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Wait … what’s this wet stuff falling from the sky?

It’s been so long since we’ve had actual rain, it’s almost as if people here have forgotten what it is! (Which probably explains why traffic STOPPED when the rain started at lunchtime today. *bangs head on dash repeatedly*)

So it’s Friday, and most everyone is pretty laid back at the end of the week. Me, I’m sitting here watching online videos of the Sowing the Seeds of Heath (health care programs for Latinas). Not the most intellectually stimulating stuff in the world, but I guess it could be worse. Heh, someone here suggested auto air conditioning system tuning tutorials as an alternative … uh, WTF? LOL! (he was once a mechanic, go figure! )

Actually, I’m letting these videos play and plan to log out of the system after each one. One of our users has reported getting “a blank screen” (empty HTML contents) or “weird characters” (ASP error message) when she logs out after watching the videos, so I’m sitting here trying to recreate the error(s).

Oh the joy! LOL

My day started off pretty shittily, Jessie’s mother was late picking her up this morning, which in turn made me late for work. Oh well, what can ya do?

(Nothing, except pray that she one day grows a brain … )

We have Jess for the whole weekend this weekend, so I’m definitely looking forward to that. I was supposed to be going to a Ladies Night Out meetup tonight, but that’s been canceled.

Oh well, at least I was fortunate to have lunch with my charming friend, Glas. We met up over at the Mushroom and had a few laughs and some delishioso grub!

I’m looking forward to a weekend of family togetherness (trapped inside by the rain, YAY! LOL!) and perhaps a little more mucking up of my website.

You find people in the funniest places

As much as I avoided most of the social networking type sites when they began gaining in popularity (i.e. MySpace, Facebook, etc.), I found myself eventually dragged into them in order to keep up with loved ones. For instance, I originally joined MySpace so I could keep up with my brother and help out with his campaign last year. Since then, I have been discovered by more people from high school and college than those I had previously connected with via Classmates.com and Reunion.com. (Funny how that is!) I’ve since in started getting back in touch with old acquaintances via MySpace, LinkedIn, Facebook (a LOT of my former co-workers are on the latter two!), MeetUp, Virb, Jaiku, … heck, even one of my Twitter friends recognized me in a restaurant a week or so ago!

Cool how that is.

In fact, a friend of mine from college now surfs — well, he surfed during college, but now he does it for a living. Funniest looking thing he was back then: tall, skinny, long blond curly hair that he usually teased up into a ‘fro. Sweet guy though, I heard he married a girl from Vestavia. He now goes all over the world. He had emailed me a schedule of places he’s going: Southern CA, Outer Banks NC, Hawaii, Costa Rica, Japan! (I never knew surfing was big there?)

Another friend I ran across on MySpace — he was one of my best friends in high school. He graduated 2 years ahead of me and went into the Navy. He now lives in Nevada and bounces between there and Japan and works for the gaming industry.

(Color me green with envy on that one! )

Anyways, it’s just neat how people you know are everywhere and can be found literally anywhere.

Don’tcha think? :cool:

I’m a goober, lol

For whatever reason, my WordPress Day post didn’t go through and I was so out of it Saturday morning that I never noticed. LOL! I had a horrible headache that day and that afternoon, had laid down to take a quick nap before my Ladies Night Out meetup and damned if I didn’t sleep right through the alarm and on through the night! :shock:

So yeah, I’m a big ole goob. :oops:

Had a pretty decent weekend otherwise. Jim and I went to see Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End. It was pretty good, but I didn’t care for the ending. It left an opening for another sequel, and I think that if Disney is smart, they’d better do it and make the ending “happier” than this last one. ??:

We also watched Pan’s Labyrinth and while I am a huge fan of Guillermo del Toro‘s works, I did not care for this movie as much as I thought I would. But then again, considering I had felt kind of crappy and moody Sunday anyways (it’s a full moon, what can I say?), my mood also affects how much I like or dislike a movie the first time I watch it.

Imagine that!

So anyways, yesterday was pretty quiet. We laid around the house and I piddled with a few things on my website. Last night we met Jim’s mother at Jim ‘n Nick’s (“our restaurant”, LOL!) for a quick bite of dinner. Jessie is fully enjoying her summer now that school is out, but is a bit disappointed because her mother did not want to continue her karate lessons over the summer. Poor kid, I promised to make it up to her and Jim has already supplied her with several very large activity books/kits so she’ll have new things to do every day.

I think I might swing down to Hoover during lunch. I want to look for a new address plaque to go on our mailbox (the little sticker things we have now are horrid, lol).

How was your weekend?

Can I get an ‘Amen’?

