Just a Piece

I heard just a piece of a conversation yesterday as I was walking by the US Cellular stand in the Mayberry Mall. There was a guy with his son looking at a particular cell phone.

1st Salesgirl: "You can get that cheaper on the internet."

2nd Salesgirl: "Don't tell him that!"

Customer: "I thought they were free anyway with the plan."

1st Salesgirl: "Oh yeah."

Monster Mouse

Another mouse in the house story.

Since we have the occasional mouse come in I just always keep those small black glue traps around. I have two in the laundry room against opposite walls, and I check them every morning. For months there has been no change. Then last Saturday I walked in to do some laundry and I looked down at the trap, but it wasn't there. So I looked at the other one, AND IT WASN'T THERE EITHER. They were both just gone. So, I went back and asked Bennie if he had moved them for some reason, and no, he hadn't. So we went back to look for them. One was lying on its side up between the freezer and ironing board, and the other one was inside the little closest that has our air compresser - both still intact and still with the dollop of peanut butter in the middle. So, that was just strange. So, thinking that maybe they were just old and not sticky anymore I threw them away and got new glue traps. I put new peanut butter on them and placed them back in the same places. I also put one in our closet just for good measure and one under our bed against the wall. So then yesterday morning, first thing, I go look at the traps. As I was walking into the laundry room I saw a strange site. Where the trap had been there was now just an area of tiny black particles, about a foot in diameter. As I looked around for the trap I saw it lying a couple feet away with a big chunk of the plastic gone. Stranger and stranger. This time, though, some of the peanut butter had been eaten. And then this morning when I opened our closet door, the trap in there was gone. When I looked around I found it about three feet away - perfectly intact, PB and everything. Today we are getting WOODEN TRAPS, and just for good measure a larger one for rats. I just shiver thinking that it might actually be a huge rat. Who knows what is going on at this point.

Morning Neighborhood Drama (Thanks, Michael Vick)

This morning started off pretty usual. I got up, got dressed, ran my 20 minutes (and walked 10) on the treadmill, then I went out on the front porch to sit on the swing and cool off for a few minutes. As I opened the door there was a stray dog on our front porch. His tail was wagging, so I figured he was okay. Actually I had seen this dog a couple other times in the last two days, just hanging around. He wasn't wearing a collar, and I didn't know who he belonged to. But, as I said, his tail was wagging. So I went on out to sit on the swing. Now this was a big dog (later I learned it was part pit bull and part chow). As I walked over to the swing I noticed the kid from next door was out with his dalmation, who is a house dog, but they bring him out to walk him and let him "use the yard". I was sort of talking to this boy, who is about 12 maybe, and was asking him if he knew anything about this other dog who was on my porch. He didn't, and then the stray dog left my porch and ran over to him and his dog. He started playing with the dalmation, kind of wrestling at first. Then it became something more. The boy was trying to shoo him away from his dog, which seemed to aggravate the situation. AND THEN the stray starts growling loudly and starts actually attacking this dalmation. I couldn't believe it when I saw him take the dalmation's head in his mouth - his whole head! I was just frozen watching this play out. And the boy was trying his best to get them apart the whole time. So then the mom comes out yelling and trying to get them apart, but no luck. THEN the dad comes out - with a 45. So he starts shooting. He shot the back of the stray, and it finally let go of the dalmation. So the mom, the kid, and the dad get the dalmation in the house, and the stray runs off. I went in to get Bennie, and we both came out on the porch, but then here comes the stray back to our porch. So now I'm kind of scared of this dog. So Bennie called the animal control people, who btw waited for a couple of hours before actually coming out. Then I went over to tell our neighbor that we had called and to see if they were okay. He told me that his wife and son had left to take the dog to the animal hospital, and his arm had two long scratches on it from the dog. So, to make a pretty long story somewhat shorter, I went on in to take a shower. When I came out the neighbor had shot the dog, who wouldn't die. So he went and traded the 45 for a 22 rifle and shot it again a few times, this time killing it.

So Bennie and I had to leave for Winston, but when we got back our neighbor was out with the dalmation (who had a big gash in his neck but was otherwise okay) walking him down the road, and he came into our driveway and told us the rest of the story. The animal control guy finally got there, but someone from the newspaper got there first, and she was asking demanding questions like why it took so long for the animal control people to respond. Anyway, the guy said that for the last month they have had a lot of instances with these kinds of dogs being set loose, fallout from the MV fiasco. Apparently this dog had been trained to fight, and the AC guy actually praised our neighbor for killing it.

Summer TV

I thought I'd review some of my favorite summer TV shows. And it is strange that I have been watching so many of them because always in the past summer TV has just been reruns and boring fillers. Last year I watched America's Got Talent, but I think that was about it. So this year . . .

Mad Men – I LOVE this show. It is set in the early 60's and has the look and feel of the time. Bennie watched five minutes of it with me the other day and proclaimed that it was one of the most depressing shows he'd ever seen. Well, he just saw a bad part of it. The main guy, Don Draper, is a cad, but he's the BEST LOOKING CAD I've ever seen. And everybody chain smokes on this show. If you don't want to watch it, just watch the opening credits. It is just like the old spy shows from back then.

Greek – I started watching this show because the main character is Kelsey Grammar's daughter. Then I got hooked. It is one of those bubble gum college aged angst shows, but I like it.

