Too Busy To Blog

There's just been way too much to do lately that I'm totally neglecting my blog and my blog friends. I apologize. I promise once things settle down with dad that I'll start making my regular rounds to everyone on my dailies list. Right now I'm lucky I know what day it is.

Dad is doing well. Still waiting for them to hear bowel sounds so that he can start getting a liquid diet again. He'll be so happy to see a glass of water.

I took him his razor today and his hand held poker game that keeps him amused.

He's had some extra company today besides me, too, which is good.

Mom misses him like crazy.

Fingers crossed that he gets into a normal room soon so that she can call him more often.

Top 5 On Friday

From Music Memoirs

Top 5 songs to rock out to.

1. The Beatles - Revolution



2. Boingo - Insanity



3. The Moody Blues - I'm Just A Singer In A Rock N' Roll Band



4. Elvis Costello & The Attractions - Pump It Up



5. Def Leppard - Armageddon It

Dad Update

I just want to let you know that my daddy made it through surgery well. They restructured everything down there and we're waiting for pathology results, though the doctor says he doesn't think that its cancer. Fingers still need to be crossed there just in case.

He's sleeping well in his bed in ICU.

Thank you all for your continued prayers, I know I as well as my mom, appreciate them.

Please continue to keep him in your thoughts for the time being.

Please Pray

Dad's surgery is in a few hours. Pray hard for us. Pray that he will make it through. Just pray! Pray to any god or saint or anyone you think will listen.

Please.

Remember To Say I Love You

Those are the three words that you need to tell those special people in your life every day of your life. I don't care if its just your dog. Let them know you love them. Tell them as often as you can.

Those three words mean so much.

Speak them.

Demonstrate them.

Just do it.

Love has to be shown, because when that person is gone, you'll wonder if they knew.

And now...I'll pray. Because if anything happens to my dad during his surgery tomorrow I don't know how any of us will cope. I'm just glad that he knows how much I love him.

Tuesday Tunes: Week 66

From Music Memoirs

What music can cure whatever ails you and why?

When I'm not feeling good, I want my old standbys playing, assuming I can stand to listen to anything. For me that means The Beatles, The Monkees, The Moody Blues, Elvis Costello etc.

If its a mental ailing I like to go for music that is more for chilaxin' like Diana Krall, Jane Monheit or Enigma. All three of these artists will soothe my aching mind and allow me to sleep.

If its a really bad funk, Diana Krall's version of Count Your Blessings Instead Of Sheep helps me get by. That has to be one of the most beautiful songs ever recorded and it does remind you that even when you are at your lowest there are things that are good in life.

No Time....No Time At All

To much to do, and not nearly enough time to do it in. My dad's going to have another CT of his abdomen today.

We're all sick with worry as it is.

The people at the hospital have him on a bazillion antibiotics and we're just waiting and hoping that he just has an infection. He only seems to be keeping down water.

VERY SCARED AND WORRIED.

Pray for us please.....

If It Ain't One Thing

My dad's in the hospital with colonitis and a UTI. OYE is about all I can really say at this point.

I spent from 5:30 til 4 a.m. with him, getting him to the ambulance and sitting in the ER.

Not a pleasant Saturday evening, let me tell you.


He's looking to be in there for a few days while the antibiotics do their job.

Such fun.

I'm running on about 3 hours of sleep right now, and I have to go back to the hospital for awhile at noon.

Seriously, when do things get better? I know they could be much worse, as I was turning drama llama half the night with worry. But crikey, 2009 isn't turning out to be any better than 2008.

Friday Night At Walmart

I can't believe I went to Walmart last night. I can't believe it wasn't really that busy. Sadly what that meant was that everyone had been there already and the shelves were empty.

PAH!

Half of the stuff on my list didn't get bought. Heck they didn't even have my Multi-Grain Cheerios. WTF is up with being out of those? They had every other kind of Cheerios too.

Double PAH!

I almost bought that 16 GB iPod Nano I've been coveting, but because of the slower than dirt people working in electronics that had a hard time processing a payment for my credit card, I gave up. Someday I'll get that Nano! I vow it. I may be near death when it happens, but I will get it!

