Tag Archives: Molly

A Couple of Things…

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With the Governor’s Stay at Home mandate for CORVID-19 crisis I find I have a little more time on my hands, so I thought I’d share a thought or two.

1. I find it takes tremendous discipline to get dressed in the morning. I get up no problem, the two senior pups see to that, but pulling on a pair of jeans is a different story.  Luckily I am able to work from home and do video chat meetings; I do my best to at least wear a new shirt every day.

2. My friend Linda sent me a link to a Cheers snippet.  I feel like that’s how we were at our public counter at City Hall…before we closed to the public, and before we were told to stay home.  Give it a watch, just click on image:
Cheers artwork3. I really do find it therapeutic when I take control on my Facebook news feed and I  Hide posts that are about the Coronavirus, especially the ones designed to spread fear.  I feel even more empowered when I Unfollow, even Unfriend those folks who are fear mongers. #TakingControl

4. After only two weeks of trying to fill the time, I got out my favorite old jigsaw puzzle. I use to do this nightly while pregnant to take my mind off what I knew would not be a walk in the park, the birth of Sydney Rose. I would time myself each night. I started at a couple of hours and eventually got it down to about 45 minutes. It’s like an old friend this 500 piece puzzle of stamps, which if you do the math, is over 25 years old.

5. I plan on cooking more, though I also plan to support restaurants that are trying to keep open for business by offering curbside pick up or delivery.  But I have to say I am super proud of myself.  I took out this salmon I bought a couple of weeks ago, defrosted it, and followed a recipe to cook it.  First time I’ve attempted Salmon.  OMG, Yum!!! #TryingNewThings
Salmon dinner

6. I thought I was being clever and so I didn’t worry so much about the toilet paper shortage because I could use the facilities at City Hall during the day.  Now that I’m home for the duration, I am mindfully rationing because of FREAKIN’ HOARDERS!!! #ShitJustGotReal

photo of toilet paper roll

7. When I hear of someone knowing someone who has contracted COVID-19, I can’t help but wonder what the degree of separation is between that person and me.  Was the person I know in contact with the ill person and when?  And of course, when did I last come in contact with the person I know?  Being isolated for two weeks should alleviate any concern.

8.  I’ve been looking up more things I’ve been curious about since I have more free time on my hands.  Case in point, why do dogs display their bellies?

I learned when your dog displays his tummy for a rubdown, he is performing an act that is, at its core, submissive. Rolling over to show you his belly leaves him physically vulnerable, and represents a strong degree of both trust and submission to you.  But I also learned, this behavior differs for cats when they expose their bellies. Cats often lie on their backs in a defensive posture, which shouldn’t be interpreted as an invitation for a belly rub. #ScratchesToProveIt

9. Molly, by the way, has always practiced social distancing. #MeanCat #AmIRightSydney

book cover artwork10. I use to call Molly a little fluff muffin…that is, until I looked it up. The Urban online dictionary has quite the graphic bothersome definition, ew! I will not share it here.
But then I got confused when I also saw Fluff Muffin is the name of a cute and hefty kitty that was adopted from a shelter in a series of children’s books.  HOW CAN THAT BE SO THE OPPOSITE?

11. You know that sudden burst of energy when your dog suddenly starts dashing about the house or the yard?  It’s commonly known as “the zoomies”. #Didn’tKnowThat
The reason is simple – happiness.  #ThatIKnew
According to Veterinarian,Dr. Jakubowsky, “It’s a way to release pent-up energy, but only happy, healthy dogs get the zoomies.”
So, if your pet is doing the zoomies then you are doing everything right.

