I Want A Dog Sled Or A Horse

Predictions are that gas will again go over $3.00 by the summer. Of course, that's when Americans want to leave their fucking houses after a long cold lonely winter. Apologies to Mr. Harrison for borrowing from Here Comes The Sun.

At this rate I've determined, a new car isn't worth it. What would be the point of having it if its simply going to sit there, collecting dust? So its likely to be a used car, if I ever can get the other bills I have to have paid down.

I know in the next few months I need new glasses. $300. I have to go to my favorite doctors and that ends up being a couple of hundred depending on what my insurance covers. Oh and the dentist, that's another $80.

So truth be told, I need either a dog sled or a horse. I'm pretty sure either of those would be more cost effective.

Its a shame I can't convert to Amish-ism, except I'd have to give up the phone and the computer and that would make me combust.

All in all, I don't see a vehicle anywhere in my near future, unless its another heap that will cost me less than $3000.

I Won An Amazon Gift Card

My love for romance really has paid off. I won a $10 gift card from Amazon today from Charlene Sands, a fabulous author that does a lot of writing for Silhouette Desire.

I've won more things in the last few months that I've been participating in the message boards and blogs on the eharlequin site than ever before. I've won books and now a gift card.

Woo hoo!

Way to encourage my reading habit that is pretty expensive!

Actually I've been trying to decide what I want to do with the $10 gift card. I'm not sure if I want more books or if I want to knock a CD off my wish list from Amazon.

Decisions, decisions, decisions!

What A Bunch Of Whiners

Bilbo was discussing the Killer Whale attack at Sea World, and I've got a rant building so I might as well let my rage out.

OK, yes, Its a "Killer Whale" we've established that. Apparently he's not a happy whale like Shamu. Remember Shamu is a "Killer Whale" too and is part of the history of "Sea World".

The horrible thing about this incident is that people had to witness it. Much like when the white tiger attacked in Vegas during the Siegfried and Roy performance. That makes this attack all the more "Newsy."

Yes, these are wild animals. Yes, they can attack. We don't know how they think and they don't know how we think. That's really a given.

We don't know how any animal really thinks. Hence asshats claiming that animals aren't capable of feelings or understanding. That my friends is bullshit.

Now I'm not defending the animal, completely. What he did wasn't particularly nice, but there is probably more to this attack then we are being told and the media is just taking the ball and running with it. We don't know what prompted the whale to grab her pony tail and pull her down. However from what most people have said, the creature was aggitated before the attack.

I would like to remind some people that one of the people this whale attacked fell into his pool after the park closed. Again a wild animal finds a stranger in his habitat and feels threatened. To me that's natural behavior. The attack prior to that one was similar, someone fell into the tank. Only there were 2 other whales invovled.

So now there are people up in arms that none of these animals should be in captivity because of there size and their capablity of killing people. That's true, they shouldn't be. However, you've taken these animals out of that environment and they can't go back to it successfully. And don't even tell me that Tilikum should be put down because that's just as ignorant.

Also if you are going to say that animals like that shouldn't be in capitivity you also have to close down the zoos and aquariums. Most of the animals you find there have the same capabilities to attack. No killer whales, no elephants, no lions or tigers or bears, OH MY! I didn't hear a massive outcry to all the zoos a few years back to keep tigers out of zoos because they might be crafty enough to escape and kill someone.

None of these animals are in their natural enviornment. Occassionally something like this is going to happen. Truth be told, I feel bad for the whale. Its horrible about what happened. I feel for the trainer's family, but I also feel bad for the whale.

ARGH!

That's about all I can say is ARGH!

Top 5 On Friday

Top 5 songs that are mellow


You guys know the drill. Play along in the comments or in your journal. This meme is created for my site Music Memoirs. Feel free to go there and check out my other weekly memes and play along.

1. Olivia Newton John - Have You Never Been Mellow: I don't think that there is any song more mellow then this one. I'm trying to figure out how they worked it into the Xanadu musical, but since I don't have any money and the weather's crap this week, I guess I'll never know.

2. Grey Eye Glances - Snow: I love this band and this is one of their prettiest songs the other is Angel, both would fit perfectly in this category. Sadly I can't find a You Tube link for either song, so you will have to take my word for it.

