and the big three...especially RAY ALLEN.

Ray Allen has got to be THE most stand up guy in professional sport today. A true pro. When he was in Milwaukee, his good guy reputation sometimes overshadowed his awesomeness on the court.

Playing during the adversity of his son's weekend diagnosis with diabetes, he still rawks all these years later. His championship was a long time coming, for sure. Justice.

I wish I could be in Beantown celebrating, too.

I share a birthday with Sherman Helmsley, Rick James, and Lisa Marie Presley.

Charlotte shares a birthday with JOHNNY DEPP!

My babies. Charlotte is two as of Monday. Natalie graduated from preschool, in, believe it or not, a VERY moving ceremony last Friday. One thing I'll say is that, as long as they let me, my girls will be getting _hand kisses_ when I drop them off at school. All mommies need that book.

We have Charlotte's small birthday party on Saturday...and I found out my best friend from Chicago is coming up, and my brother is taking this occasion to come 2000 miles back to Wisconsin for a visit! Lil Charlotte. She's THAT cool.

I have photo posts brewing for my twosie and my graduate. But, right now, I'm swamped. Charlotte's babysitter broke her foot (hairline, no cast but walking shoe) on Saturday and DH and I have been alternating days off this week while she recovers. The house is not ready for the party. The food is not bought. But, puttering around and spending Charlotte's second birthday with her this week was absolutely priceless. We have so many little conversations these days. I highly recommend the two year old.

Today, I'm in the office however, so it's back to the grind.

You are overwhelmed with politics & stories. I am really trying to keep away from posting any clearly contentious articles here.
I posted one this morning & then deleted it.

But, if you want to see my true colors (and help me with the density of the threads), click below.
LJ politics forum

Friday night, I went to a Home and Garden party at my friend's house. The consultant/party moderator who roped my friend into this party had some very good interactive games for us ladies to play. One of them involved taking a bonus card...my "bonus" was no tax on my order, and a PARTY! of My VERY Own, with her as the consultant.

The consultant talked of how, as a SAHM, she's really taken off since starting this gig back in 2002. How she's trying to rack up enough to win the Bahamas Vacation Award with her sales this year. How if it wasn't an efficient use of her time, her husband wouldn't be into it, etc. etc. She says she has a lot of working mom colleagues as well.

I work in sales. The tempting pitches and lure of glamorous prizes really have little effect on me. I have a fairly good understanding of the art of motivation and all that. I just want a steady income and weekends and evenings on my own, whenever possible. Hosting parties would seriously cut into my off-time.

I told the consultant I'm not ready to host a party of my very own, but thanks just the same for the "bonus prize." Out of the approximately 15 people there...I'd say, ten have had parties and get points for Friday's party referrals, etc. etc. They are all so into it. It's fun and lively, and a good excuse to get together...but not my cup of tea. At one point, she was throwing "auction cash" at us and people were scrambling to grab the stuff at my feet, since I reacted like I would if a bridal bouquet was tossed my way.

But, I am seriously excited about my purchase. Perfection! My soups will now be properly served, family style, instead of cafeteria style. Apparently, you can also make a roast in there! This thing will get a lot of use.



We also went to a fun, non commission based party on Saturday with relatives, and another one Monday with neighbors. Charly is a daredevil, I tell you. On Saturday, she was sliding down their slide head first and swinging the big kid swings and leaning back as far as she could, while wanting to go higher. She was up and down and around their treehouse, hanging like a monkey at times. She just started driving her sister's power wheels so she gladly took the wheel at the host's kid's power wheels too. I think one of Natalie's first phrases was "be careful!" It's clear we're a little more lax with the second kid.
Oh, and, the holiday weekend food? Highlights included: marinated porterhouse and lots of mayonnaise based salad choices. And, my brother's girlfriend brought rumaki on Saturday! Love her. The lilacs are in full bloom around here, too. Bliss.

is so effed up.
I wake, hit snooze, wake, hit snooze and before I know it, it's 6:15.
I remember when I was still nursing my early risers...I'd be up at 5 am, but semi conscious til that 6 am alarm hit the third round in the alarm cycle. Some of the moms and I got into some b-fing discussions in Seattle. Good convos, those and the political discussions, especially from the Lovely Who I Love Canuck associates who many times, have more written historical collections in their library stacks than many Americans. Love them.