12. The mystery of the Airpods:
The other day I walked out my kitchen door (second floor of duplex) and while waiting on the senior pups I heard something drop on my neighbor’s roof, I turned in time to see the item roll to a stop.  I drew on the second photo to draw your attention to said item. The mystery is that I DON’T KNOW WHERE IT CAME FROM!!!  Look at third photo and its clearly Airpods.  Either someone threw them up there, my neighbor says it wasn’t him, or a bird, most likely a seagull, dropped the item having thought it was food. #WillNeverKnow #MustBeBored #SeagullsAreTheWorst #TooMuchTimeOnMyHands
roof top  Roof top

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Airpods

 

 

 

It took my neighbor almost a week to go up there and retrieve them. Sydney Rose tried to goat me into sneaking up there and nabbing them…but you know me. #OnTheSideOfGood

13.  I swear, some of the homemade masks people are sporting these days look like they might have had a previous life as a speedo. #RepurposingFail

14.  Mine, by the way, is a repurposed sarong. I have no bandanas on standby, nor speedos.

face mask

15. I CAN’T BELIEVE HOW BADLY I NEED TO STOP TOUCHING MY FACE!!! #WorkingOnIt

16. And finally, to help pass the time I came up with what I thought was a totally brilliant drinking game. I proposed it to a friend but she suggested everyone would get alcohol poisoning and die.  It would go like this, you take a shot of your favorite liquor every time the President uses the word “tremendous.”  #CantDisagree

15. From my favorite quotes file: “This too shall pass.”  – author debated…unknown.

Thanks for listening, and for the love of all things good, wash your hands!!

A Couple of Things…

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1. The senior pups I adopted last summer are an endless source of entertainment. Both dogs have foggy looking eyes in certain light, but Barney seems to have worst sight and has tumbled off curbs and this morning next to the gate, stood and faced the fence waiting for me to open it as Missy and myself stepped through the gate next to him.  Sad, but honestly, a little funny too.  #BadMom

Barnie Baumgardner

2. That being said, I do carry Barney down the stairs as he has previously stumbled down several steps at a time, because not only is he slightly blind, but he’s extremely bow-legged. I carry him much more than Missy, and I have turned him into such the momma’s boy!

3. Random nick names for the dogs include, Barnasourus (a lesser known creature from the Mesozoic era), and Missylaneous (because she’s a little of everything, a busy-body, a snuggle bug, and Barney’s face cleaning machine).

Yeah, I know, I’ve become one of “those” dog owners.  #DontCare #CrazyDogLover

snaggle tooth dog4. I can’t help but think of a baby sloth when I’m holding Missy.  She also makes little gurgling sounds sort of like a small pig and she has a snaggle tooth which juts out when she’s really comfortable. #FreakinAdorable #SnoresWhenSheSleeps

cat lounging5. Molly is none too happy with the senior pups. I have to speculate they would have been best friends if she hadn’t been such a snip when they arrived.  #MeanCat

6. Our first Halloween was quite fun dressing Missy as a folk singer. Not only did her picture make the local paper in the Ventura Breeze, but we won honorable mention at City Hall’s photo contest. I’ll get Barney next time. #WorthHerWeightInGold #MissyBaumgardner

7. After I first got the senior pups, I would give them baths myself, but then I had them “professionally groomed.”  I’m going to wait for it to warm up again before their next visit.  Can you believe they’re 12 and 11 years old?  #LookWayYounger

8. It couldn’t be helped, I started an Instagram account: AdoptedSeniorDogs.  Follow us!!

watching tv

9. Watching the Big Bang Theory with me.

dogs on lap10.  I can only extend my arms so far, but this is how I must now work at my computer. #TwoDogsOneLap #ReallyDontMind #SeniorDogLife

dogs wearing raincoats11.  I found out after the first shower, the senior dogs don’t do rain; but they actually like their raincoats and will wear them when it’s cold outside. #HighMaintenance

12. Home movies:  I call this one, “Couch Time with Missy and Barney.”

12. These two are extremely close. There is speculation that Missy is Barney’s mom (apparently mated with Maltese), as their white patches are exactly the same though he’s obviously tan and she gray.  Their foster mom thought Missy might have been a puppy mill mom as she wasn’t fixed when she was surrendered. Missy is always grooming Barney and cleaning his ears and he’s content to let her do so.  They’re always by each other’s side when I return home and are never more than a few feet away from each other when I’m there.
I’m trying not to think how one will do without the other when the inevitable happens, but I’ll be there to comfort and care for them when it does.

