I was planning on staying home today and cleaning my house. Somehow, I ended up going shopping instead. Out in the cold. Shopping for hours... I did do housecleaning. Until B called me from the store needing suitcase advice. It was all downhill from there. I talked her into buying a red suitcase. Black is too boring! Everyone has a black suitcase so the red one will stand out in the airport every week. I think my first car cost less than this suitcase. It had better last! She spent so much today that the bank called her to ask if her card had been stolen! (You've got to love tax return time!) I had to be pushed out of J. Crew. The ex-preppy girl in me loves that place! I found 3 suits and about 6 haberdashery shirts I wanted. But I didn't buy any of them. ( I, on the other hand, have not filed my taxes. I need to do that soon!) So, for fun and entertainment, I decided to have some fun in Target. It also helps that I'd had about 4 cups of coffee and a double mocha. That marble mocha macchiatto is good. Really too sweet to drink all of the time, but good. I'm sure it has about 1,500 calories in it, but I felt like I could afford it. So I tried something new and ordered that. Anyhow... As soon as I walked in the store (okay, right after I ordered my Starbucks) I found these bunny ears on a headband. So I put them on and wore them the entire time I was in the store. It is interesting. There are generally two different ways people react when I do something odd like that. Either they'll glance at you quickly and then look away even more quickly OR they'll smile, catch your eye, laugh or even say hi. I went along with B to find something, anything to get rid of the mouse. Yes, he is back. I don't want to kill an tiny animal, but I cannot have it in my house! I swear I saw that little sucker in my garage when I was coming home late one night this week. The mouse thing, it is making me crazy. I'm sure every time I turn around, I'm going to see that thing. It freaks me out. OK, I need to stop writing about it now as I'm getting ready to go to bed. More about that later...Like in the morning... I was pinging off the walls when I got home. CAFFEINE!! So, I decided to clean my bedroom. I mean, clean it. Pulled out all the furniture. Went through the closet and got rid of shoes and clothes. I hope I won't want those back when the caffeine high is gone. Nah.... It will just give me an excuse to go back to J. Crew.

de 1. Take this test: Out of three tries, what is the shortest time in seconds that you can type the alphabet? (Round to two or three decimal places.) 6.23 2. If you could have a vacation home anywhere, what location would you choose and why? Kona, Hawaii. I'd have the ocean, mountains, a volcano, fresh seafood, great locally grown coffee and the Iron Man Triathalon. 3. What room of your home could most use an organizational expert? Does my son's room count as a choice? Hurricane Ian blows in and it's unrecognizable as a room! 4. Take this quiz (if you haven't already!): What temperment are you? (Thanks to Barb!)

You Have a Melancholic Temperament

Introspective and reflective, you think about everything and anything.You are a soft-hearted daydreamer. You long for your ideal life.You love silence and solitude. Everyday life is usually too chaotic for you. Given enough time alone, it's easy for you to find inner peace.You tend to be spiritual, having found your own meaning of life.Wise and patient, you can help people through difficult times. At your worst, you brood and sulk. Your negative thoughts can trap you.You are reserved and withdrawn. This makes it hard to connect to others.You tend to over think small things, making decisions difficult.

5. What kind of merchandise was sold at the last "going out of businesses" sale you attended? Did you buy anything? A local department store is going out of business. I found a fantastic CK trench coat (in red!), some new black dress pants (can't ever have enough of those) and a casual shirt. 6. Without naming names, what's the most annoying thing about your neighbors? My neighbors watch me. Seriously- they are all retired that live right around me so they are always home, with nothing to do. But then again, that can be a good thing. Nobody messes with my stuff when I'm not around! They're all really sweet actually. I'm lucky!

"Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we." —Washington, D.C., Aug. 5, 2004 (Watch video)

How can you not feel safe knowing this man is running our nation? If you enjoyed that video, you may want to check out some other videos I have on the sideboard of my blog on the Stickam. It is the thing that looks like an IPod. If you're easily offended or have no sense of humor, you might want to skip it. Ooops, I just checked and the "L-Word" montage video comes up first. Watch that only if you do like bush...Makes me want to consider subscribing to Showtime again though...