3. George Harrison - Blow Away: This is such a beautiful Harrison song and one I've loved since I was a little girl. I also love how all of George's videos are so darn quirky!

4. The Moody Blues - Words You Say: If this song got any more mellow the whole band with the exception of Lodgey would fall asleep while performing it. Justin usually does! Regardless of what other fans say, this odd song is really beautiful and soothing. Sometimes its hard to figure out John's songs and he's certainly not telling us what this one is about.

5.Erasure - Tenderest Moments: This was the b-side to Run To The Sun and one of Erasure's most beautiful songs EVER! I was really surprised the live version I linked to would be just as pretty as the electronic version, but then again, Andy Bell has a stunning voice, so why wouldn't it be.

My Life Is Boring

I never claimed to have a super exciting life, but the last 3 months have really made me feel like a bore. I haven't gone much of anywhere, and haven't done much of anything. It feels like my life has been nothing but reading, watching tv and shoveling snow.

PAH!

Oh and going on quests for new books.

Which brings me to my daily whine: In my part of the Mon Valley aka, Charleroi On Mon, there are no used book stores, other than Goodwill, which is either feast or famine for me and our libraries have had funding cut so much that you can't find anything much there that's new or newer.

BAH!

I guess its a business that's hard to stay afloat with unless you are a huge chain like Half Price Books, which sells more than just used books.

Its a shame that unless you are in a city or a real suburb (and the 'roi is more like a burb of a burb) you're very limited in where you can buy books close by. That pretty much equals grocery stores or discount chains like Wally World and KMart.

I guess Goodwill will have to suffice. 99 cent books are a good thing.

That Feeling Of Impending Doom

I send my sympathies out early for all of my east coast friends that are about to get dumped on again, with a major winter storm.

They say we are only going to get 2-5 inches, which in my opinion is 2-5 inches too many. Most of the NE has seen anywhere from 60 - 80 inches of snow this winter already. Our ski resorts have better conditions then Colorado!

That is wrong on so many levels that its disgusting.

I'm heartily sick of scraping and shoveling and not being able to get to work, because of the weather. During the Snowmageddon, I lost a week's pay because there was no power in my office.

Oye!

What have we done to anger the snow gods this much?

I just keep thinking, there's less than a month until the first official day of spring and it can't get here fast enough for me.

I Hate The Olympics

I'm used to having at least one TV show to watch in Prime Time. The Olympics have mostly screwed that and it annoys the hell out of me.

I hate the Olympics. Unless a figure skater is getting clubbed in the knees or falling on his/her ass, than I don't care.

I want something entertaining to watch.

Thank God for USA Network. At least I have Burn Notice, White Collar and Psych to watch, but just about everything else that I enjoy is in reruns.

GRRR.

And forget about BBC America. All they play are their stupid reality based shows. Don't get me wrong I find Top Gear amusing, but not as the only show they play on one night. Or Ramsey's Kitchen Nightmares or what have you. Blech. Saturday used to be Sci-Fi night, but the shows they play now that Doctor Who isn't airing yet, there's nothing on. Survivors doesn't really do it for me. The only thing that amuses is Graham Norton.

Oye!

All this garbage on tv right now and the Olympics are at the top of my list.

Missing Mondays:

Of all the things I've lost, my mind is what I miss the most. No joke! Today I'm totally missing my sanity as I'm struggling to make my bills this month with what little cash I do have. Not to mention trying to figure out when I can get to the Notary to get the registration on my car renewed and then inspected.

ARGH!

Oh sanity, wherefore art thou?

I have a mountain of books on my To Be Read pile aka the TBR pile and about 5 CDs I want to listen to for either reviews or my artists to watch column over at mossip. Plus as a certified tv addict, I have about a dozen shows I need to catch up on at some point. All of which makes me a very cranky girl.

Have I mentioned that I have an editor that is totally making me whack nutty? More whacknutty then my regular boss?

ARGH!

Sometimes I'm not sure if its worth it. The freelance job that is.

So if you see my mind wandering about. Can you please send it back home.

If Only If Only

I was looking at the car ads in the paper the other day and there's a 2005 Ford Focus at Davies Ford in town for about $6000.

I have about half of that.

If I had any faith in my job, I would try to get the loan for this, but I don't. That's the problem my savings is a two way street. I want it as a back up if my job takes a turn for the worse and I have it as my "new or new to me car fund."