From my favorite quotes file: “I think dogs are the most amazing creatures; they give unconditional love. For me, they are the role model for being alive.” – Gilda Radner

A Couple of Things…

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1. There are few words that offend me, but one that does most likely has to do with my feminism, and I’ll even allow for generational gap ideology,  but I don’t like when women are refer to as “pussy”.  I’m not offended when this word is used as a noun (in a loving committed relationship, wink-wink), I don’t even mind the word being used when stating someone has no backbone, or they’re being a coward, but just referring to women as a whole as “pussy”, TOTALLY offensive.

See, Donald Trump’s use of the word didn’t actually offend me. I’m certain other presidents have used the word in a lewd manner before in private and it’s Trump’s lot in life that he’ll always be known for saying stupid things…caught on tape intentionally or not; but I used to have the biggest rock star crush on Bush’s lead man Gavin Rossdale (pre-cheating days on Gwen Stefani)…that is until the day he responded live on Las Vegas radio when asked if he would be getting call girls for his crew again this tour, and he said, and I quote, “No, they get enough pussy already.”

And like that, I was over my crush.

2. Little did my daughter know when she named her new kitten Molly that a  female cat is  referred to as a “queen” or a “molly.”  So not only is she called Molly, but she actually is a molly.
It’s pretty appropo too, a “queen” is when the cat is currently raising kittens or is a soon-to-be mother, but female cats that aren’t nursing or pregnant are typically referred to as a “molly”, which connotes less of a motherly feel.

You couldn’t get any less motherly than this terrorist of a cat Molly.   Just sayin’.

3. One of these days when I have nothing better to do, I’m going to try to regrow Romaine lettuce.  Did you even know this was possible?  Just cut off the bottom (which you don’t eat anyways) and place in a half an inch of water in a container (like a cleaned out cottage cheese container), place near sunlight and wa la.. the lettuce will start to grow new leaves and you have perpetual lettuce!
Source article

4. Speaking of being “green”, food waste has become a hot topic the last few years, I’m glad because I honestly hate wasting food.  At a restaurant I take my leftovers home for additional meals which is very economical for me. But I find shopping at the grocery store is extremely difficult for a single person. And if you do find single-person items, they’re typically more expensive!  A loaf of bread rarely gets eaten before mold starts growing and I never use up a whole can of beans, or pasta sauce or anything.  I’m sure I should be freezing and then defrost to use the remaining product, but I’m just not that industrious when it comes to cooking!  I would rather have economically fair single person portions available.

5. I find that it’s easier for me to help than to accept help.  Probably because it’s easier just to figure out and do something myself.

6. I guess I am a Type-A personality when it comes to certain areas of my life, it would be those areas where I have a strong commitment (i.e., VenturaRocks.com). But other areas?  Not so much. I can create or un-create at will.

7. It was a brilliant idea whoever came up with the Nicotine patch to help people stop smoking; that is until someone came up with an even more brilliant idea to wear the patch to get them through those periods where they were not allowed to smoke and they couldn’t wait for their break, or worst yet, they wear the patch in addition to smoking.

Creative thinking, yes. Self-destructive behavior, absolutely!

8. Sometimes I feel like I’m the only person who has never seen Game of Thrones…and I’m alright with that.

9. I love endorphin rushes!

10. It always blows my mind when I come across someone who does not value music, and to a lesser degree someone who does not like to read. I can understand people being so busy they don’t have time to read a book or the paper, but music?  That’s just sad.

11. Here’s a quick car update, I still haven’t named her, but I have established that my car is female, so I’m getting there.

