I Love Christmas!

I was just sitting here working and thinking about the past week or two. I just love Christmas, everything about it. All the decorations, food, family coming in from everywhere, and just sitting and looking at our tree at night with no other lights on. And not having to work for a few days! I love watching people open the gifts I got them. And, okay I'll admit it, I love getting gifts myself. I got really good gifts this year - well I do every year. I got GC's and money, which I really like because I can pick out stuff, I got some disc golf gear - my new hobby, a hand-painted mug from Isabella, and then a really cool gift from Bennie and Justin combined. Years ago (20?) we got a Nintendo and my favorite game was Zelda - the original Zelda without all the dimensions and different angles and stuff, just the fun, simple Zelda. So anyway Bennie got me a game cube and Justin gave me his game that came with his (but didn't come with mine) that had the original Zelda on it, as well as other Zelda games. I'm in heaven! We've had good visits from all three boys, Vanessa and Megan, and sweet Isabella, and we've visited other family. It seems like Christmas is a time to step away from your everyday life for just a few days. And then, New Year's is right around the corner. I have to work today, but then not again for five more days! Did I mention I'm in heaven?

Hitchcock's in the Neighborhood

Something strange just happened that I thought I would share. I was sitting here at my computer this morning, a little after 7:00, working on my transcription. Bennie was still asleep. So as I was working I started hearing these little murmurings, like soft voices or something. I would stop typing and listen, thinking maybe it was the TV and Bennie was up, but then it would be quiet again. I would go back to work, and again hear these little whisperings. Then, I realized it must be a mouse. So again I stopped work to listen, but it wasn't quite the mouse noises. And then all of a sudden the whisperings/murmurings got a little louder, and then got a little chirpier. And it was coming from outside. So I got up to look out the window and parted the blind - that's when I saw it. Our backyard was black with birds. I have never seen anything like that. Apparently we have a lot of bugs or something in our yard because they were all picking at the grass for something. I watched a while and gradually they would move over to our neighbor's yard, a few flying up at a time. So after a little while I went to our other window to see them next door, and I noticed across the road in the vacant cornfield was the motherload of black birds. And - contrary to popular cliches - they weren't all the same. There were black ones with brown heads, black ones all over, and speckled grayish ones. It was a sight! Now, back to work.

That Doesn't Sound Good

Starmount has had a terrible football season this year, but they are supposed to have a really good basketball team, so I've been looking forward to going to the games. They have a junior this year who is ranked #1 in North Carolina. He is from Puerto Rico and has played the last two years at SM. He is really good and is around 6'10". They also have two other Puerto Ricans playing, plus a guy who transferred from Surry Central to play this year. So, they are supposed to be really good. They have even been invited to the holiday tournament at NC State, playing some of the top teams in the nation.

So, imagine my surprise. I was looking on the NCPreps.com site and reading about this team. They had a scrimmage game last night with High Point Central. So there were comments asking about what time, who was playing, etc. And then this morning when I went to see how they had done last night I saw the following comments from Starmount fans - "Who won?", then "No one kept score", and finally, "Thank goodness".

Prestigious

I visited Quentin on Thursday, and we went to the movies. We went to see a movie he had already seen and said was really good - "The Prestige". It WAS really good. It was one of those movies that you are lost the first half, and then the second half answers all the questions. Very interesting questions. I can't remember the last time I had to think so much, and enjoyed the thinking. If you haven't seen this, you should. Remember when you saw "The Sixth Sense", and you had to see it again right after you finished? That is how this movie is. I can't wait to see it again.

Also, Thursday afternoon Bennie and I met Quentin at his law school for a family thing. We had a "tea" and met his professors and deans, and then we went into a classroom and observed his professors "teaching" the class. It was a lot of fun.

One other thing that happened this week. I was talking to Josh on the phone on Wednesday night, and Isabella got on. We talked a little bit, then it got kind of quiet, and I asked her a question. She didn't answer. So I asked again. Still, no answer. I said, "Isabella, . . . Isabella?" Then I said , "Josh, . . .Josh?" No answer. I could hear noises and conversation in the background. So I just waited. Finally I heard the phone being picked up, and Josh said, "Mom? Are you still there?" Apparently Isabella was through talking to me and just laid down the phone, then went on about her business.