~sigh~

Personally, I think a horse would be more reliable at this point, and better companionship.

ARGH!

Oh the frustrations.

One day I'll have a better car than the 91 Chevy Beretta I'm currently driving....one day. However, when that day comes, I may be too old to appreciate driving.

My Dream Coffee

Ok, I admit it, I love Starbucks. Its insanely priced coffee, I know, which is why I only get it every so often.

For my regular caffeine needs, I stick to McCafe @ McDonald's.

But today I was at Barnes & Noble and let's face it, bookstores and coffee go hand in hand, so I had to splurge, plus I really needed to get that Raspberry White Chocolate Mocha envy out of my head. Damn Joe Mugg's for being 52 miles away.

I was peeved because my Starbucks didn't have raspberry syrup when I was there the last time. Thankfully they did at the Waterfront and I got my Raspberry White Chocolate Mocha.

It was pure heaven.

I'm on a caffeine high now and will probably be awake until 3 in the morning!

Top 5 On Friday: Week 231

Top 5 songs you loved until they were overplayed.


You guys know the drill. Play along in the comments or in your journal. This meme is created for my site Music Memoirs. Feel free to go there and check out my other weekly memes and play along.

1. Fountains Of Wayne - Stacey's Mom: Cute song! Fun song even. Atfter the first thousand times then it gets old.

2. Whitney Houston - I Wanna Dance With Somebody: This was back in the day when Whitney was crazy awesome and everyone loved her. You know, before she married Bobby Brown. This song and video were played into the ground. I loved it for awhile, but then, ARGH!

3. Semisonic - Closing Time: It's no wonder this band is a one hit wonder, even though they had a few albums. This song, though good, was played way too much, and everything else the band did was ignored. Tis a shame too, because their album Chemistry had songs on it that were much better than this one.

4. Smash Mouth - All Star: This was such a 90s song. I don't know which one of their songs was more overplayed, this one or their cover of I'm A Believer. Oye!

5. Sarah McLachlan - Building A Mystery: OMG this song was so obnoxious. I almost came to hate Sarah because of it. It was played every hour on Vh-1. Oye. Not one of Sarah's best either.

Thursday Thirteen

Thirteen reasons why I'm feeling cranky

1. I haven't gone more than 10 minutes from my house in 3 weeks.

2. Snow, snow and more snow.

3. Losing a week's pay to; you guessed it, SNOW!

4. Xanadu playing the Benedum next week and not having the cash to go.

5. Rumors of another snow event coming on Monday.

6. Having to sleep using at least 3 if not more blankets.

7. Scraping layers of ice from my car EVERY DAMN MORNING!

8. The lock at work being frozen; which means it takes me 10 more minutes to get to work, even though I'm there, because I can't get in the damn door.

9. TV being in reruns do to the Olympics, which I hate.

10. Too much togetherness in my house.

11. Two days of abstinence this week. From meat people! I hate fish!!!!

12. Lobster ravoli from Healthy Choice tasting like crap!

13. My car sucking $130 from me. Damn you Bernie!

I'm Sick Of Sarah Palin Whining

This woman has to be stopped. The fact that she was an elected official for any amount of time scares me. What scares me even more is that there are some people that like her and think she has a brain that has more than 1/10 of a brain cell.

Everyone attacks her.

Why?

Cos she asks for it.

Now Family Guy takes a small shot at her and she's pissed.

Oye vey!

Comedians and writers take pot shots at politicians and other celebrities every day. Its not necessarily nice, but most of them just brush it off. They live with it. I wonder if Bristol and Sarah realized they writers weren't picking on the child with Down Syndrome but the moron we know as Sarah Palin.

Why can this woman not go away...far far away?

Back To Mostly Normal

I got off to a slightly later than normal start today, but my car is back and I got a close to full day in at work.

Glory Hallelujah!

I have a ton of work that I need to do.

The only problem there was, I only had the non-internet functioning computer to work on today. That meant, I got nothing done.

ARGH!

However I made some money today and that was a plus. I also think that because the power was out last week, and I couldn't work, I can put in for my waiting week for unemployment, just in case anything else crazy happens this year.

Oye!

I don't need anymore crazy. I've had enough.