Side Order of Life – I've gotten hooked on this one too. I started watching because Brandon from 90210 was in it, but I don't really like him. What I like, and what I'm waiting for is, the main character dialed a wrong number and started talking to this guy, and now they call each other a lot but haven't yet met. So she has now broken up with "Brandon", and I want to see what happens when she and mystery guy meet.

Don't Forget the Lyrics/Singing Bee – I'm grouping these two shows because they have the same premise – singing karaoke style. I thought that I was pretty good with singing along with the radio, but you have to sing the EXACT lyrics or you're out. I happen to like DFTL better that SB, I think because of Wayne Brady. He's cool. And I like their format better.

Burn Notice – I think I've already mentioned this one in another blog. It's probably my second favorite. You can come in on this one at any time. It reminds me of A-Team, but better.

Psych – I had forgotten, but I watched this last year too. Come to think of it, this is probably tied for second with BN. It is a quirky show about a fake psychic who solves crimes. The way he does it is just that he is very observant. It is a really funny show. Plus I like Corbin Bernsen, who plays his dad.

America's Got Talent – This show is almost over for the year, but it was a good ride. I like the ventriloquist the best. I hope he wins next week.

Last Comic Standing – I also really like this show. I started watching just for the comedy routines, but I've gotten into it. The comedy is great. My favorite (and one that I showed to Bennie and Quentin) was Dante, who is a great impersonator, but he is already kicked off. Oh well.

So, this is how I've spent my summer vacation. Almost time for the new fall shows!

Just Another Day

I thought I'd tell a story. Quentin was home this weekend, and yesterday morning he was leaving to go back to Greensboro. So before I left for church I was helping him get up some food and stuff to take with him. Then I laid out some hamburger for my and Bennie's lunch, and went on to church. So about two hours later I was standing in the lobby between meetings talking with Bennie and someone else when President Cozzens came out of his office and came up to me and Bennie. He said that Quentin was on the phone and needed to talk to one of us. Well, that kind of scared me. So I went into his office and picked up the phone, saying hello. Then Quentin said, "Mom, I think something pretty bad has happened." Well, now I'm freaked out even more, because I knew he was on his way to Greensboro, so all I could think of was WRECK. So I asked if he was okay, what had happened, you know the usual. Then he said, "Were you going to have spaghetti for lunch?" WHAT? I said something like I didn't know and what was he talking about. Then he proceeded to tell me that he had seen me lay out the hamburger, but then he took all my spaghetti noodles and sauce with him and was afraid I had planned to use it. So like I said, just another day. Although my hair got a little bit whiter yesterday.

Not Guilty - Yet

Am I the only person in the world who still believes MV might be innocent?? At least they should let him play football until they prove otherwise.

Optimus Prime, et. al.

OP is the one that I remember from when my boys were little and played with transformers. And I thought he was a good guy. Megatron also sounded familiar, but I don't remember liking him as well. Yesterday me and Quentin went to see this movie. I really enjoyed it! It was a fun movie. It had a lot of parts that reminded me of other movies, especially Independence Day and Wargames. And when it was over, I mentioned to Quentin that they set it up for a sequel.

This morning I made a pound cake. The boy scouts from church are having a BBQ dinner tonight and needed people to make cakes, so I signed up to make one. I let it cook for 90 minutes ( 1 1/2 hours), thinking that was long enough. Well, it wasn't. When I went to turn it over on the plate it fell in and all this liquid cake (batter I guess) started pouring out from the middle. So, quick thinker that I am, I stuffed it all back into the tube pan, and put it back in the oven for another hour - just to make sure. This time it cooked. Except it looks terrible. It will probably taste good though. So anyway, I made a plum cake to take to church (which turned out great!), and I guess Bennie and Quentin will just have to eat the raggedy cake.

And I got a really good deal yesterday. I love good deals. We're having company for lunch tomorrow, and I thought about getting a ham. Well, this week in the flyers there was a spiral sliced ham on sale at Galaxy for 98 cents a pound, but the flyer said it was frozen. So, yesterday I went to Wal-Mart, which lets you have the sale prices of other places. I found a great spiral sliced ham (not frozen though) for $1.96 a pound. So I got it for half price!

And lastly, there is a new TV show that I really like. It's called "Burn Notice". You should check it out. It comes on Thursday nights on USA. Also, did anyone see "America's Got Talent" this past week? Did you see the magician who cut the guy in half? That was so cool! I have no idea how he did that.

Diana's Concert

I've just finished watching this concert. It was on last Sunday, and I recorded all six hours. It started off really good with Elton John singing my favorite song of his - "Your Song". Then the princes - William and Harry, who were really cute - came out and welcomed everyone, then introduced their mother's "favorite band", Duran Duran. That is when the concert started going downhill. They only sang one song I had heard of, and I didn't like it. After that was a succession of bands and singers and dancers. There were a lot of hip-hop/rap singers, and needless to say I fast forwarded it through all of that. There were several British bands I had never heard of, but I did like a band called Take That (I think that was the name). Tom Jones was there, but again, he didn't sing anything I knew. Then they went through several broadway songs by ALW, who showed up too. And that was good. And then FINALLY someone good came on - rockin' Rod, who started off with Maggie May. It ended with Elton John again, but there were some technical delays, and he was cut off just as he was getting started. I should have recorded the next show, but I didn't. And guess who got the biggest applause of anybody (other than the princes I guess)? David Beckham, who just came out to introduce someone. So, overall the concert was pretty much of a disappointment to me. The only other highlights were when the camera would go to William and Harry with their friends, and they would be clapping or dancing along with the music. I think I would give this concert a 2 on a scale of 1-10 with Live Aid being a 10.