Don't Mess This Up

That is my message to Marcus Vick. He was just given another opportunity to play in the NFL. He had some trouble at Virginia Tech last year, BUT he did a great job as their quarterback, although he was still kicked off the team. So he went in to the NFL draft, but the only team who wanted him was Miami. So he tried out for the Dolphins and played in the exhibition games. But then he was cut from that team. The next day he was placed on their practice squad. And then a couple days ago he was called up to be on their regular team. I can't wait to see him play. I think he is a great football player with a lot of potential.

Life's A Beach

Bennie and I got back last night from a week at Virginia Beach. We had a great time. The first couple of days it was storming and raining off and on. But the ocean was beautiful! I had never seen it like that. We always stay right on the beach, and our room on the 5th floor had a big window that we could just sit and watch the ocean. The waves were huge, and there was white water everywhere. By Sunday things had calmed down, and the sun made its first appearance.

On Monday we were out about all day riding our bikes. There is a great boardwalk at Va Beach, 2 1/2 miles long, with a bike trail right next to it. And then there are bike trails all over town. Each day the ocean would get calmer and calmer. By Thursday, our last full day, it was so calm that the surfers were just sitting on their boards doing nothing. So we took a dolphin-watching tour. We had done this before and had always seen the dolphins, but never like this. There were dolphins EVERYWHERE! The boat would ride right into the middle of them and stop, and we would just watch them come up out of the water - like Flipper, and then we would move on another 100 yards or so, and there would be another school (herd?) of them. The announcer said there were approximately 50 at one place. Anyway, it was a lot of fun. And we ate. I gained three pounds. I had to try the she-crab soup every place we went. And Bennie usually got the key lime pie. I think every restaurant had those two items. And then at night Bennie and I would play Yahtzee. I think I won the most. And as far as TV went, Law and Order was on ALL THE TIME. What is up with that show? It was a good thing I was recording all my favorite shows at home.

Also one day we went over that stupid long bridge that I hate, but Bennie loves it, so I went. But I told him that was the last time I would ever do that. We took our bikes and actually found a park on the other side that we rode around some. And we saw a strange-looking snake crawling across the parking lot there. I had never seen one that looked like that. It had ugly gold-yellow and black markings, mostly the dark yellow. I stayed away from it, but Bennie had to circle it a time or two on his bike.

One day we went to a state park just up the beach called "First Landing". There was a biking/hiking trail that went 6 miles. So we got on that trail which was pretty neat, at first. It went through the woods, and then through a murky swamp, which was kind of scary, and then out around a back bay. There were mile markers telling us how far we had gone. I was getting kind of tired at about 4 1/2 and 5 miles, thinking that we were almost done. Well, instead of circling around, the trail just went somewhere and stopped. So we had to come back the 6 miles too. We were both dead by the time we got back. And sore the next day. But still I'm glad we did it. It was an ACCOMPLISHMENT.

It was sad to leave yesterday, but a week is about right, for me. I was ready to get back home, and get back to my SOFT bed. Why do all hotels have such hard beds?

Next year we're talking about going out west for a couple weeks for vacation. I dread the ride, but I'm looking forward to the sights. And of course visiting Josh, Megan, and sweet Isabella.

Exciting Fall

I was just thinking about all the things going on in my life right now, and since I needed to update anyway I thought I'd just write about stuff. So- boring alert. You can stop reading now if you want.

Since Bennie and I got bikes a few weeks ago we have been doing some fun riding. We've taken them to Mt. Airy to a trail called "The Greenway", which is right beside a creek and is 2 3/8 miles long. So we ride that end to end a couple of times, and then a little more to make 10 miles. It is nice, level, easy riding - very enjoyable. And then for the last two weekends we have taken them up in the mountains to the New River Trail. That is spectacular. It also is level and is a beautiful ride. We've been to two different sections so far, and, if it doesn't rain, we're going back tomorrow with a church group.

Speaking of church, since I'm the activities person I kind of get to do whatever activities I want, which is fun. So I planned this bike ride. We have about 12 people interested in going, and then some who don't have bikes but want to go and walk. Also I'm planning a Trunk or Treat for Halloween. If anyone has any ideas on this, let me know. One thing I want to do is have a pumpkin-carving contest. So, I want to have prizes for best decorated trunk (or back of pickup), best costume, the pumpkin art, and - what else? I need ideas.