I need to just get up at 6 and freaking grow up.

It did not help that I had the glorious luxury of changing my sleep schedule to work in Seattle. I love that town and can totally see parts of its beauty in ljfriends o' mine who live there or lived there, and write so wonderfully. It's a town full of true artists, really. Writing is the purest form of art. I recommend Seattle. I recommend seeing underground Seattle...ask for Mercedes.

So, if I just get my lazy ass out of bed at 6 am:
wake, shower, get coffee that is brewing from setting timer night before, dry hair and primp a little...I should be ready to hit the road, get N's jacket on and vamanos, right, by 6:45? I can do this. For K, she can go to school at 7:25 am...give her an opportunity to chill before bell rings at 7:45. Maybe I'll drop her at 7:35, some days.

Every space in the day is filled, I'll tell you what.

There's that stereotype that New Yorkers are rude. I have yet to meet a rude New Yorker. I find the people I know from NY to be DIRECT and interested. There is a difference. If a tourist is waiting in line at a deli in Manhattan and gets to the counter with 20 other people behind them and then proceeds to hem and haw about what kind of sandwich to order, THAT is rude. And, the busy deli worker has every right to go on to the next customer and move on with their work.

Also, I like direct people. Tell me where my order is at, or if it will be delayed, or just where I stand and then I can organize my life or work. The "adults" who play games, or sugar coat, or attempt thinly veiled manipulation, or whatever...those folks really don't help one's busy, complicated existence in this world, and even infringe on one's life sometimes.

In the TSA lines at the airport...they are processing people. There are signs everywhere directing one how to proceed and yet, people still get to the front of the line and then fail follow the process. It's very simple. It's very direct. If you can read, you can follow the process. And, you're not a special snowflake in the aforementioned scenarios.

Whether on a congested/highly populated island or in crowded airport...the necessary processes are very similar.

***

I've eaten fish for Every Single Meal while in Seattle. I hope I don't get mercury overload. Some guy on the street started an unsolicited conversation with me as I was walking back from Starbucks early yesterday morning. He asked me if I "needed some company" as I approached my hotel. Thank God I was right in front of my hotel. ICK.

Tagged by new_iconoclast:

The rules:

1. Pick up the nearest book (at least 123 pages).
2. Turn to page 123.
3. Find the 5th sentence
4. Post the 5th sentence on your blog.
5. Tag 5 people.

Anthony made an unwanted appearance at the American's inaugural meeting and issued a grudging promise to cooperate, "thought it nullify completely the national Association...(and The Revolution) for which I have struggled as never man or woman has struggled before."

Geoffrey C. Ward and Ken Burns, Not For Ourselves Alone, The Story of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 1999.

Tagging:
bramey
cjsmith
kimatha
breakableheart
ericainohio

Not paying the mortgage feels "great"

Ugh. Even the most staunch lefties I know agree with John McCain's stance on the subprime issue. It most certainly is not a "tough ethical question."

As groovysegue put it, DAMN YOU, UCONN! They majorly screwed my bracket.
I still have an "underdog" going to the finals, though, so my bracket is pretty risky.

Has there ever been a football player whose number was retired the same year he did? Should I know this. I am not surprised by the Packers' announcement. Ah, Brett...you'll have to come up for more hoop-la, again.

I haven't done an NCAA bracket in like ten years. With my last experience, I picked some upsets early in the bracket, like Hawaii, UW-Green Bay...those are ones I recall off the top of my head. I also picked Wisconsin to go to the final four that year, which threw me off because I think they were yanked in the sweet 16.

Still, I did so well in my non logical picks won the largest payout. It yielded me a sum of about $40 in our small office pool, but still, I won. And, of course, that really irked the bracket manager guy, given my strategies for picking. Hawaii is one of the most beautiful states in the union, come on!

So, I decided to participate again this year. The bracket manager (a Marquette alumni) emailed me after my picks, "now, are you picking these with your head, or your heart?" I picked the Marquette and Wisconsin to showdown in the championship...screw the rankings. *shrug* Over analysis is the root of So Many of Society's Woes, you know.

