Manic Monday 4/30/07

Manic Monday Word: SILENCE

It's funny how the value of silence has changed for me since I was a child. Back then, silence scared me. I was always social and I had a wild imagination as well. When silence descended on the house, that imagination went to work. I heard every crick, crack, and creak the house made, imagined every shadow to be a ghost or a monster lurking in the the night, ready to pounce on me and swallow me whole.

But now, moments of silence have become quite precious to me.

My days are filled with noise. Children laughing and fighting, television blaring, car horns honking, washing machine swishing, dogs barking. I love my life and the noise in it, but once in a while I need a moment of silence just to reflect on life. I find my moment of silence on my trampoline.

I love to lay on the trampoline and just look at the blue sky and clouds overhead. There's also a pecan tree nearby and its green strikes a beautiful contrast against the blue. On the trampoline, I can relax and think about my plans and dreams, basically regroup my ADD riddled mind for what lies ahead. Or, I can silence my mind and just not think at all. Just be a part of the sky and the clouds and the trees.

Those are the best moments of silence. When I can JUST BE.

Blessing

A Blessing for Cheryl F. this week:May every door open that needs to open.
May blessings be upon you going in and coming out.
May you find opportunities you didn't even know existed.
May your family and children be blessed.
Amen

What, me histrionic? Moi?

Got this over at Rebecca's today. Fun!

You May Be a Bit Histrionic...

Dramatic and over the top, you crave attention. And you'll do anything it takes to get noticed. You love to be seductive, even when it's inappropriate. If you're ignored, you're easily hurt ... and act out even more!

What Personality Disorder Are You?

The Google Search goes on...

I've now seen this exercise over at Crazy Working Mom's, Skittle's Place, and Shaz's, so I thought I would try it out. I simply googled the following phrase

Lorrie (my name) needs to...

and came up with the following:

Lorrie needs to hear your concerns about your son's health and her smoking in front of your son. Gee. I didn't even know I smoked.

Lorrie needs to drink since she’s saving herself for Mike’s birthday. I won't deny I probably need a drink, but who the heck is Mike? I would love to know since I'm saving myself for him and all. Should I tell my husband?

lorrie needs to know what color my dress is...Because Lorrie is really vain and doesn't want to be wearing the same fashion as someone else, of course!

Lorie needs to know about Wizbang and Wizbanging! Okay, I'm really nervous about this one. Does anyone know what wizbanging is? And do I want to know?

Lorrie needs to learn a basic life skill: how to pick her fights. Heh, what a goofball thing to take a stand on... Hey! Just because I'm saving myself for Mike is no reason to get personal!

Have a great weekend, y'all!

Interesting thing you might or might not want to know...

Found this quiz over at Rebecca's

What Your Underwear Says About You

You enjoy wearing nice underwear, even if it comes at a hefty price tag. You're sexy, in that pinup girl, tease sort of way.

The Underwear Oracle

This week in the news...

MISS OKLAHOMA TURNED MISS AMERICA, YOU MAKE OUR STATE PROUD!!!!

I also post this in honor of my friend, Rebecca She and other victim's rights advocates like her deserve just as much recognition as Miss America!



Miss America helps cops in sex sting

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Miss America can add crime fighter to her resume.
Lauren Nelson recently went undercover with police in New York for a sting targeting sexual predators.

Officers with Suffolk County's computer crimes unit created an online profile of a 14-year-old girl that included photographs of Nelson as a teenager.

"I got to chat online with the predators and made phone calls, too," Nelson said by phone from Atlantic City "The Suffolk County Police Department was there the whole time."

The operation was filmed for a segment of America's Most Wanted that will air Saturday on Fox. Police spokesman Tim Motz said the operation was ongoing and declined to comment Tuesday evening.

For more story, go here

Friday's Feast the First

This is my First Friday Feast!

Oh, and if you haven't read the story about my Opera singing sister yet and are in the mood for a chuckle, scroll down a couple...but please don't judge me. I was but a mere child.

Anyway, on with the feast...

Appetizer
How fast can you type?
About 65-70 words per minute. I thought this was pretty fast til I saw some other people's numbers. Picture Mz. Jackson slinking away in shame...