Ha! How Goody Two Shoes is that?! There is a difference between nice and nice!

HELL LEVEL 2 Raw score: 61%

You're just about as deep in sexual hellfire as a person can get. Virtually no urge, however demented, will go ungratified; practically no boundary will go uncrossed. You're probably proud of your adventurousness, and, honestly, you should be. Few people are confident enough to pursue pleasure on their own terms. Your morals could sink a bit further, sure, but it's likely that you've got a pretty good idea of what you're into and what you would do...above all you're honest with yourself with what you want. If more people were honest with themselves, you'd have a lot more company down in the flames. AVOID: the lost souls in sexual heaven and (above all) the denizens of sexual purgatory. You don't need any prudes or wishy-washers in your life.

This test tracked 1 variable. How the score compared to the other people's: Higher than 36% on hellishness

Link: The Sexual HELL Test written by jason_bateman on Ok Cupid

Goody Two Shoes? Just because I'm nice??? But I don't think that makes me a goody two shoes.

Goody Two Shoes You scored 73% Do Gooder, 75% Drive, and 71% Intellect!

Aw, don't be hurt by that. You're a good person...very nice and helpful to others, always lending a hand. Always, always offering to lend a hand, even perhaps when it's not called for. Oh, and is that your raised hand in the air again? Why not let someone else answer next time? But seriously, there should probably be more people like you in the world. Super-smart, driven, and warm-hearted. There would be many less problems in the world if there were more like you, and you should be proud of that. Just don't forget a little 'me' time now and then, you deserve it. All human being categories are: Lazy SOB, Rebel w/out a Cause, Evil Mastermind, Henchman, Criminal, Dictator, Frat Boy, Socialite, Philosopher, Stunt Double, Upstanding Citizen, Teacher, Cheerleader, Sister Mary DoGood, Benefactor, Loyal Sidekick, Candy Striper, Goody Two-Shoes.

This test tracked 3 variables. How the score compared to the other people's: Higher than 72% on Do Gooder Higher than 93% on Drive Higher than 58% on Intellect

Link: The What Type of Human Are You? Test written by weeredIII on Ok Cupid

center>

You are a Social Moderate (55% permissive) and an... Economic Liberal (36% permissive) You are best described as a: Centrist Link: The Politics Test on Ok Cupid Also: The OkCupid Dating Persona Test

In the grey, my behind!

5 Congratulations! You scored 79%!

Predominantly homosexual, only incidentally heterosexual. You're in the grey. However, you are pretty much gay, and its unlikely that you'd get yourself involved with anyone but the same sex. There are always those instances where you may just click with someone, or, if enough alcohol is invovled, ANYTHING can happen. Chances are slim though, enjoy your partner!

This test tracked 1 variable. How the score compared to the other people's: Higher than 97% on PrefPoints

Link: The How gay or straight are you? Test written by PunkRockBitch on Ok Cupid

I found this link to Oliverbot. It's an AI chatterbot. I asked it a question and it said that it only hears that type of response in less than 5% of the time. I'm not surprised....

Recently, most of my air travel has been in the company of my boss. She's Persian and her Passport lists her country of birth as Iran. Here's where the fun begins. Please, don't try to tell me that racial profiling doesn't occur. She's obviously from the Middle-East. That doesn't make her a terrorist. Needless to say, every time we go through security she's tagged and pulled off to the side for an extensive search. Most of the time I am too. Either I'm guilty by association, or they're thinking they should pull someone who doesn't look foreign. I've had some pretty thorough searches at several airports. Any more thorough and I'm thinking they should at least buy me a drink first before they get any more personal! I've had my luggage scan positive for potential explosives. What? So, of course, the suitcase is opened up and searched. Naturally, nothing explosive is found. When nothing is found, I inquire as to what triggered the positive for explosives and was told that many common household items are similar to the components found in explosives. Really? I need to be more cautious with my deodorant then. If I ever spontaneously combust, blame the Lady Mitchum in my toiletry bag. I've been asked, "Did anyone place anything in your luggage without your knowledge?" Hello! Without my knowledge??? How would I know the answer you if it was done without my knowledge? Did Bush write that question?

