Cat - 1, USB Cable - 0

I'm convinced our kitten needs kitty prozac or something. I've never actually experienced a kitten in the house full-time before, so I'm guessing this is probably how they all are, but she is literally insane. Not only does she dart around the house non-stop at full speed, but she gets into EVERYTHING. She likes to steal things and play with them. I found the top to my facewash under the couch and the other day one of my earrings magically appeared next to her food dish.

Another of her favorite games is to play with a piece of food - hers, our dog's, it doesn't matter. She'll bat it around, meow at it and it inevitably ends up under the fridge or stove. We probably have enough random cat food pieces under there to feed her for a whole week.

And apparently, her newest way to have fun is to chew things. I got in my car this morning and plugged in my iPod and could not figure out why it wasn't working. Alas, the cord had been chewed through, it was literally hanging on by a thread. I'll give you two guesses as to who could have done that. Just swell. It's a good thing she's so damn cute.

Meet Charlotte

While everyone else is busy popping out kids, we also have a new addition to the family...the four legged kind. We adopted Charlotte (aka Charlie) from Pet Refuge this past Saturday. She is a little maniac but we love her!!
Our Lab, Maggie, wanted to be best friends right away but since she is about 92 pounds bigger than Charlie, it took some getting used to. Our other cat, Sam, wasn't so happy about the new member of the family. There was a lot of hissing and growling from him the first couple of days. The funny thing was, was that Charlie couldn't have cared less. Sam would hiss at her and she would just look at him like "what???" and then continue about her business. They are getting along better now and have even started playing with each other.

In honor of Mother's Day

Ten Questions to ask your Mother now:

By Judith Newman

(REAL SIMPLE) -- "Mom, I have to ask you something," my seven-year-old Henry begins. He stares at me with those solemn eyes and I steel myself.

Considering our unique family, it could be any number of things. Why do you and Dad live in separate places? (We are married but never could stand to live together.)

Why is Gus so different from other kids? (Henry's twin brother is mildly autistic.)

Why does Dad look tired all the time? (My husband was 68 when our sons were born... You do the math.)

I'm ready.

"Do you think spit cleans better than water?" he asks. "You always use it to clean my face."
You know, it isn't a bad question. And, in a way, every burst of curiosity gives me hope that my boys will continue to quiz me about ever more interesting and personal things. Because, as adults, so many of us don't ask enough about our mothers. (Maybe we're scared. More likely we just don't get around to it.)

Yet there's no better way to become closer to a person, even if you've known her all your life. So, after an utterly unscientific survey of friends and acquaintances, I've come up with 10 queries to get you started. Try them out this Mother's Day. You may even learn something about yourself.

1. What's the one thing you would have done differently as a mom? Recently I had this conversation with someone I had considered one of the best mothers I know -- the kind who never missed a kid's concert or a PTA conference. Her children are grown now, and they are neither independent nor particularly grateful.
"I should have let them fail," she told me. "When my daughter forgot to do her homework, I shouldn't have done it for her. When the other one got caught shoplifting, I should have let her spend a night in jail." For better or worse, your mother has probably given this subject a good deal of thought.

2. Why did you choose to be with my father? "Look at him!" my mother says adoringly. "He looks just like Jascha Heifetz!" He does, actually. But Heifetz, perhaps the world's greatest violinist, was one weird-looking dude. And my dad doesn't even play the violin. (Which is a bit like an accountant being the spitting image of Mick Jagger.)
So was there anything else? "Well, he liked smart women," says my mom, who was in medical school when they met in the 1950s. "So many men didn't back then." Not a bad reason to marry someone. I'm glad I asked.

3. In what ways do you think I'm like you? And not like you? Accuracy is not important here; you want to know her perceptions. Does she think you share her best qualities or her worst? (And do you agree?) Are your similarities and differences complementary -- they make the two of you click -- or are they the cause of all your conflicts?

4. Which one of us kids did you like the best? OK, chances are she'll dodge this question. But you'll probably force a compliment out of her -- "You were the one who set the table when you were three" -- and get a little insight into how she viewed each of you. And if she gives a straight answer? Well, you'll all have something new to fixate upon.