I think the bracket manager was pulling a vote for Hillary to bolster McCain strategy on me, though. He loves Marquette, even before MU Basketball was graced with Duwayne Wade. But, in absence of a superstar, and something-something about the MU coach, bracket manager didn't show much loyalty by picking MU to only advance one game.

I did tweak my bracket a little, after he provided some of his over analytical perspective. But, I have until Thursday at 11 to change it back.

MU-Wisconsin...that's why they call it Madness!

Yeah Hollywood, you know I love you more than what I should...
OMG...Johnny Depp and Christian Bale are going to be in Columbus today...just a few miles east of me. They're here filming a movie based on John Dillinger. It's a good thing I have zero time on my hands, or I might go stalker.



Barack's source of inspiration...
It seems as if Barack Obama is losing his luster. I cannot believe his dismissiveness with the crazy preacher who has been his "guide" for "20 years." The Dems...just can't get it together, AGAIN! Hillary may be polarizing and married to a creepy old man but she is her own entity...her own gal, and smart as a whip. Most importantly, she is not a tool like John Kerry (and again, she has a brain). She is electable.

An engineer here at work (staunch Republican who even listens to Rush) voted for Hillary in the hopes of facilitating a Democratic National Convention smack down. People find this silly banter between Barack and Hillary AMUSING. Ann Coulter...playing games with the public too...by voicing her support for Hillary...because she can. Don't believe the hype.

I am reading "Not For Ourselves Alone" right now for my book club. It's a book on the suffragist movement...well before the woman's movement was what we perceive it today. It's unbelievable that women first got to vote in 1920, and to read of what proceeded that. Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, Clara Colby, et. al > Gloria Steinem. It's an outrage and inspiring to read of their fight, and of what women went through back then. It's giving me perspective.



MMMMM, Salty meat and vegetables...
We had an early St. Patty's day par-tay at home yesterday. I made cookies with Shamrocks on them (CC is taking some in for her pals at daycare today, too) and we also enjoyed the fantastic tradition of corned beef and boiled cabbage, carrots and red potatoes. I have some for lunch today, too. Good stuff.



Tending to the necessary evil...
I've been riding the same tires since I bought my car in '03. I thought I had a sub zero temperature related slow leak but once again this morning my tire was flat...some kind citizen let me know when I was dropping N off at preschool. I stopped at the Mobil station and inflated it (for the third or fourth time in about a month)...am I going to have to break down and replace these tires this week?

My coworker friend just came in and showed me the reimbursement we can get through our health insurance if we participate in CSA.
Hello, there!

I want us to eat better, but I have a feeling we'd be throwing a lot of the weekly ration away. The place coworkie is hookin' up with provides recipes with their weekly shipments, which does add more appeal.

I rely so much on frozen vegetable bags these days. And, salad bags. And every time I go into the warehouse grocery that is suppose to have good produce, I find little that looks appealing. It is an exercise in patience to even walk into that store and the effort involved is usually not worth the "deals"...and as far as "good" produce, it all depends on your timing. Our run down the road grocery is typically always a miss this time of year.
Yes, despite all the hormones they inject into produce to get it up here, it still looks like crap and goes bad quickly...go figure.

I could always just go to the little fru fru cheese and produce store to get some fresh stuff, too. I do have options that don't require me to lock into weekly turnips and other roots we normally wouldn't eat. But, it sounds fun...like an adventure, sort of.

Must look over this and decide soon. This particular CSA group drops one's weekly share of the harvest over at the local micro brewery too, which makes it even more appealing. :)

I've successfully completed the stages of grief.

After yesterday's press conference, it's safe to say, he's not coming back.

Can we blame Favre-y for wanting to go down to Mississippi, back to his tractor and acres? He's worked so hard for so long.

That Bruce Hornsby Utube segment that I posted last night will make me cry for years to come, though.

He's so classy...even the way he closed the book on his career, just classy.

