Ba-da-boom-boom-boom...

bomp-bomp-bompa-bomp!

If you don't recognize the bass line, I'm trying to replicate "Another One Bites The Dust." That's the song that swims through my head whenever I think of roller-skating. I was around for the resurgence of skating in the late 70s/early 80s (think "Xanadu")..... and EVERY single time I went skating, it wasn't a complete evening until they played "Another One Bites the Dust." I went to skating birthday parties, weekend skates, church youth group skates. I owned my own pair..... white with burgundy and gold trim, translucent yellow wheels and a bright yellow stopper, size 9 (at 10 years old!). Oh yeah baby, I loved those things, and I loved going skating.

Today was the first day I wore a pair of skates -- quads, no less! -- in probably 20 years. Mr. Know-It-All had a skating party, and I finally got back on a pair of skates for the last 10 minutes of it. One: it was like 1980 all over again (HA!) except for the music. Two: These were some really loose wheels. Or else I've forgotten they're supposed to be that way. Three: to quote Danny Glover from Lethal Weapon, "I am too old for this kind of (barnyard substance)!"

Then there was "BreakDance Guy" -- some guy who was probably way closer to my age than the rest of the people on the floor, and he was showing off the moves. Yep. It really WAS like going back in time (insert rolling eyes icon here). He even had the mullet to go with it (and I could have sworn his locks bore some Jheri-curl in them too). ...... SNORK!

Oh yeah -- Stacey & Chris gave me their present -- HONEST, they know me so well! They got me a poker chip set, some Princess gear, and a cocktail shaker & glass set. Heh heh heh.....

Happy birthday, my birthday buddy!! I'm glad you had such a fun party!

16 Candles....

... and add more than just few to that, and you'll have my age. Yeppers, I turned the big 3-6 this week. And I share a birthday with Mr. Know-It-All, the (now) 6-year-old son of Stacey & Chris. It is amazing to realize how much he's grown up..... holy Moses!

I had a wonderful birthday dinner with my friends Nicole & Jeff, and Stacey & Chris and the kidlets at Haus Edelweiss, a nearby German restaurant that is one of my favorite places. MMM-MMM GOOD! We had lots of good German food, a delightful Riesling (we gals), the boys enjoyed some brews (Bitburger and Warsteiner), and lots of laughter. The kids kept us in stitches, and Nicole brought me a cool "Girlfriends" memory book for Stacey and I to work on together. It's kind of wild to realize that Stacey and I have been friends for half my life. It feels as though I've known her forever.....

Yesterday, my buddy "Queen Serene" (as I call her) gave me another super-cool present! It's a cooler with a radio in it! Is that not the neatest thing??? I can tailgate and listen to the game (or pre-game show) and keep my stuff on ice. Or if I take some drinks to work to keep at my desk, I can keep my radio on low and all will be well. Hmm, now there's an idea!!!! Plus there were some drinks and snacks in it as part of the gift basket. Now that's a friend who knows me well, too!! And it was great to get to see her. I miss her lots, especially now that we're not working together anymore.....

Then today, my coworkers and I went to lunch to celebrate both my birthday and my boss's (hers was Friday). We did have to make it a working meeting, but that was okay too -- lots of stuff to go over. We had a great lunch at Red Lobster, and stopped at a little place called The Chocolate Shoppe. Oh. My. God. Homemade cookies that were TDF, and chocolate confections everywhere. Thank goodness it's nowhere near the office or I'd be in some reeeeal trouble.

***

It's hard to believe how much I've aged, but how little I feel it. Honest to God, I still feel as though I'm in my mid-to-late 20s. When I was a kid, I always felt older than everyone else -- more mature, even though I was younger than most of my friends and classmates. I hit 18, and it started reversing itself. I felt younger than I had in years.

I think one of the greatest medicines to stop the aging process is laughter. Luckily, it's a medicine I take daily, if not several times a day! So keep laughing, and keep living.

Just call me the Dramamine Kid....

I had the pleasure of visiting my good friends The Glecks (of Five Flavors of Reflection fame) this past weekend. We had a great time!! I didn't get in until late Friday, but Saturday we had a full day at an Open House event at T-Gleck's work (complete with some of S-Gleck's yummy cupcakes!!), then onto a fun evening aboard a casino boat.....

Now I have long had trouble with motion sickness. I could take Dramamine, but then I would be out cold for a while. That's no fun. So I try to control it through natural means: ginger is usually a great remedy for nausea, etc. So with box of crystallized ginger in purse -- chewed before getting on the boat and once on the boat -- we boarded. Two decks (maybe a third one) of machines ... and tons of cigarette smoke. And then an upper deck with picnic tables, a karaoke machine, and (ah!) fresh air!

Unfortunately, once the boat got underway, we hit a little choppy water. Not even thirty minutes into the cruise.... well, let's just say I'm SO glad that trash can was nearby. And how did I make myself feel better? Falling asleep..... I could have taken the Dramamine, saved myself the trash-can shuffle, and slept anyway.

