Holiday Stomach Flu...the gift that keeps on giving!

I hope all of you had a wonderful Holiday. Mine was less than spectacular…

I was so excited to spend Christmas with my boyfriend’s family. They’re all so nice and fun to be around. We did the normal Christmas mass, drove Lenhertz Ave., hung out, and played Scene It (Chris and I ROCK as a team!). We waited for his brother, Adam, to get home from work just after midnight and we opened presents. It really was a good time.

UNTIL…

I was feeling sleepy all day. I just figured it was residual from work and dealing with kids. As we were cleaning up, I started to feel, well, questionable. I stood up and realized “Oh, no!” I was gonna blow!

I ran to the bathroom. I would have made it in time, I really would have. Except that the lid was closed on the toilet. I threw up all over the pretty bath mats and toilet seat cover.

Not only was I mortified that I yakked on Christmas Eve, but I completely defiled my boyfriends, mom’s bathroom! My first Christmas hanging out with his family and all I want is to flush myself down the toilet to avoid seeing them again.

The good news was that I was too sick to go to Christmas dinner the next day. I’m not sure when I actually have to face them again. What on earth am I supposed to do? Is there a Halmark card for “Sorry I puked in your potty on Christmas?”

I’m so embarrassed. I hate the stomach flu.

My Space

So it seems that I've been called to the dark side...

I'm making an attempt at my space. (Thanks to Julia and Molly).

I know...two pages at once?!?! Who knew!

Don't worry, I'll still be bloggin' here. I'll just have an additional space. All I need now are friends!

Check me out http://www.myspace.com/eabethie

Let me know! (Yeah, I know it's gonna suck until I figure that one out too!)

Things that bug me...

People at the gym on their cell phones!!

I was at the gym today and this chickie is on an elliptical talking on her cell. I know you’re supposed to be able to have a conversation while exercising but this was ridiculous. She was bouncing around dialin’ her phone…I have enough trouble just staying on the treadmill, let alone have a conversation! (Don’t ask about that story…)

Then this guy was on the treadmill right next to me talking on his cell phone. It’s not like the gym is crowded on Sundays…there were a total of four people on the treadmills, and the guy has to be next to me yakking away on his cell. I had my iPod on, and I could still hear this guy. And to top it off, his conversation was all about getting a piece of ass last night (that poor woman). After the account of his escapades he proceeded to comment on all the women in the gym! (Clearly he was a boob and ass man.)

Is there some kind of etiquette that I’m missing? Is this ok?

People! Put the cell phones away and get your workout!! I don’t need to know how she was last night!!!

I hate Ketchup

I was having one of those days…you know the ones. My students were screwy, rude, and obnoxious. A member of the administration happened to be wandering by when these kids were acting up. I noticed a student had been cutting herself…

Ya, know typical day at my school.

So I decide to head for some comfort food and the gym. (The gym to work off the calories of the comfort food and burn some frustration) I stop at Mr. Submarine. It was a random choice. I don’t usually frequent the place unless I’m up late and slightly inebriated and Nick is driving, but it was on the way and it had a drive through, so I stopped.

I order a hot dog. Everything on it.

Now, I live in Chicago. Food is taken very seriously here. A hot dog, in Chicago, is supposed to have certain things:
- A BEEF hot dog (the less mystery meat the better),
-Mustard (yellow, not the dejon or Stadium Mustard),
- Sweet Relish,
- Tomato slices,
- Raw Onion,
- Dill Pickle Spear,
- Sport Peppers (which I can consent to being optional) and
- Celery salt,
- all heaped on a Poppy Seed Bun.

When I got my dog, it had onions, relish and FUCKING KETCHUP!

WHAT THE HELL!!! As if my day wasn’t bad enough. I was so annoyed I couldn’t even eat it. I could have handled missing a few missing items, but the ketchup thing is just wrong! I understand that there are people who have other preferences. I understand that there are people who love ketchup and actually eat it with a fork (Andy). But what kind of place puts ketchup on a CHICAGO style hot dog?!?! I know that if I’m in New York and I order a dog with “everything” I may end up with sauerkraut, but I expect that! Anywhere with a 773 or 312 area code should know better. There are places that don’t even have ketchup in their facility, not even for fries!!