Also I'm enjoying being involved in the political stuff. I think it's interesting watching the whole process. Our county Republican party has had three rallies already in the last couple of months, and we're having two more before Election Day. On the 30th will be a big one. We're going to the Elkin park and having free BBQ and a band- "None of the Above". And this week we have a booth at the county fair, so that's been fun, although it was freezing on Wednesday when I was there.

And then there's FOOTBALL. I love watching football. The Panthers HAVE GOT to win this week. They are without a doubt the best team in the NFL and WILL win the Super Bowl. They've just had some off moments in the last two games. I know everyone was talking about Chris Gamble's trick play last week that lost us the game, but the thing is, if it had gone well it would have been a fantastic play. Oh well. AND, what about Michael Vick? That guy is incredible. And I watched some of the highlights from the Giants/Eagles game last week. Eli Manning came through bigtime. It was 24/7 Eagles going into the fourth quarter. The Giants came back - in overtime - to win 30/24.

Plus, the new TV season is really shaping up. You know I already am hooked on "Justice". I've seen "Men in Trees" (not sure about that one yet), "Smith" (probably will like), "'Til Death" (half and half - but it's a short show), "Vanished" (hooked on it too), "Studio 60" (which was a GREAT premiere - I think it will be a favorite also), and I am recording but haven't seen yet "Jericho", "Shark", "Heroes", "Help Me Help You", "Friday Night Lights", "The Nine", and "Brothers and Sisters". I know this is way more than I can watch every week, because I'm already watching stuff like "House", "ER", "Lost", "Criminal Minds", "One Tree Hill", "The O.C.", "Supernatural", "My Name is Earl", and "Y&R". How many hours is that? Actually I'm just trying the new shows, kind of hoping I won't like them, but so far I've liked what I seen pretty much. And there's a show - "The Bachelor" - that I have never seen and never wanted to before, but this year one of the girls is a step daughter of sorts of one of my best friends, so I have to watch her.

So, like I said. It's an exciting fall. And another good thing about all this is by staying busy I'm trying not to miss my family so much.

And JUSTICE For All

OK, it's that time of year. I have been going over the Fall Preview of the new TV Guide and picking out what shows I want to watch. Two shows have already started that I like. One is called "Vanished". It is really good, but if you didn't catch the first one you're lost. It continues each week and has a lot of mystery to it. The second one, which BTW has become one of my all time favorites already, is called "Justice". It stars Victor Garber (Titanic, Alias) as a lawyer. It is a really good show. It moves quickly and is very interesting - not like another law show that seems to move like mud with the investigation in the first half and the courtroom stuff in the second half. AND another thing I like about "Justice" is that you don't know for sure what happened until the end. They will do the whole show, and then the last couple of minutes they will go back to the crime and show what really happened. PLUS they have a great theme song, Warren Zevon's "Lawyers, Guns, and Money". Each show is its own episode, so you can pick it up at any time. I highly recommend it.