The frozen food section used to be so awesome at Walmart, now it sucks! I want my tortilla crusted fish from Lean Cuisine dammit!!!

This is why I hate shopping at Walmart. At least I don't have to go back there for another 2 weeks or so. Thank God!

Top 5 On Friday - Week 208

From Music Memoirs

Top 5 unique band/artist names

Astronauts of Antiquity: A fantastic indie band, a little bit electronic a little bit jazzy and a touch of funky.

The Brilliant Mistakes: Their name was taken from an Elvis Costello song. Props and cookies to them for that! Double props because they sound awesome too.

Donora: A Pittsburgh band that liked the sound of the name of a really sad pathetic little Mon Valley town. They have an interesting 80s sound to them.

Over The Rhine: Over The Rhine is the name of a neighborhood in Cincinnati. For more on how that neighborhood got its name click here.

Yazoo: The name 'Yazoo', according to Moyet, came from the labels of old blues albums: Yazoo Records.

Randomosity

~ So Caroline Kennedy has withdrawn her bid for Clinton's Senate seat. Good, she didn't deserve it. Things should not fall in your lap just because your name is Kennedy.

~ Inkheart opens this weekend. I so want to see it, but only if its playing at the Hollywood in Washington, PA. Its not playing at any of the Pittsburgh theaters that I like to go to. Boo!

~ Dear god, Sarah Palin is going to land a book deal. Why does the world care about this hick governor with a wacked out religion? I don't? Stay in Alaska honey with the clothes the GOP paid for and keep your mouth shut! We just don't care anymore. Oh and please don't attempt another run for major office. Have some pride!

~ Amazon has a bunch of free sampler EPs in their mp3 store for free. I love Amazon. I did some serious downloading yesterday.
BTW this is definitely one free one you want to try. It has Nick Lowe and Ron Sexsmith in the compilation as well as Robyn Hitchcock. Really a bunch of great songwriters and ITS FREE! So go check it out!

~ I hate when I get into the mood of not wanting to do anything. I've kinda been feeling that way all week. I just want to veg and I've had several months of that. I really want to be done with it all. I'm feeling much better, but I just can't seem to bring myself to do much of anything other than read. Maybe its because I know that money is scarce. ~sigh~

And The Dress The World Was Waiting For?

President Obama looked dashing in his tux. Its a shame the gown his stunning wife wore looked like a pelican flew into it. Her dress for the swearing in was absolutely gorgeous, but her evening gown was vile.

The style and cut of the dress suited her beautifully, but just what was adorning that gown? I tried to figure it out many times and it looked to be either feathers OMGWTF! or some other little ball of fluff, equally OMGWTF?

Not that it mattered. The couple looked radiant and she could have been wearing a burlap sack, as they took to the stage for the opening dance, or sway as the case may have been.

BTW if anyone watched the Neighborhood Ball closely...the Prez scores bonus points for doin' the bump with some lady in the crowd. Now that was something I never expected to see a President do.

Its Party Day

Isn't that what the whole world is doing today? I don't think I've ever seen such excitement over the inauguration of one president. My only hope is that he can do a small fraction of what he's going to set out to do.

Fixing the mistakes that have been piling up isn't going to be an easy task for anyone. I truly don't believe there's a man or woman that really has it in them to do this, but Obama is definitely up for the challenge so more power to him.

I wish him all the luck in the world, as he is going to need it.

I pray that he is kept safe during his time in office, that he uses his power wisely and for the good of the people of this nation and the world, and that the Change he promised us is forthcoming.

I suppose just getting a new president is welcome CHANGE from what we've endured for the last 8 years, and for the record, I never voted for W once, not when he stole the presidency in 2000 and not in 2004.

I do have some words for the outgoing Commander in Chief, "Don't let the door hit you on the ass on your way out!!!!"

One For The Next Hand!

Well it looks like the Super Bowl is Pittsburgh VS Arizona, with Arizona being the underdog, most likely. However the Steelers shouldn't get their heads swollen. I watched the Arizona/Philly game and they played mean and rough.

If Pittsburgh has any hopes of winning they are going to have to wake up the running backs and the offensive line which seems to not even bother.