Soup
What is your favorite online game?
Ugh, I hate online games. But my husband loves them, especially World of Warcraft. I do like to take online quizzes though, does that count?

Salad
On a scale of 1 to 10 (with 10 as highest), how intelligent do you think you are?
7. 3 and 7 are my favorite numbers, but 3 would make me look like a moron, so I'd better go with 7.

Main Course
Name three of your best teachers from your school years.
Mrs. Belt (Freshman English), Ms. Slate (Sophmore English), and Mrs. Dwyer (French).
Dessert
What are your plans for this upcoming weekend?
To escort kids around on Saturday, and, as always, visit my grandmothers on Sunday. Picture Mz. Jackson with a halo, her hands folded angelically in prayer as she goes about doing heavenly deeds.

Isn't this Fantastic?

WOMAN, 95, TO BE OLDEST COLLEGE GRADUATE

By CARL MANNING, Associated Press Writer
Fri Apr 27, 4:02 AM ET

Sitting on the front row in her college classes carefully taking notes, Nola Ochs is just as likely to answer questions as to ask them. That's not the only thing distinguishing her from fellow students at Fort Hays State University. She's 95, and when she graduates May 12, she'll be what is believed to be the world's oldest person to be awarded a college degree.

To read more, go here

NOLA, YOU ROCK!!!

Happy Birthday, Mz. Opera

Today is my baby sister's birthday and in her honor I'm going to run an updated version of one of my very first posts about her called Musical Pearls Before Sisterly Swine. If you've already read it, scroll to the bottom of the post for a little addition to the story.

I would also like to send a Happy Birthday tomorrow to my Sister-In-Law, Fancy Pants, who is married to my brother, Mr. Prodigy.

Last weekend, my baby sister (whom I shall henceforth refer to as 'Mz. Opera') got the part of Madame Butterfly in a small yet sophisticated opera company in a small yet sophisticated midwestern city! I am so proud of you, Mz. Opera.

And to think Mz. Jackson and her other sister, Mz. Blue Eyes, almost ruined a budding career in its early stages.

Many years ago (I'm not telling you how many years, Mz. Jackson does not reveal her age to friends or strangers), my mother was driving me and my sisters, Mz. Blue Eyes and Mz. Opera home from church one evening. Mz. Opera was about five, I was thirteen, and Mz. Blue Eyes was twelve. As we headed down the single-laned country road that led to our little house in the big woods, my mother asked Mz. Opera about her day at Kindergarten.

"We learned a new song!" Mz. Opera said, her big eyes shining with excitement.

"Oh, we would love to hear it," says Mother with motherly enthusiasm. "Wouldn't we, girls?" she asked-but-really-commanded Mz. Blue Eyes and myself.

"Oh, yeah, yeah," we both muttered. After all, we would much rather discuss the sweaty, prepubescent boys we saw at church than listen to some nursery rhyme set to song, but whatever. Mother had spoken.

Little Mz. Opera drew her body up straight, pointed her black Cherokee eyes heavenward, and belted out in true opera fashion the following:

Ding-dong, ding-dong, ding-dong bell,
who put pussy in the well?

Did Mz. Blue Eyes and I hear the budding and brilliant voice of a future star? Nope. All we heard was one word: pussy. And since we'd recently learned on the school bus (rolling school of smut education) that the word could mean something other than cat, we both burst into laughter.

Poor Mz. Opera was completely smashed. She shut her mouth immediately, gave us both an accusing glare, and sank back into her seat.

Mother was mortified. "Hush up, you two! That was beautiful, Mz. Opera! Oh, please keep singing!"

I, smitten immediately with the guilt that is integral to my nature, begged, "I'm sorry, Mz. Opera! We weren't laughing at you! We were laughing at..."

I stopped here. Now how was I supposed to explain why we were laughing? To a little five year old? With my mother well within slapping range?

I looked to Mz. Blue Eyes, but she just shrugged. Truth be told, she'd been a little jealous of Mz. Opera since the day they brought her home from the hospital and had found her to be somewhat of a pesky annoyance ever since. Such is sisterly love. No help there.

I stammered, "We just thought the song was funny! Your voice is so pretty! Sing some more."

But Mz. Opera would not make another peep. In fact, she didn't cast her musical pearls before her sisterly swine for at least another ten years. But when I heard her blast the roof of her high school auditorium when she sang the national anthem for her high school graduation before going on to study opera, I was finally released from my prison of guilt.