1. Who is the last person you took a photograph of? A picture of B's tattoo. 2. What decade do you hold the most dear and why? Um, like the 80's... 3. Take the quiz: What mystical creature are you?

That's right, I'm an angel, of course!

You're like an angel. As everyone knows, angels dwell in heaven. They were desribed as shining ones wearing white and the idea that they have wings is believed as well. Guardian angels are the ones that many people think are dead loved ones who try to protect the living friends or family they have on Earth. They usually had blonde hair and maybe brown with flawless appearance and sweet dispositions. They were cheerful, hopefull, selfless, loving, and kind. Angels are the one mystical creature that a majority of people truly believe in. Encounters with angels are poping up all over the world and reassuring people's beliefs in angels. What Mystical Creature Are You? (Pictures) brought to you by Quizilla 4. What is your favorite alcoholic beverage? Wine 5. What do you normally wear to bed? Nada....What amazes me the most is when people can sleep with socks on their feet. It's almost worse than pj's!

Lisa's lame-ass excuse to break up: "You've held me back for long enough! I'm going to clown college!" 'What is your lame-ass excuse to break up?' at QuizGalaxy.com

This would be totally unbelievable coming from me to anyone who knows me in the least!

What are the Top 5 things you miss from your childhood? 1. My Grandmother's cookies fresh from the oven. 2. The belief that the rest of my life will be as easy as it had so far. 3. A bicycle with a banana seat. 4. Catching Fireflies. 5. Innocence.

1. If you could go back and relive one moment or day from your life, without changing anything, what would you re-experience? I would choose the day my son was born. In that moment, my life was forever changed. It was the most precious and indescribable time in my life. I am so blessed to have been there when that tiny miracle entered into this realm. There was pain in that day, but not the type of pain you might expect. Physical pain is nothing, it is completely transcendable... But pain of the mind, of the soul- it is something else entirely different. It's much more difficult to overcome. The anguish of worrying about your child, if he is healthy- it is like nothing else. 2. If you could witness a moment in history, again without changing anything, what would you want to see? When Eve met the Serpent in the Garden of Eden. It's just my curiosity that needs to be satisfied as to what really happened. 3. If you could talk to a younger version of yourself, what age would you visit and what message would you give? I'd tell my 20 year-old self- "Don't let him take it away from you." There are many things I had to learn the hard way, by experiencing them... I do know that my experiences make me who I am. But there are a few things I'd be happy to skip over if I could. 4. If you could choose one moment that would be guaranteed to happen in your future, what would it be and when would it happen? I'd like to see my son grown and satisfied with his life. I know what I wish for him, but it may not be his dream, so I can't impose that on him. 5. Pretend you left a time capsule for yourself 5, 10, 15, 20 or more years ago. You just opened it. What three things from your past are you now holding and what age were you when you buried them? 15 years ago I was 20 years old. I would have letters written from Operation Desert Storm, a tuberose lei and a boogie board.

1. What is/was your favorite subject in high school? Either French or English Lit. 2. What is/was your worst subject in high school? Calculus. I hated it! 3. What is/was your most memorable high school experience? I don't know if I have one... 4. Are/Were you a good student in high school? I was a "textbook good" student. No, seriously- I was an excellent student. 5. In general, is/was high school a happy time for you? It was fine. In retrospect, I should have had more fun and been less serious.