(Can you believe this post is coming from me?)

I'm a burgh girl no matter what, and even though watching the games usually gives me anxiety attacks, I'll be rooting the team on and wishing the halftime show didn't suck. Cos yeah, I hate Springsteen.

That said...even though the lyrics need some serious updating.

Oh and Tomlin Power works just as well as Cowher Power.

Big Fat Liar

Saturday Night is fast becoming movie night in our household. Last night I totally wasn't in the mood for Doctor Who reruns so I turned on the Disney channel and watched Hannah Montana (Eeep, I know) and then Big Fat Liar, which was an absolutely hilarious film about a child that has a talent for telling fibs and a movie producer that stole his school project.

Its total fantasy, but it was such a great story and Paul Giamatti's bad guy is really great. Paul does a great job with the not so nice characters while not being truly evil.

When comedy is what you're looking for and you need to entertain a family or at least family members that don't want to deal with sexual innuendo that seems to spill over into every damn thing, this is a great one to watch. Its just pure fun and full of giggles.

I loved it.

Top Five On Friday: Week 207 (A Day Late)

From Music Memoirs

I was feeling pretty shitty yesterday so I didn't play my own meme. I'll do it today though.

Top 5 Ways That Music Can Warm You Up

1. If its good dance music it can get your boot-tay shaking and you will work up a nice sweat. Ah, I'd love to do that right now. If only my teeth would stop chattering.

2. Some songs can get the libido going...for instance, The Moody Blues - Deep. Oh yeah. If that doesn't warm you up, I don't know what else will.

3. Live music gets you warmed up, especially if you're at a concert with a lot of people moving about and dancing. Body heat can be a wonderful thing. (Especially when its only 3 degrees!!!)

4. Fast music can get the body going when your trying to work out. Lordy that's something I need to start doing again.

5. Slow music can warm you up when it makes you want to grab a nice blanket and a cup of joe or hot cocoa and just chill for the rest of the day/evening.

My Next Book

I absolutely love every book by Janet Evanovich which is why this book got pushed to the top of my reading list.

I probably will finish this by the end of the day today, because Stephanie Plum novels are that way, quick fun reads that make you smile and laugh a bit.

No deep thinking required here, and for that I'm grateful. I have enough to think about otherwise. Books like this are designed to make life a little easier, a little more fun and a little less aggravating.

I can't wait to really get into the story, which hopefully will take my mind off the sore throat from hell.

Damn Freaking Wisdom Tooth

I have no idea who to call, the doctor or the dentist. I have a terrible sore throat that just doesn't seem to want to go away. It was there off an on all last week, but since Sunday its been terrible. One of my wisdom teeth are acting up and I don't know who to call.

ARGH.

Not looking forward to calling either as antibotics are liking the course of action and I've had enough of them in the last few weeks, for the UTI etc and then of course being a women I got a fun infection afterwards.

FUQUA!

I have no idea what to do. Right now the tooth isn't bothering me, just the throat, and I hate to call the doc cos I'm really sure at this point she's going to think I'm a rip roaring lunatic.

I swear I've got this because I was in her damn office. Grrrr.

Enter The Winter Chill

Starting today the temps start falling, so I'm preparing myself for the blast of cold air. All the warm jammies are clean. All my fuzzy socks are ready. Extra blankets? Yep I've got em!

Space heater! Got that too.

Days off?

Damn don't have those. I hope my car can withstand the subzero temps that are moving in from the Midwest today. If not...I am so screwed.

Brrr

100 Pages To Go

Ever read a book that was just pure torture? That's what I'm doing right now. Back in Nov, I think it was, I started The Monster Of Florence, a true crime novel about a serial killer.

BAH.

The murders themself are quite intriguing to read about, but the book itself is rather dry and it just drags on and on. I passed the halfway point last night. If I have any luck and if my brain can stand it, I may finish the damn thing tonight or tomorrow.

This is one book that I'll be glad to see end. I've read my share of awful novels/books but this one really takes the cake. It of course was on those MUST READ lists.

Must read if you want to die of boredom.