Harris Happenings

Okay, mostly MY happenings. I spent last weekend with a group of women that I graduated with in 1974. There were 10 of us, and we rented a house above Boone. It was SO much fun! My stomach was sore for two days afterwards just from laughing all the time. I got there around noon on Friday to check in and open up the house. The other girls drifted in that afternoon. But before anyone else came Josh brought Isabella over for a visit. She is such a cutie. She told me that she wasn't scared of spiders anymore, and I wondered how does someone get to that point. So after they left, around 2:30 the girls started coming in. It was a great reunion with everyone. That night we went to Eseeola for supper and to hear Josh play piano. Everyone loved Josh. Someone took a really good picture of all of us with Josh, which when I get I'll try to put on here. We stayed up late on Friday just gabbing. Then on Saturday we all had breakfast together. A couple of the girls brought breakfast casseroles, which were really good, and we had honeybun cake (my favorite), muffins, fruits, juice, etc. Then we left. First we went to the Mast General Store. I mostly just sat on the porch listening to the music from a little country band. Then we worked our way over to Roan Mountain for the Rhododendron Festival. We kind of got lost, and then went a really scenic route, out Hwy. 194, but it was really pretty. The festival was fun with good food. Then we went up to the top of the mountain to see the flowers, which were just a little bit past their peak, but were still pretty. Then back to the house. A few of us went swimming. Then we ordered in pizza for supper and played some Trivial Pursuit, and again stayed up just talking into the night. Sunday morning was clean up, pack up, and checking out with hugs all around. We were already talking about next year's weekend, and we are going to even add an extra day. I can't wait!

After I left the house I went to church with Josh. He was speaking that day and gave a great talk. And it was good to see some old friends again from Boone. I love, absolutely love, Howell Cook. He doesn't look any different than when we lived up there 20 years ago.

On another note, I am now the proud mother-in-law of a doctor. Vanessa passed all her stuff (as I knew she would). Good job!!

Justin and Vanessa are getting ready to move to Tucson in a month. The other night Justin was on the phone and walked me through Google Earth to find his apartment. That is amazing! We did something that turned it sideways, and you could see the mountains in the background. It looks like a beautiful area. Now I want to Google Earth everything.

And Quentin passed his first year of law school. Yay!!! We didn't really know if he had made it or not until a few days ago when he got his grades, although I had great faith in him that he would pass. He is living with us this summer and interning with an ADA here in Dobson (assistant district attorney). He is so much like his father. It's like living with two Bennies.

I guess that is why I had such a GREAT TIME last weekend getting away with the girls! (LOL)

Cool Song

During one of the last AI shows Green Day performed a song that I remembered from years ago and hadn't heard in a long time, John Lennon's "Working Class Hero". Since then I've heard it on the radio a few times. I remember being in high school and hearing that song, and hearing the "F" word - twice - for the first time on a record. But, not counting that, I really liked the song. And what is so cool about the Green Day version is the last two lines. The song just kind of stops, and you hear the original Lennon song with John singing those lines.

And He Did It Without Locke's Help

This 11-year-old boy shot this wild boar in Alabama. It weighed over 1000 lbs.

Misc Stuff

Last Friday night Bennie and I took out Quentin for his birthday. He picked the restaurant - Le Blon in Greensboro. This is now one of my favorite restaurants. It is Brazilian and exquisite. When we got there they took us right to a table, in front of people waiting, because my brilliant son had called ahead and made a reservation for us. So we sat down and a waitress came right up and got our drink order. She then explained how things worked. So, first of all we went to the salad bar. This was a really cool bar with a lot of exotic food items. And best of all were cards with names of everything, so we knew what we were getting. For the most part anyway. So I tried to get a bite of most everything, and my plate was full. Before I really got halfway done with my "salad", the waitress brought us cheesy bread balls and then a platter of mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes along with a crusted banana. Then, here came the guys. And when I say guys, I mean really CUTE Brazilian guys with hunks of meat - all different kinds including top sirloin, filet mignon, turkey, chicken, pork loin, ribs, well you get the idea. So we had these cards at our table, green on one side and red on the other. As long as the green side was up the meat guys kept coming. They would carve a small slice of meat (about 2 or 3 bites worth) and we were given these little tongs that we used to help get the meat to our plate. After I got full I turned my card over to red. But Quentin's was still green, so the guys kept coming, and it looked so good I would get more too. It was one of the best meals I've ever had - not just the food but the whole experience. And then of course we had dessert. Me and Quentin got the Godiva cheesecake, and Bennie got the mango cheesecake. I don't know how I could even eat anything else, but it seemed easy at the time. Anyway, I'm ready to go back again. As far as I can tell there was just one problem with this restaurant - the bill! But it was worth it.

Since my root canal last week I've noticed that I can now drink cold drinks and eat ice cream on the right as well as the left. Just thought I'd throw that in.

We have an indigo bunting frequenting our front yard birdfeeder. We had one several years ago when we lived in Westfield, and I haven't seen one since then, so this is exciting. I think it is a beautiful bird. It is blue all over with dark wings.