5. Is there anything you have always wanted to tell me but never have? The woman who suggested this question had learned late in life that the "aunt" who had lived with her parents while she was growing up was, in fact, her father's lover -- an arrangement that apparently suited all involved. Your mom's secrets might be a little less stunning. But hearing something she has been holding back may take your relationship into (good) uncharted territory.

6. Do you think it's easier or harder to be a mother now than when you were raising our family? We might agonize about working more hours outside the home and competing with our kids' cell phones for attention, but our mothers had other battles. "My mom thinks that if she had had a career, she would have been less frustrated and a better mother," reports one friend. The two of you needn't have a "Terms of Endearment moment over this one, but by understanding what she went through, you may appreciate your own situation more.

7. Is there anything you regret not having asked your parents? In my informal survey, the list went on and on, covering everything from "Did you ever think about leaving my dad for someone else?" and "Did you ever want to just throw in the towel?" to "What music do you want played at your funeral?" People regretted what they hadn't asked -- never what they had.

8. What's the best thing I can do for you right now? My mother is not subtle: "Call every day. If you don't, I think you're dead."
Other friends who had asked this question over the years were invariably surprised. One mom wanted her daughter to teach her to use a computer; another wanted her son, a plastic surgeon, to give her a face-lift. ("I had a moment where I didn't exactly love lifting my mother's skin off, but I thought I could do a better job than anyone else," he says.)
The mom of a young colleague wanted to meet her friends. "I'd always thought she wasn't interested in them," she says. "In fact, my mom was just shy."

9. Is there anything that you wish had been different between us -- or that you would still like to change? This inquiry prompted one mother to plan a trip with her 30-year-old daughter -- their first ever. She and her husband had always vacationed alone when their children were young, and she had felt bad about it for years. Whether you're 25 or 55, chances are there is some dynamic between you and your mother that could be better. Give her a chance to put it out there.

10. When did you realize you were no longer a child? I know what the answer will be for me, and I was startled to hear my mother give the same response: "I knew it when my own mother died," she told me. "That's the last time there would be anyone in the world who always put me before herself."

Random thoughts

~ I am really, really, really glad it's finally getting warmer out. I seriously thought we'd never see it!

~ I am really bored with this season of American Idol.

~ I saw a car the other day with a Safe Auto sticker on its trunk. Isn't that pretty much just adverstising that you suck as a driver??

~ Why is it that no matter how much time I allocate to get ready in the morning, I will still be running around like a chicken with my head cut off trying to get out the door on time?

~ It kind of creeps me out when family members request to be my friend on facebook. I immeditely go in to worry mode wondering if there are pictures or comments I've made that I wouldn't want them to see. But then I realize that if I didn't care if everyone else saw it, then it shouldn't matter.

~ We really need to have a garage sale because we (mainly ME) have a TON of crap I need to get rid of.

~ I love gaming the system when ordering things online to get free shipping. Example: I ordered seven items from Old Navy the other day just so I'd have over $100 so I'd get free shipping with the full intention of returning half of it when it gets here.

The End of an Era

Last night was the series finale of ER. After 15 years, I can't believe it's over! I have watched it from the very first episode back in 1994. If I remember correctly, it premiered at the same time as 'Friends'. I was only 13 years old back when it started! And although I had kind of fallen out of watching it this past season, it still broke my heart a little to watch the finale and know that this was the end. I love me some Grey's Anatomy, but ER makes Grey's look like a cheesy soap opera. Farewell ER, it was a good fifteen years.

NetFlix

We finally signed up for NetFlix last week. It's a beautiful thing to have movies just show up in your mailbox! We watched 'Role Models' over the weekend and still have 'The Dark Knight' waiting at home, plus 8 or 9 movies lined up in my queue to be sent to me. I may never leave the house again...