12. I came across this blog called “How to ruin your band name.”  It’s really funny.  My favorite way to ruin your band, “Band Names with Unfortunate Acronyms.”  Jimmy Eat World, Saves the Day.  They recommend, “Before you settle on your band name, do a quick check: do the letters spell out something potentially embarrassing like POO or ASS or KKK?”

Source article

From my favorite quotes file, “Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and to everything.” – Plato

Thanks for listening.

A Couple of Things…

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Syd Rose showing off her birthday tattoo.

Syd Rose showing off her birthday tattoo.

1.  My daughter Sydney Rose turned 21 on June 11.  She’ll always be my baby.  Nothing melts my heart more than when she calls and says, “Hi Mama!”

Sydney attended a summer camp when she was in elementary school, I think it was in New Mexico.  It was the first time she was away from home for an extended period of time, a whole month!  When she came back, I went from being called Mom to Dude.  Happy to say she eventually settled on “Mama.”

Of course I’ll always have this image of her little baby attitude in my head.  We made a calendar out of this shot.  Too cute!  Love you Sydney Rose!!
Sydney Rose bath time

2.  I never see Chili Beans on the menu at Mexican restaurants.

3.  I always giggle when someone gets indignant about being called middle-aged.  It’s the period of life between youth and old age.  I guess we could stretch the definition of youth, but come on!  By 35, you ain’t no youngster!!  You can further suggest you’ll live to 125, but even then, at 35, you still ain’t no youngster! You just elongated the period of being middle-aged!

4.  8700333_fpxIt may just be me, but I think it’s pure evil of Macy’s to place chocolates next to their cash registers in these beautifully wrapped gold boxes. Milk chocolate with creamy caramel and sea salt, are you kidding?  After one’s ego has been thoroughly deflated trying to find a pair of jeans that fit properly you’re going to tempt me with more calories?  Bastards!

5.  I bought a new bicycle helmet.  Apparently they have a 1-2 year life span.

Pizza Hut6. Okay, maybe I’m not quite done with my hot dog phase.  Tell me this doesn’t look kind of good!

7.  I’ve decided to unclutter by life. I won’t go so far as to say I was overwhelmed, but I will say I was doing more things that I was not enjoying, than I was enjoying. And that’s not to say I was working too much because I actually enjoy working.  So I’m getting rid of the stress and “clutter” inhibiting my happiness. My motto remains, “Work Hard, Play Harder.”

8.   One of my pet peeves is when someone shows up late with an entree to a potluck.

The cat is asking for you.9.  The other day some random cat attempted to enter my house through the doggie door.  All I have to say is Molly is one bad-ass kitty cat.  Don’t fuck with her.  I went downstairs to find the intruder and there was a black and white kitty with its hair on end yeowing.  I don’t think it’ll attempt to trespass again.  I’ve posted this photo of her before, but this completely epitomizes her.
Now I just have to train her to chase off spiders and raccoons.

10.   I was not surprised by the ton of media coverage when Bruce Jenner made the transitions from man to woman and appeared on Vanity Fair as Caitlyn.  I was pleased most were civil, that is until I came across Jon Stewart’s Daily Show commentary on the media coverage.  Not only was it a great, but he demonstrates so eloquently how society is sexist and ageist.

“Congratulations, and welcome to being a woman in America.” – Jon Stewart

Please do me a favor and take the time to view this.

11.  From my favorite quotes file:  “The first problem for all of us, men and women, is not to learn, but to unlearn.” – Gloria Steinem

A Couple of Things…

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city-tech-xmas-20141. Every year in the Transportation Division the Supervisors (Rick Gallegos & Jeff Hereford – 4th & 5th from left) treat the Techs to a Christmas breakfast to show their appreciation for their hard work during the year at City Hall.  This year every one opted for beers & wings instead of eggs & ham.  I like their way of thinking…and so appreciate they include me in this annual tradition.