Isn’t there a law against this?

UGH! Just when I thought my day couldn’t get worse, the fuck-up fairy tops it off with a little ketchup. Next time, I’ll take the extra time and head to Super Dawg, or Dog Stop.

But on that note, where are your fav hot dog spots? (Sometimes a girl needs back up!)

Tales III

So… I have lunchroom duty. I was making sure that the kids were in the lunch line and not horsing around too much. I was motioning with my arms for the kids to get in line and one of the students licked my bare arm!!

WHAT THE HELL?!?!

I asked him, “Did you just LICK my arm?!”

All he did was look at me, walk over, take my arm in his hand and wipe the slobber with the sleeve of his shirt.

And kids think teachers are weird?

Man-Scaping

Yesterday I gave my friend Nick a manicure. His hands were pretty bad. I literally had to take a pumice to them. He has a date with this girl on Saturday, so this was much needed considering he works on elevators.

I was thinking, this could be a really business for me. Think about it. If women go to get a manicure or pedicure, they expect a spa environment. A man is not all about the same experience; they’d want something different. Here’s my proposal.

I could open a man spa. Instead of the relaxing music, I could have TV’s with ESPN, hunting shows, tool shows and cars playing on them. I could replace the water and juice with beer and peanuts.

I could over “man-scaping” services in a non-froofy environment. I think it would be a success. It would be a step up from the barbershop. Men could get all the things that they think they need (or that their wives or girlfriends think they need) in a non-intimidating place.

I just need to figure out a manly alternative name for a manicure…

Hand Resurfacing?
Hand Detailing?
Any Suggestions?
Any sponsors for my new business venture?

Parents amaze me...

Report Card pick up for the first quarter was yesterday. Why is it that parents barging into my classroom to scream at me for giving their child a low grade in Art? Luckily, I can always justify my grades.

Here’s how things went:

Parent: “How can my child be failing art? It’s easy, it’s not like it’s as important as Math or Reading”

My Internal Monologue: “Thanks for saying in front of your child that the subject matter that I received a masters degree in, is not important.—cuz’ that will encourage them to do better! Not to mention it insults the person giving your child that grade”

Actual comment: “Well, let’s ask your child what they’ve been doing in my class.”

Student: “Nothing.”

Internal Monologue: “No shit captain obvious.”

Actual Comment: If the student doesn’t turn in work I have nothing to grade. I have to give him a zero. That means they get an F. If you turn all your work in, you should get at least a D. If you try you can probably get a C or a B.

Parent: “How can you be doing nothing?! Are the projects to hard?”

Internal Monologue: “We’re painting. It’s not brain surgery. You put the brush in the paint and the paint on the paper!!”

Actual Comment: We’ve been painting. I give out one color of paint to use each week. If the child only has one color on their paper, that means they didn’t do anything the other days.” (Sneaky, but it’s an easy way to CYA!)

Parent: (Changing their tune) “Oh, well then we need to work harder, don’t we.”

Parent exits dragging their child out of the room.

**Sigh** Only 3 quarters to go.

Does Caffeine Make You Smarter?

This morning, I headed downtown to the Art Institute for a workshop on bookmaking. After acquiring a much needed caffeine fix, I noticed that my coffee cup had a saying on it. Specifically, “The Way I See It” No. 54, from Civil Rights Leader Morris Dees: “We are all brothers and sisters. Each face in the rainbow of colors that populate our world is precious and special. Each ads to the rich treasure of humanity.”

Starbucks is now running this campaign on all their coffee cups, and according to there web site wants to “get people talking”. www.starbucks.com/wayiseeit.

This is a wonderful saying. The concept is all very well and good. But it’s not practical. First of all, at 8:00 on a Saturday morning, even the people working at Starbucks are a little cranky, and they get their caffeine for free. Second of all, it takes effort to read the cup because of the cardboard sleeve thingy covers it (you know the thing that keeps you from burning your hand when you hold the hot cup). That early in the morning, it was too much effort to figure out what profoundness my coffee was trying to convey.