I'll Believe What I Want To Believe

I was just sitting here working, occasionally checking my email, and realized that I'm tired of people trying to tell me what I should believe or how I should feel about something. I got some email from one of these groups that was all up in the air about Sam's Club putting out advertising about the "holidays" instead of "Christmas", and they wanted me and everybody else to email Sam's Club to tell them not to do this, to keep the word "Christmas" in all their advertising. Well, I guess that's all well and good, except I could care less how Sam's Club does their advertising. I like to go there, and I will continue to go there whether they say "Christmas", "holidays", or "go jump in a lake". I don't care. AND I'm tired of getting emails from people with these stupid stories about someone having extraordinary experiences and then telling me to send this to 10 people so I will get blessings myself. Well, I feel like I'm being blessed every day of my life WITHOUT having to send some stupid email to 10 other people. 30 years ago I joined the Mormon church because I felt like it was right, and I still feel that way. I don't need other people telling me what I need to believe in, what I need to be praying about, what sites I need to go to for spiritually uplifting stories, etc. You get the idea. I feel very comfortable in my beliefs, and I DON'T NEED OTHER PEOPLE trying to force THEIR beliefs on me. I don't care about prayer in school. I think everyone can pray to themselves WHENEVER AND WHEREVER they want to. They don't need to have some kind of organized prayer in the classroom every morning. In fact, I don't think they should do that. Does that make me an atheist? I don't think so. And why have a "moment of silence" at ballgames? That, by the way, has taken the place of prayer. Years ago they would always have some preacher go up to the press box and give a prayer before the games so no one would get hurt. So now they do the moment of silence. Last year at the Starmount football games I noticed the chorus would be down there getting ready to sing the National Anthem, and during the moment of silence they would all together, out loud, recite the Lord's Prayer. What was up with that? And another thing. Concerning all these experiences all these people supposedly have (for example the little boy stuck under the garage door and seeing the angels). I know that some people DO have spiritual experiences. I have had many of them myself. The thing is, you shouldn't be talking about them to everybody in the world. You keep them to yourself - they are sacred. I'll admit there are some times when you feel like you should share them with someone else, but it would be at an appropriate time and in an appropriate place - not on the internet going to who knows who. That just cheapens the experience. I also feel that if you do this, you stop having these experiences, and personally I don't want that to happen. So, I hope I haven't made anyone mad. This is just the way I feel about some things.

Bad Day All Around

This is a bad day. Quentin has been living with us all summer and today he has moved out. I'm trying not to be sad. I'm trying to think of all the positive aspects of this. For example, no more crumbs in the mayonnaise. No more running out of bottled water because he came in late the night before and drank all the cold ones - without putting any back in the fridge. No more looking for the laundry basket. No more banging my head on the hangers of clothes in the laundry room that for reason he can't carry to his closet after he gets them out of the dryer and hangs them up. Well, I could go on and on.

But that's not the only bad thing about this day. We have ANTS in our kitchen, and I HATE ants. I called the guy from Wilson Pest Control, and he came over yesterday to take care of them. We have been doing business with them for over a year now. They come every three months and spray around the outside of the house, and we haven't had a problem, until here lately. I've seen some bugs and spiders too in the last few months. So, the guy came yesterday and put out some stuff that looked like glue and some ant traps. Then he said to me that it would probably take a couple of weeks to get rid of them. A COUPLE OF WEEKS? I just smiled and thanked him for coming, but I am steaming. And I can't stop scratching my head. I just FEEL them all over. So, goodbye WPC, hello Orkin!

Surprised

I've been surprised by some things here lately. I'll start with this morning. As I was driving downtown Dobson to go to church I met a red pickup truck. This truck was one of those big ones with the stuff all over the outside and a backseat, something not uncommon to Dobson. In my mind I expected to see someone who looked like Larry the Cable Guy driving. As I passed the truck I was really surprised to see not Larry, but a black guy with a suit and tie on. That just didn't seem right.

And yesterday I received an email from my brother-in-law, Bill. This was one of those "tests" that you scroll down and don't really know what it's about until the end. So I was taking it, and at the end you were either in 98% of the people who took this test or the 2%. Bill said he was 98%. I was 2%. I didn't realize I was that different.

And last night I was visiting with some friends in Low Gap. We had walked outside as I was getting ready to leave, and we stood there for 15-20 minutes talking, right after it had gotten dark. As we were talking I would feel, every once in a while, a crawling sensation on my legs, and I kept swatting at them, just in case there was something there. Well, this morning I was SURPRISED to find 15 mosquito bites. Why was I surprised? I don't know. I just didn't think about that feeling being actual mosquitoes last night.

AND, I guess this will be the last one, I was surprised to learn that another Puerto Rican is going to play basketball at Starmount again this year, and he is supposed to be AWESOME. This will make five PR's in the last three years, so I don't really know why I'm surprised. Since Starmount is supposed to have a pretty bad football team this year I guess they will be making up for in basketball.

Oh, and btw, two more days of no chocolate. I've sticken to my committment, but also I've gained 4 pounds this month. Another surprise!