2. I am acutely aware how the news media puts fear into people’s lives.  They want to keep us scared!  Case in point, did you see these headlines in the past couple of weeks?  “Chocolate Companies Warn Of Looming Global Shortage” or “The World Is Running Out of Chocolate — Is it Time to Panic?” or “Global Chocolate Shortage Possible as World’s Largest Manufacturer Voices Concern”

Freakin’ Bastards!  They really know how to cause a panic!

Molly3. A newly encountered, unforeseen obstacle keeping Sammy from getting up on the bed.  Molly can be such a grump. Just sayin’ Syd!

That being said, I read an article called “9 Signs Your Cat Actually Loves You.”  Turns out, Molly may be a grumpy girl, but she does love me…if I’m to believe this article.  Number 9 is my favorite:

#9 Eye contact with a kitty kiss—if you’re lucky

Cats only tend to make eye contact with those they know well and have developed trust for – so if you catch your kitty giving you the eye, don’t be worried. When your kitty locks eyes with you, casting a slow blink once eyes are met, this is their version of a kiss. Be a sweetie and give them a slow blink in return.

Molly actually gives kisses…though she may be trying to suck the life out of me.  I’m not completely sold she isn’t pure evil.

4. So my left knee is in a constant state of pain.  Trust me, I’m not looking for sympathy.  What worries me the most is my ability to keep active. But good news!  I have found an alternate form of exercise, swimming!  So much easier on the knees.

The date is set for surgery (barring any hitches) which will be on Friday, December 12.  So grateful I don’t have to wait until next month.

5. My cooking is coming along.  I grilled my first steak on the stove, threw together homemade cranberries for Thanksgiving dinner, and I made from scratch split pea soup.  I have to admit, I’m a pretty good cook!  Who knew!  My tip to others who are timid in the kitchen? Use simple recipes.

_stones-lips6. Bobby Keys passed away this week.  I don’t think I’ve felt the loss of someone I never really knew existed before I read about them.  He is the saxophonist whose work can be heard on those 70’s Rolling Stones records…the ones I grew up listening to and to this day still love.

7. I saw a story online about a metal band in Europe where the bass player suffered at ruptured testicle while performing recently in England. The musician, Otto Schimmelpenninck (Yeah, we’ll talk about that name another day), posted on Facebook about his injury warning, “Spoiler alert: you might want to read this another time if you were planning on having sex within the hour or so.”
At least he still has a sense of humor. He went into details about having been hit from behind by one of those streamer cannons. He was in a lot of pain, but made it through the show to discover back stage his scrotum was the size of a grapefruit and at the hospital they removed more than 500 ml of blood. They’ve been able to save his left ball for now.

I can’t help but think that THIS may compare to childbirth.

Too far?  Too soon?

At least with childbirth you know the pain will go away after you endure what feels like you’re being ripped apart. And, you get a baby like Sydney Rose to help you forget the torture.

8. I love that somebody posed the question, “What makes Snopes so credible?  Who is Snopes’ Snopes?”

9. I may be entirely too unyielding when it comes to being served french fries that are not hot; however, I’m willing to live with that.  I hate cold fries!  You’ve been warned.

10. Another great post in the form of meme:

“The Officer said, “You drinking?”
I said, “You buying?”
We laughed and laughed!
I need bail money.

11. Headline story this week:  “Raccoon attacks football player after ‘selfie gone wrong'”

Now if you know me, you know I’m no fan of raccoons, but he killed the critter with a wrench after it bit him.  I call foul play.  Not cool.  The vermin was just minding its own business and felt threatened when he got too close to it.  tsk tsk.

12.  From my favorite quotes file, “The greatness of a nation can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” – Mahatma Gandhi

We could be in trouble.

Thanks for your time. 🙂

A Couple of Things…

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teeth 1.  The year following my divorce, one of the first things I did was to invest in my teeth.  I actually went in to get veneers on my top teeth, but when my dentist learned I wanted my bottom teeth fixed the same way he stopped and refused and said he would not ruin ALL my teeth.  So I wore braces for a year, he whiten my teeth, and I couldn’t be happier.  Best investment I ever made in myself.