Ah, it feels good to be free. Sing on Madame Butterfly! Sing on.

Note: I found out later that Mz. Opera decided later that evening she was going to run away from us ungrateful hooligans who had no appreciation for her artistic talent. She made it all the way to the end of the first leg of our mile long drive before my brother, Mr. Prodigy, caught up with her and convinced her to come home.

Thursday's Thirteen 04/26/07

1. King of Queens: What could be funnier than Doug showing Carrie how to pole dance? Classic.

2. Everybody Loves Raymond: Functional these people ain't, but funny they are.

3. Frasier: I'll never forget when Frasier accidentally saw Daphne naked. Priceless.

4. Seinfeld: There will never be another character like Cramer.

5. I Love Lucy: I can still picture Lucy stomping grapes in my mind if I even consider drinking a glass of wine.

6. Andy Griffith: I love all the ones with Barney Fife in them.

7. Bosom Buddies: Oh come on! You don't remember Tom Hanks wandering around in drag??

8. Designing Women: Beauty Queen Susanne and her pet pig. Enough said.

9. Reba: I don't believe any other sitcom besides #2 on the list has such a strong set of supporting characters.

10. Newhart: Remember Larry, Daryll and Daryll?

11. George Lopez: That guy can always make me laugh.

12. Home Improvement: The show that proved Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus.

13. Sanford and Son: I'm comin' Elizabeth!!

Did I miss any good ones? And for those non-Americans out there, do you have any favorites in your country you would like to share?
Happy Thursday, everyone!

HELP ME!!

I need help. How do I get the picture to the right here to show up when I post on someone's blog? I can't figure it out. Keeps asking me for a URL. How do I get that? Help me, somebody, pleeeeeease....

Stormy skies in Oklahoma

SCROLL DOWN A COUPLE FOR WORDLESS WEDNESDAY...

Try this for Fun

I found this site over at Mama Shalom's Pretty cool.

HowManyOfMe.com

There are 56 people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

Wordless Wednesday 4/25/07

Lady Scarlett and her Servant Omar

Here's a picture of Lady Scarlett, our Great Dane. We had her on the leash so we could get her to stand still for the picture. The little dog beside her is one of our daschunds, Omar, who is full grown. She's still a pup and look how much bigger she is than Omar!

Where do you hava your java?

I'm just curious: if you were to choose a coffee house in your area, where would you choose to go?
My coffee house of choice is called Nordaggio's. The atmosphere is ultra-relaxing, with a fireplace, couches, tall tables, and rich, dark wood floors. They have every kind of coffee, latte, or coffee related drink you could imagine.

So what's your favorite coffee spot? Where you hava your java?

I'm 60% Girly

You Are 60% Girly

You're a little girly, a little boyish, and probably a whole lot indie. You have your own unique style, and it pretty much defies gender lines.

How Girly Are You?

/

I hope some guys will take the dare at Skittle's and take the quiz, too...

My Buddy and Me

I would just like to write a special blog about myself and my best friend and writing partner, Rebecca DeMauro, who some of you may know as Rebecca from The Rants from Sunnybrook Farm.

Rebecca and I became good friends a few years back when we formed a writing group with some of our other friends. Today, the group is no more, but Rebecca and I are still tapping away at the keyboards. At first, we had our individual projects, but while working on some editing on her project, we discovered we worked very well together. Now, we have produced one novel (Campfire Secrets) and are working on the next. We have recently obtained representation through a literary agency which we hope will glean publication soon.

This has been a long, drawn out process, with lots of twists and turns and mistakes, but through it all, Rebecca and I have not had one argument. Whether we were running through airports trying to catch a connecting plane, trying to navigate our way through Manhattan in high heels that killed the feet, or planting our tails in front of the computer for hours creating our characters, we've not exchanged a cross word. Our husbands have been incredibly supportive and we have to thank them for that, too.

So here's to my friend, Rebecca, today, who is off doing good deeds for child advocacy.

And here's to Campfire Secrets: Fingers crossed everyone!