Some marketing guy deserves a kick in the ass for putting the saying on the cup rather than on the sleeve.

Stupid Starbucks.

But they did win in some small way. I’m taking about it. And I’m wondering what I would want quoted from me on a coffee cup…

Kittens, kittens, kittens, kittens...

This past Saturday, while working on the roof, Chris noticed some kittens playing in the back yard. The problem? No momma cat. Sooo…I spent Saturday night and Sunday pretending to be a momma cat. We even named them. From left to right--in the top corner of the pic in the "Randomness" Entry (I can't figure out how to fix the problem), Harp, Q-Tip, Guinness and Peanut. (can you tell which two I named and which two Chris named?)

What did I learn from this experience?

1. Kittens are TINY! Seriously, Peanut only took up half of my hand.

2. Kittens need to eat every four hours. They don’t like to sleep through the night with out tiny high pitched meows. They’re only cute during normal hours.

3. Seamus does not like other cats in his house. When I tried to “introduce” them, the fur was flying. Seamus was hissing and yowling.

4. Kitten milk smells nasty. Just trust me on this one. (My Bears sweatshirt will never be the same.)

5. The vet informed me that kittens do not know to go to the bathroom on their own. You (or the mother cat) must stimulate their bits and pieces to go. I did NOT use my tongue like a mother cat, rather a paper towel. And if the kitten has to go badly enough, they’ll figure it out. How do I know this? On the way to drop the kittens off at the “foster home”, Harp started standing on two legs so that he could poop in Theresa’s new car. Fortunately, Theresa is prepared and had wet naps or her upholstery would never be the same.

Hopefully, the kittens will find good homes…

Randomness...

What the heck is this? I was trying to post the picture of kittens for a different blog entry and I get this random pic...

Does anyone have an explination for it? I don't even recognize the people in the pic!

Tales from the my school...#2

Gosh, I feel bad for our new band teacher. Yet another true story from my school, and yes, it’s got it's roots in the band department.

A student’s regular classroom teacher noticed him using an awful lot of chapstick. I mean according to his teacher, this boy was smacking his lips, slathering it on, puckering-up—the whole nine yards. Another student also noticed and exclaimed that what the boy was doing was disgusting (he knew what the tube really was).

It seems that this student came across a tube of cork grease left in his instrament case. I personally didn’t know what cork grease was, but as I was told name says it all. It’s definitely grease. It comes in a tube similar to chapstick and is used to keep the cork joints supple on many wind instruments.

When the teacher figured it out, she promptly asked for the tube back to return to the band teacher.

ICK!! That’s straight up grease! My lips have never been that chapped! Not only is that stuff not for ingestion, but imagine the factor that the child just found a random tube of chapstick and was using it. EW!

The band teacher is getting much less grossed out by things after the roach incident. Her response?

“Well, it’s probably not that toxic.”

Ding Dong the witch is dead...

Yeah for me! Jury duty is over!! :) (Can you tell I’m ecstatic?)

Now that the trial is over and technically a matter of public record…although I have no idea how to find the trial (I tried) I can now spill the beans!

So here’s the skippy:

This guy, Bob, was suing this company because he fell from a ladder. Simple enough, but the darn thing dragged out for a week and a half!!! One reason that the trial took so long is that the plaintiff’s attorney was annoying beyond all reason!! He was so completely random! He asked the same questions over and over… to the point where the judge was voicing the objection of “asked and answered”. Hell, I was getting ready to object!

Even the plantiff’s lawyer’s closing arguments were random. For example: “The Houston Astros want to close the dome on their stadium, and if we look at how Bob was treated by MTI construction... (HUH?). He also proceded to remind the jury that this was a real case and “nothing like Law and Order on tv”. (Get out! I thought you were Jerry Orbach!)