I'm going to finish it though. I hate to think I've wasted so much time on something to leave it before I've reached the end, even if reaching the end is the most torturous thing I've ever had to do.

Tuesday Tunes: Week 65

From Music Memoirs:

I'm going to give you a list of drinks and you give me a song/album/artist that fits that particular drink:

Espresso: Shel Silverstein - Have Another Espresso
Wine: The Moody Blues - Send Me No Wine
Beer: Neal McCoy - Billy's Got His Beer Goggles On
Milk: Rufus Wainwright - Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk
Water: Duran Duran - All Along The Water
Tea: Paul McCartney - English Tea
Cappuccino: Tanitia Tikaram - Cappuccino Songs

Margarita: Jimmy Buffett: Margaritaville (Of Course!!)

Sunday Was Movie Night

Last night I bought Nanny McPhee to watch, since there's no good telly on Sundays and I do not watch football, it makes me nervous.

The movie stars Emma Thompson and Colin Firth, two of my favorite actors. Its a family film, definitely suitable for young kids, but it was so darn good.

Here's the trailer.



I don't care how old you are, this is a fairy tale that's bound to make anyone of any age smile. It was well worth the $9 I spent on it at Walmart yesterday. See this movie if you get the chance.

Things That Make Me Go Hmmm

~ Why BBC America plays the same shows over and over again on the night they air. I mean Doctor Who is on 3 times on its viewing day. The early epis at 8-10 then again 11-1 and I think possibly one more time after that. WTF is up with doing that?


~ Nick At Night plays all the cool sitcoms from the 80s but I swear they are only on at 3 in the morning. Last night because of a bout of insomnia/napping late, I was up til all hours watching telly.

~ The snow storm didn't make it here. North of Pittsburgh got hammered...My little hamlet of Charleroi on Mon got zippo! Heck we didn't even get the freezing drizzle. So much for that winter storm.

~ Why do kittens only sleep when you don't want them too? My two little boys are badness personified. The little girl is not quite as bad, but lordy I'd give anything to have the energy that those animals have.

~ Why do my wisdom teeth act up in the winter only? I seldom have issues with them once the temperatures get warm? And why does it have to cost loads of money to rid my mouth of them?

~ It costs $100 just to file the Inheritance Tax for gram's estate. Yay! Now I have to cough up another $407 dollars. People dying is not only a mental strain on people but its a financial one too.

The Blizzard That Never Was

I hate when they start calling for snow in my area. Nine times out of ten, it never happens. Apparently the Mason Dixon line as moved a bit north, because here in Southwestern PA, we get more rain than snow.

Today we may be in for some nasty ice, but I find that hard to believe after looking at the maps. My bet is rain and I'm sick of rain.

I'm not a huge fan of snow or ice, but if they're going to tell us we're having a huge snowfall on a weekend where I have nothing to do, it might as well come, but so far that's not looking like its going to happen.

PAH!

Just bring on the blizzard or something, if its going to take up all the news, we might as well get the damn stuff.

Goodreads.com

My friend Cheryl, turned me onto this site. Its a place to share and review and generally remember what books you've read.


Goodreads.com

If any of you are already members and would like to friend me, my profile is here.

I love seeing what people read, since everyone has such different taste, so c'mon, join up and friend me. Cos, you know I need more stuff to keep me amused when I'm not blogging or reading or doing other things I shouldn't be doing!!!

Top 5 On Friday: Week 206

From Music Memoirs


Top 5 artists/musicians that you'd like to have dinner with.

Of course this would be a healthy dinner that will help me get my borderline high cholesterol down right? Damn cholesterol was 206. PAH!

1. Paul McCartney - I'd be guaranteed a healthy dinner there, he's vegan. I'm sure it would probably be a lousy dinner too, but hey, I'd never pass up dinner with a Beatle. Imagine the stories he could tell!

2. U2's Bono - As much as U2 gets on my nerves at times, Bono is really one musician that is intelligent and uses his intelligences properly. I wouldn't mind sharing dinner with him and his missus, it would likely smarten me up.

3. Gordon Lightfoot - I only met in for a brief period of time last year, but he's a wonderful storyteller as well as a songwriter. Dinner with him would definitely be a treat. If he wanted to bring his guitar along to sing Race Among The Ruins for me afterwards, I wouldn't mind that either.