Somewhere around midnight, they started some karaoke... (at which point I woke up) I'm just glad there were no cops on board, because these people would have been arrested for murder!! The first was some guy who was so wasted, he didn't even know where the monitor (with the words) was. Then he treated us to a rap about how he was in jail and found the Lord; my first thought was, "Yeah, but where along the way did you lose him again?" The next guy just slaughtered "Come Monday" -- like who the hell DOESN'T know the words and timing to that??? Then RapDude and several friends got up to hack "It's So Hard to Say Goodbye To Yesterday" into little teensy pieces. Worse, they pulled up a girl friend of theirs to help with the high notes -- and her screeching made Mariah Carey sound like Lurch! GAAAAK!

Wait -- it gets worse. The next guy was horrendous -- if Neil Diamond were dead, he'd be rolling in his grave to hear this guy's rendition of "Sweet Caroline" (another one that if you don't know how it goes, don't get up and try to sing). The next guy did a fairly decent job of "I Wanna Be A Cowboy" (Kid Rock).

Then Buffett Murderer reappeared to do a version of "Summer Nights" and was begging for a partner to sing with him. This went on for about 2 minutes. Finally, to shut him the hell up, I got up to help. Good thing -- the poor boy needed it. Luckily, I managed to get a few compliments on the way out from some folks who'd heard me.

And special thanks to S-Gleck for the gift of earplugs...... AH!!!

I have also decided that when I win the lottery, I will devote a sizeable portion to research for ending motion sickness.

The rest of the weekend went all too quickly, but lots of fun. S-Gleck was kind enough to send a birthday cake home with me (and it is sooooooo good!)

Until next time, dear reader.......

Enjoy The Ride (r)!!!

If you're looking for a great classic rock station, please please please allow me to recommend a great one: The Ride 95.7 FM out of Charlotte NC -- now streaming for your listening pleasure!

I was lucky enough to discover them purely by accident one day on the way to my friend Nicole's house. I was also amazed to discover that (a) they were out of Charlotte and (b) I could pick them up on the other side of Greenville! They are my morning bliss on the way to work, and my evening wind-down.

They are not your typical Southern classic-rock station (also known as the "All Skynyrd, All ZZ Top, All the Time" syndrome). They play Steely Dan, they play Van Morrison, they play Talking Heads, they play the Clash, they play the Beatles, they play the Stones, they play lots of artists -- all with pure joy and abandon.

They even play -- are you ready for this??? -- deep album cuts.

Administers smelling salts to readers. Allows them a few to catch their breath.

Enjoy!

A-hee-hee-hee-hee.....

......WIPEOUT! I am totally pooped!

Each evening this past week, I worked like a madwoman on a costume for a party this past Friday night. I still didn't get it perfectly in line with my vision for the outfit, but pretty darn close. So it worked well.

What didn't work:
1. The wig: It was too darn hot and humid Friday night to wear. It was on for five minutes before I said, "Enough of this!!" But this costume really needs it, so by the time of the next event, I'll have perfected it (and hopefully the weather will cooperate as well).

2. The earrings: The hoops were horrendous. I bought this pair of silver "ho-hoops" (humongous hoops which hit my shoulders) which were thin and felt very light. WRONG! Even without the wig, the hoops were a nightmare. I wore them for a half-hour and took them out. OUCHIE! They actually, at one point, had twisted around, taking my earlobes with them.

3. The bracelets: I have a ton of stretchy jingly bracelets, all very cute and inexpensive (which suits my checkbook just fine). Unfortunately, they do not suit my skin -- if all the conditions are right (wrong?) and the moon is in the seventh house, then my skin will break out in a godawful red itchy rash at the mere touch of costume jewelry. At least the bracelets were able to stay on for a whole hour before I started feeling a little itchy. And luckily, my skin is thanking me for paying attention -- the rash didn't develop.

What worked:
1. The skirt: I spent most of Thursday evening sewing costume coins and bells on the eyelet trim of my broomstick tier skirt. It was perfect!!

2. The shirt: Last weekend, I ordered a shirt online (after searching for two weeks in vain for a peasant blouse, which apparently just isn't in this season). I could have paid twice the cost of the shirt for express shipping (guaranteed by the 11th), a nice chunk for delivery by the 13th (for a party on the 14th) or wait 10 days for regular shipping (not even an option). So I paid the nice chunk and prayed and crossed my fingers for arrival on the 13th. Would you believe it came on the 11th??? Anyway, the shirt was just gorgeous, a perfect fit, and very light -- perfect for fall!

3. The shawl/headpiece: Okay, really, I was less "gypsy" and more "Stevie Nicks, pre-rehab" ... but I had her in mind as I was working on this. I found a beautiful fabric at Hancock Fabrics -- an iridescent dark red. When I saw it (in dark red and a plum color), I started looking everywhere for hunter green ('specially with my red hair).... but no such luck. Oh well, the red was exquisite. And incredibly easy to sew. And I can use it over and over. I put my pewter Merlin pin on with it (a wizard with crystal ball) and it was perfect. Of course, I'm saving my $$ for one of those SO cool dresses from a place I saw on eBay -- one where I can still use the shawl and headpiece!

