Flash Dance

A couple of weeks ago, a local video store was having a going out of business sale - with DVDs for only $5. Andrew and I might have loaded up on "new" movies. One of them was "Flash Dance." I hadn't seen it before - but was pretty convinced I would like it. It seems like everyone likes it - and I typically enjoy movies that have dancing in it. (Actually, I think I like all the movies I have seen with dancing in it - except for one now.) I figured it was a good buy.

Um, that might have been a wrong assumption. We got around to watching it for the first time last night. AND just for the record, Andrew suggested it! He thought I would really like it and he's seen a documentary on it twice and was interested in watching it for the historical value.

Why is that movie so popular?!?! I don't get it. I can understand perhaps that it was the naked women dancing that boosted up ticket sales - but really?! (I'm sure many of you are shaking your heads right now - thinking to yourselves, "Really? How did you NOT know what you were getting yourself into?") Perhaps I should have taken the "R" rating a bit more seriously - I tend not to enjoy "R" movies -- usually b/c there is lots of gore and violence, or strippers!

sigh... back to "Enchanted" for me!! ("... for lips are the only things that touch...")

Oh Mr. Sun....

The longest day of the year has past and we are in a downward spiral to the shortest day of the year. Sigh. I've been reminded "lovingly" by my husband that summer is not over --- but the days are getting shorter! It's pretty dark by 9 AND it's not as bright early in the morning. (I know, I know! That's what "shorter days" mean -- but it's still just depressing!)

I love sunlight and long days. In an effort to appease me, Andrew suggested that we move somewhere between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn. The sounded pretty good to me! But then he reminded me that there aren't any stable economic systems or governments to be found there -- so back to southeast Ohio.

I saw cars this morning with their headlights on. It was 6:25 AM. I decided that I am protesting the shorter days by not using my headlights! It's not necessary (yet). When it becomes a matter of safety, I will use them.

Sigh -- well, I guess now all there is to look forward to is Dec. 22 -- the shortest day of the year -- because from that day on, the days will get longer!!! :)

Victory!

Tada! I after months of battling with the shower drain - I can finally shower without standing water!!!

What is my trick you ask?! How can you too shower without a clogged drain?! Well - you have come to the right person!

You have some options - with success in varying degrees:

• the plunger - works well to "get things moving" on down the pipes
• chemicals (i.e. "Liquid Max Plumber Gel)
• equal parts salt and baking soda with hot/boiling water poured over
• screwdriver

In this last battle, it was the screwdriver that was must helpful. It helped me pry out 4 razor covers that had gotten down the first half of the drain - but not all the way (whoops!) and quite a large handful of hair (it's a wonder that I'm not bald!)

Happy Showering!

"Time for Wendy's!"

Having a lunch hour close to up-town has caused me to think often about open lunch during high school. When I don't pack my lunch (which has been more often because of lack of trips to the grocery!), I think about what I want to eat for lunch that day - often hours before the noon hour. Some days, I end up at Baker on the off chance that I might see Andrew there - or that it's tomato tortellini soup day! (It used to always be Thursday - now I can't figure out what day they serve it on.) But usually, I go to Wendy's.

Oh Wendy's. : ) And the 99 cent value menu. And Dave. And the Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger. sigh.

In high school, I was given $10 a week for 5 days of lunches. Once I was FINALLY given permission by my dad, I joined my friends for open lunch - where we could leave school and eat lunch elsewhere. We would meet in the back parking lot because most of us had the special reserved spot parking (it was based on grades and we were all pretty nerdy) and try to decided where we were eating that day. There were usually 2 cars worth of people (although, sometimes some people rode in the trunk), unless I had the "spaceship" van and we could all fit in there! So we had to decide before we left where we were going to lunch for the day. I'm not quite sure how we decided. It was never an official vote. Perhaps it was whoever whined the loudest... hmm... I don't remember.

Every day though - there was a reason to go to Wendy's. There were little catch phrases and hand motions or signs. It started with Wednesday. "Wednesday - Time for Wendy's!" Pretty straight forward the connection there. And we would make a "W" with the index finger and thumb of both hands, the thumbs touching. Since Wednesday and Wendy's both start with a W - we would of course eat there on Wednesday!

"Tuesday - Time for Wendy's!" Tuesday and Time both start with a T. So clearly, we had to eat at Wendy's on Tuesday's too!! (We would make a "T" with our index fingers and alternate the "T" with a "W")

And Thursday also starts with a "T" - so "Thursday - Time for Wendy's!" (Same logic and motions as for Tuesday.)

"Monday - Time for Wendy's" "M" is just a "W" upside down - so once again, CLEARLY reason enough for us to eat at Wendy's on Monday. (The hand motion was just an inverted "W" that would alternate between an "M" and a "W.")

Now the only day of the week left is Friday! And well, our expression for Friday didn't quite follow the pattern of the other days of the week and it's not quite fit for print. :) So I'll leave it up to your imaginations. We did have just cause for for eating there on Friday too!

I used to order a plain JBC and value fry. I now order a JBC and a value fry. (I like lettuce and tomato now!)

Sigh, there are so many Wendy's stories that I could bore you with! I could probably even dig up some old pictures of us eating there. (Since I keep everything!)

PS. I had Wendy's for lunch today. It is Monday after all!!

Future Assurances

Whenever I start to think about my future and about going back to school full time for the next 2 years -- I check out this website. After being an early childhood major and there being next to no jobs available in the state of Ohio, it's so encouraging to see such a long list of open positions. AND sign-on bonuses?! And that site only lists SLP (Speech Language Pathology) jobs in the school setting in Ohio. There are lots more jobs available at hospitals, nursing homes and private practices. It's a very different feeling to be studying for something, knowing that you'll be able to find a job when you are done. It's nice. It's really nice! (and it's nice to be studying for something that you are interested in too!)

Three cheers for grad school! (Check back in once I actually start and see if I am still cheering!)

New Hobby

I enjoy gardening quite a bit.

In college, I wanted a flowering plant in my room. So I bought this kit at Target with a bulb, a vase and these clear crystals that expand with water (instead of dirt). The flower never got to the blooming stage (I can't remember why!), the crystals smelled awful over time and when I cleaned out the vase in the utility sink in the dorm bathroom, the crystals re-expanded and clogged the drain.

When we rented, I tried to transform this little space in front of the duplex into a flower bed. I think it could have been more successful, but I bought packets of mixed flowers -- so I never could tell what was a weed and what was a going to someday bloom into a flower. It eventually was overcome with weeds.

Last year, we were so busy with indoor renovation projects, that I didn't get a chance to work outside. And someone before us thought that red lava rocks would be a good filler in 2 of the flower beds. The other bed was WAY overgrown. I did pull some weeds and bought a few flowers at the farmer's market because it needed some color.

THIS SPRING will hopefully be a turning point in my pursuit making something beautiful! I still don't have my "master plan" for the space - I would look daily at flower catalogs and never make any decisions! (I wanted all of them! And I wanted a selection of flowers that will be continuously in bloom too and be perennials. For someone without much background knowledge, that was too much to figure out!) I've decided to start small and have realized that I can always replant the flowers some place else if I change my mind later! So, I've been busy pulling weeds, shoveling out rocks, planting flowers and raking mulch. I love getting my hands muddy. Only I realized yesterday as I was bending down to plant a flower that I could be that cut out of the old lady's backside. I'll have to work on that one!

Here's to not minding the rain because it's watering my flowers! :)

Office Supply Catalogs

ps. there are NO hot chair models. (there are no chair models, period.)

Makes me wonder where Michael Scott shops.....