Appetizer If you were a color, which color would you be, and why? I would be red. Red is my favorite color. It is vibrant and brilliant. Red resonates with passion, romance, energy and courage. The color red demands immediate attention, recognition, and allows us to be outrageous. The color red demands immediate attention, recognition, and allows us to be outrageous. When you think of the power of red; red-blooded, red-light district, Cupid, the devil and valentines day. What about those flashing red lights, stop signs, red warning marks on all poisons, red-flags, stop lights, stop signs, police cars, ambulance, fire engines, red light districts, "roll out the red carpet", paint the town red, red eye flight, seeing red and in the red? Look at the worlds cultural history and beliefs. There are researchers who claim that Adam was made from red clay. The Catholic altars are decorated in red to symbolize the Holy Ghost. In Christianity, the red rose with the cross depicts bloodshed. The bible speaks of painting a door or frame with the color red, or a red cross would drive away evil. Red stands for signs of individuality, strength, and sexuality, flowing through the body in infinite transitional shades. Soup When was the last time you went to the doctor, and what was your reason for going? I went to the doctor a little over a week ago because I was ill and wasn't getting better on my own. Salad What do you collect? Not a thing. I don't want anything to dust or end up being cluttery. Main Course What were you like in high school? Name one thing you miss and one thing you don't miss about those days. (If you're still there, imagine how you'll remember it in the future.) I was much more reserved and conservative. I was one of those preppy, good-girl, National Honor Society types. Now, I only look like one! Dessert Pretend you're standing in front of your home, with your back towards your home. Describe the view - what can you see? Trees? Cars? A zoo? Wal-Mart? I see my neighbor's house and lots of trees.

Cheney's Got a Gun 1. Do you have good hand-eye coordination? Yes, it isn't too bad. 2. Have you ever held a gun? Of course I have. 3. What do you think of toy guns? They were one of my favorite toys when I was a kid. I was a cowboy after all, and what's a cowboy without a gun? 4. When is the last time you asked for forgiveness? From whom? An actual human or God? I'm sure I've asked forgiveness from God this week. 5. Your favorite Aerosmith song: "Dream On"

Due to a particularly wretched day at the office, you find yourself working much later than usual… mostly because an evil co-worker called you out in front of your boss about an assignment that you've been neglecting to complete. While you're doing your best to get the job done, you retreat to the break room for a caffinated pick-me-up only to discover your evil (and married!) co-worker making out with the guy who stocks the vending machines. You've definitely hit the jackpot with this one. What do you do? A. Do you best imitation of a witch's cackle, making your co-worker think you're planning something evil but just keep the tidbit of info to yourself. You're not evil enough to use it against her but you do enjoy watching her squirm. B. Tell her that this information can be kept secret… for a price. C. Immediately call her husband. What she's doing is wrong and it's your obligation to tell him what you've seen. D. Go back to your desk and bitch about your terrible luck. Not only are you stuck working late but there's no one there to gab about it with… and to top it off, that slut knew you had the hots for the vending machine guy! A- Most definitely. That would appeal to enough to my evil side just to see her squirm. But my nice side wouldn't let me actually do anything with that tidbit of information. I'm not one to tell what I know anyhow. My co-workers come to me to spill their guts because they know my lips are sealed.

FOUR FOR FRIDAY Q1 - Pictures: When was the last time someone took a picture of you, and what were you doing? If you can't remember, then when was the last time you took a picture, and what was it of? Last week, and it was a picture of my belly button for Half-Nekkid Thursday! I take loads of pictures, but I believe the last photo I took was of my trees in the backyard when it was snowing a few weekends ago. Q2 - Vice President Cheney: Texas authorities have already cleared U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney of any wrongdoing over last weekend's incident in which he shot, i.e., “peppered pretty well,” a 73-year-old hunting companion in the face. Do you feel the White House and Mr. Cheney himself have acted appropriately in their handling of the incident? I'm sure the Bush administration would have loved to have kept the entire thing hush-hush. I feel like the shooting in itself is not the issue. Accidents happen, it's no big deal...The way Cheney reacted to this situation illustrates how he would treat more important issues facing the nation. Cheney appears to be quite comfortable with keeping Americans in the dark while he decides just what he feels we should know. Mr. Cheney, it is not up to you! Treat us with more respect, we are not idiots.Itit is our right to be informed. Q3 - Real Estate: Do you feel real estate agents' commissions are justified? Don't even get me started on Real Estate Agents! Q4 - Best Friends: Who was your first bestest friend, and, are you still friends with them? If you're not in touch with your first best friend, do you keep in touch with anyone you knew--aside from family--when you were between the ages of five and ten? My very first best friend was Trina, my neighbor across the street when I was 2 or 3. I have no idea where she is now. She moved away when I was around 10 years old. I do however keep up with my friend Tracy. We were friends all through school. We were just talking the other day how we remember being the ages that our children are now.