There was a segment on the Early Show talking about the products with the highest retail mark-up:

1. Movie popcorn - marked up 1300%. Can I get a "duh"?? I'm pretty sure most people are aware of this, but it's still hard to resist that yummy butteryness at the theater. Although, now that we have nNetFlix, we may be spending a lot less going to movies!

2. Wine at a restaurant - marked up 100-200%. Again, duh. A glass of wine costs $5-$7 when you can get a whole bottle for about that price. Love my 2 for $9 Barefoot White Zinfandel at Martin's!

3. Prescription drugs - 350%. Obviously, this is for non-generic. Moral of the story? get generic if at all possible.

4. Coffee (Starbucks, Dunkin' Donuts, etc.) - a mark-up of 300% - um, duh? I can buy a whole tub of Maxwell House coffee for less than the price of two Starbucks drinks - and it will last us about a month. I can't remember the last time I had a starbucks drink. I miss it dearly, but my wallet does not.

5. Pre-cut vegetables (salad in a bag, mushrooms, carrots, etc.) - marked up 25%. Won't stop me from buying my baby spinach and pre-cut baby carrots!! This is a mark-up I can live with since it's much more convenient!

Target owns my soul

Why is it that I can never go in to Target and come out with less than $50 worth of stuff? I go in to check out a tank top and end up getting two, plus a sweater, t-shirt and a pair of shoes. It can't be helped, folks.

Happy Birthday Little Bro!

Yesterday was my brother's birthday, he turned 23!! I still can't believe how old he is, it seems like just yesterday he was five years old and just this pesky little guy whom I was not particularly fond of. But I grew out of that stage and am proud to call him my brother. I don't know what I'd do without him. Hope you had a great day, Ste!

Twitter - the new trend

https://twitter.com/sarahbethcook

Fat Tuesday

All hail the paczki. I am not Catholic, nor do I "give up" anything for Lent and I'm darned well going to eat meat on any Friday that I choose. But the one thing in which I do participate is the consumption of paczki. They are pretty much a glorified jelly donut with loads of powdered sugar, whip cream and just about any kind of filling you can think of. I just got done consuming half of a strawberry one and half of a buttercream one and I feel like I am going to vomit but it was so worth it.

On another note, it always amazes me how you hear NOTHING about anyone being Catholic during the course of the year; Then Lent rolls around. All of a sudden everyone and their mother is freaking out because "Oh my gosh, it's Friday and I can't eat meat!!" and "oh, I gave that up for Lent" and blah blah blah. I'm convinced that half of these people are just doing it because it's the "trendy" thing to do. I have family friends who are Catholic and I actually hear them mention every once in a while throughout the year about going to mass or serving and those kinds of things so I know they are legit. For all you other wankers out there suddenly claiming to be "Catholic" every time Lent rolls around, I'm pretty sure God knows what's up. And I'm pretty sure he's ashamed. And I'm pretty sure God doesn't even really like Catholics...

Random musings

My mom and I went to Wendy's yesterday for lunch. While we are standing in line to order, I hear this clipping noise behind me. I turn around and this guys is CLIPPPING HIS NAILS IN LINE. I kid you not. My mom asks "Is he CLIPPING his nails???" and I said "yes" and then we proceeded to giggle uncontrollably. Are people really that gross???

Trainings for jobs or anything else should really be limited to a couple of hours or so. Sitting in the same chair in the same room for seven hours straight looking at a PowerPoint presentation has to be considered some kind of cruel and unusual punishment. Although, it does allow you to get a lot of pondering done...you know, grocery lists, what's on tv tonight, what I'm having for lunch and dinner, the state of the country, world peace, things like that.

People are getting knocked up here at work like it's going out of style. I better keep my legs crossed.

Treadmill Kitties

And my cat is terrified of our treadmill. Go figure.

"My biological clock is broken"

I came across this article on CNN.com and I agree with 99% of it. It made me laugh a little. The only part I don't agree with is the running part. I actually enjoy running and I'm pretty sure running and having a kid have very little in common.


By Colleen Kane


(The Frisky) -- I'm smack in the middle of my thirties and about to get married. For some childless women my age, this is tick-tick-tick time. However, while other women may be intimately in touch with their ovulation cycles, I'm in no hurry to have kids now, if ever.