And about AI this week. I have just one word - BORING. You would think that with the Bee Gees music it would have been a really good show, but half the songs were some I'd never heard of, and the ones I had heard of were so screwed with that they weren't any good. AND, that was NOT Barry Gibb, I don't care what they say. He was some imposter. If you didn't see it, they had this really old white-haired man who sounded like Sean Connery (at least that part was okay) pretending to be the main BG. The real Barry Gibb is really cute and sings really well, not like this senile/homeless-looking guy who could barely croak out the song last night.

And Bennie had a really sweet blog this week. I guess I'll keep him.

Finally!

Phil is gone - and Chris too. Yay!! Now we have the best final four there is. These four are the ones I've been pulling for the whole time. Any one of them can win. I'm really glad they didn't vote off Lakisha. She had an excellent night on Tuesday, one of her best yet. And a kiss from Simon to top it off!

To change the subject. Yesterday I went to the dentist to have three teeth filled. I hate to go to the dentist and haven't been in years. I remember going when we lived in Boone (1985-87). Anyway, I went a couple months ago to get checked and he found three cavities, one on top right and two on bottom right. So yesterday I went back to have them filled. (Why does it take months to get the next appointment?) Anyway he numbed the top first and said he wanted to "get in there" to make sure a filling was all I needed, and if so then he would take care of the bottom. Well, it wasn't all I needed. As I was sitting there with gloved fingers and instruments in my mouth he informed me that actually I needed a root canal. He asked me if that was okay. What could I say? So he went ahead and performed the RC. That was fun. The thing about a root canal is, there really isn't any pain involved. You're numb, so you can't feel it. The bad thing is having to HOLD YOUR MOUTH OPEN for so long. My mother had a bad experience with this once. She actually had her mouth open so long that when the dentist was done she couldn't close her mouth. She had to sit there for several minutes until her jawbone relaxed so she could move it again to close it. And of course that was all I could think of while I was sitting there. But this dentist, Dr. Gravitte from Mt. Airy, was really good about everything. He would stop every once in a while and tell me to "just rest", so I could close my mouth for a little bit. Then he would go again for a while. He explained everything he was doing. His office even called me at home yesterday afternoon to make sure I was okay. AND he gave me some Darvocet. So, if you can have a favorite dentist, he's mine.

Standing O!

That is what everyone at the BYU commencement ceremony today gave Dick Cheney after he spoke. I watched most of the graduation on TV, forwarding it through the boring stuff. But I was really impressed at the warm welcome the VP received. After all the bad press I really didn't know what kind of reception he would get. President Hinckley walked in with several people, including Cheney, and everyone was clapping - but they were probably clapping for President Hinckley. Then the guy (President of BYU) was announcing everyone, and he announced President Hinckley - who got a big applause, but then he announced Dick Cheney, and HE ALSO GOT A BIG APPLAUSE! It was great, and Cheney seemed to be overcome with it. To my mind he looked like he was really trying not to cry. He was given an honorary degree for public service. And again, after he gave his remarks, he got a standing ovation. It was sweet, and I was really proud of the respect everyone showed him.

To change the subject, last night's AI was a great show. I especially liked Il Divo. They have the BEST voices, and talk about easy on the eyes. And Kelly Clarkson was great, but what blew me away was Celine Dion and Elvis's duet. I don't know how they did that, but it looked so real and sounded so good with the harmony. And then, Ryan kept saying throughout the show that everyone would be shocked at the results - who was leaving. So I was kind of afraid that either Melinda or Jordin might leave, because they were the frontrunners. So, as the show went on Ryan would go over the six finalists and pick someone and tell them that they were safe. He told this to Melinda, Blake, Lakisha, and Phil. So that left Chris and Jordin. So then at the end of the show he goes over to them again and asked those two to stand up. So I'm hoping against hope that Chris goes home, because I don't like him anyway. But then Ryan says, "Chris, you're safe." So there is Jordin, and you can just feel the shock through the whole audience. And poor Jordin. All this time all she has heard have been good things, so you know she thought she would be on a lot longer. And then Ryan says, "And Jordin, you are also safe." WHAT??? So that was the shocker - no one had to leave. Ryan made some comment to the effect that they couldn't throw someone off the show on "charity night", so next week two of them will leave. I still think that was mean though to Jordin. And did I mention that Il Divo sang?

Yay!

Bennie has left the building! Well, I shouldn't be so elated I guess, but it is hard living with a sick person. He got sick last week and went to the doctor on Friday. He was diagnosed with Strep throat and got some medicine. Well, over the weekend he continued to get worse instead of better. On Monday I took him back to the doctor where he got a shot and more medicine. This time it worked. This morning he left for work. What was interesting is that from Friday to Monday he had lost TEN POUNDS. So this morning as he was getting dressed he was having trouble keeping his pants up. Anyway, he's back to work and feeling better.

Ok, about last night. I don't know what is up with Lakisha. She was sooo good at first, but she's just gone downhill, and last week she was giving the sob story about how hard it was being a single parent. I think that probably turned people off more than on. So, she may be gone after tonight, but I hope not. I hope it's either Phil or Chris. I don't like either one of them. And Jordin was fantastic. I remember my mother singing that song in church when I was little, "You'll Never Walk Alone", so it is one of my favorites. Melinda, as always, did a great job. So I guess I'm picking for the AI either Melinda or Jordin. I would be happy with either one. But I hope Blake is in the top 3, because I really like him too. He did a good job with "Imagine" last night. I'm looking forward to tonight's show!

Why Do They Do This?