UCLA eggheads find out what most of us knew all along:

UCLA study shows that women keep each other sane

Apparently the Beatles were right when they sang “I get by with a little help from my friends”. Well, as far as women are concerned at least. As shows like Sex and the City have shown, women tend to turn toward their girlfriends when they’re having trouble with work, kids, boyfriends, husbands and anything or anyone else out there that adds stress to their lives.

I know when I’ve had a bad day the only thing that I really want to do is get together with friends for a chat. We don’t even have to talk about the cause of my troubles. Just having those girls to joke and laugh with makes all the difference. I imagine that most of you ladies out there also have a great group of women friends, or even just one best girlfriend, who you turn to for support and comfort on a regular basis.

Have you ever wondered why we girls gravitate toward each other for emotional support? According to a study by UCLA — which is reported on here — when a woman is feeling stress her brain releases chemicals which counteract the typical “fight or flight response” that is prevalent in men, and instead encourages her to stick around and congregate with fellow females. According to the article, the effects of the hormone oxytocin, which is responsible for this reaction, is enhanced by estrogen and diminished by testosterone. So while men would often rather work out problems on their own, women are programmed to go to each other for support.

Like I’ve said before, I don’t know what I’d do without my friends.

Doggies and Kitties at Do Dah Day, Do Dah, Do Dah, …

I’m in a silly mood today.

I’m leaving work early today. Jim and I are going car shopping after lunch, so he’s picking me up and we’re going to ride around for a bit. I’m hoping he finds something he likes, and with any luck I’ll have my car back to drive next week (I’ve been carpooling with a couple friends who work here). Let me tell ya, I’ll be *SO* happy to have my car back! :lol:

I’m really looking forward to Do Dah Day tomorrow. The weather is supposed to be nice, and so Jess and I have already started packing things up to take with us. Jim’s mother, his brother and family, the lovely Teresa, and my Ladies Night Out meetup group are meeting us over near Caldwell Park to kick off the festivities tomorrow.

Any local readers going? Feel free to drop on by if you see us!

So, how was your weekend?

I had a horrible headache Friday afternoon. Actually, I’ve had several really bad headaches lately (has anyone else’s allergies been acting up as much as mine?). On the ride home Friday evening, I was dreading my usual greeting of “Hi honey, how’s your day? What’s for dinner?” LOL!

In my head, I was cursing the fact that I had meant to (and forgotten to) call Jim before he left work and ask that he pick up something for dinner on the way home because I felt lousy and most likely wouldn’t feel like cooking and pretty much just wanted to go straight to bed. I got home and was greeted by a realization …

… I have a very good man.

Jim had taken it upon himself to pick up my favorite frozen lasagna dinner (Sam’s brand 9-layer, with a creamy Béchamel sauce) and had it already cooking when I walked through the door. In fact, he had it timed so that it would be done cooking just after I got home.

What a man.

Saturday I went shopping with my mother and grandmother. Picked up a new pair of sneakers (my old ones were literally falling apart at the seams!) and a few things to wear to work. I got a little hassling because I hadn’t planned on going over to Mom and Dad’s yesterday for Mother’s Day. ??:

I can’t please everyone, so why bother?

Or at least that’s the attitude I had yesterday. I’m not usually one who avoids something or someone, but yesterday was the day I wanted to be left alone and refused to deal with anything or anyone. I was feeling a little down, and it being Mother’s Day didn’t help. For the last couple of years Mother’s Day has had an entirely new meaning … Jessie had made me a Mother’s Day gift at school and her mother saw it and had a fit. Ever since then, Jessie has avoided making me anything or wishing me a Happy Mother’s Day because of her mother’s actions.

To her credit, her mother is a lot easier to deal with nowadays and wouldn’t have reacted that way today, but that one incident still affects Jessie’s behavior — and still affects me. I know I shouldn’t let her get to me, and I know Jessie loves me, but it hurt. And so yesterday I wallowed and sulked about. I had a good couple cries and am feeling a lot better today.

I’m really looking forward to this upcoming weekend. My Ladies Night Out MeetUp group is getting together for Do Dah Day. The lovely Teresa is going as well. Plus, I found out this morning that Jim’s brother and his family are coming in early this weekend because I had told Jim’s mother about Do Dah Day and they wanted to come too … so we’re going to have a HUGE gathering. :mrgreen:

I’m planning on calling Jessie’s mother tonight to see if she’ll let us have her for the entire weekend, as I’m sure she’d LOVE to go to Do Dah Day with us; and Jim’s mother is planning a big to-do Sunday to celebrate “Grandma’s Day” (belated Mother’s Day, but happier, LOL). So unless she already has big plans, I figure she’ll be pretty accommodating, which will be cool and Jess will have a ball. :cool:

Birmingham/Huntsville Bloggers April Meetup, and A-Day this Saturday!