Note:  Having crooked teeth never stopped me from smiling, but having a straight smile took my attention off myself and put it on the person I was actually smiling at.  Does that make sense?

1535391_628237273925591_1934206023092580278_n2.  Clearly a mistake.

I took another one of those Facebook questionnaires to estimate what age I actually am, and it determined I was nine years old.  So some are not so flawed.

3.  Cinco de Mayo is coming up and like most holidays, it’s just a sneaky way to get out with friends and have a great time. Guac, carnitas, shots of Patron? What could possibly go wrong?

My Bombay's debut Aug 20134.  A musician friend here in town gave me good advice when I bought by new fender stratocaster, he said just pick it up and play it everyday. Doesn’t matter how long. Well I’ve been playing it often (not every single day), and I find the more often I play, the longer I want to play. I’m remembering songs I learned YEARS ago and I’m having fun, so much so, I actually got a mini blister on my pinkie.

Thank you Beatles for the reality, but, “I’ve got blisters on my fingers!” is now stuck in my head.

5.  I have a confession. I would have another baby in a heartbeat, but it would take a serious miracle.

6.  I am grateful that someone was clever enough to come up with denim material that stretches…just a little bit.

7.  Speaking of clothes. The other day I was multi-tasking and while cooking dinner (yeah, I know! Me cook right?!) I was folding clothes at the kitchen table and taking them to my room while stirring and mixing and stuff. After I finished cooking, I took my meal to my room to eat while working on websites. The next morning I got up early for work and there on one of the kitchen chairs was one of my sexiest pairs of panties. I can’t help but wonder what my roommate’s expression was if he saw them! He’s like 75 years old and we rarely even speak!

Kitty Sanchez vs Molly8.  The problem with Molly is that I always compare her to Kitty Sanchez and I know that isn’t fair. I wouldn’t have ever compared child #2 to Sydney Rose if I had ever had one (wink wink Sydney, you know you’re my fav); but Kitty Sanchez was in fact the best cat in the whole wide world; and Molly, is a kitty snob, she treats you like Pepe le Pew when you pick her up.

9.  I may have been too quick to smack down “smack talk from people about the Clippers being owned by Sterling. But you know what? More than anything, THEY need to support this team. There is no room for that sort of bigotry in this world let alone in the fuckin’ NBA. Are you kidding me? This smack talk sounds like they’re accusing Clipper fans of supporting racism. Give me a small break!
Or worse, they get joy out of the misery of others???  Either way, inappropriate in my book. Its probably a good thing that I have never wanted to commit to a specific franchise.  I just love a good team, and Chris Paul brings it.

Stephster the Refster10.  (Okay, deep breath…) Speaking of sports (and my attempt to lighten the mood), back in radio they’d send me out to host Monday Night Football where quickly my air name Stephanie Rose morphed into Stephster the Refster, with a referee shirt and a whistle to grab fans attention when it was time to give away crap.  Never mind I knew very little about the game and never mind I cared even less about it. But I did enjoy shaking hands, shooting pool and getting to know the guys who hung out for it. Tough job working a room full of mostly men, while partaking in libations and bar food. 🙂

Side story:  whilst pregnant with Syd Rose (sans libations), I had only one food craving during my entire pregnancy and that was for Tabasco.  I craved ANYTHING and EVERYTHING as long as it had Tabasco on it. Popcorn, burritos, eggs, I couldn’t get enough of it. I discovered this while hosting Monday Night Football and being served hot wings, with yes, Tabasco on them.
What could my body possibly be lacking to cause the craving?  Vinegar?

Dancing11.  I went out dancing with Maggie recently and a well-known gentleman about town asked me to dance.  I’ve danced with Jerry before so I knew going in I would be taken care of.  He basically does the two-step with a little salsa thrown in for fun.  When I caught Maggie taking a photo, you should have seen the stink eye I gave her.  Too bad she didn’t capture that one!