Why do companies change things? I'm getting really tired of this. Whenever I get to liking a product, the company will come along and "improve" it, and it isn't the same anymore. For example, I have been using a lotion for over 20 years now, St. Ives. It isn't greasy. It softens your skin. No smell to it. So it's perfect. Now, I can't find it anywhere. They have upgraded it and changed the packaging and label. Now to get what is supposed to be the upgraded original, it stinks, and it doesn't feel as good on your skin. The closest I've found is the Aloe and Chamomile lotion, but it is too thick and just isn't as good as what I've been using for YEARS AND YEARS. So I'm trying to find a new lotion. I've tried Oil of Olay because I like their soap, but the lotion is too thin.

I remember years ago, probably when I was 13 or 14, somewhere around then, I used to love to eat Chef-Boy-Ardee spaghetti. It would come in a box with a small box of the spaghetti, a can of sauce, and a small can of Parmesan cheese. It was my all time favorite meal since before I could even remember eating. And then, like I said, when I was around 13 or so I cooked it one day and it tasted different, and not good. I got to wondering about this and looked at the can of sauce, at the ingredients. Guess what the third ingredient was? Carrots! Now what are carrots doing in spaghetti sauce? So I couldn't eat my favorite food anymore. Years later I learned to make my own spaghetti sauce and put in it what I liked.

So anyway, if anyone knows of a really good lotion please let me know. And I think I'll write to St. Ives and just tell them what I think about their stupid improvements.

It Wasn't Like That

I'm referring to the Drudge Report's article about Simon Cowell rolling his eyes while Chris Richardson sent his condolences to the families of the VA Tech victims. I know exactly why he was rolling his eyes. And I would have done the same thing. After Chris sang his song, which was terrible, Simon was right on with his criticism, and Chris didn't like it. Simon said it was "nasally", which it was, and then Chris talked back saying that "nasally" was a form of singing. And then Chris went on to say a few words about the VA Tech stuff, which was really not the right time. It was so obvious that he was just trying to get votes. Yeah, everybody agrees that the massacre was horrible, and everyone feels for their families, but I think that Chris was way out of line to bring that up in the middle of the show like that. I hope they vote him off!

Sanjaya was back to being his usual no-talent self. But at least he sang a song that I had heard of. And so did Lakisha, who I thought did really well, but the judges didn't like it. Phil probably deserves to stay another week. I liked Blake and Jordin, but Melinda was absolutely the best. So, my prediction is bye bye Chris - but of course because Simon rolled his eyes, he will probably stay, which will hopefully mean Sanjaya will leave!?

I Can't Believe I Felt Sorry For Her

Juliet, oh Juliet. Why hast thou lied? Just another twist in an amazing season.

Boring

Last night's AI was the most boring show I think I've ever seen. Nobody did a really good job. I think the best of the worst was probably Jordin. Even the top two - Melinda and Lakisha - were just average. And with the Latin theme there was so much potential. All the guys were terrible, but Sanjaya was actually no worse than anybody else. So it's a toss-up tonight as to who leaves, and right now I don't care who that is.

On another note, Victor Davila, the standout basketball player from Starmount, won the Spencer Award - which is a big deal. He was voted the BEST player in northwest North Carolina - not just 2A but all the A's. AND he had twice as many votes as the 2nd best player! He has had offers so far from NC State, UNC, Wake Forest, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Memphis, well, the list goes on. I just hope he stays at Starmount for his senior year. I love to watch him play, and just think, in a couple of years EVERYBODY can watch him play because he'll be on national TV!

Gina's Gone

While Phil and Sanjaya are still in. What is wrong with people?!?

Noah Made Me Cry

This morning as I was running (at my usual 4 mph) I was watching the end of last night's championship game between Florida and Ohio State. I was pulling for Florida to win again, which they did. It was a good game. At the end there was the typical jubilation on the floor and in the stands with the crowd, everybody hugging and jumping and stuff. But then the camera turned on Joakim Noah, who is a standout junior on Florida's team. He started going up into the stands, obviously looking for someone. He would go up stairs and across aisles - getting high-5's and pats on the back from all the fans. He kept going, for a couple of minutes it seemed like, until he reached his destination - his MOM! It was so cool.

"Old Music"

Quentin was home this weekend and surprised me with a mixed CD he had made for me. He said he thought I would like it, and that it had a lot of "old music" on it. I took it with me to Jonesville Saturday night, listening to it going down 77. The thing is, when he said "old music", I was thinking Led Zeppelin, the Rolling Stones, the Who, you know, 60's and 70's music. What was on the CD was Alice in Chains, Foo Fighters, Fuel - mostly 90's music. Then I realized, that was "old music" to Quentin. He was 10 in 1991 and grew up with this just like I had grown up with the other stuff. It really gave me a strange feeling. BUT, I still like the CD. Thanks Quentin.

It Wasn't Paulo Lies

It was para-lyzed. What a horrible ending!

Our Cocky Mouse

This morning, as I do every morning, I check our glue mouse traps for the occasional mouse that comes in our house. Guess what I found on one? That's right. A mouse "pill". How that happened I have no idea, but I REALLY want to catch that mouse!

Go Gina!