'I'll Show You How"

Last week Josh and his family stayed with us a few days. On Monday, while Megan and Josh went to Thomasville, I kept Isabella. We had a great time together. We watched a movie, walked around outside, played, ate, and read books. Isabella knows where I keep "her books", so she went right to them that morning and wanted me to read to her. I have "Bambi", "Brer Rabbit", "Peter Rabbit", and a few story books. She got out one of the story books, and we started reading. What I do is find a story I know, point to the pictures and just tell the story by the pictures. As she was flipping the pages looking for the next story she stopped on one and said, "Read this". I didn't know that story, so I said, "I don't know this one, let's find another one." That is when she said, "I'll show you how", and then she commenced "reading" the story to me. How cute is that?

Yahoo Graphics

I don't know if any of you have noticed the Yahoo Graphics. They change a lot. A couple of weeks ago it was this beach scene. The ocean would come in, and a little starfish would jump around, and a crab was crawling. So then a few days ago it was for the 4th of July with fireworks. Now it is a soccer theme, I guess because of the World Cup. If you want to see the animation just move your cursor over the red YAHOO letters at the top, and the balls will start bouncing, then the countries' flags will pop up. Anyway, there is always something different up there.

Speaking of soccer, my favorite teams (England, Argentina, and Brasil) are out. So I guess I'll go along with Quentin and pull for Italy next Sunday. ABF!!

July Sans Chocolate

I have made a major decision in my life. No more chocolate for the month of July. That's right. The whole month. I realized this morning when I weighed that I have now gained TWENTY POUNDS over the last couple of years. So I've been thinking about what has caused this, and chocolate seems to be a really big part of it. Of course that's not all I've been doing wrong. I just eat too much of the wrong things. So, I have put this summer resolution on the world wide web for everyone to see - all five of you - to maybe help me stick to it. I'll try to give updates on how I'm doing.

Just Now Summer

Today is the first day of summer, so I'm updating. What better reason, right?

I wrote my first ever letter to the editor tonight. Well, Bennie helped some. He had actually written a letter, but it didn't go through, and then he changed his mind. So I took some of what he had said and added some thoughts of my own. The Mt. Airy News had written a rotten article about a friend of ours who is a county commissioner in Surry County. He lost his job a while back and got into some financial trouble. Now he is working again, but is behind on a payment, and they splashed this all over the front page. So, I wrote and let them know how I felt. In a nice way. Bennie's original letter was really mean, so it's probably good that it didn't go through.

And, I'm really getting interested in soccer. Yesterday's England vs. Sweden was really exciting. But I couldn't stand the way the announcers kept trashing David Beckham. He's not superman, but they expected him to be. They blamed him for everything that went wrong with England, even blaming him for one of Sweden's goals, and it wasn't his fault. I know, because I was watching. He is a really good player, and I especially like to watch him "bend it". Today Argentina played. I recorded it and will watch it tonight. Tomorrow Brasil (note the spelling) and Japan. That will be a good game, or is it match? Quentin has been teaching me a lot about soccer, which makes it a lot more interesting to watch. And I like the way the clock just keeps going. At first I thought the clock was backwards, then I realized it is right, and the clocks on all the other games - football, basketball, etc. - are backwards.

I saw the Da Vinci Code last week. I thought it was a great movie. I had read the book and had looked forward to the movie for two years. So, I wasn't disappointed. I know there were a lot of bad reviews, and I tried to see it as someone who hadn't read the book, but I think it still would have been good. I really like puzzles and treasure hunt kinds of things. "Angels and Demons" is a really good book too.

Quentin is here for the summer and is eating us out of house and home. I've been used to throwing out a lot of food that we just didn't eat, and now I can't seem to keep food. I'm going to the store every other day. And why can't people use mayonnaise without leaving crumbs in the jar???

So, I guess this is a boring post. It's hard to think of things to write about. Nothing exciting has really been happening, except for the soccer. So, on that note I guess it's time to go watch the Argentina game/match. BTW if you haven't seen Argentina play, you should watch them. They have some really HOT guys on their team!

Me and the Senator - Again

Yesterday I had lunch with Richard Burr! Well, along with about 20 other people, but still . . He is such a cute guy! And really nice. He came to Mt. Airy for several different events – one of them being a ribbon cutting at the Republican Headquarters. He talked for about 7 or 8 minutes, then took any questions anybody had, and then we ate. While we were sitting around eating it was like he was just one of us, just talking and joking and stuff. He just didn’t seem like a big shot United States senator. AND when he got there he drove his own car and was ALL BY HIMSELF. I was really surprised. I thought that senators had all their aides and security people and stuff. Can you imagine Hillary driving to some small town in New York alone? Can she even drive?