Missing Monday

What do I miss today? Well besides the sun and warm temperatures, I miss The Tenth Doctor.

Its only been a month since David Tennant took his bows from Doctor Who and already I want him back. I don't even want to give Matt Smith a try. I want my Doctor back and I want him back NOW!

He's my Doctor. The one I want to have listed as my primary care and specialist, if only Highmark would allow it.

I'm fuming that his pilot won't see the light of day until fall, when other Who and Torchwood star, John Barrowman is going to be on Desperate Housewives.

Grrr to infinity and beyond.

David where are you! We miss you! How dare you leave us! 11 isn't even cute and he's not even old enough to be a Doctor, he's more like Intern who, or Medical Student Who!!!

Post 4001

Firstly, Happy Valentine's Day to all you non-singletons out there. The rest of us will be drinking beer alone tonight and feeling cranky.

Secondly, how in the hell did I let my 4000th post go by without any pomp and circumstance? I guess I was too busy being cold to do that!

Thirdly, why in the hell are we expecting 2-4 inches of snow tomorrow? Why? Why? and WHY!!! Have we not had enough? Oh and to make matters worse, I got tires put on the jalopy yesterday and the idiots forgot to bleed my brakes and now I won't have a car when I go to work tomorrow, thus needing a ride to and from. ARGH! Oh and snow is coming mid-day.

Anyone want to pass a kleenex? I'm really going to cry now.

Fourthly, what should I do to celebrate? Any ideas? Suggestions?

An Anti Valentine's Day Mix

I made this for one of my peep's over at Livejournal.


Artist: Various Artists
Album: No Valentine's For Me (75 MB)
Genre: Mixtape
Tracklisting:
Dolly Parton - Better Get To Livin'
Cyndi Lauper - Girls Just Want To Have Fun
Nick Lowe - She Don't Love Nobody
Cher - Strong Enough
Gloria Gaynor - I Will Survive
Dresden Dolls - Coin Operated Boy
Erasure - Love To Hate You
Elvis Costello/Paul McCartney - Playboy To A Man
Justin Hayward - Sometimes Less Is More
Keri Noble - Go Proud
Hanson - Sure About It
The Knack - Good Girls Don't
Taylor Swift - Picture To Burn
Kellie Pickler - Rocks Instead Of Rice
Madonna - Express Yourself
Elvis Costello - Sulky Girl
Comments: Songs for people that are single and happy about it. I added a few twists so it would touch a few different areas. I have songs for commitment phobslike Hanson's awesome Sure About It. Breaking Away from crappy relationships and being better for it, like I Will Survive and Strong Enough, some fun stuff like Girls Just Want To Have Fun

Top 5 On Friday: Week 230

Top 5 songs that get you through the Valentine's holiday (pro or anti or both)


You guys know the drill. Play along in the comments or in your journal. This meme is created for my site Music Memoirs. Feel free to go there and check out my other weekly memes and play along.

1. Elvis Costello - I Want You: I love this creepy stalker-esque song. It helps to remind me that I'm not the only one that's ever suffered from unrequited love.

2. Gordon Lightfoot - Inspiration Lady: I want someone to feel this way about me

3. Oingo Boingo - We Close Our Eyes: A dark slightly creepy love song. Probably one of my favorite songs Mr. Elfman ever wrote.

4. Duran Duran - Come Undone: Cos this song is sexy to the millionth power

5. Keri Noble - Talk To Me: Another great song about a crush. This one could really be my personal theme song.

Reading Slump

I'm in a reading slump right now. I just can't focus on any real books right now. I managed to read a ebook mini on my computer. Woo hoo. I read a whopping 40 pages. I feel so proud.

I've been off work for a full week and I haven't been able to do a damn thing except watch TV and shovel snow.

Mostly all I've been trying to keep warm and trying not to kill people because a week of togetherness is too much. I love my family, but I need to a get away from them. NOW! Actually I needed to get away from them about a week ago!

On a happier note, I've done laundry, baked cookies and made dinner. So I've been semi-productive.

That is better than nothing, right?

Maybe later if I'm feeling frisky I may actually start tossing stuff out of the closet. I'm not sure what the chances are that I'll be frisky though. I think the Snowmageddon stole all my frisky and left me with a buttload of LAZY!