Gina did the best last night by far! And she especially stayed in the pop category they were trying to go for. Melinda and Lakisha did well again, but I didn't like their songs. I hated Jordin's and Haley's songs too. On to the guys. Phil surprised me and did an okay job. Good song choice for him with the Police. I DIDN'T LIKE Chris R's verson of "Don't Speak". I thought it was terrible. Blake, I hate to say, was just downright boring. He is a smooth singer, but a bad song choice. I also didn't like the other Chris - the smartmouth one, although he didn't really have any kind of comback last night. He just wasn't good, and I think he knew it. And then we come to Sanjaya. My goodness. I totally agreed with Simon, what else can you say. That poor guy. All I can say is, he tries. The hair was just weird. I guess he was trying to get into the punk look, but it just didn't work for him. But he will probably be back again next week. I think one of the Chris's will be gone after tonight. Of course I've been wrong every other time. We'll see.

Spring Stuff

As the weather has gotten warmer we've been getting out and about more. As Bennie wrote in his blog, we went to Stone Mountain last Saturday. We hiked the "easy" backpacking trail, working our way up to the main loop trail which we'll do hopefully in a few weeks. Just like Vanessa, we didn't see any deer on the hike at all. There was ONE small doe on the side of the road on the way there, and that was it. There was a lot of gravel on the trail that I didn't remember from before, and my feet didn't like that very much.

On Friday afternoon Bennie and I went outside and practiced our disc throwing. My arm is still sore four days later. Bennie can throw it twice as far as me. I've got to get better because we're taking our stuff to Georgia in a couple weeks to play with Justin. They have a neat disc golf course at a park down there - you just have to watch out for the FIRE ANTS!

Yesterday I took my bike apart and put it in the back of my car. I had to go to Mt. Airy to turn in my work, so after that I went over the Greenway and rode for about 45 minutes. That is a really nice trail - paved and flat, just like I like them. At one point another creek comes into the main creek, and there is a beaver dam there. Last year there would just be a slightly rounded pool at the dam. Yesterday there was a POND. It was about 80-90 feet in diameter with trees and weeds coming up out of the water, looking almost like a swamp. I stopped for awhile watching for the beavers but never saw any. The dam itself was really nice, about 5-6 feet high. I could imagine the beavers being behind all those sticks watching me watch for them and laughing. Oh well.

And one more spring bit of news. Last fall Bennie planted 50 hyacinth bulbs for me right in front of our porch. That is my favorite flower, and I couldn't wait to see them springing forth. Well, they are nowhere to be seen, except for one scraggly pink one that halfway has come up and seems to already be dying. Maybe next year they'll come around.

What A Game!

No, not the Carolina/Southern Cal game, but the Vanderbilt/Georgetown. That ending was fantastic. I love endings like that, especially when the team I'm pulling for pulls it out at the very end. Going into this game I really didn't have a preference between the two teams, until I found out about Patrick Jr. Then I wanted them to win, just to see them play Carolina. So, on to the game of the night. I'm glad I tivo'd the next two shows after the ballgame or I would have missed it. Carolina was down by 16 at one point, then went on a RUN AND A HALF to pull ahead, winning by I think ten points. And did you see the USC coach ASK FOR the technical? He killed any chances his team may have had at that point. Good luck to the 'heels tomorrow night!

Get Phil Outta There!

Phil needs to make like a tree. I can't stand him. I'm surprised he's lasted this long. I thought Melinda was the best, and again I really liked Joan Jett, oh, I mean Gina. I hope she stays for awhile. Haley was a little desperate I thought. The guys, well, what can you say about them? Blake was pretty good, but that's it. Phil was just horrible. And what's up with Sanjaya? And the little girl crying over him?? Lakisha was just average last night. And one more thing - if this was a "British Invasion" show, where were the Beatle songs?

The Bottom Three

Were guys, just like I said in my other post. The girls have it made.

Some thoughts - Diana Ross seemed to be having trouble walking in that longer than she is dress, like she thought she was going to step on it and trip. And I didn't like her singing that song ("More Today Than Yesterday). I love that song - the original by Spiral Starecase, and she should have sung one of HER originals! Also I was kind of disappointed in most all the contestants because they picked really weird songs that no one has heard of when, as Simon said, there were SO MANY other songs to choose from. I think it would have endeared them to the audience more to have sung the more familiar favorites. I didn't like ANY of the guys this week. I tried to like Blake again, but he "just didn't do it for me Dawg". Although he was probably the best of the worst. I liked Gina again. She is really growing on me. Of course Lakisha and Melinda are so far and away more talented than anyone else, but I didn't like their song choices. Jordin was better this week. And I liked Haley better too.

To change the subject, here are some sayings that are becoming overused, and I'm personally getting tired of hearing them:

The real deal.
Been there, done that.
My bad.
Peace out (or just "out").
And the weather guy saying EVERY SINGLE MORNING, "Here's what happening in your neck of the woods".

It Was BLUE Today In Chapel Hill

We lost - and that's all I have to say about that.

Idol Thoughts

After watching last night's AI I realized something. If Antonella Barba - Queen of the Internet - can make it one more time she will have it made for several weeks, because the guys will be gone one by one starting next week, and that will leave it for the girls. There might be one or two guys who will stick around for a while, but ALL the girls probably will until no guys are left. I've never seen this show so one-sided before. My two picks to leave tonight from the girls are Haley and Jordin. I kind of liked Jordin at first, but she's really gone downhill. And I didn't like Haley at all. Like Simon says, who is she? Nobody remembers. And I haven't liked Gina at all, but last night I thought she did a great job. It's about time someone did some Evanescence. As far as the guys go, Blake was good the first week, okay the second, and maybe just okay this week, but he is still the best of the guys. And, I actually liked Sundance this week with Pearl Jam's "Jeremy". And Sanjaya was better I thought, but his hula hooping didn't help his "pretty" image very much. So, we'll see what happens tonight.