Pigeons Email has been replaced by courier pigeons. How many courier pigeons will you need to send out your p-mails? My goodness, I'd probably kill the poor little birdies by over-working them! I can't even begin to count how many a day I send and receive. I have friends and relatives from all over that I keep in touch with that way.

::Going for the Gold:: Onesome: Going-- out on a limb: are you watching the Olympics? ...obsessed by them? ...or are they just one more reason to watch "Leave it to Beaver" reruns? None of the above. I've seen bits and pieces of them here and there. Twosome: for the-- heck of it: what happened in your neck of the woods on Groundhog Day? Are you looking at six more weeks of Winter or is Spring poking its head around the corner? I don't know what happened on Groundhog day but I feel fairly certain that Spring won't come any time soon to these regions. Threesome: Gold-- Golden dreams: did you ever aspire to any sports championships? How about academic ones? How did that work out for you? Sports championships, no way! I don't play team sports. I don't watch team sports. Academia is more up my alley. I'm sure I've won a Geography Bee or something equally dorky back in school, but it isn't like I have the little trophies proudly displayed in my home today!

1. How much TV (movies not included) would you say you watch a week? What type of programs do you watch? I listen to a few minutes of the morning news each weekday but I don't actually sit down and watch it. It's just on in the background while I'm getting ready for work. I do watch the news on the weekend to get caught up on my current evens and try to watch CSI if I can stay awake. 2. What are your favorite shows? Are there certain programs you just can't miss? I'll watch CSI like I said above but if I can't stay awake I just catch it when it reruns. 3. Even if you're not a big TV watcher, are you taking the time to watch any Olympic coverage this week and next week? If so, which sports are you interested in watching? I'm catching bits and pieces. My son is really into skiing and snowboarding so I've seen a bit of that. Bonus Question for Comments: What's your movie watching like at home? Do you watch a lot of movies? Do you have a Netflix/Blockbuster type thing going? If so, do you like it? Why/why not? I do belong to Netflix and I like it. I might watch a movie each week, but lately it's been less than that. It's great to have as long as I want to watch a movie and then pop it into the mail when I'm done. I'm really busy and don't want to take the time to run back and forth to the video store.

Way Back Wednesday: I'll love you forever...or until we graduate (whichever comes first) This week's theme is Cheesy Boyfriend/Girlfriend Pictures of the Past.

My motto should have been, I'll love you forever...or at least until I divorce your sorry ass.

This is really a cheesy ex-husband photo instead of cheesy boyfriend photo. But he was my boyfriend first so that should count! I don't have any other photos of previous boyfriends because I didn't have many boyfriends before I met him.

Where did I get that horrible bathing suit? I'm sure it passed for cool in 1989. We're sitting on my boogie board on Bellows Air Force Base Beach in Hawaii.

Way Back Wednesday

Another Hump Day is here! It's time to hone your foto pherreting skills once again.Since yesterday was Valentine's Day, the obvious choice for ths week's word is: Love Not the typical picture that you think of when you hear love. This is my son and his dad (my ex). The photo was taken about 10 years ago. The two of them don't get along very well at all these days and I often remind Ian that his Dad truly loves him, despite their differences...