4. Rockapella - These guys are such fun and I'd love to hear stories about there days on Carmen Sandiago. Plus I think Scott Leonard is an absolute hottie!

5. Lady Antebellum - I fell in love with this country band last year and I would love to have dinner with Charles, Hillary and Dave. They seemed like great fun. Plus I'd love to talk clothes with Hillary...and probably hit on Charles, cos he's one fine looking cowboy :). So's Dave :)

Bad Morning

I shouldn't leave the house today. Why couldn't we have had the snow they were forecasting? Not because I wanted snow but because this morning has really started off on the wrong foot.

Mom had a mixup with her meds.

I have a OB/Gyn appointment. Not too thrilled about that...actually kinda scared, but never mind the wherefores and whys of that. Let's just say care of lousy jobs and finances I've never been. So don't be yelling at me, cos like I said, I'm scared enough as it is. Remember, my middle name is chicken.

I just want it to be 5 o'clock today and everything to do with this day to be over with.

I want to stay at home in bed, and under the covers.

Please make today go away fast!!

I Can't Believe Myself

Why oh why oh why am I so in love with this freaking iPod Nano? I don't even like iPods. I would generally refuse to even consider owning one, as I think they are obnoxious. Then I saw this little baby.

It's PURPLE!!!

Its so freaking cute!

I sound like a 2nd grader, I know, but that's how much I love this thing.

Do I need it?

No! I managed to get the Pink Zen O'Doom working, so really I have that 4 GB player and a 30 GB player. If I was going to buy something obscenely expensive right now, after buying the new computer, it should be the bigger hard drive mp3 player, but no, I'm in love with this damn thing.

Isn't that how it always is though?

We always want things we either can't have, shouldn't have or are bad for us.

An Episode of ARGH

One would expect their attorneys to keep the stuff that's faxed to them that's relevant to the case they are working on for you, right?

HA!

Let's just say I sent something to my attorneys months ago and for some reason its not in my file and now I'm trying to find it, because it was something for Grandma's estate that was done wrong care of our bank and now I can't find it either.

Sonofabitchinbastard!

I want to have this estate closed by April. The inheritance taxes are due this month.

God love the gov't for taxing such paltry estates. Gram had money to bury her and her house. (And in this market, its not as if that is going to sell really soon, even if I put it up for sale right now)

I think I'm going to scream right now.

~Edit: Found the (insert expletive here) paperwork and faxed it on to said attorney from hell. God that man is lucky I like him.

Ghost Town

Damn me for not sleeping well the night before. I stayed awake for the first 45 minutes or an hour of this movie and then I crashed.

Damn it!

I was enjoying it too.

Ricky Gervais of the original Office, you know the one in the UK starred along with Tea Leoni and Greg Kinnear. I'm going to have to rewatch it over the weekend so I can see the whole damn thing.

I hate when I fall asleep through things I want to watch.

I don't mind falling asleep through stuff like CSI, Cold Case, Life and that sort of show. It seems I drift off best to cop-type dramas, but damn it, I really wanted to see this movie.

I fell asleep when I rewatched Across The Universe on New Years too.

Damn!

Must stay awake, next time. At least I was awake when we watched Mamma Mia!

Disney Shows & Other Odd Stuff

~ Its terrible, I really have a fondness for Hannah Montana and The Wizards Of Waverly Place. I watched both of these last night, and I'm totally embarrassed to say that I enjoyed them.

~ I love cartoons too, especially Chowder, Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends and 6teen.

~ Slept like crap last night. I ended up watching weird cartoons on Adult Swim and then Leave It To Beaver after convincing my nephew that the Nostradamus 2012 special was going to traumatize me. I think it already did.

~ Wondering how long it will take to find out about my blood work. I guess the doc will tell me on Thursday.

~ Need to watch Ghost Town, since I bought the movie yesterday. I also need to rewatch Across The Universe at a time where I won't fall asleep.

~ I'm already wishing my work day over. I just hate sitting alone for 8 hours sometimes. It gets lonely even when I'm busy.