My old man and I have talked about it, but we're both horrified by how much our lives would have to change -- not to mention how big a pain in the ass kids are for, oh, say, 18 years.
We have two starter kids: dogs. Sometimes, they drive us bonkers. They give us joy and a lot of laughs, but when we travel, as we often do, they complicate our plans.
Actual children, what with their need for food more than every 10 hours (or whatever it is that you're supposed to do with little humanoids), and their ability to talk, scream, and cry, would be far more painful at travel time.
Or, say, at 4 a.m. time, and all those other ungodly hours they pick to start needing things.
Then there's the whole nine months business. The older I get, the more I'm grossed out by pregnancy.

If I'd found myself madly in love and in a stable relationship as a younger woman with less experience and a steady income, I probably would have gone for it. But now a lot of the gory details make me shudder.
"But it's great!" we're told by new parents. Amazing. "Best thing that ever happened to me," they say.
Sure, they have to say that -- to recruit more new parents into the club, so they have someone to talk to about their kids. I'm sure it is life-changing, heart-expanding, and all that good stuff. Maybe I'd want to do it someday.
But it's like how I feel about running. Runners always foam at the mouth about how great running is, how you get in shape, the bonus of getting a runner's high. I bet it is invigorating as hell and super-healthy to boot.
But I hate running. So you're not going to see me doing it -- unless I'm being chased by a pack of fast, blood-thirsty zombies.
I don't want to rule anything out absolutely, but if I'm comparing having children to being chased by a pack of zombies, it's probably not the right time to start planning a little treasure in my belly. And that's OK by me.

25 things about me

1. I am afraid of the dark

2. I don’t really like the beach…you get sand in everything, you have to carry everything with you and there are no toilets in near proximity and the ones that are, are nasty.

3. My favorite thing to do in the summer is to just lie around at the lake and do absolutely nothing.

4. I’m pretty sure I don’t ever want to have kids

5. I MUST have at least one coffee each morning otherwise I get headaches

6. I am addicted to McDonald’s diet coke

7. My favorite thing to do on Sundays is go through the sale ads and clip coupons

8. I am OCD about germs and salmonella…I HATE when we have to greet and shake hands at church or anywhere, really. And when I’m cooking with raw chicken, I think I wash my hands twenty times.

9. The older I get, the more judgmental and impatient I am getting – I’m not proud, but there it is.

10. I love winter and snow and sweaters and coats and boots. Give me snow and 20 degrees over heat and humidity any day.

11. I still love to take naps

12. I like to vacuum

13. I love scary movies and tv shows, but I don’t like to actually BE scared (i.e. haunted houses are NOT cool)

14. I love to kick back and just have a glass of wine a couple nights a week

15. I worry about things ALL the time. Sometimes I think I just invent things to worry about.

16. I still get amazed over some of the simplest things – the way the world is so quiet after a snowfall, sunrises and sunsets, rainbows, the way it smells after it rains, the fall colors on the trees.

17. I have literally seen every episode of Friends at least ten times.

18. I am terrible at listening to my voicemail and returning messages…I much prefer texting.

19. I believe that there are no coincidences…everything happens for a reason.

20. I love pineapple and oranges but cannot eat them due to their acid content

21. I could spend hours in Barnes and Noble just browsing through books.

I'm stealing these next two from Rhi:
22. I was obsessed with *NSYNC in college. Like Rhi, I think I saw them about 12 times in concert...twice from front row center. I won't lie, that ROCKED.

23. I totally believe in retail therapy. My bank account doesn't.

24. If I could eat fast food every day for every meal and not gain a pound or die of a heart attack, I would.

25. I have never broken a bone or stayed in a hospital. *knocks on wood*

Inauguration Inschmauguration

You would think we have never had a president inaugurated before. Really people?!?! Is it necessary to lose our minds over this?? Also, just FYI, Obama is NOT African-American. He is Bi-racial. There's kind of a difference and I wish people would figure that out.