The case (based on the evidence presented) was pretty cut and dry. Bob was a laborer. He was on a ladder cutting support beams with a blow torch from a wall that was to be demolished later on the construction site where he was working. He was on the ladder. He reached out (having no spotter, the ladder not tied off) to the left to cut and was only having one hand on the ladder. I’m no safety expert, but this wasn’t the smartest thing to do, because poor Bob fell.

I have to make this very clear. I feel very sorry for Bob. The injuries sustained were awful. I can’t imagine falling approximately 22 feet from a ladder on to concrete. I’m happy to say he’s alive and doing well.

Here’s more to the story. MTI is the defendant. They were a general contractor. Bob worked for a sub contractor, Bestway. Bestway is Bob’s brother’s company. Bob claimed that he had no training and no ladder safety classes and MTI had an unsafe job site. With this claim we (the jury) felt that MTI, might have a small amount of blame for not correcting Bob. But not more than 50% blame. We felt that Bob should have sued his brother’s company and not MTI. We also felt that Bob had some blame. The magic number in the law is 50%. If one party is more than 50% at fault then they are liable. We felt that MTI was not close to 50% at fault.

How much was Bob suing for? 2.5 million. That’s insane! The lawyer tried to make it look like that was a low-ball number! The lawyer thought Bob should get 3.75 million!

While we feel sorry for Bob he isn’t going to get that money from MTI construction.

The next part of my story made all of us jurors laugh. Bob’s wife also had a claim. She was also suing MTI construction for the “Loss of Companionship and Loss of Sexual Contact” between her and her husband.

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?! She’s suing because she isn’t getting any?!?!

All of us on the jury panel laughed at that one! How can you sue for that? Give me a break. One juror speculated that the two were even divorced. No wedding rings. No affectionate contact. Nothing.

Can you imagine suing for lack of sexual contact? If we awarded that claim, what next? Suing because the sex is bad? Our courts are already backed up as it is! Can you picture going to court and suing someone because the sex was bad? There are so many questions!?! How do you prove they were bad? How do you prove you faked the orgasm? How much money should be awarded? If this is the case, I bet we all can think of a person or two who owes us money!

Well, that was my week. What do I have to show for it? A semi-entertaining blog, 7 checks for a whopping $17.20 each and a certificate generated by the county that is like a “get out of jury duty free” card for the next year.

Hooray for the legal system!

My Hero!

I am using this post to honor a friend of mine.

Barbara Meinecke, you're my hero!

Barb rocks and this is why: Barb is in her third year in Med School and over the weekend completed the Detroit Marathon. Her time was 4:54:37. I don't know what that means in the running world, but I don't care. It's awesome that she fininshed a marathon. That's 26.2 miles. I just can't imagine. I ass out on the tredmill after only a few miles. I maybe run 26 miles in a week. Hell in real life if something is that far away, I'll just drive.

So for that reason, Barb--you rock!! Love ya girl, I'm proud of you!!

p.s. Tomorrow is Day 7 on the jury...

Purgatory in Chicago

Well, I hate to give excuses for not blogging, but I’ve had the joy of providing a civil service to the county. That’s right—Jury Duty. Not only did I have to show up for the obligatory day in purgatory (i.e. the jury room in the Daley Center) but I was also chosen to sit on an actual jury. I know, you all wish you were me.

Since I can’t really talk about the case until the conclusion of the trial, I will share some experiences that do not pertain to the case.

First of all, upon receiving your jury summons (and you finish swearing about it), you inform your employer. In my case it was the secretary in my school, who laughed at me.

Here’s a synopsis of my first day as a juror. (And by the way, this was Monday…it’s Thursday and the trial continues on…Me bitter? Nooo!)

Once you travel downtown (which in my case is by the el—thank God I don’t have to pay for parking!), you are herded into the jury selection room with a couple hundred other poor saps who also got the summons.

8:30-- the appointed time, they are slowly checking people in to the room.

8:45 am--a man who works there reiterates the instructions to keep your Juror sticker on and stay on your side of the room and wait for your panel to be called. (Duh!)

8:50am--A video is shown on what to expect while you are here serving. (Our tax dollars at work ladies and gentlemen!)

8:55—Man down the table starts hitting on another potential juror. (FYI—video is still rolling)

9:10—Video is over.

