All the News That's Fit to Print

Other than my stolen sandwich, grrr, haven't posted much lately. I'm sure my fan is dying to know what is going on in my life!

School is going good. Hectic having 3 classes a week, but so far, I'm not completely overstressed about it.

It's Friday - and I'm looking forward to the weekend. We get an extra hour of sleep! Don't forget to set your clocks back one hour! I am working at the paper, but have a very very small amount of homework! Movie night is being discussed and movies have been selected. Time to get this back on the schedule! And, a trip to the thrift store has been suggested. Kt is looking for a Halloween costume. But, I'm guessing nothing will top last years luck.

Kt is a tiny person. I, on the other hand, am a good eater. While at our favorite thrift store last year, we found two of the ugliest sweaters ever made. They are black, orange and yellow and look like a polo shirt. There they were....two of them. And, as luck would have it...one fit her and the other fit me. So we bought them and wore them to work. It was freaky. And funny!

Also on tap -- another disc of Battlestar Galactica! I am on Season 2 Disc 2. I'm lovin' this show.

Today, I get to have all kinds of fun. Mammogram at 9:30, Pap at 10:45. Woo hoo!

And now, just for the heck of it: Think you are having a bad day? Check out this story.

GRRRR

I'm at school. I was smart and picked up a Subway sub on the way here. Somebody stole it out of the fridge. I'm so pre-menstrual I could cry.

And on top of that, I'm hungry. Grrrr.

First Snow

We got 2 1/2 inches of snow yesterday!

Something about the first snowfall that is just so pretty....

Next one will suck.

Photo found here.

Thought for the Day

That's all....carry on.....

Some North Dakota Facts

I love North Dakota. Here's some info about it: (My smart ass comments are italicized)

In North Dakota, it is unlawful to serve beer and pretzels at the same time in any bar or restaurant. (Good thing I can have my margarita and chips with salsa!)

According to FBI data, North Dakota was the safest place in the nation in 2004 and 2005. (Yeah!)

The term flickertail, as in Flickertail State, refers to the Richardson ground squirrels, which are abundant in North Dakota. The animal flicks or jerks its tail in a characteristic manner while running or just before entering its burrow. (I never knew this...)

North Dakota has more registered vehicles than it has residents. (But we don't park them on our lawns.)

New Salem North Dakota is home to Salem Sue, the world's largest Holstein Cow. Standing 38 feet tall, Sue is 50 feet long and weighs some six tons. (She rocks!)

The coastline around Lake Sakakawea in North Dakota is longer than the California coastline along the Pacific Ocean. (Too bad it's not warm and sandy like the Pacific coastline)

During the Lewis and Clark expedition, each of the men ate 9-12 pounds of meat per day while staying at Fort Mandan in order to stay warm. (And so began the Atkins Diet)

The parking meter was invented in North Dakota. (Do we have any parking meters in use in North Dakota??)

Jamestown boasts the world's largest buffalo at 26 feet tall and 36 feet long.Weighing in at some sixty tons, the concrete bison located at Frontier Village guards the grain elevator with its unblinking eyes. (Tatanka)

North Dakota is the only state in the nation that has never had an earthquake.(This isn't quite true, BUT there has never been a major earthquake)

North Dakota was the first state to complete its Interstate highway system. (It's only about 300 miles long, straight as a stick and not many towns got in the way)

North Dakota hosts almost fifty local and regional rodeos that attract hundreds of cowboys each year.

It is illegal to lie down and fall asleep with your shoes on in North Dakota. (WHY??)

10,000 years ago, the state's eastern edge was a vast glacial lake bed.

North Dakota has 60 wildlife refuges, which is more than any other state. More ducks reproduce in North Dakota wetlands than anywhere in the nation.

North Dakota has more miles of road per capita than any other state with approximately 166 miles of road for every 1000 people.

If North Dakota seceded from the Union, it would be the world's third strongest nuclear power. (Don't fuck with us)

North Dakota has the highest number of millionaires per capita than any other state. (ummm, hello!?!....I'm single!)

Source ND.gov

Book Tag!

My favorite man in Sweden has tagged me, and I love to please my men, so I'll play along.

1. Grab the nearest book.
2. Open the book to page 23.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the text of the next 3 sentences on your blog along with these instructions.
5. Don’t you dare dig for that "cool" or "intellectual" book in your closet! I know you were thinking about it! Just pick up whatever is closest.
6. Tag five people.

I have textbooks with me today, so we are reading from page 23 of The Seventies: The Great Shift in American Culture, Society, And Politics by Bruce J. Schulman.

Those generous words generated little attention from the national media. During the 1968 campaign, Nixon had repeatedly rejected his speechwriters' suggestions that he offer comfort to the nation. Even in a year marked by unprecendented strife, Nixon had voiced disdain for "uplift" and had thrived on hard-hitting, polarizing rhetoric.