4. Most importantly, the good friends! It was a wonderful evening with good friends. Lots of friends came from all over (from as far as Texas, Indiana, New Jersey, Tennessee... where else?) for a whole weekend of fun (started by the party). Special thanks to Shawn & Catherine who opened their home for the party and as a B&B for us Carolina girls. We also got to have lunch at a great little Cuban place in Doraville with a few other folks. Shopping, too! We (the Carolina crew) decided to bail a little early because of some things going on today (we were starting to poop right on out)......

I have a few things to do today, so no nap for me (at least none I can foresee). So extra vitamins and such to ensure I don't become susceptible to any nasty bugs out there. Too much to do....

It's almost here! It's almost here!

My favorite holiday, that is!

Yes, I love Halloween. Love it, love it, love it. I always have. That may be due to the fact that it is so close to my birthday -- I was actually brought home from the hospital on Halloween! And thanks to a good friend of mine, I have a SLEW of Halloween tunes!!! YAHOO!!! I am now so psyched! Yes, yes, yes! By golly, I will be having a great musical feast this Halloween......

And I am *SO* very ready for an early Halloween party next weekend with my friends in Atlanta. I got the final piece of my costume today -- I ordered it and I am praying MIGHTY hard that it gets here by the 13th (as they have said it most likely would). I can't wait -- I've been working on my costume, and have some final parts to put together over this weekend (just that one last piece I'm waiting on......).

Did I mention how much I love Halloween?

Forgive me KatieG....

I am borrowing this from YOUR blog!

10 years ago I was:
Getting ready to START my work for the church. I had just been let go from a huge corporation (think "Death Star"), and totally unsure of how things would turn out. I lasted there 9 years, 4 months, 13 days.

5 years ago I was:
Getting better. Settling into things. Beginning to emerge from a self-imposed tunnel.

1 year ago I was:
Freaking out over what the future was bringing. I should have trusted my gut instincts.

Yesterday I was:
Crying my eyes out because everything seemed to go crazy at work, and I felt as if I'd really let a lot of folks down. I am my own worst critic and that will continue for my lifetime. But then I met friends for dinner, and things got so much better.

5 snacks I enjoy the most:
1. Cheetos Cheesy Puffs -- not the crunchy crap, the poofs.
2. Cool Ranch Doritos
3. Little Debbie Star Crunch.
4. TGIFriday's Baked Potato Skins (the "chip" kind, but I love the real ones too)
5. Whatever is in the vending machine at lunch.

5 songs I know all the words to :
*Okay, really, what songs don't I know the words to!??!* Fine... if you insist:
1. Penny Lane (the Beatles)
2. Amazing (Aerosmith)
3. Honky Tonk Women (Rolling Stones)
4. Kid Charlemagne (Steely Dan)
5. Ain't Too Proud to Beg (The Temptations)

5 things I would do with a billion dollars:
1. Pay off the bills for myself, my brother, and my parents. Set the 'rents up so they'd never have to work another day. Give baby bubba enough ca$h to do what he wants to do.
2. Put half immediately into a Swiss account. Gotta save for my future.
3. Buy my beach house on Sullivan's Island. Or Isle of Palms. Or Folly Beach. Heck, even Edisto would be fine for me -- and BUILD a house here.
4. Set up an endowed chair at my alma mater.
5. Buy a radio station. Make sure it's programmed the way *I* want a station to be.

5 places ideal for running away to:
1. Charleston SC
2. Sao Paulo, Brazil
3. Colorado Springs
4. Fiji ... Guam ... Samoa. Any of the South Seas islands where the men appreciate women with a little "extra" something.
5. Asheville NC

5 items you'll never see me wear:
1. Heels higher than 2" - God did NOT intend for me to teeter.
2. Skirts above the knee. God forbid.
3. Anything in "Clemson Orange" (or Tennessee Orange, for that matter!)
4. a jumpsuit. GAAAK!
5. Overalls

5 best TV shows:
1. Law & Order, any incarnation
2. My Name Is Earl (looks to be pretty doggone good)
3. M*A*S*H (especially the Frank Burns years)
4. Saturday college football
5. Sunday pro football

5 biggest joys in life:
1. Spending time with my godchildren.
2. Spending time with my friends.
3. Knowing I've made someone's day a little brighter and a little lighter.
4. Finding a true bargain.
5. Discovering the beauty to be found in solitude.

5 favorite toys:
1. my cards and poker chips
2. my computer (that counts... doesn't it?) ;-)
3. my truth-or-dare ball (similar to a Magic 8-Ball)
4. a pen and legal pad .... not technically toys either, but I love to write.
5. Hmm.... hmmm... hmm... hmmm... I'll have to add another later.

Thanks Katie -- this was fun!

Just a crazy thought I had

Yesterday, I was out at lunch, and was silently reflecting upon various things. Something hit me out of the blue, and I wanted to post it. I thought it was terribly profound -- and while it really had no connection with anything going on in my life at the moment, I figured that it might soon -- and I'd best remember.

In moments of tragedy, the self-righteous say, "There but for the grace of God go I." The truly righteous say, "Oh my God, there I am."

Whatcha think?