On another note, I heard through the grapevine that certain department stores (Macy's, Nordstrom, Dillard's, etc.) were giving away free cosmetics today due to some class action lawsuit for price-gouging. So I headed on over to Macy's on my lunch and scored myself some free perfume and Clinique lotion!

And lastly, this week my parents are on a cruise to the Grand Caymans, Cozumel, Honduras and Belize City. I spoke with my mom on Sunday before they embarked and it was a sunny 76 degrees in Miami. Color me jealous.

Hilarity ensues...

And so begins another round of American Idol. After, what is this? the eight season? you would think that I wouldn't be shocked any more by how much some of these people SUCK. But yet, I sit there with my mouth hanging open wondering why the HELL someone doesn't tell these people they can't sing before they make fools of themselves on national television.
Now, I understand that a lot of these tards are just doing it to get some face time, but some of these people actually think they can sing. Where are their friends? I'm sorry, but if my brother/sister/friend/son/daughter told me that they were going to audition and they couldn't carry a tune in a bucket, I would SAY something to prevent them from looking ridiculous in front of millions of people. Like the dude last night with the peroxide hair and jacked up teeth. Before he even went in to audition, he was talking to Gaycrest (I mean, Seacrest) and even admitted that some people have told him he can't sing. Um, probably because you CAN'T. Oy.

We'll miss you, Tony

The coach of the Indianapolis Colts, Tony Dungy, has decided to call it quits and retire. Even though there were rumblings about it at the end of last season, I had completely forgotton about it so it came as quite a shock. Tony was the only coach who I liked just as much as the players on the team, so it makes me sad. I know he has his reasons and he feels like it's the right time for him, so I will support him. He took my Colts to a Superbowl Championship and ended his Colts career at 73-23 - not too shabby. I just hope the dude they find to take his place is not a complete wanker.

We'll miss you, Tony - it's been a great seven years...

Waiting room annoyance

This morning I had my fun yearly visit to the doctor. I check in and sit down in the waiting area. The chair I'm sitting in has a chair next to it and then two more perpendicular to them, so a total of four chairs in this little group. This lady comes in with her husband and her kid who was probably no older than 1 year. She's pregnant again too. Way to go. Have fun with that. Anyway, they check in and sit down. Where, you might ask? In the two chairs closest to me. That's right. I didn't count, but the entire waiting room area had to have AT LEAST 50 other chairs and there were MAYBE four other people sitting in the chairs waiting....you do the math.

And to make matters worse, after they sit down, the mom starts talking to her husband about how her kid stinks because his diaper is dirty but she doesn't want to go change it because they might call her name while she's gone but she doesn't think they have changing tables in the rooms. SERIOUSLY??? I swear these things only happen to me.
While I was pondering whether to be rude and move or to just suck it up and stay there, they called my name to come back. The universe must have sensed my turmoil and allowed me a little reprieve.

Losing my mind

Some days I feel like I am truly losing it. Getting older or just too much on my mind? It's up for debate. Anywho, this morning I went through the McDonald's drive-thru to get my daily fix of caffeine and I decided a fruit 'n' yougurt parfait sounded good. So I ordered and paid. I get to the last window and the lady starts to hand me a bag. Thinking it was a breakfast sandwich of some sort, I tell her "no, I just had a large coffee." So she gives me this weird look and then hands me my coffee and I drive about my merry way. I'm almost to work and remembered that I had acutally ordered a parfait also. I bet the McDonald's lady was wondering what kind of drugs I was on. Maybe I need drugs....

Back to the grind

Back to work we go. Randy had two weeks off and I only worked a total of four days the past two weeks so it was a little rough getting up this morning. I guess I should just be thankful that I even have a job but it doesn't make it any more fun!!!

I've always wondered whose idea it was to cram the four best holidays of the year in to a two-month timespan. Oct 31 - Dec 31 and then bam, done for the rest of the year. Not cool. Couldn't we have at least thrown one in around June or something?? At least my birthday's in May, so that kind of helps....sort of...