9:35—I happen to be on the first panel called, so I get to leave.

I’m taken to a court room for jury selection. My panel is questioned and four are selected…and three (including me) are asked to return after lunch. Apparently, I’m a back-up choice. The second panel that was called with me goes through the same line of questions. More jurors are chosen. Two of the three of us are told we are to report back in the court room tomorrow.

That’s about all I can tell you about now…not allowed to discuss the case, but when I can—I definitely have a thing or two to say!

What's Your Secret?

I have found a blog that I’m completely to which I am completely addicted. It’s http://postsecret.blogspot.com/ . I have to check it every week and read the secrets. I don’t know why I love it so much. May be it’s the secrets themselves; maybe it’s the artistry of the postcards. I have no idea! Maybe some day I’ll have the guts to send in my secret…have you sent in yours?

Does Cleveland Really Rock?

Does Cleveland rock? I’m not sure that it does. This past weekend, I partook in a road trip to Ohio. I was so excited to head to a Bears game (I know, we completely blew the game) and see the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the NFL Hall of Fame. I had an awesome time with the people I went with but my general impressions of the state are not so good. There's really not all that much to do...sure the foliage is pretty, but there's not too much else.

First of all it was rainy and cold. Many of you know my issues with cold weather. 50 degrees and wet is not a good combo.

Second of all the Bears lost. If that wasn’t enough to sour my mood, there’s more! To top it off, Cleveland fans are down right mean. I know I’m technically the “bad guy” in their stadium, but much of the taunting went too far. There is absolutely no reason to take a water bottle out of my hand and taunt me with it. This guy actually waved it in my face and tried to play keep away like a middle schooler! Then his buddies had me pinned in place so I couldn’t move. Where was security you may ask? Standing five feet away pretending to ignore the situation. Then another fan, threatened to hit me because in the brief moment that I was in his way while walking past his seat to get to my own, I stopped to look at the field. I informed him that you shouldn’t hit women and that it certainly gave Browns fans the reputations of being women batterers. There was some light taunting, for example, I was wearing my Butkus jersey…some guy told me he sucked., so I rattled off some stats about him (HOF class of ’79…ect.). I can’t decide if the stats shut him up or the fact that it was a chick spouting them off! Even on the way out…with the Browns win, there was even more verbal abuse leaving the stadium. I definitely did not have a good impression of Cleveland Browns fans. (Don’t get me started on the Bears performance!)

The Rock and Roll hall of fame is pretty cool. I’m not sure it was worth the $20 admission, but I’m glad I saw it. I’m sure that if you took the time to read all the placards, it would take you more than half a day. I LOVED all the costumes. I can’t believe that some of these rockers are so tiny! I swear I could put Mick Jaeger in my pocket! The teenie-bopper in me is also exited to report that I saw Tiffany’s denim jacked that she wore in the “I Think We’re Alone Now” video! (I think I need that song for my iPod…I know I have it on tape somewhere…)

We did drive past the new site of the RV/MH Hall if fame in Elkhart, IN. If you’re interested, it’s along the I80/90 Toll Road. The ground was broke in August 2, 2005. FYI, the website states that “$6.5 million the amount provided by donors to preserve the history and heritage of the Recreation Vehicle and Manufactured Housing industries and to honor the individuals who built the industries”. There is an older facility open, and I don’t know when the new one will be open. I think that some have too much time on their hands. Is it just me or is this completely random? I wonder who goes to the RV/MH Hall of Fame. Who is honored? What is the criterion? For more info visit the site: http://rv-mh-hall-of-fame.org/ (I swear it’s not a joke!)

I also saw the NFL Hall of Fame. (SIGH!) Much smaller than I imagined, but still fun! We decided that Walter Payton’s bust didn’t look much like him. We also thought that Mike Ditka looked way to happy. I remember him raving on the sidelines, players lived in fear of getting a clipboard shoved up their asses if they didn’t play well. Ditka’s bust just looked happy and jovial. I also saw Papa Bear and Bukus (I blew him a kiss!). One improvement I would like to suggest…the “concession stand”. It was like eating at a high school concession stand! I think they should have themed food based on the home towns of the teams. For example: Chicago would have deep dish pizza, Green Bay would have cheese and brats, Houston would have chili, Philadelphia would have cheese steak sandwiches, ect. Or they could name the food after the inductees, examples: Halas Hotdog, Butkus Brat, ect. I think that would be way more fun.