So, this was my thrill for the week, especially having him put his arm around me for a picture!!!

The Hot Ewes!

Well, I can't remember what kind of ewes we were, but hot sounds about right. I just got back from celebrating our 50th birthdays with some good friends from high school. We went to Starmount, whose mascot is the rams, hence the ewes.

This weekend was so much fun. Just reminiscing about old times, catching up on everyone's lives today, gossiping, eating, shopping (well, that got a little long, but was still fun), playing cards, and did I say eating? I think I've gained 5 pounds or more. Tomorrow, for sure, I'm starting my diet. The house we got near Boone was beautiful, and the weather was great. The drive up on Friday was especially nice and clear. You could see Grandfather Mountain from Yadkin County. Once everyone got there we all went out for supper - Japanese - at Makoto's, which is one of my favorite restaurants. When we got back to the house we stayed up talking until around 1:00. Then yesterday, after pancakes and bacon, we took off shopping. We went to the Mast General Store and then on to Blowing Rock. We ate lunch at a place called Speckled Trout, which was really good. Then we just walked around all day, looking in ALL the stores. We went to the outlet stores too. For supper (by now it was after 9:00) we went to a place called Pssghetti's, which is what Justin used to call spaghetti. It was a nice place. After we got back to the house we watched a video of our 20th reunion (12 years ago) and played cards, finally getting to bed around 2:30. So, here I am, a grandma, and partying until the wee hours! We all had a great time and plan to do it again next year.

One more thing about the weekend. I know this is hard to believe, but all of us still look just like we did when we were in high school! Amazing - but true.

Happiness is . . .

These are things that make me happy:

Flashing when it is cool and windy outside.

Watching Isabella's eyes light up when she understands something.

Watching Sam Elliott. He was recently in a TNT movie, "Avenger". The older he gets the better he looks. And that voice!

Trying on clothes at Hecht's in the mall. They have those "slimming" mirrors in their dressing rooms.

Making fudge that is not grainy.

Our Sleep Comfort bed. I feel like I'm lying in the clouds.

Watching Victor ALWAYS come out on top on "The Young and the Restless".

Waking up in the morning and realizing it is SATURDAY.

Football season.

All the stuff Bennie does around the house to make my life easier.

Eating Japanese at Makoto's in Boone.

Opening our email and seeing that I have messages.

Seeing comments on this blog.

Playing Spider Solitaire and getting to that point in the game where I realize I've won it.

Back rubs.

When my SLAH parties reach the $400.00 mark. That means I've made at least $100.00. And for what? Going to a party, eating good food, talking and laughing with other women, playing games. The best job I've EVER had!

Watching the full moon come up. Especially at the beach.

Getting phone calls from my sons.

Watching American Idol, and KNOWING what Simon is going to say before he says it, because it is EXACTLY what I would have said.

Sitting on our porch swing (with the springs!).

"Thank you for your service"

Yeah right. What service. I am soooo disappointed. As you may or may not know I have long wanted to be called for jury duty. So last fall, for the first time in my life, I was finally sent a letter asking me to report for jury duty - but it was the same week as our vacation. So I called them and got deferred, until spring. So, in January some time I got another letter asking me to report the week of March 13th. It also reminded me that I had been deferred from last fall. So, I was really excited. The letter said to call a number the day before I was to report for instructions. So, right after 5:00 last Sunday afternoon I called the number. The recording said that all jurors did not need to report Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday, but to call the same number back Wednesday after 5:00. Well, okay. So I would just have two days on jury duty instead of the whole week. Better than nothing. So, a few minutes ago I called back like I was supposed to. This time the recording said that all jurors were excused from jury duty and did NOT need to report. And then, just to rub it in, she said, "Thank you for your service."