I don't think anybody reads my blog anymore, so I'm not going to tag anybody. But if you read and want to play along....have at it!

LaVida Loca

Temperature is 26. Wind Chill, 5. This sucks. Two days of cold and I'm already sick of winter.

So, new quarter started at school last week. I'm taking three classes this quarter, so my Monday, Tuesday and Thursday nights are booked.

Monday nights is History of Pop Culture and Social Change. We have 3 textbooks. We don't have to read all of each text, but there are two of them that I probably will read completely: After the Fact: The Art of Historical Detection and The Seventies: The Great Shift in American Culture, Society, and Politics. The class is about events that have shaped popular culture since WWII. We will be discussing mostly the media -- movies, music, television --- and have to do a paper on a television show. I'm doing mine on American Bandstand. We will be using class time to watch movies, I'm not real thrilled about that. And there are a couple of movies we will be seeing that I have abso-tively no desire to ever see. But, the overall content of the class interests me and I do like the instructor. Rumor has it, it's an easy A.

My Tuesday night class is Compensation and Benefits. Now, a large part of my current job is payroll, so I'm thinking this might be a relatively easy course. No. Wrong. The class is a freshman level course. The book, graduate level. WTF? We had a test on Tuesday night that left me nearly brain-dead. OY. But, love the teacher, love the other HR gals in the class and the subject matter - guess I just need to work harder.

Thursdays is Introduction to Micro-Computers. ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ. I spend all day at a computer. The class covers Word - do that. Excel - do that. Access - have sorta done that. Power Point - haven't done that yet. Boring class, cute but boring teacher, not excited about this class at all.

Kt is in Spain, the cats are still alive after a week of my care. Wish I had more time to spend over there with them. I did have one my best naps ever on Saturday afternoon while spending quality time with the kitties. I'll have to do that again this Saturday.

Tomorrow, Tb and I are going to Minot. Hostfest is happening! My aunt and uncle from California are here for it. Ma & Pa are up there....have another uncle that lives there, as well as my bro and his wife and that cutie patootie niece of mine! Should be a fun day. We won't be going to Hostfest this year, *sniffle*, but can't wait to see everybody.

You will be missed....

A friend of mine killed himself on Tuesday. He was 50 years old. I hadn't spoken to him for a few years and now, I feel just terrible about that.

I met G at a picnic in 1998, a picnic that was held in the same park he took his life. We spent most of the evening talking to each other and a few days later, I called him and invited him to lunch. He accepted. We then started going to movies and just generally hanging out. I have to admit that I started to develop feelings for him, but they were not reciprocated. However, we did manage to stay friends. I know he struggled with depression and had been on medication, but he always had a smile for me, or a hug, or just a friendly voice. He loved to golf, watch movies - he had a great home theater system, we liked to get a pizza and watch dvds. He would come over sometimes for dinner -- I love to cook for someone-- he and Tb got along great. G was about 6'5" and Tb has been 6' since jr high - I always felt like a weeble when we would all go somewhere together. The last movie we went to see in the theater was Oh, Brother Where Art Thou? I will never forget that night....he laughed so hard, he was crying. It will now be a memory I can cherish. The last time we talked was 2002. I had lost my job and was calling anybody and everybody I knew for leads. And we saw each other a couple of times after that at the grocery store. The last time I saw him....I was at the drive through at Wendy's and he was across the street walking into pizza hut. I was going to go over and say hello, but my food took forever and by the time I could leave...he had left with his order. I'm pretty sure that spicy chicken sandwich just wasn't worth the wait now.

Good-bye my friend. I hope you are in a better place.

Weekend Update

The picnic Friday sucked. Hardly anybody went. But the food was good. But still, would have had a better time at home watching tv.

Kt and I have started a wonderful tradition. We go out for dinner and adult beverages on the last day of the month. Yesterday's had to be the bestest. We had gone to a food, recreation, and some other crap show, thinking we could "eat lunch" by samples. But it was such a clusterfuck...geez, people are nutz. Is it really worth your time for a small dixie cup of potato chips and a swallow of pepsi? Not mine. I'll stand in line to try a new ice cream or interesting cheese, but not much else there was worth the wait.

So, we ran an errand and then went to a mexican restaurant that has an outdoor patio and we had margaritas and food. It was a perfect day to be outside and it's always a good day to have a margarita. ha!

My uncle died yesterday. My mom has lost both of her brothers in the last 2 months. I don't know what happened or any details, she left me a message and said she had none. I'll have to give her a call later today.

I have my 3rd disc of Battlestar Galactica. Liking it, alot!... I've developed quite the girl crush on Starbuck. I'll watch more of that today.

Tomorrow, new quarter starts at school. Looking forward to it. And Thursday, the cat-sitting duties are in full-force. The cats always get mad at Kt when she leaves and take it out on me for a couple of days. But by the weekend, I'll be theirs.

Well, think I'll go play with the crossword puzzle for awhile....