I now have to put this next one in for Dave. We ate at a totally awesome diner in Independence, OH, The Park City Diner. Dave, if you’re on a road trip to that area, I would highly recommend it. The food was awesome, the staff was supper friendly and there is no saganaki on the menu!

On another food note...Hoggies is FRIGGIN' AWESOME!! The amount of food for the price is fabulous and to top it off, all the food is made in house and is positively orgasmic. (Yeah, it's that good.) I had the salad and choose two sides and and I was stuffed beyond reason. Big thumbs up for Hoggies.

While it had it’s down sides…This trip was a good time. If I don’t make life an adventure, I’m just gonna get bored! I haven’t done a random road trip in a while, so I’m glad that I went. I’m not sure where my next one will be…Graceland?...The worlds largest ball of Twine?...Just grab the map and go?... who knows!

Creepy Crawlies

I have a story to share and it’s the aural equivalent of a train wreck. You know what I mean, it’s so gross, you can’t help but share it. I will say I’m quite thankful it didn’t happen to me.

As many of you know, I teach in an inner city school. Many of my students don’t have the same advantages that other students have. But I am not stating any names, nor am I mentioning the name of my school. I did not see any of this happen, I only heard from a reliable source.

With that disclaimer, on with the story…

This morning, there was an odd call for the head engineer to report to room 105. Usually he’s called to the office, not a specific classroom. I realized it was the band room, but figured a student may have gotten a mouth piece or something stuck on their instrument. Not long after, I received a distressed IM from the band teacher. She told me the whole story…

Students are allowed to check out instruments from the school to take home and practice, they must be returned the following morning. The teacher was working with a sectional of students and when one student returned a trumpet, the teacher told her to set it down in her classroom and she would put it away for her. Not long after the student had left, the students who were in the room practicing noticed something odd about the trumpet case. They notified the teacher and the band teacher went over to investigate.

Upon a closer look, the band teacher discovered a roach was crawling out of the case. As gross is that is, she simply wanted to squish it, but it gets worse. When the band teacher opened the case about a hundred roaches ran out of it.

I WOULD HAVE DIED!!!

Can you imagine? Opening a trumpet case and having roaches scatter from it?!? Several cans of Raid later, the band teacher decided that the student may no longer check out instruments. The engineer was called for the Raid. He threw out the case and said it was the worst infestation he had ever seen.

ICK!!! (I still get the heebie-jeebies just thinking of it!)

No good can come from having to spray Raid in a trumpet and then blow in it. Can you imagine having to pick out dead roaches from the valves of a trumpet?!?!

So, when you have a bad day at work…just remember: It could be a lot worse.

Apples Galore!

First of all, I have to say, Dave you were right. I really do feel that I need 15,000 80’s songs at the click of a wheel…’cuz I traded my 20GB iPod in for the 60GB. Fortunately, I have an understanding boyfriend who doesn’t mind tagging along to the Apple Store. I haven’t made much of a dent in my CD collection, but as I type I am converting 4GB to the pod!



And speaking of apples, (nice segway, huh?) today I went apple picking! Chris took me with him and his mother. I actually had a great time! I have to say it was better than I thought. Not that I expected to have an awful time or anything…it was simply better than I expected.

Why was I so unsure of this experience going in? Well, first of all I have bad allergies. The thought of being out in the country makes my eyes water a little! (Ya think I’m a hard-core city girl?) Then top that off with random farm animals the allergy factor goes way up. Secondly, I was worried it would be too much like work. I mean, I go to a store for produce, I don’t harvest it myself. I hate gardening. I did make an effort this year with a green pepper plant in a pot on the back deck, but that was a big step for me. Farmer-Bethie I am not. I was worried this was a clever scam that the orchard ran to get people to harvest the apples for them in the name of fun (Tom Sawyer white-washing the fence anyone?).