A True Love/Hate Relationship

I remember the very first time I heard the song, "Born To Run" by Bruce Springsteen. I absolutely loved that song. A little while later I heard "Badlands" and loved that too. And then, not long after that - "Thunder Road", which BTW is my all time favorite Springsteen song. So I started collecting his albums. I had gotten all of them up until a few years ago. I have seen him in concert THREE times; the last time I was 20 feet away from him, drooling the whole time. So, I guess you could say I was a fan. He seemed like a good guy and had a great voice. And, of course, he is a fantastic songwriter. His songs are like pictures with music. And he has a great band backing him up. So, anyway, I liked the guy. And then a few years ago I started hating the guy. He got too political and started joining the Bush-bashers. So, I stopped listening to him. I could have cared less when he came back to Greensboro last year. When the radio would announce playing one of his new songs, I turned the station. I just didn't want anything else to do with him. Until last night. I had gone to bed and was watching TV before going to sleep. I was flipping through the channels, and all of a sudden there was Bruce. He was on VH1, a show called "Storytellers", and he was telling a story. He was all by himself on the stage and playing piano. He would sing a few lines, then stop and explain where those lines came from in his head, and what he meant by them, then he would sing a few more lines, and do the same thing again. Then he would go on to another song and do the same. I was sort of hooked, listening to him again. And then . . . He played "Thunder Road". And I was gone. It was beautiful. He explained a little about the song before he started singing it, as he was playing the opening notes. Then he sang the whole song uninterrupted, just him and the piano. I didn't even know he played piano. So, I guess I'm a fan again. I hate that I had missed the first half of the show, so I looked on through what was coming up and saw that same show coming on again next week. I've already set the recorder. As Keith Carradine sang in Nashville, "I'm Easy".

Mascots

I was just sitting here thinking about names. Starmount is in the playoffs, and I've been reading some of the posts on NCpreps.com. It's interesting to read. But anyway, I've been noticing some of the mascot names. What really got my attention was some team down east - either the Horses or Wild Horses, or something like that, but the girls were called the Lady Horses. Well, that just doesn't seem right to me. And then it got me started thinking about the girls' teams of different schools. For example Cherokee High School's mascot is the Braves. And the girls are called the Lady Braves. That makes no sense at all. They should be called the Squaws. And even Starmount - the Rams. You have the Lady Rams. No - they should be the Ewes. And Thomasville - the Bulldogs. Well, you get the picture. So, here's my list of impossible names:

Lady Rams
Lady Bulldogs
Lady Braves
Lady Bucking Elks
Lady Vikings (I guess there could have been)
Lady Huskies
Lady Blue Devils
Lady Demon Deacons
Lady Hokies (What is a Hokie?)
Lady Wolfpack

Well, I'm sure there are a lot more. I'm just tired of thinking right now.

Just Missed Him!

Okay, I'll start at the beginning. I'll admit I'm a little behind the times here lately - I guess it's just age catching up. Well, a couple weeks ago I had recorded the Grammy Awards. So the next morning I was watching some of it, fast forwarding through most of it. At one point I stopped forwarding to see what was going on, and there, right before my eyes, was one of the best looking guys I had ever seen. He was sitting with Nicole Kidman. I assumed he was just some boy toy she was out with. So I fast forwarded again, and some time later I realized I was looking at the same guy. I stopped it to watch, and there was this guy playing guitar and singing. His name was Keith Urban. I had never heard of him, but I had heard the song he was playing. He is my new favorite singer!

So, then today during my lunch break I was reading the newspaper. In the Winston-Salem Journal there was a small paragraph that said Keith Urban was going to be at this car place in North Wilkesboro signing autographs this morning from 10:30 to 11:30. I looked at the clock - 1:15. I would have gone if I'd known sooner. Of course I'm probably old enough to be his mother, and I am married, but still . . .

Pajama Day

Because of the snow from yesterday we didn't have church today, so I never even got dressed. Every once in a while everyone should have a pajama day. It's nice. Bennie and I just finished 9 hours of "The Godfather Saga" between last night and today. I recorded it back in September, but there just hasn't been time to watch it until now. I love those movies. Next on the agenda is "Lonesome Dove", which I recorded in October. And next week I have it set to record "The Thorn Birds", so maybe next summer some time we'll get to watch that. Well, I will get to watch it. Bennie has already said he would pass on that one.

Also, Michelle Kwan is out! Am I the only person in America who is GLAD of that? I tried to feel sorry for her, but it just didn't work. So now the third place person, Emily Hughes, will rightfully get to compete.