12.  Here’s the deal, I signed up for that LinkedIn JUST to shut them up.  I’ve never dealt with a more persistent entity before! All those requests for me to accept an invitation to… blah blah blah. Well I finally did about a year ago and thought well maybe it might be a good networking tool.
I just got an email where the Subject said:  “Congrats, you got 1 profile view last week‏”  So I guess my efforts on LinkedIn have been really paying off.

13.  From my favorite quotes file:  “If you’re going through hell, keep going.”  – Winston Churchill

Thanks for listening.

A Couple of Things…

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First day of school – Dianne, me & Jeff

1. Remember after a nice long hot summer that anticipation of the first day of school? Yeah, I don’t miss that so much.

2a. Speaking of school, I’m taking off this semester from college and taking this personal time to do a full body purification.  I did one once over 25 years ago.  While I realize I am not a body, I do have a body that needs tending to from time to time.

2b. Just in case you’re wondering, I am a spiritual being with this particular body. When this lifetime ends, the body stays (or in my case, gets incinerated), and I’ll go onto something else.

3a. I was reading a list called “10 Simple Things You Can Do Today That Will Make You Happier, Backed By Science”  It was written by Belle Beth Cooper.
Out of 10 points, my favorites are: “Exercise more – 7 minutes might be enough”; “Plan a trip – but don’t take one.”

3b. I love that someone narrowed it down to 7 minutes, and planning a trip is good enough, you don’t actually have to go!  It’s the Antici—pation that boosts happiness.  So mark shit down on your calendar, and look at it from time to time.  Love it!

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Your cat is asking for you.

4. I took this photo of Molly Monday night around 9:30 and sent it to Sydney (who moved to Oregon last week without her cat) via text message saying, “Your cat is asking for you.”  Then, I swear to God, the cat disappeared until Wednesday evening.  Half of me was dreading telling Sydney her cat disappeared, probably left looking for her, the other half, not so much.

5. AT&T internet providers blocked one of my postal worker’s union websites for security reasons.  Patriotic Act?  dDOS attack?  I couldn’t work over the weekend on this particular website and lost billable wages.  Commie Rat Bastards!

6a. I walked into my neighborhood donut store (I owed “goodies” at work because I bought a new car…this rule, by the way, is in the Engineering ByLaws), and I happened to have a bag of grapes I just bought at Vons.  The woman behind the counter asked if I had tried the new Cotton Candy grape.  I got super jazzed because I had read about these a couple of months ago.  She brought some out for me so I could try, and yes, THEY TASTE LIKE COTTON CANDY!!!  Crazy!

6b. So if kids (or adults for that matter) taste the sweeter Cotton Candy grapes, will they ever be satisfied with just the original sweet grape?

6c. And are these genetically modified grapes?  And is GMO ALWAYS a bad thing?  Cross pollination isn’t bad is it?

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Crazy!!!

7. I work with a bunch of crazy-ass fitness buffs who do this gnarly cross-fit training at lunch.  No comment.  Just a statement of fact.  I watch them from time to time as I have fun shooting hoops.

8. I recently read an article posted on the Huffington Post called, “23 Signs You’re Secretly An Introvert.”  It was written by Carolyn Gregoire. I fit 15 out 23 signs.  One sign is that you screen your calls, even from your friends (sorry bout that one), another one is that you’re a writer.  I call “BULLSHIT!”

9. My new Nissan Sentra did not make the Top Ten Most Stolen Cars in America list.  Yay!

10. I have a friend who is a gluten for punishment.  See what I did there!  She can’t tolerate certain grains yet she still eats them…. K, not so funny.

11. I had a bite of a papple this week. Technically, it’s called Asian pear, but it tastes a little like a pear & an apple, and Sergio from Engineering has dubbed it a Papple.  Regardless, it was delicious!

12. From my “Favorite Facebook Posts” file:
“Sometimes, the first step towards forgiveness is realizing the other person is totally bat-shit crazy.”   Michelle Barlett

Thanks for listening!