I did have an awesome time! There was a tractor ride, you could eat all the apples you wanted in the orchard, it was fun! They also had fresh donuts and pony rides for the kids. Honestly, the only negative was the port-a-potty experience.

Who knew, a city girl could actually have fun out in the country? I can’t wait for next year!

Malfunctions, and iPods, and Man Boobs…Oh, My!

First of all I’m sorry I haven’t blogged in a while. I’ve been having technical difficulties…that, unfortunately, have not been fully resolved. The problem? Every time I try to open any website in AOL, a warning for low memory and hard drive space pops up with the suggestion to close one or more windows.

Well, bite me. The only window I have open is AOL and I have plenty of hard drive space, thank-you-very-much.

I have no idea what to do. The all-knowing Dave had checked my computer and has given it a clean bill of health. So, I got nothing. I’d love any suggestion that I haven’t tried, ‘cuz this blows. :( (See, Dave, it’s not a joke! It’s posted for the world to see!). As a result, the limited internet keeps it difficult for me to blog.

On a brighter note…I got an iPod!! I’m so excited! I’ve been wanting one forever! For those of you who have been following, I did get the 20GB. Let’s face it, do I really need 15,000 random songs at a moments notice? Probably not. I figure I can use about 5 GBs, and by the time I completely load it up, something smaller/faster/cooler will come along, and even if it does get filled I can always manage the music on the play lists. I’m sure once I’m well versed in how to use the iPod, I’ll have more to say about it.

One other random thing I’d like to rant about… Why is it that when you see naked people in public it’s never the ones who should be naked?

I was leaving one a diner after picking up my laptop from Dave and there in the parking lot was a large older gentleman (read Chris Farley size but 30 years older with bigger man boobs—I mean he had bigger boobs than me!!) standing in the parking lot with out his shirt.

EW!! What makes it necessary for someone to change clothes in a diner parking lot?!?!?!

Is it all that difficult to either:
a) change in your SUV or
b) use the diner restroom?
I think not.

This isn’t the first time I’ve had issues with naked folk. When I was studying on foreign term, I accidentally ended up at a nude beach. I didn’t know it was a nude beach until I got there, I’m no rocket scientist, but I figured it out rather quickly. Now don’t get too excited, I didn’t get naked. I’m just not that kind of girl! :) I did what every self-conscious, red-blooded, American would do: I found the fattest, ugliest, woman (who shouldn’t have been naked in the first place) at the beach and laid down right next to her.

Hey, don’t judge me! You know you’d do the same!

I don’t think that I’m a prude, I just don’t get most cases of public nakedness. It’s like in college, I wonder why guys streak in the winter. Isn’t there shrinkage issues? Wouldn’t the effects of cold be bad for your reputation?

Sure, sometimes nakedness is fun. Random flashings, high quality streakers, the Abercrombie and Fitch catalog… there’s a time and a place for nakedness. Sometimes, it’s just not a good thing. And if you disagree, all I have to say is that both Dave and I were thankful that we hadn’t eaten dinner.

Apples and Oranges

I am not in denial. I can admit it. I am not technological in anyway shape or form. So, it makes sense that when I plan to make a major electronics purchase, I really try to research it as much as possible. Unfortunately this time, it backfired.

I wanted an iPod. I settled on the iPod 30, but I decided to wait until after my birthday. What happened that very weekend that has me still not owing an iPod? The fact that Apple up and yanked all the mini’s off the shelves and came out with the new “Nano”. Not that I have anything to say about the Nano. It looks sleek and the fact that it comes in black is appealing. But I don’t want a Nano. I want something that will hold more songs.

I could just get the 20GB or the 60GB, but which one would be the best? Is Apple going to come out with a re-designed 20 or 60 without warning? Is a 20GB enough? Is a 60 GB too much? What do I do?!?!

I know that the iPod, as with any other product will be obsolete in a year…some thing better or smaller will come out. But for now…what’s an un-technological girl to do?
Any suggestions?