How Many OT's Can One Heart Take?

The answer is 2. That's how many overtimes we had tonight to WIN THE REGIONALS!!!! I'll start from the beginning. Starmount came to play Shelby at the Joel Coliseum at 6:30. So, just as they were getting ready to introduce the players the lights were turned down with spotlights flashing all over the arena. So cool! So then they started playing. We scored first, and kept the lead most of the game, but it was close throughout. Tied at 27 at halftime. After the third we were 8 points ahead, but then they came back and were ahead of us by 3. So, with just three minutes left in the game we were tied at 45. Then Shelby just threw it around and held on to the ball, not trying to shoot or anything, just running down the clock. So with about 15 seconds left they tried to drive in to shoot, but they missed. We got the rebound with 0.3 seconds left, couldn't do anything, so it was overtime. No one scored, and Shelby again held the ball for about three of the four minutes. They tried a shot at the end again, but missed again. Double overtime. We couldn't STAND it. It was so nervewracking. So four minutes, and they shot a little bit this time. They scored twice, and we scored twice, making it 49 all. So, Shelby AGAIN holds the ball as time runs out, but THIS TIME with about 7 seconds to go we STEAL THE BALL, dribble down, and then one of our guys finds Victor under our basket and throws it to him, and VICTOR DUNKS THE BALL with about 2 seconds on the clock!!! Time just ran out, and it was over. This had to be the most exciting basketball game I have ever been to. What a finish. So, next week to Chapel Hill for the State Championship!

77 to 55

How about that score!! Last night Starmount came roaring in to the coliseum in Winston for the Western Regionals - on March 1st - how appropriate is that? It was a fun game to watch. I know it probably sounds like it was boring, being so one-sided, but there were times when West Henderson was within 8 or 10 points, and we had to step it up again to get back to our 15-17 point lead. At the end I think WH just gave up. So we won by a pretty good margin. Starmount had a crowd and a half there. They have really good fan support. An interesting note - the coach started five players that usually come in off the bench, and left his usual starters sitting for about the first three minutes. But we were up by 7 or 8 points when he put them in. So, no worries. After our game North Surry played Shelby and lost 55-54. We will be playing Shelby tomorrow night, same place. And the winner of that game with go to CHAPEL HILL next week for the state championship.

Also, have any of you noticed the farewell song on AI this year? It's Daughtry's "Home". How cool is that?

Better Late Than Never

Quentin holding up the wall.

Mother and daughter.

Isabella all dressed up.

Me and Justin.

Isabella in her new robe and PJ's.

Isabella at Great-Grandma's

Mom and Bennie

My three sons.

Josh at Grandma's

Justin and Vanessa at Grandma's.

Josh had put in the bubble bath, then turned on the jets. Isabella had a time!

WHEW!

I just got home from the ballgame. It was a close one - up until the last three or four minutes. Monroe was ahead of Starmount after the first quarter, at halftime (30-28), and I can't remember about the third quarter. But they were pretty neck and neck with the lead going back and forth the whole game. And then in the middle of the fourth quarter SM just took over! It was a sight to see. Of course the crowd was going wild. We ended up winning by 14 points! So we are now Sectional Champs. Next week we go to the Regionals in Winston at the coliseum. These playoffs started out with 64 teams, and now it's down to the "elite" eight - four from the west and four from the east. And guess who else is still in? That's right. North Surry. I don't see why SOMEBODY can't beat them so we won't have to play them anymore!

Letdown

What a dumb ending to a really good show, well at least it was good up until Marissa died. That is when they "jumped the shark". If you don't know, I'm talking about The O.C. I've been watching this show from the beginning, several years ago, and it has been a very interesting, fun show to watch. But last night's series finale was absolutely the worst ending to a series I have ever seen. It was just dumb. They left out so many things, like Ryan's child - what happened to him (or her?). And did they forget that he had a real mother? And his father, although Kevin Sorbo is a hunk and a half, he just didn't quite fit the picture of Ryan's abusive, alcoholic father. I mean I know people can change, but . . . And what did they do about their house? Just leave the mess there after the earthquake for someone else to clean up? Anyway, it was very unrealistic, and I was very disappointed. It was a good show, and they ruined it. At least this way I won't miss it though.

And what about American Idol this year? I thought the girls did really well, but I only liked one guy - Blake. And did you see Fantasia last night? She was fantasia-stic! And one other comment. They showed the musicians who are going to be mentors for this season. Where did they get some of these people? Peter Noone? I mean I liked Herman's Hermits, but a mentor? Jennifer Lopez? Gwen Stefani? And who has heard from Lulu in the last 40 years? Jon Bon Jovi will probably be okay, and Tony Bennett should be great. Anyway.

Well, I've got to go and get ready for the ballgame. Go Rams!