And another tidbit of news. Dick Cheney just shot somebody on a hunting trip. I can't wait to hear what Dave, Jay, and Jon will have to say about that tomorrow. It didn't sound like it was his fault - just this guy, 78 years old, seemed to be wandering around where he wasn't supposed to be. I actually wondered if he did this on purpose to get everybody's minds off the Scooter Libby revelation where he supposedly ok'd the leak of Valerie Plame. Hmmm. . .

And, last but not least, I went to the last regular season Starmount ballgame last Friday. They barely beat North Surry in OT. So now Starmount is undefeated (in the conference), and will be the #1 seed in the sectionals next week. Me, Mom, and John were on TV, Channel 12, when they panned the stands. It was an exciting game. If they play well in the playoffs and don't have any more "off" nights, they will be the next state champions!

The Ice Queens

Last night I watched the figure skating championships. I love to watch ice skating and especially when it is for the Olympics. So last night the top three skaters would go to the Olympics next month in Italy. My favorite was Sasha Cohen, and has been my favorite for years now. I can't stand Michelle Kwan. Did I say I couldn't stand her? I CAN'T STAND Michelle Kwan. She is always the media favorite, but when she has been competing in the Olympics (the last two) she hasn't done well at all. I have never thought she was all she was cracked up to be. But you wouldn't know it to hear her talk and hear the media talk about her. She lost but still gets her picture on the covers of all the magazines. Anyway, she wasn't able to compete last night because she was injured (which I wonder about). So the top three winners were Sasah Cohen, Kimmie somebody who was okay, and then Emily Hughes. Now Emily is the younger sister of Sarah Hughes, who actually won the Olympic gold four years ago (beating out Kwan). So I was kind of pulling for her to win last night too. She was really good, but she fell close to the end. So that put her at third place. Well, because they were taking the top three, and she was third, she should, by rights, go to the Olympics, right? No. Michelle Kwan has "petitioned" to go to the Olympics and just overlook that she wasn't able to try out last night. Well, too bad. That's the breaks. But, because she is "America's sweetheart" or something they are letting her go, and Emily Hughes was named as an alternate. I was so upset. But, then I heard something that lessened it just a little. Years ago when Nancy Kerrigan got hurt by Tonya Harding's thug of a boyfriend she wasn't able to compete at the finals and "petitioned" to go to the Olympics anyway, which she did. Guess who was #3 and got knocked out at that time and only went as an alternate? Michelle Kwan. What are you going to do?

Starmount vs. Supermen

I went to the ballgame tonight - Starmount and Oak Hill. The final score was something like 63-110. We lost. This team was incredible. They just played with us like cats and mice. You know when the teams come onto the floor from the dressing room and start doing lay-ups? They came out and started dunking the ball - all of them, even the short ones. And not just regular ole dunks. These were the turn around, one handed, flying through the air slams. It was a show and a half. Tommy Amaker was there. He was probably the most famous one among all the college coaches and scouts. If you don't know who he is, he played at Duke and now coaches at the University of Michigan. Carlos was there too - Starmount's very own celebrity. So, it was a lot of fun.

"I think that will probably be a source of her demise."

I was working this week, doing my transcription, and the doctor said this about one of his patients. I just thought it was a cool quote. The woman has been smoking for almost all her life, and even though knowing it's about to kill her will not stop. How do people get in this situation? And why is it so hard to get out of it? I've worked with many people who have smoked, and all of them wanted to quit, but they never even tried that I could tell. The one that took the cake, for me anyway, was a guy who worked at the hospital in Mt. Airy. Guess what his job was? Respiratory therapist. Of all the people who KNOW what tobacco does to you. And it's not just lung problems. It seems mostly to be heart problems. Anyway, that's all I have to say about that.

I just finished watching Carolina STOMP the Giants. It was a fun game to watch (if you're a Panthers fan). We're going to Chicago next week. One of the guys, I think it was Steve Smith, was talking to a reporter after the game. They were talking about how it would be cold in Chicago, and the player said he had rather be cold and playing than warm and at home. I predict we will BEAT Chicago next week and go all the way this year - if we continue to play like we have the last two games.