Manic Monday 4/23/07

Manic Monday Word:

Sun

This word today makes me think of John Denver. My husband was doing his nightly flip through the channel routine and stopped on PBS. This is one of his favorite stops, which include the Sci Fi channel and anything remotely resembling ESPN. At all other stops, he pauses just long enough for me to get interested and then moves on. Anyway, PBS was showing a John Denver Special. He was singing: Sunshine on my shoulder makes me happy, sunshine in my eyes can make me cry...

I was never a huge John Denver fan, but this song always takes me back to when I was a little girl running around my dad's dairy farm, playing Wizard of Oz with my sister.

It is funny because John Denver is one of those people who has passed away but who I can't believe is actually dead, even after all these years. It just doesn't seem real, like when I hear that Princess Diana or JFK Jr. is gone. No matter how many times you heard the news, certain people seem to live on forever in your mind, forever young.

Can anyone else think of a late, great celebrity who they just can't imagine is really departed?

Is Mz. Jackson moody?

I have looked over the last week since I began this blog and realized I've changed my mood at least ten times. I've felt everything from fat to bloated to javalicious to fantastic and a few more. Does this mean Mz. Jackson is moody?
I guess you would have to ask my husband to find out for sure...
But he's a smart man and would probably say, "No comment."

My Favorite Poem

It is odd and yet true that one of the most romantic poems of all time was written by the original master of suspense, Edgar Allen Poe. This poem has touched my soul since I first heard it in Junior High.

ANNABELLE LEE
It was many and many a year ago
In a kingdom by the sea
That a maiden there lived, whom you may know
By the name of Annabelle Lee
And this maiden she lived with no other thought
Than to love and be loved by me.
I was a child and she was a child
In this kingdom by the sea
But we loved with a love that was more than love
I and my Annabelle Lee
With a love that winged seraphs of Heaven
Coveted her and me
This was the reason that, long ago
In this kingdom by the sea
That the winds came out of a cloud, chilling
My beautiful Annabelle Lee
So that her highborn kinsmen came
And bore her away from me,
To shut her up in a sepulchre
In this kingdom by the sea
The Angels, half so happy in Heaven,
Went envying her and meYes!
That was the reason (as all men know
In this kingdom by the sea)
That a wind came out of a cloud by night
Chilling and killing my Annabelle Lee.
But our love, it was stronger by far than the love
Of those who were older than we,
Of many far wiser than we
And neither the Angels in Heaven above
Nor the demons down under the sea
Could never dissever my soul from the soul
Of the beautiful Annabelle Lee.
For the moon never beams without giving me dreams
Of the beautiful Annabelle Lee
And the stars never rise, but I feel the bright eyes
Of my beautiful Annabelle Lee.
And so, all the nighttide, I lie down by the side
Of my darling! My darling, my life and my bride.
In her sepulchre, there by the sea,
In her tomb, by the sounding sea....
By EDGAR ALLAN POE

Feel free to mention your favorite poem, and have a great weekend everyone!

Thursday's Thirteen 04/19/07

Thirteen Great Inventions:

1. Peanut Butter

2. Toilet Paper

3. Sticky notes

4. Dr. Pepper

5. Chai Latte

6. Central Heat and Air

7. Cell phones

8. Laptops

9. c.d. players

10. Refrigerators with icemakers

11. Chocolate Dipped Cones

12. Beltless Kotex

13. Flushing Toilets

Feel free to add your selections!

Wordless Wednesday 4/18/07

Musical Pearls before Sisterly Swine

This weekend, my baby sister (whom I shall henceforth refer to as 'Mz. Opera') got the part of Madame Butterfly in a small yet sophisticated opera company in a small yet sophisticated midwestern city! I am so proud of you, Mz. Opera.

And to think Mz. Jackson and her other sister, Mz. Blue Eyes, almost ruined a budding career in its early stages.

Many years ago (I'm not telling you how many years, Mz. Jackson does not reveal her age to friends or strangers), my mother was driving me and my sisters, Mz. Blue Eyes and Mz. Opera home from church one evening. Mz. Opera was about five, I was thirteen, and Mz. Blue Eyes was twelve. As we headed down the single-laned country road that led to our little house in the big woods, my mother asked Mz. Opera about her day at Kindergarten.

"We learned a new song!" Mz. Opera said, her big eyes shining with excitement.