Forecast? Warm and Sunny!

Well, I’m back, thanks to Dr. Dave! Yeah for people with more technological skills than I! (check out his blog at www.daveblog.org) Unfortunately, my AOL is still not working, but at least my computer is cootie free.

In the time since my last postings I’ve had a birthday. And while I don’t care to discuss my age, I will give an enthusiastic “Happy Birthday to ME!” J I have to mention one of the best gifts I received. While I don’t want to sound ungrateful for any of the others, this one item had me almost in tears.

Any guesses as to what it was?

The one thing I was most excited about? Chris, my so awesome boyfriend, got me an autographed picture of none other than Tom Skilling!

For those of you who are not Chicago natives or active watchers of WGN news at noon and nine, Tom Skilling is WGN’s chief meteorologist. For more info check out: http://wgntv.trb.com/news/wgntv-skilling-tombio,0,1377504.story?coll=wgntv-weather-subnav

I totally have non-sexual crush on him.

What is a non-sexual crush you may ask? Well, you know what a regular, run of the mill sexual crush is, right? Well, I guess the non-sexual one is the same thing except you’re just not attracted to the person. You know you have one. (Come on, comment! Share!! Tell us who it is!)

So, I can continue by saying: I LOVE TOM SKILLING!!

Seriously, I was totally geekin’ out when I opened the present. I saw the back of the picture frame (yes, Chris was sweet enough and supportive of my obsession to frame it for me) and when I flipped it over, I went nuts! You would have thought I was a pre-pubescent girl at a Backstreet Boys concert. Tom actually personalized it! Tom knows that I have a birthday in September!! I was practically crying I was so exited!!! Sadly, I have to report, I was not permitted to take Tom out to the bar that night.

Why do I love Tom Skilling so much? I have no idea. Maybe because he’s just a cute old man. Possibly because it’s clear that he truly loves his job and seems to be excited about isobars and front lines. Maybe because he’s been doing the weather at WGN since before I was born. Whatever the reason, Tom Skilling totally rocks! And now, I have a lovely framed, autographed picture of my favorite weather person and official non-sexual crush of my very own! (ah, bliss!)

Arrgh!!

So, I haven’t posted in a while. Why you may ask? My computer’s sick :(

That’s right. Some virus has disabled my anti-virus software and attacked my AOL. It’s all very annoying. As a result…my posts won’t be very frequent.

Here’s hoping that Dave is magical and can fix my lil’ lap top. (Please, Dave?)

Until then…miss ya!

"Cuz it feels good!"

So, I was wondering around the internet and I stumbled upon this website http://justbenice.com/ I was drawn in by the cute shirts and fun bumper stickers. Eventually I found the bio of the founder, George Mason, and discovered what this is all about. Apparently, he is trying to send out good vibes to people, one t-shirt at a time. His slogan is simple and easy to remember—“Just Be Nice”.

This is totally one of those ‘Why didn’t I think of that?’ moments! If I had a stack of those stickers, I could just stick one to all the cranky people who crossed my path! Of course, there’s the potential to run into a cranky-pants who didn’t have a sense of humor, but even so the imagine the possibilities! (And it would be funny to see a bunch of sour-pusses walking around with a “Just Be Nice” stickers stuck to their forehead!)

I guess I was on the right track when last year’s cheerleading shirts asked people to “Find their Perky Place”, but I bet some people didn’t even know they had a “perky place” much less the drive to follow the directions on the back of the shirt stating that if they couldn’t find their own perky place, to use mine. “Just Be Nice” is definitely more concise.

Will this catch on? How much will this one simple slogan accomplish? Dare I say even, World Peace? (Thank you Miss Congeniality) It’s just something to chew on.

And in the mean time, if a cranky-butt crosses your path, or you find that the meanie is you…don’t forget the moral of today’s story: “Just Be Nice”!

Here's Bethie!

Hey Everybody! This is my first try at blogging... I'm so excited! :) I'm not sure where I'm going, but I'm sure the ride will be fun! Hope you'll check back soon! Bethie