Randomosity

~ The Bird and The Bee covered Herman's Hermit's I'm Into Something Good. It appears on the Valentine's Day soundtrack. Very cool.

~ Still don't know when the power will be back at work. No work = no money. I have bills to pay. Losing a week's pay is not a good thing. Its relaxing, but not a good thing.

~ I'm totally loving the Harlequin website. I've won several free books from the authors and I even won a short story download. I love the word FREE! Free is very nice indeed. I'm really enjoying the Historical Undones. I can't wait to try a Nocturne Bite!

~ Whatever happened to free ecards? I wanted to send some cute V-day cards to my email buddies but all the good ones are now 99 cents. That's bogus!

~ I've totally become addicted to Facebook games this week. Facebook is the hugest time waster, but it keeps me from killing myself or the people around me, so woo hoo for time wasters.

~ The prospect of seeing Xanadu in 2 weeks is gone thanks to the snow. Damn it to hell. I should never have thought I'd get to see a show in the winter. Thankfully I wasn't foolish enough to buy tickets.

~ Had City Chicken for dinner tonight. Just an FYI, City Chicken doesn't contain chicken. Still, its very nommy!

No Work For Me

Well today I was informed that the power at my job wouldn't be back on until approximately Thursday. So I've got myself a weather inflicted vacation. The kind that comes without pay.

Boo hiss! (That's mostly for the weather part)

I could do the independently wealthy, don't ever have to go into work bit if I could. However I'm nowhere near independently wealthy or even retired, so they better get the power on soon cos I need some money! I've got bills to pay!

Ah the pitfalls of unexpected time off.

But as the old 70s tune goes, I will survive! I may be freezing. I may be crankier than usual, but I will live.

I do know that I will appreciate spring so much more this year. Oh and any 90 degree days will be treated with respect and glee.

I Want To Be A Cat

How lucky is Plummie?

Let's see:

1. She doesn't have to shovel snow.

2. She can sleep all day and no one will complain.

3. If she's chubby, that just makes her cuter.

4. Eat, Sleep and Potty is her every day to do list.

5. Cats don't have to go to work. (Of course when there's 2 feet of snow out there, neither do I)

6. Cats only have to visit the doctor once a year for shots. Let's not go there with women please.

A Quick And Easy Cookie

Do you have some Pillsbury pie crusts in your fridge? Do you have butter, sugar and cinnamon and one egg? Well if you do you can make some tasty cookies.

Roll out the pie crust.

Spread with softened butter all over the crust.

Sprinkle sugar and cinnamon over the butter.

Roll the pie crust up. Seal the edges and flatten.

Brush with egg wash and add more cinnamon and sugar.

Bake @ 375 for 15 to 20 minutes and cut when cool.

Snowmageddon 2010

This is my once beautiful maple tree. Its still standing but just barely. For a storm that was only supposed to drop 8-12 inches, we've got just about double that and it hasn't stopped.

This tree has weathered 2 lightning strikes but is likely to be felled by a fucking snowstorm.

My sympathies go out to those of you in VA and MD that are getting the hardest hit from this storm. Western PA only got grazed but that grazing is like one weather man said, "Like getting grazed by a punch from Mike Tyson."

Oh and have I mentioned that there is more snow expected on Tuesday night and Wednesday?

Like we need anymore of this shit!

I don't have any snow boots! Remember, my pair died a horrible death only a week after my buying them.

Top 5 On Friday: Week

Top 5 songs you think it should be illegal for anyone to cover.


You guys know the drill. Play along in the comments or in your journal. This meme is created for my site Music Memoirs. Feel free to go there and check out my other weekly memes and play along.

1. The Moody Blues - Nights In White Satin: Please people. Leave this song alone. If you are a bluegrass band, DEFINITELY leave this song alone. We all know I have a love/hate thing with Nights, but I hate to see a song needlessly slaughtered.

2. The Beatles: EVERYTHING! Do not touch this bands catalog. I'm not saying there aren't some really stellar covers, but for every one good one, there are usually about 40 really really bad ones. Best to just nip this in the bud now. If its a Beatles song, don't TOUCH IT!

3. Oingo Boingo - We Close Our Eyes: Ok, here's the story. My mom was watching a strange movie the other night called Sleepover and there was a horrid pop/punk band playing...they did one song and it was ok. The second song was We Close Our Eyes. By the end, I was ready to throw our TV set out the window. There is now another reason why I can't stand the pop/punk genre.