~ I hate when it randomly gets warm during the winter, so I have no clue what jammies to put on. I was messed up with my sleeping because of this as well as the nightmares etc I mentioned before.

Randomosity

~ Yes, I managed to get the blood drawn yesterday and they gave me a nice Bugs Bunny bandaid for my troubles. I'm still wearing it as my badge of courage or chicken-ness as the case may very well be.

~ BBC America aired the Graham Norton episode with Brandon Fraser and Alesha Dixon. Two things, Brandon is still a doll baby and Alesha's song The Boy Does Nothing is stuck in my damn head.

~ The 11th Doctor? Meh! I can't get excited or depressed about it. I'm just not sure that this isn't going to be Emo doctor. And dear god I hope Billie Piper doesn't make a return. I was never ever fond of Rose. Hate Rose. She's so trailer trashy.

~ Finally watched the Gavin & Stacey Christmas episode. I love this show so much. I wish BBC America would air the specials here too. Thanks to the internet this may be the only chance I have to see this one as there may not be a series 3 to the show.

~ Speaking of telly: Monk and Psych return this Friday!!!! YAY!!

~ I've previewed the new Morriseey album and its pretty darn good. Another Yay!

I'm A Nervous Wreck

I have to get blood work done today. I've been putting it off as long as I could. I have a followup with my doctor and will be getting my girlie exam (shudders) on Thursday, so today's it.

Why am I nervous?

Getting blood work done scares the crap out of me.

Heck, having my blood pressure taken kinda freaks me out.

I'm very squeamish, always have been. The last time any blood was sucked from my arm was before I started college in 1992 and we won't discuss the fact that the person taking the blood wanted me dead because I was so scared she could barely get it from me.

The sad part is they are just doing a routine check for cholesterol, thyroid and diabetes, because these three things run in my family.

But I'm letting it all get to me, and I know in an hour or so I have to have it done.

I openly admit to being a chicken. I hate going to all doctor's, yet in the last 6 months I've been scared there was something horribly wrong with me. You know, besides the usual neurosis! It doesn't help matters that I've had a few small issues in this time too.

Oye!

I hope I get through all of this quickly and relatively painlessly.

Top 5 On Friday: Week 205

From Music Memoirs

Top 5 Musicians/Artists you'd like to get drunk/party with. (Tell us why)

1. Justin Hayward: I'd like to get drunk with him because I'd just like to see him behave in a manner that isn't so prim and proper. (Plus I might want to take advantage of him too)

2. Keri Noble: From the sounds of one of the live recordings of Bartender, Keri might know of some drinks that can keep me warm on these damn cold PA nights.

3. Judd Starr: The real question here would be, why wouldn't anyone want to get drunk/party with him.

4. Elvis Costello: I don't think he drinks anymore, so I'll sip some sparkling grape with him, just because I'd like to hang out with him and his missus. Hopefully he would be more fun in a party setting than he is on that damn talk show of his.

5. Simon Le Bon: Just because really. OK, I've had a crush on Simon for so long its disgusting. Plus I'm sure he would be quite fun to be drunk with.

Welcoming In 2009

My friend Jennifer and my family helped me usher in the new year last night. Jen made the most nommy Buffalo Chicken dip. If anyone wants the recipe I will post it for you. I have to say its truly delish as Rachel Ray would say. Its excellent with Triskets and celery. Its really good with beer too!

We watched Mamma Mia before 11 when we started to jump back and forth between the countdown shows. After welcoming in 2009, and telling 2008 to get the hell out of our lives we watched Across The Universe, or at least as much of it as we could before the effects of two Smirnoff's and a beer would allow us. I think I watched about 45 minutes of it, before I was snoring away in the recliner, where I slept, much to the chagrin of my back, for the night.

It was a most enjoyable evening. This morning I let Jen loose on my mp3 collection so she could burn a few discs to take home with her.

It was nice to have company that wasn't family with us this year. It helped make the evening a lot nicer and kept away sad thoughts of those that have gone and can't be with us.

Again I wish all of you a safe, healthy and happy New Year. Heck, maybe even prosperous, if that's at all possible right now!