Had a blast at last night’s meetup, and will hopefully be able to attend the next one! I think Mr. Antisocial himself even had a good time. (aka Jim, LOL!)

In attendance were:

• TD of The Right Track and his lovely wife — it turns out that Mrs. TD works in the same building as <prospective hopeful>, and so if everything works out and I get that job, that’s someone else there that I’ll know, YAY!

• Jeremy of Forlorn Hope

• Sniper One of 7.62mm Justice and his absolutely adorable son

• Julie of Degree of Madness

• Carol of Alabama Improper and her guest (I’m so sorry, I cannot remember your name!)

Sniper One was kind enough to provide a few snapshots of last night’s meeting here.

There are a couple of good shots of me and Jim, I think I’ll ask him if I snag them for use on this site.

So now I’m sitting here making out a “to do” list for today and tomorrow in preparation for the trip to T’town this Saturday. The lovely Teresa and her hubby are cooking out before the A-Day game.

Anyone else ready for football season to begin? I am. :mrgreen:

Weekend wrapup

Had a fun weekend and a pretty good birthday overall. We spent most of yesterday with friends. Then headed to Jim’s mom’s house and spent the afternoon and evening with his brother and his family. We all got together and swung by the bowling alley in Fultondale and had a good time there. I realized something about myself — apparently bowling is like playing pool: I play better when drinking. LOL! The kids all played one game and we adults played two … I never broke 100 in either. LOL! Oh well, so I suck as a bowler. ;P

After that, we went back to Jim’s mom’s place for pizza and movies then came home. My brother called to wish me a happy birthday right as we were walking in the door, so it was great hearing from him. I think my dad is supposed to swing by my house tonight to drop off my card. I missed a Ladies Night Out meetup Friday night, but luckily we are having another in a couple of weeks.

A quick reminder: The Birmingham & Huntsville Bloggers meetup is this Wednesday!

So far Jessie is enjoying her Spring Break. We’ve watched Animal Planet all morning. She’s really looking forward to the A-Day game this weekend. I’ve got to start stockpiling a few things to take with us Saturday: a cooler, drinks, blankets, snacks, etc. At some point I’ll need to pick up a kit with emergency supplies (just in case).

The job search still goes on … my thanks to those who’ve had me in their thoughts and prayers. Just about everyone I talked to this weekend asked if I’d heard from <prospective hopeful> — not yet, but I’m hoping it’s SOON!

Before I forget!! B’ham/Huntsville Bloggers Meetup next week

The Alabama Bloggers meetup is next Wednesday, April 18th. If you haven’t already, be sure to drop by the Google Group and sign up to get the event details, directions, carpool info, and to RSVP.

Alabama Bloggers

Visit this group

I’ve been really excited about attending this group. I’ve had to drop a couple of other MeetUps just because they didn’t meet often enough (or at all), or the conversation topics were so … um … lame. I kid you not, for one social group, during my first meeting there, they talked for over 2 hours about furniture. ORDINARY furniture. Not even anything like you’d find at Pier 1, the Club Home Furniture site, or other nice places … just ordinary “stuff.” I swear, one girl went on and on about her favorite bean-bag chair — don’t get me wrong, I love ‘em too … but I won’t ramble on for a freakin’ HOUR about them! :shock:

The next time I went, they talked about something else (I don’t remember what now, I think it was band-aids … seriously!), and bored the pants off of me (Ok, not literally, but you get the idea!), so I dropped them. ;P

Anyways, so I’m pretty much down to web design, ladies night out, and alabama bloggers (which after this month won’t be on MeetUp.com anymore!). As long as those keep up pretty steady, I should be pretty well covered. :mrgreen:

B’ham/Huntsville Bloggers Meetup Update / Friday night plans

Just in case anyone who had wanted to join the group but hasn’t yet, the Meetup.com account/group will be discontinued next month. I don’t blame C.A. for wanting to move to another venue … many groups I was a member of dissolved when Meetup started charging for participation.

I ran across the Bama Bloggers blog via my server’s referral logs and now see the details on C.A.’s site . Yay!

So any locals that want to get involved, come on over!

And speaking of Meetup, Ladies Night Out is meeting tomorrow night over at the monkey, then we’ll head over and check out Twist and Shout (where Dugan’s used to be). So any of you local ladies who’ve not yet been, feel free to join us!

(Teresa! )

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