4. Elvis Costello: I want to put an EVERYTHING here, but I don't wish to offend Nick Lowe who has covered Indoor Fireworks so beautifully, but then I think of Duran Duran brutalizing Watching The Dectective and I get really angry. So please, think twice before covering anything this man has recorded.

5. Diana Krall - Narrow Daylight: I'm hoping there are no aspiring songbirds out there that want to cover this song, that was written by Diana and her hubby Mr. Costello. This song is pure Diana, and no one else should ever touch it.

Thursday Thirteen

Thirteen things I plan to do when we get buried by snow this weekend.

1. Catch up on all the Facebook games that I can't play during the week. Yup I'll be trying to level up on Farmville!

2. Watch The Other Boleyn Girl.

3. Catch up on a few of the tv shows that I'm behind on.

4. Read read read.

5. Complain about the weather.

6. Shovel snow

7. Catch up on all my blogger friends that I don't get to during the week.

8. Shiver

9. Write a few reviews for Mossip/Review You.

10. Try to figure out how to get rid of Haloscan comments here. Check out the blogger comments on Wenches. I'm not sure how I like them on that template, but they'll have to do.

11. Transfer some of my ebooks to the netbook so I can read on that computer in the warm rooms of the house.

12. Gripe some more about the weater.

13. Do some online window shopping.

Wednesday Is Couch Potato Night

I think I have a TV show a day that I like to watch, some have more, but Wednesday is really my night for TV right now. From 8:30 til newstime I will be glued to the set.

What shows have caught my interest?

Well you guys already know I love The Middle and Modern Family. I find both of these shows to be hilarious and those of you PC people that are annoyed by Modern Family can kiss my backside. I like all the characters on that one. But I have a new show at 9:30 on BBC America that I'm really enjoying and that's The Inbetweeners. I watched the first 2 episodes last Saturday and I laughed so hard I hurt myself. Sure its not the typical show you'd expect to see with teenagers. I think its a bit more risque than the teen oriented shows on CW and Fox, but overall its pretty damn funny.

Oh and lets not forget Psych. I love Psych! James Roday is the man! I just feel bad that Monk is gone, because those two shows together made for a perfect Friday night laughfest. Now Fridays are the only days I don't really bother with the telly, except when I feel so disposed to watch Ghost Whisperer. (That show isn't half as good as it was before they did the kill Jim, bring him back sort of thing)

I'm looking forward to tonights laughs, because I need some relaxation.

I'm Not The Only One

Seems Biblo feels much like I do about the winter weather.

Over at one of the message boards I frequent one of the authors suggested we think of some positive things about the cold and snowy badness.

She came up with 5 things she loves about the cold. Here are mine. Be prepared for some snark.

1. Soda pop doesn't need to be put inside the fridge to get cold. Just leave it on the floor in the kitchen.

2. You can play "How many blankets can you pile on yourself and still be able to move." That's my favorite game.

3. Chili and Soup becomes a favorite meal.

4. Scraping off inches of ice from the windshield of your car builds good upper body strength.

5. I love wearing my fuzzy black hat.

Missing Mondays

I miss going out to eat somewhere other than the Mon Valley. This cold weather has really messed with my routine.

Thankfully last Saturday I got to go to The Improv to see Greg Proops, and I had a nice (overpriced) dinner there, but I'm used to Sunday dinners out with my dad. Between car problems in December and then this obnoxious cold weather and snow we've had since the first of the year, I haven't taken my dad anywhere to eat since December that wasn't in the Mon Valley.

Blech!

I do love La Fiesta and River House, but I wouldn't mind having a dinner at TGIFridays or IHop or Melonis or Texas Roadhouse...or just about anywhere else that wasn't in or close by our little hamlet of Charleroi On Mon.

I'm heartily sick of all these wonderful restaurants airing their commercials at 10 o'clock in the evening too, making me hungry when there's no hope of getting that kind of food too.

Grr!

Anyone want to go to Fridays? Or Chilis. Or better yet, Cheddar's in Wheeling, so I can go to Books-A-Million, cos I'm missing that store quite a bit too, right now. Oh and if you agree to come...can we take your car, cos mine's a piece of poo!

LOL!