIVE

Where will I get married?
THIS STRANGE EFFECT -- HOOVERPHONIC

What is my best friend's theme song?
WITCH HUNT -- RUSH

What is the story of my life?
SUFFERING -- ENDOCHINE

What's high school like?
PRINCES OF THE UNIVERSE -- QUEEN

How can I get ahead in life?
MIDDLETOWN DREAMS -- RUSH

What is the best thing about you?
SUMMER SHUDDER -- AFI

What is tomorrow going to be like?
THE MISSING FRAME -- AFI (funny, since I have meetings all day!)

What is in store for this weekend?
MYSTERY -- LIVE (this is funny to me on so many levels)

How is my life going?
A SHAMELESS USE OF CHARM -- EVERCLEAR (my secret's out!)

What song will they play at my funeral?
BRING EM BACK ALIVE -- AUDIOSLAVE

What do my friends really think of me?
HYPNOTIZE -- AUDIOSLAVE

Do people secretly lust after me?
SUPERSONIC -- OASIS

How can I make myself happy?
THE LAST TIME -- GNARLS BARKLEY (all work and no play... that's the way it is, isn't it?)

Will I ever have children?
CAN'T FIND A WAY -- ENDOCHINE (oops! oh well, not all the answers can be ironic)

Who will you marry?
SHOW -- LIVE (yeah, really!)

Do you have a boyfriend/girlfriend?
CALL ME MELLOW -- TEARS FOR FEARS

Do you have polka dot panties on?
NOW -- EVERCLEAR