In sum:
Amazing, best ever, best arm, best instinct, most intuitive QB In The World.
Good guy, who let the world in on his personal character as well.
Mobbed by reporters. Had to be annoying to both him and family.
Mentally tough as nails, since he was a toddler, really.
Kick ass wife who shared her charitably, and even fashion sense from the fashion capitol of the world, Green Bay, WessssCONsin...pink jerseys 4evah.

Definitely a great story.

Go hang out in peace for awhle, with a bucket of bait and a fishing pole. Peace, man.

This whole thing is just breaking my heart.
I'm so sad.
But, he's definitely going out on top. Our hero...
I hope they get a little privacy for awhile. The madness up here.
We're all just sad.

If you're not a Packers or Favre fan, this is probably cheesy. But, the lyrics! It's perfection, really:


Source

This morning, I finally finished all my knowledge testing exercises administered by my boss. Hooray! Technically, overall, I got an "A" at 94% on my combined score on the written test, sales calls, and product demos. We definitely have a lot of freaking products, with a lot of freaking features and benefits.

Software is tricky. We just released two new versions.

So, I am pretty pleased. I think I will buy some Shiner Bock tonight.

I completed all the newsletter copy last week, so the ball's in the director's court, for that project, for now.

I am volunteering to wait tables at our Fish Fry tomorrow. It's actually pretty fun to waitress again. This Fish Fry is the BEST, too...they have the best seasonings I've ever tried. I've got the fam meeting me after my "shift" for dinner...my husband is a fish fry freak.

My coworker, a Chicago-raised Bears fan even has sympathy for us. He let me get in one "Bears Still Suck" for good measure.

Tony Romo, et al will attempt to duplicate Favre's on-field style, but there will never, ever be another. Those who attempt to imitate should keep in mind that Favre's integrity was part of the overall package. You know, make the world a better place and all.

Also, when you see fans wearing pink replica jerseys to support their teams...the wearing of the pink was started by none other than Brett's better half, Deanna Favre, as a fund raiser for breast cancer.

It goes without saying that everyone's a little sad in Green Bay. Tiny, little Green Bay, not NY or San Fran...where the NFL got started way back when with the early Chicago-Green Bay matchups.

I hope John Madden is doing ok.

Peace and Love to the Favres! Enjoy your days of golfing, horticulture and deer hunting, Brett. And, pass some good karma along to Aaron Rodgers, please. :)

( The Brett Favre Timeline )

He's reaching the age where he could have suffered a life altering injury. But, we love him so. Plus, the ubiquitous national media spotlight must have felt like Water Torture some days.

Thanks for the memories, Favre-y! Peace and prosperity to you and yours.

Clinton or Obama? Apparently, it's a toss up. I predict Obama will take it with a slight margin.

Some interesting factoids from the article, source here:

When the state that gave us Cheeseheads, "Laverne & Shirley" and political progressives holds its presidential primary Tuesday, the results could help determine whether Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama gets the Democratic nomination.
Clinton led there by 9 points early this month, according to one major survey, but two more recent polls show Obama now with a small lead.

President Lyndon Johnson dropped his re-election bid in 1968 when he realized that he was poised to lose Wisconsin's Democratic primary to Gene McCarthy.
Eight years earlier, John F. Kennedy's win in the state's primary over next-door-neighbor Hubert H. Humphrey of Minnesota helped establish the credibility of his national appeal. In 1992, Wisconsin Democrats narrowly chose Bill Clinton over California's Jerry Brown, pointing the way for the national party's ultimate choice.


In general elections the nation's 18th largest state, with about 5.6 million residents, has been a battleground. It chose Democrat John Kerry over President Bush by only 50-49 percent in 2004, and Democrat Al Gore over Bush by about 5,000 votes in 2000.

( Crucial step for Clinton, Obama )

In other cheesehead news, they are erecting a statue of The Fonz in Milwaukee.

Via chrispina

( 30 things you were dying to know about my relationship )

Yesterday, I was outside shoveling the driveway. I was at the top, near the garage, finishing up the last 2-3 rows. Along comes the city snowplow up our street, dumping excess street snow on the already-shoveled part of the driveway. DH saw it out the window and gave me a thumbs up. I went down and re-shoveled.

*yawn*

That's all I got.