Another Good Game

Last night I went to Denver, NC, to watch Starmount in the second round of the sectional state playoffs. Starmount, because of a very close loss to North Surry last week in the conference tournament (buzzer shot), was ranked #2 in the conference and played East Lincoln, #1 in their conference. So, after driving through the stupid Charlotte/Lake Norman traffic we got to the school about 20 minutes early. They had a beautiful gym. Everybody was commenting on it. It was kind of strange though because five minutes before the game the visitors' side was full and only a handful on the home side. More came in later, but still, Starmount had a LOT more people than East Lincoln. So, the game started. We have Victor, 6'9", and they had a guy 6'8". This was going to be different because usually Victor just towers over his defenders who haven't been nearly as tall has him. AND the EL guy looked just like Napoleon Dynamite. Anyway, the game started, and we started scoring. We were ON FIRE. After the score got to 12-0 their coach called time out. The Starmount stands just rose as one and yelled, cheered, whistled, etc. It was so cool. I knew then that we had nothing to worry about. So we just enjoyed the game. Victor must have dunked the ball 7 or 8 times. He came away with 31 points for the night. We actually put in the JV subs at the end of the game. I think the final score was 77-59. It was a really fun ballgame.

Last Monday we played in the first round against Ledford and beat them by about 30 points. Tomorrow night we play Monroe. This will be a different ballgame. Monroe has consistently been one of the top ten teams in the state. So, back to business.

FINE

Pandemonium . . . Rock Star(?) in the Gym!

Last night I went to a fantastic basketball game! North Surry (11-0) came to Starmount (10-1) for the final regular season game. The only team to have beaten Starmount in the conference was NS, but the two best players from Starmount couldn't play that night. So, this was the real deal, to see who was the best. I've been to a bunch of ballgames at Starmount over the last 43 years, but I've never seen as many people as last night. The stands were full, the aisles were full, there were people sitting and standing on each end of the court along the walls, the lobby was full, AND there were a bunch of people in the cafeteria watching it on TV. So, the stage was set. North Surry has a really good team, and they played hard - just not quite hard enough. It was a nail-biter, close the whole time. NS actually was ahead with three minutes left in the game, but SM came back. It came down to the last few seconds - tied at 51 with 6 seconds. SM called time out, then came back, got the ball to Victor under the basket, and an easy 2 points to seal. With 2 seconds left NS tried to get it down the court but just couldn't. When the buzzer blew the SM stands just emptied onto the floor. We were sitting in the corner on the visitor's side, and the referees came RUNNING out the door as soon as the buzzer went off. It was so cool! So next week is the conference tournament, and this will probably happen all over again, but at Wilkes Central's tiny gym. Fun times ahead.

AND, before the game I noticed a commotion like someone was making their way through the throng at the door. There was this really cute guy, dark hair, with a WF shirt on. I was just wondering if he was a scout or something when I realized he was just running interference for the man himself, Skip Prosser. They sat about five feet from me. I saw him give out several autographs. Nice guy.

A Visit to the Grocery Store

Do you ever do something that you wished you hadn't as soon as you did it? I've been doing a lot of that lately, and I don't know why. The other night I told a friend that I didn't like her soup. I shouldn't have been so blunt, but I didn't like it. But, as soon as I said it I wished I hadn't said it. I should be nicer. And then today at the store. I had my cart about halfway full and went up to check out. There were a lot of people in the two lines that were open, like four or five deep, so everybody was looking at the closed counters, kind of waiting for someone to come by and say, "I'll get you on 6", or something like that. So, that is what happened. I saw the lady coming, and before she could get the words out, I guessed, correctly I might add, where she would be and started that way, passing this Mexican woman with a small boy in the seat and a cart full of groceries. As soon as I got by her she noticed the woman too and started that way, but I got there first. And then, as soon as I did, I regreted passing her. I looked back to let her go in front, but she had by now changed her mind and was up a few counters in another line. So, feeling guity, but happy that I got there first, I proceeded to get checked out. Now, Lowes has this promotion thing going where if you spend $75 at one trip once a week for eight weeks you get a $50 gift certificate. Well, I knew that I had made it last week but wasn't sure about when the new week started. I asked the checkout lady, and she said it started today. So I was kind of hoping that I had that many groceries. But I didn't. I only had $67 something. And then I remembered that they had shrimp on sale - regular $14.98, buy one get one free, so I asked the bag boy if he minded running back and getting the shrimp. So he did, and the lady finished bagging my groceries. So he brought back the shrimp, and it still wasn't enough, because you can't count tax. Well, now the guy behind me was starting to get irritated, but I only had a couple dollars to go. So I ran over and got a bunch of bananas. I already had one bunch, but the bananas were close by. So she added those, and the guy left the line (big mistake). Well now I needed ten more cents. So I reached around the lady behind me and grabbed an Almond Joy candy bar. By now the guy realized our line was shorter, so he comes back, but has to get behind the woman behind me. So he's pretty mad by now. But anyway, I got my $75 - before taxes. And then when it printed out, the week doesn't start until Saturday, and I had already qualified for this week. The checkout lady apologized to me over and over, but I think she probably should have apologized to the mad guy. Soooo, as I was leaving the store I got right in front of the Mexican woman with the cute kid again, feeling bad for doing that. Anyway, as I was putting groceries in my car I came across the second bunch of bananas and had one of those inspirational moments. I quickly ran over to the Mexican woman and gave her the bananas. She thanked me, and I feel better now.

I Wonder If It's Cold Where Saddam Is Now?

Bennie is going to the basketball game with me tonight!

Good News

I woke up to good news this morning. Dan Henning was fired. Yay!! Now maybe we can do something.

We'll See If This Works

Here are some pictures Quentin took last week.

Isabella on Grandpa's lap.

Me and my beautiful granddaughter.

Isabella relaxing.

Christmas with the family.

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!