"Oh, we would love to hear it," says Mother with motherly enthusiasm. "Wouldn't we, girls?" she asked-but-really-commanded Mz. Blue Eyes and myself.

"Oh, yeah, yeah," we both muttered. After all, we would much rather discuss the sweaty, prepubescent boys we saw at church than listen to some nursery rhyme set to song, but whatever. Mother had spoken.

Little Mz. Opera drew her body up straight, pointed her black Cherokee eyes heavenward, and belted out in true opera fashion the following:
Ding-dong, ding-dong, ding-dong bell,
who put pussy in the well?

Did Mz. Blue Eyes and I hear the budding and brilliant voice of a future star? Nope. All we heard was one word: pussy. And since we'd recently learned on the school bus (rolling school of smut education) that the word could mean something other than cat, we both burst into laughter.

Poor Mz. Opera was completely smashed. She shut her mouth immediately, gave us both an accusing glare, and sank back into her seat.

Mother was mortified. "Shut up, you two! That was beautiful, Mz. Opera! Oh, please keep singing!"
I, smitten immediately with the guilt that is integral to my nature, begged, "I'm sorry, Mz. Opera! We weren't laughing at you! We were laughing at..."
I stopped here. Now how was I supposed to explain why we were laughing? To a little five year old? With my mother well within slapping range?
I looked to Mz. Blue Eyes, but she just shrugged. Truth be told, she'd been a little jealous of Mz. Opera since the day they brought her home from the hospital and had found her to be somewhat of a pesky annoyance ever since. Such is sisterly love. No help there.
I stammered, "We just thought the song was funny! Your voice is so pretty! Sing some more."
But Mz. Opera would not make another peep. In fact, she didn't cast her musical pearls before her sisterly swine for at least another ten years. But when I heard her blast the roof of her high school auditorium when she sang the national anthem for her high school graduation before going on to study opera, I was finally released from my prison of guilt.
Ah, it feels good to be free. Sing on Madame Butterfly! Sing on.

Still Reeling over V Tech News

I'm still reeling over the massacre at Virginia Tech. I don't understand how something like this could happen and I have scores of questions turning over in my brain: why did he do it? Where did he get those kind of weapons? Should we have better gun control or would he have been able to get the guns anyway, as most crooks and crazies seem to be able to do?

And I think about the parents of the victims, with special empathy now that I have a close to college aged child myself. How must they be feeling? How will they survive this ordeal? I just wish there was something I could do to help.

But I have to admit that the biggest question in my mind is this: if the little bastard was going to kill himself anyway, why didn't he just do THAT in the first place rather than taking a bunch of innocent people with him? This is always a big question for me when these mass murders take place. I can't help it. I know I should be thinking, why would that poor boy be so desperate as to want to commit such a horrendous deed. But that's not how my mind works. Although I will admit, I do always think about the parents of the shooter and wonder how they will survive knowing what their child has done. I can only imagine the absolute torture this could cause any parent.

And so, thoughts and prayers go out to the victims' families. Spring is supposed to be a happy time. But it seems a lot of these type things happen in the spring. I wonder why.

Wrinkles and Zits

Have you noticed that life is full of unfair phenomenon over which we have absolutely no control? For instance:

Wrinkles and zits: How can a face that produces enough oil to run a friggin' SUV still develop crow's feet and laugh lines? No fair.

Hair Apparent: Have you noticed that you can work and work to get your hair to conform to the latest style and when you finally get it just where you want it, the style changes???? NO FAIR!!

Parenting paradox: How is it that when you're easy on your children in an area where you felt your parents were too hard on you, your children rarely appreciate it and even blame you for their failures because "if you'd been tougher on me, I would have had the discipline to do thus and so?" No fair.

Sexual Prowess but no "nowness": Why is that you spend your twenties learning how to enjoy sex and even developing some great techniques, only to find in your thirties and forties you and the spouse are too busy to practice all the fun stuff you learned? (I'm speaking to women here--we know you men never had to learn to like it...) No fair.

Of course, I could list a million more, and I'm sure you could, too. Death, taxes, facial hair, ingrown hairs from trying to wax aforementioned facial hair, ingrown toenails and the cost of gasoline. Life really isn't fair sometimes. But we live it and we love it, because...well, what else you gonna do?