You're red! You feel things more than most people and you're almost always upfront about how you feel. Color Personality Test brought to you by Quizilla

He looks innocent enough...But like I've always said, looks can be very deceiving. Take me for example, I look innocent enough too...Ah, he must get it from me then. Ian and I are eating our breakfast together this morning and I opened up one last piece of mail that was leftover from yesterday. Actually it was junk mail to the previous owner of the house. It was from some Catholic organization. But it could have been for me too, since I send my son to Catholic school they deem me fit to hit up for money. Anyhow, the contents had a picture of Jesus on it. Ian was looking it over and said, "Jesus had a mullet. And I don't think he was white like they make him look like in most of the pictures." It will be a miracle if he doesn't get tossed out of school, or at the very least, religion class. Wednesday is Mass day at his school, so I told him to be sure and pray for both of us today! He passed out in Mass a few months ago. I'm certain the school though it was because he was so filled with the Holy Spirit he was overcome. Actually, he had locked his knees and it caused him to faint. I won't tell if he doesn't. I asked him how he knew that the previous owners of our house were Catholic. He said he knew because they had holes nailed above every bedroom door to hang a crucifix. Not much gets by him! I've hung a gargoyle over the hole in the room that is now my office and a dream catcher in the master bedroom. We haven't hung anything over the holes in his room or the guest/dog's room. Give me a break, We've only lived there for two years!

I had absolutely nothing to wear this morning...Nothing that fit anyway. I've lost enough weight lately that my pants fall down. So I was forced to wear a tan-ish suit and for some reason I picked out a cream colored shirt. The entire thing makes me look monochromatic. The suit blends with my haircolor and the shirt goes with my skin. Actually, the shirt might be darker than my skin. Not good. What was I thinking? Perhaps I need a website like this, so people can vote what I should wear. Nah, I wouldn't want to listen anyway... I'm trying to down my Starbucks without spilling it on me. We'll see how that goes. It was so full to the brim that it's a miracle I made it the one block from Starbucks to my office without wearing the entire cup.

Birthday gifts for your pets is my dog's birthday, she's 4 (in people years that is, I don't do the dog years thing). Do you give your pets birthday gifts? Of course I give my puppy gifts on her birthday! I get her little doggie toys, some special treats and a little dog cake from Three Dog Bakery. She adores that place! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Playground If you could experience it as a child, what would you most enjoy doing at a playground? I'd love the swings. I'm a big kid at heart so I love all of the playground. Unfortunately my son is too big to play on the playground so I've lost my built-in excuse to play.

I only got the "Oh..." Part out of "Oh What A Beautiful Morning" before my son ran out of his room, down the hallway and into his bathroom. I don't know whether to be pleased with my ingenuity of coming up with a great way to get him out of bed or insulted as to what that says about my singing voice!

Don't get me wrong, I don't like the song either...

That's Valentine's Day- you smut minded people. We were talking quite a bit about Valentine's Day at work today. One of my co-workers usually "messes up" on this day. On the first Valentine's Day she had with her partner, she told her that she had cheated on her earlier in the year. Not the best day to pick to tell such a secret, I'm just venturing a guess here. My bosses finace always asks me on the phone if I have a boyfriend yet. He knows I'm a lesbian. He just loves to give me a hard time. I'll chalk it up to the language barrier. He speaks Farsi, and English with a very thick accent. Of course, he can always speak English well enough to say he can fix me up with a very nice man who will buy me not only a Mercedes but a Jaguar too. Uh-huh.... Um...do I need to define lesbian for these people? I'm sorry if I don't "look like" their textbook definition of lesbian. I swear that I am! And as you've read earlier, my co-worker's fiance sent me a Valentine. He said he would volunteer to assist me if I ever wanted to be straight again. Like I said, it's a good thing I like him... As we were all leaving work, my fellow lesbian co-worker told us all that she hopes we all get laid for Valentine's Day. I said to Shannon (whose finace sent me the Valentine), "Yeah, like that's going to happen!" She joked back and said that if I took Don's advice and went straight, it might happen. Gee, thanks! But no thanks! I told her that I was 100% lesbian and I had no interest in going any other way.

Name three songs with candy related words in the title. Name three artists with candy related words in the title. Name three albums with candy related words in the title. Songs: I Want Candy - Bow WowWow Sex and Candy- Marcy Playground Big Rock Candy Mountain- From the OST "O Brother Where Art Thou" Albums: Candy-O - The Cars Psycho Candy- Jesus and The Mary Chain Ear Candy- Blue Jupiter